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

After this whole commotion, Ye Lin and Bai Xi lost all interest in staying any longer.

In less than half an hour, the two found an excuse to leave the shop, and the shop returned to its usual quietness.

After tidying up the table, Bai Ling sat alone, lost in thought.

She neither read books nor tried to attract customers; she just sat at the table, resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

It wasn't until it was almost dark that she stood up again, her small face more serious than ever before.

Under Mu An's slightly confused gaze, Bai Ling strode confidently to his side, but lost her momentum after meeting his gaze, her voice becoming muffled, like a mosquito's hum.

"Um... um... shopkeeper, you seem to be in a good mood today..."

Mu An did not deny this point. He waved the letter in his hand and smiled.

"The little one at home has finally given me some peace of mind, so I'm in a good mood."

A little one? From the family? Could it be the legendary Five Spirits Mystic Maiden?

The thought flashed through Bai Ling's mind, but she didn't dwell on it.

She was so nervous that she couldn't think of anything else.

A soft, urgent voice rang out in the room, carrying a hint of pleading, yet also sounding like a casual remark.

"If you're in a good mood... then shopkeeper, could you take me on as your apprentice? I'm telling you, I'm very obedient, I'll do anything you ask, and I promise to be filial..."

Hmm? Taking on apprentices?

The question, which came out of nowhere, surprised Mu An. He stared at the nervous and uneasy Bai Ling and shook his head decisively.

"I don't take on apprentices, I didn't before, and I won't in the future. Let's not bring this up again. Your job is to sell the products properly."

Bai Ling breathed a sigh of relief after being directly rejected by Mu An.

Even if you know something is impossible, it will always linger in your mind if you don't try.

Bai Ling had been thinking about this for over a month, but she hadn't dared to speak up. The matter was weighing on her mind, making her lose her appetite.

Having received a clear answer, I feel relieved of the burden on my mind.

She smiled at Mu An, feigning anger.

"Fine, I won't accept it! Shopkeeper, you're so cold-hearted. Becoming your apprentice will definitely not end well."

Before she could finish speaking, Bai Ling had already turned around, walked a few steps to the door, and asked while leaning on the door frame.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 202ᴋᴋs.ᴄᴏᴍ]

"Shopkeeper, is there anything you'd like to eat tomorrow? I'll bring it to you when you come to the shop."

Seeing Bai Ling peek out, Mu An simply smiled and waved his hand.

"Then bring two jugs of fine wine from Shuzhou City..."

"Alright! I'll go back and find out where to find good wine!"

……

In the still of the night, Mu An, sitting in the small shop, opened the envelope, read the contents again, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

To Da'an:

"Cough cough cough!!!"

Um, I'm a little embarrassed right now, please don't mind.

Yes, you read that right, I wrote to you, Da'an, again and again.

When you read this letter, I, your dear little Ling'er, was struggling with this decision.

Don't be curious about what I'm struggling with. In short, I suddenly realized that I haven't lived enough yet and want to live a few more years.

Death is more terrifying than I initially thought; it's not something I can easily face calmly.

Thinking about it carefully, I can help you slowly rediscover your humanity after I become a god.

I was too stubborn before.

and so……

I admit I was wrong before, and I regret it now.

Hehehe!!!

Just think of it as me being young and impetuous, a rare rebellious moment, please don't yell at me...

Funny face.jpg x3 (Please use your imagination here)

Thinking about it carefully, I'm actually quite afraid of death, so I plan to find some time next year to ascend to godhood.

But Da'an, don't be so smug. You may have ascended to godhood, but our game isn't over yet.

I will not appear before you until you have completed all your tasks and found me.

As for ascending to godhood, I will handle it myself.

Da'an, you don't need to worry. Anyway, you've already prepared everything. I have the Five Elements Creation Sword protecting me, so there definitely won't be any problems.

The day you see the ascension ceremony begin will be the day I ascend to godhood.

No peeping! No peeping! No peeping!

Say the important thing three times!

