The next day—
"Ai…"
Having been informed of who the enemy was, Ye Chen heaves a sigh.
Other than him, the only other person who knows about the situation is Li Xue, as Shao Tianming and Wang Yongning saw fit to inform them of what they had discussed with Nine Lives—seeing as how the three were members of the same office at one point.
Currently, Ye Chen is sitting on top of an overgrown tree root.
Collection of Spirit Extract leaves have already started—with NPI and the Long Yue family's Moon Guards taking the lead.
As it is impossible to bring in machineries for this job, the task of collecting the leaves is mainly done via manual labor, as weapon spirits leap from branch to branch.
Considering how great of a threat the practitioners are, anyone who tries to start anything over the leaves were generally put down in the swiftest manner possible.
An oddity, which was noticed by everyone, the moment the skies turned light—is the moment when the lamellar armored ghosts had disappeared.
Prior to this, as soon as the 50-meter stone soldier had been taken down, their numbers had plummeted, but that didn't mean that they had vanished completely off the streets.
And yet, now that they have, the ancient city feels awfully barren—akin to an old man, who is on their deathbed, just waiting to draw their last breath.
Out of precaution, sentries were still posted—throughout the rooftops of the various buildings, to keep an eye out.
"…"
Recalling the incident that had occurred during the first excavation, Ye Chen mutters—
"That surnamed Long really doesn't hold anything back."
"Tell me about it."
Walking over with soft drinks in hand, Shao Tianming tosses one to Ye Chen, prior to leaping onto the root, and seating himself as well.
"So then, round two against that bastard, how're you feeling?"
Cracking the drink open, Ye Chen replies—
"Not very confident… Among those Immortals, surnamed Long is clearly the one taking charge. That means his strength is even stronger than that surnamed Qing."
As Ye Chen takes a sip out of the can, Shao Tianming cracks his open to do the same, prior to replying—
"Same as me then?"
Raising an eye, Ye Chen replies—
"Why are you talking to me about this, surnamed Shao?"
"Meh… Sometimes, it's easier to talk to a random stranger, than it is to talk to someone that you know well."
"Hm?"
"My old man is an executive of the hall, so I grew up with plenty of expectations on my back."
Taking a sip out of the can, Ye Chen says—
"If this is going to be some heavy-loaded thing, I'd rather not hear it."
"…Did that surnamed Long's crudeness rub off on you?"
"…"
Blinking his eyes, Ye Chen can't help but have the same thought in mind, as he replies—
"…Who knows? At least, I sure as hell hope it didn't—since that just means…"
Shaking his head, Ye Chen dismisses the thought that he would rather not think about.
"In any case, growing up with those expectations, it meant that I had to live up to them to some degree. …Coming into the outer domain, it was a chance to do just that. But… It's been failures left and right."
Saying all this, Shao Tianming heaves a heavy sigh, to which, Ye Chen replies—
"If it makes you feel any better, I can only say—it can't be helped. The situations that we've been dealt with—on these excavations, have been completely out of our control. That surnamed Long probably had a good hand in most of them."
"The excuse of "it can't be helped," ain't good enough for the people who threw these expectations onto me. They-"
Before Shao Tianming can say anything more, Li Zi Xiang walks over, and says—
"C'mon, get your asses off the tree root, and start helping out."
"NPI and the Long Yue family are done?"
"No, but we've been designated a portion of the tree that can be combed through."
...…
Turning to his left, Long Hua remarks—
"Hmm, view up top is quite pleasant."
Currently, he is walking up the spiraling staircase, which coils around the entirety of Mount Changqiu.
Believing this mountain to have been tossed over to its current position in the past, portions of the staircase are missing or damaged.
However, that doesn't do anything to ruin the view, which can only be seen from this vantage point—where the entirety of the ancient city, along with the black tree, can be snapped onto a single frame.
"Shall I take a photo, master?"
"No need. There'll be grander sceneries to see outside of this world. But this is still a decent start."
Saying this, Long Hua raises a sigh, as he thought—
("Would this place still be here to welcome me back?" …He never did answer that question. So much time has passed. At this point, the place for me to return to back…)
Coming to realize that the place that he has in mind is most probably nonexistent, Long Hua raises another sigh.
"…"
Blinking her eyes, Yao Ying looks to the ancient city as well. With how similar the designs of this city are to the Everlasting Spirit Realm's architecture; it made her feel as if she is no longer in the Leng Bing Realm anymore.
Compared to the two, who haven't seen traditional architecture in abundance for such a long time, Qing Ming Yang and Lin Yu Heng—who tend to take sceneries of this nature for granted didn't feel much, as they glanced at the landscape.
Glancing at the two, Long Hua shrugs his shoulders, and remarks—
"A practitioner's entire life is often spent trying to improve themselves. Little care—do they give to the sceneries, and to the people around them."
Blinking their eyes, Qing Ming Yang and Lin Yu Heng tilt their heads.
"…?"
"…Hmm."
Compared to Qing Ming Yang, Lin Yu Heng shows a subtle hint of understanding, as he mutters—
"My mother currently has a child in her belly. Maybe, it's time to slow down a bit, and think about the people near me."
Hearing this, Qing Ming Yang also sinks into thought, while Long Hua says—
"Death occurs far too often in the practitioners' circle. You never know where the person that you were talking to the day before—might have gone the day after. Maybe they just left for a stroll, or… They might just be six feet under. And by the time you thought to look for them, it's already too late, as you wallow in regret."
"…"
Being reminded of his parents, who had died the day after his brother and himself had sent them off on a safe travel, Qing Ming Yang twitches his lips.
Taking out his calabash, Long Hua downs a drink, and moves along, while muttering—
"Who painted the heavens, and who painted the stars? One stroke, sunlight turns to moonlight. One stroke, reverses the universe. A single brush to paint out a legend, and a single brush to pen the legend's ending. Dim goes the world, as the word—eternity fades. Hong Xiao ah Hong Xiao, from the apostle's corpse you rose, and from the Emperor-Who-Sees-No-Moon's disappearance, you faded from history."
Raising a subtle smile that is drenched with a hint of cruelty, a glass-like shard manifests within Long Hua's hand.
Reflecting from the glass-like shard's surface is the image of an individual—who is dressed in scarlet robes with a mianguan crown, and is smiling in a venomous manner.