"Little ones, thank you for your companionship and care over the years."

"I'm leaving now."

"If there's a chance, I'll come back to see you."

Luo Xiu stood on the edge of the pond, looking at the quirky little heads popping out of the water, his eyes betraying a hint of reluctance. Although the little creatures couldn't speak, they possessed emotions just like humans.

As if they understood his words and knew he was about to leave, many of them suddenly started to wail, shedding tears of sorrow.

Luo Xiu slowly raised his right hand. A stream of Fortune-Forming Power emerged from his palm, quietly merging into the pond.

"Farewell, everyone..."

Luo Xiu steeled his heart and turned to leave. That stream of Fortune-Forming Power was his final gift of fortune to them.

Hua Muyan followed behind him, her expression slightly somber. "After being together for forty years, it's really hard to suddenly leave these little ones."

"They all have their own paths to walk," Luo Xiu said. "Perhaps one day, they'll climb out of this pond, leave this peaceful little world, and venture out into the world beyond. In the future, they might become renowned figures, or they might perish along the way... but no matter what, that is their destiny."

Hua Muyan was suddenly filled with emotion. "Isn't that how it is for all of us demons? We cultivate quietly in one place, seemingly carefree, yet we often fantasize and long to know what the outside world is like. When the day comes that we're strong enough to leave, we venture out with a pure heart and burning passion. At first, we always think we can reach the summit and become the most dazzling star. But gradually, we witness the cruelty of the world and realize our own insignificance."

Luo Xiu asked, "So, to you, the outside world is cruel?"

Hua Muyan gave a sweet smile. "As long as I can be by your side, everything is wonderful."

"Then stay by my side forever," Luo Xiu said.

"Mm, I'll cling to you, tighter and tighter, forever."

"..."

There were some things neither of them said aloud, but both understood perfectly. Forty years of constant companionship and unwavering vigil had made them inseparable. It wasn't friendship, but it wasn't quite love either; it was more like kinship.

"By the way, Master, how are we going to leave this place?"

Luo Xiu pondered for a moment. "As far as I know, activating the spell should allow us to leave the Divine Oracle Cave Heaven and return to where I first entered."

"Is it that simple?"

"Yan'er, turn back into a flower vine first."

"..."

「Henghai Provincial City」

In the Massacre Land Cataclysm Memorial Park, an enthusiastic tour guide's voice was nearly hoarse from shouting. "Everyone, please form an orderly line! Pay attention to your safety, and please do not push or crowd! Also, put away all cameras and recording devices. Visit in a civilized manner according to the regulations. Photography is strictly forbidden here."

The shoulder-to-shoulder crowd stood outside the railings, gazing at the protected altar up ahead, their faces full of longing and their hearts filled with emotion. Stuck in the altar was a dust-covered sword. In front of the sword was a skeleton, forever locked in a kneeling posture.

A little boy asked, "Mom, is that the King of the Nation who protected us forty years ago?"

"That's right, sweetie. The King of the Nation is the great hero who saved us all."

"Yeah! Mom, I read about the King of the Nation in my textbook!" The little boy proudly puffed out his chest and pointed to the cartoon image of the "King of the Nation" on his shirt. "When I grow up, I'm going to be a great hero, just like the King of the Nation!"

As he spoke, the little boy stumbled, having bumped into someone's leg. He looked up and saw a beautiful woman with short hair.

"I'm sorry, big sister, I didn't mean to bump into you."

Luo Xiu felt a flash of frustration over his own accursed good looks. "I'm a man," he said.

"Ah? I'm so sorry, big brother! I didn't mean it."

Luo Xiu smiled and shook his head, reaching out to ruffle the little boy's hair. "Keep it up, and one day you'll be a great hero like the King of the Nation, too."

"Thank you, big brother! I will!"

Luo Xiu gave a polite smile to the boy's mother before turning his gaze to the skeleton on the altar. After a moment, he turned and vanished into the crowd. He chose not to pull out the sword because he didn't want to lose his humanity and become some kind of god.

"It's been forty years. Henghai has changed so much," Hua Muyan's voice sounded in his mind.

"It really has. I feel a bit out of place."

Luo Xiu was a bit melancholic. "I just never expected my old skeleton would still be here, let alone be used for a tourist attraction with an admission fee."

Hua Muyan laughed. "Not only that, it looks like you've been adapted into a superhero in cartoons and TV shows."

Luo Xiu asked, "Now that the real me is back, should I go collect royalties?"

"..."

As they bantered, Luo Xiu wove through the crowd and arrived at the other side of the memorial park. It bordered a large lake with an island in its center, which was also strictly protected. Standing by the lakeside fence, Luo Xiu gazed at the island and sighed softly. He knew it had been formed from Yaya's body, just like the islands in Kun's Tomb. A faint trace of her aura still lingered there.

"Master, where are we going now?"

Luo Xiu turned and walked back into the crowd. "First, let's have a look around the Ancient Great Wall, and then we'll visit some old acquaintances."

