Eternal Tale

Chen Xun listened patiently to Yao Yue’s story.

He noticed that her tea-picking attire was no longer clothes taken from others, but ones she had sewn herself.

This was the first time since knowing Yao Yue that he saw her not wearing someone else’s clothes.

Two hours later.

The small room fell into silence. Yao Yue’s bright eyes sparkled as she casually asked, ”How long do you plan to stay? I know with your current status, you must be busy with many things.”

”I’m already very satisfied that you came to see me.”

Her smile was clear, untouched by dust, no longer eerie, and devoid of hostility.

”Hmm...” Chen Xun’s expression turned somewhat serene, and he softly said, ”No rush, staying here for a while isn’t bad.”

”But ultimately, this place isn’t conducive to cultivation,” Yao Yue shook her head. ”I’ve grown accustomed to staying here, without needing to interact with others. This is the state I like.”

”You can raise some spirit beasts.”Chen Xun immediately responded, locking eyes with Yao Yue. ”And your cultivation level, why is it only at the early stage of Great Ascension?”

Yao Yue gently propped her chin with her hand, smiling softly, ”Cultivation... is a bit tiring. I just don’t want to cultivate anymore. Don’t force me. With you all supporting me, my cultivation level doesn’t matter much.”

”But your longevity...”

”Crossing the World, let me live for myself this time,” Yao Yue suddenly interrupted Chen Xun, her voice gentle yet imbued with determination and decisiveness. ”No need to worry.”

Chen Xun’s left hand, resting on his knee, quietly clenched a bit tighter, and he remained silent.

Black Bull lay on the ground, lips tightly shut, unmoving, as the atmosphere in the small room grew somewhat stagnant.

Yao Yue’s gaze never left Chen Xun, and she suddenly smiled, ”What’s wrong?”

”My thoughts are a bit blocked,” Chen Xun said lightly, ”I don’t want to watch you lose your life. With my current abilities, I can reach the heavens and the earth.”

”As long as you don’t want to pass away, not even the Nine Nether Hell can take you.”

”...”

Upon hearing this, Yao Yue’s heart trembled slightly, and her right hand, supporting her chin, involuntarily twitched. This Crossing the World was becoming more domineering in words and actions, even more so than back in the Immortal Prison.

Her expression gradually became calm, ”You know, I’ve already survived. There’s no need to forcibly desire anything more.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Black Bull cautiously snorted. It remembered that Yao Yue once said... if there were no arguments, she would commit suicide. Now, she truly seemed to have survived.

Chen Xun gazed at Yao Yue, ”You’ve changed a lot.”

”All living beings are like this,” Yao Yue said with a smile. ”If nothing changes, wouldn’t it be like the eternal sun and moon? You’ve changed too.”

”Heh.” Chen Xun chuckled, ”Makes sense.”

He ultimately didn’t mention the matter of the Sacred Body of Water and Moon. Yao Yue no longer sought the path of immortality, nor did she have other ambitions. She just wanted to quietly tend to her tea fields here and live out her days.

A hint of slyness appeared in Yao Yue’s eyes, and she suddenly called out, ”Chen Xun.”

”Hmm?” Chen Xun was slightly taken aback, his eyes widening a bit.

”I wanted to try calling an immortal by name,” Yao Yue explained with a smile, her heart stirred with curiosity. ”After all, having once followed an immortal, I feel a sense of pride.”

”No problem.” Chen Xun waved his hand.

”Don’t humans have the same names?” Yao Yue playfully speculated, ”There must be many humans named Chen Xun, right? Wouldn’t you sense it every time someone calls out?”

”That’s not right.”

Chen Xun shook his head and laughed, patiently explaining, ”When you think of a name, there’s always a specific person in mind. If that person is me, then there will be a response. It’s not just a random call.”

”...Well, immortals are truly remarkable.” Yao Yue nodded, remaining calm, but then she suddenly seemed to think of something, ”Ah! Then...”

”Hahaha!” Chen Xun laughed heartily, saying nothing more.

”Moo...?” Black Bull looked bewildered, not understanding what was going on.

Yao Yue cursed inwardly, this Crossing the World was truly detestable... wasn’t this just bullying with the status of an immortal!

She had thought of Chen Xun many times, so he must have known all along. Especially with that infuriating laughter, it confirmed her suspicions.

”No way! Crossing the World! You must give me spirit stones!” Yao Yue exclaimed angrily, ”You’ve been pretending here for so long.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the smile on Chen Xun’s face froze, feeling more and more like he couldn’t stay here any longer.

”Yao Yue...”

”Yes.”

”To be honest, our family went bankrupt. The All-Heaven Myriad Realms Spirit Bank and the garbage recycling plant owe us money, and we haven’t collected it yet.”

Chen Xun’s voice was tinged with sadness, coming from the heart, ”My cultivation level has returned to the starting point of the immortal path... In these Three Thousand Great Worlds, you would be hard-pressed to find an immortal worse off than this Dao Ancestor.”

”Moo!” Black Bull suddenly stood up, nodding repeatedly at Yao Yue, its gaze also turning a bit sorrowful.

In terms of bargaining skills, he and Chen Xun had long been a seamless team, perfect in their execution!

Yao Yue’s brows furrowed, and a hint of faint respect appeared, ”This matter reflects across the heavens... I know, if you’re tired, you can come back anytime.”

”Then you should cultivate more.” Chen Xun seized the opportunity, changing his expression quickly, ”I have a lifespan of a hundred thousand years!”

”That’s even better.”

Yao Yue suddenly laughed, her smile radiant, and she softly asked, ”Chen Xun... do you know the legend of the Yuehuang Clan?”

Chen Xun shook his head. There were too many legends among the clans, and he preferred studying cultivation techniques rather than reading the immortal histories of various clans.

”I’ve forgotten too.”

”......” Chen Xun was silent for a moment, ”Then about cultivation?”

”Just let me tend to the tea fields.”

A pure expression appeared on Yao Yue’s face, her temperament no longer fiery and irritable, ”I’m fine here, and I don’t want to see outsiders anymore.”

”Do you need spirit beasts?”

”No need.”

Yao Yue slowly lowered her hand from her chin, her gaze gradually shifting to the window, ”Chen Xun, I no longer yearn for the world of cultivating immortality, nor do I yearn for the mortal world.”

”You, as an immortal of noble status, with talents that span the heavens and the earth, I believe you’ve already seen through my Dao heart. Forcing me would only be torture, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell filled with mana.”

Her expression was calm and serene, watching the falling leaves outside the window, a hint of wistfulness in her eyes, ”Feeling the breeze, daydreaming, looking into the distance, thinking... that’s enough.”

When Yao Yue mentioned thinking, she paused for a moment, her gaze continuing to look out the window, the wind outside stirring her long hair.

”Yao Yue.”

”Mm-hmm?”

”Let’s go outside, feel the mountain breeze.”

”Sure.”

”Moo~”

...

The three figures rose and walked straight outside, sitting on the high terrace of the mountain.

The mountain wind howled, their clothes fluttering in the breeze, as they gazed into the vast expanse of the world.

There were no towering peaks here, nor dense ancient forests, only endless mountain ranges and vast wilderness.

Yao Yue’s eyes sparkled, enjoying the tranquil and comfortable feeling, as if severing ties with the past.

Chen Xun smiled faintly, holding Black Bull’s head, and said nothing more.

They sat quietly like this, their gazes gradually turning distant, each pondering their own stories, as if time had frozen at this moment, without the slightest ripple.

And they remained in this daze for two days...

But for cultivators, entering a meditative state for hundreds of years is not uncommon.