Upon hearing a knock, Yang Da, the doorkeeper of the Celestial Master’s Mansion, listlessly made his way over. He pulled the door open a crack and was instantly stunned.
"Immortal Master Du!"
Du Suxin gave a slight nod. "Is the Celestial Master in?"
"The Celestial Master left to visit friends half a year ago and has yet to return."
Yang Da straightened up. Over the years, he had come to fully appreciate the truth behind the old saying: "A doorkeeper at a prime minister’s gate is equal to a Seventh Grade Official." As the Celestial Master’s gatekeeper, even a Third Grade Official had to offer him a few polite words upon meeting him.
But that didn’t mean he could afford to be arrogant in front of an Immortal Master.
"Immortal Master Du, your sister..."
"I know. That’s why I’ve come to see her. Why? Did the Celestial Master give orders that no one was to be let in?"
"Of course not, of course not. The Celestial Master instructed that you may enter whenever you wish." Yang Da quickly pulled the door open, letting Du Suxin step inside. "The Commandery Princess is in her personal courtyard."
Du Suxin surveyed the interior of the Celestial Master’s Mansion. It seemed that in over eighty years, nothing had changed.
She sighed with emotion.
But her feelings didn’t slow her steps as she hurried toward Du Sumin’s small courtyard.
It wasn’t a long walk.
But upon reaching the courtyard, smelling the intoxicating fragrance of the flowers and hearing the gurgle of a nearby stream, Du Suxin hesitated.
She didn’t want to step inside and see her sister, skin wrinkled and hair gone white, lying there gasping and helpless, merely waiting for death’s arrival.
Even though her sister had taken an Anti-Aging Pill and the Celestial Master had gifted her some Longevity Elixirs that mortals could consume, her time had ultimately come.
This year, her sister was already 102 years old...
’There are probably very few mortals in the entire world who can live to such a great age.’
Logically, death at such an age should be considered a joyous occasion, a celebration of a long life.
But... this was her sister. There was no way Du Suxin could feel happy about it.
Memories of their childhood flashed through her mind—playing and squabbling, fighting over toys.
She remembered their girlhood, whispering secrets and dreaming of their future husbands.
As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, she remembered every conversation she’d had with her sister since she moved into the Celestial Master’s Mansion.
Everything seemed like it was only yesterday.
She always felt that they were all still young.
That they had so much time ahead of them.
’Later... later... there’s always time later.’
But she had never expected her sister’s condition to take such a sudden, sharp turn for the worse.
Du Suxin paced at the gate.
She didn’t dare go in.
She couldn’t bear to go in.
But she had to go in eventually.
She had come today to see her sister one last time and say her final goodbyes.
The courtyard gate opened with a CREAK, and a young maidservant poked her head out, clearly surprised. "Immortal Master Du! You’re really here. Just now, the Commandery Princess suddenly said her sister had arrived and told me to come out and look. I hardly believed it! Please, quick, come in."
Du Suxin lowered her voice. "My sister... how is she?"
The young maidservant also lowered her voice. "The doctor sees her three times a day. After his examination today, he told us to be prepared... that it would likely be tonight."
Du Suxin’s heart plummeted.
She stood at the entrance to the courtyard and only spoke after a long moment. "My sister... does she have any last wishes?"
The maidservant sighed. "The Commandery Princess just wants to see the Celestial Master. But he left to visit friends half a year ago and still hasn’t returned. We have no way of reporting this to him!"
"Then it can’t be helped." Du Suxin didn’t know where the Celestial Master had gone, either. He had reached Core Formation over forty years ago; as a Core Formation Master, his social circle was far more exclusive than hers. There was no way she could casually inquire about his whereabouts.
’If all else fails... I’ll just have to use a Hallucination Talisman to let my sister meet the Celestial Master in an illusion.’
’That was one of the good things about being a Cultivator.’
’Things that were impossible for mortals were problems that Cultivators always had a way to solve.’
