The Dongfeng Ancient Country is in the north.
"Child, if you are tired of seeking immortality, come home."
...
He hurried over, as if fated to meet him—this was the old man who would later bring him to Snow State.
The old man held a sword in his hand, asking him what he had seen.
He said he saw an immortal, a Sword Immortal.
—His talent wasn't all that great, merely above average; perhaps it was his mention of a Sword Immortal that had piqued the old man's interest.
The old man took him around the Southern Border for a while, searching for something unknown. Eventually, they returned to the Sword Sect. It was his first visit there. The old man left him at Red Dust Peak after entrusting a woman with some instructions, then walked away without turning back.
There, he saw that woman for the first time—stunningly beautiful!
By her side, it was as if he had found the innocence of a child, pestering her to tell stories of immortals. Perhaps in her eyes, he was just a child.
A seven- or eight-year-old child.
Later on, it seemed he had become accomplished in the way of immortality. That indolent, breathtaking woman appeared by his side, telling him it seemed there was some karma in the Mortal World that had not yet been resolved.
Having reached Half-Step Nascent Soul, he soared on his sword and returned to that small town in Southern State.
Everything had long since changed. The house bore no resemblance to his memories. Cries of mourning could be heard. White paper hung in the center of the courtyard, and red candles burned inside the house. An old man, near death, lay in bed. His murky eyes stared at the sky; he didn't know why, but he couldn't draw his last breath. His dry, wrinkled hand reached outward.
Perhaps feeling a stir in his heart, he tilted his head.
Into a room full of astonished gazes, a handsome man entered. His eyes curved as if smiling, and he was dressed in black. He approached the bed and then knelt down.
"Dad."
Murky tears fell from the old man's eyes. His hand reached to touch the man's face, his throat moving as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.
He finally closed his eyes, a smile on his lips.
Yet his outstretched hand remained pointing to an old cabinet nearby, not lowering for a long time.
A middle-aged man hesitated, his eyes full of reverence, but he still stepped forward and tentatively said,
"Brother?"
That must be the brother born after I left.
The brother opened the cabinet, which was filled with copper coins of all kinds.
"Dad said, since you haven't married yet, he's been saving for you all these years..."
"He wouldn't let anyone touch it, just hoping you would come back."
...
He smiled and left behind a few Golden Cores; though they couldn't make them immortals, they were enough to extend their lives and keep all diseases at bay.
Then he left. In a corner no one could see, his eyes were moist, tears staining his black shirt.
He had never worn black before.
In the so-called temple, which had always received worship, he placed an item containing some of his Spiritual Energy.
In the parched Southern State, in the parched small town, since he had left, there had been continuous drizzle, and for ten years, the weather had been favorable.
Returning to the Sword Sect again, he took a strong drink of green wine, but it tasted flat, like water. Life's puzzles, once hard to grasp, were now understood; the Great Dao, once obscure, was now clear.
That day, a golden light appeared on No-Sword Peak.
Su Bei achieved Nascent Soul in one step.
When Su Bei opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in bed, looking directly into Xiao Ruoching's eyes. Mo Li stood to one side, and the sky outside the window was already bright.
Sweat had soaked his bed, and his body felt heavy. The Wilderness Scripture lay beside him.
"How long was I asleep?"
Su Bei stretched, not yet recovered from the strange dream.
Xiao Ruoching said somberly,
"Master has been asleep for three years!!"
...
"What?!"
Mo Li glanced at Xiao Ruoching and said flatly,
"It's just been one night; it's only morning now."
Su Bei immediately sighed with relief. Seeing the strange looks from his disciples, he coughed lightly and asked,
"So... what's the situation now?"
"The Star Moon Sect is at war with the Cang Sect. I hear they're trading wins and losses."
Xiao Ruoching sat by Su Bei's bedside. Her gaze, filled with concern, shifted from The Wilderness Scripture to Su Bei. She even noticed the tear stains at the corners of her master's eyes.
"Master... what happened?"
Su Bei smiled, stretched, and yawned, saying,
"It was just a bit of a strange dream."
Standing up and straightening his clothes, he said,
"Let's go. The Star Moon Sect is an old friend of ours; we should check on them..."
...
Taking his three disciples, he walked toward Azure Cloud Mountain. But the events of the dream were deeply engraved in his heart, and numerous doubts surfaced.
Why, why would the predecessor whose body he now inhabited be able to recite the poem *Min Nong*? Everything seemed to grow more chaotic, including *Green Jade Case* by Li Zijun... What was the reason behind all this?