Decades rushed by again.
Du Youqian had long been mentally prepared.
So when Long Ruzhen passed away, he shed no tears.
Her body, growing cold, lay in his arms, a faint smile still lingering on her lips.
It was as if a filter had been placed over his eyes.
When he looked at her, he could see her as she was in her youth.
A willowy waist, an oval face.
Elegant brows as dark as ink, skin as fair as Warm Jade.
It was as if those almond eyes were still casting flirtatious glances his way.
"How wonderful it would be if I could find your reincarnation..." Du Youqian murmured to himself.
On the day of Long Ruzhen's burial, the sky was a smoky gray, and a fine drizzle drifted down.
Liao Leizhong arrived amidst the mist and rain.
With his large family in tow.
'Oh, not the entire clan,' but it was still an impressive procession of ten or twenty people.
This came as a surprise to Du Youqian.
He hadn't notified the boy, after all.
'Then again, calling him a boy... seemed a bit inappropriate.'
Liao Leizhong was now over eighty years old, a great-grandfather with a sprawling family.
As an Innate Grandmaster, Liao Leizhong still looked quite robust, appearing to be a man in his forties or fifties.
His one arm swinging, he walked up the mountain with a vigorous stride.
Even though the mountain path was rugged, slick, and muddy, he walked as if he were on level ground.
Du Youqian controlled the Array, opening a path to let the family ascend.
Long Ruzhen lay in her coffin, her expression serene.
The fine rain gently kissed her face, and the wind sighing through the forest seemed to play a parting dirge just for her.
Du Youqian had crafted the coffin himself, felling a golden-silk nanmu tree with his own hands.
It was considered the finest wood in the Mortal World.
The moment he arrived, Liao Leizhong cried out plaintively, "Father, why... why didn't you tell me? Huh? I didn't even get to see Mother one last time!"
"Mother, your son has failed you! I've come too late!" He stumbled toward Long Ruzhen's coffin and collapsed upon it, wailing to the heavens. Tears streamed down his weathered face, mixing with the rain until he was a wretched sight.
Du Youqian was struggling to compose himself and was in no state to console his son.
Only after Liao Leizhong had cried for some time and composed himself a little did Du Youqian help his son up. "How did you know to come?" he asked.
Liao Leizhong's voice was muffled. "Two nights ago, I was sleeping and dreamed that Mother came to see me. We talked for a long time. Then she said she was leaving and that I had to take care of myself from now on."
"She waved goodbye, then suddenly vanished, and I woke with a start. When I woke up, my heart just felt so empty... it was an awful feeling. I knew something must have happened. Mother told me where this place was a long time ago, so I came to find it."
He glanced at Du Youqian's full head of white hair and the deep wrinkles on his face. Resentment welled up within him, but he didn't dare truly lose his temper.
In the end, all he could do was complain helplessly, "Father, how could you be so cruel? You didn't even send word when Mother passed."
Hearing Liao Leizhong's complaint, Du Youqian smiled. "People come, and people go. It is the cycle of the Celestial Dao. I was with her when she departed, and your mother was very happy. There was no need to inform you. You have your own life, your own large family to support."
"Tell your little ones to stop crying. Their wailing is getting on my nerves. Your mother lived to be over a hundred; her passing is a joyous occasion, not something to weep over. She has cast off this aged, decaying shell and moved on to the next life. We should be happy for her."
Hearing this, Liao Leizhong wiped his eyes and forced a smile. "You're right. We should be happy for Mother."
With that, he went to stop his younger relatives from wailing.
In truth, the younger generation was only crying out of respect for him. Aside from the few of Liao Leizhong's own children whom Long Ruzhen had helped raise, what connection could they possibly have with her?
Even for those she had personally raised, after decades apart, the bond had naturally faded.
After Long Ruzhen was buried, Liao Leizhong watched as Du Youqian, with slow and deliberate movements, planted a peach tree in front of her grave before slowly returning to the house.
He spoke to his mother at her graveside for a while, then went inside to find Du Youqian.
