Shu Han was sitting by the window, drinking wine, while Shangguan Ruolin was crunching on some elixirs.
However, constantly consuming elixirs made her mouth bitter. Shangguan Ruolin snatched Shu Han's wine jug, poured herself a large cup, and said, "I haven't tried mortal wine before. I'll make an exception today."
She held up the large cup and gulped it down.
"Senior, you can't drink so much at once..."
As the strong liquor entered her mouth, Shangguan Ruolin's face turned red. She quickly fanned her mouth and exclaimed, "Why is this stuff so spicy... but there's a hint of sweetness in the spiciness, and the fragrance of bamboo... not bad, it's quite good!"
Shu Han: ...
Having said that, Shangguan Ruolin continued to eat elixirs and drink strong liquor, becoming more and more tipsy.
Shu Han chuckled inwardly, it seemed that not only had the senior's body shrunk, but her mentality had also been somewhat affected. He could hardly believe that the young girl in front of him was the same person as the impressive and icy Shangguan Ruolin of the past.
After a while, the innkeeper led a girl in a green dress to their room.
The girl was beautiful, though not as stunning as Shangguan Ruolin. Qin Xue'er bowed respectfully upon seeing Shu Han, "Junior Qin Xue'er pays her respects to the senior. May I know why the senior summoned me?"
"There's no need for formalities, Ms. Xue'er. Please, sit."
Qin Xue'er sat down, looking at Shu Han with a puzzled face.
Shu Han began, "I have actually come to return something." He placed Lin Guangwen's storage bag on the table.
Upon seeing the storage bag, Qin Xue'er's delicate hand couldn't help but tremble. She asked blankly, "This is Guangwen's storage bag... what happened to him, senior?"
Seeing Qin Xue'er's anxious look, Shu Han didn't know how to break the news, but he told her everything truthfully.
In the end, Shu Han sighed, "Brother Lin Guangwen was a good man who unfortunately met a villain. I believe his last thoughts were of you, otherwise, this storage bag wouldn't be filled with letters written to you. So, I came to find you. It also contains the spirit stones he mined in the mine. I'll give them to you too, hoping his spirit can rest in peace."
Qin Xue'er listened to Shu Han's words in a daze. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and murmured, "I was born with four spiritual roots, making my path to cultivation difficult. The reason I was able to cultivate to the fifth level is all thanks to Guangwen's assistance. I was already willing to devote myself to him, he didn't have to..." She stood up shakily, knelt before Shu Han, and said with a trembling voice, "Senior, I am grateful for you bringing Guangwen's last words from so far away."
Shu Han helped her up and comforted her, "Take care of yourself, Miss."
Qin Xue'er stood up and said, "I want to hold a funeral for Guangwen in a few days, would senior be able to attend?"
"Certainly!"
Qin Xue'er bowed respectfully again and left the inn alone.
Shangguan Ruolin, while crunching on her elixirs, commented, "This girl didn't shed a single tear, it seems she has long forgotten Lin Guangwen. Why are you wasting your time attending a funeral? You should find a sect to join soon."
Shu Han, observing Qin Xue'er's desolate solitude through the window, declared, "Senior, you are mistaken. Tears don't symbolize everything. The deepest sorrow is the death of one's heart. She is now despondent, her heart ashen. Alas, I hope she will persevere and live."
"She is emotionally devastated for a man. I view her as not being very astute."
Shu Han originally planned to lodge at the inn for a day or two, but by the next morning, he and Shangguan Ruolin stood across the street, watching the inn, now a ruin, with bewilderment painted on their faces.
Rubbing her head, Shangguan Ruolin frowned and said, "Boy, why does my head hurt so much? Is there something wrong with your medicine? And I don't recall a thing from last night."
Shu Han rolled his eyes to the point they nearly tumbled out of their sockets. Could she, looking at the innkeeper weeping on his knees in front of the ruins, still dare to claim ignorance of what happened?
Eventually, Shu Han surrendered and said, "Senior, you must refrain from drinking in the future."
As he spoke, Shu Han approached the innkeeper and dropped a small bag of spiritual stones.
The following day, Shu Han and Shangguan Ruolin attended Lin Guangwen's funeral as planned.
At the funeral, Lin Guangwen's elderly parents, nearing their seventies, wept almost to the point of fainting. It was said that Lin Guangwen was the only child of the Lin family. The scene prompted Shu Han to think of his own parents, and he couldn't help but sigh. Had he died in the Dragon Mystical Sect years ago, they too, he surmised, would be heartbroken.
Clad in plain white, Qin Xue'er attended the funeral as the Lin family's widow. Her face pale, seeming absent-minded, she approached Shu Han, handing him a piece of paper, saying, "The Lin family is forever indebted to you, Senior, but we have nothing to offer in return. This is a formation diagram that has been passed down through generations in my family. None of us have been able to successfully refine it. I thought it might be useful to you, Senior, so I am giving it to you."
