The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 165 Oh no, I've dug my own grave!
Du Yuan was genuinely surprised to see this 'Young Master Wang' who had suddenly run away in Qingzhou in this place.

Or perhaps it's 'Young Master Liu'?
In short, no matter what kind of young master he is, it must be him!

Therefore, after a slight pause, he took the initiative to greet them.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, the other party's expression changed drastically:
"Have we ever met before?!"

Du Yuan was a little puzzled by these words. It shouldn't have been long since they parted ways in Qingzhou, right?

Moreover, judging from his behavior that day, he must have found it unforgettable.

But what's the logic behind this?
Was he pretending not to know me, or...? Du Yuan thought of her hair and hairpin.

Could it be because of this?

But regardless of the reason, after a brief moment of thought, Du Yuan decided not to make it clear.

After all, he also intended to distinguish between the 'Living Buddha of Qingzhou' and the 'Taoist of the Southwest'.

If it is the former, everyone will have a tacit understanding, keep quiet, and do things convenient for each other. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
If it's the latter, then there's even less reason to make it clear; you should just test the waters a bit more.

Moreover, Du Yuan also felt that it was most likely the latter.

My friend truly works silently and subtly to benefit me. Her seemingly useless actions have been of constant use to me.

With a light laugh, Du Yuan addressed the elegantly dressed young man:

"Yes, yes."

At that moment, the elegantly dressed young man felt a chill run down his spine and his limbs go weak.

I can't recognize him at all!

It would have been fine if I hadn't recognized them, but the other person just said something like that.

What does it mean?
Does this mean my path is biased towards others, or is it a self-fulfilling prophecy?
What exactly does this person mean?
And who exactly is he?
How could there be someone in this world whose background I can't even begin to discern?

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt a pang of unease, because he remembered the Buddhist monk he had met in Qingzhou.

He made a huge mistake at the time, to the point that he went up there and exposed his entire backside.

For a moment, the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

They won't do it again, will they?

After calming himself down, the elegantly dressed young man bowed and said:
"Please enlighten me, senior. This junior's comprehension is truly too low!"

If they sense this, there's a 50% chance they genuinely didn't recognize me.

As for this guidance...
Du Yuan was also a little embarrassed. He had only read aloud what he had read in his hometown because he was bored, just to relieve his boredom and also to establish a persona for himself.

But then I remembered that this person could make a huge fuss over something as simple as holding a rosary.

Did he get himself into a mess?
The more Du Yuan thought about it, the more convinced she was that it was true.

This guy really does seem like the kind of person who's only half-baked and drifts around aimlessly.
But how do you explain that?
After thinking about it for a while, Du Yuan decided to learn from what he had learned that day and let him improvise.

Then she pointed at the elegantly dressed young man and smiled:

"Don't you already know the answer?"

I know that myself?!

The elegantly dressed young man was struck dumb, frozen in place. How would I know?!
He almost blurted out a question.

But just as the words were about to be spoken, they abruptly stopped.
Because he did feel that something was about to emerge, but he could never quite grasp it, like scratching an itch through a boot.

If I had to describe it, it's like suddenly forgetting a word when you're trying to write it down. It's a word that you used to know very well and feel you could remember at any time, but right now you just can't seem to write a single word.

What means?
What exactly does that mean?
Various fragments swirled in his mind, yet he could never piece together a complete answer.

Finally, everything calmed down, leaving only an indescribable sense of loss. After his lips moved slightly, the richly dressed young man, having completely given up, cupped his hands and said:
"Please enlighten me, senior!"

Putting aside the fact that I was just saying it offhand, I don't even know what you're thinking, so how can I give you a clear answer?

So don't blame me.
Thinking of this, Du Yuan shook her head and smiled:
"You can't ask me that, you have to ask yourself! Other people's answers are useless!"

The elegantly dressed young man listened with a look of helplessness in his eyes; he had actually guessed that this would happen.

Just as the Buddha's highest goal in preaching was to enlighten people and help them become Buddhas, rather than forcing them to memorize scriptures and end up as self-enlightened beings.

Therefore, he turned and asked:
"May I ask, senior, what brings you here?"

He wanted to ask Du Yuan whether she was waiting for him or if it was just a coincidence.

Du Yuan then turned around and pointed to the bronze furnace behind her, saying:

"The southwest has suffered for a long time, and I cannot bear to see it. Therefore, I have come here to refine a furnace of elixirs to alleviate the urgent needs of the people."

Are they really here to rescue the Southwest?

But how could a single batch of pills possibly alleviate the urgent needs of the people in the southwest?
Alchemy, alchemy—cultivators have always refined pills in order to seize the bounty of heaven and earth and enrich themselves alone.

Indeed, there are various elixirs that can cure countless ailments.

But that only applies to individuals.

With such a severe disaster in the southwest and so many families involved, what can your single batch of elixir possibly accomplish?
Although I don't understand it, at least I know it's not aimed at me.

That's true, he doesn't have any enemies, and even his lineage isn't worth targeting.

After all, it's just a slippery salted fish!

To be honest, it's just that the Palace Master was blind to have taken a liking to him, which is why he was often resented by those lustful people.

Even so, I didn't accept her; I'm still avoiding her!

Whenever he thinks about this, he feels indignant from the bottom of his heart.

I would accept it if I had actually received a favor from a beautiful woman, but the problem is I didn't!
You yourselves are ugly and unattractive, so why blame your parents? Why blame me, the unlucky one who got dragged into this?
After a moment of random thoughts, the elegantly dressed young man, quickly dispelling all his worries, bowed to Du Yuan again and said:
"Senior, do you really intend to do this?"

"Of course, after all, getting this fire going isn't easy!"

The elegantly dressed young man glanced at the towering flames and nodded in agreement.
"It is indeed rare."

The prayers of the people reach the ears of Heaven.

Given the circumstances before the great calamity, such results could not have been achieved by a mere few hundred thousand disaster victims.

It would take at least a very prosperous Yamashita dynasty several generations of painstaking effort to succeed.

During this period, it was even possible that countless princes and grandsons would have to sacrifice their lives to keep the fire burning.

Although the calamities of the past and present still exist, and the laws of Heaven are still in effect, it is precisely because of this that many things that were extremely difficult to handle in the past are now relatively simple.

But if you really want to refine elixirs to relieve suffering...

That means...
Upon realizing this, the elegantly dressed young man's expression instantly changed.

The great disaster in the southwest is something that countless mountain strongholds and religious groups are happy to see.

After all, when humanity is in chaos here, the world becomes murky as well, allowing them to act a little more freely.

In this way, if anyone tries to set things right, they will definitely incur public wrath!

I initially thought this person was just making a big fuss to benefit himself.

But now that he's serious, haven't I just thrown myself into a den of thieves?!

(End of this chapter)