They arrived at the mountaintop. There had once been a grand hall here, but now it had completely collapsed, shattered into rubble scattered across the ground.
Thick smoke lingered in the air.
A white-haired middle-aged man coughed as he walked out of the smoke. His upper clothes were gone, and his trousers barely covered what needed to be covered.
“Are you trying to anger me to death? I told you not to refine pills like that! Do you want to make me a widow before you’re satisfied?!” Lin Mei hid the worry on her face and burst into furious scolding.
The white-haired man gave an awkward smile. “Wife, don’t be angry. I was wrong, all right?”
Then his eyes suddenly lit up. “Brother Chang’an, you’re here?!”
Chen Chang’an looked at the mountaintop, a section of it blown clean off, and shook his head. “Yongfu, you really should change your pill-refining method…”
In truth, he had no right to say that. The one who had turned Zhen Yongfu into this was him.
Zhen Yongfu waved it off. “It’s nothing. As long as I’m not refining immortal pills, the explosion won’t kill me.”
“Sister-in-law is here too. Long time no see.”
He looked at Luo Yizi.
“This is my sister-in-law.”
“Sister-in-law?” Zhen Yongfu had heard Chen Chang’an mention that Luo Yicheng had a twin sister. He smiled at Luo Yizi. “Hello, hello.”
“Brother Chang’an, what brings you here? I was planning to visit you after a while. Didn’t expect you to come first!”
He counted silently. It had been nearly three years since he last visited Chen Chang’an.
Mostly because he had been busy refining pills.
“Did you run out of that kind of pill?” Zhen Yongfu suddenly raised his eyebrows and winked.
“Ahem, no.”
Chen Chang’an quickly shot him a look.
That kind of pill was their secret.
Even if he was about to die, the secret must be kept.
He would leave this world with his reputation intact.
This was partly why, among the friends he wanted to see one last time, he came to Zhen Yongfu first.
For a period of time, this fellow had specialized in refining certain kidney-strengthening pills for him.
Zhen Yongfu chuckled, clearly thinking he understood.
They did not continue chatting midair but flew down into a large courtyard.
Chen Chang’an stared at Zhen Yongfu’s back. For some reason, he felt a trace of the same desolation in him.
But soon he dismissed the thought as overthinking.
Zhen Yongfu’s courtyard was laid out much like his own.
There was also a pond.
The difference was that the fish inside were not particularly rare or valuable.
Inside the house.
“Brother Chang’an, you’re staying here for a few days? That’s wonderful!”
After speaking, Zhen Yongfu asked, “By the way, why didn’t Sister-in-law come?”
“We had an unpleasant incident. She’s avoiding me.” Chen Chang’an gave a bitter smile.
Zhen Yongfu and Lin Mei both fell silent.
Quarreled with his wife, yet came here with his sister-in-law?
Something felt off.
Lin Mei looked at Chen Chang’an seriously. “Since you’re here, there’s something I want to ask of you. This matter started because of you. I hope you can help me.”
Chen Chang’an nodded. “Sister-in-law, go ahead.”
Lin Mei said, “Help me persuade this idiot to stop refining pills like that. Every time he refines, it explodes. One day he’ll really die! I’m on edge every single time!”
Chen Chang’an had come with this intention as well. He looked at Zhen Yongfu. “I know refining normally lowers the pill quality greatly, but promise me, don’t refine like that anymore.”
The origin of Zhen Yongfu’s method dated back more than 200 years.
Back then, in a secret realm, Chen Chang’an had found an alchemy manual titled Life-and-Death Pill Refinement Method. It linked one’s lifespan to pill quality, using furnace explosions to enhance the final product.
A 1st-grade alchemist using this method could even produce a 3rd-grade pill.
Chen Chang’an had never practiced alchemy, but Zhen Yongfu was an alchemist and unafraid of death, so he had given the manual to him.
So in truth, he was the root cause.
“If I abandon this method, I won’t even count as an alchemist anymore…”
Zhen Yongfu shook his head. He had long forgotten how to refine normally. Even if he relearned, it would take much time, and his rank would be low. But as he spoke, he saw Lin Mei glaring at him with wide eyes and shrank his neck, not daring to continue.
Lin Mei knew threatening, scolding, or beating him was useless.
He simply would not listen.
“Fine! If you won’t listen, then so be it! After you die, this orphan and widow can fend for ourselves!”
Lin Mei gave a bleak smile.
Zhen Yongfu forced a smile, but soon realized something was wrong.
“Wait! Wife, did you say orphan and widow?!”
Chen Chang’an also froze.
“How tragic. I’m already pregnant, and even my own husband doesn’t know!”
Lin Mei gritted her teeth and placed a hand on her belly. Then she looked at Luo Yizi. “Sister, you’re also a woman. You should understand how I feel. Do you think I should leave this idiot?”
