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

Chapter 241 Reunion (3k)

Seeing him like this, Du Yuan quickly stepped forward and helped him up, saying:

"No need for that, no need for that. Meeting is fate, and we should naturally help each other when we encounter each other!"

Even so, the man was still in shock, because almost everything he had was given to him by his 'mentor'.

So he hurriedly pulled those things out in one go.

"You, you're looking at these?"

Du Yuan raised her hand and gently pressed it down, interrupting him calmly:

"Don't bother, these little gadgets are useless. The tricks that guy played on you weren't these at all, but a wisp of ghost hiding in your back that quietly extinguished the two lamps on your shoulders."

The man's face turned ashen. There's a saying that a person has three lamps, and he'd already blown out two of them?
No wonder I've been feeling dizzy and lethargic lately.

He initially thought he had bumped into something unclean, which is why he was so eager to ask the shopkeeper for protection from the ghostly soldiers. He never expected that it would turn out to be a dangerous situation where his life lamp was extinguished!
"Don't be afraid," Du Yuan softened her tone, her voice reassuring. "Now that guy has not only had that wisp of his soul removed, but I've also soaked his body of energy. He can't catch his breath and's coming to cause you trouble!"

In the past, dealing with these old fogies was naturally very troublesome. We could only grit our teeth and pretend, and in the end, we would see who would back down first.

Now that I'm your Buddha, do you think I can't handle someone like you like before?

"what?!"

The man's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock, and he kept uttering short gasps of amazement, his face filled with disbelief.

With just a few casual words, he dealt with his "mentor" whom he had always regarded as a "god-like figure."
Strangely enough, he had no doubts whatsoever. On the contrary, he felt that everything the man in front of him said was true, and that he might even be hiding some of his skills and being exceptionally humble!

"If you still feel uneasy, you might as well stay here with the shopkeeper."

As she spoke, Du Yuan looked at the shopkeeper who was still in the back room and smiled:

"He would tend the tea stall and greet guests during the day, but at night he would set up a banquet to entertain the wandering spirits and help them fulfill their unfulfilled wishes in life."

“This is quite a meritorious deed. However, even with the help of the ghostly soldiers sent by the monks to atone for his sins, he will likely be too busy to manage everything.”

Du Yuan turned back to look at the man, her tone sincere:

"Why don't you go and work as his assistant? You can help look after the tea stall and take care of chores. This way, you'll have a more stable place to live, avoid those shady schemes, and even accumulate some good karma. What do you think?"

The man was so happy he almost jumped for joy, but after a moment, he said shyly:

"This is good, but why should they want me?"

Du Yuan chuckled at his honest demeanor and offered a word of advice:
"That's easy. Just tell him you know me, and that I'm quite familiar with the monks of Little Western Paradise. Then mention that he helps ghosts, and naturally he'll help people too. Knowing his nature, he'll definitely agree!"

The shop owner is a good person; once we have this connection, he'll definitely agree.

Moreover, assigning him an assistant who knows some cultivation would indeed be a win-win situation.

"I really don't know how to repay your kindness!"

Seeing the somewhat bewildered man, Du Yuan smiled and said:
"It's alright, it's alright, I've already received my reward!"

Originally, Du Yuan was thinking of completely separating the identities of the Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian lineages, and for the sake of completeness, each lineage should be self-reliant in its cultivation.

But upon further reflection, I suddenly understood—it's not necessary to draw such rigid boundaries.

Just like now, I can use the supreme cultivation of Buddhism and Taoism to pave the way for the cultivation of Confucianism. In this way, I can have a clear understanding from a high vantage point and avoid many detours.

After reciting the saying "Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me" to herself, Du Yuan looked up at the man again.

Sure enough, this time he saw it much more clearly than before.

Although it is still far inferior to the other two lineages, it can still be considered as 'something has been gained'.

After saying that, Du Yuan stood up and patted the man on the shoulder, saying:
"I should take my leave now. No need for further words or formalities."

Then, Du Yuan strode towards the temple.

Only the man remained kneeling on the ground, staring blankly at Du Yuan's retreating figure.

After some time, the little boy who had been chasing butterflies finally wobbled up to him, staring at him with wide, innocent eyes full of confusion.
"Uncle, why are you kneeling on the ground? My mother said there's dust on the ground, and it will get your clothes dirty!"

The man suddenly came to his senses, frantically trying to stand up by bracing himself on the ground, but the words he was about to say were stammering:

"Uncle's legs are just a little numb, let me rest for a bit! You don't need to worry about it. By the way, little friend, did you only just notice that Uncle is kneeling?"

“Yes,” the little boy blinked, tilting his head in even more confusion. “I didn’t see it when I was chasing butterflies, I only saw it when I came back. What’s wrong?”

The man was startled again and looked around at the still enthusiastic tea drinkers.

His talisman had long since broken down when he lost his focus, so why is no one noticing this side?

After a moment of stunned silence, the man suddenly looked in the direction where Du Yuan had disappeared, his fingertips unconsciously clenching the hem of his clothes, his eyes filled with awe and sudden realization, muttering to himself:
"Fate, fate, fate, these two words, fate, are indeed mysterious and beyond human comprehension!"

