Chapter Ninety-Four: An Old Friend Has Passed Away

As Su Yan began to speak, He Song gradually came to understand why the old and the young had moved, and how they had ended up here after leaving their former home.

Twelve years ago, rogue cultivators had stormed the immortal marketplace, and the enforcement squad had suffered heavy losses. The outer districts of the market were abandoned entirely.

But Su Jin had already reached the sixth level of Qi Refining by then. Moreover, he made his living hunting demon beasts, and his combat power was formidable.

So when the market descended into chaos, Su Jin immediately took Su Yan and fled.

For someone like Su Jin, with both high cultivation and strong abilities, it was still fairly easy to keep Su Yan alive. Ordinary rogue cultivators simply could not do anything to him.

Later, after the True Person Chengshan returned and wiped out every last rogue cultivator in the market, Su Jin brought Su Yan to the A district, where they lived in seclusion and rarely went out.

From that time onward, He Song never saw the old and the young again.

Until today.

Only by wandering about the immortal marketplace without realizing it had He Song, by sheer coincidence, come to the A district and met these old acquaintances from twelve years ago.

After hearing Su Yan's account, He Song showed no change in expression, but inwardly he was somewhat skeptical.

After all, as early as twelve years ago, Su Jin had already been a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator, and as a loose cultivator his battle experience should have been extremely rich.

In a sudden upheaval like the one that had struck the immortal marketplace, Su Jin ought to have been taking advantage of the chaos for his own gain. Instead, he had chosen to bring Su Yan away.

No matter how one looked at it, that did not seem like something a loose cultivator would do.

Under such circumstances, almost all loose cultivators should have been looting and profiting from the disorder.

The loose cultivators He Song had once heard about, whose fortunes had suddenly swelled after that great calamity, were likely exactly the sort who had done that.

Besides, if one had not suddenly grown rich, why bother moving at all?

Though inwardly he scoffed at Su Yan's account, He Song did not question her. Instead, he nodded in easy agreement.

A trace of emotion also appeared at the right moment in his eyes.

"Ah, back then I was taken away by a friend, and only then did I escape disaster. Looking back now, that calamity was truly terrifying."

As He Song spoke, Su Yan nodded repeatedly like a pecking chick.

Soon after, she began asking about He Song's own past.

Naturally, He Song only chose the things he could say, and told her a little about what he had experienced over these twelve years.

As for what could not be said, of course he would not tell her.

He Song understood these things very well.

They had not seen each other for more than ten years, and he had no idea what Su Yan's character was like now.

If her appearance had not eased a burden in his heart, he would probably not have bothered with her at all.

"What? Brother Song has already reached the sixth level of Qi Refining?"

Even though He Song had only told Su Yan the things he could speak of, when she heard that his cultivation had already reached the sixth level of Qi Refining, she still let out an exclamation.

Seeing this, He Song hurriedly pressed a hand downward, and only then did Su Yan lower her voice.

"The sixth level of Qi Refining... When Grandfather was alive, his highest cultivation was only the sixth level of Qi Refining. It has only been a little over ten years, and Brother Song has already caught up to him."

Her voice grew softer, and a flicker of desolation flashed through her eyes.

But the words she uttered made a trace of surprise appear in He Song's gaze.

That Su Jin, who had sixth-level Qi Refining cultivation, formidable combat strength, and made his living hunting demon beasts...

Was dead?

Upon hearing this, He Song opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

But when the words reached his lips, he no longer knew how he should speak.

Recollecting those twelve years past, when his own cultivation had been only at the third level of Qi Refining, while Su Jin had already reached the sixth.

He himself had never experienced a single battle, whereas Su Jin, as a loose cultivator who lived by hunting demon beasts, had battle experience beyond measure.

At that time, Su Jin, though always courteous and mild toward He Song in daily life, still gave off a sense of distance that He Song could clearly feel.

When Su Yan often came to pester him, Su Jin never stopped her, but neither did he encourage her.

Back then, the two of them were nothing more than ordinary neighbors, maintaining outward politeness.

If Su Yan had not often come looking for him, He Song probably would not even have remembered this old and young pair.

And yet, when Su Yan herself said that Su Jin was dead...

Recalling the old man who had always stood behind Su Yan, wearing a faint smile, He Song still felt a touch of bleakness.

A mortal's life lasted but a few short decades; to live to seventy was already counted as a blessing from the heavens.

One must know that this world of common folk still bore the appearance of ancient times, and the average lifespan in ancient times was, to put it mildly, hard to speak of.

One who lived seventy years was rare from the start.

That saying was the very portrait of a mortal's life.

A Qi Refining cultivator's lifespan, even if they cultivated all the way to the peak of the later stages of Qi Refining, was only one hundred and twenty years.

A cultivator at the early stage of Qi Refining could live ninety years; one at the mid stage, one hundred.

The difference in lifespan between Qi Refining cultivators and mortals was not all that great.

Only upon reaching the Foundation Establishment realm, with a lifespan of two hundred years, could one truly say that immortals and mortals had parted ways. Their lifespan was more than three times that of ordinary people.

If one added certain longevity-extending medicines, the lifespan could be even higher.

As for higher realms beyond that, He Song did not know the number of years granted to Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators.

The miscellaneous books in the immortal marketplace's techniques pavilion had no clear records, only saying that their lifespans should be very long.

And now, after only more than ten years since He Song had crossed into this world, someone around him had already been buried beneath the yellow earth.

Though he did not know exactly how many years Su Jin had lived, dead was dead. Once a person dies, it is like a lamp going dark; they never return.

Such a scene could not help but make He Song sigh inwardly.

"Please accept my condolences. And there is no need for you to belittle yourself. In the future, you will surely cultivate to the sixth level of Qi Refining, perhaps even higher. Foundation Establishment is within sight."

Though he sighed inwardly, He Song still offered Su Yan a word of comfort.

Although they had only been neighbors for a little more than two years, Su Yan had liked to cling to him since she was small, and that counted as a pleasant memory.

For the sake of an old acquaintance, He Song would not stint on a few words.

Still, words could be said.

As for giving her any help right now, that was not really possible.

She was merely a little girl who used to like clinging to him. The two had not seen each other for more than ten years, and He Song had no idea what Su Yan's character was like now.

If, after some time observing her, he found her character acceptable and the two became friends, then lending a hand would not be out of the question.

For now, however, it would not do.

He Song did not believe for a moment that Su Yan was living a bad life.

Before Su Jin died, he had after all been a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator. There was no way he would leave Su Yan with nothing.

Given that, her life should still have been tolerable.

After He Song's comfort, Su Yan's mood quickly improved a little.

But compared with before, there was now a trace of sadness that was difficult to detect.

Thus, not long after.

Following some idle conversation, and after exchanging the aura of their communication spells, as well as telling each other where they lived and agreeing to visit one another more often in the future, the two parted ways.

After leaving the teahouse, Su Yan went off to who knew where.

As for He Song, he followed the route he remembered from when he had come and walked all the way back home.