"I believe you."
Old Li said.
"Precisely because of that, I could see it in your expression, so..."
He did not continue the rest of his sentence.
Verdant Green Maiden fell silent. After a moment, she slowly said, "The Five Decays of Heaven and Man. All I can do is prolong your life as much as possible. At most... three more days. I'm sorry. Human strength has its limits; I am not omnipotent either."
Simply put, Old Li's condition was that he had grown old.
He was already past sixty.
The Five Decays of Heaven and Man.
They were impossible to resist.
"That's enough..."
"Commander, don't tire yourself out too much either."
Old Li comforted Verdant Green Maiden.
He let out a long sigh. "It's only a pity I won't live to see Yue Qiu's child be born."
"Commander, after I die... bury me in the fields, all right?"
The stable life he had yearned for all his life.
These fields were his greatest hope in this lifetime.
When he died.
He wanted to remain with them too.
"...All right."
Verdant Green Maiden agreed.
Three days later, Old Li passed away.
Following his wishes, Verdant Green Maiden and the others buried him in the fields.
Yue Qiu knelt on the ground.
He grabbed a handful of yellow earth and remained silent for a long while.
"Pull yourself together."
"You still have a wife and child."
Verdant Green Maiden stood behind him, her gaze deep as she spoke.
Yue Qiu nodded. He drew a deep breath and slowly said, "I know... Miss Verdant Green Maiden, I won't let Old Li down, and I won't let any of you down either!"
Over all these years, he truly had never disappointed Verdant Green Maiden. Old Li had long since become unable to work