Chapter 42: Slumber

Qin Changsheng flew an immense distance. Ensuring the two fellows could no longer spot his figure, he ceased utilizing the Taiji Yin-Yang Fish for flight.

With a heavy thud, Qin Changsheng slammed hard into the ground.

Fortunately, he had tucked the little fox away into the Yin-Yang Secret Realm beforehand; otherwise, the sheer concussive blast of the Taiji Yin-Yang Fish would have rattled the poor creature's cultivation quite severely.

Only after picking himself up did Qin Changsheng realize that his robes had been completely shredded by the explosion, leaving him stark naked out here in the woods...

"Ahem, trying to act cool like that is genuinely hard to pull off."

Qin Changsheng swiftly conjured a fresh set of robes and dressed himself. "Everything is settled. Time to find a place to slumber."

Releasing the little fox from the realm, the creature chattered incessantly, enthusiastically recommending a myriad of potential resting spots. Qin Changsheng listened in silence without offering any response; he had no intention of letting the little fox know where he would be sleeping, so he dismissed every single suggestion. Instead, he scouted the surrounding area until he found a location blessed with picturesque scenery and exceptionally vibrant vitality.

Without telling the little fox of his impending slumber, Qin Changsheng arrived nearby, reached out, and patted its head. "Little White, the time has come for us to part ways. You've already absorbed a good deal of the primal essence within the Yin-Yang Secret Realm, and I've used immortal Qi to clear all your meridians. As long as you remain cautious in the future and learn from my philosophy of staying low-profile, I believe you can grow up and accomplish great things."

Qin Changsheng's slumber was a closely guarded secret, which meant parting ways with the little fox was an absolute necessity.

Upon hearing that Qin Changsheng intended to leave her behind, the little fox froze, its large, adorable, and naive eyes instantly welling up with tears.

"Master, please don't leave Little White behind."

"Little White will be a good girl and follow you closely."

The little fox communicated through the spiritual contract binding them, its chattering thoughts conveying an unmistakable message: it simply did not want to leave Qin Changsheng.

"All good things must come to an end; this is the first human philosophy I am teaching you."

Qin Changsheng set the little fox down on the ground, prompting it to walk on its own.

"My cultivation method is highly unusual. My slumber cannot be disturbed by anyone, and I must find a place unknown to a living soul. Even with the contract between us, you cannot know where it is. Do you understand?"

He had rescued the little fox, healed its injuries, and kept it by his side. Throughout the most arduous period of his journey, the creature had offered him immense companionship. To say he felt nothing would be a lie, but necessities outweighed sentiments.

Sensing Qin Changsheng's unyielding resolve, the little fox realized it could no longer remain by his side.

"Then Little White will take her leave. Master, please take care."

Reluctantly, the little fox trotted over to Qin Changsheng, gently rubbing its head against his trouser leg as if desperate to etch his scent into its memory, ensuring that the very moment he awoke, she would be the first to know.

After a long while, the little fox transformed into a streak of white light and darted into the forest.

Confirming that the little fox had truly departed, Qin Changsheng set off in a direction he had noted from his map. His lifespan was rapidly drawing to a close; slumbering was no longer a choice, but a necessity.

"Twenty years of trials and tribulations, sigh."

Since his last awakening, nearly two decades had blinked away in the span of a moment.

In these dozen-plus years, he had waited for Wang Yuyan to grow up, traveled to the Xuan Tian Sect, and sent her off. Following that, he wandered for a few years before joining the Mountain-Backing Sect, where he spent some time, crossed paths with Nangong Ruoxi, slew Long Chen, and was cast off a cliff by the figure in white. He had escaped, rescued the little fox, and met the Dao-robed youth on the road.

Then came his reunion with Nangong Ruoxi, his arrival in Zhou City, and his encounter with the young monk Wuling. And now, twenty years of scenery later, he was once more approaching his long sleep.

"Who knows how long this slumber will last? And when I wake, how many faces will still remain unchanged?"

