Dao Companions Help Me Live Forever

Chapter 199: Wrapping Up (Part 2)

"Wait a moment before you feel sad."

Yu Xian gently released Master Liu's hand and patted the Soul Banner at his waist, calling out, "Friend Yang, come out and do some work."

The soul body of the Beast Master floated out, wearing a desolate expression as if just being struck.

Without waiting for Yu Xian to ask, he took the initiative to ask, "Do you want her to exist in this world?"

Except when Yu Xian actively blocked him during cultivation, he was never kept inside the Soul Banner and was given full freedom.

So, he saw everything that happened just now very clearly.

In this regard, he could only envy and be jealous.

Yu Xian was indifferent in his actions, reveling in feasts and dances every day. Almost every few days when he woke up from the Soul Banner, he would see different women leaving his room.

This kind of man could actually be loved by a woman to the point of coming back to life even after death.

Such deep obsession, even he had only seen similar things in ancient texts.

Then he remembered his own failed relationship...

He suddenly felt that fate was incredibly cruel. He gave his wholehearted love, but his fiancée stabbed him in the back, leading to the destruction of his family.

Yu Xian was ruthless in pulling out radishes, yet there were people who loved him to the point of dying for him.

"Please teach me, Friend Yang."

Yu Xian always had a good attitude when asking questions.

The Beast Master glanced at Master Liu and sighed, saying, "This matter is not difficult. Since her obsession has dissipated and she no longer has the power to rely on, all you need to do is give her new power."

"How do I give her new power?"

"There are three strategies to choose from: the lower, middle, and upper strategies. Which one do you want?"

"Please explain in detail."

"Let's start with the lower strategy. The simplest method is to bring her into the Soul Banner. The Soul Banner is a natural treasure that can contain soul bodies. With the power nurtured within the Soul Banner, her soul can live for another hundred years without any problem."

"Do ghosts also have a lifespan?"

"Nonsense. Humans have lifespans, and ghosts have ghost lifespans. If becoming a ghost could grant immortality, then why would anyone bother cultivating?

I see that her soul power is not strong, just an ordinary ghost spirit. Her lifespan is actually similar to that of a human. If she wants to extend her lifespan, she can only continue to cultivate in the ghost path.

However..."

The Beast Master paused for a moment and continued, "I have mentioned before that the Beast Soul Banner is a Blood Demon Dao treasure, containing endless blood energy, evil energy, resentment, and death energy...

When the soul enters it, it will be constantly eroded by the evil energy day and night. Although the power will become stronger as a result, the mind will also be worn down by the evil energy until it becomes thoughtless, a fierce soul filled with evil energy.

That's why I insisted on making a hundred-year agreement with you.

And this is a passive effect of the treasure that cannot be changed.

So this is the worst option."

After hearing this, Yu Xian naturally didn't choose it.

He wanted to keep Master Liu behind to find an opportunity to become a Death Knight, not to play Midnight Horror Bell.

If Master Liu turned into a fierce ghost, her appearance would definitely be ugly. He would probably be the first one to step forward to exorcise and free her.

"What is the middle option?"

The True Man of Ten Thousand Beasts said, "You still have some conscience. The middle option is to make her your contracted ghost servant. You can nourish her soul with your spiritual power, so you don't have to worry about her dissipating.

But there will be some burden on your soul, because most cultivators can only have a limited number of contracted objects such as spirit beasts, ghost servants, and soul servants. Most people only have one.

In other words, once you make her your ghost servant, you are likely to permanently lose the opportunity to contract with other spirits."

"But there are also benefits. Her soul is currently weak, but with your spiritual power nourishing her, even without ghost cultivation techniques, she can quickly break through to the realm of a Ghost General, which is equivalent to the Foundation Building realm."

Yu Xian remained noncommittal and said, "What about the best option?"

When this was mentioned, the True Man of Ten Thousand Beasts immediately became spirited and looked at Yu Xian with a malicious intent, which made Yu Xian's heart skip a beat, suddenly having a bad premonition.

"The best option is similar to the middle option, but the difference is that she will become your symbiotic ghost spirit.

The so-called symbiotic ghost spirit is also a contract signed by the two of you, from then on living and dying together.

The advantage is that it will not burden your soul, and it will also benefit your soul. Once her realm improves, she can also nourish your cultivation.

