Human World (I)

But those heart-piercing words still echoed in the air, penetrated his ears, and struck his mind:

"But what about a hundred years from now? The body will eventually decay, and the soul will inevitably separate. Dust returns to dust, and earth returns to earth! When that time comes... what will you do?"

"Should we let him go through the pain of soul-splitting and fractal-like transformations again... or should we just find a 'good solution' that will solve the problem once and for all?"

These words pierced the most untouchable corner of He Shu's heart. His body suddenly stiffened, and the immortal power gathered at his fingertips suddenly dissipated.

His eyelashes trembled rapidly and he drooped them subconsciously, trying to hide the struggle and confusion that flashed across his eyes.

The hand in the sleeve trembled slightly, and only by holding the hairpin tightly could she get a little illusory support.

"No... I won't... I won't act like you..."

He Shu murmured in a low voice, as if trying to persuade the cat demon, but more like warning himself,

"I won't... I won't let Qingshan be in danger again! I will definitely... I will definitely let it go..."

"Really? You can really do that?"

The cat demon's ethereal voice came from all directions, full of ridicule.

He Shu forced himself to remain calm, concentrating his mind and searching around. However, his consciousness was like a stone sinking into the ocean, and he could only allow the voice to continue to bewitch him:

"I forgot to tell you that this hairpin has my own unique restriction. Unless I am willing, no one can forcibly take out the elixir, even if you kill me..."

"As long as you hold it in for now and keep a few things secret for me, I have my own way of concealing it... When the storm has died down, I can each take one of the two elixirs in the hairpin. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds and a happy ending for everyone?"

"He Shu... Now the right to choose depends on your decision..."

"Should I abide by that ridiculous immortal law and watch helplessly as my beloved turns into dust after a hundred years, forever being strangers in the cycle of reincarnation? Or should I grasp this hope that is within reach and strive for a life together?"

"Please don't let us...end up with nothing..."

"Wait for me to come find you, He Shu, wait for me..."

The cat demon's voice was like wisps of green smoke, gradually dissipating in the mountain breeze, and finally disappearing completely without a trace.

However, those words full of temptation and torture were like a curse, lingering wildly in He Shu's mind, stirring up huge waves that could not be shaken off.

That elixir...

Is it really possible to change fate, let Qingshan live a hundred years, avoid the suffering of reincarnation, and not fear the backlash of cause and effect?

If that's the case...

He Shu couldn't help but hold the hairpin in his sleeve pocket tighter, the cold hairpin almost embedding into his flesh.

For a moment, thousands of thoughts flooded into his mind like a tide, entangled and tearing at his reason and emotions.

Silence returned to the forest, as if the fierce battle had never happened. Only the stinging pain of the wound on his shoulder and the panicked gasps in his chest confirmed the reality of everything.

The mountain wind howled, blowing up a few lonely fallen leaves, adding to the desolate atmosphere.

——

"Hey, didn't you go look for Master Fu? How come not only did you fail to find him, but you also ended up in such a mess?"

When He Shu dragged his heavy and tired body back to the mountain hut, Xuan Tongzi's usual teasing voice immediately rang out.

He Shu was upset at the moment and didn't care about his tone. He looked around the room anxiously, but didn't see the familiar figure. His heart tightened and he blurted out:

"Where's Qingshan?"

“He…”

Xuan Tongzi stroked his beard.

"I saw you weren't coming back for so long, so I thought you were leaving without saying goodbye, and I rushed out to look for you..."

"What!"

He Shu frowned upon hearing this, looking worried.

"Old Mandrill, Qingshan's spirit has just begun to settle, so he certainly can't be tired and run around. Why don't you stop him?"

"Hey, you heartless little thing, are you blaming me again?"

Xuan Tongzi cried out in exaggeration, and stepped forward to support He Shu, whose steps were unsteady, and let him sit on the stool.

"You know Qingshan's stubborn temper. Once he's set his mind to something, nothing can change it! I guarantee that in the blink of an eye, that brat will take advantage of his opportunity and run away!"

As he was mumbling, he carefully looked at the wound on He Shu's shoulder. Although the bleeding had stopped, the wound was still bloody and looked quite hideous. He clicked his tongue twice:

"If I were to tell you, you should take care of yourself first! This isn't some serious injury that's incurable, so why can't you even bother to cast a simple healing spell? And you have to come back like this to scare people!"

As he spoke, he took out a small jade bottle from his bosom, poured out a red bean-sized brown pill that exuded a faint fragrance, and handed it to He Shu.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk! If you come back any later, you'll be nothing but dried meat! Quick, take this pill and recover your vitality."

“Pills…”

He Shu stared blankly at the round pill in Xuan Tongzi's palm, his eyes gradually becoming empty, and he unconsciously muttered these two words.

He didn't reach out to take it, but instead lowered his head in a daze.

"What are you staring at? Eat quickly!"

Xuan Tongzi saw that he looked a little off and thought he was just dazed from losing too much blood. He stuffed the pill into his mouth without saying anything and said with a smile:

"Are you still wary of me? Don't worry, this medicine can strengthen your body, heal wounds and stop bleeding. It won't harm you!"

