Watching the Mountain

After he finished speaking, Zhao Wuyang looked at the complex expression on Xu Ran’s face and asked, slightly taken aback, "What is it? Does Fellow Daoist Xu think there’s a problem with what I said?"

Xu Ran let out a soft breath, shook his head, and said, "No, I’m just a bit overwhelmed. Hearing those words from you, Fellow Daoist Zhao... the contrast is just a little too strong."

Zhao Wuyang was momentarily stunned, then rubbed his brow and smiled. "Fellow Daoist Xu, you’re mistaken. My joining the Demon Sect was an accident to begin with. Besides, don’t you think it is precisely because I come from the Demon Sect that I would have such feelings?"

Xu Ran thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. ’That’s true. Perhaps it’s only after experiencing too much suffering that one learns to cherish even the smallest bit of happiness.’

He then asked with some curiosity, "Are the living conditions in the Demon Sect really that harsh?"

Zhao Wuyang chuckled lightly. "It’s actually not so bad. But you should know my personality, Fellow Daoist. In any case, ever since I joined, I’ve been walking on eggshells, terrified that one moment of carelessness would bring disaster upon me."

The moment he finished speaking, Liu Yunge, who was beside him, swung her arm and struck a bold pose, saying:

"See, I told you! I should have been the one to join your Demon Sect. My Creation Sect has too many old-fashioned rules. You can’t do this, you can’t do that... It’s so stifling. I much prefer being free and unrestrained."

Xu Ran chuckled softly at her antics. Liu Yunge usually carried herself with the righteous and heroic air of a senior sister from the Righteous Dao, but in private, she was a total tomboy. When he first met her, she had referred to herself as "this old lady," completely shattering that image.

But as soon as she finished, Zhao Wuyang, who was beside her, took both her hands and said in a gentle voice:

"Your bravado is just an act. I know that you’re kinder than anyone else. If you really stayed in the Demon Sect, it would only bring you pain."

"You’re underestimating me," Liu Yunge retorted, but a sweet expression appeared on her face as she lowered her head slightly and leaned into Zhao Wuyang’s embrace.

*

*

*

Zhao Wuyang and Liu Yunge stayed at the Profound Pure Sect for three days.

The Little Witch’s failure to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm had left them with heavy hearts, and it cast a shadow of worry over their own future paths.

As a result, the atmosphere was a bit somber whenever they all sat together during those few days.

But even so, they still tried their best to keep smiling, telling Xu Ran and Chen Chang’an about some of the things they had experienced over the past sixty years.

On the day before they left, they looked at Chen Chang’an and asked, "Fellow Daoist Chen, are you confident you can break through to the Nascent Soul Realm?"

Faced with this question, Chen Chang’an was silent for a moment before shaking his head and replying, "Right now, I still can’t see the path to my breakthrough."

Zhao Wuyang smiled. "Then let’s exchange some insights."

He said with a serious expression, "You know Yun Ge’s and my situation. We have to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm and become stronger. Only then can we be together openly and honorably. So we can’t let go of even the slightest chance to improve our odds of breaking through."

The group began to exchange their insights on the Dao. Xu Ran’s Realm was too far below theirs for him to participate, but they had him listen from the side. They told him not to try and comprehend it, just to remember it. When his Realm was high enough in the future, he would naturally understand.

Zhao Wuyang and the others seemed to love talking about the future. It had been like that for the past few days, often talking about what they would do when they became stronger and could finally be together openly.

This time, both Xu Ran and Chen Chang’an offered them their blessings.

"Goodbye, Fellow Daoist Chen. We hope that by the next time we meet, we will all have reached the Nascent Soul Realm."

"You too, Fellow Daoist Xu. We’ll be waiting for you in the Nascent Soul Stage. You have to catch up to us quickly, okay?"

Xu Ran nodded. "Fellow Daoist Qingxue said that you two must find happiness. When you pay respects at her grave, tell her."

The two of them fell silent for a moment, then smiled softly. "We will tell Fellow Daoist Qingxue."

Xu Ran watched their retreating figures for a long time, unable to look away.

They were other people, yet his heart desperately yearned for them to find happiness. ’Perhaps it’s because their love is truly too pure, like something from a fairy tale. In a place like the Cultivation Realm, it’s so rare and precious that you can’t help but want to bless them.’

