CHAPTER 497: 0301 MISS ZHU ASKED THE WRONG PERSON (TWO-IN-ONE)_2

"They all want immortality, don’t you?" Yun Qian clearly knew what Xu Chang’an and Zhu Pingniang were discussing now.

"I don’t know either, but... I probably don’t want it." The girl clutched her sleeve, feeling content and knowing she was a timid person. The Immortal Sect was fascinating but also dangerous; she just wanted to live a stable life.

"You’re quite different from them." Yun Qian liked her more.

Maybe because her husband also said she was unambitious.

"Of course." The Rowing Maiden proudly said, "At least, the girls of the Flower Moon Building all want you, Sister, to remember their names."

But she didn’t want that, she hadn’t even told Yun Qian her name.

She took pride in her lack of ambition, which was something rare for a young girl to boast about.

"I am just a bit curious, after all, it’s the Immortal Sect." The Rowing Maiden spoke faster, "When I was little, I loved listening to the teacher talk about cultivation."

"Mm." Yun Qian knew the girl was interested, but her attitude toward cultivation was rather indifferent.

"Don’t you like cultivation, Sister?" The girl keenly sensed Yun Qian’s distraction.

"To me, cultivation had no meaning." Yun Qian said, and then thought that it was in the past.

To her past self, cultivation was meaningless, but now it was different.

Cultivation could make her husband happy, give him the joy of breakthroughs, and also help her have more strength to remain affectionate, not unable to grip the windowsill when bending down.

"It does have some meaning." Yun Qian amended.

The Rowing Maiden sighed in relief and cautiously said, "Sister Yun, it’s rare to have the chance to cultivate... You’re really different from others."

"Do you like cultivation?" Yun Qian asked.

"I said I was just curious." The Rowing Maiden laughed, resting her face on her hand placed on the windowsill, "I’ve heard that cultivation can extend life, and the books say that a cultivator’s retreat could last over sixty years, maybe in the future..."

She said, but didn’t continue.

Perhaps in the future, Liu Qingluo would complete a retreat, and she would already be buried.

"Sister Yun, is it true that the more powerful the cultivation, the longer one lives?" The girl asked curiously.

"If one doesn’t die, yes."

"Can you easily live past a hundred years?"

"Mm."

"Eh..."

The Rowing Maiden thought the so-called Immortal Sect wasn’t as mysterious as she imagined, not much different from what’s written in books.

She ran into the room, searched for a while, and took out a widely popular book of strange tales in Beisang City, opened a page and read, "To the south of the seas lies a divine turtle, ruling over the four poles, with a thousand years as spring, and a thousand years as autumn, white waves surging—"

Yun Qian listened quietly.

To the girl she liked, who could perhaps become a part of Xu Chang’an’s fate, she was extremely patient.

After reading the book, the girl couldn’t help but ask, "This is also mentioned in the book. Is the water turtle also cultivating?"

"It is." Yun Qian nodded, and said, "But it’s gone now."

"It really existed."

The girl’s eyes sparkled.

She hadn’t thought about why it was gone now.

This scene was strange because such matters clearly weren’t something Yun Qian, a person yet to enter the sect, should know about, but the girl didn’t understand, and Miss Yun wouldn’t think about this, she only answered questions.

"Sister Yun, some of the girls in the store also keep water turtles, since they’re easy to care for and not very active. Even if they don’t eat for ten days to half a month, they won’t starve, though they’re not as cute as Li Hua... but I like water turtles more. After all, I am on a boat—water turtles that live so long must be quite extraordinary."

Yun Qian thought for a moment, swallowed the dessert in her mouth, and said nostalgically, "It was delicious."

The Rowing Maiden: "...?"

She was stunned for a while.

A thousand-year-old giant turtle used for spring and autumn, delicious?

Could it be that books from the Immortal Sect recorded this?

"That’s really strange..." the girl muttered.

Of course, she didn’t think Yun Qian had eaten it.

And since she didn’t ask, Yun Qian didn’t explain.