As for the disadvantages..."

The True Man of Ten Thousand Beasts said with great interest,

"Literal meaning, the word 'symbiotic' means that if you die, she cannot survive, and if she dies, you cannot live."

Yu Xian's heart skipped a beat, blaming himself for asking a question.

After practicing for so many years without even having a son, how could he possibly leave such a fatal flaw for others to exploit?

But in this situation, how could he make a choice other than the best option?

He discreetly glanced at Master Liu, who was full of anticipation, and said firmly and decisively,

"Don't say anything else, I choose the best option!"

"If Yue Ru loves me deeply, then I am willing to take the risk and live and die with her. Am I afraid of others using her to threaten me? It would just be death!

Have I, Yu Xian, ever been afraid of death?"

Yu Xian's words awakened Master Liu, making her suddenly sober from the romantic notion of living and dying together.

Yes, she was so weak that she couldn't even protect herself. What if someone captured her to threaten Senior Yu?

Would she really let Senior Yu die with her?

Master Liu quickly said, "Senior Yu, I choose the worst option. As long as I can stay with you for a little longer, even if I become a fierce ghost, I am willing."

Yu Xian frowned and said, "Nonsense, do you know what a fierce ghost looks like?"

With a thought, a ghost with a green face, fangs, and three hands floated out of the Soul Banner. The air immediately emitted a foul stench of blood, making people nauseous.

This ghost was a rare humanoid ghost in the Ten Thousand Beasts Soul Banner. It was unknown where the True Man of Ten Thousand Beasts had obtained it from.

It was almost starving to death, but after feasting in the Bee Forest, it regained its vitality.

"If you become a fierce ghost, this is what you will look like. Do you still want to become one?"

Master Liu covered her mouth in astonishment and exclaimed, "How can it be so ugly?"

She looked sorrowful and said, "In that case, Senior Yu, I might as well die."

Yu Xian knew that the timing was almost right, but still stood on the moral high ground and said, "Don't you want to live and die together with me? Even if I really die for you in the future, it is my choice now, and I won't blame you."

Master Liu quickly shook her head and said, "No, Senior Yu, I want to be with you, but I don't want to burden you. Otherwise..."

She hesitated.

"Otherwise, what?" Yu Xian asked.

"Otherwise, choose the one in the middle, and I am willing to become Senior Yu's ghost servant," Master Liu said cautiously, glancing at Yu Xian and adding, "As long as you don't mind me being a burden."

"Is that so..." Yu Xian pretended to hesitate, but also feared that being too clever would ruin things, so reluctantly agreed, "I apologize for the inconvenience."

"No inconvenience, no inconvenience at all," Master Liu said with joy, even the speed at which her soul dissipated increased.

"Friend Yang, please teach me the method of the contract. Moon Ru can't hold on for much longer," Yu Xian asked the Beast Master.

The Beast Master looked at Master Liu, who was willingly played by Yu Xian, and his teeth were almost ground to pieces.

Damn it, why did Yu Xian encounter such a woman?!

Any woman with a bit of intelligence should be able to see through Yu Xian's insincere words just now.

But he also knew that he couldn't delay the matter, so he quickly passed on the method of contracting a ghost servant to Yu Xian.

"The method of the contract is simple, the difficulty lies in cultivation in the future. You can consider it yourself," the Beast Master said, then retracted into the soul banner and left alone, feeling sad.

Since meeting Yu Xian, he realized how childish his previous methods of treating women were.

Damn it, honest people deserve to be wronged!

Seeing Master Liu's worried look, Yu Xian gently stroked her pale face and said, "Wait a moment, soon you will be able to be with me forever."

"Okay," Master Liu answered softly.

Thinking of the future happy life, she couldn't help but show a look of longing and became infatuated for a moment.

And Wenren Yue, who had been watching all along, was genuinely happy to see her master's wish come true. But after the joy, she couldn't help but look at Yu Xian, who had closed his eyes and was contemplating the secret technique, with a hint of resentment.

He was the man she deeply loved, whether it was in the past or now.

But when she thought of her identity and responsibilities, she silently turned and left.

There were too many ties on Moon True Mountain now, and she couldn't be as fearless as her master.

...

On the fourth day, Yu Xian lightly tapped his lower back and descended from the mountain, leaving a girl who wanted to say something but hesitated to watch him leave from the mountaintop.

