“Master, do you have to sever all affection to cultivate immortality?”
“Who told you that cultivating immortality means severing all affection?” Ling Xu Zi asked in return. “The books... and the stories told by storytellers all say so.” Lin Jingyuan lowered his head, watching the tea leaves drift in his cup. “They say immortals must cut their ties to the mortal world and forget all emotions to attain the Dao.” Ling Xu Zi smiled. It was not a mocking smile, but one tinged with helplessness and understanding.
“Jingyuan,” he said slowly, “what do you think ‘affection’ means?” Lin Jingyuan was taken aback. “The kindness of parents who raised you is affection. The bond between siblings is affection. A teacher's guidance is affection. The loyalty shared by friends is affection.” Ling Xu Zi looked him in the eye. “If you severed all of that, what would you become? A stone, a piece of wood. Even if you lived a thousand years, or ten thousand, what would be the point?” He paused and took a sip of tea before continuing. “Cultivation is about cultivating the heart and the Dao, about understanding all things under Heaven. It is not about turning yourself into an empty shell.”
This is a lighthearted, everyday story, with a gentle and refined male lead, a lively senior sister, and loving fellow disciples. Just the easygoing daily life of immortals in training.
