Deep within the palace.
If there was anything unchanged, it was truly only Lin Fan and Zhao Zhenle.
Friendship doesn't fade with the passage of time; instead, it deepens, much like Lin Fan's friendship with Zhao Zhenle.
"Are you still not going to let me go?"
Zhao Zhenle's cultivation was profound. Although she couldn't maintain her youthful appearance, she aged much slower than ordinary people, remaining in a middle-aged state. Only a few strands of white hair betrayed her true age, which surpassed many. Her physical functions, however, were not what they once were.
On the other hand, Lin Fan hadn't changed at all, still as young as ever.
"We are friends. You've asked me this many times. Do you still not understand my intentions and thoughts?"
Lin Fan looked at her with sincere eyes. Anyone who met such a gaze would have only one thought:
True love. He must consider me a true friend; otherwise, he wouldn't have such a look in his eyes.
Zhao Zhenle sneered, "Friends? If you consider me a friend, let me leave."
Over the years, all she could think about was escaping this wretched place. It had become her sole obsession.
"No, I promised those people that I would educate you well and restore you to your former self. The Zhenle of the past was full of love," Lin Fan said.
"Don't say such disgusting things. It makes me want to vomit. If I wasn't weaker than you, do you think you'd still be alive?" Zhao Zhenle glared at Lin Fan, the anger in her heart surging to its peak, impossible to extinguish.
Lin Fan calmly replied, "That's why I'm still alive."
Listen to him! Are these the words of a sane person?
The fact that she hadn't gone mad yet was due to her unwavering evil heart and her unyielding yearning for freedom, which had sustained her until now.
Zhao Zhenle took a deep breath. "What will it take for you to let me go?"
"Return to the Zhenle I once knew," Lin Fan said calmly.
It was enough to drive her insane. She didn't even know what her true self was anymore. She even felt that her current self was her true self, and the past was all a facade.
At that moment, Zhao Zhenle took out a woven grass grasshopper and offered it to Lin Fan. "This is for you, just like before."
But Lin Fan didn't accept it. This gesture confused Zhao Zhenle.
"It's for you." Under Lin Fan's suppression, she had learned to pretend, but she underestimated him.
Lin Fan shook his head. "It's not the gift I want. It's not the same as the first one you gave me. A gift without feeling is not a gift. You really haven't changed. I'm disappointed."
"But I have faith that you will recover."
"Time will prove that I'm right."
Zhao Zhenle, completely exasperated by Lin Fan, threw the woven grasshopper on the ground and stomped on it.
"You're ruthless!"
Several decades passed.
Nearly one hundred and fifty years. For Lin Fan, this was a long time, a length of time he had never experienced in his many dreams.
Zhao Zhenle grew old. Even with her profound cultivation, she couldn't resist the erosion of time. She was like a flickering candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
If it weren't for Lin Fan's suppression, the original Zhao Zhenle, wreaking havoc and unleashing her evil nature, could have lived much longer. But the suppressed emotions led to the deterioration of her body.
Hence the saying, anxiety breeds illness.
By her bedside, Lin Fan looked at the lying Zhao Zhenle and said sadly, "Zhenle, my friend, are you leaving?"
Lying there, Zhao Zhenle's breath was weak. Birth, old age, sickness, and death are natural occurrences. Having been guarded by Lin Fan for over a hundred years, she ultimately couldn't escape his grasp.
"You..." Zhao Zhenle struggled to raise her hand, as if wanting to say, "You're so cruel. I give up." She, who cultivated the Nine Yin Divine Scripture, should have dominated the world, becoming a figure feared by all. But her life was one of frustration, forced to do good deeds every day under Lin Fan's oppression.
She was even often lectured.
Lin Fan quickly grabbed Zhao Zhenle's hand, his voice sincere and tinged with sadness. "I know. I'll be fine. Don't worry."
Hearing these words, Zhao Zhenle's eyes widened abruptly. She struggled to open her mouth, her voice weak and barely audible.
"You... go to hell."
"Mm, you will always be my friend. I will remember you. I can feel it; you are the Zhenle I once knew. I really changed you back."
"I've kept the gift you gave me close to me all this time. I take it out and look at it often."
At this point, there was really no need to provoke someone on their deathbed.
He had literally worn her down over a hundred years, wearing down a person full of evil until she died. Just thinking about it was terrifying.
As expected, Zhao Zhenle couldn't bear Lin Fan's provocation. Her eyes widened, then slowly closed.
She completely departed from the mortal world.
"Sigh!"
Lin Fan sighed deeply, sitting by the bed, holding Zhao Zhenle's hand. Closing his eyes, he recalled the scene from over a hundred years ago when Zhenle first came to him.
