Longevity through Upgrading Buildings Chapter 708 - 305: Heart-to-Heart Between Master and Disciple
Previously on Longevity through Upgrading Buildings...
Lifting his gaze, he stared straight into Hua Yaoyue's eyes.
"You..."
Gazing at him like that, Hua Yaoyue parted her lips to speak, yet Ji Yuan cut her off without delay:
"Master, allow me to go first. I know you're about to depart too, but I also realize there are matters that must be voiced or questioned now, or later... there might never be another opportunity."
Hua Yaoyue observed his earnest expression, then lifted her hand, instantly forming a barrier that enveloped the whole Wan You Island.
"Fine, go ahead and ask."
Ji Yuan gave a nod, stayed quiet for a prolonged while, and at last uttered: "Your disciple understands that master's background is extraordinarily lofty, likely towering as high as the heavens in our Human Realm."
"Your disciple also realizes master holds numerous mysteries, yet never shares them with us."
"Your disciple moreover knows master places great hopes on me... yet has master ever pondered that the Human Realm spans immensely, where even folks in the same tiny town might never cross paths in a lifetime."
"To say nothing of those on separate continents."
Hua Yaoyue regarded her personal disciple's grave look and, after extended quiet, responded:
"So, you wish to uncover my secrets?"
"Heh."
Despite Ji Yuan's heartfelt words, Hua Yaoyue remained unmoved by sentiment, instead declaring bluntly:
"Even should you learn them now, what difference does it make? Treat it merely as a tale."
She shook her head, a hint of regret flickering in her eyes.
"Should you one day ascend to that level, seek me out on Qiankun Continent."
"Naturally, choosing not to come is perfectly acceptable."
...Qiankun Continent—Ji Yuan committed this name deep into his soul.
"May I inquire what realm master means, and since Qiankun Continent is so expansive, where exactly should disciple seek master upon arrival?"
"Merely to encounter me, Body Integration Realm ought to be enough, but to offer aid... at minimum, you must possess the boldness to confront Tribulation Cultivators."
Hua Yaoyue pondered in silence for ages before delivering this reply.
Ji Yuan's heart grew heavy as he absorbed those words.
Tribulation Cultivators... aren't they the apex existences of the Human Realm?
Master's heritage is truly magnificent.
Yet thinking deeper, if master's roots weren't so exalted, how could she grasp such profound secrets?
Body Integration, Tribulation... Can I, through my own striving plus the panel's aid, ever attain such heights?
Ji Yuan mulled over this deeply within.
Hua Yaoyue went on: "Regarding locating me... upon reaching Qiankun Continent, should I yet live, a simple inquiry will reveal my whereabouts."
"But if you arrive on Qiankun Continent without hearing my name, it signifies my demise."
"Then, no further words are needed."
"No, master, you..."
Ji Yuan advanced a step.
Yet prior to finishing, Hua Yaoyue scoffed and broke in.
"You're about to claim I couldn't possibly perish?"
"Why not? Countless cultivators fill the Human Realm; even the enemy-less meet untimely ends, much less a ill-omened wretch like me, besieged by foes everywhere."
The mockery in Hua Yaoyue's eyes intensified with every phrase.
"By that time, my absence from mentions will be the norm.
If you reach Qiankun Continent and find me still breathing, that would be the oddity."
Silence deepened with every revelation.
That was Ji Yuan's current state.
Indeed, Hua Yaoyue's words rang brutally true and forthright.
While such candid truths were easy for Ji Yuan to swallow about strangers, applying them to loved ones proved unbearable.
Thus, double standards come naturally to mortals.
Unless one embodies a saint... Knowing he fell short, Ji Yuan posed:
"Has master ever thought of bringing disciple along?"
"Bring you?"
At those words, Hua Yaoyue's scornful stare evaporated in a flash, replaced by unrestrained laughter.
"What use would you serve? Don't I have plenty of adversaries already, without adding dead weight?"
"Disciple, I..."
"Enough. I understand your concern for me, but rest easy—each has duties to fulfill, roads to tread."
Hua Yaoyue slowly withdrew her mirth.
"Your worry touches me; over these millions of years, all shunned my company, yet none ever sought to journey beside me... save you."
With that, Hua Yaoyue turned, casting Ji Yuan a look laced with intricacy.
"It's just your cultivation level is far too weak; trailing me would spell swift doom for you, maybe even hinder me."
Hearing this, Ji Yuan steadied himself considerably, bowing once more to Hua Yaoyue.
"Disciple's rashness got the better of him."
"Please forgive your disciple, master."
"No forgiveness is necessary." Hua Yaoyue waved her hand, "If you really possess this resolve, advance swiftly, and I'll strive to endure until then, when master and disciple can roam Qiankun Continent side by side."
Hua Yaoyue spoke with ease, as though that moment was already unfolding before her, her eyes brimming with gentle amusement.
Ji Yuan yearned to smile as well.
Yet he found himself unable to muster one.
Her words revealed to him that his master's path had been anything but smooth...
Quite the opposite—she had endured immense hardships.
Otherwise, why would she mention foes scattered across the world?
Gazing at his master standing there, he mulled over his thoughts deeply before setting aside his fixed ideas about "fate" and asking in a soft voice:
"If disciple arrives at Qiankun Continent someday but master's name is unheard of, whom should disciple pursue?"
Hua Yaoyue's smile slowly vanished at this question.
Ji Yuan's remark struck straight to the heart.
He meant: if master falls before that day, who will disciple hunt for vengeance?
Yes, such words harbored dark omens.
But they mirrored harsh reality, exactly as Hua Yaoyue had put it... In this world, death claims everyone eventually.
After a prolonged, heavy silence, she at last revealed two names to Ji Yuan.
She believed in her own insight.
And she believed in Ji Yuan.
