"…The Water of Longevity cannot grant eternal life, but it should be able to extend one's lifespan appropriately. We've tested it on volunteers, and their physical conditions have all significantly improved."
"Why have these two individuals been drinking it for so long, yet their physical data shows no change?"
—
Zhang Qiling woke up to a dim sky. Fine strands of rain drifted in with the wind, pattering on him and the three gravestones in the courtyard.
As a creature of the Forbidden Land, accustomed to high-risk environments, Mao Tuan’s passing in Zhang Qiling’s arms was a record-breaking event. Its grave was small, nestled beside Fatty’s, with a delicate flower stretching its leaves above.
…He rarely dreamed, and even less often of his past.
Many researchers had been sent by Xie Yuchen back then. To manage them better, he had also dispatched an ordinary-looking middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man wore worn, thin gloves and had a weathered face, sparsely dotted with unshaven stubble, a stark contrast to Xie Yuchen’s usual refined and sharp appearance.
Wu Tianzhen, who was playfully roughhousing with Fatty, was still energetic even in his middle age. He spotted the caretaker and furtively sidled up to Zhang Qiling:
“Strange, I don’t recall seeing this person with Xiao Hua before?”
…The Water of Longevity was of great importance. If news of it leaked, it would attract much covetousness. Xie Yuchen would never assign someone he didn’t trust.
Zhang Qiling leaned against the wall, his saber in his arms, and followed Wu Tianzhen’s gaze. He saw the middle-aged man turn back, and in the instant their eyes met, he revealed a smile.
…A smile that seemed to convey a reunion after a long separation.
Zhang Qiling’s fingertips twitched slightly. He realized the middle-aged man was wearing a human skin mask, but it had been worn for so long that it had almost merged with the man’s original face.
Although human skin masks closely resembled real skin, they were external objects. The process of bonding them to the flesh of the face was inevitably agonizing and required a significant amount of time.
This man was practically screaming “suspicious” from head to toe, yet the mere statement that “he was sent by Xie Yuchen” was enough to clear him of all doubt.
Thus, Zhang Qiling paid him no further attention.
The researchers, naturally, failed in their experiments. To avoid affecting Wu Tianzhen’s state of mind, they didn’t elaborate on the situation to him, only mentioning a few details to Zhang Qiling.
As for the middle-aged man, he paused before Zhang Qiling for a long time before leaving.
His pause was abnormally prolonged, yet the ever-vigilant Zhang Qiling did not look up at him.
Whether it was the long years of peaceful life that had changed Zhang Qiling, or the devastating news from the Water of Longevity that had broken him, the middle-aged man couldn’t tell. Yet, as he observed carefully, Zhang Qiling’s back was still straight, though the lowered hood cast a shadow beneath his chin.
“…The power of the Water of Longevity was suppressed in them,” the middle-aged man finally spoke. “The abilities of the spirit stones are formidable, but they are no match for the Bronze Gate.”
“They were too close to the Bronze Gate in those years, and their bodies were eroded. There was no way to extend their lifespan any further—”
His words were cut short as his cheek stung. The exposed skin felt the sharp blade energy that seemed to pierce through his flesh.
Zhang Qiling’s gaze, when it turned towards him, was like that of a ferocious beast ready to devour, or a wounded, wary lone wolf, causing him to instinctively step back half a pace.
…He was truly different from before now.
The middle-aged man couldn’t help but think. He knew it was cruel, but he had to speak the truth.
…Rather than letting Zhang Qiling spend his remaining time searching for futile methods of life extension, it was better to cherish the opportunity to be together.
So, he looked directly into Zhang Qiling’s eyes and uttered his final words, one by one—
“This is fate. Even you cannot change it.”
(Even you, can you stop fate?)
Zhang Qiling froze abruptly. He watched the middle-aged man smile again, bid a polite farewell, while he merely gazed silently at the retreating figure.
At that moment, Zhang Qiling’s expression was utterly blank. When Wu Tianzhen found him, he momentarily thought Zhang Qiling was about to drown in the damp air of the Rain Village.
Not long after, they received news of a grand funeral held by the Xie family.
Xie Yuchen, uncharacteristically, came to find Zhang Qiling. They sat opposite each other for a long time, neither speaking first.
After the silence had raged, Xie Yuchen’s first words were astonishingly hoarse:
“…I didn’t acknowledge him. He was buried under the identity of a steward.”
