Having my senior brother serve me food isn’t appropriate.

At the feast, the atmosphere was harmonious.

But after a while, Hong Yuan noticed something was off. His senior brother Zhu Wushang, who used to drink heartily and eat his fill, could now only take a few bites before he could no longer eat. The things his senior brother used to enjoy, he now had to cease due to the changes in his body!

In that moment, Hong Yuan suddenly realized and took a serious look at Zhu Wushang’s appearance. His skin was loose, his hair completely white. Frail from old age, he emitted a faint odor of decay. He was clearly on the brink of collapse, a flickering flame at the end of its wick!

When he looked at himself in turn, he was young and strong, in the prime of life, still possessing endless possibilities like the morning sun. The contrast struck him, and a sense of the swift passage of time washed over Hong Yuan.

Senior brother has entered the twilight of his life; his days are indeed numbered...

Suddenly, Hong Yuan recalled the first time he met Zhu Wushang. Back then, Zhu Wushang had been a towering hulk of a man, no different from his son Zhu Xuanwu. But now, Zhu Wushang resembled an old man, a flickering candle in the wind, ready to vanish from this world at any moment.

[Temporal Tao +100]

[Temporal Tao +100]

[...]

Hong Yuan’s Great Emperor-Level talent activated, further deepening his understanding of the Temporal Tao.

Soon, Hong Yuan composed himself. He lifted his glass and earnestly gestured towards Zhu Wushang.

"Senior brother, allow me to toast to you. If there’s anything you need my help with, just say the word."

Back in his younger days, Zhu Wushang had indeed been very kind to him. Hong Yuan was willing to repay this kindness, within his capacity.

Zhu Wushang also shakily lifted his glass, nodded towards Hong Yuan, and said, "I too must thank you. If it weren’t for Yuan, I fear... I fear Master would have passed away with regrets."

They both drank in one gulp.

After they drank, Zhu Wushang beckoned his son Zhu Xuanwu over, his face tinged with shame.

"Xuanwu takes after me the most. You’ve also watched him grow up."

Hearing his senior brother’s words, Hong Yuan couldn’t help but nod. Indeed, not only did Zhu Xuanwu physically resemble his father almost exactly, but his temperament and the path of his cultivation were the same as well.

"I’m afraid I don’t have much time left. With you looking after Yiru and Yue’er, I can be at ease."

"It’s just this boy, Xuanwu, that I worry about most."

"I’d like to secure a position for him. Could you appoint him as the master of the ’A06 Workshop’..."

Zhu Wushang spoke in a somewhat humble tone. He was a proud and sturdy man by nature, solid in character. He rarely sought anything from anyone, let alone begged a favor from a junior brother.

Hong Yuan obviously knew his senior brother’s nature. He immediately helped Zhu Wushang up and said solemnly, "Senior brother, you always protected me in the past. Now it’s my turn to protect you."

"It’s certainly possible to appoint Xuanwu as master of the A06 Workshop. However, that position is quite demanding. It might be better to let Xuanwu join the Department of Internal Affairs. That would be more relaxed, and the benefits greater."

Upon hearing this, joy spread across the nearby Zhu Xuanwu’s face.

Zhu Wushang was still immersed in Hong Yuan’s words: "You always protected me in the past, now it’s my turn to protect you." All of a sudden, he burst into hearty laughter. "Good, good, good! Yuan, meeting you was truly my good fortune across three lifetimes! Let Xuanwu become master of the workshop. The waters there are too deep; he won’t be able to handle them."

Hong Yuan smiled with narrowed eyes. "Hmm, we’ll do as senior brother says."

Such a minor position meant little to him. Ordinarily, such matters wouldn’t require his intervention; his subordinates would handle them. But since his senior brother Zhu Wushang had personally requested this, Hong Yuan would pay it some mind and instruct his subordinates to treat Zhu Xuanwu well.

「With that, the matter was concluded.」

When Hong Yuan saw Zhu Wushang again, Zhu, having settled his affairs, had become much quieter. He no longer bothered with worldly affairs. He spent his days either at Eagle Immortal Blessed Land, White Frost Stone House, or occasionally visiting the A06 Workshop, reminiscing about the past. His way of doing things increasingly resembled their late Master Lin Daoyan.

