Chapter 17: Chap 17
One moment, the child felt as if the sky was about to collapse. Instinctively, he hid behind Chen Ping'an, letting the older boy shield him from whatever was ahead.
Chen Ping'an, as expected, didn't let the child down. Whether intentionally or not, he positioned himself protectively in front of the child.
At this moment, the boy, Gu San, was clutching Chen Ping'an's sleeve. The boldness he had shown earlier had completely vanished.
The old man sitting nearby paid no attention to this scene. He sat on a low stool, seemingly lost in thought, while the bowl in his hand disappeared into thin air without a trace.
Gu San's legs gave way beneath him. He shrank even further behind Chen Ping'an, his face filled with unease.
The old man glanced at the rural woman with an unnervingly calm expression, then at the straw-shoed youth who frowned deeply. Finally, he turned his attention to the timid boy hiding behind Chen Ping'an.
"Little one," the old man said, "do you know what's living in the water barrel at your house?"
The boy, still clutching Chen Ping'an, shouted from behind him, "What else could be in there? I caught shrimp, crabs, fish, and maybe an eel or two from the fields. If you like, just take some. Don't be shy..."
His voice trailed off, growing quieter as he spoke, clearly unsure of himself.
The woman smoothed her hair by her temple and turned to Chen Ping'an, speaking softly. "Ping'an."
Chen Ping'an understood her unspoken meaning. He patted Gu San's head, then quietly left.
Deep in the woman's gaze was a flicker of guilt as she watched Chen Ping'an walk away.
Shaking off her thoughts, she turned to the old man and asked bluntly, "Sir Immortal, having traveled all this way, do you intend to purchase this opportunity or seize it by force?"
The old man chuckled and shook his head. "Purchase? I can't afford it. Seize it? That's beyond me, too."
The woman shook her head in return. "That may be true now, but the future is uncertain."
The old man's previously casual demeanor shifted dramatically at her words. He waved his sleeve, and his fingers flew through a series of intricate motions. After a moment, he sighed deeply. "Why must it come to this?"
The woman's face turned cold. "You think this little village is full of good people, do you?"
The old man stood up and looked deeply at the dazed boy. As if making a monumental decision, he flicked his wrist, and the missing bowl reappeared in his hand.
He walked over to the waist-high water basin and quickly scooped out a bowl of water.
The woman, outwardly calm, was actually sweating in her palms.
The old man returned to his stool and beckoned to Gu San. "Little one, come here and look."
Gu San looked toward his mother, who nodded encouragingly. Gathering his courage, he approached the old man.
The old man lightly blew across the water in the bowl, creating ripples. "Open your mouth," he said.
Simultaneously, the old man flicked his fingers, producing a green locust leaf seemingly out of nowhere. Pinching it gently between two fingers, he flicked it toward the boy's mouth.
The boy instinctively opened his mouth, and the leaf entered.
Startled, Gu San froze but soon realized there was no unusual sensation in his mouth. Before he could ask, the old man pointed to the bowl. "Look closely."
Gu San peered into the bowl. At first, he saw only a tiny black dot, but it slowly grew into a prominent black streak, then transformed into a golden-yellow loach. It writhed joyfully in the water.
Gu San's face lit up with realization. "I remember it! I caught this by Chen Ping'an's place..."
His mother slapped him hard, silencing him. "Shut your mouth!" she scolded angrily.
The old man seemed unfazed. "I am a cultivator," he said, his tone indifferent. "We defy the heavens in our pursuit of immortality. To compete for such things is nothing out of the ordinary. Don't be so tense. If it belongs to your child, no one can take it away. If it were that boy's, he wouldn't keep it either."
Despite his small frame, Gu San possessed unimaginable potential, a weight far beyond his size.
Thus, when the old man considered accepting him as a disciple, he used a secret technique to assess the boy's true worth—and it astounded him.
Smiling faintly, the old man added, "Even if it were the other boy, Chen Ping'an, standing here, it wouldn't matter. With me present, it wouldn't be his either."
Gu San trembled, too frightened to speak. His mother, however, seemed relieved.
The old man's expression softened. "Little one," he said, "this bowl contains not just water but the essence of a river, and it now holds a baby dragon. From this moment on, you are my personal disciple."
He chuckled. "I am a 'True Lord,' only half a step from founding my own sect. Though it's a minor sect, you will eventually understand the significance of these titles. They carry far more weight than this bowl of river water."
Tears suddenly filled Gu San's eyes. "This isn't right! It should be Chen Ping'an!"
Furious, his mother raised her hand to discipline him, but the old man waved her off. "That kind of heart isn't necessarily a bad thing," he said lightly.
Gu San lowered his head, wiping away his tears and snot with his sleeve.
The woman exchanged a quiet glance with the old man, who nodded in understanding. Between them, no more needed to be said.
When Gu San looked up again, both his mother and the enigmatic old man wore faint smiles.
The boy turned to glance at the courtyard gate. When Chen Ping'an had left, he hadn't forgotten to close it behind him.
The small town was like a field, ripe for harvest after the New Year.
But some people, like weeds among the rice, could go unnoticed after a single glance.
For instance, the lonely straw-shoed boy wandering the muddy alleys.
A man and a woman entered the alley. The man, young and refined, wore a high cap and a jade token on his waist, looking even more dignified than the town's wealthiest heirs.
The woman's age was hard to determine. At first glance, she seemed like a fresh-faced girl, her soft skin and rounded chin resembling an icicle under a winter eave. But upon closer inspection, her mature charm and captivating figure hinted at a woman in her thirties. Every step she took exuded a kind of elegance unseen in local women.
The woman curiously examined her surroundings, even touching the yellow clay walls. Finding her hand unmarked, she asked, "Fu Nanhua, is this really one of the hidden blessed lands you mentioned? Why didn't my family's patriarch mark this place on his geomantic charts?"
The young man responded with a question of his own. "If we truly find something wonderful here, how will you repay me?"