Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

Time flies, and by the end of the year, news of the treasure ship's return had spread throughout the land.

In March of the following year, the senior Song Yu returned to the temple.

Fifty years have passed, and he has not become an old man; he looks to be in his prime.

Zhuang Xing often sought advice from this senior brother on matters at sea and drew nautical charts.

There were many unlit areas on the nautical chart, but there was also a sea route that could lead to another continent. His senior brother had told him about the dangers involved.

The following June, the lotus pond in the courtyard bloomed.

The huge pink lotus flower bloomed, and a fair-skinned child lay in the center of the flower plate.

"Xiao An, Xiao An..." Yunling called out.

The child opened his eyes, looked at his hands, and then at his older sister with her hair tied up. Overjoyed, he burst into tears.

She changed into her new clothes, rushed into her father's arms, and embraced him.

...

In July, Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling packed their bags, planning to go down the mountain to the shipyard in Yidu.

"You really want to go?"

Zhuang Xing looked at the pandas that had surrounded him.

"Wherever Your Majesty goes, we will go!"

The panda was making a racket, calling out "King!" repeatedly, giving everyone a headache.

"Stop, stop, stop! Let's go together!" Zhuang Xing stretched out his hand. "Stop shouting!"

"Yay!" The pandas rolled around on the ground with joy.

Only one panda didn't say it wanted to go with Zhuang Xing, and that was Shoumu.

Zhuang Xing knew why; Shou Mu had Er Ya to keep him company.

It has now settled down and started a family. It is unexpected that the panda and the tabby cat could actually become a couple. The tabby cat ate the pill obtained by the cat demon clan and later gained intelligence. It actually stayed with a red panda every day.

"Shoumu, this household will be in your care from now on," Zhuang Xing said. "With Uncle Wei here, you won't go hungry. Remember not to neglect your cultivation."

"Understood, Your Majesty." Shoumu nodded.

The other pandas urged their eldest brother to leave with them, but he said that once he started a family, he had to take on responsibilities.

The five pandas had never been separated before, and when they suddenly lost their eldest brother, they were heartbroken and burst into tears.

But that's life; there will always be separations.

Everyone has their own path to walk, and few people can accompany you to the end. Even your own brothers and parents will eventually part ways.

The journey we took together was joyful and memorable, and that's enough.

The room was almost fully settled, with only one person remaining.

Zhuang Xing asked, "Sister Yan, we're going down the mountain tomorrow. Do you want to stay on the mountain or come with us?"

Yan Huai'an looked at Zhuang Xing's face, but said nothing. The next morning, she picked up her sword and waited at the door.

There was no need for further discussion. Under the morning light, the three of them descended the mountain together, without asking where the road ahead led.

...

In another world.

There was also a person walking around with a red panda.

He stood atop the high mountain amidst the clouds and mist, gazing upon the light of heaven and earth.

With no more reservations in his heart and his mind at ease, his cultivation level rose steadily, and his progress seemed endless.

From the moment he was born to the moment he began his sword practice, more than sixty years have passed, and all his memories are still vivid in his mind.

Now, he no longer needs that painted wall to comprehend the Great Dao.

The dream depicted in the mural is actually a part of the grand path.

Everything exists within the universe and the natural order. Flowers bloom and wither, dust rises and falls; all that has happened exists within the Tao.

That's why we can extract past events from an observer's perspective, because they are records of the natural order.

Standing where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged, he saw things he couldn't see before.

It turns out that a single thought can make such a big difference in a person's life.

No wonder that person came here, because that person has something he lacks.

He recognized his shortcomings and made up for them.

His life is now complete.

He let out a long breath, drew the sword that had been gathering dust for so long, and began to wield it on the mountaintop.

The sky was originally clear and blue, but now dark clouds gathered, and thunder roared deafeningly.

A fierce wind howled, and thunder roared.

He held the trembling panda in his arms, and as the heavenly lightning from the sky struck him down, seemingly about to tear the sky apart, he swung his sword at the lightning bolt.

After the sword strike, the dark clouds dissipated.

After the sword strike, the world was clear and bright.

After that sword strike, the world was at peace.