Originally, he didn't want to provoke Wenren Yue anymore.

She clearly wanted to be a career-oriented woman, wholeheartedly devoted to the great path of sect revival, so how could he confuse her feelings?

But he had a problem, he listened to persuasion.

Being instigated by Master Liu, saying something about leaving a beautiful memory for her disciple, his mind went blank and he ended up sneaking into her room at night.

He had originally planned to find a time when it was late and the door was locked as a clumsy excuse.

But it happened to be a coincidence.

The room was not locked, and as soon as he pushed the door open, a hot body pounced on him in the darkness.

He was dumbfounded at the time.

He had been tricked by them, hadn't he?

But it was difficult to resist a woman's favor, and if he refused at this time, he wouldn't be a man, and besides, he didn't want to refuse.

So for three consecutive days, he hardly left the bed and revisited the old place.

To be honest, his female disciple took good care of herself and inherited her master's true teachings.

After leaving Moon True Mountain.

Yu Xian calculated the time and went to the Zhao family's market before going to pick up Zhao Shiwen.

...

At the entrance of the Li Mansion in the Zhao family's market.

A handsome young man stopped and looked around, with a somewhat nostalgic expression.

At this moment, a soft and gentle female voice sounded behind him.

"Big brother, what are you doing standing at my house's door?"

Yu Xian turned his head and saw a bright and curious girl of fifteen or sixteen looking at him.

"I came to see an old friend," he said with a gentle smile. This girl looked somewhat familiar, she should be a descendant of Li Ge, he wondered how many more children Li Ge and Wang Jie had after he left the Zhao family.

"Why don't you go in then?" the girl asked, feeling warm in the face of Yu Xian's smile, as if facing an elder in the family.

Yu Xian shook his head and said, "I originally wanted to, but now I don't want to anymore."

He needed to build his power, and while he already had top-level executives, the middle-level backbone was equally indispensable.

Li Ge and Wang Jie have received his favor, and they are both Foundation Building cultivators with sufficient cultivation. They have worked in the market for many years and have rich experience, making them suitable candidates.

But when he stood at the door of the Li family and felt the strong popularity there, he realized that he was wrong.

Time flows incessantly and does not stop for anyone.

He is growing and changing, and so are others.

The once sparsely populated Li family has now become a sizable family.

How could Li Ge and Wang Jie abandon their family and follow him to start a new business in an unfamiliar place?

Of course, if he forcefully asks them to come, Li Ge and Wang Jie may not refuse, but they will definitely harbor resentment and will not be at ease.

"Why don't you want to? Who are you looking for? I can call him for you. If he is an old friend, he will definitely be happy," the girl said enthusiastically to Yu Xian.

"Thank you for your kindness, but it's not necessary," Yu Xian replied with a smile as he patted the girl's head.

"Big brother, didn't anyone tell you that you shouldn't touch a girl's hairstyle?" the girl pretended to be annoyed, but she wasn't really angry.

"You're right, you're right. A girl's hairstyle is important, and I was wrong," Yu Xian admitted.

"We have a connection, so I'll give you this little gift," Yu Xian said as he flipped his palm and took out a high-quality magic tool from the corner of his storage bag. It was a jade flute-shaped magic tool.

He didn't know whose unlucky loot it was. Over the years, he had done a lot of confiscating and looting as the tax official, and naturally, he kept the treasures that interested him. This jade flute was one of them. He had initially been interested in it and wanted to learn how to play the flute. However, after practicing for two days, he lost interest and left it unused.

Before the girl could react, the magic tool was already placed in her hand, and when she came back to her senses, the person was already gone.

"What a strange person," the girl said as she examined the jade flute in her hand. Coming from the Li family, she had a discerning eye, and with the infusion of her spiritual power, she could clearly sense that it was a vibrant high-quality magic tool.

So she added another sentence, "But he's a generous strange person, giving away a high-quality magic tool just like that."

She played with it for a while and suddenly realized, "Oh no, I forgot to ask him his name. But such a generous cultivator is probably a Foundation Building cultivator and a friend of Grandfather's. I'll ask when I get home."

When the girl returned home and had dinner with her grandfather, Li Qianzhong, who was nearly ninety years old with white hair but still had his dark complexion, stared blankly at the jade flute in his granddaughter's hand and suddenly asked the plump old lady next to him, "I heard that Brother Yu accompanied Master Zhao back a few days ago."

