51: Since ancient times, beautiful women have always had a short life

Under the azure sky, two figures streaked across.

Suddenly, one of the figures stopped, and the other, with quick eyes and hands, also hastily halted.

"Sect Master, it's still early; there's no harm in taking a look," the person who arrived later said considerately, looking at Luocheng Mountain below.

Lin Mu looked at Luocheng Mountain, which Xu Liying had mentioned, and nodded, "Twenty years unseen; it's time to take a look."

Luocheng Mountain is located at the very edge of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

Though called a mountain, it was actually just a hill a few hundred meters high.

Lin Mu and his companion landed at the foot of the mountain, then walked up the mountain on foot.

There were no particularly striking sights along the way, only the occasional peach blossoms, which did catch the eye.

The mountain wasn't tall to begin with, and the two were extraordinary individuals, so in just a short while, they reached the mountainside.

Suddenly, deep within the mountainside, Lin Mu saw a large peach blossom forest.

He unconsciously stopped, staring blankly at the peach blossom forest, recalling that innocent little girl.

She had invited Lin Mu to see the peach blossoms many times.

Just as Lin Mu was lost in thought, a woman's voice interrupted him.

"Excuse me, who are you?"

Lin Mu turned his head and saw a young married woman, simply dressed with her hair in a bun.

The young woman was holding a baby who couldn't walk yet.

Lin Mu looked at the young woman, and the young woman also scrutinized Lin Mu.

Suddenly, as if she thought of something, the young woman spoke, somewhat uncertainly:

"Are you Big Brother Lin?"

Lin Mu said with some surprise, "You recognize me?"

The young woman smiled sweetly and said, "Big Brother Lin, you're still so young, just like twenty years ago."

Lin Mu heard this and carefully examined the young woman.

She had seen him twenty years ago and still called him Big Brother Lin. Could it be that little girl?

"Are you Xiaohua?" Lin Mu asked tentatively.

"So Big Brother Lin still remembers me," Xiaohua said, clearly surprised that Lin Mu still remembered her.

"Of course I remember," Lin Mu paused, then added, "How is she?"

Xiaohua's expression darkened when Lin Mu mentioned her.

She naturally knew who Lin Mu was referring to.

"Big Brother Lin, please follow me; I'll take you to see her," Xiaohua said, then walked towards the peach forest.

Lin Mu saw Xiaohua's hesitant expression and had a bad premonition.

The group walked for a while and reached the peach blossom forest. Waves of peach blossom fragrance wafted through the air.

Xiaohua walked to an open space and stopped.

There were two earthen mounds in the clearing, with two gravestones in front of them.

Lin Mu looked sideways.

One of them read, "Tomb of My Brother, Wang Changhe."

Lin Mu only read the first few words of the other gravestone before he was stunned in place.

The gravestone was inscribed with "Tomb of Respected Sister, Xu Liying."

Lin Mu's heart involuntarily twitched at that moment; it hurt a little.

After coming to this world and gaining the Indestructible Divine Body, he had always thought his heart was as firm as a rock, unshakeable by anything.

It was only when he saw Xu Liying's gravestone that he realized he was wrong.

Unconsciously, Xu Liying had already occupied a place in Lin Mu's heart.

Whether in his previous life or this one, Lin Mu had been deeply mired in a swamp of schemes, plots, and contention.

Only with Xu Liying did he experience a sliver of pure, free, and carefree feeling.

He truly refused to believe that in the blink of an eye, the little girl who used to cling to him daily would be separated from him by life and death so quickly.

Lin Mu raised his reddened eyes, looked at the peach blossom forest, and asked somewhat sadly:

"How did she die?"

Xiaohua seemed to be affected by Lin Mu's emotions and replied, sobbing slightly:

"Twenty years ago, Sister Xu brought me here, and every day she would tell me about you."

"Sometimes she would laugh while talking, and sometimes she would cry."

"I was young then and didn't understand anything, but as I grew older, I gradually understood some things."

"But Sister Xu stopped talking to me about you."

Xiaohua paused here to compose herself, then continued:

"Later, she became silent and withdrawn. Sometimes she would sit for an entire day without saying a word or eating."

"At that time, I could see that the light had gone out of Sister Xu's eyes."

"This situation lasted for three years. After that, she fell ill. I searched for all the doctors in Luocheng City, and they all said that heart disease was incurable."

As she spoke of the sad parts, Xiaohua couldn't help but wipe away her tears.

"Once Sister Xu collapsed, she never got up again. When she was severely ill, she wouldn't say a word for days."

"Only when she was semi-conscious would she murmur your name."

Hearing this, Lin Mu's mind involuntarily pictured Xu Liying's frail body, lying despairingly on the bed.

He couldn't help but ask, "Didn't she think of coming to find me?"

Xiaohua shook her head and said, "I tried many times to persuade her to find you, but she always shook her head and said, 'What's missed is missed.'"

"At the time, I didn't understand the meaning of that sentence."

"Ten years ago, she finally reached her limit."

"It was raining that day, and the thunder outside was loud. I cried and asked her, 'Was it all worth it?'"

"She smiled at me with effort and said that her life had regrets, sadness, and sorrow, but she never regretted meeting you."

"The days spent with you were as fleeting as a meteor, yet as brilliant and dazzling as one."

Xiaohua said this, then caressed the child in her arms, and finally said:

"Only after meeting this child's father did I understand why Sister Xu was like that back then."

"Those ten years of her life were spent in repeated torment, from self-reproach towards her senior brother and longing for you."

After hearing about Xu Liying's tragic remaining life, Lin Mu couldn't help but sigh, "She was not at fault, yet she bore karma that shouldn't have been hers."

"Perhaps I shouldn't have brought her to Qingyang Sect back then; she wouldn't have died of sorrow."

Xiaohua didn't respond. She walked to the thatched hut behind, took out a basket of offerings, and then handed three incense sticks to Lin Mu.

"Offer some incense to Sister Xu. Let bygones be bygones."

Lin Mu took the incense from Xiaohua and silently placed it for Xu Liying.

At this moment, a gentle breeze blew, and a few peach blossoms landed on Lin Mu's body.

Lin Mu casually picked up a peach blossom and murmured, "The human face is gone, I know not where; the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze."

After sighing, Lin Mu used his spiritual power to toss the peach blossom back into the sky, letting it drift into the distance.

What drifted away was not just the peach blossom, but also Lin Mu's last trace of tenderness.

The person is gone; those who live still have things to do.

Lin Mu looked at the sleeping infant in Xiaohua's arms and said, "What is his name?"

Xiaohua looked at her child with doting eyes and said, "My husband has passed away. I changed his surname to Xu, Xu Nianzu."

"Xu Nianzu, that's a good name," Lin Mu said, taking out a jade pendant.

Then, he carved the three characters "Xu Nianzu" onto the jade pendant with the Power of the Heavenly Dao and placed it in the child's arms.

"This jade pendant has my mark. Wearing it will protect him from all illnesses. If he wishes to cultivate martial arts in the future, he can come to Heavenly Dao Sect to find me."

Xiaohua looked at the jade pendant and quickly bowed to Lin Mu.

Lin Mu accepted Xiaohua's bow, then turned and flew away.

Before Yun Feiyang left, he hastily offered an incense stick to Wang Changhe, shook his head, sighed, and then leaped up to follow Lin Mu's figure.

Only when Lin Mu and his companion's figures disappeared did Xiaohua withdraw her gaze.

She looked at the infant in her arms, lost in thought.