Chapter 1494: End of the Book

"My condolences, Mister."

The usually taciturn Chenghuang comforted Mister in his own way.

Chen Changsheng returned to his senses and shook his head. "I'm fine..."

He untied the Wine Gourd at his waist, seemingly intending to pour a libation for this junior.

But in the end, the Gourd was completely empty. Not a single drop remained.

Chen Changsheng stared in a daze. Ultimately, he could only sigh helplessly and put it away.

"Chenghuang..."

"Mister, I am here."

"Tell me, why do people in this world pursue immortality?"

Chenghuang paused, unable to wrap his mind around the question.

He lived a simple life and lacked the intricate thoughts to ponder such things. He had seen it, but he did not understand it.

A breeze swept past, rustling the leaves on the Back Mountain. One leaf fell and drifted down, eventually landing on Chen Changsheng's shoulder.

Chen Changsheng reached up to take it, murmuring softly.

'Old acquaintances wither away one by one, just like falling leaves in the wind...'

His long sigh was like a gust of wind itself, sweeping the fallen leaf away from his palm.

He knew he had made his choice.

Chenghuang had been harboring a sense of unease. Because of this, he hadn't spent these past few days perched on the temple roof as a ridge beast. Instead, he stayed by Mister's side, keeping close watch.

Chen Changsheng sat in his chair, gazing at the scenery outside. Everything here remained unchanging; the view was always the same, forever in Huaixu, forever frozen in this moment.

"Chenghuang."

"Mister, I am here."

"Once the world is at peace, go down the mountain. There is nothing good left up here."

Chenghuang froze upon hearing this. He shook his head and said, "Mister, I only want to stay here."

Chen Changsheng smiled helplessly. "There used to be a Priest in this temple whose Daoist name also contained the word 'Huang.' You are just like him—terribly foolish."

Chenghuang didn't understand Mister's meaning. He stepped forward, kneeling down. "Mister, I won't leave. This place is my home."

Chen Changsheng paused, and in the end, he did not say another word.

After that, Chen Changsheng never brought the matter up again. Sometime later, he fell into a deep slumber.

Chenghuang thought it was just an ordinary nap.

But from then on, Mister never woke up again.

He stayed by his side, waiting all the way until sunset several days later.

Mister's figure scattered into the dusk. This meant that it would be another long stretch of years before they met again.

At that time, Chenghuang still hadn't fully realized what had happened.

It wasn't until three years later, at the foot of the mountain, that he saw a physical body resembling an empty husk.

It was Mister's body, but it was nothing more than a body.

...

Chen Changsheng had finally made his choice.

Slowly, he came to understand everything, no matter what this world became.

The peaceful, ordinary life of the past would never return.

His heart had already died with the passage of time, and within the Red Dust, there was no room left for anyone else.

Like Xuanji, he chose the same ending.

Rather than dying amidst the agony of the mortal realm, it was better to spend a lifetime free and unfettered within a dream.

This time, he left not a single trace of his will in his physical shell. He hid himself away in Reincarnation, completely abandoning any desire to wake up.

Within that grand dream, countless voices rang out.

"Mister Chen?"

"Mister!"

"Grand Mister."

"Immortal Elder."

"Chen the Good Man."

"Changsheng..."

"Uncle Chen."

"Senior Chen?"

"Granduncle."

...

Countless faces flashed past his eyes, each one vivid and alive.

They had all returned.

All of them.

...

His story ultimately came to rest within this grand dream.

This time, absolutely no one would be able to pull him out.

He truly became the one who refused to wake.

Just like Xuanji.

Right up until the moment of her death, she had been unwilling to return to this painful mortal world.

Thinking back on this long life, Chen Changsheng felt he was a failure. His Cultivation had amounted to nothing special, nor had he managed to live a truly free and unfettered life. His bold words and lofty aspirations from those early years had long since turned into empty nonsense.

However, there were still a few things worth rejoicing over.

That he had been here.

That he had seen it all.

But he didn't want to see it anymore.

All the changes in this world no longer mattered to Chen Changsheng.

Whether the Heavenly Dao would replace the old heaven under this great tribulation, or whether the world would eventually see its Spiritual Energy dissipate and its cultivators vanish—none of it was what Chen Changsheng wanted.

The things he wanted, much like Xuanji's desires, were left firmly in the past.

...

Who knew how many years had passed.

A figure walked into the Daoist temple.

A light rain was falling from the sky. The person, holding an umbrella, stepped onto the temple grounds.

He Qing's eyes were filled with exhaustion.

She had asked many people for information before finally tracking down this place.

Yet, now that she had finally met Senior Chen, all she saw was this empty husk of a body before her.

This turn of events was somewhat difficult for her to accept.

The light rain drifted down, pattering against the roof tiles and flowing away down the drainage ditches beneath the eaves.

"Drip, drop..."

The constant dripping of water echoed from the vat in the corner, and right now, the sound made it hard to find peace.

He Qing stood before Chen Changsheng, staring at him for a long, long time.

She couldn't quite sort out her feelings toward the person in front of her.

For the most part, it felt like visiting a good friend she hadn't seen in years.

But on second thought, it seemed the two of them weren't even all that close.

Yet her chest felt stifled and heavy, and she didn't know why.

The feeling had come completely unprompted.

He Qing clutched her chest, panting a few times. After a misty breeze swept through the light rain, a look of confusion surfaced in her eyes.

"Just... who exactly are you?"

...