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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
No one expected the woman in white to address Gu Changge in that manner.
They were completely taken by surprise with her expression and tone of voice. It was clear that the relationship between the two was more than just them having met each other before.
The surrounding villagers were stunned.
Once everything registered in their heads, some even began to concoct stories of love, hatred, and revenge.
“Su Qingge? So that’s Lady Su’s real name…” Chen Ya was the first to react. She did not know about the past that Su Qingge and Gu Changge shared. However, judging from Su Qingge’s expression and actions, it was certain that something did happen between them. They might have even had an extremely intimate relationship.
As a woman herself, she was far too familiar with Su Qingge’s gaze and tone of voice.
Chen Ya’s heart sank. If this had been any other woman from the village, she could continue to fight for his affection. She did not think she was any weaker than them. However, when it came to Su Qingge, she felt dim and unnoticeable by comparison.
“Su Qingge…” Gu Changge murmured the name.
The name was extremely familiar. It seemed to strike a chord deep down inside. Instead of just being a memory, it felt as if he had known her for a very long time.
There was no doubt that the two shared a past.
Nevertheless, he did not force himself to try and recall those memories. He allowed things to happen at their own pace. He knew that there would come a time when everything came back to him.
“It’s a lovely name.” Gu Changge said with a chuckle.
“It’s not the first time you said that.” Su Qingge was smiling too. Her gaze was gentle.
After hesitating for a while, the Master Elder came over and cupped his hands in greeting towards Gu Changge. “Greetings, friend.”
Even though he had unfathomable power, he knew that he was no different from an ordinary person when in front of Gu Changge.
Despite not knowing what Gu Changge was going through now, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and greet him so that he would not seem impolite.
“Greetings, Senior.” Upon seeing this, the middle-aged man mimicked his Founding Ancestor and greeted Gu Changge with the deference of a Junior.
Gu Changge seemed young, but how could he judge a being that even his Founding Ancestor feared based on appearances? How could he possibly try to come to conclusions about such a being?
The surrounding villagers widened their eyes. To them, the Master Elder and the middle-aged man were mysterious as well as high and mighty, but both were reacting in this manner towards Gu Changge.
They could hardly believe it. It felt like a dream.
Wang Xiaoniu and his parents had predicted as much based on the clues from earlier, so they were somewhat prepared for this development, but they were still shocked anyway.
“U-Uncle Gu is actually an extremely powerful cultivator?”
“Is this a dream?”
Wang Xiaoniu felt a little light-headed. He did not know if he was dreaming. He had always dreamed of and wanted to meet Immortals, and there had been one by his side all along. It was the man he called Uncle Gu.
Wang Erniu also felt like he was dreaming. His mouth was agape. Gu Changge had been tending to the fields with him all this while. They worked from sunrise to sunset. It was a simple, honest living.
He kept calling Gu Changge, Brother Gu. He was even thinking about convincing the latter to settle down here and put an end to his wanderings.
But he was now finding out that his enigmatic Brother Gu could very well be an exceedingly powerful cultivator.
It had merely escaped their notice as they were ordinary mortals.
As Wang Erniu chuckled wryly to himself, he was glad that his Family had gotten along with Gu Changge during this time.
Everything from Gu Changge’s actions and behaviour did not make him seem like a cultivator. It was as if he lived a completely mortal life just like ordinary people.
“I’m not a cultivator right now. You don’t need to show me such respect.” Gu Changge shook his head. He did not treat the Master Elder as well as the middle-aged man differently from the other villagers just because they were cultivators.
The Master Elder chuckled weakly. He did not know what Gu Changge was going through at the moment, but he understood from the latter’s words that the latter was currently not a cultivator.
That being said, it did not mean he was not one in the past or would not be one in the future.
Apart from feeling shocked and disbelieving that such a terrifying being had suddenly appeared in this village, he also felt in awe of the changes occurring in the world.
The approaching Great Purge rocked the world. There were many mysteries hidden across this vast world.
