The mountainous region in the northwest of China is like a primitive area—no roads, no cars, and barely any signs of people.
In the midst of the surrounding mountains, there was a solitary thatched house. The open space outside the house was planted with various medicinal herbs, filling the air with their fragrance.
The interior of the house was small, with only a bed and a desk, which was cluttered with books and sheets of rough paper.
At this moment, an old man with white hair and a beard was lying on the bed, his eyes closed, his face peaceful.
A young man, who looked to be only seventeen or eighteen, sat by the bedside.
"Xia, I really envy you—you've only lived for eighty-one years and can pass away peacefully." Fang Yu looked at the old man who had just passed away on the bed and murmured with a smile.
"Sigh, I'm the unfortunate one. Who knows how many more years I'll have to live before it ends?" Fang Yu sighed, his eyes showing pain, but more so, helplessness.
From the moment he embarked on the path of cultivation, nearly five thousand years had passed.
During this long period, Fang Yu couldn't die, nor could he progress in his cultivation.
After nearly five thousand years of cultivation, he was still stuck in the Qi Refining stage!
That's right, the Qi Refining stage—the most basic level in the cultivation path!
According to strict standards, the Qi Refining stage can't even be considered a true level; it's merely a period of physical training.
Only after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage can one be considered to have truly embarked on the path of immortality.
But Fang Yu had been stuck in the Qi Refining stage, unable to move forward.
Over the thousands of years, he had consumed over ten thousand Foundation Establishment pills, yet none had any effect.
In the first thousand years, Fang Yu's master comforted him, saying that his spiritual roots were more powerful than anyone else's, so he needed to stay in the Qi Refining stage a bit longer.
But after a thousand years passed and Fang Yu still couldn't break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, his master began to wonder if he had been wrong, and that Fang Yu might actually be a mortal without any spiritual roots.
But how could a mere mortal live for a thousand years without any signs of aging?
Later, Fang Yu's master successfully underwent tribulation and ascended to immortality, leaving Earth behind.
Since then, no one cared about Fang Yu's cultivation level.
As time passed, the spiritual energy resources on Earth became increasingly scarce.
Nowadays, even if Fang Yu could break through, it would be impossible for him to undergo tribulation and ascend.
However, Fang Yu had never thought about undergoing tribulation and ascending; he only wanted to break through this cursed Qi Refining stage!
This had become his obsession.
By now, he had reached the 9,832nd level of the Qi Refining stage. Generally, a cultivator only needed to reach the 12th level to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Thinking about cultivation made Fang Yu a bit frustrated.
He took a deep breath and stood up, looking at the sheets of rough paper filled with various medicinal prescriptions on the desk.
"I should've known you'd become such a herbal fanatic. I shouldn't have taught you medicine back then!" Fang Yu shook his head lightly, helplessly.
In accordance with Xia's last wish, he needed to organize these medicinal prescriptions and take them away.
He had just begun sorting them when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and he immediately looked out the window in the direction of the noise.
Xia had built his house in such a remote place, yet someone had still found it?
Fang Yu frowned slightly.
After about ten minutes, a group of seven people arrived in front of the house.
There were two young men and women, an old man in a wheelchair, and four well-dressed, muscular men who looked like bodyguards.
Seeing the old man in the wheelchair exuding an aura of death, Fang Yu knew that these people must be seeking medical help.
"Divine Doctor Xia, hello, my name is Tang Feng. We come from the Tang family in Jiangnan, and we want to ask you to treat my..." The handsome young man stepped forward and spoke loudly.
Fang Yu pushed open the door and interrupted him.
"You're too late. Xia Xiu has just passed away."
What!?
Everyone's expression changed.
The Divine Doctor Xia, whom they had been desperately searching for... had actually passed away!?
"How, how could this be..." Tang Feng's face turned pale, staring blankly at Fang Yu.
They had mobilized the entire family's resources, expending a great deal of manpower and resources, to find the reclusive Divine Doctor Xia after nearly twenty years of searching.
After all their efforts, they finally found Xia's secluded house, but what they received was this news!
