Chapter 35: Just to Wait for Me

Inside a villa in the Number One Garden of the Shazhou Green Space residential area in Zhonghai City, Liu Shihao sat on his balcony, soaking in the sun.

It was a beautiful, clear day at the turn of spring and summer—warm and pleasant, not yet stiflingly hot. Yet, despite sitting in the sun, Liu Shihao looked sickly and pale.

Liu Lei stood beside him, reporting on the current situation. Things were now on the right track, and the reports regarding the Hidden Immortal Valley had been spaced out to once a month.

"The young master attends classes with the other children in the valley every day, completing all the assignments set by the master just like his classmates. From what the valley residents have heard from their own children or their neighbors, the young master performs excellently in the academy. He is diligent and hardworking, often receiving praise from the master..."

Liu Lei paused for a moment before adding, "He receives praise because his coursework is outstanding, and even his calligraphy is excellent. The master is strict and treats everyone equally; he wouldn't frequently praise someone unless they were truly exceptional. By the way, this is the young master's handwriting!"

As he spoke, Liu Lei took a folded piece of rice paper from a folder and handed it over with both hands.

Liu Shihao, who had been sitting silently listening, reached out and took it instinctively. As the paper unfolded, it revealed a classical text written in ancient seal script: "The Peach Blossom Spring."

Liu Shihao had not held high expectations for his son's calligraphy, but upon seeing the piece, he was stunned. The characters were not merely neat; every stroke flowed like moving clouds and flowing water.

Liu Shihao was a man of refined taste who had seen the works of many contemporary calligraphy masters. Of course, his son's work could not compare to those masters, but it clearly possessed its own style. To use a more esoteric term, it held a touch of his own inner spirit.

"Did Hongyu write this?" Liu Shihao finally spoke.

Liu Lei, as if prepared, replied, "Yes, sir. Look at these; these are the young master's previous attempts. The trajectory of his progress is clearly visible!"

He took a box from someone else, placed it on the coffee table, and opened it. Inside was a stack of papers, each one a work by Liu Hongyu, clearly showing the evolution of his handwriting. Liu Shihao looked through them one by one, very carefully and earnestly. By the time he reached the end and looked back at the "Peach Blossom Spring" in his hand, his eyes had unknowingly grown misty.

In that moment, Liu Shihao vaguely recalled a scene from many years ago: his wife holding their young son's hand as he wrote—or rather, doodled—on rice paper.

"Is... is he just studying hard?"

Liu Lei hurried to continue his report. "Not just that. The young master’s progress is comprehensive. In his spare time, he helps with whatever he can. During the spring planting in the valley, he participated, learning and working earnestly. Sometimes he goes out to gather herbs, helps with cooking, cleaning, and laundry at the medical clinic..."

"Sometimes, he also learns to practice martial arts with the valley residents—not for the purpose of cultivating immortality, of course, just for exercise."

Liu Shihao nodded but did not look at Liu Lei, instead gazing out at the scenery in the distance as he asked, "Has he mentioned those nonsensical things again?"

"Certainly, but mostly that was concentrated at the very beginning when he first entered Hidden Immortal Valley. Now that several months have passed, he hasn't mentioned them at all. In the words of Old Man Mu, the young master now seems no different from any other person—or perhaps even more outstanding. In the words of Master Zhuang..."

Liu Lei paused before continuing, "In the words of Master Zhuang, the young master has learned to respect life."

"Respect life..." Liu Shihao murmured the words, a long-lost smile appearing on his scarred and darkened face. Seeing the smile, Liu Lei felt much more at ease.

Liu Lei was the type to report only the good news, knowing that his boss could not handle stress easily. If it were bad news that was destined to be resolved without incident, he could hide it, but this monumental good news had to be emphasized.

"Boss, I think the treatment effect is excellent! Is it possible..."

Liu Shihao nodded in rare approval, but before Liu Lei could finish, he raised a hand and looked at him.

