A Mortal's Life

Xiao Xuan said smugly:

"How about it? Isn't it amazing? This is a travel plan I worked on for a long time."

Su Qing'an and Fu Hua exchanged a glance and almost immediately realized that this was a travel and food plan compiled from a portion of the vast amount of future information left behind by Jiang Rongyue before she left [Chaoxian] a few years ago and became trapped in self-imposed isolation.

Because the word "eat" contains not only delicious food but also demons, it is both thoughtful and somewhat eerie.

The boy thought for a moment, then said tactfully:

"It's very impressive, but Hua and I want to stay in Chao Xian City for a while longer. I've heard it'll be quite lively here soon."

Fu Hua Dao Integration:

"Xiao Xi fell asleep yesterday due to some unforeseen circumstances. We need to wait for her to Awakened so we can entrust her to you before heading on our trip."

Xiao Xuan's first reaction upon hearing this was not that her hard work had been denied.

Instead... Su Muxi, how pitiful.

In her little mind, it was already quite clear what had happened in the middle of this matter.

To ensure their mating yesterday wouldn't be disturbed by anyone, the two cruelly knocked their daughter unconscious!

After they had all slept well together, their first reaction upon hearing about the honeymoon trip plans the next morning was to send their still- Awakened daughter to be looked after! They were even willing to sacrifice their painstakingly planned travel itinerary for this!

Vicious! Cruel! Absolutely heartless!

Just as she was about to use harsh words to accuse the other party and to reclaim the fairness they deserved, she changed her mind...

Anyway, there's no point in saying anything; I'll probably just get fired anyway, so what's the point?

Besides, Xiao Xi so cute, it would be fun to have her by my side.

Besides, if Little White on the mountain is left there for too long, it will probably run away. It would be troublesome to take Xiao Xi to play hide-and-seek with this big cat on Mount Taixu.

Yes, it's definitely better to stay.

And I can still get Xiao Xi to play Gomoku with me!

Xiao Xuan glanced at the Soul Steel Sphere he was sitting on and immediately felt a surge of excitement.

She has undergone a tremendous transformation since her previous self, whose computing module was limited by her body. With the addition of this external quantum computer, she has been completely reborn.

Simply put, she definitely won't lose to Xiao Xi when playing a childish game like Gomoku!

This time, we must avenge our defeat and create new glory!

Xiao Xuan thought of this and replied:

"It's not impossible."

"But you should tell me before you leave Chao Xian City. I can easily create another travel plan using the information from Rongyue."

Upon hearing this, Su Qing'an stopped refusing. He could sense the other party's sincerity and nodded in agreement.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Xiao Xuan."

Xiao Xuan didn't respond to this. Instead, he first circled the girl's slender waist and swayed back and forth, saying worriedly:

"If you, Chi Yuan, were pregnant, and Su Su woke Awakened to find the whole world filled with her children, wouldn't she find that strange?"

Why does this person jump between topics so strangely?

Su Qing'an responded honestly:

"It is indeed quite strange."

From a purely rational perspective, if the two of them really had a child, even if he fell into a long slumber, Fu Hua could still find emotional support from it, which would undoubtedly be a good thing.

Even if the Immortal Chi Yuan had traversed a great distance alone in the long river of time, even if he had directly fallen into a deep sleep in the distant post-era, it would only have been a thousand years, which is not a very long time compared to the other party's past experiences.

In the flashback to last night, Su Qing'an almost experienced that long period of time with it. He could understand that when the span of time reaches more than a hundred years, some senses and emotions will become blurred, and the impressions given by some memories will fade by more than half.

That's not something you can just casually rely on past experiences to naturally continue doing.

It's just as unreasonable as someone telling Su Qing'an that even after you die, there's still a chance you'll be resurrected by the gods, so it wouldn't matter if you died a few more times.

Therefore, Su Qing'an would naturally hope that the other party could have something to rely on to make his life easier during this process. From this perspective, he is willing to risk having offspring during this period, even if his seniority is infinitely lowered after he awakens.

Fu Hua pinched Xiao Xuan's cheek and said with a smile:

"No, I won't consider that until my Susu has fully recovered."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuan's mind went completely blank.

As one of the people involved in decorating the new house, she was well aware that no relevant safety measures had been left inside.

Then why, even after all the deoxyribose has entered the body, can they still confidently assert that nothing will happen?

Is the precision with which the Void Realm manipulates Honkai Energy truly so absolute that it allows for such complete control? So convenient that one can freely decide whether or not to get pregnant without using protection?

Hmm... or is it due to the unique characteristics of Fusion Warrior?

She sighed, seemingly disappointed that she wouldn't see their child for some time.

"All right."

But Tome of Cangxuan's emotions came and went quickly. She swayed gently in the air with the Tai Chi ball, and said with a smile:

"You already feel that having Xiao Xi is enough of a nuisance to your time together. Having another one would just be asking for trouble, and then I'd have to take the blame."

