"My sister's legs aren't legs, they're like the spring waters of the Seine..."
A little dumpling called out from the side.
I emerged from the water dressed in green, giving the little dumpling a sharp look.
The little dumpling immediately shut its mouth.
The green skirt was split, and when I looked down, I saw that her fair and straight legs were still covered with water droplets, which was indeed quite striking.
I don't know what my status is now.
Strictly speaking, I'm no longer a person.
Before, when I made the deal with the parchment, I was a dying man, and I tried countless ways to survive.
In the end, he survived.
But it doesn't quite resemble a person.
People get old.
But I won't.
Every ten years, I shed a layer of skin, and after that, I return to my eighteen-year-old self.
In other words, in this lifetime, I only have the age range of 18 to 28.
Although it looks wonderful, each molting process takes a year and is extremely painful.
I don't know how many times I've shed my skin.
I finally felt that this kind of life was a bit boring, so I picked up a little dumpling.
The little dumpling is so cute and pink. I'm sure she'll grow up to be a great beauty.
He's just a bit cheeky.
However, this actually added a lot of fun to my life.
After all, I had long ago chosen to live in seclusion deep in the forest, far away from the world.
But I didn't expect that,
Here, I will also run into an old friend.
I thought that after decades, even if the old friends were still alive, they would have changed beyond recognition.
But he remains the same as before, decades have passed, and like me, he hasn't aged.
“You really do look like a monster,” he said slowly.
"If I live long enough, I'll see him again someday," I replied calmly.
"Is this how you survive?" As expected of Zhang Bansian, he guessed the way I didn't die right away: "I developed an obsession related to him, so I can live forever in the story related to him."
"Sort of, but not entirely." The process was more arduous than anyone could imagine, and even I don't want to recall it.
I saw him open his mouth and look at me with a pitying gaze.
He wanted to say something, but hesitated and finally kept quiet.
I know what he meant was that even if I lived for thousands of years and endured the pain of shedding my skin a thousand times, I would never see him again.
But that's okay.
For me, there are only two most important things in life: one is him, and the other is living.
I know that life is always full of imperfections.
Although the cost of this shortcoming is somewhat high.
"You didn't come just to see me, did you?" We're not that close.
"My junior brother is gone," Zhang Banxian said sadly, lowering his eyes.
I know that he has several decades in his life that are suitable for him to spend with his junior apprentice.
But all mortals are subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death.
I suddenly realized something.
He came to see me, not because we were particularly close.
Rather, it's that both he and I were people who personally experienced this part of the story, and that we are immortal.
"Having met such a remarkable person, wouldn't it be a pity if you could only bury it in your heart for the rest of your life and never mention it again?" I knew who he was talking about.
Gu Mu.
A name that I still remember vividly even after decades.
I suddenly feel a little nostalgic.
I miss the people and things related to him.
I think Zhang Banxian felt the same way, which is why he suddenly came to visit.
"Go and see them, those people. I wonder if they're still alive," Zhang Banxian said calmly.
These decades are just the life of an ordinary person.
I learned that he buried his junior brother in the small temple where they first lived, and then spent a long time repairing it.
He said that even after seeing all this, he would still return to this small temple to watch over his junior brother, year after year.
Perhaps decades from now, they'll look for me again, reminiscing about those people from the past, and then we'll each go on to live our own secluded lives.
Actually, this is quite good.
If I'm the only one left in this world who still remembers.
How can I convince others that the person I like is more amazing than anyone else?
I also saw the landscape of the Southland, generation after generation, yet it still stands strong.
fine.
This powerful nation, capable of almost shaking the world.
It was the empire he built.
Finally, I walked to Lu Xiaoyao's grave, who had once been my rival in love.
But now, the yellow earth buries the beauty, and time is merciless.
Strangely, an elderly woman with white hair was kneeling in front of her grave.
Although the old lady's hair was completely white, you could still tell that she had once been a very elegant and beautiful woman.
She glanced at us, her expression calm.
After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Are you old friends of my sister?"
She probably heard Lu Xiaoyao tell this story before.
"I don't know what kind of person my sister loved, and I was never a part of your story." The old lady named Qinghe smiled. "But I'm very lucky to have accompanied my sister through her entire life, even though she never accepted me until her death."
"Being able to stay by my sister's side is probably the happiest thing for me."
The old lady's smile was very calm.
A beauty is a beauty; even when she gets old, she's still so beautiful.
She has a special, indescribable charm.
I suddenly felt a little sentimental.
A mortal's life, a mere few decades, is far too short.
We fall in love with someone for no apparent reason, and before we even have a chance to learn how to love, we've already lost that person.
We leave this world before we even have a chance to fall in love with someone else.
The old lady kept smiling as she placed a bouquet of flowers in front of the grave. She talked about how delicious the new snacks were and hoped her sister could try them, saying she would be very happy. As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.
Their lives soon came to an end.
"So now you know why the longer you live, the more you like to live in seclusion."
After Zhang Banxian and I went down the mountain, he suddenly asked a question.
I understand.
I returned to my secluded mountain retreat, and Zhang Banxian also returned to his temple.
My little dumpling is waiting for me at home.
And I will watch her grow up day by day, until she finally leaves me and goes to the mortal world.
In the end, she will become a beautiful old lady with white hair.
As for me, I am unwilling to be there for her in her final moments.
The little dumpling didn't understand how cruel and beautiful the world could be in these short few decades.
She just looked at me with a smile: "You're back! You've been gone for days, and the pheasant I specially caught for you is almost dead..."
...
One meal and one night's lodging.
Sunrise and sunset.
The autumn wind rises.
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