“Uncle.”
“Master.”
“Little Grand-Uncle.”
“Brother Xian!”
“...”
Everyone stood to greet him. Some were formal, like Lin Qianqian; some were excited, like Zhang Yang; and some were as they always were, like Wen Qingxue.
Xu Xian responded to each with a smile as he walked to the table. He motioned for everyone to sit and brought out several jars of fine wine to open the evening.
“It’s a rare occasion for us to gather.”
“Today,”
“We reminisce about the past and talk about the present, but we will not speak of the future...”
“Tonight,”
“We will not mention parting. We drink until we fall.”
“How does that sound?”
Everyone understood and voiced their agreement.
“Good!”
“We’ll do as Little Grand-Uncle says.”
“Whatever Uncle says.”
Xu Xian smiled from the bottom of his heart.
He raised his cup.
They drank together.
That night, the fruit went untouched, and empty jars piled up against the courtyard wall. From the initial formality to the later enthusiasm, and finally to a state of unbridled abandon, the aroma of wine was intoxicating...
No one spoke of departure, only of the past.
The meeting,
The encounters,
The understanding.
Four hundred years of the dull path of cultivation—once they started talking, they found that a single night wasn't enough to cover it all.
That time, those years, those lives.
It was Zhang Yang's foolishness.
It was Lin Qianqian's kindness.
It was Wen Qingxue's indifference.
And it was Li Qingshan's posturing.
Back then, Kongkong was a bit slow.
Back then, Chu Yi talked too much.
Lu Yuan used to squat on the rafters for no reason.
And there were Xu Xian's glorious moments, time and time again.
The Longevity Bridge,
Ascending the Sword Mound,
The Demon Suppression Abyss,
The journey to the Emperor's Tomb,
The Sword Inquiry across the world.
What was the mortal realm for?
Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness; partings and reunions.
A pot of turbid wine, a joyful reunion; how many affairs of the past and present are all lost in idle chatter.
Their only regret was that the long night was too short.
As dawn broke,
The gathering hurriedly came to an end.
...
It was no longer the beginning, nor was it those early years. Kongkong and Chu Yi had grown up; they were now graceful and elegant, like ethereal fairies and sect ancestors who resided deep within the Ancestral Peak.
Lin Qianqian,
Zhang Yang,
And Wen Qingxue,
Were now ranked as Elders, each governing a hall.
Not to mention Li Qingshan, who had been the Sect Master for a long time now...
They were no longer who they used to be,
And they did not try to make him stay.
There were no childish tantrums or drunken rants. Immortals did not truly get drunk; they had remained clear-headed from start to finish.
They were clearly aware,
That Xu Xian would definitely leave.
They were clearly aware,
That this was their final gathering.
They were clearly aware,
That this parting,
Was for an indefinite period.
And when they would meet again,
No one knew.
Therefore,
They did not speak of departure,
Nor did they ask for a return date.
In this way, they drank all their reluctance and worry into the wine. Using the lingering excitement of the alcohol, they laughed wantonly to mask the emotions they did not want to show.
The world of adults was exactly like this.
This was the final bit of decency they left for one another.
There is no feast in the world that does not end; every meeting has its day of parting. Life is filled with eternal regret, like the river flowing forever east.
Xu Xian had arrived the latest, but he was the first to leave.
When he departed,
The drinking continued,
While the bright moon hung in the west.
It was far from yesterday, yet very close to dawn.
He sat alone on the summit of Zhijian Peak, the very place where he had practiced his sword when he first entered the sect.
Four hundred years of change had passed, and the mortal realm had long since transformed, but that rock was still there. The corner that had been sliced off still bore the marks.
He reached out to touch it. Sorrow flowed backward through the night, overflowing and becoming uncontrollable.
By his ear,
The laughter still echoed.
In his mind,
Memories resonated.
He looked up at the sky with melancholy—the bright moon, the clear breeze, the lonely peak, and himself.
He was secretly grieving.
The little book spirit crouched on his shoulder, its small hands cupping its face. Its eyes shimmered; it too was a bit reluctant to leave—reluctant to leave the four seasons of this mortal world and its magnificent mountains and rivers.
But,
They had to leave eventually.
“If only,”
“We didn't have to leave, how wonderful that would be!”
Xu Xian glanced sideways with a smile and mused, “The clear breeze, the bright moon, and I—we are all but passing travelers in this mortal world.”
