Chapter 139: Blooming Flowers at Dusk

On a winding dirt road, an elderly man, bent with age, held a painting in his arms. He was panting heavily, his hunched body struggling to adjust his breath.

“Ha~ ha~ ha~”

“My dear… this old man… seems like I can’t walk any further…”

The elderly man stumbled forward a few steps before leaning against an ancient tree. Struggling to unroll the painting in his arms, he gazed at the woman depicted in it and couldn’t help but chuckle, “When a person gets old, they really become useless…”

“The nearest Southern Red Sea is still over ten thousand miles away…”

As he spoke, the elderly man slid down the tree little by little.

When his body finally rested on the ground, he held the painting close to his chest and smiled, “Seems like I spoke too soon… it looks like I won’t get to see the sea after all…”

“My dear, do you remember Mr. Gu, the man we met that day while admiring flowers?”

“He said, ‘Though fallen flowers vanish, the roots remain…’ Just wait for me, I’ll come find you soon…”

“Once I find you, we’ll go see the sea together…”

As he uttered his final words, the elderly man closed his eyes completely.

Whoosh

A gentle breeze swept through, lifting a crimson flower petal into the air. It spiraled above the elderly man before suddenly transforming into a rain of petals, covering him entirely in a short moment.

…

Crash! Splash! Crash! Splash!

Waves surged against the rocky shore as the salty sea breeze howled.

Not far away, seagulls spread their wings, sometimes gliding close to the water’s surface, other times soaring high into the starlit night sky.

On the coast, the elderly man lay amidst a sea of crimson petals, his eyes gently closed as if in peaceful slumber.

Plop! A single drop of seawater landed on his wrinkled cheek. The sleeping man seemed to awaken, his eyes fluttering open. Gazing at the sky full of stars and listening to the crashing waves, his clouded eyes revealed a trace of confusion.

“Am I… dead?”

Slowly sitting up, the elderly man quietly surveyed his surroundings.

The first thing that caught his attention was the crimson flower petals beneath him, scattered over fine grains of sand.

Then came the crashing waves, drawing his gaze toward the sea.

Staring at the pitch-black horizon, a sudden thought struck him, and he quickly looked down at his chest.

When he saw that the painting of his wife was still there, he breathed a sigh of relief, unfurled the painting, and smiled. “My dear, I think I might be dead… Whether it’s my wandering soul that’s reached the sea or just my imagination…”

“Either way, it seems like we’ve arrived at the seaside…”

Speaking, the elderly man grabbed a handful of sand and felt it slipping through his fingers. He laughed. “Being dead feels no different from being alive, does it?”

“Old Yu, the sun’s about to rise… A sunrise by the sea is nothing like one atop the mountains.”

“If you don’t take a good look, you’ll regret it.”

A familiar, gentle voice suddenly rang out. The elderly man froze for a moment before turning toward the sound.

There, atop a distant rock, a man in green robes was smiling warmly at him.

“Gu! Mr. Gu!” The elderly man’s eyes widened as he pointed a trembling, cracked finger. “You’re so young! How did you die too?”

Gu Ning’an chuckled and said, “Old Yu, isn’t it possible that neither of us is dead?”

“Impossible! I’m dead, but I’m not senile!”

“I clearly remember falling into a death-like sleep under an old tree…”

“And in the blink of an eye, I ended up here by the sea. It must be that my soul drifted here, or maybe this old man is dreaming—dreaming that I brought my wife to see the sea… Wait, no, why would I dream of you too?”

“Ah, that’s it! It must be because before I died, I remembered what you said, which is why you appeared in my dream!”

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an couldn’t help but chuckle. “When someone dies, they don’t feel pain. Old Yu, why not test it out?”

“Test it? Fine, I’ll test it.”

The old man pinched his thigh with all his might.

“Ouch!”

“It hurts!”

“It’s not a dream! I’m not dead!”

“Then how did I end up here by the sea? And these petals… Aren’t these the same red petals that floated by when I came down the mountain?”

“How did there become so many of them?”

Gu Ning’an waved a hand. “Old Yu, the sun is about to rise. Do you want to show your wife the sunrise over the sea, or figure out how you got here?”

“The sunrise! The sea!” Without hesitation, Old Yu turned to position the painting toward the horizon.

Seeing this, Gu Ning’an also directed his gaze toward the horizon.

Dawn gradually broke, and a light mist rose from the sea, spreading over it like a veil of silver gauze.

“Coo-coo!”

The sharp, clear calls of seabirds shattered the stillness of the moment!

Before long, a golden sun slowly emerged from the horizon.

The sunlight pierced through the mist, bathing the sea in golden hues and transforming the silver gauze into a brilliant golden glow.

The soft golden rays of dawn spread outward as the sun rose higher and higher.

Standing on the shore, the elderly man, overcome with emotion, stood up and raised the painting high above his head. “My dear, look, look! The sea, the sunrise by the sea—we’ve seen it!”

“It’s so beautiful! No wonder you always wanted to see it!”

Beside him, Gu Ning’an quietly admired the rare and magnificent scene.

Having lived two lives, this was also his first time watching a sunrise by the sea. Such a majestic view truly brought peace and joy to one’s heart.

It was no surprise that in the generations to come, coastal cities would draw countless visitors from near and far.

In less than half an hour, the sun fully emerged from the horizon, hanging high in the sky.

The elderly man’s murky eyes, like a pool of stagnant water, now reflected the sunlight, making them appear much clearer.

As if reminded of something, he turned his gaze toward the figure in green robes not far away.

He stared at Gu Ning’an for a moment, pondered for a while, then smiled and asked, “Mr. Gu, was it you who brought us to the sea?”

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an, still gazing at the shimmering waves, nodded slightly, acknowledging the question.

“Thank you, sir!” The old man held the painting close to his chest and bowed deeply to Gu Ning’an.

“Old Yu, no need for such formalities. I simply stopped by to enjoy the beauty of the sunrise by the sea.”

Gu Ning’an raised his hand slightly, and an invisible force gently lifted the bowing elderly man upright.

Feeling the unseen support, Old Yu instantly understood that his suspicions were correct.

This green-robed gentleman he once encountered in the mountains was, in fact, a living immortal!

“May I ask, Mr. Gu, am I dead or alive right now?” Old Yu clasped his hands together respectfully.

Gu Ning’an paused for a moment and then replied, “You could be considered alive, though your natural lifespan has already ended. Your current state is much like the everlasting spring flower—blooming at dawn and withering by dusk…”