Chapter 35: The Old Master’s Prank

I leaned on my knees, squatting and panting for quite a while, but the Old Master still made no sound. I stood up, finally catching my breath, and said, “Old Master, I think it’s almost mealtime. We’ve played enough, shouldn’t we be heading back?”

The Old Master remained silent, his head tilted as he leaned against the back of his wheelchair, utterly still, as if he hadn’t heard me.

From then until now, I had asked him nearly three times, yet the Old Master had not responded once.

At this point, even my usually thick nerves sensed that something was amiss.

As I gazed at the motionless Old Master, a profoundly unsettling premonition suddenly seized my heart. My legs abruptly refused to obey, feeling detached from my body, yet they slowly shuffled me closer to the Old Master.

The Old Master’s eyes were closed, a faint smile gracing his face, his hands resting on the armrests of his wheelchair. For some inexplicable reason, my legs suddenly began to tremble uncontrollably.

I stared at the unmoving Old Master, my neck feeling as though it had frozen solid, the cold spreading relentlessly down to my tailbone.

My mind went utterly blank.

I whispered, “Old Master?”

Naturally, the Old Master did not reply. I stood there bewildered for a long moment, then tentatively patted his shoulder. “Old Master?”

The Old Master remained utterly still. I froze for a while, then began to pat his shoulder, gently at first, but with increasing force. The Old Master swayed from the impact, his head bobbing before slumping forward.

The path was deserted, and despite the bright sunshine, I felt as if I had plunged into an icy abyss. Standing at the bottom of the slope, the usual passersby seemed to have vanished, even cars were absent, leaving only a faint, warm breeze to stir the air.

I looked at the Old Master, his head still slumped, and with a final flicker of hope, I tremblingly extended a finger, placing it beneath his nose.

After a moment of checking for his breath, I slowly lowered my hand.

I stared at the Old Master, and a sudden, profound sense of absurdity washed over me.

No breath.

Old Master, even in your final journey, you had to play a trick on me, didn’t you?

I raised my hand, intending to slap myself twice, but after a moment, I lowered it again. Hitting myself wouldn’t solve anything. Even now, I couldn’t comprehend what I had been thinking. The Old Master had a weak heart; no matter how much he begged to “play,” how could I have pushed him down that slope?

I gazed at the slope, which hadn’t seemed particularly steep at first, but the longer I stared, the more precipitous it appeared.

I stood with my hands on my hips, the wide, long slope stretching out behind the Old Master. As I took in the scene, my mind went blank. What was I supposed to do now? I had to push the Old Master back to the hospital, explain the situation, then inform Old Han and arrange the funeral. But how could I explain this to Old Han’s family? The Old Master was perfectly fine this morning; I took him out for a stroll, and then he just… passed away?

If Old Han’s parents asked, what would I say? What would be the right thing to say? Should I tell the truth? That I pushed the Old Master down a slope, letting him experience a “roller coaster” ride?

And Old Han. I suddenly recalled a few days ago, Old Han on the rubber track, her face pale and haggard, faint dark circles under her eyes, pleading with me: “Should I kneel before you?” Yes, I came to look after the Old Master. I came out of friendship, but how did I handle things once I arrived? This wasn’t just screwing up in a video game; this was a human life! I had cared for someone until they died. I was a damn murderer!

How would Old Han look at me now? And her parents? With such a grave incident, Old Han’s parents would surely have to return from abroad. And upon their return, they would discover that Old Han had become a woman—

My hands and feet turned icy cold, a torrent of issues crashing down on me, and I dared not think any further.

I should just go back first… back to the hospital.

As for how to handle it, I’d let the hospital discuss it. In any case, I needed to inform the family first and wait for Old Han to arrive before making any further decisions.

I drew a deep breath, but even the sound of it was shaky. I tried my best to calm down, gazing at the Old Master as I murmured:

“Old Master, I told you not to play this roller coaster game! You’re an old man; why do you always have to go against me?”

The Old Master sat in his wheelchair, his face serene, his head still slumped.

I should just push the Old Master back first…

I took a few deep breaths, my legs still trembling slightly. Stepping forward, I saw the Old Master’s head was slumped, so I reached out to gently straighten it, resting his head against the backrest.

My mind was in utter turmoil. I sighed, then stood watching the Old Master for a moment longer, preparing to push him back.

“Rua!!!”

The Old Master suddenly let out a loud cry!

“Ah, holy motherfucker!!!!”

I shrieked desperately, dropping onto the ground with a thud, scrambling backward incessantly.

I saw the Old Master, sitting in his wheelchair, looking at me with a wide, mischievous grin.

I kept scrambling in terror until I reached the railing, trembling as I stared at the Old Master for a long time. He, looking as if nothing had happened, chuckled, “How was that? Scared you, didn’t I?”

“You brat, you checked my breath for so long, I almost couldn’t breathe…”

“…”

I stared at the grinning Old Master, utterly speechless, my brain completely frozen. Sitting on the ground, I gaped at him, my lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

A smile still played on the Old Master’s face as he asked, “Exciting, wasn’t it?”

I looked at the Old Master for a moment, clutching my chest, my gaze blankly fixed on the floor—

…I felt a little nauseous.

After a long while, I hesitantly stood up, the midday sun warming my body. The slope behind the Old Master remained deserted, and he watched me, a triumphant smile plastered across his face.

I stood rooted to the spot, everything feeling somewhat unreal. After a long moment of suspicious silence, I finally asked, “Old Master, are you dead or not?”

The Old Master chuckled, “Not yet, why? Were you hoping I was?”

I stared at the Old Master, hesitating for a long time before speaking:

“Could you have just died earlier, and then… and then I went mad, and everything I’m seeing now is just my hallucination…?”

The Old Master nodded. “Hmm, that’s certainly possible…”

I looked at the Old Master, clutching my chest, and said earnestly:

“Old Master, next time, could you please not play such tricks on me? My heart isn’t exactly strong either. If you do this again, you’ll be a white-haired elder burying a black-haired one.”

The Old Master tilted his head, pondering for a moment, then said, “I’ll try my best.”

I gazed at the Old Master, a curse word forming on my lips, but after much deliberation, I painfully swallowed it back down.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Could It Be That I’m Actually the Strongest Final Boss?

ComedyFantasyFemale Protagonist

Read Now →
Not interested