The Dao dies but I live on, the spiritual energy dries up but I remain evergreen

In Si Nian's eyes, his master has always been the most determined seeker of truth.

The heart of Tao cannot be shaken.

Even though the spiritual energy was exhausted, the other cultivators were panic-stricken and at a loss, the fellow cultivators flew away separately, and the friendship between master and disciple was severed, the master still remained so calm.

Through analyzing various things, she concluded that the possibility of spiritual energy revival was very slim.

He immediately looked for another way, seeking reforms to prolong his lifespan. He never stopped for a moment.

But Si Nian never knew.

Beneath her master's resolute exterior.

In fact, it is a heart that is gradually becoming empty.

The Tao has hidden itself... These few simple words, when spoken, were so heavy, as if they had negated everything that had happened before.

How determined you were in the past, how confused you are now. The most determined seeker of truth will become the most empty soul at the moment the truth disappears.

Because of her past, the great way was more important than anything else.

Dadao hid herself. She didn't know what to do and felt empty inside.

But today.

It seems a little different.

Someone took her to see some scenery that she had never noticed before.

The avenue has disappeared, but the roadside scenery remains.

She also leaned on the grass, feeling its softness and the breeze.

It was like a traveler who had been walking with his head down, and finally felt tired. He lay down on the spot, and slowly raised his head. Many things that he had always known but never paid attention to came into his eyes little by little.

Tomorrow is no longer a stagnant pool, no longer a cold calculation of life span minus one, but there is a bit more anticipation.

"By the way, how did the fourth son of the Zhou family get together with his eldest sister-in-law?" Zhao Qing suddenly asked.

"You're quite gossipy." Li Changxiao was stunned for a moment, then expressed his own opinion, "I guess the fourth son of the Zhou family and his eldest sister-in-law have known each other since childhood. Now their old love has rekindled."

"No, no." Zhao Qing analyzed seriously, "The fourth son of the Zhou family only came back to the Zhou family last year."

......

Li Changxiao looked at the bright moon hanging high in the sky, and just muttered in his heart, longevity and life, which is more important, "growth" or "life".

He can only get the answer to this question from others.

Because if he were to say it himself, he would definitely say that "life" is important. He doesn't need to worry about his lifespan at all, because he already has the ability to "grow".

......

"At noon today, a swordsman in white beat up everyone in Lianmin Pawnshop?"

"Not only that, but you also took away all the silver?"

"It seems like Fifth Brother must be angry."

In Qingxiu City, inside a courtyard.

Princess Li Tianxia sat under a locust tree, listening to the maid's narration and taking a sip of the fine gentleman's tea.

She put the cup down.

Heat rises.

Her brows relaxed, and she looked somewhat gloating.

Lianmin Pawnshop was the work of the fifth prince Li Tianyu, who collected money from the people to strengthen himself.

I don't know how much money he has amassed over the years.

"Your Highness, the Fifth Prince has opened countless pawnshops throughout Lingtian Kingdom. Only one pawnshop was destroyed in Qingxiu City. Even if there is a loss, it is just a drop in the bucket and not worth mentioning at all. Why is he angry?" The maid asked puzzledly.

Li Tianxia picked up the teacup, gently blew away the rising mist, took a sip, felt the tea enter her mouth, and passed through her lips, teeth and tongue. She was not in a hurry to swallow it, but savored the unique fragrance of the tea and its lingering aftertaste.

"It's worthy of being called Gentleman's Tea." Li Tianxia put down the teacup and tapped the table twice. Seeing this, the maid immediately refilled the tea. She said, "I had to use a lot of connections to get this tea from those old guys in Laojun Mountain."

Li Tianxia said: "Financial losses are naturally nothing."

"For the royal family, the loss of face is the most fatal."

"And coincidentally, my father's birthday banquet is coming up, and he has something to do and needs to go to this Qingxiu City."

"As far as I know, he did not come alone. He also brought with him a former genius from the Fuyao Holy Land. This Lianmin Pawnshop is his most proud creation, and he brags about it to everyone he meets."

"As you can imagine, when my fifth brother, the emperor, comes here and hears that his pawn shop was smashed, he will be extremely angry for losing face in front of that proud person."

The maid nodded. I see.

At this time, Li Tianxia sighed, "The Lingtian Dynasty has been established for tens of thousands of years, but in many places, it is like a newborn. In the past, we, the princes, fought for opportunities, for adventures, and for who had higher talents. Now we fight for power and money..."

"I really can't rest for a moment."

Li Tianxia looked at her personal maid, who was her confidant since she was a child. She could only talk to her about some of her innermost thoughts.

She suddenly asked, "Do you think that we, the princes and princesses, are short-sighted and covet these worldly things after our spiritual energy has been exhausted for only three hundred years? If we devote ourselves to the great way, we may be able to open up new paths?"

The maid knelt down in fear and said, "I dare not."

"I know you. That's what you think." Li Tianxia seemed to be particularly interested today. She said, "In fact, you don't understand. Don't imagine how noble the cultivators are. The six worlds are all becoming mortals. When those cultivators come to their senses and realize that the spiritual energy is exhausted and irreversible, with no end in sight..."

"They will also join in the worldly struggle."

The maid was about to speak, but Li Tianxia nodded slightly, indicating that she could speak freely. She then slowly opened her mouth and asked, "But, Your Highness, even if the spiritual energy is exhausted, the monks will inevitably become mortals, but will those monks who once roamed the nine heavens really be interested in worldly things?"

Li Tianxia chuckled twice, "Of course I don't like it now. Some people say that human nature is evil, while others say that human nature is good. But I think that human nature is neither good nor evil, but the word 'profit'."

"There are 'benefits' in cultivating immortals. One can be high and mighty, live forever and be free to decide life and death, so one cultivates.

Do whatever is beneficial. Perhaps you want to say that the monks have practiced for many years and honed a clear mind, but now the Dao has escaped. After 1,800 years, when they look back, the Dao mind that they were once proud of will seem so ridiculous. "

Li Tianxia continued, "Of course, nothing is absolute. There will definitely be some determined seekers, but these people...will not live long. I assert that they will die one after another on the road to seeking the truth."

"Those who survive are those who can recognize reality and combine their own strengths to seek their own 'benefits'. These benefits are the mundane things that they now despise."

"This kind of person is always strong."

The maid's pupils trembled.

Li Tianxia smiled and said, "Do you feel that time passes very slowly after the spiritual energy is exhausted?"

The maid nodded. "Your Highness, it seems to be true now. Time feels much slower. In the past, several years passed in the blink of an eye. Some old events, which were clearly a hundred years ago, seem to have happened yesterday."

"But now, what happened in the last month seems like a long time ago."

"So that's why." Li Tianxia smiled knowingly, "You are also beginning to gradually feel the weight of time."

The courtyard fell into silence.

Suddenly, Li Tianxia seemed to remember something and asked, "Oh, right, White-robed Swordsman... these four words remind me of someone I've been looking for."