Hong Yuan sometimes accompanied him silently, but whenever Hong Yuan appeared, Zhu Wushang would dismiss him with a stern expression. Zhu Wushang no longer wanted to show weakness in front of Hong Yuan.

So be it, so be it.

Hong Yuan gazed at the two figures in the distance—one large, one small—and sighed softly. The large one was Zhu Xuanwu; the small one, his senior brother Zhu Wushang.

Actually, Hong Yuan wanted to tell Zhu Wushang that he had already become a Martial Saint. Because becoming a Martial Saint was Zhu Wushang’s lifelong aspiration in Martial Arts and the ultimate pursuit of the Rainbow Fire Peak Lineage. But Hong Yuan had never been able to bring himself to say it. Revealing his Martial Saint identity would mean digging his own grave, inviting future trouble! And Hong Yuan was a thoroughly selfish person. There was no way he could declare such a thing openly and honorably!

And yet, Zhu Wushang refused Hong Yuan’s attempts to extend his lifespan. If Zhu Wushang had been willing, Hong Yuan was confident he could have let him see the moment he revealed his Martial Saint cultivation.

「Three months later.」

「Late at night.」

Howling winds, torrential rain, lightning flashing, thunder roaring.

Zhu Wushang, gaunt and on his last breath, lay on the bed. In the room, the expressions of Zhu Wushang’s nine sons were filled with grief. Meanwhile, a large group of female relatives were crying, holding their children.

TAP. TAP...

A sound of urgent footsteps arose. It was Hong Yuan, arriving hastily with Lin Yiru and Mo Yue’er. Zhu Wushang’s descendants quickly made way for the three of them.

"Senior brother..."

"Wushang!"

"Uncle!"

The haggard Zhu Wushang, with a faint smile, shakily raised his emaciated hand, wiping away the tears on Lin Yiru’s and Mo Yue’er’s faces.

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are natural to all. Who... who can live forever?"

"I’m merely following in Master’s footsteps. You don’t need to... to cry for me."

"I’m already eighty-four. This is a joyous passing..."

Zhu Wushang spoke feebly, his voice barely a whisper.

Finally, Zhu Wushang’s withered fingers tightly gripped Hong Yuan’s wrist. One hand was withered and shriveled, the other smooth and warm like white jade. The two hands, one brimming with vitality and the other fading, clasped together, forming a stark contrast.

Zhu Wushang was on the brink of death, while Hong Yuan remained youthful as ever—

On the sickbed, Zhu Wushang spoke with a trembling voice, "Yuan, you must... ensure... Martial Arts... thrive..."

After struggling to finish speaking, he finally closed his eyes in peace. The flame of life within him extinguished, and he passed away peacefully.

Hong Yuan’s senior brother, Zhu Wushang, was gone—

"Father!"

"Grandfather!"

"Uncle!"

Everyone wept inconsolably.

But Hong Yuan stood frozen, his expression dazed. Scenes of his time with Zhu Wushang flashed through his mind.

Their first encounter:

"Hey, you two are the new disciples of our master, right? I’m your third senior brother, Zhu Wushang."

Their first time refining artifacts: 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Hong, come with me. I’ll teach you how to forge a blank, teach you how to become a first-rank forging master quickly."

"Yuan, don’t overthink it. Your first attempt was already quite impressive."

"Yuan, well done."

His first monthly allowance:

"Your allowance for the month is twenty Energy Stones. I’ve already placed them in the storage bag for you. I hope you think deeply about your life."

Their first heart-to-heart:

"Master and my senior brothers have high hopes for me. Yet I’m only of average talent. I failed to become one of the nine under the Phoenix Creek Tutelage and failed to protect Eagle Immortal Blessed Land."

"If it wasn’t for my incompetence, Nine Nether and Xiao Ge wouldn’t have had to be assigned outside the Sect."

"Nine Nether wouldn’t have been killed by someone... SOB... SOB... SOB..."

All these memories of Zhu Wushang—his voice, his expressions—flashed rapidly through Hong Yuan’s mind.

Hong Yuan closed his eyes in agony.

Humans are not unfeeling like plants and stones; who can be devoid of emotion?

Martial Arts must prosper? I *must* ensure Martial Arts prosper!

Senior brother, I will carry on. I will *always* carry on!!!