The little book spirit remained silent for a long time before suddenly saying, “We’ll come back.”
“Hmm?”
The little book spirit stood up, hands on its hips, its gaze burning with conviction as it spoke with absolute certainty: “Even if the road ahead is fraught with all kinds of danger, I will protect my master.”
Xu Xian’s gaze deepened as he stared at the little fellow, half-doubtingly asking:
“You?”
The little book spirit rolled up its sleeves and said with a serious face, “That’s right! I am the Book Sword Immortal, and I’m super strong!”
Looking at its comical appearance, Xu Xian suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahaha!”
“What are you laughing at?”
“Hahaha!”
“Stop laughing...”
“Hahaha...”
The bright laughter echoed from the mountain peak to the clouds, extending beyond the Star Sea, its vibrant resonance never-fading.
Later,
Yao Xiaoxiao found him. She still couldn't help but ask Xu Xian if she could go with him; she wanted to go.
Xu Xian didn't let her.
Yao Xiaoxiao didn't insist.
She said she knew that would be the answer.
Xu Xian teased her,
“Then why did you ask?”
Yao Xiaoxiao didn't say a word.
...
After the gathering that night, Xu Xian did not show his face in public again. He remained in the shadows, preparing for the ascension on the day of the Awakening of Insects.
The Wendao Sword Sect remained busy.
The crowds outside the Ascension Platform grew by the day.
The experts on the Ascension Platform were also intensifying their preparations.
As the time drew near, the entire world became restless.
On the final night,
Just before dawn,
To ensure no accidents or variables occurred, Xu Xian’s divine sense traveled a thousand miles through the mountains and rivers, peering into everything. He discovered that many familiar figures had arrived in the mountains outside the sect.
Many from the generation he had tied up in the Emperor's Tomb had come. Even Chi Ji and Huang Xiao had arrived.
He did not leave the sect,
Waiting quietly.
Time passed second by second. After the stars shifted, dawn broke, followed by the faint morning light, and then the blazing sun hanging high.
The time had come.
It was the sixth day of the second month,
The Awakening of Insects.
The peach trees in the Peach Blossom Immortal Abode were lightly dusted with pink.
In the world outside the mountains, within the clusters of Cloud Boats, people, demons, spirits, beasts, and demons from all over the world spontaneously gathered on the decks and by the railings.
The eighth-stage and seventh-stage cultivators who had been lurking in the mountain ravines also showed themselves. From a vantage point on Zeyi Peak, they watched from afar.
On the Ascension Platform, the group of old monsters were all glowing with health. For the first time in many years, they found it difficult to sit still.
They all knew very well,
That the time had come,
And the great play of ascending to the heavens was about to begin.
...
At the Ancestral Peak of the Wendao Sword Sect.
Under the old pagoda tree outside Yun Zheng’s grotto-heaven, the little book spirit reminded him, “Master, the hour has come.”
Xu Xian opened his eyes beneath the tree.
It happened that a long wind blew through the ravine, startling a few pagoda leaves into falling.
Xu Xian reached out to catch one, rolling it between his fingers as he murmured softly, “Senior Brother, if your spirit is watching from heaven, please bless me so that everything goes smoothly...”
He chanted silently, attempting to soothe his restless heart.
He let go of the leaf,
And rose.
As the leaf touched the ground,
He was already in the sky.
At the same time,
Atop the seven peaks and thousand mountains of the Wendao Sword Sect, pairs of eyes were watching him as he crossed through the clouds.
Li Qingshan on the Main Peak,
Lin Qianqian on Falling Cloud Peak,
Yao Xiaoxiao in the Baicao Garden,
Wen Qingxue on Zhijian Peak,
Zhang Yang on Zhujian Peak,
Xia Chu Yi on the Ancestral Peak,
And...
The three Guest Elders, the various Pavilion Elders, and the disciples of the entire sect.
They watched him go in silence, without a word.
In a corner near the Longevity Bridge, very close to the Ascension Platform, two graceful figures stood on a mountain peak facing the wind. Upon closer look, the two shared a fifty percent resemblance.
Looking even closer, were they not Tu Sisi and Tu Kongkong?
Seeing Xu Xian leave the Ancestral Peak and head toward the Ascension Platform,
Tu Sisi glanced at the girl beside her, breaking the silence that had lasted all night, and said softly, “It’s time for me to go.”
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