Chapter 336: Sorrow

"I must bid you all farewell in advance."

Inside the classical and elegant Teaching Building of Ling'an Academy, an old gentleman leaning on a Wooden Staff was bowing to apologize to the full hall of students.

The students were all silent, staring at this aged figure.

The old gentleman smiled at them: "Young people always feel that life and death and parting carry the weight of ten thousand jun, but as one grows older, one sees things more openly. It is only a pity that I cannot accompany you all to the end; this body of mine can no longer hold on..."

His smile was as gentle and kind as ever.

"Perhaps some students have already noticed that you are my final class of students. After teaching you all, I did not take on another cohort; I had already anticipated this moment back then," the old gentleman said leisurely. "There is nothing to this. Life between heaven and earth is but a white colt passing a crack, gone in a flash. It is just that I had originally thought I could accompany you all through your senior year, or perhaps even better, attend your graduation defense. The academy is always very strict with us students of Space and Plane Studies; if I were there, they would restrain themselves, and your defense would go more smoothly..."

"It is I who underestimated it."

"Thinking about it carefully, I should still bid you all farewell. Matters in life should have a beginning and an end."

A student asked:

"Teacher Ou, where will you be recuperating? We will come to visit you!"

"That will not be necessary."

The old gentleman refused with a chuckle: "I have contacted an academician who specializes in Spirit Decay to cooperate with him on some research; perhaps it can still benefit society."

He paused for a moment: "Besides, the symptoms of Spirit Decay are not very presentable, and I do not wish to show myself to you all in that state."

"When will you go?"

"Tomorrow."

The students all fell silent again.

"Let us part here."

The old gentleman used all his strength to straighten his back and lifted his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the classroom one by one.

Some were naturally cheerful, some were just habitually cheerful; some were insecure, some were outgoing; some were silent, some were active; some were passionate, some were indifferent... As the teacher who taught the most courses in this major, he had known every student and remembered every student's name over the past three years.

"Life between heaven and earth is like a traveler on a long journey. I advise you not to cherish your gold-threaded robes, but to cherish your youth. Walk more, stop more, look up more, look down more, gaze at the starry sky more, look around at those beside you more, do more good deeds, and pay less mind to the cold eyes of others."

"I wish you all a bright future and that your efforts are not in vain."

The classroom fell into a long silence; the young people had not yet experienced parting and were momentarily at a loss.

It was not until the old gentleman bowed to them that they hurriedly and chaotically stood up to return the gesture, the sound of chairs and desks being pushed echoing throughout. Immediately, some remained standing while others sat down; in their bewilderment, they saw the old gentleman leaning on his Wooden Staff, turning around to be the first to walk out of the classroom.

Ning Qing remained sitting by the window, not rising.

The scenery outside the window was already autumn.

In a trance, she seemed to recall when she first enrolled as a freshman—

The old gentleman was a great scholar admired by most; many students' interest in, and even enlightenment regarding, the universe, space, and planes came from him. It could be said that many people applied to this major at Ling'an Academy specifically for the old gentleman.

During that first class, everyone was full of anticipation.

They wanted to see him, feeling both nervous and afraid.

As the class bell rang, the old gentleman walked in carrying a water cup.

At this moment, the two figures overlapped, and everyone finally realized that in these three years, the old gentleman had aged so much, and his figure had grown thin.

Gradually, students picked up their books and walked out of the classroom in silence.

"..."

Ning Qing's expression was calm, but her heart felt as if it were blocked by something, making it difficult to breathe.

Even if she had expected it, it was still heartbreaking.

What could the Secret Sect change?

The whole hall of students, hadn't they all expected this day, and wouldn't they all still feel sad...

And she had almost forgotten the feeling of sadness.

The last time was when her family moved, moving from the same residential complex as Chen Shu to a courtyard in the suburbs. When she was young and foolish, she was afraid of not seeing him anymore, and afraid that if the distance between them grew, he would no longer be as good to her. If he were good to someone else, she would find it even more unacceptable.

Since then, she had almost never felt sad.

Ning Qing was just such a person with thin emotions.

At this moment, picking up this feeling again, she was momentarily unaccustomed to it and did not know how to cope.

Ning Qing frowned, experiencing it carefully.

Over three years of teaching, memories rolled into her heart one by one.

Finally, a bitter taste welled up.

Until the students had gradually left, and the wind blew through the entire classroom, entering from the left and leaving from the right, and the next class arrived...

When Ning Qing reacted, she had already taken out her Mobile Phone, the screen staying on the Feixin interface.

At the top, the two characters "Chen Shu" were displayed.

So, when people are sad, they subconsciously look for the person closest to them.

Ning Qing suddenly remembered her childhood; it was her, then she slowly became close, and became dependent.

So she was still that little girl from back then.

So her dependence on him had never diminished.

Ning Qing finally stood up, clutching her books.

Only one message was sent on the Mobile Phone—

Ning Qing: Morning and Dusk seems to have opened

The swing in the small courtyard sat still, with a beautiful woman sitting on it.

Standing before her was a man, one hand resting on her shoulder, the other hand idly twirling her hair.

