Only Mortals Destined to Die Truly Understand What Immortality Is

The figure of White Dew, the outline of the bed curtains, and the dim light outside the window gradually blurred and dissipated, never to gather again.

The sounds around me have faded into the distance.

Someone was calling his name softly, once, then again.

But the sound seemed to be separated by layers of water, spreading out layer by layer, so faint that it could no longer be heard clearly.

In this vast world, it seemed as if he were the only person left.

At that very moment, Qin Wangchuan suddenly understood.

What did I realize?

Immortality.

He had heard those two words far too many times.

Whether in the Immortal Court, in this mortal world, or even from White Dew's mouth, there are always people talking about it and pursuing it.

Those people who desperately seek immortality are simply greedy for those extra years.

With time, one can cultivate oneself, become stronger, and reach higher levels.

That's a good idea.

But only now, having personally experienced the feeling of the flames fading away, inch by inch, did Qin Wangchuan realize that beneath that surface lay an even more crucial layer.

Peel away that desire for strength and power, and you'll find what lies at the very bottom.

It's because I don't want to die.

But if we think about it more deeply, where does that fear of death come from?

It's because they're afraid of losing it.

I fear the warmth of this world, I fear those people and those things I can't let go of in my heart, that we will Celestial Person and never see each other again.

Ultimately...

The pursuit of immortality is a pursuit of becoming stronger; but the root of the pursuit of becoming stronger lies in perseverance.

And what about him?

When the thought turned to himself, Qin Wangchuan was momentarily stunned.

My mind is filled with countless people and events, like a revolving lantern.

There is such a thing as this world.

That blacksmith shop and doctor's clinic, the familiar neighbors of the town, and the girl who had bothered him his whole life.

There is also the lofty Immortal Court.

Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Sister, Li Qingluan, Ye Jianwei... countless faces.

Amidst the ebb and flow of life in both realms, so many ties remain.

He asked himself.

--Do I also have things I'm reluctant to part with?

The answer came up almost immediately.

Have.

There are too many.

He asked again.

--Do I also want to live forever?

Possessing Longevity Immortal Body, immortality was a predetermined and easily attainable thing for Qin Wangchuan.

That's why I didn't really have a concept of these two words before.

When others talked about immortality, they were all envious to the point of madness, but he always just smiled and let it go.

Since we're all going to live forever anyway, why think about anything else?

But at this moment, those same two words echo in my heart.

That answer, however, was so clear that there was no room for doubt.

Think.

This is a thought I've never had before, a thought that comes from the bottom of my heart.

Having figured this out, a glimmer of gold suddenly appeared in Qin Wangchuan's already cloudy eyes, flashing and disappearing in an instant.

'I hold immortality in my hands, yet I know nothing of immortality.'

'Though I have killed many, though I am accustomed to life and death.'

'How can one understand the true weight of life and death in the eyes of the world without ever truly dying?'

Thinking of this...

He took one last look at the world he had lived in for a hundred years, and slowly closed his eyes.

At the very same moment.

The unworthy Jujube Tree in the courtyard rustled and fell its leaves without a breeze.

Qin Zhaoer was only gone for a short while.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my chest for no apparent reason.

She rushed back to the courtyard and immediately spotted the Jujube Tree.

The old tree, which was once lush and leafy, is now completely bare, with only bare branches pointing straight up to the sky.

My heart sank to the bottom in an instant.

Qin Zhaoer staggered, almost tumbling and crawling, as she rushed into the house.

Qin Wangchuan lay quietly on the bed.

His eyes were closed, his brows relaxed, as if he were fast asleep.

But the chest that had heaved throughout his life was now still.

There was no more sound.

"... Old man?"

She called out softly.

There was no response.

He called out again, his voice already trembling.

Still no.

She stayed by his side for so many days, never leaving his side or taking off her clothes.

I just happened to leave for such a short while.

But it just happened in such a short while--

I didn't even get to see him one last time.

"... You old geezer."

Qin Zhaoer's voice trembled, all her strength was instantly drained, her legs went weak, and she collapsed straight onto the cold ground.

From the Immortal Court to the Mortal World, it has been a journey of over a hundred years.

She fought, snatched, and made a scene, but finally she firmly grasped this person in her own hands.

In the end, however, he still passed away first.

She was left all alone here.

After an unknown amount of time, Qin Zhaoer slowly turned her head and looked out the window at the withered Jujube Tree.

The old man's cloudy tears fell uncontrollably, one by one.

"You always say that if a tree had consciousness, it would know that the time to bear fruit has come."

Her voice was as soft as a sigh.

"But now—if people had any knowledge..."

"If after you die, there's a tree vying to stay with you, what would you think?"

After he finished speaking, no one answered.

The huge courtyard was deserted.

Only an old man with white hair and a withered Jujube Tree remained, silently facing each other in the gradually deepening twilight.

Before I knew it, dark clouds began to gather and press down from the horizon.

It was heavy, as if rain was about to fall.

Several people were waiting outside the courtyard gate.

They were all people who had been treated by him and had come specifically to see Old Qin and thank him in person.

They didn't know what had happened in the courtyard; they just waited quietly, occasionally glancing up at the darkening sky.

Waiting for that door to open.

They waited for the person who had saved their lives to slowly walk out, just like countless times before.

But this time...

The person behind that door will never come out again.

That year, Qin Wangchuan passed away at the age of over 140.

More than a hundred years have passed since he was born into this world.

They arrived in glory, and departed in tranquility.

No one was alerted, and nothing was left behind.

His name was not inscribed on his tombstone after his death.

He was buried in front of the tombs of his ancestors, including Qin Rang, Jiang Zhuo, and Master Chen, to shelter them from the wind and rain.

The kindness of those who cared for me when I was young.