"Why are you leaving so soon? Not staying a bit longer?"
Watching the somewhat dazed Old Tailor Ma, Gu Ning'an asked with a smile.
Old Tailor Ma walked to the eaves and glanced back toward the tailor shop, letting out a long sigh. "No need to stay longer. Being able to come back and take a look is already a blessing. Staying any longer… I might really not want to leave."
Gu Ning'an replied with a smile, "If you don't want to go, then don't."
If anyone else had said this, Old Tailor Ma would have laughed it off. After all, matters of life and death aren't decided by mere words.
Today marked the last day of Old Tailor Ma's allotted lifespan in the underworld. Even City God Xu couldn't keep him from merging with the heavens and earth, despite having assigned him a role as a "day patrol officer."
While this role was merely a minor position under the City God, it still required formal documentation from the underworld, a process that would take at least three days. In other words, there wasn't enough time left to extend his life.
But Old Tailor Ma knew that what City God Xu couldn't accomplish, Master Gu very well might.
Perhaps, if he jokingly nodded his head, Master Gu would naturally help him "stay alive."
"Forget it," Old Tailor Ma chuckled with a resigned smile. "When the time comes, one shouldn't linger. Perhaps merging with the heavens and earth will offer a different kind of beauty to witness. I'd like to see for myself!"
Before Gu Ning'an could respond, Old Tailor Ma continued, "Let's find a place to drink."
"Alright!" Gu Ning'an laughed, walking alongside Old Tailor Ma as they left together.
Meanwhile, inside the tailor shop, Ma Mingtai, still a little distracted by Old Tailor Ma's unexpected appearance, casually glanced at an old sewing kit on the table.
The sewing kit was something Old Tailor Ma had left behind. Ma Mingtai opened it, staring at the various needles and threads inside for a moment. "Dad, that old man I met today… the way he talked to me was really just like you!"
"Hey, Shopkeeper Ma, could you wrap this cloth for me?"
"Shopkeeper Ma?"
A plump woman waved her hand in front of Ma Mingtai, snapping him out of his daze.
Apologizing repeatedly, Ma Mingtai put down the sewing kit and resumed serving his customers.
…
Late at night, two figures—one tall and one short—approached the City God Temple.
Old Tailor Ma, walking unsteadily as if drunk, muttered, "Master Gu, once I merge with the heavens and earth, how long will it take before I can return to the human world for a look?"
Gu Ning'an smiled. "What's the matter? Regretting not taking up my offer this morning?"
Old Tailor Ma let out a sigh and waved his hand. "Not regret. Just thinking, the human world is so wonderful. If there's a chance, I'd still like to come back for a visit."
Hearing this, Gu Ning'an looked up at the sky and replied softly, "It should be possible to return, but when that might be… I can't say."
Old Tailor Ma's expression showed a trace of surprise. "Is there something even you don't know?"
Gu Ning'an smiled faintly. "I don't know everything."
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Old Tailor Ma chuckled. "That's good. If you knew everything, living in this world might lose a bit of its charm."
Gu Ning'an glanced at him with interest. "Your words are getting more and more scholarly."
"Ha! Spending time around you, how could I not pick up a bit of wisdom?" Old Tailor Ma joked, stroking an imaginary beard. "What do you think, Master Gu? Do I look like a scholar?"
Gu Ning'an examined him and laughed. "Like a scholarly tailor."
"Ha-ha-ha!" Old Tailor Ma burst into hearty laughter, wiping tears of mirth from the corners of his eyes. He clasped his hands in farewell. "Master Gu, this is as far as you need to come. Until fate lets us meet again!"
Gu Ning'an nodded. "Take care. Until we meet again."
Old Tailor Ma nodded firmly and turned, striding away. "Off I go!"
He walked quickly, and before long, he stepped into the City God Temple. Once he entered, his three ethereal souls began to separate from the borrowed body.
Hoo… Hoo…
A gentle breeze swept through the heavens and earth, dividing Old Tailor Ma's soul into three parts. His heavenly soul drifted upward with the wind, his earthly soul merged into the ground, and his human soul transformed into scattered points of light, dissipating into the mortal world.
Boom!
Gu Ning'an gathered the Worldly Qi left behind by Old Ma and clasped his hands in the direction of his old friend's departure before quickly returning to the Ansi Courtyard.
Within the courtyard, the golden kumquat tree swayed gently, its branches rustling with a pleasant swoosh, swoosh. Gu Ning'an lightly stroked its smooth trunk and teased, "If you don't start flowering and bearing fruit soon, I'll never know when I'll get to eat from you."
Rustle… rustle…
The kumquat tree swayed again, its long, oval leaves unfolding to reveal clusters of shy, budding flowers.
A faint floral fragrance began to waft through the air. After pouring the last bucket of water onto the tree, Gu Ning'an sat cross-legged beneath it, channeling his inner power and drawing in the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth.
Gradually, a spiraling spiritual wind began to whirl within the courtyard. Gu Ning'an's body relaxed as he leaned against the tree trunk, breathing deeply, and enjoying the tranquil moment.
…
"Goodness! Do you smell that? What's that lovely scent?"
"I noticed it last night—it smells so soothing. I wonder which flower it's coming from."
"With such a strong fragrance, the flowers must be nearby, yet I've searched several streets and still can't find them."
Two youthful, elegant girls strolled along the street, chatting as they glanced around, afraid of missing the source of the enchanting aroma.
Sitting nearby, Butcher Liu put down his tobacco pipe, revealing his yellowed teeth in a wide grin. "Girls, that fragrance comes from the Ansi Courtyard."
Hearing this, the two girls immediately looked in the direction Butcher Liu had pointed.
Sure enough, within the courtyard walls, they could glimpse branches laden with small yellow flowers. The closer they got to the Ansi Courtyard, the richer and more intoxicating the fragrance became.
"Sir, do you know what kind of flowers those are? They smell divine!" one girl asked timidly.
Butcher Liu waved his hand dismissively. "If you ask me, those are kumquat blossoms—the flowers that bloom before a kumquat tree bears fruit. Normally, kumquat trees don't flower at this time of year… but if it's the Ansi Courtyard, it wouldn't be surprising if the tree bore fruit instantly."
Intrigued, the girl asked, "Why wouldn't it be surprising?"
With a peculiar expression, Butcher Liu replied, "Don't you know? The owner of the Ansi Courtyard is an immortal—someone who lives forever."
"An immortal?" The girl hesitated, about to say more, but her companion pulled her away, saying, "Let's go, let's go. There's no such thing as immortals. Don't let this old man fool you."
Seeing their skepticism, Butcher Liu didn't argue. He simply sat back down by the courtyard gate. After taking a deep breath of the fragrant air, he muttered to himself, "If an immortal's kumquat tree is flowering, just breathing in this scent might add years to my life…"