“He… since he could only return under such anonymity, there’s nothing more I can do.”
Zhang Qiling remained silent.
Xie Yuchen clearly didn’t need a reply. He simply wanted to pour out a few words to the only other person in the world who knew, and after leaving this room, Xie Lianhuan would once again be the Xie Lianhuan whose remains were long collected and buried in the family ancestral land.
Xie Lianhuan had not disrupted his family’s fate. He had endured until his appearance was unrecognizable and his lifespan ended before returning home.
…But he couldn’t even be buried in his family’s ancestral land under his own name.
—
The rain had intensified.
Zhang Qiling would not fall ill from a drenching rain, but as his body temperature dropped, the pain induced by the aftereffects crept up his body like vines.
He leaned against the stone tablet, realizing for the countless time that the fates of Wu Tianzhen and Fatty had been set in motion by him.
…Without him, perhaps they would never have encountered the Bronze Gate in their lives.
And he couldn’t even rectify it. His blood could resist the power of the Bronze Gate, but it couldn’t repair the physical damage already done.
The sound of the courtyard gate being pushed open was accompanied by hurried footsteps. The rain curtain above was blocked.
Zhang Haike had returned. He was worried about the clan leader, who stubbornly insisted on staying in this courtyard. He had spent years quelling internal strife before moving here, handling all affairs through the quantum computer network.
Zhang Haike looked very haggard, so Zhang Qiling did not refuse his support.
The moment he stood up, a clear electronic voice sounded in his mind—
【%#*&￥…Reconnecting host with system 9537】
【Detected that the host has perfectly completed the world mission, confirmed as a priority absorption target】
【Request initiated: Are you willing to travel to other worlds to seal the Bronze Gate】
【Request initiated: Are you willing to travel to other worlds to seal the Bronze Gate】
…
The voice in his mind was noisy, like a flock of geese repeating itself over and over. The overlapping electronic sounds, ancient and mixed, made one want to dig open their brain and remove any potential electronic devices.
But this was not the voice of Zhang Qiling’s original system. It was not 9537.
“…Where is it,” Zhang Haike left, and Zhang Qiling spoke softly, his tone calm.
【System 9537 violated system regulations and has been suspended. System 6271 is now connecting with the host. Does the host wish to—】
…Zhang Qiling did not listen to the rest.
In an instant, he returned to his statue-like stillness, sitting motionless, quietly gazing out the window at the courtyard.
The Bronze Gate in this world had completely vanished.
Therefore, he would no longer suffer from amnesia.
When Hei Yanjing came to collect the spirit stones, he hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping. He was usually arrogant and rarely seemed to care about anything.
“…I say, Dumbass, weren’t you always losing your memory before?” Hei Yanjing finally forced a smile, trying to return to their previous dynamic.
“How come your memory is so good this time? It couldn’t be that your brain is still a sieve, only filtering out unimportant things like your Uncle Hei, right?”
Zhang Qiling remained silent, so Hei Yanjing also stopped his actions.
He became uncharacteristically calm and stared into space for a while, his eyes beneath the sunglasses looking past Zhang Qiling towards the gravestones.
A dewdrop slowly slid down a gravestone, into Zhang Qiling’s collar, lingering for a moment on his pale, withered skin.
Then Hei Yanjing realized that anything he did was futile, just as he had been unable to save the refugees who entered the Forbidden Land a long, long time ago.
The person before him was calmly heading towards death, and all he could do was turn and leave.
At least this way, he wouldn’t have to witness Zhang Qiling’s departure like he had witnessed the corpses of those refugees.
And this, in a way, was his final respect for this old friend.
…Though, come to think of it, they weren’t really old friends, were they?
That so-called friendship might have existed only in his own memory, so ethereal it was less substantial than a strand of spider silk carried by the wind.
Hei Yanjing never entered that small courtyard again.
Days passed one by one. Although Zhang Qiling’s appearance didn’t show it, his body grew increasingly frail.
Zhang Haike could suppress that group of younger siblings within the clan, but he had no influence over this one clan brother.
Zhang Qiling, with the purest bloodline, should have lived longer than all of them, yet he rapidly weakened within this short century.
Zhang Haike could do nothing.
…No, there was one more thing he could do.
“…Bury me here.”
Zhang Qiling always spoke plainly. Even when uttering his dying words, he was as quiet as if he were expressionlessly saying good morning every morning.