When the pill enters the mouth, it feels like ice stone at first, but then it melts. The extremely bitter and sticky liquid wraps around the root of the tongue, and the numbness penetrates into the throat.

A warm current rose from the dantian and quickly flowed to the limbs. The severe pain in the wound was first replaced by coolness and numbness, and then there was a piercing itchy feeling as if the skin and flesh were growing.

The feeling of weakness gradually subsided, and the heavy body was filled with soreness and warmth.

He Shu subconsciously took a deep breath. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked without a word, in a low voice:

"Can the elixir... be given to mortals?"

"this?"

Xuan Tongzi paused as he was about to put away the medicine bottle, raised his eyebrows and looked at He Shu, shaking the jade bottle in his hand.

"Ningyuan Healing Pill...it's not some kind of elixir. Mortals...those with stronger constitutions can use it, but..."

"No, not this pill."

He Shu shook his head vigorously, interrupting Xuan Tongzi eagerly, his voice becoming increasingly low and dark.

"I'm talking about real immortal pills, such as... the Soul-Concentrating Pill, the Body-Tempering and Meridian-Strengthening Pill, the Toxin-Removing and Evil-Clearing Pill, the Stasis-Removing and Flesh-Growing Pill... and... the Nine-Transformation Pill, the Nine-Transformation Golden Pill, and so on..."

“Huh!”

Xuan Tongzi couldn't help laughing when he heard this, and looked at He Shu with some surprise.

"If I didn't know you, I would have thought you were a disciple of Yaodan Yuanjun. You know the names of these immortal pills like the back of your hand."

He sneered, put the medicine bottle back into his arms, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, looked at the peach tree in the yard that was blooming more and more gorgeously in the sunset, and his tone became a little solemn:

"Which of these elixirs you mentioned isn't a rare item containing the essence of heaven and earth? Not to mention mortals, even ordinary immortals wouldn't dare to take them lightly without the corresponding realm and opportunity."

He turned around and said word by word,

"Everything has its limits, and excess is as bad as deficiency. Even if that mortal has the foundation for cultivation, or is destined to become an immortal, taking the elixir is ultimately a shortcut for him. It goes against the laws of nature, so how can he not pay a price?"

"What if...what if I can endure the pain of rebuilding my bones and regenerating my flesh and blood?"

He Shu couldn't help but ask.

"Get through it?"

Xuan Tongzi looked at him deeply.

"Even if one manages to survive the inhuman pain and successfully replaces one's tendons and marrow, extending one's lifespan by hundreds or even thousands of years, the enormous karma and backlash from the laws of nature that result from this will be so difficult to endure. The slightest negligence will lead to eternal damnation..."

“I…I understand!”

He Shu stood up suddenly, and his movement was so large that he almost knocked over the chair.

Because of his violent movements, the hairpin in his sleeve pocket poked into his skin through the thin fabric, causing a slight stinging pain.

He suddenly woke up from his trance.

Realizing his own gaffe, He Shu quickly calmed himself down and hesitated, trying to confess the truth:

"Just now... I ran into that cat demon Chiyu in the forest. She..."

The words came to my lips, but seemed to be blocked by something.

He couldn't say anything about the elixir and the cat demon. He could only be stuck there, unable to move forward or backward, and it made his chest feel stuffy.

"Oh? So it was she who caused all these injuries on you."

Xuan Tongzi didn't seem to care about He Shu's extremely unnatural behavior. He just nodded in understanding and then showed that playful smile again.

"Oh, what a fiery and untamable monster! I never thought the rift between you two was so deep that you had to resort to violence the moment you met, fighting to the death? Where are the heavenly soldiers escorting her? Didn't they stop you?"

He seemed to suddenly remember something and added:

"Their leader just told me that the progress in finding the elixir is quite slow. I wonder if that cat demon is stalling for time, playing some trick... But he didn't mention your fight."

As He Shu listened to Xuan Tongzi's words, his heart began beating wildly in his chest, almost breaking his throat.

He clenched his fists little by little, digging his nails deep into his palms, and forced himself to remain calm.

His eyes were fixed on Xuan Tongzi who was getting closer and closer, as if he wanted to find the slightest flaw in his calm face.

He... he didn't even know the cat demon had escaped...

The heavenly soldiers didn't seem to notice anything unusual!

It seems Chiyu's words were true, she really did use some kind of magic trick...

This realization shocked He Shu's heart, and an inexplicable throbbing instantly swept over him.

He turned his head away suddenly, as if he couldn't bear Xuan Tongzi's seemingly ordinary gaze, and took half a step back:

"I, I'm going to find Qingshan... I'm worried about him being alone..."

Before he finished speaking, he turned around and ran towards the door in a panic.

"Qingshan might have gone to see Master Fu. When he left, he mentioned that he wanted to..."

Xuan Tongzi's words came from behind him, but gradually dissipated in the sound of the wind that suddenly sounded in his ears.