Xuecheng, holding his sword, bowed to Fu Jiu and Jing Yuyan: "Xuecheng thanks you two seniors for your care and guidance. If you need any help in the future, please let me know as soon as possible."
Xie Wuyi and Ma Yuanhong exchanged a glance and said, "We're the same."
Fu Jiu nodded, and the group went their separate ways.
Jing Yuyan bid farewell and returned to the Wolf Sect, while Fu Jiu went to Hua'an City to help organize information about the trial area. Afterward, he returned to the Dragon Sect with Xue Wuwang and Huan Bo.
As the year drew to a close, when the three returned, most of Qianyuan Mountain was already brightly lit, a sea of red lights creating a joyful atmosphere.
Fu Jiu returned to Chang Le's room in the Golden Palace to take off her clothes and wash.
Chang Le said, "Let me do it."
Fu Jiu said, "I have no gender, and the [Formless] disguise will not produce any objects that shouldn't be there."
Chang Le remained silent for a moment, speechless: "I didn't think about that."
Fu Jiu said, "Wait a minute, I'm injured. Let me recover before you take over."
Chang Le was puzzled: "What's the difference? I find [Swallow and Spit] more convenient, and it heals faster."
Fu Jiu shook his head: "Your pain sensitivity is more sensitive than mine, and your ability to endure pain is weaker than mine. Besides, the injuries I suffered should not be made to make you suffer."
Chang Le: "...The first half of the sentence made me feel a little cold, but the second half warmed me up."
Fu Jiu smiled faintly: "You are the one who created me, and also the patient I am responsible for, so naturally I must take care of you. You are not without pain sensation, so let's switch you in a while."
Wei An poked his head out: "What does pain feel like?"
Ye Buqi said indifferently, "You can't understand this feeling."
Taking advantage of a spare moment, 422 projected a "compilation of torture clips from TV dramas" onto Wei'an's screen. Wei'an was immediately drawn in and left.
After washing up, Fu Jiu sat on the bed.
His half-dry white hair fell down his side, and he wore a loose robe, with a hint of fatigue showing between his brows.
Fu Jiu's spirit does not tire, but his body does.
"Should we continue with the cultivation plan?" Fu Jiu asked Chang Le.
Chang Le said, "My trip to the Trial Grounds has allowed me to vaguely touch the threshold of the Ninth Realm, but there is still a significant distance to go before I can break through. While I am still exhausted from leaving the Trial Grounds, I will go to the Northern Realm Ruins again after the Lunar New Year's Eve. After that, I will explore the secret realms beyond the Central Plains."
Fu Jiu responded.
This year is also the year that all members of the Dragon Faction are present. Although they are busier, the Dragon Faction has once again achieved the same level of success as when Fu Guang was in power.
Nine years of arduous training passed in the blink of an eye.
Chang Le's appearance remains unchanged across her different personalities. She herself looks almost the same as when she was seventeen or eighteen. However, when she sees Granny Wu and the others again after a few years, she realizes that they have all aged.
Granny Wu and Fu Yue have no special bloodline. Now that they are over a hundred years old, they are old and their aging is clearly visible in their appearance.
Chen Wusui, Changfeng, Ziguiti, and Wanbuxun are all quite old. Although they maintain a relatively youthful appearance due to their cultivation, it will be difficult for them to improve their cultivation in this lifetime, and their lifespan will be just over a hundred years.
Luo Xuan, Gui Dao, and Xue Wuwang were the oldest, but all three possessed special techniques that granted them long lifespans. Chang Le subconsciously felt that they would accompany him to the very end.
But when Chang Le held his wine glass and glanced at Luo Xuan, he noticed that Luo Xuan seemed to have lost some weight. There were even some white hairs in his hair, and his brows looked tired, but his lips still had a gentle and refined smile.
Chang Le suddenly realized that he had never asked Luo Xuan, an ordinary human, how he had lived for more than three hundred years.
Upon further reflection, the lifespan of dragons in this world is only a few hundred years, and the Ghost Blade appears in human form less frequently.
Iris was young, and Huanbo possessed her body. Their lifespans were unknown, nor was it known whether they lived before or after her.
And Lu Yanhuai...
Chang Le didn't know what kind of person he would see if he went to visit him tomorrow.
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Chang Le was a little sentimental. A wave of melancholy and sadness welled up in his chest, filling his heart with a heavy feeling.
Watching the people around you slowly grow old is like watching everyone leave behind in the past, while you are helplessly pushed into the unknown future, with no destination in sight, and filled with loneliness.
“A-Jiu”.
Fu Jiu hummed in agreement.
Am I destined to be alone?
Fu Jiu said, "If one wants to transcend the ordinary and break through boundaries, the Great Dao must be lonely."
Chang Le remained silent for a long time, then suddenly called out again, "Sister Ye."
She hadn't called him that in a long time, and Ye Buqi's response was as always: "I'm here, Lele."
Chang Le smiled suddenly and murmured, "It's alright, isn't it?"
"What do you mean, 'alright'?" Huanbo, who was standing next to her, leaned over.
"It's nothing. I was just saying that the Dragon Sect is doing well these days." Chang Le picked up his favorite dishes.
Despite the laughter and chatter, it's still a good year.
The following day, Chang Le went to the old ruins of the northern border, sent a message to Lu Jin'an, and met Lu Yanhuai.
Lu Yanhuai wasn't in the garden, but in his room; he was still asleep when the call was made.
"I had a slight cold before the Lunar New Year, but I didn't expect it to develop into myocarditis, which required me to be hospitalized for a while. I'm much better these past two days, but I need to rest."
Afraid of waking him, Lu Jin'an stood outside the room communicating with Chang Le, the camera pointed at the person inside through the glass window. On the small communication window, she saw his own tired and worried face.
Liu Qiongsi, who is also Lu Jin'an's current wife, is taking care of him inside.
They grew up together and had developed a deep understanding of each other. Although they weren't in a passionate romance, they were well-suited to be lifelong partners. They married a few years ago, but due to the secret methods they passed down, they would not have any related offspring.
Chang Le said, "I obtained something in the Mysterious Realm Trial Grounds that might be useful to him. I've already had it delivered to him."
Lu Jin'an expressed his sincere gratitude.
Afterwards, Chang Le continued his cultivation journey.
This time, however, she was careful to conceal her whereabouts, at least not to expose herself to those who were bored enough to seek her out for entertainment. After all, Fu Jiu had been in the trial grounds for four years, while Chang Le had only been active within the Dragon Sect and had stopped entering the secret realm for four years. Now that Fu Jiu had returned, Chang Le was active again, which was bound to arouse suspicion.
This time, entering the old ruins of the northern border, Chang Le went alone into the heart of the Beihai Bay.
When the icy sea of Suichuan appeared before him, and Chang Le had never been to such a depth before, his gaze had already pierced through to the land across the bay at the end.
However, this trip disturbed the water dragon in the North Bay, and as expected, this guy was already a being beyond the ninth realm.
Chang Le was already injured and exhausted, but without hesitation, he turned and left.
Once his injuries had healed, Chang Le resumed his cultivation in the secret realm.
This time, she changed into the form of Wei An, concealing herself with a mask, changing her accent, and traveling to dangerous and secret places in the world outside of Middle-earth.
...
Another year has passed, autumn has gone and spring has come.
Natural disasters occurred in March of the 400th year.
As spring awakens all things, the spring breeze brings forth verdant greenery for miles around.
After ten years of peace, unease and unrest began to sprout in subtle and imperceptible places.
At this time, Chang Le was in the Dragon Tomb of Qianyuan Mountain, focusing all his efforts on breaking through to the ninth level.
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