Gateway of Immortality

As he took a step forward, before any general could issue an order, the soldiers automatically parted like a receding tide, clearing a path. They looked at Qin Sang with faces full of awe; none dared to block his way.

Qin Sang seized a horse and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, galloped straight toward the city gates.

Back at the marquis\' residence, the newly replaced plaque had been pierced by a long sword, with the heir\'s corpse hanging from it, swaying slightly. A pool of blood had gathered on the steps, glaringly red.

Gallop, gallop…

Riding swiftly through the streets, Qin Sang soon reached the imperial capital’s city gates, where he saw Wu Chuanzong guarding the entrance with a squad of soldiers.

As Qin Sang approached, Wu Chuanzong personally opened the gate, shouting, "Sir, take care!"

"Marquis!"

Water Monkey Zhou Ning appeared, leading a fine horse. "Fast horses have been prepared at each military post along the way. Marquis, take care on your journey!"

Seeing Zhou Ning, Qin Sang couldn’t help but recall their first meeting on the Wuling River. Filled with emotion, he patted Zhou Ning on his shoulder, where his arm had been severed, not knowing what to say.

"Take care, until we meet again!"

Qin Sang mounted the horse and galloped out of the city. After riding a short distance, he suddenly felt a premonition and turned to look back.

On the city wall, he saw a lavish banquet set up, with the grand princess seated behind the table, gazing at him. Bai Jianglan and Elder Yue stood by her side, bowing slightly toward Qin Sang.

The grand princess, dressed in the armor of a city guard, had eyes that shone like stars under the moonlight. She raised a cup of amber wine, offering a distant toast to Qin Sang, then drained it in one gulp.

She stood up and left.

Her crimson cloak soon disappeared into the darkness.

…

Qin Sang traveled along the official road, his journey smooth and uninterrupted.

He headed southwest from the imperial capital until he reached the Zhenshui Commandery. The City of Three Witches remained as before, while Qingyang Temple had changed hands, now occupied by disaster victims.

From there, Qin Sang turned west, crossing the Wuling River to revisit the banks of the Chenshui River.

The traces of the great fire had long been erased by time, but Qin Sang could still find some white bones.

After some searching, he uncovered the remains of the young man surnamed Song and the black-clad demon from beneath the roots and soil.

The two sets of bones were easily distinguishable. Qin Sang carefully arranged the young man\'s remains and built a grave for him. He also laid the black-clad demon to rest in the ground, for after all, the Netherworld Scripture had been obtained from the demon, opening the door to the path of immortality for him.

After paying his respects, Qin Sang set out once more.

He no longer feared wolves or tigers, walking boldly through the mountains. Before long, he reached the northern border of the Ning Kingdom.

Further west, after crossing another kingdom, he would arrive at the Tianlu River.

Qin Sang hesitated for a moment. Ever since entering the Ning Kingdom, an inexplicable urge had been gnawing at him, compelling him to visit Wang Village.

He wasn’t sure if this was due to the fusion of Qin Sanwa\'s memories, creating a sense of empathy, or if it stemmed from a desire to make amends to Qin Sanwa.

Detouring would only delay him by a few days, a trivial matter compared to the long journey to the Biyun Kingdom. It wouldn’t interfere with his plans. After a brief moment of hesitation, Qin Sang decided to take a detour to Wang Village.

When he arrived at Wang Village, it was late at night.

This peaceful little village had changed little over the years, matching Qin Sanwa\'s memories exactly. Qin Sang felt a strange mix of familiarity and alienation.

Qin Sanwa\'s family home was at the northernmost end of the village, with fields stretching out behind it. The courtyard was spacious, with a row of five stone houses. When Qin Sanwa met his fate, only his eldest brother had married, while his second brother was recently engaged but hadn’t yet brought his bride home. The whole family lived together.

His mother and sister-in-law often quarreled, something that used to annoy him but now seemed oddly comforting in retrospect.

