What Xu Chang'an said today, she will remember and savor carefully later.

Don't overanalyze.

If someone could have controlled that Celestial Tribulation that descended on the Chaoyun Sect... No, that's unnecessary. Just the fact that Xu Chang'an could block the Lingyu that even the Sect Leader couldn't withstand, everything about him is worth savoring carefully.

Zhu Pingniang believes that during these days, Xu Chang'an's actions on the mountain, along with any records of him, must have been thoroughly examined by the group of women at Muyu Peak.

"I've always been curious about the word immortality."

Zhu Pingniang rested her hands on the chess table, "In the east, there are red walls and green tiles, white horses and blue robes, ancient temples with green lights... In the west, there's the sound of camel bells, Huqin and pipa. This is the era we live in, so... what about earlier? Surely it must have its own brilliance."

Xu Chang'an listened quietly, thinking it must be so.

Different eras naturally have different kinds of brilliance.

Zhu Pingniang continued, "The things on this land from tens of thousands of years ago are old tales we can never touch, learn a bit only from books. Not even needing ten thousand years, the era of the Sect Leader's ancestors... If she does not speak of it, we remain unaware."

Shi Qingjun is the oldest woman in the Chaoyun Sect.

Hearing Zhu Pingniang's words, Xu Chang'an nodded.

Time is such an unfeeling thing, events happening in the river of time... not understood in time, will sink to the bottom of the river.

Even true children and parents... after living together for twenty, thirty, fifty years, when suddenly looking back, how many people really know the past of their father and mother? How many know what stories happened when they were young?

Such things always dissipate cleanly with the wind.

"The thickness of time exceeds our understanding and is beyond our grasp; even the oldest books trace only up to ten thousand years ago, many dynasties on this land have broken, leaving much buried."

Zhu Pingniang looked out the window at the river, removed her hairpin and gently tossed it into the water, watching as the golden hairpin sank into the water, her smooth long hair cascading down.

In this moment, her serious contemplation stripped her of allure, leaving lips red and teeth pearly, eyes like cold plum blossoms, revealing hints of her former self as "Zhu Tongjun."

Xu Chang'an, looking at her transformed to long black hair "Ms. Zhu," had no time to ponder further before seeing Zhu Pingniang turn around and calmly speak.

"Chang'an, is there really someone in this world who can, relying only on a lifetime of cultivation, stand above time and the river that buries a myriad generations?"

"…"

Zhu Pingniang's words left Xu Chang'an, who was previously only casually listening, deep in thought.

The question was too heavy; Xu Chang'an shook his head and softly said, "I don't know."

"I know you don't know." Zhu Pingniang rolled her eyes at Xu Chang'an, disappointed: "But I hoped you would know. Xiaochang'an, you let sister down."

Useless Immortal, nothing but pretty trash.

Xu Chang'an: "…"

If at this point he still didn't know that he had become Zhu Pingniang's "emotion trash can," then he would've wasted his years.

At least, it's because Senior trusts him that she vents her inexplicable emotions.

Receiving so much help, being a listener is appropriate.

Hmm?

Haven't similar things happened in past days?

Xu Chang'an's mind flashed with the image of "Qinling."

Oh.

He had just been caught chatting by Qinling for quite some time, no wonder.

What does this make him, a confidant sister?

It must be said that Senior Zhu is indeed the one who raised Junior Master Qin, both having the same temperament.

——

Zhu Pingniang couldn't possibly know how Xu Chang'an internally criticized her; she was seriously engaging in reflections on life.

The deeper the cultivation, the more one can feel the profound thickness of time, therefore... immortality, this seemingly simple answer, absolutely cannot be the ultimate goal of cultivation.

After all, if the ultimate goal of cultivation is immortality, then when a powerful cultivator finds that immortality is just a joke, just an impossible beautiful dream... who knows what such a person would become?

Pursue pleasure to the point of recklessness?

Needless to say, perhaps that one from the Demon Sect is like this.

Zhu Pingniang gently brushed her long hair back onto her shoulder, looking at Xu Chang'an, who curiously watched her, and coughed once: "However, living a couple more years is achievable; as for immortality... treat it as a joke."

Relying on a lifetime of cultivation, even if possessing Immortal Family techniques, like a fish leaping out of the river of time, in the end, it will still fall back into the water.

Unless—

Someone on the water's surface reaches out to catch this fish, allowing the fish to completely escape time's shackles.

But such existence is not something Zhu Pingniang can comprehend.

"Senior, you mean to say…" Xu Chang'an fulfilled his role as an emotion trash can well, following her topic: "In all likelihood, there aren't any Immortals in the world?"

"That's how it should be." Zhu Pingniang nodded, then stared at Xu Chang'an in a way that made him uneasy.

"What do you mean by should…" Xu Chang'an asked nervously.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." Zhu Pingniang clicked her tongue.

What more to say.

She believed Immortals shouldn't exist, yet what does this perplexed child before her count for?

He shattered her years of thoughts with a single punch, and now wants to ask her where she's hurt after stepping on the broken shards, Zhu Pingniang thought she wouldn't deliver a punch right now because she really, really liked him a lot.

"I'm done talking, your turn." Zhu Pingniang pouted: "Don't look at me like that, tell me your view on Immortals."

She genuinely wanted to know how someone full of secrets viewed Immortals.

Seeing Senior's childish petulance, Xu Chang'an's eye twitched slightly, but he had no choice and had to reply truthfully: "Immortals, I'm uncertain if they ever existed, but given so many ancient texts mention them... they probably did."

Xu Chang'an did not follow Zhu Pingniang's line of thought this time, since she said herself she didn't know.

Being a person, having no personal thinking, what's the difference from a salted fish?

Xu Chang'an slowly spoke: "The Celestial Scripture: Beishan records that there exists True Immortals, with eternal life…"

Xu Chang'an recited an entire passage about Immortals, as if he were reciting a lesson.

"…You've read such books?"

Zhu Pingniang stared at him in shock, thinking perhaps the book recorded him, thus he remembered it so clearly.

"Read a few." Xu Chang'an nodded.

The library on the island had everything; upon realizing he might have entered a supernatural world, these books he skimmed through.

"Do you believe the world has Immortals? Then what?" Zhu Pingniang's interest piqued, she asked Xu Chang'an: "If there truly were Immortals in this world, where are they all now?"

Don't say they ascended, she wouldn't believe it.

The higher the cultivation, the more one feels the constraints of the world. Dreaming of ascending with the cultivation gained from the world, forget it.

Perhaps because the people in the Qiankun Realm found themselves at the peak and felt entirely bound... thus they fought against the constraints, drawing Thunder Tribulation.

This is the so-called "ascension."

She used to think this way, but Xu Chang'an seemed capable of offering her another answer.

"Senior, you…" Xu Chang'an was at a loss.

If there are Immortals, where are they all?

What kind of question is this?

If he knew this, would he need to chat with her here? Clearly... a Senior willing to chat enthusiastically with him is not quite normal.

"Please tell me, sister is begging you." Zhu Pingniang's eyes sparkled, reaching for Xu Chang'an's arm, she said coquettishly: "If there are Immortals, where did they all go? Don't tell me they're in the sky, I don't want to hear that."

"I'll tell, I'll tell."

Seeing Senior acting spoiled, Xu Chang'an felt chills down his spine; he evaded Zhu Pingniang's hand, casually finding an answer.

"Actually, perhaps in this world, there have always been Immortals residing in the Lower Realm, unknown to us."

"Are you talking about yourself?"

"?"

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