"It’s too early. Back at the rehabilitation center, there were periods of several months of improvement. We cannot be too hasty. I hope he continues to develop in a positive direction..." Liu Shihao's voice trailed off.

The situation was indeed good—much better than expected—but it didn't seem like a total spiritual awakening. Had he felt regret for the past? Had he thought about coming back? What if he really just wanted that kind of reclusive, peaceful life?

Liu Shihao suddenly felt that he didn't really understand his son. He looked at the rice paper with the "Peach Blossom Spring" and handed it to Liu Lei. "Find someone to frame this for me."

"Yes, boss!"

At this moment, a nanny pushed a wheelchair over. "Sir, it's time to go to the hospital!"

Liu Lei quickly stepped aside to make room for the wheelchair. But Liu Shihao just glanced at the chair and the nanny, shook his head, and struggled to stand up from the chair on his own, with the nanny rushing to assist him. "I'm not sitting in that thing. It's only a few steps; I can still walk myself!"

Summer was approaching, and his clothes were getting thinner. From the perspective of others, Liu Shihao had grown much thinner since the spring.

"By the way, no need to make monthly contact anymore. Unless there is anything special, try not to interfere with the self-operation of Hidden Immortal Valley..."

"Understood, boss. I will convey this to the production team!" Liu Lei followed behind, responding, then mentioned another matter. "Oh, by the way, Director Zhou said he wanted to come and see you?"

Liu Shihao, supported by the nanny, glanced at Liu Lei. "Is this about the plot arrangements?"

"I don't think so. After all, the valley operates naturally; it doesn't need extra arrangements except for the beginning and the end!"

"Then he knows already?"

Liu Lei hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I think Director Zhou knows you are ill, but he doesn't know the details. He might think it's just something ordinary... In any case, he went to your former residence but couldn't find you. He said he would definitely come to see you the next time he passes through Zhonghai!"

"Pay him no mind!" Liu Shihao smiled, then walked out of the house and got into the car waiting outside. Liu Lei quickly followed and got in as well.

***

In an office at a private hospital, Liu Shihao, having just finished chemotherapy, sat there while his nanny straightened his slightly disheveled wig. Across from him, behind the desk, sat a doctor wearing grey-rimmed glasses.

"Mr. Liu, although I have said this many times, I must urge you to have the surgery as soon as possible, otherwise there will truly be no chance left. Conservative treatment is becoming less and less effective, and the chemotherapy is causing too much damage to your body! The pain medication is also clearly far less effective than before..."

Seeing that Liu Shihao remained silent, Liu Lei couldn't help but ask, "I heard that the technology has improved over the last two years. Has the success rate increased?"

The doctor looked helpless. "The technology has improved, but it mostly benefits early-stage patients. It doesn't affect Mr. Liu's situation much, and as his physical condition continues to decline, the success rate will only get lower. At present, it is still around twenty percent."

Liu Shihao smiled himself. "Even if the surgery is successful, it doesn't necessarily mean I will get better. With conservative treatment, I might still last a year or six months; with surgery, there is an eighty percent chance I will die right on the operating table."

"But Mr. Liu, you cannot give up just because you are afraid..."

Listening to the doctor, Liu Shihao shook his head and stood up from the chair with the nanny's help. "I, Liu, have struggled my whole life and gambled so many times. I have faced life and death more than once, so I am not afraid to gamble. But at least not now..."

With that, Liu Shihao left the ward, still refusing to sit in the wheelchair prepared by his attendants. Today, because of his son's calligraphy, Liu Shihao felt encouraged, and his mood was rarely good.

Once outside, Liu Shihao looked at the bright sun and asked his attendants, "How long has it been since I went to Wangxian Temple?"

Liu Lei was still thinking, but the driver in the front seat spoke up, "Boss, you haven't been there since Daoist Jingyu passed away."

Liu Shihao nodded at the driver. "Good. While I can still walk, we're going to Wangxian Temple today!"