She gave a soft hum, her small hands clasped together, her pure white sleeves swaying in the wind:

"I'm not going to create trouble for myself. It's much more interesting to accompany Chi Yuan than to go on a trip with Chi Yuan."

Well, Li Shishi's appalling sense of direction and her dream of being mortal enemies with being directionally challenged, in their own senses, amplified the significance of the Tome of Cangxuan.

Once she finished settling everything in the hibernation pod on Mount Taixu, her remaining daily life would mostly consist of accompanying him on trips and sightseeing.

Although he had accompanied the Immortal Chi Yuan on his travels throughout the entire Shenzhou, he was always busy slaying demons and monsters and had little time to appreciate the scenery along the way. In reality, it was no different from not having traveled Shenzhou at all.

Of course... this idea of what to do for his future daily life also has the reason of completely entrusting the other party to Su Qing'an.

In the years that followed, the Tome of Cangxuan wanted Chi Yuan to cherish and enjoy this life and time that belonged only to her.

After Su Su falls into a deep sleep, she will continue to live as she has for thousands of years, accompanying her through the long years together.

This time, whether due to the inexplicably abundant energy or the large amount of technology from the external quantum computer, the Tome of Cangxuan will not enter a dark hibernation again before the machine is destroyed.

She thought that this cold machine and bionic limb would be immortal in time, and until the lifespan of the mind module was completely exhausted, she could still shoulder the obligations and responsibilities she had since birth, as well as... those things she still wanted to do after experiencing intelligent self-judgment.

Is such a life good or bad?

Xiao Xuan had never thought about this question; for her, this kind of life and the meaning it was given were enough.

The girl followed the two men's footsteps and flew towards the ancient building famous for worshipping the moon. The color in her eyes was bright, as if reflecting the azure sky, and within them was the silhouette of the two men holding hands, like a film that would never fade.

Even after thousands of years, everyone has come to deeply understand, through firsthand experience, that very few things in this world are truly eternal.

But for some reason, at that moment when light and shadow intertwine, I can't help but feel a sense of anticipation...

That is something eternal.

Time flies, and several months slip by in the blink of an eye.

The development of [Chaoxian] continued as usual, while the war between the Liao and Song Dynasty remained in a stalemate, with occasional victories and defeats.

Although the country did not experience much turmoil.

However, the number of bandits and thieves in the world was increasing day by day, and the people who had been on the verge of war for a long time were like duckweed. There were also countless deserters and criminals who appeared from time to time.

The fact that the grand wedding of the immortals encompassed the entire Shenzhou thoroughly confirms the special nature of Chao Xian City and the miraculous nature of Mount Taixu itself.

Therefore, people of all backgrounds began to migrate to this place, and even those who could not enter Chao Xian City and Mount Taixu settled in the nearby areas.

Even though the people of Shenzhou have a deep attachment to their hometown and the land beneath their feet, during times when there are too many crises such as war and bandits, where the law is meaningless, it is not uncommon for people to bring their families along, except for the most stubborn old people.

Through word of mouth, a region radiating from Mount Taixu was marked out on the map and called Taixu Prefecture by the world.

Due to its unique geographical location, this area is the only place in recent years where [Chaoxian] can be considered to have widespread influence.

Therefore, this situation, in which a large number of people from other areas moved towards their own territory, initially put great pressure on [Chaise].

Whether to accept refugees, whether to thoroughly investigate all the ingredients used within the territory, and the various issues to be faced after making such a choice—a single misstep could damage the reputation of this power to its current state, and even indirectly affect the reputation of the Immortal Chi Yuan in the world.

In a sense, this is a complete double-edged sword.

Since they bear the burden of worshipping immortals and the associated titles, if they cannot demonstrate the corresponding abilities, they will naturally suffer heavy losses from the byproducts of the fame that come with it.

While actively refusing the influx of refugees can prevent chaos within the city and save various resources, if not handled properly, it can earn the city a reputation for disregarding the well-being of its people.

But to accept everything completely is to fall into a true bottomless pit.

Many problems in this world arise because "it's not scarcity that's worrisome, but inequality."

Assuming that [Chao Xian] accepts all the first batch of refugees, the remaining people who have suffered from the turmoil of the world will believe that the blessings of the immortals will extend to all living beings. Naturally, they will be drawn to the place like a magnet, hoping to find a paradise and a place of peace.

Even if the second batch is received by then.

What about the third batch? And the fourth batch?

Human desires are endless.

Human beings' desire for survival and their yearning for peace cannot be criticized.

However, it is a definite reality that we need to consider both the current situation and the future.

Even though [Chaoxian] attempted to improve grain yields using ancient farming techniques from the previous era a few months ago, it will still take quite a long time to actually implement it.

After all, if this technology is too advanced, it will lead to more and more Honkai in the overall development of civilization. Even if it saves countless lives, it will also bring the proportion of deaths and injuries to a more balanced state.

Even if that Soul Steel Sphere contains countless technologies capable of changing the world, in today's generally backward civilization, the existence of these things is nothing more than an unopenable Pandora's box, only deserving the promise of a promising future.

