Chapter 431 - 289: Even If Millions Die, What Does It Matter to Me? (Part 2)
"Hmph!"
A gruff snort filled with anger came from inside the straw hut as the Elder Celestial Master opened the door, staring furiously at Xiang Donglai, and said crossly, "You’re getting older. What’s so old about you? I’m almost two hundred years old. Can you be older than me?"
Xiang Donglai smiled helplessly and said, "Uncle Master, how can we compare with you? Your Cultivation is beyond compare; you can live for at least several more decades. As for me, I’m counting my days, living one day at a time!"
The Elder Celestial Master and Xiang Donglai stood face to face,
one over a hundred years old and the other nearing two hundred, yet they were like two sulking children, puffing their cheeks and staring at each other.
After a while, the Elder Celestial Master’s gaze softened as he looked at Xiang Donglai, even though he was over a hundred years old, having watched him grow from a child in crotchless pants to now.
"You’re old." The Elder Celestial Master sighed.
Xiang Donglai said helplessly, "I can’t compare with you, Uncle Master. It’s quite a feat for me to live to this age."
The Elder Celestial Master looked at the decay and death aura emanating from Xiang Donglai’s body, feeling sorrowful, saying, "I’ve lived too long myself. I’ve sent off several generations already, and I’m truly tired of it. But now... I don’t know how many more successors I will have to send off..."
"Uncle Master," Xiang Donglai slowly sat on the doorstep and said, "I’ve lived a long life too. I understand how you feel. However, this era, this Martial World has never changed; it’s always been filled with bloodshed and life and death separations."
The Elder Celestial Master sat beside Xiang Donglai on the doorstep, looking at the cabbage covered by snow in the garden, remaining silent for a while, then said, "Have Xiaoxiang and Little Ghost really died?"
Xiang Donglai nodded and said, "They are truly dead. We will bury them tomorrow at White Pearl Peak. The land was chosen by Yuanzhixiang’s boy who said it’s a place of good Feng Shui, blessing future generations."
"Nonsense blessings," the Elder Celestial Master spat, saying, "I’ve lived nearly two hundred years, and I’ve seen everything, except for any dead who could bless the living. If they couldn’t protect while alive, how could they protect after death?"
Xiang Donglai chuckled and said, "It’s just a thought, Uncle Master. Why take it to heart?"
"How can I not take it seriously," the Elder Celestial Master said grumpily, "I’m not dead yet; I’m still alive. They... they visited me just a few days ago..."
The Elder Celestial Master pointed to the corner of the vegetable garden and said, "See that, just there? That vegetable was taken by Yuan Zhixiang’s boy, claiming I couldn’t eat that much alone. I even kicked him at the time..."
The Elder Celestial Master’s voice choked a bit but didn’t shed tears; his gaze was dazed as he said, "I don’t know Nie Ghost God that rascal well, but I gave him his name. When his dad held him to meet me back then, that rascal peed all over my hand. Later on, when he grew up, he rarely visited me. I know young people always find me talkative and long-winded!"
Xiang Donglai gently patted the Elder Celestial Master on the shoulder, gently comforting, "Uncle Master, you and I have both been young. We’ve walked through wind and rain. Isn’t the so-called Martial World just a cycle, where today you kill me, and tomorrow I kill you?"
"I understand the reasoning," the Elder Celestial Master shook his head and said, "But I’m not dead yet, I’m still alive. Yet there are those who dare to kill my disciples and grandchildren; you know, I dedicated my life to Cultivation just to ensure that with me here, no one would dare bully the disciples of Sword King City when they ventured outside."
Xiang Donglai remained silent for a while and then said, "Uncle Master, in this chaotic Martial World, there’s no talk of bullying or not bullying; it’s survival of the fittest..."
"Yes," the Elder Celestial Master sighed and said, "Old people easily get emotional, and Sword King City isn’t invincible in the world, how could there be no deaths? It’s just, my heart aches!"
Xiang Donglai also sighed, saying, "Uncle Master, Sword King City is facing significant trouble right now, you’ll need to make a decision."
The Elder Celestial Master remained silent for a while and then spoke up, "Wei Wuya, that boy..."
Xiang Donglai slightly nodded, saying despondently, "Uncle Master, you know, that boy has been the most opinionated since he was young. Amongst several generations, in terms of ability, that boy is the most outstanding..."
"But he’s also the most prone to taking the wrong path," the Elder Celestial Master said quietly, "I’m a bit regretful now. If I hadn’t appointed him Sect Leader back then, if he hadn’t borne the burden of Sword King City, perhaps he wouldn’t have chosen this path!"
Xiang Donglai slowly continued, "But his chance of success is very high this time; the experiments by Sword One and Qi Baiyu have already given him an eighty percent chance of success, Uncle Master. If he really succeeds..."
"Even if he succeeds, I still won’t acknowledge it, for it’s ultimately a crooked path, not the right path." the Elder Celestial Master said.
Xiang Donglai shook his head and said, "But, Uncle Master, it’s really almost impossible for anyone to be promoted to the Grotto Heaven Realm now. If Wei Wuya doesn’t do it, the next generation or the generation after will have to attempt it!"
The Elder Celestial Master waved his hand and said, "Wei Wuya has been saying the same thing, and so be it. You all think I’m stubborn and inflexible; yes, I’m an old fool nearing two hundred years, indeed I can’t keep up with your thinking. Anyway, we’ve come this far, talking about it is meaningless."
Xiang Donglai said helplessly, "I also thought about persuading Wei Wuya, but I couldn’t."
The Elder Celestial Master rose slowly and said, "Go ahead then, after all my old bones can still hold up. I know why you came today. Rest assured, if it comes to a fight, with me here, that old witch from the Demon Dao side won’t dare to come over."