Liu Lei frowned, wanting to advise against it, but hesitated and stayed silent, simply accompanying him into the car.

***

In Hidden Immortal Valley, everything in the outside world seemed irrelevant.

If time had been rolled back three or four months, no one would have believed that someone as pampered as Young Master Liu could adapt so well to life in the valley. The facts proved that Liu Hongyu was not that hard to get along with; he was just an ordinary person.

Moreover, so much time had passed since the Jin Dynasty, and with a deeper understanding of Liu Hongyu, there was no longer any unnecessary, excessive caution toward him.

Sometimes Liu Hongyu would wake up before dawn to go into the mountains to forage with the others, and sometimes he would study at the academy until very late, staying the night at the school instead of returning home.

The valley no longer felt like a world revolving around the treatment goals of one person; it had become more natural and real. Many people didn't even think about that matter anymore, choosing instead to live their own lives. It was true, after all—Young Master Liu had only been there for three or four months, while others in the valley had lived there for at least a year, some for over a year and a half. Everything was just life.

In the autumn of that year, a young man and woman in the valley fell in love, confessed their hearts to each other, and were married in a formal ceremony. The academy closed for three days, and everyone in Hidden Immortal Valley came to celebrate. Gongs and drums were beaten, firecrackers went off, and it was a lively affair.

Every household attended the banquet, offered blessings, and sent someone to help. All kinds of good wine and food were served, along with a wide variety of mountain fruits. On such days, joy was the main theme of Hidden Immortal Valley.

In the latter half of the wedding banquet, the crowd gradually dispersed, but the noise had not yet ceased. Zhuang Lin walked with Liu Hongyu on the small paths of the valley. Both felt different things on a spiritual level.

Liu Hongyu felt that the festive, lively atmosphere was wonderful. To Zhuang Lin, the sense of celebration and the genuine joy of the people had coated Hidden Immortal Valley in a layer of peach-colored spiritual rhyme.

Liu Hongyu was reminiscing about the wedding wine he had just drunk—even though he didn't like alcohol, he thought it was delicious—while simultaneously thinking of other things.

"Master, do you have something to tell me?"

Zhuang Lin didn't speak but continued walking forward. The two followed the path, angling upward, passing by terraced fields and crossing streams, finally stopping on the heights of one side of the valley.

Facing the cool mountain breeze, one could see orchards and distant mountain forests, while inside, the lights of Hidden Immortal Valley were all in view. Zhuang Lin turned to look at Liu Hongyu, then looked toward the valley, where the newlyweds' home was still full of joy.

"How is your cultivation progressing?"

Liu Hongyu smiled. "Master, your disciple has not been the least bit lazy. My body is growing stronger by the day. Last time I went into the mountains, I arm-wrestled Brother Fu; if I hadn't intentionally held back, he wouldn't have been able to beat me. That was over a month ago... The day before yesterday, while practicing meditation on my bed, I felt the spiritual rhyme in all nine orifices and meridians, and my body actually floated more than a foot off the surface..."

Speaking of this, Liu Hongyu couldn't help but scratch his head. "I was so excited I lost focus and fell back down. But the feeling is still there. Master, will I be able to fly through the air in the future?"

"Hahaha... We've barely started, and you're already thinking about flying?" Zhuang Lin teased. Liu Hongyu quickly restrained himself. "Disciple wouldn't dare!"

In reality, Zhuang Lin himself could fly within the Hidden Immortal Valley formation, but going outside was difficult, mainly because there was no suitable, energy-efficient method.

To rely purely on the internal Qi of the body to forcefully drive the Qi of heaven and earth to fly was possible, but such an application was strenuous—it was the difference between driving a car and pushing one. And this was in an environment with relatively abundant spiritual energy; in the modern environment outside, the consumption would increase geometrically, so one needed skill!

Zhuang Lin hadn't yet come into contact with such immortal techniques; he still needed to derive a suitable method. Fortunately, he had a lead—it was nothing more than techniques and artifacts.