*

*

*

After Zhao Wuyang and Liu Yunge left, Chen Chang’an stood there in a daze. After a long while, he finally looked up and said:

"A few days ago, I went to see Junior Sister Qingxue before you did. It’s just... back then, we were only fellow sect members..."

Xu Ran was taken aback for a moment. He understood what Chen Chang’an meant. When he had gone to see Ye Qingxue, they were merely ordinary members of the same sect, not yet close enough to be called friends.

By the time they became friends, he wasn’t there, and she was already gone.

He only found out from Xu Ran and Zhao Wuyang that she had accepted him as a friend.

Xu Ran was silent for a long time before saying, "Regardless, to gain a friend in life is always a fortunate thing."

Chen Chang’an nodded silently.

His life always seemed to be like this. When his parents were dying, he had rushed back twice to see them one last time. But he was only just in time to see that final moment. Upon seeing him, his parents had raised themselves halfway up from the bed to speak, but the words never came. They could only leave him with a smile.

It was like that both times. He saw their final moments but never got to hear their final words. It seemed as if there were no regrets, yet it also seemed to be filled with them.

It was the same with Senior Brother Ye Shan. They had seen each other one last time, but he hadn’t been able to show him the Sword Technique he had saved for him.

And when repaying his debt to Senior Sister Yue, he had only pulled through at the last moment thanks to Zhao Wuyang and Liu Yunge’s help.

And now, it was the same with Junior Sister Qingxue.

His life was always like this. It seemed like there were no regrets left behind, but it always fell short by just a little bit.

Chen Chang’an was silent for a long time. Then, he raised his head, his gaze fixed in the direction Zhao Wuyang and Liu Yunge had disappeared, a determined look in his eyes.

He turned back to Xu Ran and said, "I’m going to cultivate."

’This time, I will personally witness Wuyang and Yun Ge achieve their happiness. I can’t allow even the slightest imperfection.’

*

*

*

Xu Ran had always felt that death was an incredibly sad thing, like standing alone in the biting cold of winter, dressed in thin clothes.

Lonely, desolate, and bone-chillingly cold.

But the Little Witch’s final smile was like a spring breeze melting the harsh winter, full of warmth and life.

What is lost at sunrise is gained at sunset. She spent her life pursuing a love she could never have, yet in her final moments, she gained a few friends who truly cared for her.

And because of that, the Witch’s smile was a warm one.

He remembered that when Xiaoque’Er had left, she too had been smiling. It was just that her smile had been one more of relief and letting go.

He didn’t know what Xiaoque’Er had let go of; he only remembered that her smile at that moment was incredibly beautiful.

The Little Witch’s was the same—warm and beautiful.

They both left with a smile on their face. He didn’t know what they were thinking in their final moments, but he felt that perhaps for many, death was not the end, but also a Rebirth. That after loneliness, what followed might not be desolation, but warmth.

Just like Zhao Wuyang and Liu Yunge, who had appeared at the very end. Their arrival made the Little Witch’s final, warm smile a reality.

The path to eternal life wasn’t one of solitary existence; it could also be accompanied by the warmth of others.

*

*

*

It had been Xu Ran who suggested to Ye Shan that the Little Witch should take on a disciple. Now that both Ye Shan and the Little Witch were gone, he, the one who gave the advice, naturally had to take responsibility.

The impression the disciples of the Profound Pure Sect had of Ye Shu came from the words he had once spoken in public: "Mother, I am not willing to die for you."

This unfilial declaration had left him with no friends. No one wanted to be friends with someone so disrespectful to their own parent.

When the Little Witch passed away, Ye Shu didn’t cry. He just knelt silently before her grave in a daze.

He only returned, just as silently, seven days later.

Xu Ran looked at the old man before him, whose hair was as white as his own had once been, and after a moment of silence, he asked:

"Are you sure you don’t need me to get you a Lifespan Extension Pill? They aren’t easy to come by. If you miss this chance, there’s no telling when the next one will appear."

Ye Shu bowed deeply to him. "Thank you, Uncle Xu, but I’ll pass. My mother taught me that I must learn to be independent and self-reliant, and not to take things from others."