The sunshine was just right.
Zhang DaoMing got up early in the morning, planning to repair his small house a little.
The small house was already a little dilapidated, with holes in the courtyard wall and eaves that did not block wind and rain well, and rainwater would always seep through.
Together with him was also a teenager, Zhang Feiyu, who had come with the Zhang family second ancestor the other day.
The Zhang family second ancestor had Zhang Feiyu stay behind, saying that nowadays the other families were bent on destroying the Zhang family completely, although Zhang Feiyu was considered a genius, the downfallen Zhang family did not dare cultivate him, because young geniuses of declining families died the fastest.
Letting Zhang Feiyu stay by Zhang DaoMing's side could protect Zhang Feiyu by relying on Zhang DaoMing's acquaintance with Wang Yangzi, which was much better than the Zhang family.
Although he thought this way, the Zhang family second ancestor did not say so, only gently persuaded:
"This child Feiyu has a sincere heart, staying by your side can also give him some care. You are now old and it is inconvenient, having someone to take care of you is also a good thing."
Zhang DaoMing only shook his head saying it was unnecessary, but the Zhang family second ancestor insisted on leaving Zhang Feiyu behind, then he turned around and left.
Zhang Feiyu lowered his head slightly, not daring to look at Zhang DaoMing or speak.
Zhang DaoMing sized up the teenager, suddenly startled for a moment, then slowly shook his head and softly muttered:
"He looks a little similar."
Similar to his mother who had passed away many years ago, and also similar to his brothers and sisters.
Perhaps because he had grown kind-hearted in his old age, or perhaps because he was reminiscing about the past, Zhang DaoMing let the teenager follow him inside, and stated a rule:
"In front of me, you are you, the Zhang family is the Zhang family, don't mention the Zhang family to me, otherwise you should just go back."
"Yes." Zhang Feiyu nodded slightly, somewhat restrained.
In the years that followed, the teenager grew into a young man, but his personality did not change. He was not good at communicating with others. His biggest hobby was to help Zhang DaoMing take care of medicinal herbs and tidy up the yard. During his free time he would also cultivate by himself.
Soon Zhang DaoMing noticed something odd.
This young man was not a genius at all. His current cultivation level was still in the Foundation Establishment stage, he was just an ordinary member of the Zhang family.
No wonder the second brother was at ease leaving such a young man by his side.
Zhang DaoMing saw it but never said it out loud. Instead, he recalled the past again.
He himself used to be like this too, the weakest of the Zhang family peers, inferior to his other siblings, and had endured many contemptuous looks.
It really was a bit similar.
Over the next decades, the relationship between the two became increasingly harmonious. Zhang Feiyu never mentioned the Zhang family in front of Zhang DaoMing.
By that time, Zhang DaoMing was already very old. He relied on medicines to prolong his life, with little spiritual energy left in himself. He would die when he used it all up. Expelling the cultivators who came to steal herbs last time had already reduced his lifespan somewhat.
Now, as he neared the end of his lifespan, other ailments common in the elderly also emerged, such as hand tremors, dizziness, coughing, etc.
In the face of death, all cultivators were no different from ordinary people.
Another fifty years later.
On an extremely cold snowy night, Zhang DaoMing suddenly lost consciousness. Zhang Feiyu gave him several pills but they didn't work. He could only feel Zhang DaoMing's body getting colder and colder.
Zhang Feiyu carried Zhang DaoMing on his back in the heavy snow, using his Golden Core cultivation level to walk the streets, trying to find medical treatment.
The medical centres in the city did not have the ability. They had at most Nascent Soul stage physicians, how could they treat Zhang DaoMing who was at the Mountain Moving realm?
Left with no other choice, Zhang Feiyu used his Golden Core cultivation as the price, forcibly ascended to the heavens, and begged on his knees at the entrance of the Zhang family residence, asking the Zhang family to provide treatment.
A great cultivator of the Zhang family at the Overturning Oceans realm directly reversed the blood flow in Zhang DaoMing's whole body, guiding spiritual energy, only then stabilising his temperature and breath. He then sighed and said:
"Luckily we made it in time. This is depletion of spiritual energy making it difficult to sustain himself. Only cultivators of higher realms can guide spiritual energy for him, otherwise he would not have survived."
Zhang DaoMing survived, but Zhang Feiyu had become half a cripple. Already of mediocre talent to begin with, he was now stuck at the Foundation Establishment realm.
He did not say much, only carried Zhang DaoMing back to the small house again.
After Zhang DaoMing regained consciousness, he asked what had happened.
Zhang Feiyu smiled and shook his head indicating nothing.
Zhang DaoMing remained silent, already vaguely aware of what transpired.
At the same time, news spread in the cultivation world that Wang Yangzi was in secluded cultivation comprehending the Dao. It had been a period of time already. She was probably attempting to comprehend the Sword Dao and attain dual sainthood of two Daos, also becoming the first dual saint of two Daos in history!
A few more years passed.
A aloof woman who was not very talkative appeared in the middle strata of the cultivation world. She preferred to communicate with others via sound transmission.
Clearly this method of communication was not very agreeable.
But thanks to the woman's Firmament realm cultivation level, this approach instead made her prestige rise even higher, making people feel that this was only natural.
The woman did not join any sects or schools. She only said that she was always looking for someone.
Looking for a cultivator called Chen Xia.
There were many people called Chen Xia in the cultivation world. Thousands of years had passed and cultivators had long forgotten the once most famous Chen Xia. Only a handful still remembered.
Even if they remembered, Chen Xia was no longer in the cultivation world.
At the same time, the woman was bestowed the title with her Daoist methods.
Water Fairy, Qiu Yi.
"I think the stars in the sky should be arranged in a pentagon shape, that would make a five-pointed star."
Chen Xia discussed with his inner demon.
"That could really work!" The inner demon agreed.
It could only be said that similarities emerged from the same origin indeed.
The Great Death Realm had been largely repaired by now, with only a few breaches still connecting to the Void. Among them there was still one breach connecting to the Dead Star Region in the Blue Sky Sword Sea.
This was the backdoor Chen Xia had secretly opened for himself.
He wanted to shift all the death qi of the entire Great Death Realm into the Dead Star Region. This would not only allow his external incarnation to cultivate better, but also speed up the revival of the Great Death Realm.
By now, it was his 3,700th year of being trapped in the Great Death Realm. He felt good personally, with his cultivation level steadily improving.
But his heart felt uneasy, mainly because he was thinking of Old Zhang.
He wondered if the old fellow could hold out until he returned.
Don't die ah, don't die no matter what.
Sometimes when Chen Xia sank deep into his thoughts, he would sit blankly in place.
The inner demon saw it in his eyes. He paced back and forth between the mental lakes, pondering for hundreds of years, before finally making a decision.
Self-mutilation.
He severed himself at the mental lake, splitting into two, bearing the causal karma of the Great Death Realm's will, replacing Chen Xia to remain alone in the Great Death Realm. This would make Chen Xia be ejected and return to the cultivation world.
When the portal to return opened.
Chen Xia looked at that ethereal figure sitting alone on the small star, couldn't help but be stunned.
From then on there was no more inner demon, only another Chen Xia.
Before the self-mutilation was the inner demon.
After the self-mutilation was...
The seed of Dao.
He turned around and entered the portal.
The ethereal figure sitting alone on the small star closed his eyes, losing his own consciousness. From now on, he was more like an external incarnation.
The portal closed.
Leaving endless loneliness behind.