We clearly agreed not to use supernatural powers unless absolutely necessary, but Da'an, you cheated and renege on your promises several times.

How can you play a game like this?!?

That's absolutely outrageous!!!

So this time, you absolutely cannot renege on your promise.

You must act like an ordinary person, solving the puzzles I leave behind one by one, and reaching the end after overcoming numerous difficulties. Only in this way can the game be challenging and fair.

Absolutely, absolutely not! They are not allowed to use the opportunity of ascending to godhood to locate me! Furthermore, they are not allowed to use supernatural powers at will in the subsequent game.

Angry face.jpg×3

……

The willful words didn't alert Mu An to anything amiss.

It was probably decades ago that Mu Ling'er stopped being as composed as before. She has remained like this all these years, always throwing tantrums like a child.

It's normal to be a little willful right now.

Seeing the little expressions that appeared from time to time in the letter, Mu An also smiled.

The little one is so cute, he almost can't bear to drag her back to write a self-criticism.

In any case, the ascension to godhood had been prepared long ago, with no loopholes, and no one in the Nine Realms dared to disturb Mu Ling'er's ascension to godhood.

Since that's the case, let her be willful this once.

As children grow older, they always want to do things independently, so there's no need to interfere.

Under the bright lights, Mu An smiled, put down the letter in his hand, picked up the wine pot, and started drinking.

I'm in a good mood today, so I might as well have a little wine.

……

In the days that followed, Bai Ling imagined many magnificent scenes.

The girl, full of fantasies, thought she would experience all sorts of bizarre things in life. After going through many hardships, she was taken in as a disciple by Mu An.

But reality doesn't change because of a girl's fantasies. Until Mu An left without saying goodbye, nothing noteworthy happened.

Every day he spent his time reading books and selling goods. It took him a full six months to sell enough goods to earn five hundred taels of silver.

Bai Ling didn't actually know how much she had sold. Her daily life was pretty much the same, so she naturally didn't notice these tiny details.

She didn't care even if a flag appeared in front of the door.

It wasn't until the day after Mu An left that she came to the shop as usual, only to find that the familiar figure at the counter had disappeared, leaving only a letter placed in the middle of the table.

"It is fate that we met. Seeing that you like it so much, I will give you this little shop as a gift... The path of literature cannot be achieved overnight. Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles. Accumulate knowledge in exploration and perfect your path in the pursuit of ideals... I have left you some books. I hope you will study them carefully."

Looking at the letter on the table, Bai Ling pouted, seemingly dissatisfied, yet also somewhat regretful.

"Really... you didn't even say you were leaving beforehand. I even brought you lamb and roast chicken..."

……

Three nights later, there was a gentle knock on the door of the small shop.

Bai Ling, who was reading a book, thought that Mu An had returned. She ran to the door with great joy, only to see a woman she had never seen before but who looked somewhat familiar.

"Bai Ling, right... I think you should recognize my face."

"My Lady Xuan Nu, I..."

"Interested in becoming my apprentice?"

Huh?!

……

"Master, you said you wanted me to do something very troublesome for you. What is it? Why don't you do it yourself?"

"If it's just about delivering gifts, you can arrange it yourself. Why do you insist that I do it?"

In the warm light of the small shop, Mu Ling'er smiled and gently patted Bai Ling's head.

"I want to do it myself, but I don't have much time left... One god can't save another..."

"The restoration of humanity requires not only powerful stimulation but also subtle, gradual influence, and this takes a great deal of time, a very, very long time..."

"The former will come true when the truth is revealed, but the latter is still a long way off. All I can do is leave my mark on the world as long as possible, as much as I can..."

"In this vast world, only I can change him..."

Bai Ling shook her head, her eyes turning into mosquito coil-like pupils. "I don't understand. What are all these people and gods? It's so complicated. Master, what exactly do you want to do?"

"You're still young, you'll understand later... Let me tell you a story first..."

"This is a story about humans and gods, the story of the most powerful person in the world and an ordinary girl..."