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

Chapter 286 Immortal Fate (4k)

After tugging at the child's ear, Meng Chengyuan recalled the Sword Cleansing Stone he had just given away, and the hardships he had endured in searching for the stone in the past flooded his mind.

Their lineage, the Gewu Dongtian, naturally inherited the Six Arts of a Gentleman, and thus they also knew how to wield a sword. However, the Gewu Dongtian lineage has never been known for its swordsmanship—what truly allowed them to establish themselves was their ability to master strategic theory.

For this reason, there wasn't a single suitable sword-washing stone to be found in the entire cave.

Or rather, precisely when he needed it most, there wasn't even half a piece left.

At that time, he was stubborn and unwilling to trouble the teacher or owe him a favor for such a small matter, so he followed the ancient book and traversed all forty-seven sacred mountains inch by inch.

After traversing mountains and valleys, and crossing streams, they finally found the only two pieces at the bottom of a secluded, deserted pool.

He had already used up the smaller piece; the one he was giving away now was one he had held onto for many years and had never been willing to touch.

I still remember that it was only a piece the thickness of my little finger, but it took him eleven years to finish using it. In the end, he even tempered a good sword that was only good enough into a weapon of excellent quality.

He pondered to himself: If even the small piece has such power, this larger piece, even if it can't enhance that gentleman's sword, should at least be sharpened and tempered.

Yes, no problem. I'm just a student, how could I not understand?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but chuckle, raising his hand to pat the child's head, his tone softening:
"After you meet my parents later, I will ask my second aunt to cook you a table of authentic Huaiyang specialties."

"Oh? Sir, is your stepmother's cooking very good?"

The child's eyes lit up, and he quickly pressed for more information.

A hint of amusement flashed in Meng Chengyuan's eyes as he said, "My second aunt was once the most renowned cook in Huaiyang City, known by the nickname 'Soup Beauty'!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the boy's face lit up, and he clapped his hands, saying:

"Great! I haven't had a single bite of oil or fat these past few days with you, sir. Now I can finally satisfy my cravings!"

"You brat!" Meng Chengyuan's lips twitched, and he raised his hand to lightly slap the back of his head again. "So, according to you, I'm the villain who abuses you? You dare to gossip when you meet my parents later?"

Finally, he said helplessly, "My lifelong reputation will be ruined by your mouth sooner or later!"
-
Meng Chengyuan had vanished without a trace, but Du Yuan remained lost in thought, clutching the old sword in her hand.

The whetstone that the other party had just given me was used up in the blink of an eye, leaving not a single shaving.

Recalling Meng Chengyuan's tone at the time, the stone was clearly a rare and valuable item, but how could it be so "useless" in his hands?
Du Yuan frowned and pondered for a moment, but could only sigh in the end—she had probably used the wrong method.

Raising her hand to rub her throbbing temples, Du Yuan was filled with regret: Isn't this a waste of resources?

He'd look for similar stones when he had more time later. After sighing several times, he put away his sword and decided to find an inn to rest.

But just as she caught sight of the signboard of an inn on the street corner, Du Yuan suddenly slapped her thigh, remembering something she had forgotten.

Previously, when he was painting dragons in the southwest, he had promised the scholar Shen Yan that he would deliver the latter's last letter to the Sima Academy.

Meng Chengyuan, whom I just met, is a member of the Confucian school. If I had just casually asked him then, the matter of sending the will would most likely have been settled. But I completely forgot about it!

'That was a real blunder.'

Du Yuan couldn't help but curse inwardly, but there was no need to rush. At least she knew where Meng Chengyuan was; she could go find him tomorrow.

By the way, I'd like to ask where else I can find that stone.

Thinking of this, Du Yuan reached out and took out the mountain seal left by her friend. Since she remembered Shen Yan's blood letter, she wanted to confirm the contents again.

In fact, he had already seen it when he was in the southwest. The blood-written words had long since dried up, and there were only a few sentences on it:
"If the word is biased but the meaning is correct, then there is no bias. If the heart is evil and the spirit is deficient, everything will be harmful. Remember this well."

Staring at these lines of text, Du Yuan gently shook her head. It was such a pity that she could read her own destiny character but only understood these principles on her deathbed.

After confirming that everything was correct, he carefully put the blood-written letter into the kitten's watermark.

This time, because he needed to find a place to properly store this letter written in blood, he took a good look at the watermark that the kitten had given him.

Inside my friend's mountain seal was a vast emptiness; the objects placed inside floated, and their quantity was immediately apparent.

