"Hahaha..."
The night was deep. Rachel Lan had already gone to bed. I took a sip of wine. Xu Fu looked drunk, eyes fixed on me, one hand pressed to his chest, panting heavily.
Before me sat a man—a living, breathing person. Stripped of all his titles, he was just flesh and blood, someone who grieves over sorrow and rejoices in happiness.
"Tell me, Ethan Zhang, why do people need emotions? If we didn't have them, we wouldn't get hurt. Just like those Wraith Enforcers—how perfect, right?"
I raised my glass and took a big gulp, heat burning from my throat to my belly.
"Ah, but it's exactly because we have emotions that we get hurt. You should know, immortality isn't possible for humans. Eternity doesn't exist in this world—it lives only in our hearts."
As I spoke, I raised my fist and knocked it against my chest, but Xu Fu just waved his finger, dismissively.
"Clearly, our beliefs are completely different, Ethan Zhang. Those invisible, untouchable things—for us... what we pursue is true immortality. With that conviction, we founded the Immortality Society, survived to this day, and walked in darkness for over two thousand years, never once growing numb."
I used to wonder why these lunatics from the Immortality Society still survived. Now, I think I understand—they're more clear-headed than anyone, holding fast to their own beliefs.
"Maybe, if we set aside hatred, we could sit like this—drink some wine, tell some stories. Not so bad, really."
"Yeah, I think so too. But in the end, what's waiting for us is a fight to the death—until one side is completely destroyed, isn't it?"
I nodded, stood up, and refilled Xu Fu's glass. With a bang, our cups clinked together.
In the prison, Dr. Henry Wong trembled as he held the pill, while the young Xu Fu leaned weakly against the bars, silent and shattered inside.
In Xu Fu's eyes, Dr. Henry Wong's image had completely collapsed. All the concern he'd shown before, now, at the brink of death, meant nothing.
"Don't blame me, Fu'er. I just want to see my grandson—he's about to be born. If I can't see him, I won't die in peace."
Xu Fu said nothing, quietly watching Dr. Henry Wong. The jailer had already slipped Wong's message out, telling the family outside: as soon as his body leaves the palace, come quickly to claim it, then feed him the red pill.
King Tianjian didn't implicate their families. Dr. Henry Wong held two pills in his hand, then crumpled the note into a ball and swallowed it.
The execution order was out. At dawn, both men would be put to death.
At that moment, Xu Fu sneered, watching Dr. Henry Wong raise the black pill and slip the red one into his sleeve pocket.
Just then, the bribed jailer rushed in, flustered.
"Dr. Wong, the message has been delivered. Your family is waiting at the palace gate."
Dr. Henry Wong nodded and waved his hand. Xu Fu glanced at the jailer. Dr. Wong swallowed the black pill and sat on the ground. Soon, his face twisted in agony, his hand raised, features contorted, then he screamed and crawled toward Xu Fu.
"Ah..."
Dr. Henry Wong's hand dropped, eyes closed, breath gone. Xu Fu gripped the wooden bars in terror. He knew the black pill was poison; the red one was the antidote.
On that note, Serena Zheng had written everything clearly. But Dr. Wong didn't know all that Serena and Xu Fu had discussed over the past year.
The Revival Elixir was one of those secrets. Taken, it would bring two days of death before awakening again—a strange thing. Xu Fu trusted Serena Zheng deeply. In his panic, Xu Fu approached Dr. Wong's cooling corpse, searched for a while, and found the red pill. He clutched it, heart pounding, terrified.
"There was never any Immortal."
Xu Fu muttered, tears streaming down his face. He thought back on the past year, days like a prison. Sorrow welled up—when his father didn't return, Xu Fu understood his true situation.
A pale light seeped into the sky. Xu Fu opened his mouth, placed the red pill inside, and swallowed it with a gulp.
The first ray of morning sunlight shone in. Someone immediately reported to King Tianjian: both Dr. Henry Wong and Xu Fu had died in prison—no breath left.
King Tianjian was deeply troubled. Before the Queen Dowager died, she was already losing consciousness. All the personnel decisions had been handled by her alone. Now, with her gone, King Tianjian had no idea whom to trust or who should be sent away from the palace.
At dawn, the bodies of the old and the young were carried out of the palace. Outside the gate, Dr. Wong's family wailed, took his body, and left. No one came for Xu Fu, so the soldiers, feeling pity, decided to bury him outside the city.
At the mass grave outside the city, four soldiers started digging a pit to bury Xu Fu. But suddenly, morning fog rolled in, accompanied by a chilling wind and the mournful voice of a woman.
The four men grew numb with fear, fled halfway through digging. Out of the thick fog came Serena Zheng, who had followed all the way. She picked up Xu Fu's cold body. Then, Master Bernard Zheng appeared.
"Dad, he's not breathing. Is he really going to be okay?"
(This chapter is not finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the rest!)
Master Bernard Zheng checked Xu Fu's pulse, then nodded.
"There's still a faint pulse. This little Fu is gifted—it's a pity if he dies. Let's go."
With a gulp, a wave of hunger hit Xu Fu. He smelled food and opened his eyes.
His body felt unusually weak, vision blurred, throat burning as if on fire. A hand lifted him up—Serena Zheng, holding a bowl of rice porridge, gently fed it to Xu Fu.
Several hours later, Xu Fu finally woke up to the sound of roosters crowing.
"Little Fu, I'll help you recover soon. It's alright, it's alright..."
With Serena Zheng's gentle voice, Xu Fu finally broke down in tears.
Xu Fu's family business had already been divided up after his mother's death. The money, farmland, and everything else were split among relatives and others. Xu's Herbal Shop had closed.
Learning all this, Xu Fu was stunned, deeply resistant inside—especially toward Master Bernard Zheng. His so-called immortality techniques were a sham.
And now Xu Fu finally understood why Serena Zheng's face had looked so troubled during that time.
With a creak, Master Bernard Zheng walked in and looked at Xu Fu, who was now angry.
"Hmph, this time was just a failure. My techniques still need work. Tell me, Little Fu, are you willing to join us?"
After a long while, Xu Fu nodded. The only reason he agreed to follow Master Bernard Zheng was Serena Zheng. Bernard valued Xu Fu's cleverness—far more than his own daughter. No one could inherit all his knowledge, but now he was relieved.
This was a village dozens of miles outside Linzi City. Master Bernard Zheng, with the money he'd gained, planned to stay here for a while. Now, with the Queen Dowager's death, chaos reigned throughout the kingdom.