"I cannot go on living. I really cannot go on living anymore."
In Major Thousand World.
Tiannan Province, Great Xia, Yin Yang Grand Sect.
Outer sect, inside a bluestone courtyard.
The aging Zhou Chen slowly opened his eyes.
"My life has been like walking on thin ice. It seems there is no hope of reaching the other shore."
Sixty years ago he had said, "Do not bully the young for being weak."
Thirty years ago he had said, "Do not bully the middle aged for being weak."
A year ago he had said, "Do not bully the old for being weak."
"Sigh. The immortal path is vast and boundless. It seems I have truly reached the end of the road."
After nearly a hundred years of bitter cultivation, he had barely reached the fifth level of Qi Refining.
This talent was nowhere near that of a peerless prodigy. It could only be called a pile of rotten mud.
A bitter smile hung at the corner of Zhou Chen’s mouth.
"Forget it. Forget it."
"I died unexpectedly in my previous life and transmigrated to this world. I have already lived an extra lifetime. What more could I be dissatisfied with?"
As he grew older, he slowly accepted reality.
Everyone wanted to become an immortal, but how many could truly succeed and ascend to the Immortal Realm?
He had originally thought he could punch the hypocritical immortals of the righteous path, kick the brutal cultivators of the demonic path, and hold the saintesses of famous Hehuan sects in his arms.
The ideal had been beautiful. Reality was cruel.
Just then, a noise came from outside the courtyard.
He got up and pushed open the door, only to see a ball of pale green spiritual light floating in the courtyard.
Zhou Chen’s pupils constricted. He instantly released his spiritual power and put distance between himself and it.
"A remnant soul? Who are you, and why have you come here?"
When a cultivator’s life ended and their physical body was destroyed, if their remnant soul was lucky enough to escape, they could gain a chance at rebirth through possession.
The floating remnant soul, however, gave off a familiar voice.
"Zhou, Brother Zhou, it is me, Zhang Xiu."
Zhou Chen was greatly surprised and sensed carefully.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, is it really you?"
He knew this man. Zhang Xiu was a nearby rogue cultivator whose talent was slightly better than his own.
He had heard that not long ago, Zhang Xiu had gone out to look for an opportunity.
Looking at his current state, he had likely met with disaster.
Zhang Xiu sighed. "The path of cultivation is inherently an act of going against heaven. I already anticipated this day would come."
Since he had killed others for cultivation resources, there would naturally come a time when others killed him.
He had long expected this day.
Zhou Chen’s eyes were complicated as he said in a deep voice, "Then I wonder, what has Fellow Daoist Zhang come to find me for?"
The cultivation world was just that cruel.
Zhang Xiu’s talent had been better than his, yet he had still died just like that.
The light of Zhang Xiu’s remnant soul grew increasingly dim as he pleaded weakly.
"Brother Zhou, in all these years, you are the only friend I can trust."
"My wife and daughter are in Wutan Town. I hope you can look after them for me. Otherwise I worry someone will target my beautiful wife and my lonely, helpless daughter."
Hearing his words, Zhou Chen fell silent.
Logically, given their years of friendship, it would not be a problem to help a widow and her daughter.
The problem was that he himself did not have much longer to live.
Before he could refuse, Zhang Xiu’s remnant soul began to fade.
Using the last of his soul power, he threw over the storage pouch he was carrying.
"Brother Zhou, this is the last of my belongings. Take it as your reward. Please do not refuse. You are a good man. I entrust my wife and daughter to you."
Among the people he knew, Zhou Chen had the best character, rarely made enemies in his life, and was a close personal friend.
Most importantly, Zhang Xiu was already at the end of his rope and had no other choice.
Zhang Xiu’s mental energy completely dissipated. He was as dead as could be.
Zhou Chen raised his hand to catch the storage pouch and sighed.
"Forget it. I will go take a look."
Wutan Town was not far from the foot of the mountain. He would help if he could.
He checked Zhang Xiu’s storage pouch. There were only seven low grade spirit stones, two Blood Qi Pills, two first grade spiritual talismans, and some miscellaneous items.