But in the cat's watermark, it seems a landscape painting was directly placed inside. Although no living creatures are visible, the mountains are always lush with vegetation and full of vitality.

It was precisely because of his careful observation that Du Yuan discovered a cave deep within the mountains and rivers. The cave was naturally formed and looked unremarkable, but as soon as he went inside, he was stunned: the cave was filled with neatly stacked wine jars.

"She also likes to drink?"

Full of curiosity, Du Yuan casually picked up a jar, and as soon as he took out the watermark, his eyes lit up.

The jar was sealed tightly, not a trace of alcohol fumes escaped, and the body of the jar was exquisitely carved with delicate patterns. If you didn't know it was a wine jar, it would be an extremely elegant piece of furniture.

Moreover, it's unclear what material this thing is made of; it resembles jade but isn't jade, and it resembles gold but isn't gold.

When you tap it, the sound is incredibly crisp, somewhat like the sound of water droplets on a sword—it's really hard to describe.

After fiddling with it for a while, Du Yuan put it back because she doesn't drink alcohol.

"Shopkeeper, please be lenient! My relative who came here to stay has no one at home. Could I stay in your woodshed for the next two nights? I'll move out when he returns, and I'll definitely bring you a lot of money to thank you then!"

The pleading voice that suddenly came from the side aroused Du Yuan's curiosity, and she turned her head to look.

A young man in a blue robe stood in front of the counter, looking somewhat flustered. He was bowing very low and pleading with the shopkeeper behind the counter who was using an abacus.

The shopkeeper's fingers paused on the abacus, and he looked up with a helpless sigh:

"Young master, this is an inn, not a charity porridge distribution center. If I give you this opportunity today, what if ten or eight more people come begging for shelter tomorrow? How am I supposed to keep my business?"

The young man's face flushed even redder instantly. After looking around embarrassedly, he quickly bowed and apologized to the shopkeeper.

"I was being presumptuous and have caused you trouble!"

After saying that, he turned to leave.

"and many more."

Just then, Du Yuan suddenly called out to the two of them. He looked at the shopkeeper and said in a calm tone:
"Manager, please give this young master a private room. Put the room fee on my tab."

Upon hearing this, both the shopkeeper and the young man were taken aback, then their eyes lit up.

The shopkeeper stopped using his abacus, and a smile spread across his face:
"So it's you who needs help, sir. No problem!"

The young man was so surprised that his hands and feet trembled slightly. He turned around and bowed repeatedly to Du Yuan, his waist almost touching the ground.
"Thank you so much, brother! Thank you so much, brother! I am deeply grateful and will repay your kindness if I have the opportunity in the future!"

Du Yuan wanted to say, "It was nothing, no need to be so polite," but her gaze lingered on the young man for a moment longer, and she suddenly sensed something was off.

A thought struck him, and he beckoned to the young man:
"Brother, may I have a word with you?" "Of course, of course!" the young man replied hastily. When he walked up to Du Yuan, he was still a little reserved, with his hands hanging at his sides and not daring to raise his head too high.

Seeing his expression, Du Yuan couldn't help but chuckle.

"Brother, there's no need to be so tense. Please sit down and talk. Since I've already prepared a private room for you, why would I begrudge you a chair?"

Only then did the young man dare to sit down at the table, his hands still respectfully placed on his knees.

Du Yuan pointed to his chest and asked bluntly, "Brother, are you perhaps from the southwest?"

"Huh?" The young man looked up abruptly, his eyes widening in surprise. "How...how did you know?"

After saying that, he continued, "When the southwest was in great turmoil, I was lucky to escape with my life. I rushed to the capital without delay. I was afraid that I would not be able to finish reading the classics and would not be able to report all my knowledge to the emperor."

Du Yuan didn't answer his question, but just smiled again and asked:

"Did you encounter a large white ape on your journey?"

"Oh my! You even know that?"

The young man was truly astonished and hurriedly pulled out a thread-bound book from his pocket.

The edges of the pages were slightly worn, but they had been wiped clean, showing that the owner cherished it very much.

He held the book up and handed it to Du Yuan, his voice tinged with excitement:
"Sir, you don't know, when I encountered that white ape that day, I thought I was going to die on the spot! But not only did it not hurt me, it also gave me this book."

"I flipped through it, and it seems to be a casual note from some senior sage. Although the principles and insights at the beginning are a bit naive, you can see the progressively deeper meaning; the further you read, the more profound the meaning becomes in the concise words. It's really amazing!"