Actually, regarding the water turtle matter, Yun Qian rarely remembered it.

Although it wasn’t something with much cultivation ability... but it was memorable because her husband caught it while fishing in the sea and specially made a pot of soup for her.

He didn’t make it well the first time, and the fishy smell was overwhelming, so he didn’t let her continue drinking it, and it was all poured away.

Since then, he never caught anything similar, and Xu Chang’an regretted for a long time.

Yun Qian also felt sorry because she only tasted one sip of something Xu Chang’an put effort into making.

Such matters naturally have a lasting impression on Yun Qian.

Whatever he put effort into making, it all tasted good.

——

After those events, the Rowing Maiden set aside her curiosity, wanting to ask some more realistic questions.

The strange tales in the book felt too distant, as Yun Qian should have known from the Immortal Sect...

In any case, it’s quite odd that such a powerful water turtle was eaten.

After reorganizing her words, the maiden asked, "People who live longer, can live past a hundred years, then those five hundred years old... are they cultivators?"

"Mm."

"Are there thousand-year-old cultivators?"

"Yes."

Satisfying her curiosity, the girl extended a finger and softly asked, "And beyond that?"

Beyond that, it would start with the word "ten thousand."

Reaching that level, it should only be the immortals that ascended throughout history.

"Yes." Yun Qian nodded and added, "There were before."

"Eh?" The girl blinked, confused, her mouth slightly open, "Sister Yun, what does ’there were before’ mean?"

Yun Qian slightly opened her eyes, gazed into the distance, "They’re not there now."

What it meant to have existed before was certainly that they aren’t there now.

——

Had there really been people in the world who could live that long?

The Rowing Maiden’s eyes glimmered with unique light, daring enough to lightly hold Yun Qian’s sleeve, reverently asking, "Sister Yun, are there really immortals in the world?"

Yun Qian took a bite of her dessert and replied, "No."

The nature of the world, to Miss Yun, was just a normal question.

"...Oh." The girl believed Yun Qian’s words, pursed her lips, "So, there are no immortals."

Yun Qian looked at the girl who seemed deflated like Li Hua, glanced at the half-eaten dessert in her hand, calmly said, "I did say, historically there were immortals, just not any now."

The girl raised her head with confusion, "The books say immortals ascend to the Immortal Realm, living with heaven and earth, eating spirit fruits, drinking jade dew... Aren’t immortals supposed to be immortal?"

"They die." Yun Qian spoke, shifting her gaze to the shattered "Thirty-six Heavens" above the Frosty Heaven.

Yes.

Not Miss Yun’s affair.

Just like someone wanting to sit down might squash microbes on the chair... would she care?

Of course not, and if no one reminded her, she wouldn’t even think about such things.

Regarding how Frosty Heaven dealt with new ascenders after events occurred, whether feelings were removed to turn them into nourishment for world repair, or confined within regulations—it truly wasn’t Miss Yun’s affair.

"Immortals can die too." The Rowing Maiden seemed to be scared, then clutching her book of strange tales to her chest, fearfully said, "Then... it’s better forgotten."

Indeed, for someone as timid and unambitious as her, just living well and occasionally glancing at picture books was fine.

Although she said before she didn’t want to cultivate, she did occasionally long for it.

After speaking, the girl explained to Yun Qian.

"Sister, I’m very afraid of dying; the Immortal Sect... is indeed quite terrifying."

"Everyone fears, the books say so." Yun Qian glanced toward where Xu Chang’an and Zhu Pingniang were.

Immortals can’t live forever.

But as long as the girl in front of her doesn’t want to die, she won’t.

Because Yun Qian discovered, Li Zhibai and Zhu Pingniang were sisters, a pair of fate.

The Rowing Maiden and Liu Qingluo were also sisters.

——

Meanwhile, Zhu Pingniang continued questioning Xu Chang’an.

Indeed, direction mattered; otherwise, no matter how much effort was exerted, it was wasted.

If she asked Yun Qian, Yun Qian would have told her.

But asking the wrong person, then it’s not Miss Yun’s affair.