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are things no one can avoid. Parting is also the norm of the world. Look at it more openly, and you will discover the beauty between gathering and scattering."

"Hold me."

"Mmm..."

Chen Shu stepped forward a little bit more.

Ning Qing then buried her face against his stomach, wrapping her arms around his waist. Amidst her quiet breathing, she could smell the laundry detergent on his clothes. Only after a moment did she turn her head, using one cheek to feel his body temperature, while her eyes stared at the flowers filling the courtyard.

Chen Shu wrapped his hands around the back of her head, also able to feel the warmth beneath her hair.

A cold, clear voice rang out, softer than usual:

"I remembered when I was little."

"What?"

"Back when we moved house."

"What about it?"

"I wanted to hug you back then, too."

"But you didn't."

"Yes."

Ning Qing paused, still wrapping her arms around his waist, and then said, "I was too shy back then."

"Looks like your skin has grown thicker."

"..."

Ning Qing didn't know whether to feel sad or want to laugh; in the end, the mixed reaction turned into anger. She patted him with the hand wrapped around his waist to show her dissatisfaction.

"Why are you hitting me?"

"I wanted to hit you."

"Hey, in order for you to better experience 'Joy', shouldn't I avoid trying to persuade you too much?"

"As you wish."

"Then I'll make you something delicious. What do you want to eat?"

"I don't know."

"Emmm..."

Chen Shu only thought for a moment before a long string of dish names popped into his head. He then rubbed Ning Qing's head, messing up her hair, before letting her go:

"Then do you want to go out and buy groceries with me?"

"Yes."

"Let's go."

Chen Shu pulled her up.

In the process of pulling, he felt just the right amount of weight. Clearly, this girl was cooperating with him to help her stand up, rather than her actively standing up the moment he applied force... Perhaps she was experiencing this process to find comfort in it.

Chen Shu couldn't help but reveal a smile, reaching out to pinch Ning Qing's cheek and tugging it:

"You're the same as when you were little."

This girl was now only a little shorter than him, standing in front of him without a word, letting him pinch her cheek. In his memory, due to girls developing earlier and the Heavenly Human Bloodline, there had been a not-insignificant period of time during their growth where she was taller than him.

Half an hour later.

Lemon Mall.

It was still Chen Shu walking in front, with Ning Qing pushing the small cart, following behind.

The supermarket was bustling with people; it was full of the flavor of life.

Chen Shu liked to look around at everything. Even if it was something he wasn't buying, or even something he had never bought before, he liked to lean in and take a look, sometimes even picking it up to carefully read the ingredient list and nutritional information, not missing a single shelf.

He had always been like this.

Time seemed as quiet as ever.

Watching the ingredients gradually increase in the small cart, Ning Qing remained silent, just following behind him, but her heart gradually calmed down.

There was one thing Chen Shu didn't know—

Actually, as long as he was by her side and they were together, it was already a comfort to her.

Sorrow is undoubtedly heavy.

But if there is another person to share it with you, it becomes much easier.

"Do you want an ice cream?"

"..."

Ning Qing was silent for a few seconds before answering firmly:

"Yes!"

"A Little Pudding?"

"Mm."

Two more items were added to the small cart.

After paying, the two carried their things, each holding an ice cream, and walked back while eating.

The milky flavor mixed with sweetness was the best at dispelling unhappiness, cool and refreshing, seeping into their hearts. Ning Qing's had raisins in it, and every time she ate one, it was tart—exactly the taste she liked—so as they walked back, the sky seemed a bit brighter.

Two mini motorcycles were parked outside the small courtyard.

One was the one Ning Qing originally had.

The other was brand new, the same model as hers, but a newer version from many years later. It hadn't been registered yet, and it was placed next to hers.

Chen Shu pushed the door open in confusion.

A white cat sat on the ground, watching the young girl in front of it walk back and forth in the courtyard.

Until the sound of the door opening came from outside.

"Brother-in-law."

The little girl stopped immediately, turned her head, and shared with her brother-in-law: "Did you see the little motorcycle I bought?"

"I saw it."

"Qingqing, did you see the little motorcycle I bought?"

"..."

"Mine is the new model! And it's brand new!"

"..."

"The new model looks better than the old one!"

"..."

"Your sister is currently experiencing 'tragedy' and is feeling heartbroken, so don't provoke her; be careful she doesn't beat you to death and give your cultivation a speed boost." Chen Shu smiled and stopped her death-seeking behavior, then immediately asked, "What made you think of buying a motorcycle?"

"I don't want to ride in Zhang Suannai's car anymore," the little girl said. "From now on, when you two go out to play, I'll ride my little motorcycle and follow you."

"How much was it?"

"I bought the top-of-the-line version, 9,888."

"That's the same as what your sister bought before."

"The price didn't go up," the little girl said, then couldn't help but add, "but the new model has upgraded a lot of things and has much better performance than the old one."

"Alright, alright, stop provoking your sister; go play in the courtyard for now, we're going to go cook." Chen Shu waved his hands at her repeatedly, then used one hand to push Qingqing's shoulder, walking toward the kitchen.

The little girl stood where she was, holding the keys in her hand, threading them onto one finger and spinning them in circles.