My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 534: Increasing Lifespan

Looking at the rows of uniquely shaped bottles and jars, Ye Shuqin couldn't resist reaching out to touch them gently. Her fingertips touched them, but she couldn't feel any weight at all. Lin stepped forward and carefully unscrewed the caps for Ye Shuqin.

The substance inside the jar was like a clear solution, deep and still, transparent and clean, shimmering with a faint light. Ye Shuqin looked bewildered, turned to Zhang Lei beside her, and asked softly, "What should we do?"

Zhang Lei slowly raised his palm and quietly activated the Divine Hand skill. In an instant, all the invisible matter in the jar was grasped in his palm, and he gently patted Ye Shuqin's body.

A warm current instantly swept through her body, leaving Ye Shuqin feeling refreshed and invigorated, all fatigue and weariness vanishing. She quickly looked up and asked, "Is this how I increase my lifespan?"

Zhang Lei nodded slowly, his tone calm: "That last move just now added ten years to your lifespan."

Upon hearing the number ten years, Ye Shuqin was filled with disbelief, and it took her a long time to recover. A surge of intense joy welled up in her eyes as she looked at Zhang Lei and whispered, "If that's the case, then our child, our family..."

She stopped abruptly, her words abruptly halting, her expression becoming more solemn.

Zhang Lei shook his head slightly, and solemnly instructed, "This secret can only be known between the two of us. You must never tell anyone else."

Ye Shuqin understood perfectly, naturally knowing the weight of this matter. The question of lifespan is an obsession for everyone in the world. Once revealed, the dying person will surely go mad and stop at nothing to do about it, bringing endless trouble.

"This place is just a temporary testing ground for us." Zhang Lei looked at her and spoke slowly. "From now on, these kinds of things will only be done in my personal space. I have decided to isolate that space from outsiders. From now on, it will only be the two of us alone."

Ye Shuqin nodded earnestly, fully understanding his intention. This road, stretching across the long years, was inherently lonely, and Zhang Lei had chosen her alone, wanting them to be each other's sole companions for the rest of their lives.

Zhang Lei gazed at her and slowly asked, "I want to hear your thoughts. For both of us, time has long since become just a number. Ten, a hundred, or even several hundred years from now, our relatives, friends, and children will gradually pass away, leaving only the two of us in the world. What will you do then?"

These words suddenly made Ye Shuqin feel dazed, and a sense of bewilderment rose in her heart. Yes, they had an endlessly long lifespan, and they had to live alone day after day, year after year. How were they going to spend the long years to come? A faint sorrow quietly lingered in her heart.

Seeing the worry on her face, Zhang Lei smiled and softened his tone: "Don't overthink it, don't worry about the future. Whatever choice you make in the future, I will support you unconditionally."

Looking at the man before her, Ye Shuqin felt a mix of emotions, a bittersweet feeling she couldn't quite describe. She stepped forward and hugged Zhang Lei tightly, whispering with a sigh, "We have everything that others could only dream of, yet we insist on worrying about the distant future. It's truly laughable."

Zhang Lei chuckled and echoed, "Indeed laughable."

"Just live in the moment, enjoy life to the fullest, and live life to the fullest without worrying about tomorrow."

The two cleared their minds of distractions and quickly left the experimental site. Zhang Lei waved his hand, storing all the artifacts there into his personal space, leaving only a string of mysterious symbols on the ground that no one could understand, sealing away this secret.

Back home, all of Zhang Lei's worries and anxieties vanished, and he reintegrated into his family life. Life returned to its lively and peaceful rhythm, a picture of tranquility and contentment.

The afternoon sun shone brightly as Zhang Lei lay lazily in a rocking chair, his eyes closed in deep thought. Looking back on his journey, he seemed to have no regrets.

With his beloved by his side, his children obedient and sensible, and with wealth, property, status, honor, and power—all the desires of the world—he has them all in his grasp.

Enveloped in the warm sunshine, Zhang Lei's thoughts gradually drifted away, and he slowly closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

I don't know how long I slept, but a childish voice kept ringing in my ears:

"Zhang Lei, Zhang Lei, come play with me!"

Zhang Lei slowly opened his eyes, and before him stood his long-lost childhood playmate. His eyes were filled with shock as he looked at this pure and clean world. As if possessed, he stepped forward and began to laugh and play with his friend.

Here, there is no scheming or conflict of interest, only the innocent smiles of children and carefree sincerity.

In a daze, he saw his parents not far away. The young couple stood quietly, their eyes gentle, gazing at him with loving kindness.

Upon seeing his parents, Zhang Lei froze on the spot, at a loss for words, his heart overflowing with longing. He desperately wanted to run forward and touch the figures he had been yearning for day and night.

Just then, his parents' gentle voices came slowly: "Zhang Lei, come home for dinner."

"Okay, Mom and Dad!" Zhang Lei replied happily, running forward without stopping.

But just as he was about to get close, his parents' figures began to recede, becoming increasingly blurry and farther away. Zhang Lei ran desperately, reaching out to grab the two figures, but all his efforts were in vain; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't touch them at all.

In his panic, he fell heavily to the ground, helplessly watching his loved ones gradually disappear into the distance.

The beautiful scene before my eyes suddenly shattered, everything turned to nothingness, and the world was empty and desolate.

Zhang Lei's emotions fluctuated violently. He struggled to get up, but his body suddenly tilted and he fell heavily to the ground from the rocking chair.

This sudden scene terrified the family members who were gathered around. They looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.

After the intense feeling of weightlessness subsided, Zhang Lei regained his senses, looked around, and realized that he had returned to reality, seeing the familiar courtyard and his family.

He sat there on the ground, stunned and bewildered. Was everything that had just happened a dream, or the deepest, most cherished longing in his heart?

Seeing his unusual behavior, everyone fell silent.

Hearing the commotion outside, Ye Shuqin rushed over, waved everyone away, walked quickly to him, gently took his hand, and softly asked, "Master, what's wrong?"

The dream was too unreal, yet too heart-wrenching; Zhang Lei didn't know how to explain it.

Seeing his downcast expression, Ye Shuqin gently comforted him, "Are you getting too bored staying at home all day? Do you want to go out for a walk?"

Zhang Lei nodded slowly, managing a weak smile: "Perhaps."

Ye Shuqin smiled gently and suggested, "If you want to clear your mind, then let's go back to where we first met and walk the same path we took."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lei's eyes softened, and he nodded gently in agreement.

Before long, the two obtained new identity documents, packed their bags, boarded a flight, and flew to Beijing, a city they had been away from for a long time.

Stepping out of the airport and looking at the completely different street scenes and buildings around me, I realized that the entire city had changed beyond recognition and undergone tremendous transformations.

Looking out the window, Ye Shuqin couldn't help but sigh softly, "It's been so many years since I've been back, and the changes here are truly enormous."

"Yes," Zhang Lei replied, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. "We haven't been back for many years, and we don't know if those old friends are still alive."

After quickly tidying up, the two hailed a taxi, told the driver their destination, and the car slowly drove off, heading straight for Nanluoguxiang.