At least for now, [Chaosan] is not qualified to live up to everyone's expectations and visions.

Even if it were true, Jiang Rongyue would not make such a rash choice in order not to violate the bottom line of [Chaoxian]'s original establishment of not truly interfering in worldly politics.

Moreover, this approach of completely accepting all those in distress is, in essence, not only overly saintly but also overly arrogant.

--Arrogance so extreme that it completely contradicts the principles of [Pilgrimage to the Immortals].

[Chao Xian] is an organization dedicated to worshipping immortals, expressing gratitude for their Shenzhou, and striving to empower people with the ability to slay demons and monsters.

It emphasizes self-reliance, not taking the immortals' actions for granted, changing the belief that the Immortal Chi Yuan will always Shenzhou, learning to be grateful while also having a strong sense of crisis, and cultivating a certain degree of piety towards the immortals while preserving the autonomy of the followers.

Therefore, from the perspective of [Chaoxian], whether or not to take in refugees is not within their jurisdiction, or rather, it should be a problem for the current court to worry about.

From their perspective, if [Chaoxian] accepts all the refugees, then the entire Taixu Prefecture will only have superficial control over it.

Therefore, if you don't want to send the wrong signal, then the opening itself cannot be made.

Otherwise, if this signal were sent out, the Great Song Dynasty would have considered the existence of [Chaoxian], which was essentially a representative of immortals, as something that could not be provoked. They would have simply let it go, which would have resulted in a disguised interference in the sovereignty of the court, and would have snowballed into something increasingly uncontrollable.

The problem is that the future information left behind by Jiang Rongyue did not involve Su Qing'an and the Immortal Chi Yuan. Therefore, the uproar caused by this wedding was not taken into account in advance, so she cannot be said to be completely at ease in dealing with this matter.

In a sense, after announcing to the world that the immortals would be getting married in Chao Xian City, she had already anticipated this situation and made some preparations in advance.

During this crucial period, Li Shishi chose to stay by her side and temporarily put her travel plans on hold.

Perhaps for her, having already confessed her feelings, staying by Jiang Rongyue's side was already more important than her original aspirations.

This conviction inexplicably grew stronger after witnessing Su Su and Chi Yuan's grand wedding.

Perhaps they will never have such a grand wedding, and maybe they will simply accompany each other through life without any official status or recognition. But what does it matter if they don't receive blessings from others?

In this world, Li Shishi and Jiang Rongyue have no real relatives. The only two close relatives have no objection to this and are willing to give their sincere blessings. They even deliberately fueled the flames beforehand. So, the opinions of others, whether they get married, and whether the wedding is grand or not are irrelevant.

During the three months, Su Qing'an and Fu Hua traveled around following the route given by Xiao Xuan, devouring quite a few demons along the way. However, the amount of memory they accumulated was only a few scattered values, barely four decimal places, and not very meaningful.

The time spent together on this journey is far more worth mentioning than the time itself.

During these three months, Su Qing'an roughly tested his own cell death rate through [Creation]. Theoretically, his physiological lifespan could still last for more than eighty years. It seems that even with continuous martial arts cultivation, there is a limit to how long he can extend his lifespan.

In fact, during this process, the boy did not forget to uphold the ideals he had when he first began practicing martial arts.

That is, to develop a limit beyond the limits of martial arts.

If this can increase lifespan, boost combat power, or even indirectly create a new power system for the Proper World, then it would obviously be a good thing.

After all, unlike in the beginning when only the Soul Essence was stronger than that of ordinary people, the existence of the Manas consciousness has the qualification to break through this constraint.

However, no matter how the deductions are made, the final result is either that high-tech means are needed to support it, or that the Heaven and Earth Qi is needed to be subtly manipulated and promoted, which violates the original concept and idea, and fails to achieve the goal of increasing lifespan.

The only feasible solution was a draft proposal about using the soul to interfere with the body, which had been shelved midway through his initial research on the materialization of the soul.

At that time, in order to study how Fuxi could manifest real flesh and blood with his soul, Su Qing'an spent a lot of effort thinking about it. Even though it ended without success, it became a brand new reference route at that time.

Simply put, it means using the Manas consciousness to indirectly interfere with the body, ultimately changing the limits of the physical body.

It's neither scientific nor magical; it's simply a bizarre practice of giving a body a conceptual enhancement.

If successful, achieving immortality is not impossible.

However, this plan has two flaws.

First, it possesses uniqueness, making it impossible to popularize or necessitate the development of an extended system.

Secondly...

While the Manas consciousness is in a self-enclosed state, it can still read other people's memories and influence the souls of other humans through the realm of perception, but it cannot interfere in this way.

It's fair to say that this March journey yielded almost nothing except proof that the only path to enlightenment was to fall asleep.

However, Su Qing'an's mindset was almost unaffected by the drastic changes in her experiences, so she was not disappointed.

The young man chose to live in the present, intending to make the most of his eighty years as an ordinary person.