The old lady was Wang Jie. She was only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining and had not taken any beauty-enhancing pills. After she turned sixty, her vitality and appearance began to decline, and now she looked no different from an ordinary mortal old lady.

"It should be Brother Yu. Besides him, who else would be so generous and casually give a high-quality magic tool to an unfamiliar little girl?"

In the past, we thought we had to repay his kindness by being slaves and servants. But look at us now, we've been living as masters in the market for so many years and haven't suffered any hardships.

Wang Jie's face suddenly showed a hint of reminiscence as she sighed, "The best thing I've ever done in my life is getting to know Yulan. It changed both your life and mine."

Li Ge, who was highly respected in the Li family, nodded slightly and asked his granddaughter, "Qianqian, did that big brother say anything to you?"

The girl, who had been listening attentively the whole time, excitedly replied, "Grandpa, is he the brother you often talk about, the chief manager of Shangyang City who even the Gold Core cultivators listen to? I heard that he's so powerful!"

As she spoke, she touched her own head and giggled foolishly.

"I thought Chief Manager Yu was very imposing, but I didn't expect him to be so gentle. If I had known, I would have let him touch my head more and recognized him as my big brother. Let's see who dares to oppose me in the future."

"Don't be disrespectful! You should call him Grandpa Yu," Li Ge scolded.

The girl stuck out her tongue and said nonchalantly, "He's so young and doesn't look old at all. I'll call him big brother."

She raised the jade flute in her hand and forcefully declared, "This is the token big brother gave me. From now on, I belong to Chief Manager Yu."

With that, she ran out in a hurry.

"This girl," Li Ge sighed with a bitter smile.

"Let the younger generation have their own blessings. It's Qianqian's good fortune to meet Brother Yu. We don't need to interfere too much," Wang Jie said, tapping her own leg.

"I guess Brother Yu probably wanted to ask us for something, but when he saw how old we are, he didn't want to trouble us," she continued.

Li Ge grabbed Wang Jie's hand and looked at the woman who had accompanied him through half of his life, his eyes filled with tenderness.

"You're not old yet. I still want to celebrate your hundredth birthday with you."

"I worked myself to death for you when I was young, but you never said a few good words to me. Now that I'm old, you've learned these cheesy things. Did some other woman teach you?" Wang Jie couldn't understand his sudden affectionate behavior.

Li Ge blushed and chuckled foolishly.

As a Foundation Building cultivator with strong vitality, he was in his prime and faced many temptations from the outside world. Moreover, he had no hope of further improving his cultivation level. It was inevitable that he wanted to enjoy himself a bit and couldn't control his desires.

But those women were just tools for him to relieve boredom. His wife had always been the only one.

Wang Jie knew that her body was old and her skin was wrinkled. Even a little rain would make her tired and her body ache due to years of excessive labor. How could she stop Li Ge, who was strong and vigorous?

Therefore, she turned a blind eye to his infidelity.

Sometimes it's better to be ignorant.

"If only I had taken a Beauty Retaining Pill back then, I wouldn't have needed you to grow old with me, and you wouldn't have become an old man now," Wang Jie said, her attitude towards aging being very natural.

Besides, a Beauty Retaining Pill costs several hundred spirit stones. She would only buy it if she went crazy.

But when she saw her appearance aging day by day, she couldn't help but feel some regret.

In order to prevent her from thinking too much, Li Ge did not use his powers to maintain his own body, allowing himself to age along with her.

Li Ge held Wang Jie's hand.

"Old man should be matched with an old lady."

"Good character."

...

On the flying boat back to Shangyang City.

Zhao Shiwen stared blankly at the scenery below, watching it get farther and farther away until it couldn't be seen anymore, still lost in thought for a long time.

Yu Xian stood aside, letting the strong wind from high above blow against his body.

"Since it will still take some time to leave, you can spend more time with Aunt."

Zhao Shiwen shook her head and said, "No need, we've said everything these past few days."

"In the hearts of the elderly, there are never enough instructions for their children."

Yu Xian said lightly.

Zhao Shiwen glanced at Yu Xian and said,

"Do you want to hear the story of me and my mother?"

Yu Xian smiled faintly, "If you're willing to tell, I'm willing to listen."

"Thank you."

