"Old Master, are you alone?"
Gu Qingfeng walked over, carrying a jar of wine.
Luo Xuan Ancestor looked up, his turbid eyes glancing at Gu Qingfeng. "Young man, what can I do for you?"
"Nothing much. Since we're both alone, how about we share a table and have a couple of drinks together?"
"Not many young people these days are as sensible as you. Have a seat."
Luo Xuan Ancestor seemed to be a connoisseur of wine himself. He picked up his wine pot, took a small sip, and sized up Gu Qingfeng. "But, young fellow, how come you don't have even a trace of cultivation level on you? That's quite rare."
"My cultivation went awry, and I lost my cultivation..."
"Sigh... Young people nowadays, in their rush to improve their cultivation level, take pills, borrow formations... Few persist in arduous cultivation anymore. They only know how to blindly boost their cultivation level, with no understanding of consolidation. If the foundation isn't solid, no matter how high the cultivation level, it's all in vain. Sooner or later, something will go wrong."
Gu Qingfeng poured himself a cup of Hell Impermanence Wine, then took out another pot of fine wine from his spatial storage and filled one for Luo Xuan Ancestor. "The Old Master's lesson is correct."
"So, young man, remember this for your future cultivation: you must build a solid foundation, or you'll regret it later."
"I no longer wish to cultivate."
"Young man, that's a terrible mindset! How can you give up so easily after just one failure? Do you know, back in the day, that Gu kid's cultivation was destroyed time and again—nine times destroyed, nine times rebuilt—and he never gave up. Your cultivation has only been ruined once, and you're already quitting? That's just pathetic."
Luo Xuan Ancestor continued, "Young man, do you know who this 'Gu kid' I'm talking about is? Let me tell you, it's none other than the Chixiao Monarch who once roamed the world freely, also the awe-inspiring Nine Nethers Emperor of the Great Desolate. You must have heard of him."
"I have heard a thing or two."
"Speaking of that Gu kid, I simply must tell you the story. Back then, he was neither the Nine Nethers Emperor nor the Chixiao Monarch. He was just a young brat, like you. But that kid was something else! At a tender age, he fought his way all the way from the Great Northwest to here. Count so-called experts died or were injured at his hands..."
"The last time his cultivation was destroyed, it was because he was besieged by numerous experts. That time, not only was his cultivation ruined, he almost died. Those so-called experts, afraid he might cultivate again, imprisoned him in the Shangqing Sect and placed many restrictions on him. If he so much as inhaled a wisp of spiritual energy, he would suffer bone-gnawing agony."
"Back then, Gu kid was a convict in the Shangqing Sect. With his cultivation destroyed and his body covered in wounds, he endured endless humiliation there. Every day, disciples would bully him. I saw with my own eyes how a bunch of disciples beat him black and blue, yet that Gu kid didn't utter a single cry. That unyielding pride of his was truly remarkable. Even then, I could tell that kid would become a world-shaking figure someday!"
As usual, Luo Xuan Ancestor began rambling on about Gu Qingfeng's past exploits.
And Gu Qingfeng did not interrupt. Like a devoted listener, he listened to Luo Xuan Ancestor recounting his own deeds.
"Huh?"
Halfway through his story, perhaps feeling thirsty, Luo Xuan Ancestor drank the cup of wine Gu Qingfeng had poured for him. Finding the taste odd, he asked, "What kind of wine is this?"
"Just a mundane wine."
"Mundane wine? That's unusual."
Luo Xuan Ancestor didn't pay it much mind and continued telling Gu Qingfeng about the exploits of You Di.
And Gu Qingfeng continued pouring what he called 'mundane wine' for Luo Xuan Ancestor.
This was a wine he had specially blended for Luo Xuan Ancestor. It could clear the mind, gradually helping Luo Xuan Ancestor emerge from his Elder's Delirium.
After achieving immortality, one could live forever.
And that was indeed true.
However.
Living forever did not mean being indestructible.
Even being indestructible did not guarantee eternal well-being.
Because the path of cultivation was fraught with various tribulations.
Many seniors, on their cultivation journey, either suffered cultivation deviation, went mad, or gradually lost their wits, succumbing to Elder's Delirium.
The reason for this was simple: an unsteady Dao-heart, an inability to transcend one's mental state.
If the Dao-heart wasn't firm and the mental state couldn't transcend, one couldn't bear the weight of their own cultivation and fortune, nor could they withstand the flow of time.
To put it bluntly.
Without a powerful inner self, one simply couldn't shoulder the burden of 'longevity'.
In the end, they would either be crushed to dust by the very concept of longevity or lose their sanity.
Throughout his journey, Gu Qingfeng had seen many, many seniors afflicted with Elder's Delirium. To others, it might be an incurable disease, but to him, helping someone emerge from Elder's Delirium wasn't particularly difficult.
And so.
Luo Xuan Ancestor talked for a full day and night.
And Gu Qingfeng listened for a full day and night.
Luo Xuan Ancestor kept talking, and Gu Qingfeng kept listening attentively, from the fall of dusk yesterday until the setting of the sun again today.
Luo Xuan Ancestor grew more spirited and enthusiastic as he spoke. Members of the Luoxuan Family, worried the old man's health couldn't take it, came to call for him several times. But no matter how they tried to persuade him, the Old Master refused to leave. In the end, with no other choice, the Luoxuan Family members could only stay by the Old Master's side while also attending to Gu Qingfeng.
That's right.
Attending to him.
Not only did they address him respectfully as 'Young Master' with every word, but they also kept bringing out fine food and drink, serving him with meticulous care.
The Luoxuan Family members also knew the Old Master loved to ramble about You Di, especially after developing Elder's Delirium. He would talk about it to anyone he met, to the point where everyone in Elixir-Eater Town avoided him. If they could, they would also like to listen to the Old Master talk about You Di, but the problem was, they had heard stories about You Di since they were children. They had heard them so much they were practically traumatized and really couldn't bear to listen anymore.
Not long ago, there was finally a young girl who showed interest in You Di's stories. For several days in a row, she listened to the Old Master ramble on about You Di. Unfortunately, that young girl hadn't come for several days now. Seeing the Old Master sitting there all alone with no one to talk to, the Luoxuan Family members couldn't bear it and felt very uncomfortable.
Fortunately, a devoted listener like Gu Qingfeng had appeared. Seeing the Old Master earnestly recounting You Di's exploits in such good spirits, the Luoxuan Family members were genuinely happy from the bottom of their hearts. Naturally, they served Gu Qingfeng with the finest food and drink, afraid he might leave like that young girl from before and never return.
"Strange! Really strange!"
Luo Xuan Ancestor scratched his head and patted himself all over, as if sensing something was off.
"What's strange?"
"How come I don't feel tired today? Not only do I not feel tired, I actually feel more energetic the more I talk."
Gu Qingfeng smiled. "Since you're feeling more energetic, then talk some more."
"Young man, you still want to listen?"
"As long as you, Old Master, want to talk, I want to listen."
"What a rare young man you are."
At that moment.
A waiter from Luo Xuan Old Soup suddenly called out, "Ancestral Patriarch! Ancestral Patriarch! Look, that young girl is here!"