He was fortunate enough to meet a true immortal today, which saved his life.

The other tea drinkers were not fortunate enough to witness this, so even though the commotion was right before their eyes, they still could not see it!
Du Yuan walked quickly along the mountain path, but as she approached the temple, she seemed slightly bewildered, glancing at her waist like the man.

Each of them has a small seal tied to it, one on the left and one on the right. The one on the left is a mountain seal given to it by a friend, and the one on the right is a watermark given to it by a kitten.

They were both very light, but Du Yuan always felt as if two mountains were hanging on them. Well, considering the divine positions of these two, perhaps it should be said that a high mountain was hanging on the left and a great river was suspended on the right.
Lost in thought, Du Yuan raised her hand several times to try to untie the watermark and hide it in her sleeve, but as soon as her fingertips touched the knot, she reluctantly withdrew her hand. Such deliberate concealment would only make her look like she was burying her head in the sand. If her friend saw it, wouldn't she look even more guilty?

After struggling for a long time without reaching a conclusion, a light sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Just then, a gust of mountain wind swept in. Along with it, a familiar yet slightly mocking voice rang out:
"What? You're already at the door, and you're still standing there like a stone lion? Is my little temple really so unworthy of your attention?"

Du Yuan felt embarrassed.

It turned out his friend had been watching him from inside the temple the whole time, probably having seen everything about his dawdling and inner turmoil over the past half-day.
Thinking of this, Du Yuan chuckled twice, gave a perfunctory bow towards the temple, and spoke with a hint of embarrassment at having her thoughts exposed:

"No way, I'm coming right now."

Having said that, he steeled himself and walked step by step toward the temple gate.

After dawdling for a while, Du Yuan finally arrived at the long-lost mountain temple.

The roof tiles that I helped install are still neatly laid out on top, forming a striking contrast with the colors of the surrounding roof tiles.

At the temple entrance, Du Yuan hesitated for a moment before finally stepping inside. Her gaze swept over the familiar altar and incense burner within the hall, and she spoke with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of relief and closeness:
"I've come back to see you."

But the other party didn't answer:
"You're making it sound like I'm some kind of elder to you. What, do you think I'm too old or you're too young?"

My friend is probably still angry.

But what exactly did I do to offend the other party that day?
While rapidly reviewing the past events in her mind, Du Yuan quickly waved her hand, her voice even faster than usual:

"No, no, I just felt really bad for not visiting you in so long!"

"."

The voice didn't reply, and the temple fell silent instantly. Only the gentle rustling of the mountain breeze through the windowpanes and the faint fragrance of lingering incense smoke from the burner stretched the silence out for a while.

Du Yuan noticed that although there was a lot more incense ash in the incense burner, there was still only her own stick of incense.

And it still didn't burn.

There was no awkwardness in that silence; rather, it was like the unspoken understanding between old friends—a hint of unspoken reproach mixed with the warmth of a long-awaited reunion.

After a long while, the voice finally rang out:

"That's not like something you would say."

He didn't say much, but Du Yuan could keenly sense that her familiar friend had returned.

In an instant, his tense shoulders relaxed.

He looked around and said:
"I thought the Han family would be here!"

The ethereal voice continued to echo in Du Yuan's ears:

"I like peace and quiet, and knowing you were coming back, I let them leave."

Du Yuan's heart skipped a beat again. Something was wrong; there seemed to be something different about her friend than before.

But upon closer reflection, I can't quite put my finger on it.

In the end, Du Yuan could only go along with it:

"I see. That explains why the Han family doesn't stay by your side every day."

Upon hearing this, the voice took on a hint of amusement and drifted over slowly:
"Throughout the millennia, whether they are ordinary mortals or immortals in the mountains, they have indeed never changed."

He paused, then added a soft murmur, a hint of both sigh and doubt:

"Sometimes, I even wonder who is the truly 'eternal' one."

At this point, the voice suddenly deepened, shedding its previous nonchalance, and earnestly questioned Du Yuan:

"So, you still want to go and see the Confucian school?"

What was said in the temple that day, people may have forgotten, but the gods have not.

Du Yuan nodded:
"Yes, I want to make a trip to the capital of this imperial court, and I also want to travel around this world again as a Confucian."

The voice didn't try to stop or emphasize it like a kitten would; instead, it spoke with increasing solemnity:
"She wanted to tell you that we each possessed an extremely auspicious natal character, right?"

"Uh," Du Yuan paused, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, and answered truthfully, "She only said that she had one, but never mentioned that you also had one hidden here."

This answer made the seriousness seem somewhat difficult to shake, creating a subtly amusing atmosphere. After a long while, the voice finally chuckled:
"Alright, alright, I was overthinking it. Let's get straight to the point—I'll just ask you one question: do you want this natal character I have?"

The reason I didn't mention that inscription that day wasn't because I was hiding it. It was because I was afraid that if Du Yuan found out, she would stray from the path she originally intended to take because of that inscription, and thus be disturbed in her true intentions.

Now that he has decided to explore all three religions, this natal character that can give him more confidence on the path of Confucianism should naturally be handed over to him.

(End of this chapter)