Never as in Youth Again [Part One]

The Red Squirrel immediately cried out, "I'm in so much pain I can't breathe! I feel like fate is choking me!"

Its fur stood on end, and it felt a chill run down its spine; it realized there really was someone behind it.

"Fellow Daoist, is there some misunderstanding between us? Let's talk this out. This is the Heavenly God Daoist Grounds, and also the Great Sage's hometown. Please don't act rashly."

The Red Squirrel kept shouting, afraid of encountering a reckless and suicidal creature that would drink it up on the spot.

The children were shocked. This was Master Hong, who was ranked among the top five in strength in the village. Yet, he was being lifted up like a puppy.

Some children pouted and immediately cried, while others screamed in terror.

"Master Hong rolled his eyes!"

"Help! Uncle Mouse is dying!"

The small Red Squirrel, with its body so small, was being gripped by Qin Ming's neck from behind, kicking repeatedly until its eyes rolled back in its head, looking powerless to struggle and on the verge of death.

The older children panicked and ran into the village to call for help. The younger children were terrified; they had just stood up when they sat down again, their eyes filled with tears.

Seeing this, Qin Ming quickly reassured him, "Don't be afraid, One of Us."

He didn't want to cause chaos and scare the kids as soon as he got back. In a flash, Wen Rui appeared. He had grown up and was now a young man in his twenties. Compared to his past naivety, he was now mature and steady.

"Uncle!" he exclaimed in surprise, his composure vanishing as if he had become that child again, extremely excited, rushing forward with a face full of joy.

Qin Ming fell from the tree and dropped the Red Squirrel on the ground.

"Qin Daddy!" The Red Squirrel's expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book; he immediately bowed and shouted, "Godfather!"

The group of children's eyes widened immediately. The older ones already knew who had returned, while the younger ones, with tears still clinging to their eyelashes, had stopped crying.

Qin Ming immediately helped Wen Rui, who Performed a Grand Ceremony. He looked at him carefully and was very pleased. The child who was only a few years old back then had now grown up completely.

He could sense that Wen Rong's cultivation was very steady, and he was not eager for quick success. He was obviously following his instructions and focusing on honing his foundation. The Heavenly Light within his body was quite profound.

"Godfather, you hit me really hard just now, it really scared me!" The Red Squirrel, thick-skinned as ever, came over to make conversation.

Qin Ming said, "I just heard you spouting such nonsense, talking about raising shit and piss... who did you raise?"

Back then, the Talking Finch, Red Squirrel, and Thunder King Bird all mutated, each gaining three heads and six arms, and now they are even more extraordinary.

The Red Squirrel's fur shimmered like fiery red satin. It scratched its head and said, "I was just educating a bunch of brats, and I was just bragging a little."

It smiled honestly, stopped talking, and changed its behavior not long ago, decisively pretending to be stupid and giving in. "Is this the great sage who has stepped out of our village?"

"Oh my god, Great Sage Monkey is back!"

A group of slightly older children erupted in excitement; even if they had never met Qin Ming, they had heard all sorts of legends about him.

Suddenly, the village entrance became lively. The children who had been crying just moments before suddenly became happy, laughing so hard that saliva bubbles were coming out of their noses.

A group of teenagers ran swiftly out of the village.

They had all undergone rigorous training and ascetic practices, and some of them had even begun to radiate Heavenly Light.

"Uncle!" Wen Hui, who was already an adult, came to Qin Ming's side with a trembling voice.

"Uncle Qin!" The other boys were also very excited.

In the past, they did not know Qin Ming's identity. As they approached adulthood and heard various rumors from the outside world, these grown-up children were deeply shocked.

Seeing Qin Ming return today, they were naturally filled with excitement and their eyes were filled with fervent anticipation.

In the past, there was no such thing as the Great Sage in Night Prefecture.

It was all because of Qin Ming that this title was passed down and became known to everyone. Many years ago, there were even many Visitors from Afar who made a special trip to Night Prefecture to learn about the past of the youngest Ancestor of the world.

Qin Ming was not in his hometown during those years, but he still caused a huge sensation.

"Uncle Great Sage!" one child called out.

Qin Ming smiled and said, "Just call me Brother Qin or Uncle Qin, One of Us, no need to stand on ceremony."

He felt a pang of emotion. When he first left Black Mountain at the age of sixteen, Wen Rong was only five years old and Wen Hui was only about two.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, twenty-one years have passed.

The villagers, young and old, all came out. The village chief was still Xu Yueping, but his hair had turned white, and the once middle-aged man was now almost seventy years old.

The only one that's defying age is the Black Mountain Goat that Yang Yongqing raises to pull the millstone. It's a mutated species and has now entered the Second Realm, its shoulders are taller than those of an adult man.

"Little Qin!" Lu Wenze and Liang Wanqing called out; they too had entered middle age.

