After seing Mo Shatian leave from behind, Xiao Lin apparently decides to enter the house and say goodbye to the remaining people.
Once it was just the two of them, Elder began to speak. "Is that the child whose name is Mo Shatian? The child you mentioned earlier?"
Xiao Lin nodded. "Yes, he's an orphan. He lost his mother a year ago when he was thirteen and currently he haa been living alone. Since then, I have been taking care of him." He added, "He is a good, honest, and hardworking boy. But... he always tried to do things on his own. When I told him that he could stay with us, he refused my invitation. Good grief... He's too much of a burden on himself; it's because of his nature that i was forced to give him the job of herding sheep."
Elder nodded. "Indeed. I can see that the boy has qualifications and talent, but just to be sure, I have to take a closer look before deciding upon anything."
While they were talking about the boy, Xiao Ling recalled their previous conversation.
...
This was several hours before Mo Shatian and Xiao Lin arrived in the village.
"Elder Ji—" the village chief's voice could be heard from inside the room. This was Xiao Ling's private room, where the village chief welcomed his important guest.
"—Don't say my name. Just call me Elder," a slighty hoarse yet gentle voice came from the other person. "My life has reached it's end... I hope my name will also dissapear with me. It would be best to address me as Elder, for now and onwards."
Xiao Ling, who heard about it, was a little hesitant, but in the end he accepted his request.
Since he had accepted this request. Then, he gathered the courage in himself and asked, "What about them...?"
This was something he was most worried about, as it could affect the safety and security of the entire village.
"Don't worry about it. I used almost all the Magic Tools and Spritual Essence I had to get away from them..." Elder replied, who seemed understood what he meant. There was silent for a few moments before continuing, "...And maybe it will took three to five years for them to track me down. I also not only strengthened but also extended the range of the barrier surrounding this village using my remaining Spritual Essence."
With the time estimated given by Elder, Xiao Ling had to prepare all the necessary things within that time.
"...I understand. If there is anything Elder needs, please do not hesitate to tell me."
Xiao Ling took a deep breath. He became a slightly relieved after hearing Elder's words, yet he was still worried—because if they could track down someone as powerful as him, the pursuer must be very strong as well.
Upon hearing his words, it semeed that Elder was not as reclutant to express his wish, as he was immediately shared his wish.
"There's one thing I've wanted since my life was nearing it's end."
"If I may... Elder, please tell me what exactly you want?" Xiao Ling said a little of nervously for fear that it was a difficult request to fulfill.
Elder, who saw Xiao Ling saying this nervously and worriedly, began to smile and chuckle slighty as if trying to calm him down.
"Worry not! This is not something difficult. Actually, it is something very simple. Hmm... I guess it depends on each person because not everyone can do it."
There was a look of confusion on Xiao Ling's face regarding the wish Elder spoke of—he didn't grasp what Elder said.
"I want successor... A successor who will carry on all the techniques as well as my wishes." Elder explained what he meant about his wish.
"I have lived for a long time, long enough to be compared to the average human. However, when I knew the end of my life was near, I thought a lot about my existence. I realized that I had left behind nothing that was proof of me. Proof of my existence." He said it while looking out the window, look about something that seems very far away—as if recollation about his past." He continued, "Just as living beings leave offspring to prove that they are still alive. Deep down in my heart of hearts, I realized that I also wanted to leave something behind. But unfotunately, I have passed the time for me to leave descendants. The only way for me is... to pass on my techniques, but also my values and aspirations."
Power comes with responsbility. A person who wields power freely without knowing its value is extremly dangerous.
"I just want a disciple."
Xiao Ling looked at Elder with a suprised expression on his face.
"For someone as powerful as you, I didn't expect that you would have such an ordinary wish," Xiao Ling said subconsciously.
Elder simply snorted. "Of course, this is natural for living beings. Every beginning will inevitably meets its end, and life is no exception. That's why death is a great prophecy for the living!"
Xiao Ling heard it with silence and surprise, as if trying to understand its meaning.
There was silence for a few moments before Xiao Ling decided to speak, "I understand. But I don't know if I can do it or not."
Xiao Ling who finally understood his request knew that this was not only an easy request but also very difficult for him.
Elder smiled. "I know... But, thank you for listening to this old man's request."
Regardless of whether Xiao Ling can do it or not, it seems that Elder is grateful for listening to his request.
Elder sighed. "Unfortunately there aren't many places I can go because almost every cultivator in the entire world knows about me. In the end this place is the only place where they can hardly find me.
"Of course, for someone like me, its almost impossible to be found once I really decide to hide. Putting aside what kind of people are after me, there's no way they would let me go free after what I've done. They will make sure that I truly die with their own two eyes." Elder ended his talk.
A crushing silence enveloped the room, with no one making a sound except for everyone's breathing.
Xiao Ling might not know all the details or circumstances of Elder, but he had heard many rumors about him.
And what was most surprising was that all the rumors he had heard were truly incredible—incredible enough for Xiao Ling himself that the rumors were all just nonsense.
Xiao Ling himself couldn't know the truth of the rumors he heard nor did he dare to verify in person, even if the person in question was in front of him. But there wasn't the slightest doubt about his existence, so it wasn't surprising at all if he mentioned that almost all cultivators knew about him.
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for not only listening to my request, but also allowing me to stay here. Therefore... I would like you to really think about what will happen and decide what is best for this village as their chief," Elder said after a few second that felt like an eternity.
After hearing Elder's word, Xiao Ling fell silent in his reverie.
"I will talk about this to the other villagers. We still have about three years to prepare. This may sound sudden and unreasonable to them, but I'm sure they will accept it to repay what you have done to our ancestors and also this village." Xiao Ling spoke with determination. "After all that has been said, without your help for my ancestors and everyone else, this village would never exist. Therefore, let's us return the favor to you in exchange for our ancestors."
Elder was slightly surprised by what Xiao Ling said. " I don't ever remember doing anything to deserve to all this, at least in my opinion."
Upon hearing Elder's words, the corners of Xiao Ling's lips lifted up slightly. "I'm sure it's not up to you to decide whether what you did to our ancestors was worth it or not. Maybe it's wasn't something great or extraordinary to you, but I'm sure it wasn't to my ancestors and others. That's why to this day, what our ancestors have passed done is still being passed down to our generation."
This was what Xiao Ling believed in and he believed that everyone shared the same opinion as him.
"Since I've already decide on this, why don't we talk about other matters?"
Xiao Ling immediately talk about Elder's request as there was not much time left to waste. For the time being, he had to do what he could at the moment, one step at the time.
"Almost everyone in this village is a Cultivator, and those who are not are either children or those who do not have the qualifications. The only one who has qualifications but hasn't become a Cultivator is Mo Shatian. He was an orphan, and I was the one who took care of him, but until now I still haven't discussed this with him at all." Xiao Ling ended his explanation.
"Well... I'll decide to take a look around first," Elder said after seemingly to think about what to do first. "After finding a suitable candidate, I will ask for their opinions first, because that is first and foremost. Nothing good will come being forced."
Xiao Ling felt relieved after hearing what Elder said.