As a metaphysical person, Master knows the destiny of heaven more than ordinary old people. So when Master said this, I didn't continue to comfort him with anything like saying that you can live a long time if you say no, because if I say that, it seems to be a lie, and maybe it will give him an unrealistic hope. In this way, if that day really comes, it will be even more difficult for Master to bear.

I don't quite remember what our master and apprentice continued to say that day under the uncontrollable crying, but I just remember that the day after that day, I took Master to go through the discharge procedures. For some reason, after leaving the hospital, Master's expression seemed to be a little more relaxed, like a person who had let go of his burden.

When we returned to Qin Bukong's house, I helped Master clean up his things, while Master pulled Qin Bukong on the side and whispered something. Qin Bukong has always given me the feeling that he is unkind, or even emotionless, but at this moment, he is holding his master's hand with a sad face, shaking his head again and again, and sighing again and again.

I don't know what they said, but before parting, the master said to Qin Bukong, when my apprentice has nothing to worry about, he will come back to you. I don't know how Master was sure that I would definitely come back, and then come back and assist him in breaking through the Eight Gate Formation together. But I think he must have his reasons, after all, over the years, what he calculated has always happened.

Qin Bukong sent us to the dock, and we set out on the way back to the mountain city.

He hadn't been back to Master's house for more than three years, and he had accumulated a thick layer of dust. Master's lungs were not good, so I let him sit outside the door first, and I began to clean the house, just like when I was apprenticed, I spent all day doing chores. When the neighbors saw that Master had returned, they were all very enthusiastic to come over to ask for warmth, and more greetings were why they had become more haggard when they came back after going out for so many years.

The master smiled and did not answer, and was still the same as back then, a wise and foolish cultivator.

But in the days that followed, almost from morning to night, Master forced me to memorize the techniques and methods of playing talismans, and my homework was much heavier than before. Not only do I have to learn these things, but Master will also use the wooden figure as an example, give me a birthday or name, and ask me to demonstrate how to type the talisman in front of him. In the beginning, I could only knock down the wooden man's body, but this kind of high-intensity practice allowed me to quickly master the trick, and in the later stage, I was able to knock the wooden figure to the ground in three strokes, fortunately it was only a wooden person, if it was a living person or a ghost, I was afraid that it would be killed or scattered.

During this period, I didn't ask Master why he trained me so intensively, because I knew in my heart that Master knew that he didn't have much time and was afraid that he would leave before he could teach me. Therefore, the high-intensity cramming method taught me, at least let me master the skills, and when I use them in the future, I will rely on actual combat to accumulate experience in facing the enemy.

Although this kind of teaching method can be easily irritating, I can still calm down, so during that time, my craft is basically refined again, and playing talismans is a unique technique, and no one else in the rivers and lakes understands it except for me and Master. It's also a very unfamiliar method to other masters, and it gives me enough reason to protect myself, no matter if my opponent is a human or a ghost, as long as I don't die all at once, I have a chance to counter the enemy.

The doctor in Wuhan said that if Master did not treat it, it would be half a month to a month to survive, but Master held on and dragged on for three months. I also know that he has actually been using his own qi to maintain his life, from the battle when he coughed up and vomited blood every night, it was not difficult for me to find this, until the master's last examination of me was completed, although the technique was still a little rusty and the power was not strong enough, but the master also knew that I was doing my best.

That night, Master was in a surprisingly good spirits, and not only happily ate with me, but also had two drinks in the mood, and sang a little song with me after the meal. I was wondering why Master was in such a better state than before, was it because I had finally learned something, and I was happy in my heart.

And that's actually the phenomenon of Master's return to the light. The so-called relapse is when the person's body function fails to the final stage, because he no longer knows how to control himself, which leads to a large amount of adrenaline secretion, giving people an inexplicable sense of excitement. And when there are people who return to the light, it is estimated that it will be a matter of two or three days.

So that night, Master lay on the bed and coughed a few times, and I got up as usual to help him up, lean on me, and pat him on the back to relieve him. But this time, Master's coughing voice became weaker and weaker, and in the end, he only coughed, but couldn't make a sound. With tears in my eyes, I held Master tightly in my arms, and he suddenly sang in a faint and out of tune voice:

"I made a mistake and regretted it... I want to be more quiet in the middle of the high wolong... Carefree farming in Nanyang... When I am free, I chant poetry, drink wine, and play Yaoqin..."