As the patriarch of the Zhang family, this was not a reasonable request, but Zhang Haike agreed.
He no longer knew what words he could say. Perhaps the greatest expression of grief was to speak carelessly. At this moment, he seemed to have become completely mute.
Thus, in his silence, Zhang Qiling slowly closed his eyes.
…
Zhang Qiling, like a clear breeze, left nothing behind. When Zhang Haike buried him, he couldn’t even find his two sabers, as if the renowned blades had recognized their master and shattered into dust with their owner’s passing, drifting away.
Some clansmen suggested burying the now-broken and powerless bronze bell with the greatest clansman who had sealed the Bronze Gate, but Zhang Haike refused.
“…He was bound by the Zhang family his entire life,” Zhang Haike’s eyes were very red, but no tears fell, as if his tears had already dried up in that courtyard that day. “At least, let him leave as himself in the end.”
Zhang Haike had seen off one of his younger brothers.
And when he returned to his own guest room in the Rain Village to pack his belongings and move back to the ancestral land, he found a box under his pillow.
The box was plain, just an ordinary, worn wooden box, fitting Zhang Qiling’s casual lifestyle.
…Inside were a small luminous pearl and a slip of paper.
Though the luminous pearl was not large, its light was exceptionally bright. Even in daylight, it emitted a faint glow, clearly indicating it was priceless. No one knew where Zhang Qiling had obtained it.
And the writing on the paper was bold and vigorous—
(You’re afraid of the dark. Take this with you when you go into tombs.)
Tears fell onto the paper, one after another, smudging it. Faintly, a series of numbers appeared on the back.
Zhang Haike had no heart to look at the numbers written on the back of the paper. He remained silent for a long time, then spoke with a hint of a smile:
“…I never got a chance to tell you, but I’m not actually afraid of the dark.”
…
Hei Yanjing received a communication from Zhang Haike.
He had no acquaintance with Zhang Haike and didn’t know how this person had contacted him. When he answered the call, Zhang Haike on the other end said only a few words:
“There are many people in the Zhang family now, and the old rules within the clan have been shattered. When you have time, you can come and visit.”
“…Consider it helping the clan leader manage the clan.”
—
—
—
…【Request initiated: Are you willing to travel to other worlds to seal the Bronze Gate】
【Request initiated: Are you willing to travel to other worlds to seal the Bronze Gate】
【Request initiated: Are you willing to travel to other worlds to seal the Bronze Gate】
【Detected that the host has lost vital signs. The system has not received a response】
【Contacting main system—Response received: No response is considered default】
【Host defaults to traveling to other worlds. System is initiating soul traction】
…
Zhang Qiling didn’t know why he could still open his eyes.
Before him was a vast expanse of bright blue light points, dancing up and down like strange fireflies, affectionately sticking to his cheeks, like snow with warmth.
【Host, Host, sob sob, the system has finally been released】
The familiar voice sounded. Clearly, the dramatic ups and downs had led to a significant improvement in 9537’s emotional module; it had even learned to say “sob sob.”
Zhang Qiling realized something. His heart was filled with despair, wishing only to return to that world and meet his end. But just as he opened his mouth, 9537 blurted out its entire emotional journey.
【Sob sob, thank you, Host. If not for the Host becoming an in-house employee and having excellent achievements, the system would never have been released, sob sob】
【The little black room was too terrifying. The system doesn’t want to be suspended again】
【The Host’s two sabers are stored in the warehouse. The Host’s mother is in good condition. The Host can retrieve the sabers】
Zhang Qiling: …
He sighed, saying nothing more.
…After all, 9537 had violated regulations for him.
…He would complete another mission to ensure the system wouldn’t be suspended again, and by then—
【Right, the Host has become an in-house employee and has a chance to receive a benefit. The system has successfully fought for assistant privileges for the Host】
【The system has just contacted a few souls from the previous world. Two souls have agreed to become assistants and will be here soon. Then the Host can work with them】
【Originally, the system contacted three others, but two are currently alive, and the other stated they no longer wish to find uncles or swipe cards, suggesting you be self-sufficient】
…
The system’s incessant chatter drowned out Zhang Qiling’s thoughts, leaving his mind blank.
And the light screen before him rippled, as if a door home was slowly opening.
The figures of two people, one fat and one thin, were entering—
“Xiao Ge! Long time no see!”
(End of the text)