"First, a toast to you."
Qi Zhimu put down the wine jar, raised his bowl, and drained it in one gulp.
Longjing couldn't quite figure it out for the moment, so he simply stopped thinking about it and tilted his head back to finish his drink as well.
"More than forty years have passed in the blink of an eye... You're still so young. I really envy the Long-lived Species..."
"You haven't changed much compared to nine years ago either. Besides, I am not a Long-lived Species." Qi Zhimu refilled the bowl.
"True. Even I can rely on cosmetic procedures to maintain my appearance; a Divine Doctor like you must have even more tricks up your sleeve. It's a pity you don't sell them," Longjing said regretfully.
Qi Zhimu didn't respond, merely raising his bowl in a gesture.
The rims of their bowls clinked together with a crisp sound.
"Refreshing!"
Longjing wiped the corner of his mouth, a look of pure satisfaction on his face.
"Say, Old Qi, did you see that I'm about to die? Is that why you were finally willing to bring out this plum blossom brew?"
"..." This time, it was Qi Zhimu's turn to be stunned.
Not waiting for an answer, Longjing didn't look closely at his expression. Taking it as tacit agreement, he continued on his own.
"I didn't come to you for medicine last year because I felt there was no longer any need..."
"I don't want to continue enduring the bitter fruit left behind by artificial life extension. I've lived past 336 years, and I've tasted that bitterness for a full 247. I'm tired."
"Oh, I should be precise—204 years."
After all, after finding Qi Zhimu, his medicine had allowed him to live peacefully for 43 years.
A high-ranking executive of the Company, one of the Ten of the Stone Hearts—so what if he had boundless glory?
Only he knew the pain that felt like ten thousand ants gnawing at his heart in the dead of night.
"...I'm sorry. When it involves the power of the Abundance Path, I am powerless," Qi Zhimu sighed.
"Pah, I didn't come here to hear your apologies."
Longjing gulped down some wine with emotion, as if talking to himself:
"In such a massive Company, even an Emanator of Preservation was helpless, yet you could treat the symptoms. That's impressive enough, Old Qi."
"I came here today to say goodbye. Waiting for death isn't my style; I've already chosen the day for myself."
"To be able to drink your most precious brew before I die—I have no regrets."
"Inside the Company, there's nothing but intrigue. Countless people are waiting for you to make a mistake, and it's filled with life-and-death struggles..."
"I finally understand why you chose to live in seclusion in the mountains for peace and quiet. No need to worry about arrows in the back every day, and no need to worry about the livelihoods of millions of subordinates. It's truly nice."
"I'm really so tired, Old Qi... but looking through my contacts, I can't even find a... friend to speak my heart to. Ha..."
"So, before I die, I've come to find you with a thick skin."
"I figured that even if the Divine Doctor Mr. Qi Zhimu doesn't consider me a friend, he's at least someone I can vent to."
"Listening to the heartaches of a patient who has been lonely all his life is also part of a doctor's duty, wouldn't you say?"
"..." Qi Zhimu remained silent, only refilling Longjing's wine and listening quietly.
He didn't deny any of Longjing's words.
Between friend and patient, Longjing was the latter to him—an equal relationship where each got what they needed.
He gave Longjing medicine to suppress his pain, and Longjing used his position to do important things for him. That was all; there were no further social ties.
But at this moment, Longjing was a friend.
Friendships between men often require no preamble.
"My old man and old lady died early, beaten to death..."
"To feed me, when I had just turned eleven, they went to steal and rob, eventually crossing the wrong people..."
"In those days, Order had long since vanished. Might was the only rule."
"I killed those people to avenge my parents. To leave no loose ends, I burned everything to the ground, not even sparing the children who were younger than me..."
"I would have died too, but I was saved by a blind woman."
"When the Company's people arrived, I signed a life-long contract without hesitation, and from then on, I climbed upward with everything I had."
"Because I knew that only by reaching a higher social stratum could I control my own destiny."
"In fact, I suppose I succeeded, but looking back now, I find that all I've left behind is a mess—pathetic, even. Heh..."
"You might think I'm being sentimental, but I have to say, from the moment that blind woman who saved me died before my eyes, the real me probably died then too."
"I never got the chance to tell her I liked her, to love her, to marry her..."
"I promised her... I promised her..."
"That I would take her across the galaxy. That until her eyes were healed, I would be her eyes and show her countless beautiful sights."
"But I broke my promise, hahaha—"
"It's a cliché story, right? But this is my life. I'm a winner, and I'm also an utter failure."
"In my old age, I searched desperately for ways to extend my life, simply because I was unwilling to let my failed self die like that."
"...I see clearly now, Old Qi."
"I've donated all the wealth in my name to worlds as turbulent as my hometown. I'm going to find her with no strings attached."
"It's just that... after all these years, she's long gone. She probably won't be waiting for me..."
Qi Zhimu lowered his eyes, offering no comment, feeling he had no right to judge.
The only thing he could empathize with was the suffering experienced in childhood.
"...At the crossroads of fate, I was a bit luckier than you."
"Let's hear it."
"When I was about to die in a pile of rotting corpses, my teacher picked me up. Unlike the blind woman you mentioned, she is a very formidable biologist."
"The things you send out every year—they're for your teacher?"
"Yes."
"Then you are indeed luckier than me. At least you have no regrets." Longjing, whether crying or laughing, tilted his head back and gulped down wine with no regard for his image.
Qi Zhimu's lips twitched slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only slowly closed his eyes.
Compared to Longjing's experiences, what kind of regret could his inability to persuade his teacher be considered?
But why?
His heart suddenly hurt, as if someone had pierced through his chest with bare hands and was squeezing his beating heart tightly.
Extremely blurry fragments flashed back in his mind, the pain almost unbearable.
I can't see... I can't see anything clearly.
"Longjing."
"Hmm?"
"Like you, I've also chosen a day for myself."
"Don't tell me you..."
"Yes, my time is up. I don't have many days left. In fact, that's why I switched to the plum blossom brew to entertain you."
Longjing stared blankly at the calm Qi Zhimu. After a long while, he let out a sudden laugh.
"You stingy old geezer. You're only willing to bring out the good wine you usually treasure like your life now that you're about to die."
"Aren't you the same? Only remembering to do good deeds and donating all your belongings when you're about to die."
"Hahaha, true."
Longjing laughed heartily at first, then slowly restrained himself and asked seriously, "So, how many days left?"
"On the day of the Great Cold."
"Heh, I'm one day earlier than you. But this way, neither of us will be able to see the other off."
"Saying goodbye today, I have no regrets."
"True. But Old Qi, why do you have no more lingering attachments to this world? Have you really left no regrets?"
"Precisely because I have no regrets, I have no lingering attachments."
"Is this a doctor who has seen through life and death... Never mind, drain this bowl! Friend!"
Life may be long or short, but it is always fleeting; many people never get the chance to say goodbye.
But at least, these two old men, whose friendship lasted only half a day, could say their final farewells to each other today.