Gu Shi Yi, clutching the Little Mud Man, stepped out the door; the Old Taoist Priest sighed softly towards the wall,
By noon, rain started to fall in the mountains. Gu Shi Yi returned to the temple completely soaked, but she carefully protected the Little Mud Man in her arms, which remained dry. Seeing the Old Taoist Priest still in the same position as when she left, facing inward, seemingly asleep,
"Old fella, how are you still sleeping?"
Gu Shi Yi went up to pat his shoulder, the Old Taoist Priest groaned a few times and opened his eyes, turning his head, Gu Shi Yi took one look and was startled,
"Master, you...what's happened to you?"
She had only been out for a short while, yet a layer of ashen defeat seemed to enshroud the Old Taoist Priest's weathered face, resembling the pallor of death. Gu Shi Yi was greatly alarmed,
"Master, do you...do you feel unwell?"
The Old Taoist Priest groaned, struggling to sit up, and glared at her,
"The Taoist Priest is quite well. Don't curse me!"
"It's not that..."
Gu Shi Yi, uncertain and alarmed, examined him from head to toe, and then noticed the Old Taoist Priest's hair, which had been black tinged with white, had turned completely white,
"Mas...Mas...ter!"
Her voice trembled, and the Old Taoist Priest, following her gaze, reached up to touch the top of his head, and humphed,
"Making a fuss over nothing, it's like this when people get old!"
Gu Shi Yi sensed something was wrong,
"No! This isn't right, Master, you...you..."
She suddenly grabbed the Old Taoist Priest's hand and felt for his pulse, and after a moment, she leaped up in shock,
"Mas...Master...you...you've disbanded your mana!"
Whether for cultivators or martial artists, signs of disbanded mana only appeared at the end of their natural life. Though the Old Taoist Priest had grown older and his mana had weakened over the years, the complete dissipation of all the energy in his Dantian like this was not due to old age, but a sign of impending death!
Gu Shi Yi's eyes reddened, remembering what the Old Taoist Priest had said earlier, and she instantly understood—the Old Taoist Priest was indeed making his final arrangements!
"Master!"
Gu Shi Yi knelt down, embracing the Old Taoist Priest's legs and burst into great sobs,
"Master, don't die. If you die, what will I do?"
The Old Taoist Priest, his head spinning from her shaking, supported himself with both hands on the bed, his voice now older and more hoarse, scolded,
"How old are you? Such a shameful thing. Thirty years old, and if not for following me around, you'd already be a mother to several children. What's with all this crying? Who doesn't die? When the Old Taoist Priest's time comes, naturally, I should die. Why cling to life shamelessly?"
Hearing this made Gu Shi Yi even more heartbroken and she cried even harder,
"Master...I don't want you to die!"
No matter how old one is, doesn't one remain a disciple of their master?
If you die, I won't have a master anymore!
The Old Taoist Priest, his own nose turning sour from her weeping, refused to let the tears fall in front of his disciple, waved his hand and said,
"Save your crying for when I'm gone. Go cook, I haven't eaten all day!"
Hearing this, Gu Shi Yi hurried to her feet, still wiping her tears with sobs as she left, leaving the Little Mud Man standing by the small table next to the bedding, watching the Old Taoist Priest, their four eyes meeting. The Little Mud Man softly said,
"Master, is it because of me that you have become like this?"
The Old Taoist Priest smiled upon hearing this,
"You're more thoughtful than that girl..."
The moment the Little Mud Man heard this, he immediately knelt down,
"Master... I..."
The Old Taoist Priest gestured for him to lower his voice,
"Quieter, don't let that girl hear...," he then paused and said,
"That mirror belongs to the Immortal. It's not something a mortal can easily absorb into their body. Even with some mana, it's not possible. I used my Primordial Spirit as a guide and sealed its Divine Skills with most of my Taoist magic, barely allowing Shiyi to absorb it... Shiyi borrowed its mana and thus broke my seal..."
Seeing the Little Mud Man's face filled with sorrow and regret, the Old Taoist Priest grinned again and said,
"This matter isn't entirely your fault. In the last two years, my Taoist magic has weakened, and the Treasure Mirror's power has grown. I wasn't sure I could maintain the seal in this last month. What you did just prematurely triggered its power..."
Li Yaner listened, feeling relieved yet increasingly guilty,
"But if the seal hadn't been forcibly broken, you wouldn't have injured your Primordial Spirit!"
The Old Taoist Priest laughed,
"You've come to understand this much, it seems Shiyi has taught you a lot over the years!"
The little Mud Man knelt on the table, head bowed, remaining silent. If his body were not made of clay, tears would have already fallen. The Old Taoist Priest waved his hand and laughed,
"Life and death are decreed by fate. My thirty years' of plans have come to nothing, and that too is destined. I understand this well enough; you need not feel guilty..."
Then he paused and said,