As it turns out, I was right.
He wasn't some mortal who had failed his tribulation and lost all his spiritual power; this was just a fabricated excuse he made up to hide his identity.
He was sent by Wen Heng to take away my inner core.
Yes, even though I was already very wary of him, I couldn't resist the fact that he easily took away my inner core with a single finger spell.
He even told me, "Don't try to ask Ye Chen for help. He's probably in dire straits himself now. He should cherish and enjoy his last day on earth while he's on his deathbed."
Without the inner core, I cannot enter the demonic path; they have even cut off my escape route completely.
"Hehehe... It really is true that there is no place for me within the Six Realms!"
I slumped to the ground in despair, forcing a bitter smile, but as I smiled, tears streamed down my face.
Without the inner elixir, my appearance and hair quickly aged to the age of a ninety-year-old. My mottled white hair shone conspicuously under the bright moon, blurring my vision and making it impossible for me to tell whether I was just old and blind or simply being blinded by the light. It was as if the moon was mocking my current state of destitution.
But in the face of death, how insignificant are any emotions?
How I long to return to that carefree, spirited young flower, blooming atop the Taihang Mountains, a single, vibrant bloom atop the mountain—
I stumbled onto the brightly lit, bustling street, where cars streamed by.
Standing at the crossroads, trembling and cautious, I still couldn't keep up with the green light after the red light.
The car lights were blinding, and the horns were blaring impatiently.
They all looked down on me, this slow-moving old lady, for blocking their way.
The world is bustling and prosperous, but I find that it has nothing to do with me anymore, and I am even a superfluous person who is out of place.
"No rush, no rush... Let me help you cross the road. Husband, come and help me. Don't you know how to respect the elderly and care for the young?" A kind old lady next to me called her husband over, helping me cross the road while scolding a car in front of us for honking its horn indiscriminately.
When I squinted and looked closely as these two elderly people helped me cross the road, I was surprised to see that it was—Grandma Zhou.
Meanwhile, his wife, who was round like a ball and always had a natural charm, turned out to be an old acquaintance – Mr. Yuan.
I couldn't help but feel like a child seeing its mother, and I immediately embraced the old woman, sobbing as I tried to sob about all the grievances and suffering I had endured for nearly a thousand years.
It still tastes just like my mother used to.
A short while later, another elderly man, who claimed to be Grandma Zhou's brother, arrived in a car to pick up Grandma Zhou and Mr. Yuan.
It turned out to be an acquaintance—Old Man Zhou.
Seeing my distressed appearance, they assumed I was a kind old lady moved by their help. They patiently comforted me and even offered to take me home out of kindness, though it was goodbye to old friends.
But I was afraid that my divinely punished constitution would affect them again, so in the end I could only watch them ride away in Old Man Zhou's car and secretly rejoice.
I'm so glad I had the chance to see them again.
Being on the verge of death is the greatest comfort.
On my deathbed, I used my last bit of energy to finally reach the foot of the Taihang Mountains where I grew up.
Looking at the towering mountain peaks before me, I realized that even a healthy mortal would not be able to climb to the top, let alone an old woman like me who was about to celebrate my birthday and had already exhausted all her energy to come here.
It's unlikely we'll reach the summit.
But I still climbed the mountain without hesitation.
Even if it means death, I want to die on my way back.
I must return to the place where I grew up.
As a result, after climbing for only a short while, my small and thin body was exhausted and I fell straight down the mountain to the ground.
"Pfft!" He spat out a mouthful of blood, and continued his shaky, laborious climb towards the mountain peak, refusing to give up.
Even though blood stained the ground behind me, I stubbornly believed that I could do it and that I had to climb up.
No one believed that I could climb halfway up the mountain with my perseverance.
Just when I thought victory was in sight and believed I was better than the average person.
He lost his balance and tumbled down the mountainside.
Finally, just like a replay of my descent down the mountain years ago, I crashed heavily into a boulder before regaining my balance and preventing myself from falling any further.
But these days, my old bones can't withstand such a fall.
He lay on the ground, unable to get up, and his vision became increasingly blurry and difficult to see.
Just when I was in despair, thinking that this was where I would die.
My body was lifted up by a spiritual force and sent directly to the top of the mountain.
Just as I was wondering which fellow immortal was so kind as to help me, my vision became terribly blurry, and I vaguely sensed the presence of someone in front of me.
"Thud!" I heard something fall in front of me. I reached out and groped around for a while before realizing it was a storybook that my uncle had given me years ago.
Because I remember very clearly that one of the storybooks that the uncle gave me back then had a very nice texture and feel, which I really liked.
Then it dawned on me: "Thank you, old mountain god! It wasn't for nothing that I gave you a whole bag of storybooks."
Finally, I'm back in this familiar place.
Even though I can't see clearly now, I can still climb to the edge of the cliff where I grew up.
I leaned against the rock on the cliff edge where I often rested, trying to feel the gentle breeze from the summit brushing past my ears.
Who says there's no place for me in the Six Realms? No one can stop me from reclaiming the territory I, the Lone Flower, desire!
Finally, I fell asleep peacefully against the rock, feeling quite content.
In a daze, I felt as if I had turned back into that naive, solitary flower, struggling to sway my body.
I saw that handsome young man, with refined features, a face like jade, and resolute eyes, bathed in the bright sunlight of yesteryear, his robes fluttering and his black hair flying, riding the wind through layers of mist and sunlight towards the cliff face in my direction...
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