Lingsha clearly hadn't expected Bai Luan to answer that way. She was stunned for a moment before smiling and saying:
"That truly is a solution in the style of a genius."
Bai Luan smiled at Lingsha's observation and replied:
"Of course, why a genius need to humor others?"
Then Bai Luan waved his hand.
"Let's stop talking about me for now. We didn't gather here to discuss that."
After casually ending the topic, he asked about what truly interested him:
"What exactly was that letter he wrote to me about?"
"I imagine you already know how the Xianzhou handled this matter."
"The Xianzhou... chose to handle this discreetly, and did not make this information public, right?"
Bai Luan speculated, then couldn't help but add with a hint of teasing.
"But from the few people I've met, it seems everyone is fully aware of it."
"After all, the people you've met are no small figures."
Lingsha glanced at him, calmly stating the fact.
Since coming to the Xianzhou, the people he had met were Yanqing, Jing Yuan, Huai Yan...
"Alright, it's not strange for these people to know this. I was just joking."
Bai Luan looked at Lingsha and asked:
"So, what does this have to do with him?"
Lingsha nodded and began to explain in detail:
"You should know that Xianzhou natives, who bear the Blessing of Abundance, maintain a stable youthful appearance and basic physiological functions after adulthood, until the Mara-Struck erupts or they die.
However, after you extracted the hidden danger of the Mara-Struck from Li Wenjie, and he regained the right to a normal death, his body began to change."
She paused, then continued:
"Wrinkles quietly crept onto the corners of his eyes and the backs of his hands. His formerly robust spirit occasionally showed signs of fatigue, and various physiological indicators of his body began to follow the pattern of Short-Lived Species, showing rapid decline—he was aging."
"This was not beyond our expectations."
Lingsha's tone was calm.
"Before your intervention, Li was already on the verge of a Mara-Struck outbreak.
You forcibly diverted his death trajectory from madness and mutation back to natural aging and death.
Therefore, it is logical that his body would rapidly reflect the state appropriate for his true life stage and begin to decline.
The Blessing of Abundance was once like a splendid outer garment, concealing the fact that his life's core was already in its twilight; when you stripped away that garment, the hidden truth inevitably revealed itself."
At this point, she changed her tone, a touch of realistic gravity entering her voice:
"But the problem is—this is the Xianzhou Luofu. Such obvious and rapid signs of aging appearing on a Long-Lived Species would stand out like a sore thumb in a crowd, attracting too much attention.
This matter concerns the secret of your abilities, and even touches upon the fundamental direction of the Xianzhou's research into longevity and the Mara-Struck. It must be kept strictly confidential until all preparations are complete.
Therefore, to protect this information, and also to protect him from unnecessary attention, scrutiny, and even potential risks, we had to discuss with him and ask him... to leave the Xianzhou, and go to another peaceful place to spend the last moments of his life."
"So, have you settled him?"
"Naturally."
Lingsha nodded.
"We offered several options for him to choose from. In the end, he selected a planet with a pleasant environment, far from strife, as the final stop of his life.
His family will also accompany him on this final journey. A few months, for a Long-Lived Species, is so brief."
Speaking of this, Lingsha took out a letter and handed it to Bai Luan:
"Before leaving, he found me and entrusted me to give you this letter if you ever returned to Luofu."
Bai Luan took the letter. From the marks on it, it had been written some time ago.
"It seems this is a farewell letter."
Bai Luan opened the envelope and began to read:
"Mr. Bai Luan, I do not know when you will return to the Xianzhou, and I must leave. This departure, I fear, means I will never return.
After much thought, I could only leave this letter in my homeland, hoping that when you return one day, you might still read these words.
It is ironic, really.
When my appearance was unchanged and I harbored the hidden worry of the Mara-Struck, I could reside in the Xianzhou. Now that the hidden danger is removed, I am forced to move to another land with my family due to aging.
My farewell luggage is packed. My young grandson has wiped my usual rattan chair again and again, asking softly:
'Can you still come back with us?'
I stroked his head, at a loss for how to answer.
Sometimes I wonder, is it true that in the Xianzhou, when one's time comes, a peaceful death is simply not destined?
When the Alchemy Commission's healer told me I only had a few months left, I looked at my family's faces, and my heart still inevitably felt a little lost. Only a few months left?
But upon reflection, I realized my own greed.
After narrowly escaping the shadow of the Mara-Struck, I often pondered longevity while facing the old locust tree in the courtyard.
After removing the Mara-Struck, can longevity truly be considered a good thing?
To never die, what a terrifying thing that is... If any creature could live forever, even I, an unintelligent person, could foresee its end.
On that path, what awaits is not eternal happiness, but constant loss. Each loss carves a fine line in the heart, and as years accumulate, it will eventually reach the end of reason.
Even without the Mara-Struck, we would go mad.
I was originally destined to succumb to the Mara-Struck and die. Now, I have been granted a few extra months of lucidity. I can play two more games of chess, stroke my child's head again, and doze off in the warm sunlight again. All of this should have been obliterated in madness, never to belong to me again.
It is you who allowed me to reclaim these.
Now, I can even hope—on some tranquil day, surrounded by my family, to quietly close my eyes.
When they recall my final appearance, it will not be that of a monstrous, completely irrational creature, but merely an ordinary and peaceful old man, as if sinking into a sweet dream.
Is this not enough?
A common Xianzhou native like me is even privileged to enjoy a good end that many high-ranking individuals seek but cannot obtain.
Waking in the morning, my breathing is still smooth; falling asleep at night, my mind is still clear.
What more could I be dissatisfied with?
Looking back on this life, it has been as uneventful as water.
No grand waves, no lasting fame in history, yet upon closer inspection, it is filled with warm scenes:
The flutter of first holding my lover's hand, the loud cry when my child was born, the bowl of almond tea my mother always made too sweet, the look my father, about to fall to the Mara-Struck, gave when the Arbiter took him away, a look that spoke a thousand words... These trivial moments, strung together, evoke endless emotion—this is my life, Li Wenjie's life.
For an ordinary person who has lived their life conscientiously, death is the greatest reward.
Thank you, Mr. Bai Luan.
Thank you for granting me these final, lucid, human moments.
I will live out each remaining day earnestly, and then, without regret or fear, calmly walk towards that long-promised eternal slumber.
Respectfully, Li Wenjie."
Bai Luan read the letter carefully. When the last word came into view, he was silent for a moment, his gaze lingering for a few seconds on the somewhat clumsy but incredibly solemn signature at the end of the letter.
Then, he gently folded the letter back to its original state, carefully placed it back into the envelope, and then, with great care, put it away.
If nothing unexpected happened, this letter would likely be his last interaction with that Xianzhou elder named Li Wenjie in this life.
He probably wouldn't see him again, but... my friend, why should we meet again?
May your remaining journey be peaceful,
May happiness reside in your heart,
May you finally, rest in peace...