He walked through the bustling throngs of people, yet he felt as if he were isolated from the world—an ineffable loneliness.

The loneliness of times that have changed.

The loneliness of friends now gone.

The loneliness of walking the Great Dao alone.

「Ye Family Forbidden Grounds」

Luo Xiu placed a bottle of soda before Ye Ningxue's tombstone and stood there quietly for a long time before departing. Forty years had passed. The old master and matron of the Ye family were still alive and well, but Yue Tianyang had already passed on. Luo Xiu only watched them from a distance, not wishing to disturb them.

「Su Family Cemetery」

Luo Xiu crouched in front of Su Hongli's tombstone, gently wiping the dust from the yellowed photograph on its surface.

"It's been forty years. How have you been? I wonder if you'd even recognize me now."

「Sea City」

Luo Xiu walked along the familiar yet strange streets, memories of the past playing out in his mind.

Hua Muyan sighed. "Forty years... the changes are truly immense. If the two of us were to live here now, people would probably call us country bumpkins, wouldn't they?"

Luo Xiu smiled. "Change is a good thing. It shows that society is progressing."

Before long, he arrived at the Sea City Riviera Villa District. The once most luxurious villa area in Sea City was now old and dilapidated, with some parts even converted into public parks. However, the Lin Family Villa and Villa No. 1 were perfectly preserved, maintained in their original state—likely because a hero had once lived there.

Luo Xiu once again walked the streets, so familiar in the past yet so alien now. Wan Yao Hall was still standing, the same simple, imposing mahogany sign hanging over its entrance. Business was as brisk as ever. No matter the era, there was never a shortage of people needing to see a doctor and get medicine.

The owner of Wan Yao Hall had changed, however. It was now run by Li Jiuzhen's great-grandson, who was also Li Zihan's son. Behind the counter in the front hall hung a photograph of the late Li Jiuzhen and He Dang Gui.

Luo Xiu looked at the photograph and suddenly smiled. Those two old men are probably fishing together every day in the afterlife, too.

"Hello, sir. How may I help you?" a polite receptionist asked, suddenly breaking his reverie.

Luo Xiu took out a Purple Gold Card. "Can this still be used?"

"..."

Less than half an hour after Luo Xiu left, a luxury car pulled up to the entrance. An elegantly dressed elderly woman emerged and hurried inside, rushing toward the counter with an air of urgency.

"Xiao Wei, where is the customer you mentioned on the phone, the one with the Purple Gold Card?!"

"I... I don't know. He just left the card and walked away. But Ma'am... all the original-issue Purple Gold Cards were recalled except for this one. Who does it belong to?"

Clutching the card tightly, Li Zihan ran out the door on her long-since infirm legs. The street was bustling with people, but no matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find the face she longed to see.

Luo Xiu... was that really you?

She turned and began to shuffle unsteadily back toward the entrance. But she accidentally kicked the step and pitched forward, only to land in a strong, steady embrace. She looked up, embarrassed, at the handsome young man before her. "Thank you, young man."

The young man steadied her by the shoulders, his gaze gentle as he said, "Please be careful."

"Thank you, son." Li Zihan felt a little shy under the young man's warm gaze.

"It was nothing." The young man smiled, shook his head, and turned to leave, carrying a bag of medicinal herbs.

Li Zihan watched his retreating figure, a strange sense of familiarity washing over her.

A moment later, she returned to the counter. Xiao Wei hurried over with a smile. "Ma'am, that young gentleman you just met at the door was the one who returned the Purple Gold Card."

"What did you say?"

Li Zihan's eyes widened in shock, and she rushed back out the door. Only then did she recall the young man's gentle eyes and that familiar back. But he had already vanished into the sea of people, as if he had never been there at all.

...

On the bustling street, a light, misty rain had begun to fall, though no one knew when. Luo Xiu glanced at a billboard on a distant building and realized what day it was.

"It seems today really is a fitting day to visit old friends."

"Why is that?" Hua Muyan asked curiously.

"Today is the Qingming Festival."

「Lin Family Burial Ground」

Luo Xiu placed bouquets of flowers before the gravestones of his old acquaintances. The graves of Lin Daqi, Lin Youpeng, and Zhang Cui were all here. Lin Jianlong's grave was here as well; he was a member of the Lin Family, after all. Looking at their tombstones, Luo Xiu was overcome with a profound sense of loneliness.

Just then, the sound of high heels approached.

Luo Xiu turned to see a breathtakingly beautiful woman with a cold and noble air. She was dressed in black stockings and high heels, and at her side was a refined-looking young man in a suit.

"Excuse me, but... why are you in the Lin Family Burial Ground?" the woman asked, studying Luo Xiu with curiosity.

Luo Xiu's gaze fell upon her face, and his eyes widened. That familiar aura, along with the wooden pendant hanging from her neck, allowed him to recognize her in an instant. This was his daughter—Lin Shanshan.

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