Chapter 629 - 287: Master, I Don’t Want to Leave Anymore (2)

He doesn’t completely distrust his silly disciple.

But Liu Erniu is truly a bit clueless.

If Duan Chaolong hadn’t been with him, he would have died ten times over in the past six months!

Now, with so many chatting mortals sitting on the square, if one happened to have a powerful crossbow and harbored ill intentions, it would be entirely possible to seriously injure him while he was restoring his Spiritual Power in meditation, lost in his own thoughts.

Duan Chaolong meditated to recover, while Liu Erniu, acting completely helpless, took out the Magic Sword given to him by his master and sat there blankly.

Perhaps it’s because the end of the world is approaching that these mortals, who long ago saw through it all, felt less awe for cultivators and more curiosity about mysterious things.

An elderly man, dressed in fine clothes and looking bright, even took the initiative to sit beside Liu Erniu, wearing a black official hat embedded with precious gemstones.

"Young man, you are neither a cultivator from the Immortal Alliance nor an Imperial Court consecration, why did you fly in from the south? Could it be that time slipped by unnoticed during cultivation, and you missed the hour of the Teleportation Array’s activation?"

Liu Erniu, who wasn’t well educated, scratched his dark head and said with a hint of embarrassment, "Master... Master said, with our level of cultivation, going to the front lines in the Land of the Far North would just be cannon... cannon fodder, so we came south to escape. It’s just... just unexpected..."

The old man, upon hearing this, laughed heartily: "You young fellow are quite honest; you don’t look like an ordinary cultivator, rather more like a farmer’s lad from the countryside."

Liu Erniu’s eyes widened: "Old sir, you’re amazing! Indeed, a few years ago I was still farming! It wasn’t until an uncle traveling caught sight of me that I embarked on the path of Qi Refining, but... but I’m still farming... just planting in a Spirit Field, haha..."

"Just some life experience, hardly anything amazing." The old man shook his head with a smile, "But defending the family and the country... or defending the realm, is destined to have many deaths and injuries. I’ve heard a court consecration say before — the Immortal Dao values life, understanding self-preservation is reasonable. Surviving, who would willingly choose death?"

Liu Erniu was instantly dumbfounded: "But you... and the old folks in this town..."

"The older one gets, the more one dwells in the past."

The old man answered with a smile, his cloudy eyes reflecting wisdom and emotion.

"Somepeople... hmm... like me, having seen the splendors of the Mortal World, tasted the pinnacle of ministerial status, finally retiring in my hometown, once settled down, I don’t want to leave... it’s hard to leave home, being buried in one’s hometown isn’t so bad."

"However, people like me are the minority. Those villagers have lived here for generations, what have they seen? Some, or rather most here, aren’t truly facing death with composure."

"They simply can’t leave."

"These old bones of ours can’t compare to robust young men, much less you cultivators, unable to endure the toils of a long journey."

"Rather than living in misery or dying halfway, ending up in an unfamiliar place seeking a living, it’s better to enjoy a few comfortable days before dying."

"Having toiled a lifetime, being able to rest peacefully for half a year, with premium rice and flour to eat freely, meat for every meal, chicken, duck, fish—it’s a rare luxury in this Mortal World, a life like an Immortal."

Liu Erniu stood up with a start, eyes even wider, voice raised slightly: "Doesn’t the Immortal Dao Alliance or the Imperial Court care? That’s an Immortal Decree from His Majesty the Dragon Emperor! This is... this is... dereliction!"

"Hahahahaha... that’s dereliction, foolish boy."

The old man laughed heartily, leaning back and forth, slapping his thighs with laughter.

"Although I don’t know what kind of a big figure this Dragon Emperor is, I can give you some numbers."

"In the Mortal World, one Low-grade Spirit Stone is worth a hundred taels of gold, a treasure comparable to a city."

"Supporting the elderly in this town, not to mention a few short months, even a year wouldn’t cost dozens of taels."

"But to move us old folks who may not even manage a Teleportation Array smoothly would require those large Immortal Ships only found in Immortal Sects, piloted by a Nascent Soul True Monarch personally."

