Eternal Tale

However, there were some minor incidents along the way. Chen Xun took on a young disciple named Nie Yu to teach him medicine and even paid respects to the founder.

Unlike his casual guidance to Zhou Guangyi, Chen Xun was extremely cautious with medicine, ensuring that both medical ethics and temperament were flawless, requiring strict discipline.

Every day, Nie Yu was subjected to the combined training of Chen Xun and Black Bull, returning home in tears. Yet, Chen Xun’s reputation in the alley was formidable, known as the reclusive divine doctor!

The old blind man wasn’t surprised, as Chen Xun was a cultivator, his life level different from ordinary people, with a transcendent mindset far beyond that of regular cultivators.

...

Twenty years passed like a fleeting moment, and the cycle of time did not spare the residents of Double Tree Alley. Uncle Zhang, Wang Da Auntie, and other familiar elders left one after another.

A sorrowful atmosphere enveloped the entire alley, the air thick with the scent of grief and farewell.

Double Tree Alley became dull and silent, the old houses on either side of the street appearing worn and dilapidated under the ravages of time.

The window frames were incomplete, the paint on the walls peeling, reflecting the residents’ lost spirit and vitality.

The once bustling streets were now quiet, devoid of children’s laughter and neighbors’ greetings.Each departed old neighbor took with them warmth and stories, leaving only memories and endless longing.

The sky was filled with gray clouds, the sun seemingly losing its former glory, casting only a dim light over Double Tree Alley.

The twin trees by the roadside were no longer lush, but dry and withered, leaves falling like the earth’s silent mourning for the departed lives, the wind whispering tales of time’s ruthlessness.

Chen Xun, now in his seventies, with white hair and a flowing beard, was highly respected, his opinions sought for major matters in the alley.

He and Black Bull returned to their old trade, the alley filled with the sound of suona, as the souls of the elders slowly drifted away, coffins carried out of the alley and beyond the town.

Nangong Heling felt a sharp pain in her chest at the courtyard center, her breathing unusually difficult, with Little Chi by her side, looking pained. Sister Crane hadn’t smiled in years.

Her breath quickened, ”Fourth brother, has Wang Da Auntie... also left? It’s only been a few decades, yet I’ve been in the Dao Academy for two thousand years...”

Nangong Heling’s eyes were hollow, like deathly silence, ”We came here with such beauty... I, I really like the mortal world, really like these neighbors.”

”Sister Crane...” Little Chi growled softly, unsure of what to say, ”Brother Xun and Brother Bull went to perform rites, saying they all passed peacefully, of natural causes, it’s okay.”

”A lifespan of just a hundred years... is that really natural causes? It’s too fast, too fast.”

Nangong Heling’s hair fluttered, mirroring her chaotic and uncontrollable emotions, her lips constantly murmuring, ”They were all good people, fourth brother, they were all good people... Wang Da Auntie was always good to us.”

She bit her lip tightly, trying to steady her emotions.

Yet, her voice was low and trembling, carrying too much sorrow and attachment.

She kept repeating that sentence, her heart overwhelmed by grief, unable to speak, only expressing her sadness through choked sobs.

Little Chi sighed inwardly, it actually loved stealing chickens from the Zhang family, and Uncle Zhang was always kind, never getting angry or seeking out Brother Xun, even finding work for him.

Nangong Heling’s bright eyes seemed shrouded in shadow, she gradually fell silent, sitting quietly in her chair, without crying or making a scene.

Her emotions seemed to transform into a dark night sky, engulfing her thoughts.

Nangong Heling didn’t dare to look at them one last time, only using her divine sense to silently watch them, observing their life essence slowly dissipate into the world.

The next day.

As the sun set in the west, the sky was tinged with a faint gray, like a silent painting.

The old blind man hadn’t gone outside the alley to sell paintings for years, sitting alone in the ancestral home painting, his face aged and haggard, hair reduced to a few sparse strands, his hand trembling as he held the brush.

Outside the door, a vigorous old figure gradually appeared, though with white hair, still spirited and full of energy—it was Chen Xun.

”...Is it Chen Xun?”

”Sir, it’s me.”

”Hehe... you’ve come.”

The old blind man smiled warmly, his ears no longer sensing the changes around him, ”I still have a painting unfinished, hoping time would pass a bit slower.”

Chen Xun’s expression was calm, looking at the world under the old blind man’s brush, ”Sir’s paintings have already amazed the ages, whenever you stop, it will always be a boundless world.”

The old blind man continued to paint unhurriedly, not stopping for Chen Xun’s arrival, ”All these years, thank you Chen family, Chen Xun, Ximen Black Bull, Nangong Heling, Beiming Red Lion...”

”Hehe, truly a wonderful fate in life.”

”To us, you are the same.” Chen Xun bowed with a smile, ”Now that I’ve achieved some success in painting, I must thank you for your guidance back then.”

”Old age makes memory fuzzy, I seem to only remember your names.”

The old blind man shook his head, the brush trembling with his aged hand, ”Black Bull likes farming, Heling seems to enjoy gardening, Little Chi likes playing with children, and Chen Xun... likes wandering?”

”Hehe...”

”Ha, ha, ha.”

Two elderly voices laughed together in the dilapidated house, the world under the old blind man’s brush began to change, no longer vast but just an alley.

The alley was filled with many people, bustling with life, their world small, only the sky above the alley, encompassing spring, summer, autumn, winter, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

The old blind man trembled all over, Chen Xun gently supported him, silently.

”Chen Xun... this painting, I’ve painted for many years, perhaps there is no boundless world, only this small world in my heart.”

”It’s enough.”

”But I still can’t capture this life, this small world, I’m a bit tired.”

The old blind man continued to paint with difficulty, slower and slower...

He coughed softly, murmuring, ”Chen Xun.”

”Sir, I’m here.”

”This painting is for your family, only you can fill in the blanks...”

Before he finished speaking, his voice abruptly stopped, the brush halted, the entire room instantly becoming silent.

At this moment, the afterglow of the sunset gradually illuminated the dim room, the old blind man’s ancestral home filled with unprecedented light, Chen Xun still quietly supporting him.

His gaze deep, silent for a long time, then warmly smiled, ”Old sir, have a safe journey, a safe journey.”