Wen Xin shook his head. “How could you be so reckless! It’s not that I am unwilling to stay, but consuming such a treasure requires immense virtue and celestial fate. I fear I do not possess enough. One must not force what is not meant to be. My lifespan has reached its natural end—this is how it should be. You have stolen a divine artifact and attempted to alter fate. If the truth comes to light, calamity will surely follow. It will do me no good either.”
Bai Ling argued, “If I was able to obtain it, doesn’t that mean Master is fated to have it? Why reject it?”
Wen Xin thought for a moment and was about to speak when he suddenly froze.
Bai Ling was also startled. “This…”
In the blink of an eye, the Nine-Leaf Lingzhi had withered, crumbling into nothing more than a dried, lifeless stalk.
The two of them stared at each other in silence.
After a long pause, Wen Xin sighed. “You did all this because you’re worried about her, didn’t you? I can see that though she is young, she is strong-willed. It’s natural for her to grieve for a time, but even if you and I are no longer here, you need not worry too much about her. When I am gone, you must return to Kunlun Mountain at once.” His tone grew more serious. “There is a long road ahead, and right now, nothing must delay you. Since we share a bond as master and disciple, you should heed my words this time.”
Bai Ling remained silent for a long moment before finally nodding.
Wen Xin straightened his robes, then slowly walked over to the couch and sat down cross-legged. “I am leaving. Handle everything as I instructed.”
Bai Ling immediately turned to leave. “I will call her.”
Wen Xin stopped him. “No need. That child is too attached to mortal emotions. If she sees me go, she will grieve too much, and I will not be able to cultivate in peace.”
Bai Ling hesitated. “But she truly wants to see you off.”
Wen Xin shook his head and closed his eyes.
The summer heat lingered in the air, yet the evening breeze carried an unexpected chill. Now and then, unknown flower petals drifted downstream with the mountain creek’s flowing water.
Hong Ning sat with her arms wrapped around her knees, staring blankly at the stream.
She had been personally caring for Wen Xin all this time. While she might not have known the full extent of his recovery, she was not so naive as to be completely unaware. Recently, he had inexplicably stopped cultivating. Today, he had even bathed and changed his clothes early, and there was that deliberate display of familial warmth—each of these things filled her with an ever-growing sense of fear and unease.
The truth was right in front of her, yet she refused to believe it.
From the moment Wen Xin picked her up from the roadside, from that gentle, peaceful smile to the life they had shared for over ten years, she had unconsciously come to rely on him. Even though she knew he was a cultivator, someone who would never be overly attached to mortal affections, she had always thought she would be the one to leave first. She had believed there was still plenty of time and that everything would unfold just as she had imagined.
She understood that forming too many attachments could hinder cultivation. That was why she had done her best to cooperate, hoping to let him leave in peace. But in the end, she was nothing more than an ordinary human. She could not grasp or untangle the profound philosophies of life and death. All she knew was that the person who had raised and accompanied her for so many years was about to leave—and she was supposed to watch him go without feeling anything.
It was too difficult.
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