"Brother Lu, sister-in-law!" Qin Ming stepped forward and looked at them, no longer young, and felt the ruthlessness of time once again. If he were to travel far away again, would the two of them be old and gray when he returned?

He sighed inwardly, his feelings complicated.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death are unavoidable for everyone, not even the Dao Venerable. "Of the strongest beings in the Ninth Realm, thirty percent die violent deaths, thirty percent enter the depths of the Night Mist World, thirty percent die of old age, and the remaining ten percent are beyond description."

Qin Ming realized that he was being attached to appearances. It was just returning to a place he used to live in, so why did his heart inexplicably stir up ripples?

"Perhaps, I saw Wen Rui and Wen Hui grow up, and Brother Lu, the village chief, and others grow old. I vaguely glimpsed their ultimate fate and felt a pang of reluctance."

He gradually came to understand why some cultivators distanced themselves from the mortal world; having experienced the gradual passing of those around them, they did not want to relive it.

Qin Ming glanced around and immediately realized that some of the village's elderly people were no longer alive. Even cultivators couldn't withstand the erosion of time, let alone ordinary people.

Lu Ze said, "Little Qin, let's go home. I had a great haul in the mountains today, bringing back two kinds of exotic delicacies, Flying Dragon and Earth Phoenix. Let's have a good meal. Village Chief, Old Yang, you come too."

He was in very good health, but when he smiled, some crow's feet still appeared at the corners of his eyes.

"Okay, Brother Lu!" Qin Ming nodded.

He found that since returning to the village, he had experienced more turmoil than when facing dangerous adversaries.

"Ming Ge!"

Someone walked by with a child in their hand.

That boy, a few years younger than Qin Ming back then, is now over thirty, married with children. "Ming Ge, you're still so young, not a single bit different from twenty-one years ago."

The man's single sentence instantly transported Qin Ming back to when he was sixteen.

He once carried a Firewood Chopping Knife on his back, braved the raging snowstorm, and went into the mountains alone to kill the Mountain Patrol who were suffocating them.

A few months later, he left Black White Mountain with his sword on his back and officially stepped into the complex world of cultivation.

"I'm not the same as I was in my youth anymore," Qin Ming murmured.

Lu Ze said, "Little Qin, you are different from other cultivators. Those who come to you all bear some traces of time, but you have never changed. If this continues, can you live forever?"

"Maybe," Qin Ming said with a smile.

His New Life System is indeed somewhat different. He undergoes multiple Nirvana at each Major Realm, allowing him to remain in his Golden Age, untouched by the dust of time.

Liang Wanqing spoke up, "Little Qin, where did those girls who came to the village looking for you back then go? You should also think about your own affairs."

She then added, "Don't think your sister-in-law is being nagging."

"How could that be?" Qin Ming shook his head.

He finally understood why his emotions had fluctuated so much after returning to the village: sincerity and honesty always touch the heart. "Perhaps it's time for me to confront certain issues after I become an immortal," Qin Ming murmured to himself.

Everyone has a place of origin, and he still doesn't know who his parents are. He will eventually have to go to the Fate Cave.

Besides, should he settle down and start a family? Looking around at the people, he carefully listened to their feelings and understood their State of Mind. The lives of ordinary people are filled with the joys and sorrows of life and death. Although short, they are also complete.

Qin Ming's Light of the Mind shone forth, and this time he used Secret Method to cover many villagers.

He didn't want his whereabouts to be exposed so soon after his return, attracting visits from all sides.

This ingenious technique allows those who have met him to quickly forget their recent reunion and not actively mention it to others.

Of course, if the two sides meet again, they will remember everything.

Qin Ming wanted to keep a low profile and went into seclusion in Black White Mountain until Tribulation Crossing and became an immortal.

Sure enough, the bustling Double Tree Village quickly returned to its tranquility.

Soon after, the Talking Finch and the Thunder Jade Bird returned from the mountains.

"My Lord, Little Finch 've been waiting for you so long, and I'm so glad you're back. Next time you leave, could you take me with you? Little Finch 'd love to follow you and serve you faithfully."

It has to be said that among the three remaining members of the alien group, Talking Finch had the sweetest tongue. After Qin Ming returned, he naturally rewarded them with Cultivation Method, spiritual herbs, and other items.

"Senior!"

Qin Ming was surprised to sense a familiar presence; it was Yu Gensheng, returning from a walk in the mountains.

"Little Qin!"

Even now, as Grandmaster, he could not hide the excitement on his aged face.

He lived in seclusion here, enjoying a relatively peaceful life. He cultivated himself and taught Wen Rui and others, and would take walks in the Black White Mountain every day.

"Jade Capital is gone, many people have left, but I, an old man, have chosen to stay and want to retire here."

At the dinner table, Yu Gensheng was somewhat emotional. Many people were now gone, and he might never see them again in this lifetime, but he did not regret staying in Night Prefecture.

He had no children and was all alone; in his twilight years, he had no desire to leave his hometown.