An owl hooted from the tree.

Qin Sang suddenly realized, with a start, that he had been smiling, nearly losing himself in Qin Sanwa\'s world.

He reminded himself that he was Qin Sang, an outsider. Qin Sanwa was already dead, and those memories were like watching a long movie, with the actors being strangers to him.

The Qin family\'s small courtyard appeared before him.

Compared to when Qin Sanwa had left, not much had changed. Qin Sang steadied his mind, activated Shadowless Steps, and stealthily entered.

It was late at night, and the family was asleep, with only the occasional cough breaking the silence.

From the sound of the breathing, he could tell there were nine people in the courtyard, three of whom had faint, delicate breaths, clearly children.

His elder brothers had children.

Qin Sang stood outside the windows, peering into each room one by one. Some of the faces were familiar, while others were strange to him. Suddenly, he paused and stood before a particular room.

Inside, where the Qin family’s ancestral tablets and the household deity were once placed, there was now an additional memorial tablet. Because Qin Sanwa had died before reaching adulthood, the name on the tablet was simply Qin Sanwa.

Suddenly, there was a small noise from the room at the far end—it was the room of Qin Sanwa\'s parents.

"Old Qin, Old Qin..." It was Qin Sanwa’s mother\'s voice, kept low, perhaps to avoid disturbing the children in the adjacent room.

After a while, the drowsy voice of Qin Sanwa’s father responded, "What’s wrong? Why aren’t you asleep in the middle of the night? What’s gotten into you... Did you dream of Sanwa again?"

"Yes, I dreamed of him."

"If you dreamed of him, so be it... how many times has it been now..."

Qin Sanwa’s father mumbled something, then suddenly made a surprised sound, "How come you\'re not crying this time? Every time you dream of Sanwa, you cry all night. Hey? You’re even smiling?"

"Why shouldn\'t I smile?"

Qin Sanwa’s mother huffed. "I haven’t dreamed of Sanwa for so many days; I’ve been too scared to even eat. Now, I finally saw my child today. Do you think I shouldn’t smile?"

"Sanwa’s been dead for years..."

"You’re the one who’s dead!"

Qin Sanwa\'s father let out a pained cry, as if he had been pinched by Qin Sanwa’s mother, then grumbled, "You’re as stubborn as a mule! If Sanwa weren’t dead, why hasn’t he come home? And what about Old Wang? He hasn’t come back either. The shop was taken over by others, the house was occupied, and if it weren’t for Old Wang’s patriarch holding things together, Old Wang’s wife wouldn’t even have those few acres of land left. The family’s in such a pitiful state..."

"Oh, you’re so concerned about Old Wang’s wife. Why don’t you bring her home and take care of her yourself!"

"What am I concerned about? I’m just bringing it up! You’re the one who’s always bringing them food... What are you doing in the middle of the night?"

"I’m doing it out of respect for how Old Wang took care of our Sanwa!"

Qin Sanwa’s mother picked up an oil lamp and opened the door, "I dreamed that Sanwa came back again. I have to go out and check, to open the door for him."

Qin Sang quickly slipped into the shadows.

"You’ve had this dream at least eighty times if not a hundred, and it’s always just pointless fussing because you can’t let go! Wait for me, I’m coming too..."

"Didn’t you say you didn’t believe?"

"I’m going to take a dump!"

Qin Sang remained motionless, watching as Qin Sanwa’s parents, with looks of disappointment, returned to their room and extinguished the lamp.

After they had fallen into a deep sleep, Qin Sang reappeared, silently pushed open the door, and picked up the wine cup in front of the ancestral tablets. He poured a cup of murky wine and gently sprinkled it on the ground.

"You’re already dead."

Qin Sang sighed softly, speaking to himself, not knowing who he was addressing.

…

Before leaving, Qin Sang made a visit to the Wang family. In front of the memorial tablet of Manager Wang, he left a pouch of broken silver, fulfilling his last earthly ties.