Initially, he thought he was already standing at the pinnacle in some way, but he was now realising that he had been ignorant all this time.
Gu Changge’s appearance led to the Master Elder’s newfound understanding.
One needed to look beyond Heaven to understand them, and one needed to see beyond themselves to have a clearer view too.
Everything that happened in Green Mountain Village soon spread out to the neighbouring areas. The news left many villagers stunned with disbelief.
No one would believe that there were Immortals among them if they had not witnessed it with their own eyes.
Everyone who had come into contact with Gu Changge was shocked. They felt as if they were dreaming.
Some even recalled teasing him when they bought fruits from him. They said with his looks, he did not need to be out there selling fruits. There were plenty of wealthy young women who would line up to marry him.
Thinking about this now, aside from feeling thunderstruck, many could only chuckle bitterly.
Soon, Green Mountain Village became a mysterious place too.
So many beings of mysterious origins have appeared consecutively. Many wondered if there was some kind of secret to Green Mountain Village, or if it was a blessed location in some way.
The local Sects also tried to find out more information about the Hidden Immortal Kongtong Sect, and what they found terrified them.
It was an exceedingly powerful force that stretched across both the Immortal Domain and Upper Realm. Even though it only recently appeared to the outside world, no one knew for sure how long it had been around.
This was something way beyond their ability to imagine and comprehend.
Over time, the uproar and shock experienced by the villagers at Green Mountain Village soon settled down.
Although many villagers knew that Gu Changge was no ordinary being, they realised he did not act any differently.
He did what he was supposed to do. He followed the same routine each day, working when the sun rose and returning home when the sun went down.
However, instead of the many young women in the village, it was now Lady Su who brought him food and water.
After finding out about Gu Changge’s identity, all of the young women gave up their designs on him, including Chen Ya, the one who sold tofu in the village.
The disparity between them in terms of identity was insurmountable to them.
Still, there were some who would secretly watch him from afar anyway. What was youth if one did not experience moments of recklessness and infatuation?
Time flew by quickly. In the end, the Master Elder took Wang Xiaoniu away.
Though his parents were reluctant to part with him, they understood that their Son was going to be a cultivator. That was even more of an accomplishment than becoming the top scorer in the imperial examination.
Therefore, they did not burden Wang Xiaoniu with their emotions. They sent him off with smiles and hopeful gazes.
Before leaving, the Master Elder left the couple quite a number of fine things. Though these things would not let them live forever, they could easily prolong their life by several decades, or maybe even a few centuries.
He had to do this, be it for Wang Xiaoniu’s sake or because of Gu Changge.
Wang Erniu and his Wife were sad to see Wang Xiaoniu go because they did not know how long he would be gone for and when they could see him again.
Apart from them, there was one more person who was sad to see Wang Xiaoniu go.
That was the Chen Family’s Second Daughter, Wang Erya. Erya was actually her nickname. Her real name was Chen Xiaoya.
Before leaving, Chean Xiaoniu came over to see her. He even gave her the jade pendant with the sword carving that the Master Elder had given him and said that he would come back to visit her once he was a proper cultivator. He also promised to bring her many gifts.
They were both too young to understand romance, but they did have a vague sense of fondness for one another.
However, Chen Xiaoya did not take the jade pendant. She wiped her tears away and told him to work hard on his cultivation. Towards the end, the children hugged each other and cried.
Gu Changge found out about this because Chen Xiaoya came and told him about it.
She figured that since he was a cultivator that even the Master Elder treated with respect, she could ask him if she had the opportunity to become an Immortal too.
Gu Changge did not answer that question. It was Su Qingge who told Chen Xiaoya that she and Wang Xiaoniu were bound to meet again. Fate was something predetermined.
In the same way, everything that happened now was part of Su Qingge’s fate.
She did not know why Gu Changge would be in this state right now, but she considered it a blessing from fate that she was able to meet him again.
Once Wang Xiaoniu left with the Master Elder, Gu Changge decided to move out of the Wang Family’s house and move in with Su Qingge.
