Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

“But I’m three years older than you. Shouldn’t I be the younger brother according to age?” Yunling said.

That's what they say, but in terms of their relationship, Zhuang Xing feels that he's more like an older brother, since most of the time, Yunling listens to him more, and that's been the case since they were little.

But this wasn't the time to dwell on that. He asked the question mainly to find out if Yunling's statement about "wanting a home" meant she wanted an older brother to take care of her.

He thought for a moment and then changed his question.

"Do you sometimes feel like I'm your younger brother?"

“How could that be?” Yunling said. “Zhuang Xing, I like you, and I like you in a way that means I want to be with you every day.”

Zhuang Xing breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the nightmare he had a few years ago did not come true. In the dream, Yunling said that he only saw Yunling as his brother. He was so scared that he woke up with a cold sweat.

“It’s settled then, we’ll wait two more years,” Zhuang Xing said. “At that time, I’ll ask my parents and your second uncle and aunt to propose marriage.”

"Mmm." Yunling snuggled into his arms.

It was a strange feeling. Compared to physical contact, the connection between their souls brought them closer together. He could sense Yunling's emotions slightly. At this moment, she felt to Zhuang Xing like a lark hopping around on a branch.

In the vast and boundless night sky, there were only the two of them, and he felt that his heart and Yunling's heart were connected.

“Let’s go down,” Zhuang Xing said.

"Let's look at it a little longer," Yunling said. "We're going back tomorrow and won't be able to see this scenery again. You used to love seeing these kinds of landscapes, so let's look at them a little longer."

"It's very late."

"It's ok."

"Okay." Zhuang Xing really wanted to watch for a while longer.

He felt that Yunling could always guess what he was thinking. Back in Hundred Flowers Valley, Yunling also showed him the lush green sea of ​​trees.

“Zhuang Xing, I don’t want you to give up your own wishes because of me.” Yunling seemed to have guessed what he was thinking again. “I’ve grown up. I’ve been practicing the life-giving techniques of the White Lotus Hermit for eight years. I’ve also studied the pharmacology and pill formulas that Master Yuan Yan taught me. I can now make many kinds of pills. I can identify spiritual herbs and plants just by their scent.”

"I can prepare herbal medicines for treating external injuries, brew decoctions for treating internal injuries, and I am also proficient in poisons that kill and seduce beasts. I am improving my knowledge every day. I have a unique talent for pharmacology. Even my master said that if it were just about preparing prescriptions, she would have nothing more to teach me."

“Master doesn’t know yet, but I’ve read the jade slip of the White Lotus Hermit. I’ve already learned about the other spiritual plants and prescriptions summarized in that jade slip.”

"Go ahead and do whatever you want. No matter where you go, I just want to be by your side. I just want to stay with you... As long as you don't abandon me, I'll be satisfied."

After listening to Yunling's account, Zhuang Xing remained silent for a long time.

Yunling was indeed the person who understood him best in the world. Just like that day when he returned home, as he put down the gift box, a cup of perfectly brewed jasmine jujube tea was placed to his lips.

The water temperature was just right, neither too high nor too low, and drinking it soothed his heart and lungs, making him feel as if he were bathed in a spring breeze.

But the more Yunling understood him, the more he felt that he shouldn't step into that unknown territory for his own selfish desires.

That's too selfish.

But he had to admit that he wanted to go.

He wanted to go to the other side of the sea, he wanted to cross that ocean, to go to the unknown land that his senior brother Song Yu had reached, to go to the sea that Yinglong had flown across, to go to another world.

“Zhuang Xing, do you remember when we went to the capital together that year?” Yunling looked at Fanxing. “At first, I felt very uncomfortable. The place we were going to was too far away. I had never been to such a far place before. I was so scared at night that I couldn’t sleep well.”

"Especially on the night I encountered the corpse driver, what I feared most was the dead... Just thinking about how there were so many dead people on the other side of the wall made my hands and feet go cold."

"But gradually, I discovered that while there were indeed bad aspects to this path, there were also many good ones."

“Didn’t we see a lot of beautiful scenery together, meet a lot of people, and eat a lot of food we’d never tried before?” Yunling said. “The fox’s stories are very interesting. I wonder if it’s a storyteller in some teahouse now?”

"The mushroom soup in Lijia Village is also delicious; I'd like to try it again."

"And there's Hundred Flowers Valley. I met a good friend there. Although she won't let me tell you who she is, I feel incredibly happy to know her."

“She said she wanted me to stay in Hundred Flowers Valley and play with her. If I had gone alone, I think I would have stayed there, but compared to you, I feel that none of that matters.”

"I used to think I just liked stability, but I don't think so now, because I've discovered that the scenery you see is also beautiful."

Chapter 301 Setting Goals

Zhuang Xing heard everything Yunling said.

He couldn't fool himself, nor could he fool Yunling. A peaceful and stable life was good, but it wasn't what he wanted.

But he absolutely did not want the girl beside him to fall into a dangerous situation because of his burgeoning desire to explore and his curiosity since childhood.

