The Dead Are Gone; the Living Must Carry On

In the back courtyard, Chen Xun and the Black Bull stared wide-eyed at the century-old wild ginseng. After all those countless nights of having their essence drained dry, what did it amount to now?

"Old Bull, we've struck it rich."

Chen Xun was staring so hard his eyes had gone straight. He and the Black Bull had poured everything into cultivating this wild ginseng with Green Liquid. "It's worth gold at the very least. No question."

"Moo!!" The Black Bull was thrilled. It had never even seen gold before.

"At this age, it'll definitely be something countless wealthy city families fight over. It can keep someone hanging onto life."

Chen Xun swallowed hard. Most herbal books had records of it; it could be called a divine object of the Mortal Realm. "Old Bull, should we sell it?"

"Moo? Moo."

The Black Bull hesitated, then shook its head. They did not lack money; they already had enough for their daily expenses. This was their treasure.

"Fine, then we'll keep it in case of emergencies." Chen Xun nodded, feeling that selling it would indeed be too much of a waste. It would be letting down the essence they had spent through all those countless days and nights.

"Old Bull, let's cultivate some other medicinal herbs. A few decades' worth is enough. Otherwise, we'll draw too much attention, and sooner or later, something will go wrong."

"Moo!"

The Black Bull nodded heavily. Chen Xun had told it many stories about how possessing a jade brings guilt, so it understood.

During their years in the Ningyun Mountain Range, they had gathered nothing but ordinary medicinal herbs. They had never encountered the legendary Spirit Medicine. How could anyone have such good luck in a lifetime?

Yet after the cultivators' battle in the Skyvault that day, the citizens and nobles of Panning City had become restless, their hearts burning with the desire to seek immortality. Waves upon waves of people headed for the Ningyun Mountain Range.

Quite a few swindlers also appeared, fooling others until their families were ruined, while vicious bandits robbed and killed for goods. The coffin sellers, on the other hand, began doing booming business.

These martial sects, too, began refusing to stay quiet. Disciples the Immortal Sect did not want, they wanted! Matters the Immortal Sect would not handle, they would handle!

Thus, all sorts of widely celebrated tales of martial chivalry gradually emerged, and the wild men of the Ningyun Mountain Range slowly faded from people's minds.

Time seemed capable of letting go of everything.

The long years drifted on; there was nowhere to return to. In the blink of an eye, another five years had passed.

Over these five years, Chen Xun had put all his Longevity Points into the Essence of All Things. He and the Black Bull had finally ground their way to the third layer of the Qi Refining Realm.

The neighbors who had once called him brother had all either grown old or passed on. Chen Xun and the Black Bull took on quite a few funeral arrangements, running around and helping their families with everything.

On an autumn night, the sky was high and the dew heavy. Chilly moonlight spilled over the earth, so Gloomdark, yet illuminating funeral halls one after another. More people seemed to have left this year.

Without noticing, the early autumn nights had grown longer; the gentle breeze blew again, deepening the desolation.

Chen Xun stood outside a funeral hall and played the suona. Fallen leaves made no sound. He could not help feeling melancholy, and silently sighed.

Those familiar smiling faces were disappearing one by one. Perhaps as time passed, those smiles would gradually blur in his heart as well.

Soft murmurs and weeping filled every corner of the funeral hall. Chen Xun walked slowly through it all. He had helped with everything that needed helping. What else could he do now? All that remained was to eat at the funeral feast.

"Brother Chen Xun, thank you."

"My condolences. My condolences."

Chen Xun rose and spoke softly, forcing out a faint smile. "We have already performed the rites. On the road to Yellow Springs, no Little Ghost will dare block the way."

Their family members nodded heavily, only gripping Chen Xun's hand tightly, their eyes brimming with tears of gratitude.

"Moo, moo~"

Outside the funeral hall, the Black Bull called softly. The bells on its body jingled, blessing those who had passed on.

The dead were gone; the living must carry on.

It seemed they could no longer remain on this street. Chen Xun and the Black Bull were too unusual. More and more people came looking for them, as though no one cared about the blacksmith shop anymore.

The next day, at dawn, all was silent. The wind carried a bone-piercing chill, and the old trees by the street had turned withered yellow.

The sound of the door closing was very soft. Chen Xun and the Black Bull left. He gave the street one last look, and before he knew it, time had folded that gaze into layer upon layer of marks.

They were travelers of time, hurrying by like passing guests. No one knew where they had gone.

That blacksmith shop never opened its doors again. The neighbors all said Chen Xun had likely died far from home. Years later, they only remembered that there had once been a blacksmith whose hammering was ferocious as hell.

One month later, at night, West City of Panning City.

This was the most prosperous part of the city. Those who could live in West City were either rich or noble. A single plot of land cost a sky-high price; common folk would fall to their knees at the sight of it, and even dogs would shake their heads.

A group walked along the bustling street. The men were imposing and spirited, the women delicate and refined beyond the ordinary. Their eyes were full of wonder, yet their bearing carried an air detached from the mundane world.

"The mortal world is still more interesting."

One of the girls smiled, her voice as clear and pleasant as a spring. "Training in the sect all the time, all we can do is play with the spirit beasts in the mountains."

"Junior Sister Ye, you are mistaken. Let me say a few words."

A stern-looking man shook his head slightly. "That is because you have never seen a city of cultivators. Panning City is merely a drop in the vast Cang Sea. The breadth of Tiandi is beyond your imagination."

"Ah... Senior Brother Yu, really... really?"

Junior Sister Ye grew excited, her little face flushing. "Has Senior Brother Yu been there?"

Senior Brother Yu's expression turned solemn, making his already stern face even sterner. He said seriously, "I haven't."

Everyone's faces twitched. "..."

"Eh, what's that?"

Junior Sister Ye seemed to have spotted something astonishing. She hurried over, and the others could only follow helplessly. But when they saw it, they were all startled.

It was a small "house" with four iron wheels beneath it. A sign hung on the little house, bearing the words "Xun's Snacks."

It looked like a shop, yet also like a street stall. It occupied a large stretch of ground, and people crowded around it. The place was bustling, its popularity utterly explosive.

The owner was drenched in sweat, carrying a huge wok in his hands as flames hissed and surged outward. Every now and then, he added seasonings that left the diners surprised.

There was also a window in the little house, from which a black bull's head protruded... using its black hoof to collect copper coins and even give change.

Quite a few grilled skewers were laid out outside. Their fragrance drifted for ten miles, and after smelling it, everyone in the group could not help feeling a little hungry.

With such a blazing-hot stall, naturally its peers grew jealous. But the owner had three Mountain-Splitting Axes strapped around him, and when he bent down, the sixteen abs that casually showed made everyone brothers.

"Boss, I want this!"

Junior Sister Ye said happily. She wanted to eat everything. "And that, and that one."

"Little girl, first come, first served, right? Go pay first."

The owner spoke with remarkable bluntness. Those waiting in line felt pure delight upon hearing it. Eating here just felt damn good.

"Senior Brother Yu, hurry and come pay!!" Junior Sister Ye called, hopping in place as she kept sniffing the fragrance with her delicate nose, utterly intoxicated.

Senior Brother Yu felt uncomfortable all over. He pushed through the crowd to the window, took out a piece of silver, and slowly locked eyes with a Black Bull—one glance that lasted ten thousand years.

Senior Brother Yu froze, his mouth opening slightly. Why was it a cow?

The Black Bull froze too, puffing out a breath through its nostrils. Why was he giving so much? It could not calculate the change.