Holding the formation diagram, Shu Han glanced at it and read the three characters, "Silent Heartbreak Formation." Then he turned his worried gaze back to the dazed Qin Xue'er, advising, "Miss Xue'er, one cannot bring back the dead. Please contain your grief, carry on his wishes, and live your life well."
Qin Xue'er managed to squeeze out a faint smile and deeply bowed to Shu Han.
After leaving the Lin residence, Shangguan Ruolin expressed her confusion, "Mortals are emotionally fragile. The death of a child can shatter them."
Shu Han retorted, "Senior, that is a misjudgment. Mortals live a short life, seventy or eighty years at most. Bearing and raising a child takes ten months of pregnancy, over a decade of nurturing, and more than a decade of worry. And when they grow old, they rely on their children for care for another decade or so. They invest nearly a lifetime of time and emotion. When the white-haired bid farewell to the black-haired, how can they not be utterly heartbroken?"
Shangguan Ruolin remained silent for a long time upon hearing this. Finally, she said, "Now that you've explained it that way, I understand why they say the Dao is heartless."
Surprised, Shu Han asked, "What do you mean?"
Shangguan Ruolin countered, "Why do mortals raise offspring?"
After a moment of contemplation, Shu Han answered, "First, for family succession, second, to bestow affection, and third, for care in old age and assistance at life's end."
Shangguan Ruolin explained, "The first, cultivators can extend their lifespan as their cultivation level increases. For instance, a Nascent Soul cultivator can live for ten thousand years. A single individual can represent a hundred generations of legacy. They naturally wouldn't concern themselves with so-called issues of succession. Their focus lies in how to increase their cultivation level and prolong their lives."
"Second, the notion of bestowing affection is laughable. For cultivators, power and status are the only pursuits. Few cultivators would waste their emotions on their offspring."
"Third, cultivators don't worry about care in old age and end-of-life assistance. Most mortals cannot take care of themselves in old age, but it's different for cultivators. The older they get, the more profound their cultivation becomes."
"Therefore, cultivators have neither practical need nor emotional need for children. Moreover, a grand cultivator in the Nascent Soul phase, with a lifespan of ten thousand years, can completely bear thousands upon thousands of children if they wish. The loss of a few brings no heartache! We, the high and mighty cultivators, are heartless even to our families, let alone to others."
Upon hearing this, Shu Han clearly saw Shangguan Ruolin clench her small fists tightly, her face filled with desolation.
"Senior, you..."
Shu Han was sitting by the window, drinking wine, while Shangguan Ruolin was crunching on some elixirs.
However, constantly consuming elixirs made her mouth bitter. Shangguan Ruolin snatched Shu Han's wine jug, poured herself a large cup, and said, "I haven't tried mortal wine before. I'll make an exception today."
She held up the large cup and gulped it down.
"Senior, you can't drink so much at once..."
As the strong liquor entered her mouth, Shangguan Ruolin's face turned red. She quickly fanned her mouth and exclaimed, "Why is this stuff so spicy... but there's a hint of sweetness in the spiciness, and the fragrance of bamboo... not bad, it's quite good!"
Shu Han: ...
Having said that, Shangguan Ruolin continued to eat elixirs and drink strong liquor, becoming more and more tipsy.
Shu Han chuckled inwardly, it seemed that not only had the senior's body shrunk, but her mentality had also been somewhat affected. He could hardly believe that the young girl in front of him was the same person as the impressive and icy Shangguan Ruolin of the past.
After a while, the innkeeper led a girl in a green dress to their room.
The girl was beautiful, though not as stunning as Shangguan Ruolin. Qin Xue'er bowed respectfully upon seeing Shu Han, "Junior Qin Xue'er pays her respects to the senior. May I know why the senior summoned me?"
"There's no need for formalities, Ms. Xue'er. Please, sit."
Qin Xue'er sat down, looking at Shu Han with a puzzled face.
Shu Han began, "I have actually come to return something." He placed Lin Guangwen's storage bag on the table.
Upon seeing the storage bag, Qin Xue'er's delicate hand couldn't help but tremble. She asked blankly, "This is Guangwen's storage bag... what happened to him, senior?"
Seeing Qin Xue'er's anxious look, Shu Han didn't know how to break the news, but he told her everything truthfully.
In the end, Shu Han sighed, "Brother Lin Guangwen was a good man who unfortunately met a villain. I believe his last thoughts were of you, otherwise, this storage bag wouldn't be filled with letters written to you. So, I came to find you. It also contains the spirit stones he mined in the mine. I'll give them to you too, hoping his spirit can rest in peace."
Qin Xue'er listened to Shu Han's words in a daze. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and murmured, "I was born with four spiritual roots, making my path to cultivation difficult. The reason I was able to cultivate to the fifth level is all thanks to Guangwen's assistance. I was already willing to devote myself to him, he didn't have to..." She stood up shakily, knelt before Shu Han, and said with a trembling voice, "Senior, I am grateful for you bringing Guangwen's last words from so far away."
