Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

Standing under the tree, Meng Yan looked at Wan Shu, first nodding slightly, then shaking his head.

"Since you don't want to talk, then just listen to what I have to say. Consider it a story."

"The story is long and involves many secrets, including some of my own speculations. I hope you, Master Wan, will be patient and listen carefully to this story..."

"In such a chaotic world, the birth and death of terrestrial immortals will far exceed the norm in a short period of time... But this is not absolute. As time goes by, the population will decrease, and the shrinking base will inevitably lead to a decrease in geniuses, making the turnover rate of terrestrial immortals slow down."

"When that time comes, a well-planned new order will naturally emerge..."

……

"That's roughly the story. Someone as wise as Master Wan should understand what the fate of the people and the Great Harmony Sect would be if things really unfolded as the story suggests..."

"The entity hidden behind the scenes has already drawn the direction for the future, a direction that is conducive to the birth and destruction of immortals and gods. For ordinary people and the Great Harmony, such a direction is undoubtedly a catastrophe."

"So that Master Wan may know, a natural talent for literature has emerged in this generation, and I have taken him as my disciple. He is a fine young man, with the determination to save the world. He is neither lacking in talent nor in benevolence, but only in a little time to grow."

"In ten years at most, I will let him take over the Wenchang Hall and participate in court affairs. By then, the court will inevitably be divided into two factions."

……

"The Celestial Master sits high in the heavens, the Mysterious Spirit Bodhisattva sits quietly on his lotus throne, the Five Elements True Lords remain hidden, and the Painting Sage travels the world. The next few decades will be the best time for the Great Harmony Path to develop..."

"If Master Wan intends to realize Master Zhuang's grand vision, then the next few decades will be the only opportunity."

"The world is in chaos, and people are displaced. In the next few decades, there will inevitably be a large-scale population decline, and countless people will die every day for various reasons."

"The claim that only one in ten survives might be an exaggeration, but it's not surprising that half of them would die... In this context, if the Great Harmony Path has the ability to restore order, even if your ideals and thoughts don't quite align with those leaders' wishes, they won't make a big fuss about it..."

"For them, what is needed after the chaos is temporary stability."

……

At the intersection of the two streets, Wan Shu stood for a long, long time, her head lowered, her long hair covering her face, making it impossible to see her expression.

"Words are meaningless; why should I believe you?"

Meng Yan did not look at Wan Shu. He reached out and caught a fallen leaf, his voice calm.

"Master Wan, you need not trust me. I have never considered cooperating with the Great Harmony Path... Just as I said a hundred years ago, the Great Harmony Path is not suitable for the Nine Regions, and Master Zhuang's thoughts will ultimately lead to chaos in the world..."

"I do not deny the merits of the Great Harmony Path, but I will not agree with your ideology. In the Nine Domains and in the Great Qi, the Wenchang Hall is the only one that can truly bring peace to the world."

"The reason I'm telling you all this today is simply to help you see the future situation clearly... The more forces that stir up trouble, the more opportunities we have to say no to those people."

"An orderly world cannot give rise to variables that change the status quo; only chaos can give birth to new life... Fate is unpredictable. In turbulent times, there may well be people who can turn the tide and change the world."

"This matter is not urgent, and Master Wan need not rush to make a decision. You can go back and think carefully about where the Great Harmony Sect should go in the chaos to come."

As the sun set, Wan Shu slowly walked back to the restaurant.

……

Autumn of the fifty-sixth year of Qiming.

Changzhou, the former residence of Zhuangzi.

Wan Shu sat in front of Zhuang Sheng's grave for an entire day.

She rambled on and on, starting from childhood, telling her story, how they met, their life together afterward, and the inappropriate affection she had developed…

After recounting all the events that had happened over the years, Wan Shu finally stopped speaking to the tombstone.

Under the cool moonlight, she lit the sandalwood incense she had prepared beforehand and kowtowed three times in succession to Zhuang Sheng's grave.

"The Great Harmony Path has already fallen apart, your dreams have been trampled into the ground, and in the future planned by the gods and immortals, there is simply no room for us to survive..."

"Sir, I know Meng Yan has ulterior motives and his own calculations, but for your dream, for creating the beautiful world you and I envisioned, and for the future of Datongdao, I can no longer run away."

Even if the road ahead is fraught with peril, even if death is the only possibility, even if the sword in my hand will ultimately be pointed at my students... I must still fight bravely!

"Sir, Wan Shu is incompetent and lacks your unwavering determination, but Wan Shu still has things she wants to do... Today, Wan Shu wants to ask you for courage, the courage to persevere until death..."

"Please watch over us from heaven, sir. Wanshu will prove to you through her actions that your will will be passed down, and the flame of the Great Harmony will never be extinguished!"

……

On the banks of the Changjiang River, on an unnamed hill.

An old tree stands atop a hill, withered vines entwined around it, and crows caw loudly.

In front of the small mound of earth are two tombstones, one extremely simple and the other exquisitely carved.

Stone and jade, two completely mismatched tombstones, are placed in front of the same grave.

The stone tombstones were obscured by the shadows of the trees, with only faint inscriptions on them.

The Tomb of Scholar Qin

The jade tombstone gleamed in the sunlight, and decades later, the inscription on it remained unchanged.

"Tomb of Qin Sheng, disciple of Meng Yan and deputy head of the Wenchang Hall"

—Written by Meng Yan, Master of Wenchang Hall

Butterflies fluttered beneath the trees, and caterpillars crawled in the shadows.

Bathed in the setting sun, Su Xiaoyu, kneeling before the grave, wiped away her tears and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Uncle Qin, my brother has changed. He's become someone I don't recognize. He's doing things that are causing war and displacement, walking a path that's completely different from what you taught us."

"Uncle Qin, I don't have my brother's outstanding talent, nor do I have the power to change the world like you and Master Zhuang. But I still want to stop my brother, to pull him back from the wrong path, to bring him before you, and to apologize to you..."

"Uncle Qin... if you are watching from heaven, please give me some courage so that I can bravely face my brother, overcome the difficulties ahead, and save countless people like you did..."

……

Qishan Road, Mu Mansion Courtyard.

Mu An, who was lying on the rattan chair, suddenly looked up and gazed south for a while.

The energy of heaven and earth is converging towards the south, and a new "star" is being conceived, echoing the energy center in the central region.

"What's wrong?" Mu Ling'er asked from the side.

"It's nothing, just a bit of a sentimental feeling."

"Oh? Da'an, what are your thoughts now? Tell me about them."

"The world is bustling with people coming and going for profit, but there will always be some people who go against the grain and do things that are not so reasonable."

Mu Ling'er turned her head slightly and handed Mu An a slice of watermelon.

"What's there to be sentimental about? Hasn't it always been like this?"

Mu An smiled and accepted the watermelon.

"This time, we might end up as the villains!"