After everything calmed down, he sheathed his sword, picked up the panda, and walked down the mountain.

For thousands of years afterward, people saw a man holding a panda and carrying a long sword.

Some say he was working in the fields, some say he was fishing by the river, and others say he was slaying demons with a sword.

Few people have ever met him, but his name has been passed down through the ages.

His statue is enshrined in the temple, with his name inscribed beneath it.

Known as the "Demon-Subduing Saint Lord," he is a true immortal who has attained enlightenment and transcended the Three Realms and Six Paths.

...

Under the setting sun, a child chased butterflies in a wheat field, accidentally falling into the river. He swallowed the murky water, choked, and could not breathe. No matter how much he struggled, he could not stand up in the turbulent water.

At that moment, a hand grabbed him, followed by a pulling sensation. When he came to his senses, he had been pulled ashore.

He coughed several times, looked up, and saw a man wearing a straw hat with a red panda beside him helping him up.

Where is your home?

The child pointed in a direction.

"I'll walk you home."

The man pulled him up, and strangely enough, the child found that the water on his body had disappeared, his hair had dried, and his legs were no longer trembling.

"Big brother, are you a god?" the child asked.

The man didn't answer, but simply led him slowly forward toward the huge red sun.

“I heard from my mother that there are Taoist priests cultivating immortality on the mountains over there, and I want to go and cultivate immortality too.”

"Cultivating immortality isn't necessarily better than farming," the man finally said.

“But I don’t want to farm,” the child said.

The man remained silent and touched his forehead.

Before the child could react, he found himself standing in front of his own house.

Mother was heating up food in the kitchen, while Father carried the firewood he had collected home.

"Go get your bowl, it's time to eat!" his mother called to him.

The child looked around, but there was no sign of the man.

He stood there stunned for a while until his mother came to chase him away with a bamboo stick. Only then did he hurriedly run into the house to serve rice and dishes.

The family was enjoying a happy time together, but behind the thatched hut, someone was humming a lullaby as they strolled along the edge of the field.

Once upon a time, someone hummed this tune to lull him to sleep.

He glanced back at the firelight inside the house, shook his head, and continued forward.

Amidst the chirping of insects, the red panda chases after the fireflies ahead.

The figure gradually faded away, leaving only the twinkling stars in the night sky, shimmering in the brilliant Milky Way.

(End of the book)

Author's Closing Remarks

At this point, I suddenly felt very reluctant to leave.

I feel like I could do better, but maybe it's just my imagination.

I don't know if this ending will satisfy the readers, and I'm a little nervous, but I did have this ending in mind when I started writing the book.

The original outline was that the final volume would only be written after I returned from overseas.

But I feel that I don't have the ability and energy to complete the content about going overseas right now, so I'll just write the ending.

Actually, the whole book is all about that last bit of vinegar-filled dumplings. At the very beginning, when everything else was blank, only this last part, where the person goes home and whispers in the sunlight, "Mother, I'm leaving," was something I had planned out.

I have always believed that a so-called "immortal" should have attained profound enlightenment.

I don't agree with the kind of cultivation that involves accumulating realms and fighting everywhere. That's not cultivating immortality; it's just making yourself stronger, or what you might call a different kind of fitness.

I think immortals should have an ethereal quality, and be different from mortals, not in terms of power, but in something else entirely.

When I think of this, the first thing that comes to mind is Nezha's havoc in the sea. The moment Nezha took his father's sword and committed suicide in front of the people of Chentang Pass, I think that was the moment of enlightenment. At that moment, Nezha truly had a divine aura in my heart.

In the Legend of Sword and Fairy 3, Jing Tian sacrificed his life to exchange with the Heavenly Emperor for the resurrection of all people in the world. In the Legend of Sword and Fairy 4 game, Yun Tianhe, who had gone blind, stood up again and drew his bow to shoot an arrow at the falling Mount Ling. It was at this moment that I felt they had gained immortality and were no longer mortals.

So I tried my best to express the immortal in my mind. I don't know if I expressed it well, but my ability is limited and I can't improve it any further in a short time.

In conclusion, after many sleepless nights, I have finally brought this story to a close.