Master is old chapter 3

Chapter 3! I was just wondering if you guys are enjoying this story because I saw that the its ratings are really bad on novelupdates haha. I don't think this story is fantastic but I do think it's a short and cute story nonetheless and wanted to share it with everyone. I'm not sure, is it the story itself or my translations? Anyway, for those of you who do like it, enjoy~

Chapter 3

I stopped accepting disciples, even if this youth had a face more attractive than the Qinghan I first met.

Thinking about the past made me lose my appetite.

The person opposite me carefully observed my expression and asked with concern, “What’s the matter?”

I put down my chopsticks and absentmindedly answered, “Thinking about how I’m going to die soon made my food hard to swallow.”

As if he could not believe what I just said, he froze and stared blankly at me.

Nonetheless whatever I said was the truth and I had no intention of keeping it from him.

“I’ll tell you frankly. It’s my fate and my time is almost up. Recently, my eyes can’t see
as well and I can’t really hear properly. I’m not as clear minded as I once was and my divine powers have dropped significantly. I have nothing to teach you. I see that you have a good physique; with your intelligence and shamelessness, you are a good seedling for cultivation. Leave my courtyard and turn right, follow the path out of Misty Mountain and choose someone else as your master.”

I said so much but it still seemed like he did not get my main point. All he did was
stare at me in a daze, his face paling. In a slightly hoarse voice, he squeezed
out, “This… When did this happen?”

Looking at his face, I guessed that he finally understood that he came to the wrong place and regretted spending time trying to coax me.

As a dying person, burdening this person by delaying his cultivation time made me feel a
bit sorry so I decided to answer him. “About a hundred years ago there were indications that my time was running out. At that time, I wanted to accept a disciple to pass down my legacy, but this plan failed. Now I only have about a year or two left to live and I just want to spend the rest of my time here in quiet and peace.”

After hearing my words, for some reason, his face turned another shade paler and he continued to stare at me blankly like he was possessed.

After eating my last piece of fish, I stood up, intending to head towards the inner
rooms, “After you’re done you can just leave the cutlery here. After I wake up I will wash them, you can see yourself out.”

However, before I even took a single step, someone grabbed my hand, followed by the noise of cutlery crashing onto the floor. I turned around to see that in the youth’s hurry to stand up, he had knocked the bowls and chopsticks onto the floor.

But it was as if he could not hear the noise nor see the mess on the floor. All he did was pull my hand. His eyes were full of anxiousness and even carried traces of begging. He stared at me for a long time, his lips trembling, “It’s fine even if you don’t want to accept disciples, don’t chase me away.”

This line and this tone immediately brought me back to the time of the young boy, his
eyes full of panic, his expression uneasy.

I became a bit absent-minded and it was only until he held my arm till it became numb that I recovered. “If I don’t take you as my disciple, what’s the point of staying? To accompany the elderly in their last moments?”

*The phrase she uses here literally means providing for/taking care of the aged until their very last moments/ their death (and also implies sending them away properly/ taking care of funeral rites)

He pursed his lips as if what I said had deeply hurt him, but I did not understand what was so painful about this line.

He lowered his gaze to the mess on the floor before lifting his head. “I can help you
cook. Accompany you to fish…,” he paused, “I can also wash the dishes.”

Alright, ultimately, he was still taking care of the elderly in their last moments.

I retracted my arm and calmly looked at him. His body did not have any divine or demonic
powers so he ought to be an ordinary mortal. Yet as a mortal, he did not come because he wanted to cultivate, neither did he want to pursue immortality, but he just wanted to accompany me to fish and cook for me?

Does he intend to open a cultivators’ retirement association here?

Of course, it may also be because my powers had regressed too much and his cultivation was higher than mine, thus I was unable to see through his cultivation level, mistaking him for a mortal.

“Speak,” I crossed my arms and straightforwardly asked, “What do you really want.”

With a serious expression and sparkly eyes, he stared at me, “What I want is you.”

I immediately felt like I was choking on a fish bone again...

“Young man,” I kneaded the space between my eyebrows, intending to have a good talk
with him. “Did you not understand what I just said? My time is running out, I am unable to accept disciples, much less fall in love.” I stressed each word, line by line, “I am going to die. I have no time or energy to play with you.”

After hearing me speak, for some reason, his face got paler and paler, looking like his heart was pierced by thousands of blades.

His lips were stretched taut and after a long while, he started, “I’m not playing….” Then as if he made up his mind, gritted his teeth, “Actually I…”

I waved my hand, indicating that I did not want to listen to him talk further and turned to head towards the rooms. “I will be straightforward with you again, the reason why I do not accept disciples is because I have once accepted a disciple, but that disciple betrayed me. This broke my heart and I am unable to trust anyone anymore.” I paused, “As for this very absurd and messy affair of romance… It’s even more unsuited for me because after living for so long, it has rarely crossed my mind, all the more at such a time. Therefore, you should leave as early as possible.”

Before I entered the inner rooms, I turned back to look at him but saw that his face was deathly pale, with his head bowed to look at the scattered mess. He looked so desolate, like a ragdoll that had been ripped into shreds and abandoned.

It was only a rejection, must he be this sad? I pursed my lips and entered the room.