Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Chapter 33: Awakening

The excruciating pain of being torn apart deep within Su Ming's soul was slowly fading, transforming into a bone-deep ache and exhaustion. He lay sprawled on the ground like a fish thrown ashore, without even the strength to lift a finger.

"Master..."

He called out weakly in his heart, but the only response was the ring's icy coldness and dead silence.

Master had fallen into a deep slumber.

This thought instantly seized his heart with a wave of immense panic.

He turned his head and saw Zhao Rui lying unconscious not far away, limp as a pile of mud.

Can't stay here!

This thought lashed at his weary nerves like a whip.

"Zhao Rui! Wake up!" Su Ming crawled over using both hands and feet, pushing and shaking him with all his might.

Zhao Rui's body was soft and limp, showing no reaction."Wake up!" Su Ming grew anxious and, not caring about anything else, raised his hand and gave Zhao Rui a resounding slap.

"Smack!"

The crisp sound was particularly piercing in the silent woods.

"Ugh..." Zhao Rui let out a pained groan, his eyelids fluttering a few times before he finally slowly regained consciousness.

His gaze was dazed, staring blankly at the night sky for a long while before finally focusing on Su Ming's anxious face.

"Su... Su Ming?" His voice was dry and hoarse, "I... what happened to me? My head hurts so much..."

The tide of memories suddenly flooded in.

The dilapidated temple, the twisted beauty lantern, and that indescribable, terrifying black shadow that came rushing at them!

"Ghost! There's a ghost!" Zhao Rui abruptly sat up, letting out a shrill scream, scrambling backward on his hands and feet, all color draining from his face.

"Shut up!" Su Ming roared in a low voice, carrying an authority he himself hadn't realized he possessed, "Do you want to attract something else? Get up, we need to leave here right now!"

Zhao Rui was stunned by his shout. Seeing Su Ming's equally pale but exceptionally determined face, that hysterical fear was forcibly suppressed a bit, leaving only uncontrollable trembling.

Su Ming struggled to stand up, his calves trembling. He grabbed the still-shaking Zhao Rui, dragged him, and stumbled desperately along the path they came from.

He didn't dare look back, always feeling that in the darkness of that ruined temple, countless eyes were still watching their backs.

The cloth bag on his back swung constantly as he ran, the contents inside colliding with each other. He heard something fall to the ground, but he couldn't care less.

The two of them scrambled and stumbled, falling who knows how many times, until they completely ran out of the woods and saw the vague outline of the village in the distance. Only then did they both collapse from exhaustion, plopping down into the grass by the roadside, gasping for breath.

The relief of surviving a disaster, mixed with boundless exhaustion, swept over their entire bodies.

Early the next morning, when the first ray of sunlight shone on his face, Su Ming finally woke up.

He and Zhao Rui, covered in mud and dew, looked like two little beggars.

other, they limped back to the

Su family's third boy

"Oh my heavens, you two, did you fall into some ravine? How did you end up in such a

shout was like lighting a

followed closely behind, his face ashen, lips tightly pursed, still clutching the newly bought tobacco pipe in his hand, but the deep worry

and his wife Wang Chuntao, Second Brother Su Yang, also gathered

who had heard the news. His father's face turned

Su family's main hall, the atmosphere

the main seat, smoking his pipe one puff

Shan finally spoke, his voice seeming to rumble from his

hung his head, not knowing

and then an old grandpa residing in a ring

parents would surely

late, wanted to take a shortcut back, and got lost... in the woods." Su Ming spoke vaguely, "Then it got dark, it seemed like...

was full of holes, but at the moment, it was the only excuse he

out the crushed and misshapen oil paper package and handed it to his mother and sister-in-law, his face somewhat embarrassed, "Mother, sister-in-law, these are... the date paste cakes I bought for you... wanted

her son's guilty expression, her eyes reddened again, but she forced a smile, "Silly child, why buy these... Mother

out the small cloth bag containing the tobacco shreds and handed it to his father. The edges of the bag

the stall owner said it was the best..." His voice grew

rough fingers rubbed the bag's fine texture and the mud stains, remaining silent for quite a while. He untied the string at the bag's opening, lowered his head, and took a deep sniff. The rich, mellow

tobacco shreds, filled the pipe, lit it, and took a deep drag. Amidst the swirling smoke, he vaguely grunted "Hmm," but the slight upward curve of his lips was seen by

Su Ming solemnly picked up the heavy, thickly cloth-wrapped bluestone whetstone and handed it to

saw your firewood knife is old. This... sharpens

stone. It felt cool and solid in his hand. He lifted the thick cloth and saw the bluish-gray, fine-textured stone surface. His eyes immediately lit up. He was a practical person, not one for fancy words.

two jin of pork

bought for you

Eldest Brother Su Feng interrupted him with a frown, "It's good that you're safe. If things are lost,

cloth, complaining with her mouth about

finally slowly subsided amidst the family's complex emotions of heartache and

return to its

continued reading, practicing calligraphy, meditating, and "body tempering" every

knew that his

would call out dozens, even hundreds of

"Master?"

"Master, are you awake?"

"Master, are you alright?"

ring showed no

quietly on his finger, cold to the touch, like an utterly ordinary, lifeless

One day, two days...

One week, two weeks...

passed bit by bit. Panic and anxiety gradually gave way to an

be... that everything that night was just

fear and exhaustion, imagined an all-powerful master to

heart-wrenching pain might have just been from

arose, it grew wildly in his

began to scrutinize everything he

isn't just for exams"—was that his own sudden

the strongest armor"—was that also