Hammer in her left hand, sword in her right, the eldest sister is connected to both worlds.

Chapter 263 A Heart Full of Longing, Voices Never Cease

"Senior sister said she had considered taking me with her before?" Cui Wu looked at Xue Lan and asked curiously.

"Where is my senior sister taking me?"

Xue Lan found a seat and sat down, a smug smile on her face: "You're a sword cultivator. No matter how good you are at social maneuvering and diplomacy, you're destined to use a sword in the end."

"If I follow my senior sister, then I can slay demons in the desolate region, fight against villains, and freely come and go in the secret realms of masters."

"Of course, before all this begins, I will let you meet your family."

When Cui Wu heard Xue Lan's first words, his face remained relatively calm, with an indulgent smile. However, when he heard the last sentence, his calm expression shattered like a broken mirror.

She couldn't help but recall what Immortal Venerable Caijun had said long ago when she was still a disciple of Jiyue Mountain.

"Once you embark on the path of immortality, the blood ties and emotions between mortals will ultimately be nothing but a burden to you."

The man said that severing mortal ties would allow one to reach the pinnacle of the Great Dao, and Cui Wu believed him for a long time, until Qi Yaoyao arrived.

The girl who severed her mortal ties failed to reach the pinnacle of the Dao. On every night when she was targeted by her fellow disciples because of Qi Yaoyao, the mortal ties she severed seemed to grow from the depths of her heart like vines, tightening around her.

The pain was immense.

The days in the mortal realm, the days before ascending to immortality...

She thought that cultivating immortality was like this: one had to walk alone, with no one to help them. Her teachers were immortals, but immortals were still human, and would always have some bias in their hearts.

This is normal.

Until she endured countless hardships and finally met Xue Lan.

The girl dressed in black stood in front of her and promised, "If you can successfully leave the sect, I will accept you as my master's disciple."

Cui Wu didn't know what had bewitched him at the time. Was it his senior sister's overly innocent eyes, or his helplessness at being poisoned by demons, having nowhere to turn, and being wronged by his master?

In short, she made up her mind and thought that she might as well live like this and go to Xuanhuang Sect to see what was going on.

If it succeeds, it will be a ray of hope after a long period of hardship.

If that doesn't work, then the arrival of Senior Sister Zhang's fellow disciples will fulfill my final promise.

As it turns out, that was the best decision Choi Wu ever made in his life.

The woman's voice was somewhat hoarse: "Cui Wu is a cultivator. Meeting them will only bring him more trouble."

My parents were young when I was born, they grew old when I was older, and they passed away when I was young.

For over a thousand years since then, the longing has remained, and the voice has never ceased.

Xue Lan grabbed Cui Wu's hand and said in front of everyone present, "Do you know why I left you alone in Fuyang City?"

Do you know why I specifically sent you to make contact with the demon race, the city god, and the mountain and river deities?

Cui Wu shook his head.

"It's not just because you're capable." Xue Lan sighed, her voice as soft as willow catkins falling to the ground.

"It's because of these connections that you haven't severed."

The connections Cui Wu had never severed—connections to the mortal world, connections to the cultivation world, and even the kindness and resilience unique to the female lead, as Xue Tong mentioned—were the reasons Xue Lan chose her.

Mediation among various forces is no easy task, but some disciples from the six sects and twelve factions are capable of doing it.

Suppress the human race, force them to submit, and make them live under the protection of the immortals.

Let the city gods manage the people in their respective jurisdictions, and let the mountain and water spirits manage the spiritual veins of their respective territories.

This is not a difficult task. For the past ten thousand years, the immortals who descended to the mortal realm have treated mortals in this way.

They talk about upholding justice and saving the world, but their actions only address the symptoms, not the root cause.

What the Yuan and Ming dynasties needed was genuine unity.

Only by exhausting the power of countless living beings can we reverse the course of fate.

"Cui Wu, you understand everyone, but you refuse to take good care of yourself."

Xue Lan spoke softly, her words instantly waking him from his reverie.

Cui Wu was incredibly understanding. Back at Jiyue Mountain, she understood Cai Jun, her senior brother who treated her badly, and her junior sister Qi Yaoyao who constantly bullied her. This ultimately led her to a dead end.

Xue Lan picked her up and then discovered that even though she had changed sects and senior brothers and sisters, she was still overly considerate.

So meticulous and thoughtful, yet unwilling to truly understand oneself.

Xue Lan glanced at the large stack of official documents on her desk and couldn't help but ask, "You're not the emperor, why are you so busy with official business every day?"

Cui Wu's eyes were a little moist as the woman looked at the official documents.

"I'm just a little anxious."

In the years since Xue Lan left, in the years since Lian Chuan was sent back to the Upper Realm, in the years since Zhu He and Ji Jinjin went to conquer the desolate region, Cui Wu has been left alone in Fuyang City.

Indeed... it was a bit rushed.

Xue Lan raised her hand and ruffled her hair: "Actually, you're scared, aren't you?"

"Afraid that I haven't done enough and that I'll come back angry, just like how I casually let you into Jiyuan Peak back then, and casually expelled you from the sect?"

"My little Wu, what are you thinking about?"

Xue Lan's voice was gentle, as if she were comforting her little sister.

"Master gave you a gift, and I modified the peak formation for you. In such an important place as Fuyang City, the elders of the six sects and twelve factions trust only you. You are showered with glory, yet how did you still raise a coward?"

Cui Wu's fingers trembled slightly as he listened to Xue Lan's words.

"I'm not... a coward..."

She felt that some things were truly inexplicable.

In front of her senior sister, she always seemed very... vulnerable.

"You are a human being... a person with parents and a homeland. Immortals are not heartless beings. The path of cultivation is long and arduous. Don't leave regrets at the very beginning."

Over thousands of years, how could mortals not be allowed to coexist for a few days?

In the grand scheme of time, it is but a fleeting ripple.

"They are all people who are willing to risk their lives for the Yuanming Realm, so let them fulfill their own wishes."

Fulfill your own desires and don't forget where you came from in endless fighting.

Cui Wu nodded, revealing a bright smile.

Xue Lan smiled as well.

"Xiao Wu, I will not sever your mortal ties, nor will I force you to ascend to the path of immortality. Whatever you do is your own way of living."

"Whether you stay in Fuyang City as the city lord for a while or come with me to the battlefield to slay demons with your sword, your senior sister will protect you."

This time, there's no need to be afraid of not doing well enough!

There's no need to choose between cultivating immortality and worldly ties; both should be held firmly in one's grasp.

Only when you have someone to care about can you protect them; do your best in everything, and keep your voice heard.