237: The past is gone

“The hidden truth of this matter should have been known by Yang Spirit Realm Cultivators like Sword Ancestor long ago.”

Gu Changsheng’s expression was uncertain.

More detailed information could only be obtained by communicating with fellow Cultivators in the Yang Spirit Realm.

Whoosh—

He let out a long breath.

“Once this matter is settled, I will return to Great Jin…”

Inside Yuanlian Island.

A phantom figure suddenly appeared in the hall.

His aura was completely imperceptible, like a Young Master in Qingyi from the Human Realm.

“Revered Master… you…”

Fang Yu trembled all over, almost unable to speak.

Even with Gu Changsheng appearing before him, he still felt as if it were a dream.

The little Hu Niang beside him was also breathing rapidly, her eyes fixed on Gu Changsheng without blinking.

“From today onwards, this seat will leap out of the cage, take charge of all living beings, and become a chess player in this world,” Gu Changsheng said with a smile.

Only Yang Spirit Realm mighty figures, Cultivators standing at the pinnacle of the Human Realm, could declare that they would use all living beings as chess pieces and the world as a chessboard to strategize and plan.

“Congratulations, Revered Master! Heartfelt congratulations, Revered Master!”

“Congratulations, Revered Master, on attaining the Great Dao of Longevity.”

“Haha, well said.

This return to Great Shang, having Undergone Tribulation for the Yang Spirit, the greatest objective has been achieved.

Thus… it is time for this seat to go to Great Jin…”

As soon as he spoke, the little Hu Niang immediately became anxious, tears almost gushing out, and she quickly stepped forward to tug at Gu Changsheng’s sleeve.

“Revered Master, are you not going to want Xiaobai anymore…?”

Fang Yu on the side also looked nervous.

His Revered Master would disappear for several centuries at a time.

When they met again, he feared he would already be Ku Gu in a tomb.

“What are you thinking…” Gu Changsheng gently stroked the little Hu Niang’s soft fox ears, feeling a silky smooth touch on his fingertips.

Mmm, the texture was good.

“This seat has achieved a Breakthrough to the Yang Spirit, and this world is mine to roam.

Taking the two of you to Great Jin is naturally not a problem.

It’s just… are you willing to accompany this seat?”

“Xiaobai will naturally follow Revered Master.

Through mountains of knives and seas of fire, she will not regret it.”

The little Hu Niang clutched Gu Changsheng’s sleeve, speaking in one breath, as if afraid he would change his mind.

Fang Yu hesitated for a moment, then cupped his fists and said, “Great Jin is a Holy Land for cultivation in the world, Disciple is naturally willing to go, but I hope Revered Master can give me a few days to arrange matters on the island.”

This vast Legacy, painstakingly managed for centuries, the effort put into it was considerable.

“Very well.”

Gu Changsheng nodded.

Over the next few days, Fang Yu began to summon this generation’s Yuanlian Seven, arranging various matters.

Gradually, one middle-aged Cultivator remained in the hall.

He had a dignified appearance, with a refined long beard, looking like an Immortal.

If Gu Changsheng were here, he would surely recognize this person as the child he had casually saved when he went to Chong Prefecture to slay ten thousand ghosts.

“Li Cheng, you are the Chief Senior Brother of the Yuanlian Seven.

From now on, in the days when Revered Master is not here, the Legacy of Yuanlian Island will be entrusted to you.

Do you still remember the oath you made when you joined Yuanlian Island?” Fang Yu stood in the hall, his expression serious.

“Disciple remembers, I dare not forget for a moment.”

Li Cheng said in a deep voice, “We, the Yuan Lian Cultivators, shall slay demons and devils, and aid the suffering masses.

Disciple will forever remember Revered Master’s teachings.”

“Good, very good…”

A smile appeared on Fang Yu’s face, and he nodded in satisfaction.

On the other side, Gu Changsheng, holding a white fox in his arms, entered a Mortal county town alone.

“Hmm… this is the old site of Chenping County back then.”

He looked at the towering city walls, on which a stone tablet was carved with the words ‘Chentang’.

Over nearly a millennium, the old city had undergone wars and calamities, then been torn down and rebuilt, experiencing several changes, and the city had become taller than before.

“Let’s go in and see…”

Gu Changsheng did not use any magic, but like an ordinary traveler, he paid the entry fee to a few city guards and entered the city.

The market was more prosperous than he remembered, and there were more people.

Walking through the streets and alleys, there were shouts of hawkers everywhere, and soon, he had many snacks in his hand.

“Here.”

Gu Changsheng handed over a skewer of fried food, and the white fox gently licked it, just as it had a thousand years ago.

