Chapter 3268: A Century of Mortal Life (3)
Chapter 3268: A Century of Mortal Life (3)
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This was the first sorrow Chen had experienced during his life as a mortal. He spent the day kneeling before his parents’ memorial tablet in utter grief.
In just a short century, they would go through all sorts of feelings and experiences, meetings of life and partings of death. That was the life of a mortal.
Very soon, it had been a decade since Chen’s parents passed away.
Zhen and Chen’s children, Wuyou and Wuhui, gradually entered their middle ages.
As for Chen, he became even older. His physical strength worsened with each passing day, and his hair had already become peppered. His face was even covered with wrinkles, no longer possessing the striking appearance he had in his youth.
Very soon, it was new years’ eve again. It was the same mountain hamlet as before, except the small wooden hut had already become a great big courtyard.
At this moment, in the courtyard, Zhen and Chen sat in the seats of honour. In front of them were a great group of people prostrating on the ground, led by Wuyou and Wuhui.
Apart from Wuyou and Wuhui, the rest of them were all Chen and Zhen’s grandchildren.
They had become surrounded by children and grandchildren a long time ago.
“Grandpa, happy new year.”
……
…
Beneath them, all of Chen and Zhen’s children and grandchildren wished them a happy new year. Between their sincere, festive words was Chen’s glad smile.
Zhen sat beside him with a similar smile, but the smile seemed a little wry, lacking some spirit.
“This is just a dream and everything before us is fake, but I really have no other way. Chen, when you awaken, I hope you don’t hate me.”
“What must happen will happen. Some conclusions are already set in stone and cannot be changed. Chen, all I can give you is this lifetime of accompaniment, this lifetime of love.” Zhen’s expression was rather mixed. She sighed in the bottom of her heart with sorrow and helplessness.
Only she knew this was a dream. When they woke up, everything before her would cease to exist.
At this moment, Chen slowly turned towards Zhen beside him. “Zhen, we’ve both grown old. We probably don’t have much time left with our century of life, but being able to see all of our children and grandchildren has already left me satisfied.”
At this moment, in Jian Chen’s eyes, Zhen had also become an elderly woman with white hair, no better than his current state.
“Grandpa, what are you saying? Grandma is clearly so young and beautiful. She only looks like she’s in her twenties. How is she old?”
“Yeah, yeah. Grandma is young and beautiful. She’s nothing like what you said, grandpa.”
“Grandpa is telling blind lies.”
Down below, their grandchildren raised a fuss.
Chen smiled gently, only treating it as a joy without taking it seriously.
Chen became older and older and weaker and weaker. Another decade passed by, and Chen collapsed. He lay in his bed, sick, spending most of his time each day unconscious. The time he spent awake lessened.
He had already reached his declining years, approaching the end of his journey as a mortal. His organs deteriorated as every part of his body weakened. Clearly, he did not have much time left.
When Jian Chen was unconscious, Chen arrived by his side. She sat by the bed and gently touched Chen’s cheeks. Her gaze was loving, but there was also an undisguisable sense of pain and reluctance.
“This life is about to end. Both you and me will be returning to the real world. Chen, I wonder if you hate me.”
“Chen, did you know that ever since I awakened, I remained by your side the entire time. I know everything you experienced in the Saints’ World, everything you faced on your journeys. I’ve been accompanying you from a corner you cannot see, watching over you silently.”
“However, while I know you, you’ve never known me,” Zhen murmured softly as if she had recalled some of the past, sinking into her memories.
“In the Saints’ World, it was impossible for you to face any true danger. All of the life-threatening dire situations you thought you faced actually never came close to a moment when your life was truly threatened. Once you were truly in danger, I would have saved you.”
“As a result, it was completely impossible for your identity to be exposed so soon.”
……
…
“When the people of the Immortals’ World attacked, I was forced to receive them in battle. Originally, your life should have been safe and sound with it, much less facing any dire situations, but why wasn’t it with you at this exact time?”
“Even after calculating everything, you still miss something in the end. This day arrived far, far too soon.”
Zhen laid on Chen’s chest. Tears flowed from her eyes with sorrow and reluctance. There was a sense of sadness that came with parting.
She gently cut open her finger. A droplet of crimson blood dripped onto Chen’s lips. Upon absorbing the blood, Chen finally woke up slowly.
“Zhen, I think I heard you say something, but I couldn’t hear you clearly,” Chen opened his eyes weakly. His eyes were dim and dull, while his voice was feeble.
“Chen, when you notice that this life is actually a dream, will you hate me?” Zhen gazed at Jian Chen and asked softly.
Chen smiled and said, “As mortals, we’re destined to die, to be reduced to a pile of earth, to return to how we were. Life is like a dream. This life has always been a dream. Everyone will wake up eventually, so why would I hate you?”
“Zhen, I’m old. I’ve already reached the end of my life. I can feel that I can’t hold on for much longer. I can’t continue with you. Zhen, thank you for accompanying me for my life.”
“Your accompaniment is the greatest joy of my life,” Chen said lovingly. His voice was extremely weak. The two of them had spent their entire life loving one another, without any disputes or conflict. They spent every single day in laughter and happiness. This was the most unforgettable memory to him.
After saying that, Chen slowly shut his eyes again, seemingly falling back asleep. His breathing was almost gone. He did not have much time left.
Zhen dripped another droplet of blood into Chen’s mouth, but with each droplet of blood, the life force in Zhen’s body was reduced.
This life, she was also a mortal, only possessing the lifespan of a mortal. It was just that Chen left faster than her.
She was delivering her own life, delivering the meagre life force she had remaining to Chen.
“Chen, in this dream of a life, I will accompany you to the very end, until we wake up from the dream, as this will be the last time we spend together,” Zhen murmured.
Three days later, Chen and Zhen passed away. With an entire hall filled with the painful sobs of their children and grandchildren, they finally completed the last part of their lives as mortals.
On the day of his passing, Chen smiled in satisfaction. He held Zhen’s hand firmly and left very peacefully, without any regrets at all.
……
…
In the Saints’ World, the Anatta Grand Exalt slowly drew back her finger. When she opened her eyes, an extremely mixed light appeared.
A century had passed in the dream, but only five seconds had elapsed in the Saints’ World. The Wind Venerable was still trapped with the Bloodtear Grand Exalt and the Overarching Heaven Grand Exalt, unable to approach Jian Chen.
It had only been three seconds since the first majesty of the Heavenly Palace of Bisheng stated that this was a dream technique.
At this moment, Jian Chen’s eyelids trembled gently, and he also opened his eyes slowly. His gaze was slightly dazed.
He did not know why he had fallen unconscious, but he felt like he had just experienced a very long dream. Everything he experienced in his dream felt extremely real, like it was reality.
Suddenly, his gaze landed on the Anatta Grand Exalt, and his body suddenly stiffened before shaking violently. His eyes shone with an indescribable light as he said with a shaky voice, “Y-y-you’re Zhen?”