After leading a life as an ordinary person for 30 years, his young and arrogant heart had mellowed at last! Now he was mature enough to stay calm when he peeped at naked women.
…
In the secret room of the mysterious abode in the Water Nation, everything he had experienced in the illusionary realm had just happened in several hours in the real world. Some experiences of Xu Que and Zixia Fairy in the realm were displayed on the ceiling of the secret room. Several images were displayed from his arrival in the illusionary realm to his dominance in the Imperial Palace. At last, when the image switched, 30 years had passed in the illusionary realm.
The onlookers were surprised and couldn't help but exclaim, "Alas! I didn't expect Joker to become an old man in this image. He is no longer that young and arrogant man!"
"But it is still quite creepy! How does he stay alive till now?"
"What a silly question! If I was as capable as he is, I could also survive that!"
"Right! The steel monsters he took out could even defeat cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage, let alone those ordinary persons!"
"With those things, no matter how wild his behaviors are in the illusionary realm, nobody could harm him a bit!"
"I am a little bit curious whether this guy has really lost his memories?"
"Right! Normally, if he lost his memory, there would be no reason for him to love the woman who entered the illusionary realm together with him!"
"Yes, that woman is naturally good. Her character is even better than the young Princess and the Queen Dowager. However, she is too ugly!"
"Before their entry, everyone knew the relationship between them was unusual. But none of us expected the guy wouldn't change his heart in the illusionary realm. It is quite rare!"
"Could true love really exist in this world?"
"Look, the image switched again!" someone exclaimed.
The rest of the cultivators looked up immediately.
Whoosh!
The image on the ceiling was changed again after the flicker of a strand of white light. Apparently, several decades had passed again with the flicker of light.
The cultivators were surprised when they saw Xu Que, who was already grey-haired, in the image. Moreover, he was no longer in the Imperial Palace. Now, he was living on the top of a desolate mountain with a grey-haired old woman. Only the two of them were living on this enormous mountain. It was not difficult to tell that the grey-haired old woman was Zixia Fairy from her face.
Xu Que and Zixia Fairy were cooking in their shabby cottage. Zixia Fairy, who had a spoon in her hand, was doing her best to stir the vegetables with her trembling arm. Xu Que shook his head and sighed, "Azi, I've taught you a lot of times in these years, but you still can't cook a perfect dish! Just let me cook it!"
"No, old man, stop making troubles for me. I must cook a perfect dish for you!" Zixia was quite stubborn. She pushed Xu Que aside and continued to stir the vegetables in the pot. However, she failed at last. The vegetables in the pot had turned to black from green and started to give off an awful smell.
Bang!
Zixia threw the spoon back into the pot ruefully. Then she left the kitchen with tears in her eyes. Xu Que walked to the pot slowly with a wry smile on his face. He put out the fire in the furnace and also walked out of the room. He found Zixia was sobbing silently on the stone chair at the door, turning her back on him. Her old and lonely figure really made him feel sorry.
Xu Que walked up to her unsteadily and sat beside her. Then, he said with a wry smile, "Old woman, this is really unnecessary!"
Zixia leaned on Xu Que's shoulder. Their old figures were quite dismal and gloomy!
She said in a low voice, "Old man, before the Queen Dowager and the Princess passed away, they each cooked for you personally! Why am I so stupid? I can never master the skill! I am so useless!"
"How could that be? In my heart, you are the most capable person!"
"No, I am quite clear that I am really useless! Also, my face is so.… Old man, have you regretted spending your lifetime with me?"
"Little fool, if I regret it, how could I leave with you to enjoy this secluded life when you were tired of the life in the Imperial Palace?"
"Old devil! Now both of us are old, and we can never go back to those good days!"
"Right!" the old Xu Que looked up at the sky and exclaimed.
At this time, Zixia, who was leaning on his shoulder, asked again in a low voice, "Old man, have you regretted spending your lifetime with me?"
"Never! I am not good at judging people's faces!"
She asked again, "Old man, have you regretted spending your lifetime with me?"
"Never! Remember I used to tell you I will protect you forever!"
"Old man!"
"What?"
"Have you regretted spending your lifetime with me?"
"Never! Actually, the most important factors of love are not appearance or age but a true heart! Moreover, after turning off the light, I don't care whether you are beautiful or not!"
"Old man!"
"What?"
"…"
She was exhausted!
She failed to ask her next question at last!
She closed her eyes peacefully in the arms of Xu Que.
"Old woman!" Xu Que hugged her tightly in his trembling arms and tried to wake her up for he had realized what was happening.
"Old woman, wake up, you haven't cooked a dish for me yet!"
"Azi, you will catch a cold by sleeping like this! Wake up!"
"Azi, please wake up! Let me sing you the song you like the most, OK?"
He kept asking quietly. However, the woman in his arms couldn't answer him anymore!
After a short moment, Xu Que started to sing softly…
"The time which has passed will never come back!
"The red fallen leaves are buried in the dust forever!
"From beginning to the end, nothing is changed!
"Only you are drifting above the white clouds!"
…
At this moment, all the cultivators in the secret room were stunned by this scene! The old figures of Xu Que and Zixia Fairy made all of them sad! One had become forgetful, who would always forget something she had just asked! The other one was old but could still keep his beginner's mind, who could always answer her repeated questions patiently and sincerely.
At last, she passed away.
She passed away happily and peacefully in his arms.
The only thing she didn't forget was that she failed to cook a dish for him in her lifetime!
Hold your hand and age with you!
With your hand in my hand, I won't ask for anything more!
This devoted and peaceful life was long-cherished by many people!
"This is so touching!" A female cultivator couldn't help but sob.
When she was a young girl, she had dreamed she could enjoy her late years like this with the one she loved.
"Alas! I wonder what love is in the world, why is it a religion worth dying for?" someone sighed as he recited the verse composed by Li Bai of the Exploding Heavens Faction when he was in the Imperial City of the Fire Nation!
Although everyone knew these were just illusionary images, after witnessing the test for Xu Que and Zixia Fairy, many people couldn't help but exclaim in their hearts!
What a hard-won true love!
Rumble!
All of a sudden, a big bang came from the image in the illusory realm. People were startled and looked up. Then, they were shocked by what they saw. Numerous mountains, as well as the sky in the illusionary realm, were cracking slowly. The image of Xu Que, who was hugging Zixia in his arms, was being distorted.
Whoosh!
At last, they disappeared in a strand of white light!
Everything in the illusionary realm was crushed like fragments of a broken mirror. Then, all the fragments were turned into a strand of light, which dashed toward the secret room and reappeared beneath the feet of Xu Que and Zixia Fairy!
They opened their eyes slowly in the secret room. Their eyes were full of wonder at the strangeness of what they had been through. They looked at everything around them with puzzlement. Then, they came to themselves gradually.
It turned out 100 years in the illusionary realm was just one day in the real world!
Xu Que and Zixia Fairy broke the spell after spending a lifetime in the illusionary realm. Now, they had regained their real bodies!
…