Jieqing, Baihua, Wusang.
Jiang Yuechu's heart stirred slightly.
Those names did not sound like an ordinary coincidence.
And there was something else... She was clearly only an observer, yet she seemed to have truly become a junior disciple in this valley.
The circulation of the meridians within her body, the sluggishness when breathing and cultivating, the soreness from practicing fists, even that small flare of embarrassment when her senior brothers and sisters mocked her—those memories were far too real.
As she pondered this, an old man slowly emerged from the bamboo tower in the distance.
The old man wore plain clothes and had a lean frame, his hair casually tied up with a wooden pin.
The instant he appeared, all the disciples rose together and bowed.
"Greetings, Teacher."
The old man waved a hand, and the cloud mist over the clearing dispersed.
The disciples sat down cross-legged once more.
The old man sat at the very front and spoke softly. "Most people seek immortality to avoid death. But being undying does not mean attaining immortality."
"If the body is imperishable but the heart is dead ashes, one has merely lived a little longer. A true immortal sees the vastness of heaven and earth, knows the sorrows and joys of all living beings, and still wishes to walk among mortals."
The young Jieqing raised his head and asked, "Teacher, must immortals also walk among mortals?"
The old man nodded.
"If an immortal does not enter the mortal world and merely sits at Gao's lofty height in the heavens, then they are no immortal."
Wusang suddenly said, "What if the heavens never permitted immortals to descend in the first place?"
The valley abruptly fell silent.
Even the smile on Baihua's face faded somewhat.
The old man did not answer immediately.
He lifted