"How could it be such a coincidence? We just found him... No, the Divine Doctor must not have passed away; he's just in seclusion and doesn't want to see us!" The beautiful young girl's eyes turned red as she spoke excitedly.
"Yes! The Divine Doctor must still be inside the house!" Tang Feng's eyes shone with hope as he stepped into the house.
Then, he saw Xia Xiu lying on the bed, his eyes closed.
Tang Feng carefully observed and confirmed that the old man on the bed had indeed stopped breathing.
"How could this happen..." Tang Feng felt his hope shatter, and he lost all strength.
"I told you, Xia Xiu has passed away. You can leave now." Fang Yu frowned slightly, displeased by Tang Feng's intrusion into the house.
Tang Feng suddenly thought of something and turned to Fang Yu, asking, "You must be the Divine Doctor's disciple, right? You've surely inherited his medical skills. Please treat my grandfather! We're willing to pay any amount!"
Fang Yu shook his head and said, "I'm not his disciple... I'm just an old friend."
Strictly speaking, Fang Yu was actually Xia Xiu's master.
When Xia Xiu was only fifteen, it was Fang Yu who guided him onto the path of medicine. Of course, there was no need to say this out loud—no one would believe it anyway.
But even the term "old friend" seemed odd.
Fang Yu looked like he was not even twenty years old, while Xia Xiu was over eighty. How could they be old friends?
However, no one was thinking about that at the moment. The group was immersed in the despair of shattered hope.
Sitting in the wheelchair, the old man from the Tang family, upon hearing of Xia Xiu's death, completely lost his spirit, his eyes filled with desolation.
It was fate! His time had come! There was no need to struggle any longer!
The young girl, seeing her grandfather in such a state, was heartbroken and couldn't stop her tears from flowing.
Fang Yu frowned as he looked at the old man and suddenly said, "You've lived for seventy-three years; shouldn't that be enough? Why do you still want to live?"
Everyone was stunned, wondering how Fang Yu knew the old man's age.
But upon hearing Fang Yu's words, their expressions changed.
Enough?
Who in this world would think they've lived enough?
What did that mean!?
Was it a provocation? A taunt?
"You bastard, what do you mean!?" Tang Feng's face turned livid, and he threw a punch at Fang Yu's chest.
Fang Yu's eyes flickered, but he didn't move.
"Bang!"
Before Tang Feng's fist could touch Fang Yu, he was suddenly struck by a powerful force and flew backward, crashing to the ground.
Everyone's face changed, shocked.
Tang Feng had clearly thrown a punch, yet this young man didn't move, and Tang Feng ended up on the ground?
"Brother!" the pretty girl screamed.
The four bodyguards quickly moved forward, standing in front of Fang Yu.
"Don't move!" the old man in the wheelchair ordered in a hoarse voice.
The four bodyguards immediately stopped.
Tang Feng clutched his chest as he got up, looking at Fang Yu with fear in his eyes.
"Young man, we were rude. May I ask your name?" the old man asked.
"Fang Yu," Fang Yu replied.
The old man nodded slightly and said, "Young man, you asked me why I still want to live. I can answer that."
"Because I still want to be with my family. I want to see my grandchildren grow up, see them start their own families, see them have children... Isn't that what life is? One generation watching over the next." The old man smiled.
"Grandpa..." Hearing this, the young girl cried even harder.
Family...
Fang Yu's eyes flickered.
For him, family was a distant memory, but for mortals, family was ever-present, generation after generation.
And for the vast majority of mortals, who wouldn't want to live a little longer?
"You have late-stage lung cancer, with less than three months to live. Enjoy the last part of your life," Fang Yu said as he turned back into the house and closed the door.
The Tang family members were stunned.
How could Fang Yu tell at a glance that the old man had lung cancer? And how did he know, just like the doctors had said, that the old man had less than three months to live?
He must be the Divine Doctor's disciple!
Realizing this, Tang Feng knocked on the door again, shouting, "Mr. Fang, you must be the Divine Doctor's disciple! Please, treat my grandfather! We're..."
"Life and death are fated. Leave immediately, or don't blame