“She’s sleeping now, and might not wake up in this lifetime. But then again, maybe she will…. I’ll stay here to accompany her. That was our agreement.
“I let down my master. I was unworthy of him….” Chen Fan looked like an old man. More and more tears poured down his face.
He rarely wept, not even when he and Shan Ling were captured and brought back to the sect. When Shan Ling made the decision to rest in sleep, there were tears in his heart, but they wouldn’t come out. The first time he truly cried was when his master accepted the punishment for him.
The second time he cried was when his master died.
The third time was here, in front of Meng Hao.
“Elder Brother….” began Meng Hao, but he wasn’t sure what he should say, so he stopped talking. After a moment, a determined look appeared in his eyes. He suddenly raised his right hand, and a drop of blood slowly formed on the tip of his finger.
When the drop of blood appeared, his face went a bit pale. A scintillating, blood-colored glow appeared, and Chen Fan’s eyes went wide. After a moment, his eyes flashed in realization, and he shot to his feet.
His expression stern, he cried, “Junior Brother! What do you think you’re doing!? Stop this instant!”
“Elder Brother, I can’t do very much to help you. The only thing I can do is help you to restore your cultivation base. That way, your longevity will be increased, and you can… you can have more time to stay with your beloved.” With that, he gestured with his finger. His lifeblood instantly shot forward and merged into Chen Fan’s forehead.
Chen Fan trembled. Years ago, his Nascent Soul had been damaged, cracked; at this moment, however, time seemed to run in reverse. His Nascent Soul absorbed the blood, and the cracks sealed up.
The blood didn’t just contain some of Meng Hao’s life force, it also contained some of the power of his Eternal stratum. It was that power that enabled Chen Fan’s cultivation base to be restored.
Of course, Meng Hao only had a few such drops of lifeblood. If he parted with too many, that which was Eternal within him would be no more.
But Chen Fan was his Elder Brother. The friendship that had formed between the two of them, and everything that had happened since then, made it so that Meng Hao didn’t even hesitate. If he didn’t give his lifeblood to Chen Fan, that would mean… that he wasn’t Meng Hao.
Chen Fan started trembling, and after a moment passed, coughed up a huge mouthful of blood as his Nascent Soul instantly reappeared like new. Now that he had a Nascent Soul again, his cultivation base surged, and his salt-and-pepper hair turned black.
His aged features once again became young and heroic, and he no longer looked like an old man. He was middle-aged and bursting with energy.
Now he looked more like the Chen Fan that Meng Hao remembered.
Chen Fan
Official ISSTH Chen Fan artwork
Chen Fan gaped at Meng Hao. “Junior Brother, you….”
“There’s no need to talk about it,” said Meng Hao softly. “You’re my Elder Brother….”
Chen Fan held his tongue, and after a long moment passed, slowly nodded. He picked up the flagon of alcohol, looked at the boulder, and began to drink.
The sky gradually grew dark, and eventually the moon rose. When the dawn sun peeked its head over the horizon, Meng Hao took the initiative to start a conversation. He and Chen Fan began to chat about the Reliance Sect, and all the things that had happened after that in the Southern Domain. They talked about all the wonderful things from the past.
When the sun was high in the sky, Meng Hao rose to his feet.
“Elder Brother, I need to go now…. If you ever grow weary of being here, you can always find me in the Blood Demon Sect.”
Chen Fan didn’t respond at first. He looked at the boulder, and the woman who rested inside with her eyes closed.
“You’ve grown up,” he said softly, “and your Elder Brother has gotten old…. Don’t worry about me. You follow your path…. and I’ll follow mine. I’ll stay here with her until the day I close my eyes for good.
“When that day comes, Junior Brother… can you please bury me here? That way I can watch the sun rise and set with her forever. If there is another life after this one… I’ll find this place again. Life after life… I’ll wait, until the day she wakes up.” He turned to look deep into Meng Hao’s eyes.
“Junior Brother… take care of yourself. Your Elder Brother isn’t good at much, so all I can do… is pray that you find happiness. I hope that your path… leads you to greatness!”
Meng Hao stared at Chen Fan, and his face was filled with a variety of complex emotions. He also had an indescribable feeling in his heart that led him to believe he would never forget that person from the Reliance Sect who was so focused on pursuing the Dao. He would never forget the person standing in front of him to protect him. He would also never be able to forget… the Elder Brother from now, who stood there softly murmuring his story.
“Elder Brother… take care of yourself,” Meng Hao said qu