Eternal Tale

The Ancient City of True Spirits remained as peaceful as ever.

In a mountain range, the sound of a zither echoed melodiously.

Chen Xun and Black Bull reclined against a giant rock, listening to Chu Zhen play the zither. Seven-colored clouds drifted slowly across the sky, and the sunlight from three bright suns was so dazzling that it made them squint.

”Chen Xun,” Chu Zhen spoke softly, her fingers never pausing, the music perfectly blending with the scenery.

”I’m here.”

Chen Xun looked at Chu Zhen with a smile in his eyes and spoke slowly, ”Today is a rare fine day, the heavens move, and all phenomena align.”

”You’re not a Unity cultivator, are you?” Chu Zhen’s gaze darkened slightly as she suddenly said, ”I can feel the respect my ancestor holds for you; I didn’t expect you to have such fortune.”

Strum~

The zither music seemed to falter for a moment, and leaves drifted down in the direction of the melody.

”Hehe, among friends, there’s no need to dwell on cultivation levels.””But in the world of immortals, different levels mean we’re from two different worlds. You don’t understand me, and I don’t understand you.”

Chu Zhen lowered her head, playing the zither, a smile on her lips, ”Up to now, can you tell me about her? I’m quite curious.”

Chen Xun was silent for a long time, his gaze deepening, his voice unusually calm, ”She has passed away.”

Strum!

The zither music slowed, and Chu Zhen slowly raised her head, disbelief in her eyes. Could it be that even a great cultivator, whom her ancestor respected, couldn’t defy fate?

”It seems there was an accident on her path to immortality,” Chu Zhen’s voice was exceptionally gentle, ”I can feel the regret in your heart...”

”Ten thousand years have passed.”

A voice filled with relief reached Chu Zhen’s ears, and her pupils suddenly contracted. The person she had been with for decades turned out to be a great cultivator from ten thousand years ago!

”She passed away in a time beyond our control, leaving nothing but a name on a tombstone.”

Chen Xun smiled faintly, speaking calmly, his gaze resting on Chu Zhen’s face, ”But we still hold onto hope, hoping to make up for the regrets of the past.”

”And she...”

”Her name was Liu Yuan, our little junior sister, the only one in this life.”

Before Chu Zhen could finish speaking, Chen Xun interrupted him directly, his eyes calm and unruffled, ”Chu Zhen, you look exactly like her, even your voice is the same. I know you haven’t disguised yourself; it’s your natural appearance.”

He took a deep breath after speaking, having thoroughly investigated her background, though the timeline didn’t quite match.

Chu Zhen softly murmured Liu Yuan’s name and lowered her head to play the zither again, ”It seems that Senior Chen Xun has found some answers today.”

”Hehe, it was just a coincidence back then, catching me off guard.”

Chen Xun’s gaze slowly shifted to the sky, his hands resting behind his head, ”Chu Zhen is Chu Zhen, Liu Yuan is Liu Yuan. Even if we’ve met, it’s enough.”

”Moo?! Moo!!” Black Bull suddenly exclaimed, looking at Chen Xun in disbelief, his eyes trembling, snorting heavily.

What does this mean!

”Two flowers bloom, each on its own branch. May Senior’s Dao heart be clear.”

Chu Zhen nodded in salute, her gaze slightly dim, ”Perhaps I could visit Senior Liu Yuan’s grave to resolve my earthly ties.”

”There’s nothing left, nothing at all.”

Chen Xun shook his head slightly, his face as calm as still water, speaking indifferently, ”All traces have vanished, even the marks of reincarnation have disappeared.”

Bang~

A zither string suddenly snapped, and both Chu Zhen and Black Bull looked at Chen Xun, their expressions varied, saying nothing.

Chen Xun’s eyes seemed buried in the dust of time, coexisting with despair!

He had tried everything, even involving the primordial spirit, Three Souls and Seven Spirits, and immortal essence... yet there was no trace of the past.

Chu Zhen was an independent being, proper and clear.

Chen Xun smiled, truly feeling a sense of relief. There are many ways to meet, and memories are one of them. There’s no need to impose one’s thoughts on unrelated beings.

Chu Zhen gazed at Chen Xun from afar, her gaze unintentionally tugging at her heartstrings, causing a pang of pain...

Black Bull nudged Chen Xun, his eyes full of doubt, ”Moo moo?!”

”Bull!”

A loud shout suddenly came, making Black Bull take two steps back, a mournful cry escaping its mouth as it stared intently at Chen Xun.

”Don’t hurt others anymore.”

Chen Xun’s words softened, rising at this moment, his dead eyes looking at Black Bull, his voice unusually low, ”I know you understand, you’ve always understood better than I have, but you just never believed...”

”Moo!!!”

Rumble—

The entire mountain range shook violently, terrifying five-colored divine light shooting into the sky, a dominating Dharma Aspect faintly appearing in the void, its eyes still filled with disbelief...

Chu Zhen was dumbfounded, gazing at the sky, her heart overwhelmed with shock. What level of great cultivators were these two?

Chen Xun stood calmly in the mountains, watching Black Bull’s outburst, not stopping it. Decades of companionship were enough for the Tribulation Crossing Venerable to understand everything.

