PDLP Chapter 79 Separation of Immortals and Mortals, Revisiting the Great Yin Dynasty
Chapter 79 Separation of Immortals and Mortals, Revisiting the Great Yin Dynasty
Chapter 79 Separated by Immortal and Mortal Realms, Returning to the Great Yin Dynasty
Zhao Chengan stopped in his tracks.
He looked down at the hand clutching his sleeve, then looked up at the flushed young man. The eyes of the people around him also turned to him.
He paused for a moment, then smiled and replied.
"Maybe so."
The young man loosened his sleeve and stood there stunned for a long time.
Then he looked up at the bright moon in the sky and suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter filled with an indescribable bitterness.
"I've lived a wasted life, unaware that immortals exist in this world—"
"Then haven't we wasted these past few decades? Haven't we lived in vain?
He laughed, but his voice gradually faded, eventually turning into intermittent sobs, and he slid down the stone steps. Several students nearby also wore expressions of sorrow.
It is certainly painful not to know that immortals exist in the world.
Knowing that immortals exist in the world, or even that the gates to immortality are right in front of you, yet being unable to open them, and forced to accept your mediocrity and await old age, illness, and death—isn't that even more painful?
The mortal and the immortal realms are separated!
Zhao Cheng'an stood in front of him and looked down at him for a moment.
He didn't say anything more, turned around, and continued walking along the stone path, leaving the suppressed sobs and the noisy discussions around him behind.
The windows of the bamboo house were still lit.
He pushed open the door and went upstairs. He sat at the desk for a while, tidied up the scattered manuscripts on the table, and put the several mysterious books of chaos that he had obtained from Luo Qingyi deep into his bag.
The candlelight flickered slightly.
He reached out and adjusted the wick, then blew out the candle.
The room was plunged into darkness.
The distant noise outside the window continued, but it had become blurred and distant.
He lay in bed, closed his eyes, and quickly drifted off to sleep.
The next afternoon.
As Zhao Cheng'an was packing his belongings, he heard a series of chaotic footsteps and laughter outside.
Zhao Cheng'an pushed open the door and saw Xiang Yunyuan and Sun Fuli carrying several oil paper packages and wine jars, walking up the steps. Xu Baiheng followed behind, carrying a basket of washed fruit.
"Brother Zhao, let's get together here tonight."
Xiang Yunyuan put the things on the table, dusted off his hands, and grinned: "Soon we'll all be going our separate ways. We've been together for seven or eight years, and who knows when we'll see each other again. Let's drink until we drop tonight."
Zhao Cheng'an saw a corner of monster meat peeking out from the oil paper package, and then looked at the several wine jars sealed with red clay.
When did you buy these?
"Back in Floating Scale Cave Heaven," Sun Fuli chuckled, "I originally wanted to give you a surprise, after all, you've taken such good care of us—but we only have a limited number of spirit stones, so please forgive us."
Although Sun Fuli spoke of it lightly.
But Zhao Cheng'an knew that with the few spirit stones they had at the time, buying these things would probably mean living a very frugal life for the next few days.
He didn't point it out, and together with Xiao Wu, they turned around and went to the kitchen to bring back charcoal and a grill, which they set up in the yard.
The night is getting darker.
The campfire flickered in the center of the courtyard, casting intermittent light and shadow on the faces of the people sitting around it.
The meat of demonic beasts is processed using special methods, allowing it to be preserved for a long time.
Oil dripped onto the charcoal fire, sizzling and sending up plumes of white smoke with a smoky aroma.
The wine jar was opened, and the aroma of wine filled the air.
Several people clinked their bowls together, tilted their heads back and drank it all, then grimaced from the spiciness.
The laughter carried far on the night breeze.
Xiang Yunyuan drank the fastest. After a few bowls of wine, his cheeks flushed red.
He held his wine bowl, watching the flickering flames, his face serene. Suddenly, he said, "Spring has a hundred flowers, autumn has the moon, summer has cool breezes, and winter has snow. If there are no worries on your mind, then every season is a good season."
On the other side, Sun Fuli's face also turned bright red.
He was holding a wine bowl, swaying unsteadily, and somehow he had moved to Xu Baiheng's side.
"Baiheng————"
His eyes were blurry with drunkenness as he reached out to grab her hand, his voice slurred: "I know my abilities are limited, and this is probably all I'll ever be in my life—I know that being assigned to the Shen family means our future days might not be easy—"
He swallowed hard and looked up into her eyes.
"But as long as we can be together, I'm not afraid."
Xu Baiheng did not answer.
She looked down at the flickering campfire in front of her, the orange-red flames reflected in her pupils, swaying gently.
Her expression was somewhat complicated, but finally a faint smile appeared on her face.
"You've had a bit too much to drink," Xu Baiheng said softly.
"Not much." Sun Fuli held her hand firmly. "I know perfectly well what's going on in my mind."
Xiang Yunyuan burst into laughter.
It was late at night.
The embers of the campfire glowed with a dark red light in the night.
