Snow fell in the dead of night, and the frost was heavy.

The immortal standing on the mountaintop quietly turned around and placed the sleeping cat in his arms under the peach tree. A bright sun hung on the branch, casting warm rays of light down.

Under the cover of night, Qin Shou carried two jars of wine toward the back mountain.

Under the gray night sky, three solitary graves stood. A fierce wind swept across the cliff, stirring up a layer of snowflakes on the graves, which then fell on Qin Shou's clothes.

It seemed as if... it was greeting the Qin beast.

"Senior sister..."

Qin Shou choked up.

Speechless and choked with emotion.

Only sighs of melancholy drifted down on the snowy mountaintops, on lonely graves, and along cliff edges... before being torn apart by the fierce winds and swallowed up in the abyss.

Splash—

Qin Shou poured out the entire jar of wine.

He then picked up another jar of wine and drank it himself.

Nothing was said that night.

The person is gone, but the living remember them.

Qin Shou sat there silently in front of the grave on the hilltop, oblivious to the passage of time, letting snowflakes fall on his shoulders, the corners of his clothes, and his hair, turning him into a snowman.

The biting wind was blowing, but it couldn't quell the chill in my heart.

Some say that winter is here, but spring is not far behind.

Three months later, everything came back to life.

The snowflakes piled on our shoulders have quietly melted away, and spring sunshine has returned.

The young immortal, who had not uttered a word, opened his eyes. His pupils, which had been wandering with thoughts, gradually became clear. He stood up, turned around, and, with the warmth of the sky above him and a sense of desolation in his heart, slowly descended the mountain, step by step.

...

...

The courtyard behind the mountain was bathed in the warm glow of spring.

Changsheng was lying on a bamboo chair, basking in the sun.

As Qin Shou looked at his increasingly frail disciple, a nameless sorrow welled up in his heart once again.

Since learning of Wen Qing's death, Chang Sheng seems less devoted to cultivation than before. He no longer carries the stone tablet he's carried for over a hundred years, and his once robust muscles have become flabby...

The sun is out!

I'm going to sunbathe today.

The sun warmed my body.

Let the clothes air out.

Air out the blankets.

Share your feelings too.

La la la la la........”

Changsheng was humming a tune when he saw Qin Shou arrive, so he immediately stood up to greet him and said with a smile:

"Hehe, Master, you've arrived."

"Um. "

The Qin beast nodded.

Seeing this, Changsheng brought out a chair for Qin Shou to sit on.

"Master, how is Junior Sister's baby?"

"The situation is stable."

"That's good, that's good, that's good..."

Changsheng murmured to himself again and again, then lay back down on the bamboo chair with a silly grin, shaking a tattered little bamboo fan.

"Master, the sun is shining brightly today."

"Yes, it's pretty good."

"The wind is just right."

"...Yes, it's quite good."

"Master, would you like a drink? Shall we, master and disciple... have some?"

Changsheng tilted his head and blinked.

Upon hearing the word "wine," the old tortoise, which had been sunbathing by the well, flipped over and slowly crawled over.

"Moo~"

Under the willow tree, an old ox seeking shade came running over, sniffing the tree's nose incessantly.

"You old ox, how come you've started learning the art of immortality and alcoholism too?"

Qin Shou laughed and cursed, then conjured two jars of wine, discarding the wine cups and pouring it into a bowl.

The sun was high in the sky, and a gentle spring breeze was blowing.

After several rounds of drinks...

The ground in the courtyard began to shake.

The three brothers have become sworn brothers again...

The old ox was the one that was most enthusiastically kowtowing.

That's incredibly strong.

He bent his hooves and knelt down in one smooth motion, slamming his fist against the ground.

The bamboo house was almost shaken down.

Even Changsheng's bones were almost shaken to pieces.

Qin Shou looked at his disciple and realized that his lifespan was also coming to an end.

So after staying for a while, he went to the Spirit Garden to pick many spiritual herbs and returned to the front mountain to refine pills.

Unfortunately, the life-extending effects of pills within the mortal realm are ultimately limited, and pills also exhibit drug resistance. The same longevity pill will gradually lose its effectiveness after being taken multiple times, until it becomes completely ineffective.

Two weeks later.

When Changsheng held the pill, he stood there examining it for a long time before finally swallowing it.

That night, as darkness deepened, a thick fog seemed to rise over the mountain stream.

The master and apprentice stood under the eaves, gazing at the boundless night, lost in thought.

After a long silence, Changsheng finally spoke:

"Master, do you think I can truly achieve immortality?"

Qin Shou comforted him, "Don't worry too much. With your master here, you won't die of old age."

“Master, I didn’t think much about it.” Changsheng shook his head, then suddenly smiled and said, “I just suddenly felt that death is just… nothing more than that.”

Perhaps, living too long isn't necessarily a... happy thing...

That night, Changsheng murmured many things.

Qin Shou didn't say much, but just listened quietly from the side.

After a while.

The murmuring old man must have been tired, so he lay down by the table under the eaves and fell into a deep sleep.

The snoring, mixed with the smell of alcohol, swirled and echoed under the night sky.

Qin Shou stood silently by his disciple's side for a long time.

Immortality... how could it be bad...?

That was what I had been seeking all my life.

But what happens after achieving immortality...?

Perhaps, only after achieving immortality will we know.

Qin Shou stood silently under the night sky, his hands behind his back.

The mountain mists brushed against his sleeves, and the ethereal immortal seemed about to ascend to heaven.

...

...

The back hill is covered in flowers.

As night deepened and the dew grew heavy, the hem of a white dress brushed against the layers of petals, carrying a cool, refreshing floral fragrance, as she walked along the stone path behind the mountain.

In the center of the sea of ​​flowers before him stood an ancient and elegant study.

Building name: Flower Interspersed with Mist.

The building was brightly lit, creating a stark contrast with the thick, cold fog outside.

Squeak!

Qin Shou pushed open the pavilion door, shedding his chill, and stepped into the light.

In the magnificent, golden pavilion, a small koi carp sits quietly on an arched bridge, swinging its little feet as it reads a book.

A small lantern with a chubby koi fish painted on it was hanging above her head.

Red bib, little belly, baby face, cute and adorable, lifelike.

This was Little Fatty's own suggestion. She said, "Sister, why are you so smart?"

Da Mei replied, "Because I love reading. In books, you'll find beauty, wealth, and profound wisdom."

The chubby boy said, "Then, sister, I want to read with you too."

Da Mei happily agreed.

If my younger sister could become a little smarter, even our father and mother would be pleased in the afterlife.

Two days later, the chubby boy, who was always forgetting what he saw, was furious and cursed the ants for being so ungrateful, refusing to crawl into his head. He said they were despicable and that if Yi Cheng saw them, she would tear them to shreds.

But Little Fatty didn't dare to tear it, because the book was his sister's treasure.

So Little Fatty used his cleverness to have his sister draw his own picture on the lantern, and told her that whenever she read, day or night, she should hang the lantern next to her, so that it would be as if he was reading with her.

In that case, if my sister becomes a little smarter, I will also become a little smarter.

Haha, I, the King of Koi, am truly a genius koi!

"Owner. "

When Da Mei saw Qin Shou approaching, she happily jumped off the bridge and stood gracefully beside him.

Qin Shou patted her head, gestured, and laughed:

"Da Mei, you seem to have grown taller again!"