The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 212 Aging

As he spoke, the black aura around Ding Lin dissipated, and his body shrank back to its original size, thin and tall.

The red scales beneath his skin disappeared, and his eyes, which had been open the whole time, finally closed. However, his face was pale and bloodless, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.

"Alright, the demonic thoughts have completely left his body. He should wake up in about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea," said Hong Gu.

"That's good." The Fifth Fairy was completely relieved.

"Wait... Aunt Hong, did you just say that Brother Jin has already cultivated for nine thousand years?" The Fifth Fairy seemed to realize something belatedly, a look of surprise flashing in her eyes. "If that's the case, then wouldn't he be able to..."

"That's right, I can't be wrong. Back then... he was much luckier than me. Now, his path to immortality is smooth, and his future is limitless."

As Hong Gu spoke, envy flashed in her eyes again.

"That's why I said, my granddaughter, your investment is well worth it. You brought him into the Heavenly Court, transformed him from a mortal demon into an immortal, arranged for him to stay in the Peach Garden, and even gave him cultivation techniques. You've already done more than enough favors. This time, consider it giving me the opportunity and using that Pure Spirit Pill to make a good connection."

People's views are not always static; they change as goals change. This is what is often referred to as "times change".

When Ding Lin was just an ordinary Nascent Soul demon cultivator, he was an annoying nepotism recruiter. But after he showed enough potential, he became a visionary investment for those in power.

Hong Gu's approach was a win-win situation. Ding Lin was grateful for her help, and he also had to accept a favor from the Fifth Fairy.

Invest?
When Hong Gu's words reached her ears, the Fifth Fairy's eyes dimmed slightly.

The Fifth Fairy was initially worried, but after Ding Lin was out of danger, she breathed a sigh of relief. However, recalling her actions just now, she felt that she had been too obvious in showing her concern. The Heavenly Rules were strict, and perhaps Hong Gu had already seen through her.

Unexpectedly, Hong Gu thought that was the case. The Fifth Fairy breathed a sigh of relief, relieved of a heavy burden, which was something to be thankful for, but she couldn't be happy.

So this is how outsiders see it? What if Brother Jin also...?

A thought flashed uncontrollably through the mind of the Fifth Fairy, leaving her feeling lost and dejected.

“Aunt Hong, it’s not just me. When Fifth Sister was in the mortal realm, she also received a lot of care from Brother Jin. He has been kind to me and my sisters. We are not doing this for any purpose. We just want to express our gratitude. It’s our true feelings. How can you say that…”

The five fairies couldn't help but retort, but they realized what they were saying halfway through and quickly stopped talking.

Hong Gu was slightly taken aback, and the smile on her face faded.

"My granddaughter is right, I misspoke."

Hong Gu said, looking at the Fifth Fairy, or rather, the Seventh Fairy from her perspective, her mind filled with images of the Seventh Fairy as children, as if it were still yesterday.

In my memory, the Seventh Fairy Maiden should only be a few hundred years old, and she was born not long ago. According to the age of immortals, she is still a child. That is why she did not deliberately hide anything before and spoke her mind directly.

In retrospect, we were still not vigilant enough.

Hong Gu secretly regretted her words; with that one extra comment, she had instantly lost half of the favor she had just done.

At the same time, she was also marveling at how hardship could truly temper a person, making the Seventh Fairy so mature at such a young age.

Hong Gu's eyes changed, slowly revealing something else. She no longer dared to treat the Fifth Fairy as a child; of course, from her perspective, they were the Seventh Fairy. "You give me a papaya, I return you a precious jade; it's a matter of reciprocity. Your relationship isn't an investment, but rather based on affection," Hong Gu said.

It's better to appeal to emotions than to lure them with profit, especially with young people who are still inexperienced in the ways of the world. If profit can make them work themselves to the bone, then emotion is enough to make them willingly dedicate everything.

She probably only understood this principle when she was on her deathbed.

Looking at the Five Fairies, Hong Gu's eyes held something else.

The five fairies were struck by that gaze, which sent alarm bells ringing in their hearts.

Hong Gu thought that the person in front of her was the Seventh Fairy. In her opinion, the Seventh Fairy was the one who was deceived by the Cowherd and suffered such a great loss. Subconsciously, she would not think in that direction. Therefore, the concern shown by the Fifth Fairy to Ding Lin could only be an act to win people's hearts, with at most a few traces of gratitude.

The Fifth Fairy's worry stemmed from the fact that, subconsciously, she still thought of herself. Having just swapped bodies with the Seventh Fairy, she hadn't yet adapted to her current identity as the Seventh Fairy.

The two sides' thoughts and ideas were not even from the same starting point, so their conclusions were naturally very different, and they were all based on their own assumptions.

Thus, one was surprised by the other's maturity beyond his years and dared not treat him as a child anymore, while the other, while relieved, was also heartbroken and swallowed the bitter fruit of unrequited love.

The Fifth Fairy looked at Ding Lin again and suddenly froze. Ding Lin was still lying there with his eyes closed, but in the short time it took for the Fifth Fairy and Hong Gu to exchange a few words, his appearance had completely changed.

Fine lines appeared on his face, and his hair was streaked with white snow. It was as if time had been fast-forwarded, and thousands of years had passed in an instant. Ding Lin's appearance had changed from a boy in his twenties to a middle-aged man in his forties.

"His face, and his hair..." The Fifth Fairy looked panicked, no longer caring about anything else, and turned to look at Aunt Hong, her face full of disbelief, "Aunt Hong, how did Brother Jin become like this..."

"How is he...getting old?"

Ding Lin's aging continued, like autumn leaves falling in the wind. In a short time, he went from middle-aged to old, with wrinkled skin and white hair.
"He's about to wake up," said Hong Gu.

"what!"

Ding Lin groaned in pain, his eyelids trembling slightly. He felt as if he were having an extremely terrifying dream, with a cage imprisoning his primordial spirit and a consciousness taking over his body, wantonly and recklessly destroying it.

"Brother Jin!"

A somewhat familiar voice reached my ears.

Ding Lin slowly opened his eyes, only to find his vision completely blurred. He steadied himself, and after a wave of nausea and dizziness, he finally saw his surroundings clearly.

The first thing you see is the pretty face of the Seven Fairies, her eyes red, her face full of anxiety and helplessness.

Ding Lin was stunned for a moment.

what happened?
Ding Lin felt that his relationship with the Seven Fairies was not that close. The stark contrast created a sense of estrangement, and he almost thought he was still dreaming.

"Brother Jin, how are you feeling?" asked the 'Seven Fairies' in front of him.

Ding Lin was puzzled. He braced himself with his hands and tried to get up, but when he had only raised half of his upper body, he suddenly felt a weakness in his elbow, as if he was losing strength.

(End of this chapter)