Bai Ling’s elegant eyes held a trace of cold detachment as he looked at her, his voice as calm and measured as his gaze. “Master has his own destined path to immortality. This tribulation was fated for him. If he overcomes it safely, he will attain ascension within a hundred years, shedding his mortal body and becoming a scattered immortal [a lesser celestial being, free from reincarnation]. That would be the best outcome. But even now, though events took an unexpected turn, all he is losing is this mortal shell. He understands this—so why should you grieve?”
Hong Ning shook off his hand.
Bai Ling frowned. “Hong Ning.”
She had no strength left to argue. Slumping onto a nearby rock, she murmured, “Master said he doesn’t have much time left.”
Bai Ling said, “That day was bound to come sooner or later. Do you remember what Immortal Zhong once told us?”
Hong Ning’s expression was blank. “Master may not achieve ascension in his physical body, but with diligent cultivation, he can still be recorded in the celestial register [officially recognized as an immortal].”
Bai Ling nodded. “Master has achieved great merit and virtue. He will not suffer in the underworld. Death is merely another form of life. In time, he will become a ghost immortal, just as Immortal Zhong predicted. This proves it was all destined by the heavens. After cultivating for so many years, attaining immortality is fulfilling his life’s wish. You should be happy for him.”
“What about me?” Hong Ning finally lifted her face to look at him, her tone eerily calm. “Once someone becomes an immortal, they sever all ties with the mortal world. To me, having Master stay with us for another hundred years would be enough. By then, I’d already be dead, and you could all become immortals or Buddhas for all I care—it would have nothing to do with me. But now, he was harmed by He Lan Xue. The moment his soul enters the underworld, we’ll be separated by life and death. Even if he does become a ghost immortal in the future, where would I go to see him then?”
Bai Ling was stunned.
“I only care about the present. Right now, he’s not some celestial being—he’s the master who raised me for over ten years.” Hong Ning murmured, “I hate He Lan Xue. She’s insane. Why should your affairs have dragged Master into this? A life for a life—that’s how it should be.”
Bai Ling remained silent.
Hong Ning realized that her words had been too harsh. Quickly, she wiped her eyes and said, “Don’t misunderstand, I’m not blaming you.” She let out a sigh and murmured, “I just meant that life and death aren’t much different to you all. You will cultivate immortality, live forever, and remember so many things. But I’m different. There is no eternal love in the mortal world. Even if you find me in the next life, I won’t remember you. That’s why I want you to stay with me a little longer in this lifetime. Don’t blame me for being selfish.”
Bai Ling looked at her for a moment. “It’s enough if I remember.”
Hong Ning’s eyes reddened again, but she forced a smile. “You all live for thousands of years and experience so much. How could one mind remember everything?”
Bai Ling said nothing more and simply pulled her up. “Let’s go back.”
Hong Ning nodded.
As the two figures disappeared into the distance, a figure appeared atop the nearby rocks.
He Lan Xue lowered her gaze to the crushed apricot petals on the ground, as if unable to believe what she was seeing. After a long moment, she suddenly lifted her face, her beautiful eyes filled with seething resentment as she stared in the direction where the two had vanished. Her lips moved as she murmured, “So it’s her.”
With a flick of her sleeve, the entire apricot grove was instantly covered in a layer of snow.
“What a shame. Such lovely flowers, and the two of you just had to ruin them one after another.”
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