He eventually pulled Yunling down from the clouds, and they floated back to the rooftop.

A man should not be indecisive; a man should act like a man.

“Yunling, Senior Yinglong once told me that he rode the clouds and mist, crossed the sea, and went to the other side of the sea,” Zhuang Xing said. “There are people on the other side of the sea. Senior Yinglong saw that world and finally returned to the snow mountain.”

Yunling looked at him and asked, "Do you want to go?"

"I want to go," Zhuang Xing said.

“Then I’ll go with you,” Yunling said.

“Okay,” Zhuang Xing said. “Just this once, we’ll go see the other side of the sea and then come back.”

Is once enough?

“Once is enough.” Zhuang Xing looked at the starry sky. “Young people have the energy to run around. Going to sea is not a simple matter. It may take many years for us to reach the other side.”

"You talk like an old man."

"Is there?"

"Only old men talk about young people."

"It's okay, we'll all become old men eventually anyway."

What does it feel like to get old?

"do not know."

You don't know either?

"I've never been old, how would I know? I'll tell you what it feels like when I'm old."

"Okay, then I'll tell you about it later."

...

The next day, after bidding farewell to his friends, Zhuang Xing took a boat back to Manggu Village.

Tomorrow is the beginning of spring; he should go back to the mountain.

He packed his bags and took out the Taoist robe he had placed in the wardrobe.

"Brother, are you leaving again?" the little sister asked him. "Will you have to wait until next winter to come back?"

"Yes." Zhuang Xing bent down and patted her head.

Xiao Zhuangming was holding Da Mao in her arms. Da Mao and Er Mao were her friends. When Zhuang Xing was not at home, she often played with Da Mao and Er Mao.

"Can you not leave?" Zhuang Ming looked at him pitifully.

"No," Zhuang Xing said.

"Can you come back earlier next year?" Zhuang Ming asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

"No, not either," Zhuang Xing said.

"Okay." Zhuang Ming lowered her head, a little disappointed.

She had experienced the same separation many times, and each time she felt sad.

Perhaps because her brother took her to Yidu for a fun-filled trip, she felt particularly sad this year.

“Even your older brother can’t be with you forever,” Zhuang Xing said.

"Hmm..." Zhuang Ming pouted and lowered her head even further.

"What do you want to be when you grow up, little sister?" Zhuang Xing asked.

“I don’t know…” Zhuang Ming said, “I used to want to be like my brother, but you said everyone is different. Why is everyone different? Brother, can’t I learn swordsmanship like you?”

“You’re not suited to swordsmanship,” Zhuang Xing said. “You probably won’t achieve anything by practicing swordsmanship.”

"Is practicing swordsmanship for a specific outcome?" Zhuang Ming looked up.

Zhuang Xing paused for a moment, then laughed: "That's true. If you like it, go ahead and practice. Do you remember how your brother taught you?"

"I only remember a little bit," Zhuang Ming said.

“Then I’ll draw those moves on paper. When I’m not home, you can practice them by yourself, okay?” Zhuang Xing said.

"Is that okay?" Zhuang Ming asked.

"Whether it's okay or not isn't up to me. I can only draw the moves. Whether you practice them or not is your decision." Zhuang Xing stroked his little sister's cheek and looked at her earnestly.

“I understand, brother.” Zhuang Ming nodded.

"I've already spoken to Mother. Starting tomorrow, she'll teach you to read," Zhuang Xing said. "You must study hard."

"Can I not learn to read?" Zhuang Ming asked again. "I don't like learning to read."

"No," Zhuang Xing told her.

"Why not?" Zhuang Ming's eyes were filled with confusion. She didn't understand why her brother was willing to teach her swordsmanship when she said she liked it, but he still made her learn to read when she didn't like it.

“Because recognizing characters is different from practicing swordsmanship.” Zhuang Xing gently touched her forehead. “Practicing swordsmanship is something you like, and you can do it without expecting anything in return. But recognizing characters is different. Recognizing characters is a skill. You need to learn to recognize characters so that you can live a better life in the future. Even if one day your brother is no longer by your side, even if one day you leave your father and mother, you can still live a better life by recognizing characters. Do you understand?”

"Understood." Zhuang Ming nodded.

"Then promise your brother you'll study characters diligently, okay?"

"it is good!"

"Good boy."

On the day of Lichun (the beginning of spring), Zhuang Xing handed over the sword manual he had drawn to his younger sister.

The sword manual contains the movements of a small figure, as well as his written explanations.

He wrote down all his insights from years of sword practice on the sword manual, which contained the most basic moves for sword practitioners.

Six years have passed, and he knows that his younger sister has no talent for cultivation and will find it difficult to break through the key points and condense a trace of true qi in this lifetime.

His sister was different from him; she didn't have any innate talent.

If the Taoist priests of Xuanqing Temple were to activate the spiritual energy talisman on her, there would be absolutely no reaction, not even the slightest spark.