"In such a time of national crisis, do you think the time wasted by a Nascent Soul True Monarch is worth more or less than half a Low-grade Spirit Stone?"

"A Nascent Soul True Monarch, with the time spared for us old ones, can create much greater results in war, results surpassing not only the lives of us old folks but potentially the lives of all mortals in Great Yin."

"That kind-hearted True Man can leave an array to shelter us through our final days, which is already a great blessing."

"I know, it’s against the rules."

"These Spirit Stones shouldn’t be used on us old folks, these spiritual materials should be sent to the front lines to build defenses."

"Given all this, what more do we lack?"

"I’m content."

Liu Erniu stood there dazed, speechless for a long time.

The old man, seeing him not speaking, simply shook his head and left to find others for tea and chatting.

He just stood there silently all along, staring blankly at the yellow earth before him, lost in thought.

Several hours passed, and as the sun was setting in the west, Duan Chaolong had fully recovered to his peak, but Liu Erniu was still standing there.

Seeing his silly disciple turned into such a spiritless mess, Duan Chaolong, who was originally in a great mood, suddenly felt a pang of unease.

Oh no!

Could there really be a problem with this town!

"Wake up!"

Shouted with sound waves mixed with Spiritual Power, bearing some taste of Buddhist True Words, immediately snapping Liu Erniu out of that strange state.

Liu Erniu, whose eyes were no longer confused, suddenly shouted towards the direction of the old man from noon: "No matter how many Spirit Stones there are, they cannot bring the dead back to life! The lives of the people in the town are worth far more than Spirit Stones! If there are no people, what use is the realm?"

The old man, who was eating with a bowl in hand, was startled.

But he didn’t argue with Liu Erniu, just smiled slightly and continued his duel with his bowl of noodle soup.

This action, however, attracted quite an audience.

Those who are used to seeing aloof Immortal Masters, soaring in the clouds, had never seen behavior like this before.

Duan Chaolong abruptly tugged him aside, angrily scolding: "What madness are you speaking!"

Unexpectedly, the usually timid Liu Erniu suddenly kneeled down, saddened, "Master, your disciple is unfilial, unable to care for you in old age! Go by yourself, I’m staying here!"

"Are you out of your mind?"

Duan Chaolong, filled with disbelief, kicked Liu Erniu down to the ground.

There was some collapse within his heart.

How come, after just meditating and resting for a while, the usually obedient silly disciple’s mind became so abnormal?

He grabbed Liu Erniu by the collar, yanking him up.

"The black mist, at most, will take one more day to arrive! Quickly put away the Magic Sword and follow me. Listen!"

"Master, I’m not crazy!" Liu Erniu said excitedly, "Master, you always taught me to be kind to others, taught me — when poor, preserve one’s integrity individually; when wealthy, share with the world. There is a Tier Three Array here that can remove some of the black mist’s power! With a cultivator in control, it’s not impossible to save these people."

"You’re striking a futile blow!"

Did I teach you principles for you to use them in such a way now!

Duan Chaolong was nearly driven mad with anger, roaring furiously.

"With your crude cultivation of the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, what can you possibly control! Can you control a Tier Three Array? Who gave you such audacity! If only such a pitiful array could save people, wouldn’t a Divinity Transformation True Venerable know better? Does it need your petty Qi Refining to worry?"

Liu Erniu stubbornly shouted in opposition: "What if it really can! What if it’s just that those lofty Nascent Soul True Monarchs, Divinity Transformation True Venerables thought this was more cost-effective, and didn’t want to waste time?"

"Just now, while you were meditating, a very competent old man told me! These people should have had a chance to live, but it’s because the Nascent Soul True Monarchs didn’t want to waste time, leaving them forced to stay abandoned here!"

"How do you know those Great Cultivators of the Immortal Dao Alliance aren’t deceiving us? They’ve deceived us before!"

...

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ps: Well... dear brothers, I want to take a day off tomorrow, red beans nigiri please! Don’t want to concoct excuses to deceive everyone, just an honest confession, without playing Black Goku I feel like there are ants crawling over me, no heart to code! Four years, waited for four whole years! I’ve waited from being a student guide to a corporate slave!