It took him an hour to finally locate his destination. It was a stretch of wilderness lacking exceptional feng shui or striking landmarks—simply an expanse of untamed backcountry radiating decent vitality.

Surveying the terrain, Qin Changsheng nodded with deep satisfaction.

"Right here will do."

With that, he began to dig a hole...

He was likely one of the few individuals who personally dug his own grave to bury himself.

To ensure a comfortable rest, he excavated to a considerable depth. After digging downward for several hundred meters, he stepped inside. Carving out a chamber capable of accommodating a coffin, Qin Changsheng produced the Longevity Monument.

Instantly, a flash of purple brilliance swept across the excavated tunnels, causing them to rapidly restore themselves to their natural state. He lay down within the coffin, clutching the Longevity Monument tightly to his chest.

As the lid closed, the purple radiance flared once more.

Enveloped in the violet glow, both the coffin and Qin Changsheng shrank into a microscopic, imperceptible speck of dust, slipping quietly into the earth to slumber in utter silence.

Qin Changsheng slowly closed his eyes.

...

A year slipped by in a blur. People realized that Qin Changsheng had completely vanished from the world. Over the course of that year, Nangong Ruoxi successfully became the disciple of Ye Qing, the Sword Immortal of the Academy, rising to become Zhou City's most sought-after and dazzling prodigy.

Following her admission to the academy, she shook all of Zhou City with her mastery of the Yin-Yang Nascent Soul, making her invincible among peers of the same realm...

Three years passed. Wang Yuyan, the prodigy of the Xuan Tian Sect, arrived in Zhou City clutching her sword. That day, Wang Yuyan sought out Nangong Ruoxi, and the two engaged in a fierce duel. The match ended in a draw, with victory undecided, and from that day onward, Fairy Yuyan went into secluded cultivation, refusing to step outside.

That same year, Mount Qingqiu located its long-lost little princess...

Another decade elapsed. The Buddhist Child of the Lankavatara Temple was expelled from the sect for falling into the vices of pleasure quarters, reducing him to a depraved, unorthodox monk... Meanwhile, a youth named Chen An shaved his head to become a monk; his spoken words manifested reality amidst radiant Buddhist light, astonishing the world.

The entire world had changed.

A century flew by in the blink of an eye, and the world seemed to have entirely forgotten that a man named Qin Changsheng had ever existed.

That same year, the monk Anming walked into the academy. After challenging its swordsmanship, he departed with a smile...

Many among that generation finally found their respective Dao, transitioning from Nascent Soul to Deity Transformation, shedding their mortal shells and embarking upon their own legendary paths.

It was also that year when an exquisitely beautiful young maiden emerged from secluded cultivation. Carrying numerous white and azure robes, she walked out into the mortal realm, passing through Pine Forest Village, the Xuan Tian Sect, the Mountain-Backing Sect, Horizon Cliff, and Zhou City, before finally vanishing without a trace.

That year, the fox clan's princess came of age, gradually rising to prominence within the demon realm.

Spring departed and autumn arrived, flowers bloomed and withered, and countless seasons passed silently by.

That stretch of untamed wilderness gradually lost its desolate character. Imperceptibly, a bustling village sprang up there, inhabited by numerous families who passed down their lives through several generations.

The place acquired a name: Falling Blossom Village.

Legend had it that a century ago, a couple had settled here just as a profusion of blossoms withered and fell, inspiring the moniker.

Falling Blossom Village consisted of twenty households, stretching barely a mile from end to end. Bustling homesteads dotted the surrounding hills and ridges, bordered by neatly tilled fertile fields.

Beyond the cultivated lands lay stretches of uncultivated slopes. Due to mediocre feng shui and average soil quality, no families had settled there, nor had anyone bothered to clear the earth.

Only sparse, untamed weeds flourished, turning the area into an ideal grazing ground for the village children tending cattle...

On this particular day, an ox grazed lazily while a young cowherd sat cross-legged upon its back, quietly engrossed in a book.