Ning An's Wild Wish System-Chapter 43 - 38: Seeking Peace and Prosperity, Not Immortality
Ah!
Many people instantly understood this sentence.
"Daoist Master, what do you mean by this? Elder An has worked tirelessly for the country and the people all his life. Even the so-called great hero can’t compare to a single strand of Elder An’s hair. How dare you curse him like this!" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
"Alas, maybe we can’t blame the Daoist Master. Just a few days ago, Elder An appeared vigorous on TV, but now he seems almost devoid of life."
"For such a pillar of the nation, the best medical care is a given, but in Elder An’s condition... it seems hopeless."
For a moment, everyone’s faces were filled with sorrow.
An Ruolin is a hero they have heard about since childhood, and countless people’s dreams are to become a scientist as outstanding as An Ruolin.
Now, seeing a hero in decline is a scene no one wishes to witness.
"Elder An, did you come here also because of the rumors to make a wish?"
Someone in the crowd of incense burners summoned the courage to shout.
An Xiaofu immediately lifted her eyelid and prepared to step forward, but Elder An stopped her.
Elder An chuckled cheerfully:
"Yes, the old man also heard it was very effective, so while I can still move, I specifically came here to pay respects."
After saying that.
The crowd of incense burners instantly erupted into noise.
In just a blink of an eye, a little girl came out from the crowd.
Her little face was already tense with fear, but her eyes were incredibly determined.
"Grandpa, my mom said that a great hero like you should live to a hundred..."
"But I’m still young, I can’t help Grandpa. These three sticks of incense, my mom bought them for me to pray for good exam results, and I... I pray Brother Sect Leader to make Grandpa get better soon..."
The little girl shyly spoke while pulling her mother to the incense burner.
She unfolded the already lit three sticks of incense in her hand, and carefully let her mom help place them inside.
"Dear Immortal Grandpa, if you can hear me, please, please bless this old gentleman, he is a good man..."
A phrase that wakes people from a dream.
Gradually.
Those incense burners who hadn’t offered incense to make a wish moved toward the incense burner.
One.
Two.
Three.
...
As if realizing something, Elder An smiled more brilliantly, while tears sparkled at the corners of his eyes.
Under the deity’s statue, the various aspects of human life continued.
But at this moment, all the sincere incense burners only had one wish.
"Bless Academician An with peace and joy, and a long life."
"Wishing An Ruolin, Academician An, a long life."
"I’m willing to sacrifice ten years of my life to give Elder An five more years of sunny days..."
Sunlight breaks through the ice, penetrating the heart.
What was initially a very heartwarming scene suddenly made Ning An a bit annoyed:
"Hey, you blabbering fool wanting to sacrifice life, shut your crow mouth!"
"At my Changchun Temple, praying for Elder An’s extended life doesn’t need your sacrifice!"
Exchanging ten years of life for five years?
Hey, if he really shouted to the end, wouldn’t the reputation of the ancestor be at risk?
The initially heartwarming scene came to an abrupt halt.
But everyone consciously ignored this point, instead they stood dazed on the spot.
"Did you hear clearly just now? The Daoist Master, did he... did he say life extension?"
"It seems... the implication was indeed that."
"How is that possible?"
Even the Mad Dukes who worship Ning An as the Evil God Cult Leader were very shocked.
They’re not stupid. For someone like Elder An, coming to the temple to make a wish in his last moments, means even the best hospitals could do nothing.
But amidst the shock, there was also a glimmer of hope.
What if?
Upon hearing this, Elder An did not react, but An Xiaofu couldn’t help herself.
"Little Daoist, out of commitment to the truth, can you guarantee you will extend my grandpa’s life?"
She took a step forward, her eyes lifted, gentle and pure, as if reflecting the entire leisure of early summer.
"Se..."
"Life is determined by fate, not a bit by man. This body of grandpa’s, how could burning a few sticks of incense make any difference, it’s nonsense."
Ning An hadn’t finished saying "certainly" when Elder An sternly stopped him.
Suddenly speaking with some urgency, Elder An’s face showed signs of pain.
After taking the water bottle handed over by An Xiaofu, Ning An tilted his head, smiled, and then opened it and handed it to Elder An.
With a sip of water, Elder An’s expression eased a little.
After catching his breath, Elder An continued to speak:
"To an old man like me, death is nothing to fear. It’s just two legs kicking, a board covering, and then lying in the earth for a long sleep."
Saying that, Elder An sighed softly:
"The only thing I can’t let go of is the project I’m responsible for. It’s already at the most critical point, but my body just won’t hold up..."
After listening.
Ning An grinned and comforted him:
"Elder An, didn’t you just say, ’the rear waves of the Yangtze River drive on those before’? You’ve ignited the flame of hope for us, a spark can set the prairie ablaze, how could it be extinguished?"
Walking along the path willingly opened by the incense burners, Ning An pushed the wheelchair and smiled:
"Old man, we’re here today to offer incense and make a wish, the rest, we can think about tomorrow."
Watching this scene unfold, the netizens in the livestream were quite emotional.
"I really hope this Little Daoist can bring us a miracle. Elder An has sacrificed so much for us, yet we can’t even save him in the end."
"I don’t know, although I’ve always supported the Little Daoist, even calling Brother Sect Leader sincerely, but now, who can be sure?"
"When medicine fails, one turns to gods and spirits, sighs, it’s hard, hard, hard."
No one naively believes that making a wish can extend life.
Even with previous cases as evidence, it can only be considered a coincidence, insufficient as proof.
Soon.
Ning An had already pushed Elder An close to the incense burner.
He casually took out the last three sticks of Divine Invitation Incense.
The initial system reward of nine sticks of Divine Invitation Incense had been wasted by Brother Lao Tuo and Brother Jiji, now, these three sticks of Divine Invitation Incense are Ning An’s last stock.
The viewers in the livestream, seeing the Divine Invitation Incense, were momentarily at a loss.
"Although... but how about we try a different incense?"
"This incense indeed was like Brother Sect Leader said, but the only two people who used it seem to... not have had a good outcome."
"Forget about those, illness requires strong medicine, let’s first extend Elder An’s life, what’s the point in worrying about the rest, we’ll deal with it later!"
"Exactly, if there really are side effects, do you think the higher-ups would remain indifferent? Do you think I wouldn’t contribute something?"
No matter what the livestream and the incense burners on the scene thought, the incense was still lit by Elder An.
Considering Elder An’s limited mobility, Ning An handed the incense to An Xiaofu, indicating that she should place it in the incense burner.
"Elder An, please make your wish at ease, without concern for anything else."
Elder An gratefully glanced at Ning An, then closed his eyes, pinched a Meridian Technique hand sign, and softly whispered:
"I hope the carbon fiber project will soon make progress and break through the chokehold, ending the situation of lagging behind and being bullied.
If possible, I would be a bit greedy and wish for carbon fiber materials to leap to the world’s top, ensuring the nation’s prosperity and the people’s peace. Then this old man could die without regret..."
Behind Elder An, Ning An’s expression slightly stiffened.
No... wasn’t it supposed to be a wish to stay alive?
A breeze lightly blew across.
In Ning An’s palm, a piece of yellow talisman paper fluttered with the wind.
