“Yes, hotpot.” Jiang Wen looked at Xue's expression, slightly startled. His thoughts raced, but he quickly calmed down.
He answered her, feigning nonchalance. He didn't know why he could still say the words 'hotpot'; just now, he almost felt the world sending him away. But the divine statue in his mind emitted golden light, dragging him back from the rejection.
This was the second time Jiang Wen had seen the divine statue in his mind manifest. It was usually inactive, but he didn't expect it to have such a significant effect at a crucial moment. This surprised him quite a bit.
Calming his mind, Jiang Wen casually observed Xue's expression. He knew the term 'hotpot' was special, after all, he was the only one who invented this way of eating in Tai Cang. The culinary method of hotpot wasn't widespread in Tai Cang because it required too many ingredients, as well as some precious spices, such as chili peppers. Therefore, ordinary families could hardly afford to eat it often, and it didn't spread widely.
Only Jiang Wen would occasionally host banquets at home, inviting Jiang Wenji and the others to gather for meals. Although those days were somewhat simple, they had more freedom and joy.
“Do you like antelope meat rolls?” Xue asked.
“No, I just like to eat large pieces of meat.” Jiang Wen smiled. Antelope meat rolls were something Shennong liked to eat; what did it have to do with him, Jiang Wen? He just loved to eat hotpot.
“How do you like to eat hotpot?” Xue asked again. She stared at Jiang Wen, trying to find some clues in his expression.
But she was somewhat disappointed. After years of experience, Jiang Wen was already as steady as Mount Tai. His expression was natural, with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
“An old man taught me, he was also the master who taught me the art of talismans. He said he liked to eat hotpot the most, so he taught me.”
Listening to Jiang Wen's words, Xue fell silent. She sat up straight and stopped staring as intently as before. She just looked up at the moon in the sky and exhaled a long breath: “That's good, I also like to eat hotpot.”
“I'll treat you tomorrow.” Jiang Wen replied with a smile.
Xue looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded: “You can come to my residence.”
“Really?” Jiang Wen was a little surprised. He didn't expect to have the opportunity to see Xue's residence.
He felt a bit nostalgic, after all, the first house Xue lived in was built little by little by him and Xiu Qi. He wondered how it was now; it shouldn't be worse than it was then, right?
“Yes.” Xue said. She stood up, her light紗 fluttering in the night breeze, and then stepped into the sky. “I will find you again tomorrow.”
She walked towards the moon step by step, and finally disappeared from Jiang Wen's sight.
“The Soaring Immortal Steps? She has practiced it to perfection. I didn't expect that lively and quick-witted little girl to become a powerful monarch, truly, the world is unpredictable.” Jiang Wen smiled and sat quietly in place.
The Soaring Immortal Steps were learned by Jiang Wen from Li Yunshang and were considered a technique of the Tai Shen Palace. However, he didn't like this overly elegant technique, so he taught it to Xue. When the Soaring Immortal Steps are practiced to the extreme, one can travel a thousand miles in a single step.
A distant journey can be reached in a breath, making it a superior technique. However, once this technique is cultivated, it is impossible to cultivate others. Jiang Wen felt that the Soaring Steps were too slow to activate, not as fast as flying with a sword, so he only remembered it and never cultivated it.
Jiang Wen turned his head and saw Xiu Qi.
He was now wearing a dragon python robe and a coronet. He looked like a true Daoist, exuding an imposing aura. Just standing there was enough to inspire awe in ordinary people.
Walking to Jiang Wen's side, Xiu Qi also looked in the direction he was looking.
It was the moon in the sky.
“The moon, it's beautiful, isn't it?” Xiu Qi said softly.
“Yes, the moon is still so beautiful. Even after thousands of years, it has never changed.” Jiang Wen replied with a smile, listening to Xiu Qi's words.
“Yes, it's really beautiful. It was like this when I first saw it more than ten thousand years ago, and it hasn't changed now.” Xiu Qi said. “Sometimes I wonder, how wonderful it would be if people could live as long as the moon.”
“What's the point of living so long? To be an old immortal? Haha, that would be too boring.” Jiang Wen chuckled.
“What's wrong with being an old immortal? Life is too short, and there are too many things that cannot be accomplished. We rush through life, and in the end, all that remains is regret.” Xiu Qi sighed, placing his hands behind his back. He stood tall, like a green pine standing between heaven and earth. His face was melancholy, with a hint of sadness. “We are ultimately too small, just a drop in the ocean in the long river of time and years.”
Hearing Xiu Qi say this, Jiang Wen also became silent. He thought of Xiu Qi's actions in later generations, and Yan Gongli told him so many of Xiu Qi's evil deeds.
In order to live longer, Xiu Qi abandoned his humanity. He became greedy, cold-blooded, and ruthless. He could use the lives of countless disciples in exchange for the possibility of his own immortality. That Xiu Qi was not the person in front of him, and Jiang Wen didn't understand what Xiu Qi had gone through to become that way.
Xiu Qi was not a born villain, Jiang Wen knew in his heart.
“How can life be without regrets? It is only because of regrets that the things we experience can be called life.” Jiang Wen took out a pot of wine from his storage bag and handed it to Xiu Qi.
Xiu Qi was stunned when he saw the wine pot, and a smile appeared on his stiff face. He took the wine pot, opened it, and took a sip.
“Not bad.”
“Of course, this wine is not simple.” Jiang Wen laughed upon hearing this. “But since Marquis Wuliang is the Tianyuan Marquis, what regrets could he have? This Tai Cang, this world, could there be anything you can't get?”
“Yes.” Xiu Qi took another sip, then raised the wine pot to the moon. “You know? Actually, I've always been very afraid of death. A long, long time ago, I almost died, and it was Master who tried everything to save me. I'm afraid of death, and I'm afraid of pain. So I want to become strong, so strong that no one can hurt me.”
“I originally thought that was my wish, but later Master suddenly passed away. Master was still so young, just over a hundred years old. But he left me when he should have been alive. I lay in front of Master's bed, desperately calling him, trying to wake him from his sleep. But Master never woke up again. Master was such a powerful person, unmatched even in the entire Tai Cang. But the long years took his life in just a hundred years.”
“I tried everything I could, used every means. But I still couldn't save Master. At that time, I hated myself for being powerless, for not being able to bring Master back. From that moment on, I swore that I would never want to see any close person die again. I want to fight against time, to fight with heaven and earth for life! I want the lifespan of the human world to be determined only by humans themselves, and not to be manipulated by the heavens!”
Xiu Qi's voice was deep, and his eyes were filled with a burning golden light, revealing an iron will.
He reached out to the moon and said in a deep voice: “I want to be like the moon, living forever.”
