Rong Zheng didn't rush to make a choice.

She first asked herself how many more years she had left to live.

Tao Mian spoke honestly, without deception.

"You have a Gu worm inside you. If you don't excessively deplete your spiritual power, you can live to fifty-five."

"What counts as 'excessive depletion'?"

"It's like a barrel of water left out in the open. If you take a ladle in the morning and refill it at night, practicing with restraint daily, you'll be fine. But if you engage in battles, magic duels, or seek revenge, quickly draining the barrel without refilling it, your lifespan will shorten by a few years."

"A few years?"

"Twenty years."

As Tao Mian spoke, he watched his disciple's subtle expressions without blinking.

From his past experience, with such a tragic background, it seemed unlikely not to seek revenge.

His previous disciples had all taken similar paths, and as for Little Hua, she too...

"I choose to live to fifty-five."

"?"

Tao Mian was stunned, as if he hadn't expected such an answer.

But Rong Zheng's tone was firm.

"I want to live to fifty-five."

"You don't seek... Is there no obsession in your heart?"

"Is it only those with obsessions who can enter this sect?"

Rong Zheng smiled and questioned the Immortal.

Her voice was calm and gentle, as if she truly didn't care about the past, letting bygones be bygones.

But the Immortal dared not easily believe.

"You... all of you, when you first came to the mountain, spoke so nicely," he said with a downward curl of his lips, "but when the time comes, you always leave, unstoppable."

"Little Tao, your tone is too mournful. What, did your senior brothers and sisters deceive you?"

"...Not to that extent. Well, since this is your decision, as your master, I won't say much. But what needs to be taught must still be taught, and you should learn as you see fit."

Tao Mian pulled out two cultivation techniques from his sleeve and dusted them off.

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"Little Hua, listen carefully. The first peerless sword technique I will teach you is called 'Burning Jade.'"

"Master, I already know this one."

"You... What did you say?"

"I know it."

Tao Mian's words got stuck in his throat.

The fifth disciple blinked her eyes.

"You... you know it well, you've stumped your master."

Rong Zheng chuckled sheepishly, saying she had no other skills but knew this sword technique.

Tao Mian thought for a moment, guessing she had learned it at the Floating Pavilion.

Since the disciple already knew it, he didn't understand why the Golden Finger still wanted him to teach it.

Could it be a change of heart, intending to lighten his teaching burden?

Tao Mian had a moment of wild thoughts, but it was good that Rong Zheng could learn on her own.

"Then see if you know the other one."

He quickly handed the remaining book to Rong Zheng.

"'Tong You Technique'? What kind of technique is this? I've never heard of it." Rong Zheng flipped through the thin booklet, trying to figure out its secrets.

"It's a technique for communicating with spirits and summoning souls. Once mastered, you can connect this world with the other, commanding ghostly shadows. Of course, you can also see those who have passed."

Hearing his explanation, Rong Zheng's eyes lit up.

"Can you see any departed person?"

Tao Mian shook his head.

"Those who have reincarnated, have incomplete souls, or are high-ranking officials in the underworld cannot be seen."

"Oh," Rong Zheng nodded. Compared to poetry and books, her understanding of cultivation techniques was on another level, "So it's about luck and fate?"

"You could say that."

Rong Zheng weighed the cultivation technique in her hand and sighed.

"Then, Master, can you see your senior brothers and sisters? Can you gather at night to play mahjong?"

"I can only say, this is the first time I've seen this manual."

"Master, why don't you learn it first, then teach me?"

"If you learn it, then I will have learned it."

"..." Rong Zheng was puzzled, "What's the logic in that?"

"It's the will of heaven."

Tao Mian had mastered the knack of attributing inexplicable things to the will of heaven.

Rong Zheng shook her head.

"Where is there a disciple teaching the master? How about this, Master, let's study it together."

She opened the first page of the manual.

"To learn this technique, one must share a room with ghosts and comprehend the mysteries of heaven."

Rong Zheng read aloud as she looked.

"Master, are there any ghosts on Peach Blossom Mountain?"

"Peach Blossom Mountain is filled with immortal energy; how could there be ghosts?"

"Then we can't practice it, what a pity."

"Disciple," Tao Mian hesitated inexplicably, but the bowed Rong Zheng didn't see his expression, "do you really want to practice this technique?"

"Since I'm here, I might as well. Besides, being able to command ghosts is a wonderful thing."

"Alright then," Tao Mian gritted his teeth, as if making a major decision, "since you want to learn, I'll take you off the mountain to find a haunted place."

"Little Tao, don't force yourself. It's not like I have to learn it."

"I'm not forcing myself. Your master has his connections. Once we properly bury your third senior sister and fourth senior brother, we'll set off immediately."

Tao Mian was true to his word.

He first took Rong Zheng to tidy up the graves of Chu Liuxue and Chu Suiyan.

Just as Chu Liuxue mentioned in her letter, she entrusted Rong Zheng to take her and her brother's remains back to Pear Blossom Village.

And Rong Zheng fulfilled her third senior sister's request.

All that was left for Tao Mian was a letter.

"Senior brothers and sisters have all been taken back to Pear Blossom Village by me, Little Tao. What else do we need to bury?"

Rong Zheng was puzzled by this.

Tao Mian didn't directly answer her question but mentioned two other disciples.

"Strictly speaking, only your second senior sister, Lu Yuandi, is truly buried in these graves on Peach Blossom Mountain."

"Then senior brother..."

"In Gu Yuan's grave, there are only his belongings left on Peach Blossom Mountain."

Rong Zheng let out an "ah," seemingly surprised.

"Didn't Little Tao leave those belongings outside? They're precious memories."

While chatting with his disciple, Tao Mian didn't stop his work.

He placed Chu Liuxue and Chu Suiyan's clothes, wooden hairpins, jade pendants, childhood tiger plush toys, and a few sugar-coated haws sticks collected over time into the grave.

"Initially, I thought the same, leaving a few things in the Taoist temple as mementos."

Rong Zheng nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, that's what everyone does."

"But after Gu Yuan passed away, seeing the traces of his life left in the house made me sad. I cried at the sight of a wooden basin, a small vase, and even the knives he used. I was in grief day and night, feeling like I was drying up inside and out. I thought this couldn't continue, so I made a painful decision to erase Gu Yuan's shadow from the temple and bury everything here.

This way, I only need to cry twice a year, on his death anniversary and Qingming, without being overwhelmed by sorrow and exhausting myself.

This habit stayed, and I did the same for every disciple who passed away, becoming quite adept at it."

The Immortal recounted past experiences and memories, finally placing all the siblings' belongings.

Rong Zheng silently stepped forward to help him fill the soil.

She helped for a while, sneaking a glance at the Immortal's face. Seeing no excessive sadness, she cautiously asked.

"Little Tao seems to be able to do these things calmly now... Oh, I'm not saying you have no feelings for the third senior sister and fourth senior brother. I'm not good with words. Never mind... I'll just keep quiet."

Rong Zheng lowered her head in frustration but heard the Immortal softly speak across from her.

"Don't worry, say whatever you want in front of me. Your master won't restrict you much."

Then came a light sigh.

"Calm, huh? It's hard to say if time has been harsh or kind to me."

He sighed, stood up briskly, and dusted off his hands.

"Alright, no time to waste. Your master will take you down the mountain to see my connections."