"I fulfilled my promise. I believe my friends are good. I changed her."
The divine monk had told him that Zhenle couldn't be spared, or she would bring calamity upon the world.
But he believed in his friend, believed she could return to her former self. So, he insisted that it was possible, and reality didn't disappoint him.
He had indeed done it. Zhenle, at her final moments, had completely returned to her true self.
Several days later, he stood before a tombstone.
'The Tomb of My Dearest Friend, Zhao Zhenle'
Over a hundred years of companionship had deepened Lin Fan's friendship with Zhao Zhenle to a profound level.
Lin Fan shed tears, gently stroking the tombstone.
"Zhenle, to me, this might be a dream, but this dream, to me, is as real as it gets. You are my best friend, besides Old Zhang, Little Bao, and the hen."
Then, a voice echoed in his mind.
Mission: Complete.
Reward: Imperial Dragon Qi.
Next Arrival: September 1st!
Return!
A mysterious force descended. Lin Fan gazed deeply at the tombstone, wanting to etch his dearest friend firmly in his heart. He knew Zhenle was happy and content because he had accompanied her, helping her rediscover herself.
September 1st!
Yanhai City!
Special Department!
Dormitory!
Morning.
Lin Fan opened his eyes, stretched, and yawned.
"Here's your cola."
Old Zhang handed a bag of soy milk to Lin Fan and took one for himself.
"Sprite!"
"Cola!"
"Cheers!"
The two looked at each other, their sincere friendship needing no further words.
They grinned, their smiles radiant.
"Crazy!"
The evil rooster was annoyed with these two foolish humans. It was clearly soy milk, yet they called it Sprite and cola. Was it the rooster's brain that was malfunctioning, or theirs?
Lin Fan and Old Zhang looked at the evil rooster simultaneously.
"Good morning, hen!"
"Good morning, hen!"
Cluck, cluck, cluck!
The evil rooster crowed, cooperating perfectly, pretending to greet them.
Then, the hen lifted its tail and expertly laid a few eggs.
Lin Fan got up to wash, picked up the eggs, and put them in hot water to boil. This was their daily ritual upon waking – boiling eggs and sharing them.
Soon, the eggs were cooked.
Lin Fan and Old Zhang sat at the table, slowly peeling the eggshells. Meanwhile, the evil rooster stared at the eggs, its heart bleeding. These cruel humans made him eat his own children every day.
How cruel.
How terrifying.
The evil rooster maintained a strong facade, secretly shedding tears. He was an undercover agent, and to be a qualified one, he needed a strong mentality. Even if, in the future, he found a hen girlfriend, and she was humiliated by these two, he would endure it.
Because his heart constantly reminded him: You are a successful undercover evil creature. You must be prepared to make sacrifices.
Cluck, cluck, cluck!
The evil rooster said nothing and started eating. He had to admit, they tasted pretty good.
Downstairs.
Lin Fan and Old Zhang arrived at the Dao Tree. After a night's absence, they found traces of burnt incense and joss paper around the tree.
"So dirty, who did this?" Old Zhang asked.
Lin Fan said, "It's alright. Isn't this part of our job? Let's clean it up together."
They were diligent, fetching brooms and sweeping meticulously. As they cleaned, they chatted.
"Did you go again last night?"
Old Zhang asked. His biggest dream was to travel with Lin Fan, but he never succeeded.
"Yeah, I went to a strange place. But I met a nice little girl there, and we became friends."
"What's her name? Can you introduce me to her sometime?"
"Her name was Zhao Zhenle, but she's dead now. She was too old and didn't make it."
"Oh, alright. Do you think I'll die of old age someday?"
When Old Zhang asked this, Lin Fan stopped what he was doing, then said with a firm and serious expression, "I'll find a way to keep you alive, I promise."
"I'm saying 'if.' After all, everyone dies of old age eventually. And I've heard that hell is scary and lonely. I won't be able to see you anymore."
Lin Fan put down his tools, walked over to Old Zhang, patted his shoulder, and said with determined eyes, "You're my best friend. I won't let you be scared or lonely. I'll always be with you, protecting you, and not letting anyone bully you."
The sincere outpouring of emotion perfectly demonstrated the depth of their friendship.
Old Zhang wrapped his arms around himself, lost in thought.
"I heard that exercising can make you healthier and live longer. I must live a very, very long life."
"Why don't we go exercise later?"
"What do you say?"
Lin Fan nodded. "Okay!"
They looked at each other and laughed happily.
"Let's finish cleaning, and then we'll go."
"Okay."
The Dao Tree listened to their conversation, puzzled. It felt they were talking about something profound. It was distressing!
As for the evil rooster, it still had only one thought:
"Crazy!"