Zhao Shiwen's eyes showed a reminiscing look as she slowly said,

"As far as I can remember, my father died, and my mother was a fierce woman. When I was young, I was afraid of her and felt embarrassed to have her as my mother.

Later, I realized that if a widow with a daughter didn't have a bit of fierceness, anyone would dare to bully us.

When I was eight years old, everyone of my age started practicing, but I still didn't know anything and played with mud in the fields every day.

It was my mother who caused a scene in the ancestral hall, bringing out my deceased father for everyone in the clan to see, which gave me the qualification to practice.

My mother's cultivation level was not high, so she couldn't guide my practice on a daily basis. She could only repeatedly tell me to work hard and make up for my shortcomings.

Fortunately, my aptitude was not bad, and the teacher at the clan school was also serious in teaching. Until I was twelve years old, I was among the most outstanding group of peers.

But after the enlightenment of cultivation at the age of twelve, I realized that cultivation not only relied on aptitude, but also on resources.

Others had parents in the middle or late stage of Qi Refining, or even the legitimate sons and grandsons of the clan elders. The daily expenses of their parents could support my cultivation for half a month.

They could find experts in the clan to consult at any time.

I could only practice the basic techniques of the clan over and over again, relying on the meager allowance given to me and my mother by the clan.

But it was still not enough.

I gradually became insignificant among the crowd, except for my pretty face, which gained some fame among my peers.

Hehe, under the propaganda of a group of sour grapes who couldn't taste the grapes, I became a promiscuous woman.

I was only fourteen years old at that time.

Later, Uncle Dechun came back for a visit. He became the manager of Yingxian Pavilion, and with his help, I was selected to go to Shangyang City as one of the talented individuals in the clan.

And so, I became a maid in the ancestral mansion, while my mother rented a house in the slums to save a few spirit stones.

That's how my mother and I lived in the slums for seven years.

During those seven years, I thought about giving up countless times. Many people wanted my body, and the price they offered was not bad.

Fortunately, with the reputation of being the legitimate daughter of the Zhao family, they didn't dare to use force.

The young master from the Lin family was just one of them, and our foolish young clan leader sent me away like that at the drinking table."

Zhao Shiwen raised her head and looked at Yu Xian, her eyes filled with tenderness.

"And then, when I was in despair, I met the master."

Hearing this, Yu Xian awkwardly touched his nose.

He wasn't any better than that young master from the Lin family. They were both driven by lust, but he was even more impatient.

"From then on, my life underwent a tremendous change. I secretly brought my mother into the city and rented a house there.

And my mother changed too. She wasn't fierce anymore, her eyes became gentle.

Every time I went to see her, she always urged me to leave, afraid that if I stayed too long, you, master, would have objections.

Actually, I know that you, master, are very lazy and wouldn't care about such trivial matters.

Later, when I returned to the Zhao family, I was worried about my mother's safety, so I let her continue to stay in the city until later when the ancestral mansion had an accident, and my mother and Uncle Dechun returned home.

By then, I had become the person in charge below the Zhao family, and I wanted to seek revenge on those who had bullied us in the past.

But my mother refused. She said we are all family, and we shouldn't dwell on these things.

I promised my mother, and then I sent those who had bullied us to the most difficult place to work in the mines.

In these years, my mother actually lived a very lonely life, which is why she raised so many little chickens in the courtyard, and oh, there's also a dog named Wangwang.

But she never complained to me.

When she left, my mother said that the proudest thing in her life was having me as her daughter.

But I didn't even have the courage to look back at her."

As she spoke, tears streamed down Zhao Shiwen's face.

"Master, am I very selfish?"

Yu Xian nodded, "Yes, you are."

"But, Master, I don't even have parents. I opened my eyes and became an orphan. Maybe I can't fully understand your feelings, but I can lend you a broad shoulder."

Yu Xian opened his arms and embraced Zhao Shiwen, allowing her tears to wet his clothes.

Parting is always the norm.

He couldn't stay in Shangyang City for another ten years and let Zhao Shiwen accompany the old man to live out the rest of his hundred years.

Hmm, it was originally possible.

But after killing Lin Laozu, it's no longer possible.

Yu Xian looked at the distant clouds drifting by and thought to himself.

He was the most selfish person.

But that's also who he is, he won't be bound by anything!

(End of this chapter)