On Spirit Peak, in the Incense Accumulation Sect.
Li Ling and Mu Qingsi stood before a pit, a touch of sorrow on their faces, and buried White Lion, the old cat they had raised for decades.
As earth covered the body, the little life that had accompanied them for so many years vanished completely from sight.
"Before we knew it, White Lion died of old age. Time really does fly."
Pampered though the cat had been, an ordinary cat was still only an ordinary cat. After so many years, its time had come.
Li Ling could only sigh inwardly at the merciless passage of time, which wore away everything, even cultivators' feelings.
He should not have been so sentimental, but after personally burying the pet he had raised for years, he suddenly began to understand how those accomplished seniors had grown indifferent, one after another.
Emotion was a lock. It bound a person, but also protected them.
Humanity lay hidden within it. Opening that lock could bring enlightenment in an instant, or send a person into madness just as quickly.
"Qing Si, counting the years, we're both sixty now, aren't we? If we hadn't achieved something in cultivation, we'd already be old and doddering."
Li Ling turned to look at his wife beside him. Her lovely face remained as flawless as jade, still youthful and radiant.
Perhaps that was something worth taking comfort in. Otherwise, Li Ling did not know whether his feelings for Qing Si might change with the passage of time.
Mu Qingsi said, "Yes, time passes so quickly."
Li Ling said, "Time really does pass too quickly. No wonder so many people cultivate so painstakingly, all for a sliver of hope of prolonging their lives. Even for a mere ten years, they'll spend millions in talisman currency