Chapter 152 - 119: Xinghua’s Lifespan Ends
All lives must come to an end.
Wei Tu had long been mentally prepared for Xinghua’s death, but when he truly felt the finality of it, he realized just how heavy this flimsy piece of paper was.
In the letter, Wei Xiuwen mentioned that Xinghua had passed away quietly in the night.
She had not suffered from the torment of illness.
She went silently.
’A hundred years old... It’s a joyous occasion, not a tragedy. Just like Master’s passing, there’s nothing to be sad about...’
Wei Tu comforted himself.
He walked over to the desk in the Talisman House and, as was his custom, placed the letter from his children into a wooden box for safekeeping.
Then, Wei Tu adjusted the Cave Mansion’s array, allowing the moonlight from outside to stream through the window lattice, spilling onto his face and illuminating one half of his body.
The desolate moonlight cast an even deeper sorrow upon his face.
The Sky-Splitting Carving flew over with a flap of its wings and landed on Wei Tu’s left shoulder. It tilted its somewhat flat head, its pair of dark yellow eyes studying Wei Tu with curiosity...
In the decades since it had been captured by Wei Tu, it had never seen such an expression on his face, especially not for so long.
"SCREE! SCREE!" The Sky-Splitting Carving cried out to Wei Tu when it saw the sky brighten at dawn.
It screeched before Wei Tu again, then with a WHOOSH, it flew out the window lattice. It soared from one end of the courtyard to the other, circled several times, then folded its wings and landed on the desk in the Talisman House.
...
「Half a day later.」
Wei Tu left Danqiu Mountain.
However, unlike previous departures, this time he was accompanied not only by Fu Zhizhou but also by a red-faced old man.
This red-faced old man had a Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation. He was tall and thin with a sallow complexion and wore the green robes of a scholar, looking less like a Cultivator and more like an elderly mortal teacher.
"I am grateful to Fellow Daoist Huang for accompanying me on this journey." After leaving Danqiu Mountain, Wei Tu clasped his hands in a salute to the red-faced old man, his expression full of gratitude.
The red-faced old man was none other than Huang Changkong, the envoy sent by the Hee Mountain Huang Family to recruit Wei Tu.
For this trip to the mortal world for the funeral, Wei Tu had decided to wear the *qī shuāi* mourning garments and observe mourning for his deceased wife for one year.
(*Qī shuāi* is a type of mourning garment.)
In light of this, Wei Tu sent a Talisman to the Hee Mountain Huang Family in advance, informing them of the matter and stating that his arrival at their family estate might be delayed.
Unexpectedly, after Wei Tu sent the Talisman, Huang Changkong, who was still lingering on Danqiu Mountain, not only immediately expressed his understanding but also proposed to accompany Wei Tu to the mortal world.
Although Wei Tu could guess Huang Changkong’s motives for accompanying him to the funeral—no doubt to investigate his "local reputation" and "bestow a favor"—he was still very grateful that a dignified Foundation Establishment Master was willing to do so.
"Fellow Daoist Wei, you are too kind. Once you join our Hee Mountain Huang Family, we will be as close as family. This is a small matter, not worth mentioning."
Huang Changkong waved his hand, signaling for Wei Tu not to worry about it.
After that, Wei Tu was in no mood for further pleasantries with Huang Changkong. He sent a few words to Fu Zhizhou via voice transmission and then focused on traveling at full speed.
The atmosphere among the three was somber.
Wei Tu and Huang Changkong were Flying in the Sky, while Fu Zhizhou followed closely behind on a Spiritual Steed.
In just two days, Wei Tu arrived at Nanhang City.
This was five days faster than his previous journeys.
"Father, your son has been unfilial. I didn’t take good care of Mother, and I let her pass away in the night."
Wei Xiuwen, who was keeping watch over the coffin in the main hall, shifted on his kneeling knees when he saw Wei Tu return. He kowtowed deeply in Wei Tu’s direction and spoke through his tears.
"Father, Mother is gone."
Wei Yan, kneeling to the side, also wiped away her tears.
"Father."
"Third Uncle, Third Uncle..."
The other Juniors in the hall also began to greet Wei Tu.
Among them were Mei Zhen and some of the second-generation descendants from the Kou and Fu Families.
"There’s no need for such formalities," Wei Tu said to the crowd as he walked to the front of the hall.
Then, Wei Tu walked to Xinghua’s spiritual position, took a bundle of incense, lit it, and placed it in the censer on the altar.
"It is time to move the coffin."
After a moment of silence, Wei Tu glanced at the coffin resting in the hall and sighed.
Normally, the coffin would be moved after a seven-day wake, but because he was far away on Danqiu Mountain, it had already been delayed for several days.
As his words fell, the funeral band prepared by the Wei Mansion began to play their instruments.
Gongs, drums, and suonas all sounded at once.
They played "Hundred Birds Pay Homage to the Phoenix."
A joyous tune!
Xinghua had died at the age of one hundred, which in the mortal world was a remarkable feat of longevity.
...
Half a day later, a solitary grave appeared in a scenic spot with clear waters and green mountains outside Nanhang City.
On the tombstone were carved the words: ’Tomb of my beloved wife, Xinghua.’
And beside the solitary grave, three new thatched huts had been built.
One was for Wei Tu.
The other two were for the siblings, Wei Yan and Wei Xiuwen.
For the death of a wife, the mourning period is one year.
For the death of a mother, the mourning period is three years.
These were the rites of the mortal world.
Although Cultivators transcended the mortal world—Wei Tu and his children had been mortals first before they stepped onto the Immortal Path.
After the first seven days of mourning, Wei Tu urged Wei Yan and her brother to leave.
His reasoning was simple.