Luo Yizi blinked, unsure how to answer, and looked at Chen Chang’an.
Chen Chang’an was also stunned.
At their level of cultivation, the chance of having children was greatly reduced.
He had been married for nearly 200 years without a child.
And Zhen Yongfu at this age had one?
Shocking.
Zhen Yongfu’s pupils shrank. “Wife, you’re not lying to me, right?”
“Wait. I’ve been refining pills for three months straight. How did you get pregnant?”
Chen Chang’an and Luo Yizi were stunned again.
This…
That was a lot to process.
Lin Mei erupted in fury and grabbed Zhen Yongfu’s ear. “Three months! I’ve been pregnant for three months! And you dare suspect me?!”
Zhen Yongfu quickly begged for mercy.
After confirming that Lin Mei had indeed been pregnant for three months, he fell silent. Soon, his eyes turned red. He held Lin Mei tightly and did not speak for a long time.
Then he looked at Chen Chang’an, tears uncontrollably flowing.
“Brother Chang’an, I’m going to be a father!”
Chen Chang’an was slightly stunned, but quickly smiled and nodded sincerely. “Brother, I’m happy for you.”
In more than 200 years of knowing him, he had never seen Zhen Yongfu like this.
They had once been surrounded by hundreds of cultivators. Zhen Yongfu had all four limbs broken and did not shed a single tear.
They had once been hunted for 100 days by a demonic beast several times stronger than them. When he was left with only half his life, his expression had remained calm, even saying that he wasn’t afraid of death and a mere beast was nothing.
Chen Chang’an patted his shoulder. “Brother, cherish your life from now on. Live well. You’re no longer someone with nothing.”
Zhen Yongfu nodded seriously.
But at that moment, Chen Chang’an noticed a trace of sorrow in his eyes.
That night.
On the rooftop.
The friendship between Chen Chang’an, Jia Jiyou, and Zhen Yongfu had lasted nearly 300 years. Because Chen Chang’an loved watching the stars, the other two had picked up the habit as well.
There was a platform on the rooftop. The two sat there, drinking tea and gazing at the boundless galaxy.
“Brother Chang’an, if I give up that pill-refining method, I probably won’t refine pills anymore. I won’t be able to refine for you either,” Zhen Yongfu said with a bitter smile.
He still thought Chen Chang’an had come for that kind of pill.
Chen Chang’an smiled. “You misunderstood. I came this time simply to catch up.”
“Oh. That’s quite timely then. Haha. I’m going to be a father! Brother Chang’an, how about you be the child’s godfather? Imagine having the number one expert on the continent as a godfather from birth. Not bad, right?”
Zhen Yongfu laughed heartily.
Chen Chang’an smiled. “I think that’s a good idea.”
“It’s already been three months. Sigh. I’ve failed them. I only found out today. In a little over half a year, the child will be born…”
Zhen Yongfu stared at the starry sky, deeply moved.
A little over half a year…
Chen Chang’an smiled bitterly and shook his head.
By then, he would already be dead.
This godfather would not even see his godson.
“What gift do you think my godson would want? I should prepare it in advance,” Chen Chang’an asked with a smile.
Zhen Yongfu thought for a moment and said with a grin, “He’d probably want to hear the glorious stories of his father and godfather from the past.”
He fell into reminiscence.
“Brother Chang’an, I miss those days. We were truly hot-blooded. Now we’re old. Everyone has their own ties.”
Zhen Yongfu lay down.
Chen Chang’an lay down as well.
“Yes. Time passes so quickly. But it’s fine. There’s still a long time ahead. We’ll cherish it…”
Chen Chang’an forced a smile.
“Brother Chang’an, actually, there’s something I’ve been hiding from you.”
Upon hearing Chen Chang’an’s words, Zhen Yongfu suddenly gave a bitter smile.
“What is it?”
Chen Chang’an felt a sense of unease.
Zhen Yongfu said, “That pill-refining method has always had a side effect.”
Chen Chang’an’s expression darkened. “What side effect?”
“Each time I refine, it reduces my lifespan. Right now, I probably only have 300 years left. But that’s enough. In recent years, I didn’t visit you because I was researching a longevity pill. Unfortunately, I failed.”
“After marrying Lin Mei, I started cherishing my life. I didn’t want to continue refining that way. But my lifespan wasn’t enough, so I forced myself to study longevity pills…”
He gave a bitter smile. “Brother Chang’an, I wanted to hide this from you. I was afraid you’d feel guilty, thinking it had something to do with you. I know the kind of person you are. Even if it had nothing to do with you, you’d still blame yourself. But now that I have a child, I can only say it. I hope that for the sake of our brotherhood, you’ll help take care of them.”
Chen Chang’an looked at him quietly.
The wind blew, and the piled leaves in the courtyard rustled loudly.
Brother, I’m sorry. I can’t help you. I only have half a year left…