We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real?

Chapter 536: Live Well

By evening, dusk had gradually settled over Flowing Sand City.

When Xiao Mo arrived at Cijing Bookstore, Zhao Hongfei and the others had already been waiting in the shop for a long while.

“Senior Xiao.”

Seeing Xiao Mo walk in, the group called out in unison and bowed respectfully.

“Mm.” Xiao Mo nodded. His steady gaze swept over them, and he spoke slowly. “Close the shop for today. There are some things I would like to say to you.”

“Yes, Senior,” they answered together, their expressions growing more solemn.

Although Zhao Hongfei and the others did not know exactly what he intended to say to them, seeing Xiao Mo look so serious, they could vaguely guess that it would not be anything ordinary.

Before long, Cijing Bookstore had seen its customers out. Then the doors slowly closed, shutting the noise of the street outside.

The customers who had been about to enter were displeased, but no one voiced any complaints. They each scattered on their own.

In the rear courtyard, the group stood in a row with hands lowered, their expressions grave as they faced Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo looked at them calmly. His gaze passed over their faces one by one before he said slowly, “I called you here today because of what is to be done with this bookstore afterward.”

The moment Xiao Mo finished speaking, Zhao Hongfei and the others looked at one another, all of them unable to understand what Senior Xiao meant.

What did he mean, what was to be done with the bookstore?

Wasn’t the bookstore running perfectly well?

“In a little while, I will be heading to the Phoenix-Bird Secret Realm.” Seeing their confusion, Xiao Mo explained unhurriedly, “That secret realm is extremely dangerous. I may not be able to come back alive.”

“If I do not return, then the few of you should simply close Cijing Bookstore.”

“As for the books in the shop, you may sell them to the Gold Pavilion in the city. The proprietress of the Gold Pavilion is a decent person. I have already discussed it with her in advance. When the time comes, they will purchase the remaining books in the shop at seventy percent of the normal market price.”

“After all those books are sold, the money you receive will be divided among the five of you. Each of you can exchange it for rare cultivation treasures that will help your practice, so you will have a little more confidence on the road ahead.”

“But as for how you walk that road from now on, that will be up to you to decide. Whether you join the Human Alliance, become a carefree rogue cultivator, or travel far to the Ten Thousand Arts world and find a sect to rely on, all of that will be according to your own wishes.”

“Senior...” Zhao Hongfei and the other four looked at Xiao Mo with deep reluctance. Their eyes were faintly red, and their voices carried a hint of choking emotion. “We all believe you will definitely come back alive!”

“That’s right, Senior!” A man named Jin Zheng hurriedly took up the words, his tone urgent and certain. “You’re a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. What secret realm under heaven could possibly stop you?”

“Senior, we’ll wait right here for you to come back! We won’t go anywhere!” A woman named Su Tutu clenched her small hands tightly and looked at Xiao Mo with a firm gaze.

Xiao Mo shook his head and smiled faintly, his voice carrying a trace of emotion.

“In your eyes, perhaps the Nascent Soul Realm truly is very, very high. It is enough to found a sect, establish a lineage, and dominate a region. But in truth, when one looks across the entire world, what does a mere Nascent Soul Realm amount to?”

Like an old scholar, Xiao Mo gathered his sleeves, his expression carrying both expectation and reluctance.

“Zhao Hongfei, you are cautious by nature. That is a good thing. But whenever you encounter trouble, you are always too hesitant. That is not so good. When it is time to act, then let go and act. And do not shoulder everything yourself.”

“Su Tutu, although you are of the demon race, there is no distinction between humans and demons in your heart. That is very good. But your nature is too naive. If you encounter difficulties in the future, ask Hongfei more often. Do not keep everything bottled up alone.”

“Jin Zheng, you hate evil as if it were your personal enemy. I have always admired that temperament. I also know that you suffered no small amount of bullying when you were young, and that after struggling through the streets, you have seen the viciousness of the human heart. But you must also remember this: the affairs of this world are not so simple as right and wrong alone. When the blade leaves its sheath, it must be swift as lightning. But while the blade is still in the sheath, you must think more carefully. Consider three times before acting.”

“Yang Zhu, you are honest and simple by nature, with a kind heart. That is a rare and good quality. It is only that your courage is somewhat too small. Whenever something happens, you never dare to take a step forward. That is not so good. In truth, your talent is no worse than any of theirs. You lack only that bit of courage to act boldly and bear the consequences.”

“Wang Shu, you are the youngest. Right now, you are only in your mid-teens, exactly the age when you should be growing your abilities. When you encounter trouble in the future, listen more to the opinions of these older brothers and sisters of yours. They will not harm you. They will only protect you.”

“Have all of you remembered what I said?”

“Yes, Senior... we... have all remembered.” Zhao Hongfei and the other four bent at the waist and bowed solemnly, their voices trembling slightly.

Xiao Mo’s expression was as calm as still water, as if nothing in this world could stir even a ripple in his heart. That composure was like someone who had long since seen through life and death and was calmly going to meet his own end.

“Remember this. Whether among the demon race or among humans, there are good and bad alike.”

“Among the demon race, there are pure and kind women like Tutu. Among humans, there are also beasts dressed in robes and caps, shameless to the extreme.”

“Do not beat all demons to death with one stroke of the stick. And do not trust all humans without reservation.”

Xiao Mo slowly stood.

“All right... I have said everything I needed to say. It is time for me... to leave...”

As Xiao Mo’s words fell, everyone felt a breeze gently sweep past them.

When they raised their heads, Xiao Mo had already vanished from before them. Only those warm words, gentle as a spring breeze, drifted leisurely into their ears once more.

“If, in the future, you truly have nowhere left to go, then go to Tushan and seek out the holy daughter, Tushan Jingci. But remember this well. Do not mention me, and even more than that, do not say that you have any connection to me. Remember this. Remember it well.”

As those words from their senior slowly dispersed, the five of them straightened and looked at one another. You looked at me, and I looked at you. None of them understood what deeper meaning was hidden in Senior Xiao’s final words.

Since Senior had said that if they had nowhere to go in the future, they could seek out the holy daughter, Tushan Jingci, that meant Senior must have a rather deep friendship with that holy daughter.

But if that was so, why were they specifically forbidden from mentioning him?

They could not understand it, nor could they guess.

And yet, one thousand years later, when each of them had carved out their own place in the demon-race world—some founding sects and establishing lineages, some building dynasties, some becoming great powers of a region—

when they looked back on that first meeting with that holy daughter, and remembered the blade-sharp gaze of that holy daughter the first time they mentioned Senior, all five of them could not help but sigh softly in their hearts.

So it turned out that Senior’s instructions back then had only been because he wanted them to live well.