Sounds of hasty coughing seemed to break the silence inside the courtyard. This sound was very old, as if it was coming from someone who was in their last years. Even the wind seemed to become louder as the cough echoed.
The wind howled, causing the lantern to flicker even more violently and to shake as if it was on its last breath.
The wind caused the lantern to shake as if it wanted to rush into the courtyard and take away the struggling soul⦠As the lantern shook, one could see word âSunâ on the lantern.
The Sun family!
These coughs that broke the silence caused a lot of footsteps to echo inside the courtyard. Many servants rushed over and arrived before an ordinary-looking house.
Right now there were three old men standing anxiously outside. Behind them were many Sun family members.
âWhat are you all panicking for? This old man canât die yetâ¦â A hoarse voice filled with exhaustion came from inside the house.
âAncestorâ¦â One of the old men outside seemed anxious and walked up as if he was about to speak.
Just at this moment, the sound of horses coming from the distance was heard. The horses were moving in a rush, and the noise was very obvious in this silent night. Soon, war horses arrived outside the courtyard. A middle-aged man in armor was sitting on a horse. He gave off a sense of might, and next to him was an old man whose hair was a mess due to the wind.
This old manâs face was pale. His horse was too fast, which terrified him.
The horses stopped before the courtyard. The middle-aged man grabbed the old man and rushed into the courtyard like the wind. They soon arrived outside the house.
âAncestor, Grandson has brought the best doctor to treat Ancestor.â
âNonsense, this old body has lived for a thousand years and I have reached the limit of my lifespan. How is this something a mortal doctor could cure?â The hoarse voice came from the house and began to cough again.
While everyone was tense, the door to the house opened. An old woman with white hair walked out with two servant girls supporting her.
âToday I called all of you here because this old body knows that I wonât live for more than seven days, and Iâm worried. However, aside from this old body, there are no more cultivators in the Sun family, so that eliminates the cruelty of the cultivation world. All of you, remember that no future generation should cultivate. Enjoying the riches of the mortal world is the best choice.
âAll of you, remember my words!â As the old woman coughed, her eyes lit up as her gaze swept past her descendants.
A pressure spread out from her body and shrouded everyone present. This caused all her descendants, including the middle-aged man in armor, to kneel in fear and quickly reply.
âItâs good that you all remember, itâs good that you all remember⦠Now, all of you go and let me rest on my ownâ¦â The old womanâs eyes stopped shining. Despite her age, one could still see that she was beautiful when she was young and liked to scold others.
All her kneeling descendants didnât dare to oppose her and all left. Even the servants all scattered as well. The night gradually quieted down.
This old woman let out a sigh and slowly sat down on a stone chair on the side. She looked at the slightly covered moon and began to reminisce about the past.
âIâm getting old and like to reminisce⦠Even though Iâm about to die, I canât change my habit of wanting to scold. Speaking of which, I didnât scold that many people in my lifeâ¦â A figure appeared in the old womanâs mind.
That person, she originally thought he was a little cultivator who was too lazy to cultivate. She became angry and often scolded his laziness.
Thinking back, the old woman revealed a smile. She was very happy as she found happiness in her memory.
A white figure suddenly appeared outside the courtyard under the lanterns.
Wang Lin looked at the courtyard before him. As he spread his divine sense across planet Ran Yun, he only found one person he knew. A very interesting little cultivator that had dressed herself as a man.
Back then, that person would sternly scold him every time he returned to his cave to cultivate properly so that he may one day achieve dao.
Wang Lin could see that everything she said was sincere. This was a unique feeling in this cruel cultivation world. This caused a sense of warmth to appear inside Wang Lin.
Thatâs why he still remembered this person.
He didnât expect that the only person he still remembered after 1,000 years would be that girl.
A smile appeared on his face as he walked toward the courtyard. As the two lanterns shook and his footsteps echoed, he arrived outside the ordinary-looking house.
He saw the figure of someone he knew in the past, the female cultivator Sun Ling.
Wang Linâs arrival was like a mortal and his footstep echoed. He didnât hide anything and wouldnât be hiding anything.