Shu Han helped her up and comforted her, "Take care of yourself, Miss."
Qin Xue'er stood up and said, "I want to hold a funeral for Guangwen in a few days, would senior be able to attend?"
"Certainly!"
Qin Xue'er bowed respectfully again and left the inn alone.
Shangguan Ruolin, while crunching on her elixirs, commented, "This girl didn't shed a single tear, it seems she has long forgotten Lin Guangwen. Why are you wasting your time attending a funeral? You should find a sect to join soon."
Shu Han, observing Qin Xue'er's desolate solitude through the window, declared, "Senior, you are mistaken. Tears don't symbolize everything. The deepest sorrow is the death of one's heart. She is now despondent, her heart ashen. Alas, I hope she will persevere and live."
"She is emotionally devastated for a man. I view her as not being very astute."
Shu Han originally planned to lodge at the inn for a day or two, but by the next morning, he and Shangguan Ruolin stood across the street, watching the inn, now a ruin, with bewilderment painted on their faces.
Rubbing her head, Shangguan Ruolin frowned and said, "Boy, why does my head hurt so much? Is there something wrong with your medicine? And I don't recall a thing from last night."
Shu Han rolled his eyes to the point they nearly tumbled out of their sockets. Could she, looking at the innkeeper weeping on his knees in front of the ruins, still dare to claim ignorance of what happened?
Eventually, Shu Han surrendered and said, "Senior, you must refrain from drinking in the future."
As he spoke, Shu Han approached the innkeeper and dropped a small bag of spiritual stones.
The following day, Shu Han and Shangguan Ruolin attended Lin Guangwen's funeral as planned.
At the funeral, Lin Guangwen's elderly parents, nearing their seventies, wept almost to the point of fainting. It was said that Lin Guangwen was the only child of the Lin family. The scene prompted Shu Han to think of his own parents, and he couldn't help but sigh. Had he died in the Dragon Mystical Sect years ago, they too, he surmised, would be heartbroken.
Clad in plain white, Qin Xue'er attended the funeral as the Lin family's widow. Her face pale, seeming absent-minded, she approached Shu Han, handing him a piece of paper, saying, "The Lin family is forever indebted to you, Senior, but we have nothing to offer in return. This is a formation diagram that has been passed down through generations in my family. None of us have been able to successfully refine it. I thought it might be useful to you, Senior, so I am giving it to you."
Holding the formation diagram, Shu Han glanced at it and read the three characters, "Silent Heartbreak Formation." Then he turned his worried gaze back to the dazed Qin Xue'er, advising, "Miss Xue'er, one cannot bring back the dead. Please contain your grief, carry on his wishes, and live your life well."
Qin Xue'er managed to squeeze out a faint smile and deeply bowed to Shu Han.
After leaving the Lin residence, Shangguan Ruolin expressed her confusion, "Mortals are emotionally fragile. The death of a child can shatter them."
Shu Han retorted, "Senior, that is a misjudgment. Mortals live a short life, seventy or eighty years at most. Bearing and raising a child takes ten months of pregnancy, over a decade of nurturing, and more than a decade of worry. And when they grow old, they rely on their children for care for another decade or so. They invest nearly a lifetime of time and emotion. When the white-haired bid farewell to the black-haired, how can they not be utterly heartbroken?"
Shangguan Ruolin remained silent for a long time upon hearing this. Finally, she said, "Now that you've explained it that way, I understand why they say the Dao is heartless."
Surprised, Shu Han asked, "What do you mean?"
Shangguan Ruolin countered, "Why do mortals raise offspring?"
After a moment of contemplation, Shu Han answered, "First, for family succession, second, to bestow affection, and third, for care in old age and assistance at life's end."
Shangguan Ruolin explained, "The first, cultivators can extend their lifespan as their cultivation level increases. For instance, a Nascent Soul cultivator can live for ten thousand years. A single individual can represent a hundred generations of legacy. They naturally wouldn't concern themselves with so-called issues of succession. Their focus lies in how to increase their cultivation level and prolong their lives."
"Second, the notion of bestowing affection is laughable. For cultivators, power and status are the only pursuits. Few cultivators would waste their emotions on their offspring."
"Third, cultivators don't worry about care in old age and end-of-life assistance. Most mortals cannot take care of themselves in old age, but it's different for cultivators. The older they get, the more profound their cultivation becomes."
"Therefore, cultivators have neither practical need nor emotional need for children. Moreover, a grand cultivator in the Nascent Soul phase, with a lifespan of ten thousand years, can completely bear thousands upon thousands of children if they wish. The loss of a few brings no heartache! We, the high and mighty cultivators, are heartless even to our families, let alone to others."
Upon hearing this, Shu Han clearly saw Shangguan Ruolin clench her small fists tightly, her face filled with desolation.
"Senior, you..."
