Master Zhenjue was no longer in Shangqing Sect.
Even Elder Daoist Changsheng had left Changsheng Temple.
Although he had known before coming that his master would not be in Shangqing Sect, for some reason, Gu Qingfeng still felt an indescribable emotion within his heart.
It wasn't disappointment after hope.
Nor could it be called dejection.
It was a strange, nameless feeling.
Especially as dusk fell, with the setting sun casting long shadows, Gu Qingfeng walked down the desolate Changsheng Mountain alone, appearing incomparably lonely, incomparably forlorn.
Having slumbered for ten thousand years and now revisiting old haunts, Shangqing Sect was still Shangqing Sect, but without Master Zhenjue, it was like Changsheng Temple without Elder Daoist Changsheng. In Gu Qingfeng's eyes, it was no longer the Shangqing Sect of yesteryear.
So it was with Shangqing Sect.
So it was with Yunxia Sect.
And Elixir-Eater Town was no exception.
Gu Qingfeng strolled slowly through the bustling crowd, found the Luo Xuan Old Soup, ordered a bowl, and sat in a corner, drinking alone.
Elixir-Eater Town was still the Elixir-Eater Town of old. The Luo Xuan Old Soup was still the Luo Xuan Old Soup of old.
Yet.
Drinking the Luo Xuan Old Soup again, it no longer held the feeling of those bygone days.
It truly echoed that old saying.
The places remain, but the people are gone; the scenery is not the same as before. A wave of sorrow rose unbidden within him, making him feel that all things had come to an end, leaving only endless desolation.
This loneliness.
Gu Qingfeng had grown accustomed to it, had adapted to it, but ultimately, he could never enjoy it.
After finishing one bowl of Luo Xuan Old Soup, Gu Qingfeng did not leave. Instead, he ordered another, though he did not drink this second bowl. He left it on the table and instead opened a jar of Hell Impermanence Wine, drinking by himself.
The setting sun had already vanished, the dusk had faded.
Night gradually descended.
The pedestrians on the street grew fewer.
At that moment.
A white-haired elder, leaning on a cane, walked in. As soon as the elder entered Luo Xuan Old Soup, several waitstaff hurried over, greeting him respectfully. "Ancestral Patriarch, you've come."
"Mmm, I'm here."
The elder replied without looking up, then glanced around as if searching for someone. Not finding whom he sought, he asked, "That little girl hasn't come again today?"
"Which little girl?"
"You blockhead, how could you forget? The little girl who's been asking all over Elixir-Eater Town these past days, inquiring everywhere about the Monarch."
"Oh, you mean that little girl. She hasn't come today."
"I see. Alright, go attend to your duties."
The elder seemed somewhat dejected. He found a table and sat down. A waiter said, "Ancestral Patriarch, it's getting dark. That little girl probably won't come today. Why don't you head back first? If we see her, we'll let you know."
"No need. This old man will just sit here for a while."
"This...
Alright then. You sit here, Ancestral Patriarch. If you need anything, just call out. We'll be busy with our work."
"Go on, go on."
The elder waved his hand impatiently.
The waitstaff at Luo Xuan Old Soup busied themselves while chatting idly.
"Sigh!
The Ancestral Patriarch has grown old."
"Indeed. Ever since the Ancestral Patriarch fell into senile dementia, his health has been declining day by day."
"It's strange, though. After the Ancestral Patriarch became senile, his mind was never very clear. But ever since he heard the news of You Di's death and resurrection, he seems to have become much clearer. At least, he's not as dazed as before. These days, he comes here almost every single day without fail, sometimes sitting for an entire day."
"The Ancestral Patriarch is something else. The news of You Di's death and resurrection is flying everywhere; no one knows if it's true or false. How could he take it so seriously?"
"Even if You Di truly has died and resurrected and returned, he might not necessarily come to Elixir-Eater Town. The Ancestral Patriarch is too stubborn. Does he really expect to wait for You Di here? To put it bluntly, countless people across the heavens and myriad realms are looking for You Di right now. If You Di is alive, he's surely very busy. How could he possibly come to our Elixir-Eater Town?"
"Kid, you just don't understand. You Di was a regular patron of our Luo Xuan Old Soup. Back when he was cultivating at Shangqing Sect, he would come here every few days to drink several bowls of our soup. His relationship with our Ancestral Patriarch was also very deep. Later, after You Di returned from the Great Desolate, he specially came to our place to visit the Ancestral Patriarch."
"Heh, that's the greatest honor of our Luo Xuan Old Soup."
"But, what's the background of that little girl the Ancestral Patriarch asked about earlier? Why has he been so concerned about her these past days?"
"You don't know?"
"Do you?"
"Of course."
"Then tell us."
"I'll tell you. The Ancestral Patriarch is lonely."
"Lonely? How so?"
"Think about it. The Ancestral Patriarch always liked to regale us with stories about You Di from back in the day, whether there was a reason or not. Who among our generation didn't grow up listening to the Ancestral Patriarch's tales about You Di?"
"Not just our generation. The generation before us, the generation before that, even our great-grandfather's generation grew up listening to the Ancestral Patriarch's stories about You Di since childhood. Almost everyone in our Luo Xuan family, from top to bottom, grew up this way."
"Everyone knows You Di's stories by heart now. Yet when the Ancestral Patriarch has nothing to do, he still wants to tell us. Our ears are about to grow calluses..."
"So? What does that have to do with that little girl?"
"Are you stupid? The Ancestral Patriarch wants to reminisce about You Di's stories, but no one in our family listens anymore. The whole Elixir-Eater Town knows that after the Ancestral Patriarch became senile, he likes to talk about You Di whether there's a reason or not, so everyone avoids him. It's left the Ancestral Patriarch feeling quite lonely. A few days ago, a little girl who was inquiring about You Di happened to come to Elixir-Eater Town, and she was very interested in You Di's affairs. She came here almost every day to listen to the Ancestral Patriarch tell stories about You Di."
"Finally having a loyal audience, and now that little girl has disappeared again. The Ancestral Patriarch's heart must feel uncomfortable."
"It is strange, though. That little girl hasn't come for several days now."
"It should be three or four days. Who knows if she'll come again in the future."
In the corner.
Gu Qingfeng looked at the white-haired elder sitting nearby. The moment this elder walked in, he had recognized him at a glance. This old man was none other than Ancestral Patriarch Luo Xuan.
Back when he was cultivating at Shangqing Sect, Gu Qingfeng had drunk plenty of Luo Xuan Old Soup. At that time, he was cultivating as a condemned sinner, utterly destitute and penniless. It was Ancestral Patriarch Luo Xuan who took pity on him and let him drink the soup for free all those years.
Now, seeing Ancestral Patriarch Luo Xuan again, Gu Qingfeng's heart felt quite complex. Especially hearing that after Ancestral Patriarch Luo Xuan fell into senile dementia, he spoke of Gu Qingfeng every day, and after learning the news of his death and resurrection, he waited here unfailingly every day—Gu Qingfeng's heart was deeply troubled.
Although he had transcended everything, even reaching a state where there was nothing left to comprehend.
These mortal emotions and desires, he remained constant in.
It wasn't that he couldn't transcend them, nor was it that he was unable to transcend them. He simply did not wish to transcend them.
He was a mundane person.
He was before.
He is now, and he will be in the future.
That would never change.