The old woman frowned. Without turning around, she began to scold, âDidnât I say to let this old body rest for a bit?â
Wang Lin smiled and softly said, âWe havenât met in 1,000 years. Iâve just arrived and you want me to leave?â
The old woman was stunned when she heard Wang Linâs voice. She turned around and saw Wang Lin not far away from her. Her body trembled.
âXu Muâ¦â The old woman looked at Wang Lin, and after a long time she smiled.
âWhen did you come backâ¦â The old woman didnât lose her mind like Master Flamespark and company; she soon recovered. Although her lifespan was far inferior to Master Flamesparkâs and her cultivation level was much lower, with only seven days left to live, she had seen through much. Now she only felt the joy of meeting an old friend.
âI just came back. I passed by and wanted to see if there were any old friends left.â Wang Lin sat down opposite of the old woman. He looked at her as if he was looking at a good friend.
In Wang Linâs eyes, her name didnât matter. After all, their relationship wasnât that of a man and woman but old friends. It didnât matter if she was male or female, it was all just memories.
This night, Wang Lin was very happy. His and Sun Lingâs words echoed inside the courtyard. Although her voice was hoarse, to him it was still like the crisp bell laughter from 1,000 years ago.
Even the chillness of the autumn wind dissipated and became like the spring breath that made one feel warm.
The moonlight gradually dimmed and white appeared over the horizon. It was as if the eyes of the heavens had slowly opened up.
As the white filled the sky, Wang Lin softly said, âDid you really decide?â
âWhere there is life there is naturally death. Iâm already very tired; even if I survive, there would be no meaning. Itâs better to leaveâ¦â Sun Ling smiled as she looked at Wang Lin.
âIf you change your mind, you can take this pill.â Wang Lin remained calm as he took out a pill and put it down. He let out a sigh as he looked at the woman once more. Then he walked out of the courtyard without looking back.
Sun Ling watched Wang Linâs figure gradually fade. She felt like she had entered a trance as she sat outside, managing the cave, scolding a young man who would often go out and rarely stayed to cultivate.
âDo you know what the important thing for cultivators is? Let me tell you, the most important thing is diligence!â
âAlthough your talent isnât good, you can still progress if youâre diligent. I have been guarding these caves for many years, and some cultivators from here have even reached the Soul Formation stage. None of them would leave early in the morning to wander around like you.â
The smile on the old womanâs face became even brighter, but there was a faint hint of red under her smile.
The early morning light sprinkled on the earth and took away the coldness of the night. Even the autumn wind became less cold and contained silver of warmth.
Yellow, red, and withered leaves flew in the wind. It looked very beautiful.
Wang Lin slowly walked up the tallest mountain on this planet. He didnât use any cultivation and walked up like a mortal.
Just like when he brought Wang Ping to conquer this mountain!
Wang Lin stood beside a running river and his gaze fell into the distance.
A lonely boat moved in the ocean. Wang Lin stood on the lonely boat as he looked at the world while facing the raging sea.
âPing Er, the mountain is like pride, river is the thought, and the sea if the heart. I took you to conquer the mountain to allow you to have pride. To not succumb to the heavens, to not succumb to fate. No matter where you are, must have the pride to raise your head!
"I took you to conquer this river to allow you to realize the endless flowing river contained faith. Without faith this river canât slow and without faith a person is just a walking corpse!
âFather took you to conquer this ocean to allow you have a heart as board as the ocean. With your heart as the sea with does other even count as!â
Wang Lin walked through the mountain, river, and ocean. He walked through the plains, jungles, and everything he saw with Wang Ping back then. Even though he was a 7-star ancient god. Even though he was famous in the Outer Realm. Even though he was going to become famous in the Inner Realm and shock everyone.
However, he was still a father⦠A mortal who missed his son, Wang Ping⦠Thinking about his hometown, his thoughts became melancholy. He felt Wang Pingâs soul coming from the heaven defying bead. The white hair and lonely figure. Wang Lin left the unforgettable memory this place had given him and gradually disappeared into the distance. Only a melancholy sigh lingered.