“Hual Deng Lane… I can’t believe it still exists…”

Gu Changsheng looked at the ten-mile long corridor, adorned with various lanterns, depicting fish and Dragons, a hundred flowers, Immortals… a series of exquisite paintings.

Many children ran around carrying various types of lanterns, and in the moats on both sides, many young men and women boated, with flower boats hanging lanterns, adorned with various riddles, attracting many scholars.

His footsteps changed, and he arrived at a medical hall.

“Mo Family Medical Hall…”

Gu Changsheng muttered the plaque.

The Doctor Mo of the past involuntarily came to mind… that plague that swept through the entire city… creak.

The medical hall door opened, and a hunched, constantly coughing old farmer walked out, supported by a young Doctor wearing a medicinal gauze cap.

“Uncle Li, you’ve caught a cold, so don’t go out to the fields these few days.

Take the medicine according to the time, three bowls of water boiled down to one.”

The young Doctor exhorted.

“Understood. Thank you, Little Doctor Mo, for the medicine, this old man will have a few more good days. Cough cough…”

The old farmer, in tattered clothes, bowed in thanks.

He was only halfway down when the young Doctor helped him up.

‘This person…’ Gu Changsheng’s expression tightened.

The young Doctor before him had a hint of familiarity in his eyebrows.

Suddenly, a flash of insight crossed his mind, and the face before him gradually overlapped with the Little Doctor Mo in his memory.

He made a hand seal, and a wisp of blood-light appeared in his palm, sensing something.

When he looked up, a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

It was indeed a Bloodline descendant of Little Doctor Mo.

“Brother, can I help you?”

The young Doctor saw off the old farmer and noticed Gu Changsheng.

He felt that the person before him was like an Immortal in Qingyi, with an extraordinary temperament, like a banished Immortal descended to the world.

“Doctor Mo, is that right…? I was once good friends with your ancestor, and out of inspiration, I strolled here and specially present a medical scripture…”

Gu Changsheng flipped his sleeve and took out a golden Jade Slip.

After a millennium of accumulation, he had countless medical secret arts in his possession.

What was before him were merely some Mortal methods.

It encompassed all kinds of difficult and complex diseases in the world, far surpassing the collection of any medical family.

“This…”

Little Doctor Mo had not yet fully recovered his senses when a warm, jade-like golden Jade Slip appeared in his hand, but the young man who had been there was nowhere to be seen.

If it weren’t for the Jade Slip in his hand, he would have even thought it was an illusion.

He looked up and felt that the content of the Jade Slip was profound and extensive, countless medical principles and texts transforming into images that poured into his mind.

Within a few breaths, he felt his medical skills rapidly advance.

“Could it be that I really met an Immortal…?”

Doctor Mo exclaimed… Gu Changsheng turned and arrived at the former Qingyi Alley.

This was where he used to set up his stall and sell paintings.

It was also the starting point of his cultivation.

Now, things had long since changed, with various food stalls lining the street.

“Cui’er, serve this table of customers a bowl of tofu pudding.”

“Coming right up!”

‘Cui’er?’ Gu Changsheng was momentarily stunned, looking at the tofu stall, at the slender figure in a blue skirt with white dots.

At this moment, the large jujube-red wooden barrel was uncovered, and a rich aroma of soybeans permeated the air.

Long-lost memories, mixed with the fragrance of food, swept over him like a surging tide.

“Three fried dough sticks, a bowl of tofu pudding, with extra chili.”

Gu Changsheng sat down and tossed out a few copper coins.

“Coming right up, please wait, esteemed guest.”

Soon, the tofu pudding was placed on the table, the fiery red chili oil particularly striking, and the strong soybean aroma stimulated his taste buds.

Taking advantage of the moment the tofu pudding was being placed, Gu Changsheng clearly saw Cui’er’s face.

Long eyelashes, a perky nose, and moist, sparkling eyes.

Her appearance was outstanding, but it had no connection to the face in his memory.

He tasted a mouthful of tofu pudding; the flavor was exquisite, leaving a lingering taste, but it seemed to be subtly missing something.

As dusk approached, Gu Changsheng stood on a distant hilltop, looking towards Chentang County.

In his sight, the entire county town was brightly lit, filled with laughter and joy.

A thousand years ago, it was the same.

However, the people of that time had long since changed, like leeks, replaced one crop after another.

“A millennium has passed, and things are no longer the same.

But Mortals, through their Bloodline descendants and Legacy of skills, continue to extend from generation to generation.

Is this not a different kind of longevity?”

Gu Changsheng sighed with emotion.

He closed his eyes, feeling the mountain breeze caress his cheeks, and felt a clear spring flowing in his heart, the trace of violence that had been contaminated after Undergoing Tribulation also dissipated like dust.

He opened his eyes.

“Thus, it is time to return to Shu Mountain…”