Immortal Travel of Longevity

Consumed by anxiety, Ruyi shouted.

"Whatever Immortal or demon dwells here, please show yourself! I am a commandery princess of Great Jing! I beg you to help me this once! I have a wisp of Dragon Spirit and a burst of Sword Qi! I only need you to deliver someone to Chunhui Prefecture!"

Her resounding voice echoed in all directions.

The echoes lingered through the surrounding valleys, yet there was no response.

Ping'an grabbed Ruyi's clothes with his aged hands. "Don't waste these on me. Uncle Chen left them for you, Sister..."

"I'm going to save your life! I'm going to save your life!"

Repeating these words, Ruyi continued to shout into the surrounding valleys.

Before long, a sudden rumble rang out.

A cloud of white mist drifted apart before them.

"Chunhui Prefecture is over twelve hundred li from here..."

He glanced at the man on her back and said, "His fated lifespan is already exhausted. If you want to save him, even an Immortal couldn't do it."

Ruyi said, "Just help! All you need to do is deliver the two of us there!"

The demon hesitated for a moment, then said,

"Let me see this Dragon Spirit and Sword Qi you spoke of."

Hearing this, Ruyi raised her hand, the Dragon Spirit and Sword Qi resting right in her palm.

The demon took one look and his eyes instantly lit up.

In a flash, his form shifted into a giant eagle. It spread its wings, seemingly able to blot out the sky, its eagle eyes incomparably sharp.

"Climb on!"

Ruyi brought Ping'an onto its back.

Ping'an gripped Ruyi's clothes tightly and said, "Sister, let's go back. Don't go any further..."

Ruyi did not answer him. Beneath them, the giant eagle spread its wings and launched itself into the sky.

Panic gripped Ruyi as she suddenly felt Ping'an's breath growing increasingly faint behind her.

"Ping'an! Ping'an!!"

She cradled his face and said, "Stay awake. Don't fall asleep. Don't! I won't let you die! I won't allow it!"

Ping'an's eyes were weak as he said, "Sister... talk to me for a bit..."

"Okay, okay. We'll talk. Let's talk."

"I want to go home, Sister."

"Home. Yes, we'll go home. Once Brother Tong saves you, we'll go home. We won't go anywhere else."

Ping'an shook his head slightly and coughed. "Sister, I was waiting for you. I just wanted to see you again. There is no one else..."

Tears spilled from Ruyi's eyes. She said, "What are you saying? You're not going to die."

"Sister..."

"I'm right here. I'm here."

"I want to eat Candied Hawthorn Skewers."

"Okay, I'll go buy them. I'll go buy them."

"Mhm. We'll share them."

"Okay."

"You can eat two more, just like when we were little."

"I won't snatch them from you anymore. You can have them all... you can have them all..."

Ping'an gasped for breath, but broke into a fit of coughing.

He had been clinging to life even before Ruyi arrived. He hadn't died yet solely because of his one last lingering thought.

Ruyi rubbed his chest to soothe his breathing and said, "Ping'an, Ping'an, keep talking. Don't stop. Don't fall asleep, don't..."

"I... won't sleep..."

Ping'an let out a breath and said, "Do you remember when we were little, Sister? I was still so small, and you'd carry me on your back. We'd go to the well, and you always used to wipe water on my face..."

"I remember. I remember it all."

In that moment, Ruyi seemingly understood everything.

Everything was already too late.

She said, "Why didn't you tell me earlier! Why didn't you tell me sooner! Why!"

Ping'an said, "My reactions have never been as fast as yours, Sister... have they..."

A smile graced his face. Those aged hands stroked Ruyi's face as he said, "You look very pretty, Sister. Just like when we were little."

Ruyi held his hand against her cheek with her own and said, "What are you saying? I'm old now. I'm useless, and I'm not pretty anymore..."

The tears from her eyes fell onto Ping'an's clothes, leaving behind a trail of tear stains.

Beneath them, the giant eagle listened to the words between the siblings. It had words it wanted to say, but ultimately held them back.

Ping'an's hand fell away limply.

Ruyi completely panicked at this exact moment.

"Ping'an!!"

Ping'an murmured, "Ping'an is leaving. In the next life, be my sister again. I won't become an official, and I won't wander the jianghu. Just quiet and ordinary, cough, cough."

He suddenly let out a heavy breath and said,

"Quiet and ordinary..."

"Living out a whole lifetime, we..."

"Ping'an... Ruyi..."

"Ping'an!!"

Ruyi cried out, but the man before her had completely ceased breathing.

"Ping'an! Say something, Ping'an!"

"Say something!!"

Ruyi threw her head back and wailed.

Her tears flowed endlessly, falling without pause.

She sobbed, never stopping for a moment.

Beneath her, the giant eagle felt a pang of melancholy. It could only express its comfort with silence, while lamenting inwardly that human life was truly far too insignificant.

The person on its back wept for who knew how long.

The wind blew until the tear stains on her face dried.

She held her younger brother in her arms, staring blankly just like that.

Seeing that the person behind it had calmed down, the giant eagle asked, "Are we still going to Chunhui Prefecture?"

Ruyi returned to her senses. Her voice was very light as she said, "Go to Qingshan City."

The giant eagle voiced its agreement, then changed direction and headed toward Qingshan City.

The feng shui of Qingshan City was excellent. Even the Priest in Qingxian Temple had said there were few places with poor feng shui in the surrounding mountains.

Ruyi invited Priest Xuanzhen of Qingshan City to find a good location.

There was no funeral; everything was just that simple.

She carefully placed Ping'an inside, then buried him with earth, little by little.

The demon that had brought him here stood to the side, watching calmly.

He did not quite understand.

This woman had merely cried for a while, but now appeared exceptionally calm. There was no emotion in her eyes, as if she had grown completely apathetic.

The demon did not quite understand human emotions. He wondered why she was no longer crying or making a fuss. Now, as she buried the man, she was so calm, as if burying someone who had nothing to do with her.

Ruyi placed the Candied Hawthorn Skewers she had bought at the foot of the mountain in alongside him.

Slowly, a mound of earth was piled up here.

She used her Short Blade to carve Ping'an's name into a stone.

Ruyi did not cry anymore, instead facing all of this calmly.

After a long time, she turned around. With a soft sigh, she remembered the matter from when she had come here.

Ruyi turned her head and raised her hand, offering that wisp of Dragon Spirit and burst of Sword Qi.

The demon looked on, but shook his head.

"The task was not accomplished. I don't want the payment."

Ruyi paused and tried to press them upon him, but the demon still refused her.

The demon spoke, "If you are sincere, then answer one question for me as an exchange. How about it?"

"Ask."

Ruyi turned her head to look at where Ping'an rested.

The demon asked, "I don't quite understand the emotions of you humans. You were clearly devastated, so why do you have no reaction at all now? Why is that?"

Ruyi paused.

A gentle breeze blew up her disheveled hair, concealing her reddened eyes.

She replied, "...Perhaps I am just even sadder."

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