This is one of Master's favorite singing passages, called "The Empty City Strategy". At this moment, I heard in my ears that Zhuge Liang lived in Longzhong peacefully, if it wasn't for Uncle Liu Huang's three invitations, he would not have gone out of the mountain. Without all these prerequisites, Zhuge Liang can be a free and easy living immortal, why worry about working for others. So if it hadn't been for my "I want to be a good person" that moved Master, then he might not have accepted me as an apprentice, and without all these prerequisites, Master might not have encountered today's events, at least I wouldn't have borne this kind of parting between life and death here.

Master is right, everything is fate.

So after the sentence "drinking and fussing Yaoqin", the master's head turned away and drove west.

Before that, I had thought about this moment countless times in my heart, and I had also imagined what I should do at this time. But when the time came, I didn't do anything but hug Master's body and cry. After a long time, I gently lowered Master's body, and he had a smile on his face, one that was very content, unconcerned, and looked as peaceful and kind as when he was alive. I knelt down in front of Master and kowtowed three times, then took a cinnabar pen and ink, put an eye on the palm of my left hand, and then pressed my palm on Master's forehead.

This is something I made with Master, because Master has no children, and I am the only one who will provide for him in his old age. He said that when he died, he must close his forehead and eyes to his dearest, so that those annoying earthly troubles would be cut off from him with the action of closing his forehead, so that he could be a happy immortal. So that night, I knelt in front of Master's bed and watched over him all night.

The next morning, I told a neighbor who had a good relationship with Master and asked him to help inform Master about his friends before his death. The neighbor asked me what had happened, and I said it was okay, my master passed away quietly last night. While comforting me to take care of my condolences, my neighbors wiped their tears and went to tell me about it.

The neighbors helped me set up the mourning hall directly at Master's house, and I knelt at the door wearing linen and filial piety to burn paper. The first to arrive was Mo Langzhong, who sighed sadly that if he hadn't told me the address of Master Qin Bukong, maybe none of this would have happened. The last to arrive were Wang Chengqian and Da Mao, Master Wang Chengqian didn't talk much on weekdays, he stayed quietly beside the master's corpse, and said silently for a long time, but when I saw Da Mao, the emotions that had been tense suddenly collapsed at that moment, and I hugged him and cried.

Da Mao and I are the same generation, and they are also the younger generations of the master. As a courtesy, he also followed me to wear linen and wear filial piety. Many of these masters who came to me didn't have much contact with me on weekdays, but because they respected my master's personality and were a handful of old people, they all accompanied me for three whole days and never left for a moment. Three days later, we found a car and sent Master to the small mountain village where I had fled, and buried him next to his grave.

Aunt Xu and Uncle Zhou only learned about the master's death when the master was buried, Aunt Xu blamed me very much, why didn't she tell me in advance, and then the old couple cried very sadly on the side. I hadn't closed my eyes for three days and three nights, and I hadn't eaten anything, and after Master was buried and sealed in the soil, with the sound of the huge firecrackers, my eyes went dark and I couldn't remember anything.

When I woke up, I found me lying at Aunt Xu's house. When I left, I thought I might not be coming back here for a short time, but I didn't expect to come back again because of Master's death. The two old men knew that I was sad, and they took care of me during that time. After the forty-nine days of mourning for Master, I said goodbye to the two old men again, leaving all the money and food stamps I had on to sustain myself, and then hurried back to the city without stopping. After bringing the necessary things to the master's house and handing over the door lock keys to Da Mao and Wang Chengqian's predecessors for safekeeping, I jumped on the boat to Wuchang that night.

Yes, this is Master's last wish. I have to do it, I want to go back to Qin Bukong's house, and work with him to complete the cracking of the Eight Gate Array, and I will also follow what Master said, worship Qin Bukong as a teacher, and learn his Dharma teaching skills, Master once said, I want Qin Bukong to know why he is proud of me, I think, this is the only way I can do now, to repay the teacher's kindness.

So Master, please say goodbye, cherish, and after many years, let's meet again in another way.