”Senior Chen Xun, Senior Black Bull...” Chu Zhen trembled all over, her spiritual power and the power of the Great Dao completely out of control, suppressed in an instant by this overwhelming pressure.

Rumble—

The tremors in the mountains continued, gradually diminishing.

When all expectations were exhausted, the wind ceased, and the intent settled.

Black Bull’s eyes gradually took on a dead look, identical to Chen Xun’s.

In truth, it had understood for decades, just waiting for Chen Xun to say it... to deceive it one more time.

”Miss Chu.” Chen Xun stood on the ground, cupping his hands with a gentle smile, ”Though it’s a bit hard to part, Bull and I should conclude our joy, for there are many others waiting for us.”

”...Mm.” Chu Zhen was still in shock, feeling a twinge of envy for the woman named Liu Yuan.

To have two such senior brothers in the world, truly a life well-lived.

Chu Zhen suddenly snapped back to reality, as if understanding something, ”Are you leaving, Senior?”

”I heard that Jun Jing from the Jun family of the longevity families is heading to the Ancient City of True Spirits. It seems your meeting won’t be far off, and today is indeed a time for farewell.”

Chen Xun spoke with a gentle smile. Over the years, he had investigated Jun Jing, but he wasn’t the one, ”These years have troubled Fellow Daoist Chu. We met in the spring, so let the spring breeze of the coming year sever the unfinished thoughts.”

”Thank you, Senior Chen Xun and Senior Black Bull, for your care over the years. Chu Zhen will remember.”

Chu Zhen’s heart skipped a beat, stepping forward to bow solemnly, ”May you both find what you seek and not be burdened by the past.”

”Hehe, I’ll take your kind words.”

Chen Xun smiled like a spring breeze in February, slowly glancing at the sky, filled with killing intent, a sign of great danger. He cupped his hands, ”Chu Zhen, then as a passerby, I wish you peace year after year.”

”May we meet again.”

”Moo...”

Chen Xun and Black Bull turned slowly, not using mana to leave, but walking step by step toward the setting sun.

He held a suona, a chipped mountain-axing axe slung over his shoulder, and his straw hat was worn and tattered.

Black Bull hung its head low, the bell on its body jingling without rhythm as they walked.

The two figures grew smaller on the mountain path, their backs as pitiful as two drenched dogs, absurdly comical.

A gentle breeze swept through the mountains.

”Chu Zhen!”

”Brother Jun Jing!”

Chu Zhen suddenly turned, her cold face breaking into joy, her voice choked, ”You’re back?!”

A refined man stepped through the air, carrying an ancient zither on his back. He was stern, speaking in a deep voice, ”I heard you were in great trouble, fearing someone might harm you.”

Their expressions were somewhat unfamiliar, unsure where to start.

Especially Jun Jing, his brows furrowed, feeling as if he had been manipulated.

Though the Ancient City of True Spirits was calm now, the Wild Heaven Region had indeed been turbulent over the years, and he felt uneasy.

”It seems that old man tricked me.”

Jun Jing’s face darkened, unsure how to face Chu Zhen, ”...I made a zither for you, and today I came to deliver it.”

”I thought Brother Jun had forgotten.” Chu Zhen smiled, wrinkling her nose, ”I’ve waited for so many years.”

Jun Jing’s eyes showed some guilt. The Jun family had many enemies, and powerful cultivators were countless. Associating too much with the Chu family was a great disaster for them.

The two gradually chatted about recent events, though Chu Zhen seemed a bit absent-minded, her gaze occasionally drifting to the distance.

Jun Jing was also puzzled, following her gaze.

”Who are those two?”

”I don’t know them either, but they seem familiar.”

”Hehe... one holding a suona, the other with a jingling bell, perhaps they are funeral musicians of this mountain wilderness.”

Jun Jing shook his head with a smile, glancing a few more times, ”They seem like interesting people, but a bit down on their luck, perhaps not getting much business.”

”Ha, Brother Jun, your temperament hasn’t changed a bit.”

Chu Zhen laughed, teasing, ”No wonder that senior once hung you up for a public beating...”

”Ah... the past is unbearable to recall.” Jun Jing laughed heartily, the unfamiliar atmosphere between them dissipating with the joke.

Chu Zhen’s gaze remained on the two retreating figures down the mountain...

”Let’s get to know each other again!”

”It seems we are indeed fated, Fellow Daoist Chu. To be honest, I am skilled in fortune-telling, understanding both joyous and mournful events...”

”The ’Xun’ with three water radicals, not the ’Xun’ for seeking.”

”Haha, Fellow Daoist Chu, what a coincidence... we’ve met again.”

...

The past was vivid in her mind, a man disregarding his status, urgently weaving through the myriad clans just to speak a word to her.

Chu Zhen suddenly felt a sharp pain in her soul, tears unknowingly streaming down her face, leaving Jun Jing beside her in silent shock.

Time passed slowly, the evening glow covering the sky.

Chen Xun and Black Bull’s figures gradually vanished on the sandy road outside the Chu family.

They were like a fleeting breeze in the world, brushing past hearts, both sorrowful and unspeakable, with only a faint sigh echoing through the heavens:

”...Among the thousands of people, in the long river of time, it’s just that it’s hard to meet you again.”