This bit of wealth was truly pitifully meager.
In the Yin Yang Sect, Zhou Chen was responsible for guarding the medicinal garden.
He found a junior brother he was on good terms with to help look after the garden, then hurried down the mountain.
Following the address Zhang Xiu had given, Zhou Chen soon arrived at Wutan Town.
He went straight to the east of the town and stopped in front of a bluestone tiled house.
Tap, tap, tap.
Zhou Chen knocked on the door rhythmically.
The courtyard gate soon opened, and a charming, beautiful woman in her early thirties walked out.
The woman’s skin was as white as snow, her features exquisite, and her purple long dress perfectly accentuated her curvaceous figure.
Her long, slender, fair fingers were particularly captivating.
Those slender, straight legs were faintly visible beneath the hem of her skirt.
Especially her impressive figure, which gave one the illusion of being unattainable.
Zhou Chen thought to himself,
"Whoa. Is this really Zhang Xiu’s wife?"
"His wife is actually this beautiful?"
What a pity. With such a gentle and lovely wife, Zhang Xiu had not stayed home to enjoy life, but had insisted on running off to find opportunities.
Now look what had happened. From now on, his wife belonged to someone else, and so did his daughter.
The beautiful woman looked at Zhou Chen with confusion and asked,
"Excuse me, you are?"
Zhou Chen coughed lightly. "My name is Zhou Chen, a friend of Fellow Daoist Zhang Xiu. I have come at his request."
Hearing this, the beautiful woman breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly invited him in.
"I am Nan Qiao. My husband asked you to come, sir. May I ask what the matter is?"
Zhou Chen was silent for a moment before calmly recounting Zhang Xiu’s fate.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang was accidentally injured by a demon beast while he was out..."
He took out the clothes and other miscellaneous items from Zhang Xiu’s storage pouch to serve as proof of identity.
When Nan Qiao saw the clothes, her body went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground.
"How... how could this happen?"
Zhou Chen did not know how to console her, so he could only say softly,
"Sister in law, once a person dies, they are gone like a snuffed lamp. If there is anything you need help with, please feel free to ask. I will do my best to help you."
Nan Qiao’s expression was wooden as she blankly took the clothes.
A layer of mist instantly filled her watery eyes, and she choked out,
"Alright. Thank you, Brother Zhou."
Looking at the beautiful woman’s despairing appearance, Zhou Chen also felt quite helpless.
Since Zhang Xiu’s physical body had been destroyed, Nan Qiao could only set up a cenotaph for him.
During the next three days, Zhou Chen stayed at Nan Qiao’s home.
Nan Qiao was exceptionally beautiful, especially after the news of Zhang Xiu’s death broke.
Several thugs on the street were already restless, thinking about taking advantage of the widow.
Although Zhou Chen was old and his blood and qi were decaying and weak, he was still a man of the immortal path. Dealing with a few ordinary people was no problem, and he made short work of kicking the hoodlums out.
He was thinking about whether he should find a way for Nan Qiao to sustain herself in the future.
He lit a stick of incense for Zhang Xiu in the mourning hall.
Looking at Zhang Xiu’s spirit tablet, Zhou Chen could not help but feel emotional.
Sigh. The Great Dao of cultivation was an act of going against heaven. Dying on the road was only natural.
But before he could leave, Nan Qiao blocked his path.
Her peerlessly beautiful face and her plump, graceful figure, paired with her plain white dress, gave her a particularly pitiful and endearing look.
As the old saying went, if you want to look pretty, wear mourning white.
Zhou Chen’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.
He had to admit, those legs were really something. No, that skin was really something.
Nan Qiao lowered herself slightly and gave a dignified bow.
Looking from a top down angle, he could just see a vast expanse of beautiful scenery.
Through their contact over the past few days, Nan Qiao had seen that Zhou Chen was a cultivator.
After a brief moment of hesitation and struggle, she made her choice and decided to face the challenge head on.
"Sister in law, you cannot."