Since Zhuang Lin was still in this position himself, he could well understand Liu Hongyu's desire to fly; after all, any normal person would feel the same.

"Think about it, why wouldn't you dare? But don't truly believe you are omnipotent! You have reached the stage of connecting the meridians, and your speed is even faster than I expected..."

Zhuang Lin weighed his words, thinking for a while before looking at Liu Hongyu seriously. "However, once you reach the stage of connecting the meridians, the more progress you make, the more the dangers regarding your state of mind will begin to appear!"

Liu Hongyu straightened his expression. Having read the Immortal Classics, he naturally knew what his master was talking about. "Disciple will keep your teachings in mind, constantly tempering the body's true Yang, and I will be especially cautious regarding the Barrier of Delusion!"

The Barrier of Delusion did not wait until the meridians were connected to appear; the signs would emerge during the process, with the strength varying from person to person.

Zhuang Lin sat on a rock nearby, looking toward the mountains and fields for a long time without speaking, pondering the cultivation of Liu Hongyu's barrier. Then he looked at his disciple standing beside him.

"During your time in the mountains, have you ever felt like someone was watching you?"

Liu Hongyu's heart skipped a beat. "Master is right. Sometimes I do have that feeling, but it's not the people I'm with. I just thought maybe it was a wild beast in the mountains watching me from a corner I couldn't see!"

Zhuang Lin smiled. Some things were bound to be exposed sooner or later, and it was better to break them now than to have problems during the Barrier of Delusion.

"Have you ever thought that this place—the so-called 'Pearl of the Pre-Qin Era' of Hidden Immortal Valley—might be fake?"

"Fake?" Liu Hongyu frowned slightly. Zhuang Lin, knowing his character, did not hesitate and continued.

"That's right. It's a long story, so let's start with a father who was worried about his son..."

A long time later, Liu Hongyu stood in place, dazed, staring at the crescent-shaped valley below, his heart suffering a massive shock.

*Fake, it's all fake. I didn't travel through time from a hospital; this place was designed specifically for me by my father...*

*But surely Mr. Yuanliang isn't fake, right? And what about the Immortal Dao?*

Liu Hongyu felt the surging spiritual power in his body, picked up a rock, and punched it with all his might. Along with a slight sensation of pain came a crisp "bang." The rock was smashed to pieces by his bare fist.

"Clatter... clatter..." As the pieces fell to the ground, he thought, *The Immortal Dao is real, and the Immortal Master is right before my eyes!*

Liu Hongyu turned his gaze to Zhuang Lin, staring blankly for a moment, and then his eyes gradually moistened. "I understand, I get it..."

*What do you understand?*

Zhuang Lin looked at Liu Hongyu. Before he could speak, Liu Hongyu knelt down and began kowtowing to him repeatedly. "Thank you, Master. Thank you, Master. Thank you, Master..."

His head hit the ground with a rhythmic thud, but Zhuang Lin supported him and wouldn't let him continue. Liu Hongyu stayed on his knees, wiping away his tears, and said earnestly, "Master, from now on, your disciple will cultivate even more diligently!"

Liu Hongyu spoke with resolve, his hands clenched tightly inside his sleeves.

*I was born in the wrong era. To ensure the inheritance of the Immortal Dao did not vanish, my master has waited for me from ancient times until now. How long is that? Hundreds of years? Thousands? He waited until this era where everything is exhausted...*

*Hundreds or thousands of years, just to wait for me, forsaking his own path to ascension just to wait for me!*

*This place may not be the real ancient times, but my master waited for me from those times until now!*

*If I forget this grace, if I do not carry forward the Immortal Dao, I, Liu Hongyu, deserve to be struck by lightning and suffer for ten thousand lifetimes!*

Zhuang Lin naturally could not hear Liu Hongyu's inner vow, but the look of firm resolve on his face made him frown slightly.

*He spent too long in the mental hospital, and there are still some lingering effects, but it's not a major problem...*