’Sometimes the solution might not be perfect, but at least there was a solution.’
"Let’s go in." Du Suxin didn’t want to delay any longer.
She practically ran across the courtyard, rushing into Du Sumin’s room and arriving at her sister’s bedside.
Du Suxin was shocked when she caught sight of her sister.
In her memory, when she’d seen her sister last year, she had already aged significantly. While her face wasn’t wrinkled like a dried orange peel, she had looked to be at least in her fifties or sixties, covered in wrinkles, with age spots dotting the backs of her hands.
But seeing her today, her sister had recovered the mature, alluring appearance of a woman in her twenties or thirties. There was even a rosy flush on her cheeks.
’A final burst of life.’
The phrase flashed through Du Suxin’s mind.
Her heart ached for no reason.
She kept telling herself that her sister had lived a happy life, enjoying wealth and prestige, and had even maintained her youthful appearance and a vigorous body well into her nineties. ’What other mortal in this world could claim the same?’
’I should be happy for her.’
But she still felt miserable.
"Minmin," Du Suxin choked out.
"Sister, you’re here!" Du Sumin’s voice was weak, and if one listened closely, they could hear she was struggling for breath. Yet it was clear her mind was still sharp.
"Yes, I’m here," Du Suxin said with a forced smile. "I’ve come to stay with you for a while. When you’re feeling a bit better, I’ll take you to see the flowers on Qifeng Mountain."
"Sister!" Du Sumin laughed as well. "Don’t try to fool me. I know my own body. It’s just a matter of a day or two."
Seeing Du Suxin’s reddened eyes, Du Sumin said, "Sister, don’t be sad for me. I’m fine. I’ve lived a happy hundred years, and now I can finally go see our parents. What could be better than that?"
Fighting back tears, Du Suxin asked, "Minmin, is there anything else you want? Anything you want to eat or do, just say the word."
Du Sumin slowly shook her head.
"I lack for nothing. I want for nothing."
As she spoke, she seemed to grow tired and closed her eyes.
If Du Suxin hadn’t seen the faint but steady rise and fall of her chest, she would have burst into tears.
After a long moment, Du Sumin opened her eyes and said shyly, "I just... I miss the Celestial Master a little. I’ve had everything in this life. But... if the Celestial Master could just kiss me and caress my face, my life would be truly complete."
Du Suxin’s breath caught in her throat. She forced a smile. "He will. I sent a message to the Celestial Master before I came. He’ll be here to see you soon. Minmin, you have to hold on. Hold on until he returns."
"Really?" Du Sumin tried to push herself into a sitting position.
But she was too weak. She only made it halfway before collapsing heavily back onto the bed.
Du Suxin reacted in a flash, catching her sister. "Minmin, what are you doing?" she chided gently.
"Sister, help me up! I can’t let the Celestial Master see me like this!"
Du Suxin started to object, but then she remembered this was likely her sister’s last night. She swallowed her words and silently helped Du Sumin sit up, propping her against the headboard.
"Sister, hand me the comb. And the copper mirror." Du Suxin held up the mirror as Du Sumin began to comb her hair.
A moment later, her hand went limp and the comb fell. Du Suxin silently picked it up and continued combing for her.
Then she brought water to wash her face, wiped away her sweat, sprayed a little Floral Dew, and applied rouge to her cheeks.
This made Du Sumin look even more like an alluring young woman in her twenties or thirties.
’It’s good to leave this world looking beautiful.’ Du Suxin, of course, did not say this out loud.
"Sister, why isn’t the Celestial Master here yet? I’m afraid I can’t hold on," Du Sumin asked anxiously.
"Soon, he’ll be here soon. Don’t worry, Minmin! Huh? I think I hear something outside. I’ll go see." With that, Du Suxin rose and left the room.
She planned to return in a moment and use the Hallucination Talisman to cast an Illusion Technique on Du Sumin.