He had already succeeded in reaching Foundation Establishment. For him, a year was but the blink of an eye, a trivial amount of time.
Besides, he could use this year to study things other than the Talisman Dao.
For example, the complete Tier One Alchemist inheritance left behind by Geng Wen.
If possible, he hoped to dabble in the Alchemy Dao while in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
He might not be able to make a living as a Pill Master, but he could at least become self-sufficient, thereby avoiding the same fate as the Blood Elder Demon.
However, that one year—
was not a period that Wei Yan and her brother could afford to waste.
And that was not to mention the three years of mourning they were supposed to observe.
"Rites cannot be abandoned, but if you adhere to them too rigidly, it becomes pedantry."
Wei Tu scolded.
He knew his children well and understood the filial piety they had shown Xinghua while she was alive.
—The Ice Profound God-Locking Talisman was worth one hundred Spirit Stones. That had been a huge sum for him back then, let alone for Wei Yan and her brother.
Now, mourning for three years... was entirely unnecessary.
Hearing this, Wei Yan and her brother looked hesitant.
"Father, since you feel that three years of mourning is too long, then I will follow your lead and mourn for one year. During that time, I can also ask you for guidance on my Talisman Skill..." Wei Yan replied after thinking for a moment.
"Alright."
Wei Tu nodded in agreement.
More than thirty years ago, after discovering Wei Yan’s talent for the Talisman Dao, he had often given her guidance on her Talisman Skill in his letters.
He had hoped that his daughter would follow in his footsteps.
Now, after many years, Wei Yan was already a Tier One Lower-Grade Talisman Master.
She even had experience successfully creating a Tier One Middle-Grade Talisman.
She was only a half-step away from becoming a Tier One Middle-Grade Talisman Master.
What is learned on paper is ultimately shallow.
He would be mostly free for the next year, so using the time to guide Wei Yan’s Talisman Skill would be a good use of it.
"Father, then your son... will take his leave for now."
Wei Xiuwen said his farewells.
He had only a Metal Spirit Root and was walking the path of an Artifact Refiner, areas in which his father, Wei Tu, clearly couldn’t offer much guidance.
"I remember when Xiuwen was born, during his *zhuā zhōu* ceremony, he grabbed a writing brush. That’s why I gave him the name Xiuwen."
"I never thought he’d end up hammering metal for a living."
Watching this scene, Wei Tu couldn’t help but recall the past and laugh at himself.
"That really happened?"
It was the first time Wei Yan had heard of Wei Xiuwen’s "embarrassing story." She covered her mouth and couldn’t help but let out a few chuckles.
That bit of laughter helped to dispel the sorrowful atmosphere left by Xinghua’s passing.
Under Wei Tu’s personal guidance, Wei Yan’s progress was swift.
In less than two months, Wei Yan could consistently create the Tier One Middle-Grade Talisman, the "Demon Wood Talisman."
"Yann’er, the Talisman Dao is just a skill. Cultivation is the foundation. You must not let your cultivation fall too far behind."
"When I was in the Qi Refining Realm, I struggled to create Tier One Upper-Grade Talismans. But after reaching Foundation Establishment, creating a Tier One Upper-Grade Talisman is a simple matter for me."
Wei Tu warned.
Before he had entered seclusion to break through to Foundation Establishment, Wei Yan had maintained a good balance between studying the Talisman Dao and her own cultivation.
But after these few months of instruction, he noticed that her cultivation had not advanced much compared to before his seclusion.
Right now, Wei Yan’s cultivation was only at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.
One must remember, Wei Yan was already seventy-one years old.
This rate of progress in her cultivation was slower than his own had been back then.
He had stepped onto the Immortal Path at the age of forty-three.
He broke through to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer at sixty-three, and reached the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer at sixty-seven.
Wei Yan and her brother, on the other hand, had both stepped onto the Immortal Path before the age of thirty, more than ten years earlier than he had.
Over the years, although he hadn’t provided them with much help in terms of resources, his guidance on the Talisman Dao and cultivation should have been enough to help them avoid many detours.
’At least in the Qi Refining Realm, each generation shouldn’t be worse than the last.’
"Father, I understand," Wei Yan said, lowering her head and pursing her red lips.
「A few more days passed.」
Wei Xiuwen came to visit his father and sister as usual.
This time, however, besides bringing food for them, Wei Xiuwen also carried a gift box.
"Father, this is a funerary gift... from Fu Lin for Mother’s funeral."
"He had someone deliver it to the mansion last night."
Wei Xiuwen lowered his voice.
"Fu Lin?"
"How did he find out?"
Hearing this, Wei Tu couldn’t help but be astonished.
Fu Lin had left the Bai Shihu Marketplace more than twenty years ago. Since then, there had been no news of him at all.
He hadn’t notified many people about Xinghua’s joyous funeral.
It wasn’t a widely publicized event.
’Could it be that he has spies in Bai Shihu? Or... do some of the Fu Family’s second-generation members still have a way to contact Fu Lin?’ Wei Tu frowned, pondering.
’Forget it. There’s no point in overthinking it.’
Wei Tu shook his head and reached out to take the gift box from Wei Xiuwen.
Opening the gift box, he found an Upper-Grade Spirit Stone, a Tier One Upper-Grade Spiritual Almond, and a letter.
Wei Tu opened the letter first.
In the letter, Fu Lin explained his current situation and asked Wei Tu to tell everyone not to worry about him, as he, his younger brother, and his younger sister were all doing very well now.
After describing his situation, Fu Lin mentioned that the Upper-Grade Spirit Stone was to repay the ten Spirit Stones Wei Tu had lent him all those years ago.
One Upper-Grade Spirit Stone was worth one hundred Lower-Grade Spirit Stones.
He was repaying the debt tenfold.