Naturally, it was Su Qingge who suggested it.
It seemed like a completely normal thing to Gu Changge too, as if things should be that way.
Though they did not get married, they interacted with the familiarity of long-married couples.
Su Qingge knew all of his habits and preferences. She even knew how hot he liked his tea.
Gu Changge was also used to having her around. Life felt simple and comfortable. He created a farm outside the courtyard. It was fairly small, but he planted some fruits and vegetables.
He worked hard every day to clear the weeds and water the plants. Once there was a harvest, he would borrow the Wang Family’s cart and take the produce to the market to sell them.
As the local villagers were aware of his identity, his produce sold extremely well.
Su Qingge also gave up on her identity as a cultivator. She dressed in plain clothes, tied her hair up in a scarf, and spent her days tending to Gu Changge’s needs, cooking his meals and washing his clothes.
On days when the weather was hotter, she would bring him fresh spring water and use her sleeve to gently wipe the sweat off his brows. She could patiently smooth out his collar, adjust his sleeves, and mend his clothes.
When the weather grew colder, she kept the stove running for warmth and embroidered cotton shoes for him.
During autumn, the breeze fell strongly, and the leaves began to fall off the trees.
The harvested wheat was laid out in gold piles in the courtyard, taking on the colours of twilight as the sun went down. As Su Qingge watched from this side, she found this scene to be particularly heartwarming.
Gu Changge enjoyed his work too.
The days slowly grew colder, and soon, it was winter.
The villagers had gotten used to Gu Changge’s identity and did not feel awkward around him even though he was a cultivator.
Su Qingge also had a great reputation in the village. During this season, the villagers brought over gifts of cured meats, homemade alcohol, and other such things.
During this time, Su Qingge was more than happy to show off her cooking. Though the food could not be described as divine, Gu Changge found that everything was delicious.
The days grew colder, and even the lake had frozen. The courtyard was soon covered in a layer of snow. The world turned white. All was peaceful and serene.
Inside the house, the stove was crackling with fire. Now and then, sparks would fly off the firewood.
The two of them lay together in a fairly small bed.
Gu Changge heard the snow falling outside. Some of the snowflakes drifted into the house.
He pulled the blanket tighter around them and held Su Qingge even closer to him, smoothening her hair in the process.
Su Qingge leaned against his chest and listened to his even heartbeat with a smile on her face.
It felt as if they were the only two people left in this entire world.
The days flew past, and winter soon gave way to spring.
Gu Changge began to gain a clearer view and understanding of the world. He figured it was related to the mortal life he led.
[What did it mean to be a cultivator? Some want to grow stronger and live forever. Some want simplicity and to be one with nature… But everyone had their own thoughts about what it means to be ordinary.]
The word ordinary did not simply mean ordinary mortals. Instead, it referred to the mindset and idea of simplicity. Cultivators desired eternal life free from death. They were dissatisfied with the present state of life, so they strived for enlightenment and overcoming such obstacles.
However, were ordinary mortals’ struggle for wealth and power not also an attempt to overcome obstacles?
Neither party wanted to lead an ordinary life.
Wang Xiaoniu’s Family and all the villagers in Green Mountain Village were ordinary mortals, but they were striving to overcome obstacles too.
The poor wanted to become rich, the sickly wanted to be healthy, and the rich wanted their Family’s legacy to carry on for more generations…
Wang Erniu worked hard every day from sunrise to sunset. In this ordinary world where nothing was eternal, was there anyone who did not strive to overcome obstacles?
In Gu Changge’s eyes, the original meaning of the words Immortal and Mortals had been lost. [What does it mean to be an Immortal? What does it mean to be ordinary? What is Heaven? ]
Were Immortals those who slaughtered and schemed, or those who distanced themselves from the secular world and never engaged in any conflict?
Both were Immortals.
Ordinary mortals experience all the stages of life, including sickness and death. They lived a full life before passing on to a better place, but they were still ordinary people.
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