Zhao Cheng'an took the drunk Xiang Yunyuan back to his room, then stood under the eaves and watched Xu Baiheng help the still unsteady Sun Fuli walk away along the path.
He returned to the front of the bamboo house, swept up the remaining charcoal ash in the courtyard, and covered it with soil.
Then I stood in the empty courtyard, looking at the bamboo house in front of me where I had lived for seven or eight years.
The moonlight spilled onto the bamboo eaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
He spent all his days and nights at the Imperial Academy here, and now countless images flow through his mind like a stream.
Let's go!
Zhao Cheng'an turned his gaze away and spoke to Xiao Wu, who was standing to the side.
The two left the bamboo house, and Xiao Wu locked the courtyard gate.
The morning mist had not yet completely dissipated.
At the agreed-upon location, Zhao Chengan saw Chen Heng.
She stood by the roadside, two bulging bundles at her feet, one hand holding her sheathed longsword, the other tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Seeing Zhao Cheng'an approach with light steps, she asked, "Is that all you have?"
Chen Heng asked a question subconsciously before realizing what was going on.
"Tsk tsk, I forgot you're already a high-end person who can use a Qiankun Bag." Chen Heng's eyes were filled with envy.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Zhao Cheng'an patted the Qiankun bag hanging on his belt. "Put the things here with me."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Zhao Cheng'an took Chen Heng's luggage away. "Let's go to Qiansui Valley to say goodbye to the two masters. We don't know when we'll meet again after this."
Zhao Cheng'an spoke, and Chen Heng's smile faded as he nodded.
The two walked along the bluestone path for a short distance and saw a slender figure standing under an old willow tree in front of the valley.
Lingwei was dressed in a clean gray cloth dress, and her long hair was loosely tied up with a wooden hairpin.
She saw Zhao Chengan and Chen Heng walking side by side, and a faint smile appeared on her face, but she did not make way for them.
"Miss Lingwei," Zhao Cheng'an stopped in his tracks, "we were just about to bid farewell to the two teachers."
Lingwei shook her head.
"The chief priest and the mountain lord told me to wait for you here."
"They said that there is no banquet that doesn't end well, but the two elders are getting old, and it would be a bit embarrassing if they embarrassed themselves, so they won't come to see you off. You don't need to go and say goodbye. It's fine as it is."
Lingwei said with a smile.
She paused, her gaze falling on Zhao Cheng'an, her voice softening slightly: "The chief priest also said—don't look back, just keep moving forward."
Zhao Cheng'an stood still for a moment.
He gazed in the direction of Chisui Valley, from where he could still vaguely see a corner of the rice paddies. Morning mist swirled over the fields, shrouding the distant eaves and trees in a hazy bluish-gray hue.
After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and bowed to the morning mist in that direction.
"Disciple understands."
He lowered his hand, turned to Lingwei, and solemnly clasped his hands in a salute.
"Miss Lingwei, I'm very grateful for your care during these years at the Imperial Academy. Take care."
Lingwei turned slightly to the side, refusing his full bow, and then stood up straight.
"The same goes for you both, have a safe journey."
Zhao Cheng'an turned around and walked down the mountain path. Chen Heng followed behind him, and after walking a distance, she turned back to look at him.
Lingwei was still standing under that old willow tree, the morning breeze gently blowing her clothes, growing farther and farther away, more and more indistinct.
The two of them followed the mountain path, leaving the Imperial Academy and arriving at the market town at the foot of Cangwu Mountain.
The streetscape has changed a lot since the day they left.
Along the street, the edges of the once barren fields were now dotted with green, and the damp soil on the ridges exuded a fresh scent. The number of displaced disaster victims had also decreased significantly, with only a few scattered figures remaining in front of the soup kitchens by the roadside.
"In just a few days, the scenery here has changed so much." Chen Heng thought to himself, "It's all because that blue phoenix once stayed here briefly, which brought everything back to life."
"It's unbelievable that a spirit beast at the Foundation Establishment stage is this powerful."
Zhao Cheng'an said, "Every major breakthrough in cultivation realm signifies a leap in life level. Foundation Establishment cultivators are to us what we are to mortals, or even more so. Although we have similar physical forms, we are already completely different beings."
"This is also the meaning of our continuous pursuit of the Way."
Speaking of it.
Zhao Cheng'an stopped by the roadside, his gaze sweeping over the green fields and the distant mountain ridges, looking towards the horizon.
The morning light had already dispelled the fog.
The sun is rising behind the distant mountain silhouette.
The first ray of golden light pierced through the sea of clouds, enveloping the entire Cangwu Mountain in a flowing glow. The mountain's outline became clear and bright in the backlight, and even the newly sprouted greenery in the fields was gilded with a warm, golden hue.
"The sun has risen."
""
Chen Heng stood beside him, raised her head, and looked at the increasingly bright sky.
Zhao Cheng'an followed her gaze.
The morning light fell on his face, casting a soft glow on his slightly squinted eyes. "Yes, we should get going."