But as soon as she left the room, she saw a figure striding hastily across the courtyard. Who could it be but the Celestial Master?
Du Suxin rubbed her eyes, thinking they were playing tricks on her.
Only when she saw two Core Formation Masters, one from the Hundred Flowers Sect and one from the Taihe Sect, waiting at the courtyard gate with no intention of entering did Du Suxin realize that the Celestial Master had truly returned.
"How is she?" Du Youqian asked, his voice flat.
"The doctor said she won’t last the night... She just forced herself to get dressed up. When I asked if she had any last wishes, she said she just hoped you could caress her face and give her a kiss," Du Suxin said in a single, unhesitating rush.
Du Youqian’s expression remained unchanged. "I see."
He had just returned from the Taihe Sect, where he had been discussing the matter of wielding the sword with Elder Wu Fei and several other powerful figures.
Forty years had passed in a flash. A new wielder of the Celestial Dao Sword had yet to be trained, but the Spiritual Qi had already decayed to a perilous point. They could delay no longer.
That was why Elder Wu Fei had summoned him for this meeting.
It was only then that he learned that the Beautiful Daoist Wu Ai had also studied the Celestial Dao Sword and was close to achieving Great Success.
But she was only close.
A Daoist Nun who hadn’t undergone Sword Pill Formation was unlikely to ever cultivate the Celestial Dao Sword to the Realm of Great Success.
However, according to Wu Fei, it was close enough.
As long as the two of them coordinated well and the preliminary preparations were thorough, there was a high chance they could halt the decay of Spiritual Qi.
This matter concerned the future of the three billion people of Momenan. In the face of that, the life or death of a single person like Du Sumin seemed insignificant.
And yet, Du Youqian had still rushed back.
He had to see this woman—the one with whom he had never been intimate, the one whose life he had held in stasis, yet who, in spite of it all, seemed perfectly happy.
"I’m here," Du Youqian said softly as he entered the room.
"This servant greets the Celestial Master. I wish you good health!" Du Sumin struggled to perform a courtesy.
"There is no need for ceremony," Du Youqian said, looking at her with a slight smile. "You look very beautiful today."
"Thank you, Celestial Master!" Du Sumin was overjoyed. Her eyes seemed to dance, and though she had never been with a man, in this moment she possessed the subtle charm of a mature woman.
Du Youqian sat on the edge of her bed, and Du Sumin grew so nervous her breathing quickened.
Du Youqian smiled and reached out, stroking her cheek, which, in her final resurgence, was as tender as a young girl’s. "You have stayed by my side for a lifetime. I am very grateful, and I came to see you off."
"Celestial Master! You don’t have to thank me. It was my duty."
Du Youqian leaned in and gently touched his lips to hers. "Don’t be afraid. Life is a cycle of Reincarnation; death is a new beginning."
A shy smile graced Du Sumin’s face. She half-closed her eyes, leaning against Du Youqian’s shoulder. "Celestial Master, I’m not afraid. With you here, how could I possibly be afraid?"
Her voice grew faint. "Celestial Master, is there really a next life?"
"Yes," Du Youqian’s voice was firm and decisive.
"Then... will you come find me? Okay? In my next life, I want to serve you again."
"I will find you."
"That would be wonderful. I feel a little tired... I’ll just rest for a moment, Celestial Master... just for a moment."
"Rest now. Close your eyes..." Du Youqian kissed her cheek again.
Du Sumin closed her eyes. Her breathing was faint but steady... and then it faded away entirely.
But the smile on her lips never vanished.
A sob broke the silence.
Du Suxin choked out, "Celestial Master, thank you."
Du Youqian’s eyes were fixed on empty space.
As a Core Formation Master, he could see Du Sumin’s soul gazing at him, lingering, unwilling to depart.
"Go on. Go and be reincarnated," Du Youqian sighed.
The soul bowed to him three times before finally drifting away.
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