For once, Du Youqian was neither in Cultivation nor practicing his Immortal Cultivation Techniques.
Instead, he was holding a small rhinoceros horn comb, stroking it gently in his hands.
The comb had been handled so much it had developed a deep patina, a clear sign of frequent use.
A long-forgotten memory surfaced in Liao Leizhong's mind.
He still remembered, when he was a child, his mother had once complained that she didn't have a decent comb and hadn't been able to properly brush her hair for a long time.
The very next day, his father had left the mountain, gone down to the river, killed a rhinoceros, and made this rhinoceros horn comb for her.
The sight of an object can bring back the memory of its owner. Seeing the comb, Liao Leizhong remembered Long Ruzhen's voice and smile, and the gentle hands that had caressed him and lulled him to sleep as a child.
Tears streamed down his face before he even realized it.
After a long moment, Du Youqian put the comb away and looked up. "What is it?"
Liao Leizhong hesitated, words catching in his throat, before finally speaking. "Father, you're getting on in years... over one hundred and ten, maybe even one hundred and twenty, right? If something were to happen to you all alone on this mountain, there would be no one to answer your call for help. Why don't you come back with me? Let me take care of you in your remaining years."
Du Youqian waved a dismissive hand. "Let's not talk about that for now. What's the outside world like? How is the Wu Kingdom faring these days? Any interesting news from the Jianghu? I haven't paid any attention for decades. Tell me about it."
Liao Leizhong recounted some of the major events, and Du Youqian listened intently, asking questions from time to time.
They talked for several hours until dusk fell. Du Youqian finally smiled and said, "The accommodations here at the Daoist Temple are spartan; it's not practical for so many people to stay the night. You should take your children and grandchildren and head back down the mountain."
Liao Leizhong was heartbroken. "Father, please, come with me. I've never been able to repay you for raising me. Please, give me a chance to fulfill my duty as a son."
Du Youqian said calmly, "I eat well and I sleep well. Don't be fooled by my age; I am a Cultivator, after all. Do you believe that even now, I could go into the mountains and kill a tiger bare-handed without breaking a sweat? Do you believe I could still uproot a power like Cyan Bamboo Castle single-handedly?"
"I believe you! Of course, I believe you!" Liao Leizhong gave a wry smile. "How could I not? It's just... Father, you're at an advanced age. You could fall ill or have an accident at any time. You need to have someone by your side to look after you!"
Du Youqian's tone and expression were perfectly tranquil. "I have spent decades in arduous Cultivation on this mountain. After so much stillness, one craves movement. While I can still walk, I want to see the world. Did you know? I'm not from the Wu Kingdom. I'm from the Jin Kingdom. I left home when I was eighteen. It's been almost a hundred years... I want to know if my hometown is still there. Is my family's house still standing? My parents have surely passed on, but perhaps some relatives are still alive. I want to go see them, Lei'Er. A fallen leaf must return to its roots."
'This wasn't just a convenient excuse, either.'
After lying low for decades, Du Youqian truly had grown tired of it.
What he didn't say, however, was that in addition to visiting his old home, he also wanted to see the long-famed Marketplaces, Cultivation Blessed Lands, and Renowned Major Sects.
He wanted to make a few friends and catch up on the happenings in the Cultivation Realm.
He had to remain cautious and guard against a premature death so he could live out his natural lifespan and reincarnate smoothly, but that didn't mean he had to be a complete hermit.
Liao Leizhong's lips trembled. "But Father, the Jin Kingdom is thousands of miles away! You'll face countless hardships on the road. What if you fall ill? What if some other disaster befalls you?"
"The world is vast, full of treacherous mountains and magnificent rivers, a sprawling Jianghu. With the land being so beautiful, is there any place that isn't fit for a final resting place?" Du Youqian chuckled and gave Liao Leizhong an affectionate pat on the head. "Alright, that's settled. Go back and live your life well. In this lifetime, this is our farewell."
"Father!" Liao Leizhong buried his face in his hands and broke down sobbing.