Du Yuan reached out and took the notebook. When his fingertips touched the yellowed pages, he was suddenly filled with emotion—he never expected that the old white ape would give this thing away.

He gently pressed the page, looked up at the young man, and said solemnly:
"You mustn't treat this as just an ordinary notebook. This thing is far more valuable and significant than what you see."

The young man nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining, his tone filled with reverence for the book's owner:

"I know! Just based on the principles above, even if I only understand one-tenth of them, it will be enough to benefit me for a lifetime!"

“I have more to say than that.” Du Yuan interrupted him, her gaze fixed on his face. She spoke the last two words very softly, yet with great emphasis, “This thing is ‘Immortal Fate’.”

He deliberately emphasized his words, wanting the young man to understand the preciousness of this opportunity.

Unexpectedly, the young man fell into a long silence after listening.

He gently stroked the cover of the notebook with his fingertips, his brows furrowed slightly, but his eyes grew increasingly solemn, and he remained silent for a long time.

After a long silence, the young man suddenly raised his hand and gently pushed the notebook in front of Du Yuan, saying firmly:

"Sir, if this is truly a divine opportunity, then I cannot accept it; please take it."

"Ok?"

Du Yuan was stunned. Along the way, he had seen many people fight tooth and nail for a sliver of a chance, even resorting to heinous acts.

Just like the Liu family of Hedong, who, for the sake of a vague and illusory immortal destiny, colluded with King Wei to harm the people in Hulao Mountain.

But this young man in front of me is pushing away the opportunity for immortality that is offered to him. This is the first time he has ever done this.

He couldn't help but press, "Why not? This is a divine opportunity that so many people would beg for!"

Although there was a hint of reluctance in the young man's eyes, he quickly suppressed it, and his tone was remarkably calm:

"Sir, you can see so much intricacies at a glance; your skill must far surpass mine. This notebook will only be truly useful in your hands and will certainly not harm you. As for me..."

He paused, his eyes gleaming, and his voice became much clearer:

"What I want to do in this life is to read all the books of the sages in the world and give all my knowledge to the emperor."

"The emperor's establishment of the imperial examination system has given us poor students a path to advancement and an opportunity to study and serve our country. Therefore, I want to repay the emperor and pass on this opportunity. This is what I truly desire, and I believe it is more tangible than any divine favor."

After saying this, Du Yuan looked at the young man in surprise. After a long while, he smiled and said:
"No wonder that old white ape entrusted this to you; it is indeed suitable."

As she spoke, Du Yuan pushed it back, saying:
"This item is not only a karmic connection to the immortals, but also the cause and effect between you and that white ape. Take it. It will surely be of great use in the future."

To prevent him from refusing, Du Yuan added another sentence:
"Don't you want to read more books? Take this, and you'll be fine!"

The young man was turned away and could only bow slightly before carefully putting away this divine opportunity.

After Du Yuan and the other person went back to their rooms to rest.

A man dressed as a wealthy merchant walked up to the shopkeeper, before the shopkeeper could ask him anything.

He then tossed a jade pendant over, which the shopkeeper accepted with a puzzled look. After examining it closely...

He was immediately shocked and exclaimed:
"Sir, what brings you here?"

In Kyoto, shops, especially those occupying prime locations, almost always have connections. Their connection is this wealthy-looking man in front of them.

The other party was the hereditary Earl of Weiwu. Although he was no longer involved in politics, his connections and abilities were considerable.

Whether I come or not is none of your business. Just remember what I'm about to say.

"You say, you say!"

The shopkeeper kept bowing and scraping, while the other person pointed to the spot where Du Yuan had just been sitting and said:
"That gentleman who was sitting there just now is quite extraordinary. Remember to treat him with utmost respect, and of course, the bill will be settled as usual. Just don't be impolite."

"Then, prepare a small, appropriate gift for the young man. Afterwards, be sure to find out where he is staying. That way, I can go and pay him a visit."

"Yes, yes, I will remember. Oh? Sir, aren't you sure you've got it backwards?"

The shopkeeper quickly said he would remember it.

But then, he looked up in surprise. Since the man was unusual, it was one thing for him to be so attentive to the young man. But why was the man's bill being handled the same as usual?

Shouldn't this be waived immediately?
Unexpectedly, the other party scoffed:

"People of your own level should cultivate relationships with people of that level. Too high a level, well, that'll kill you!"

Just now, he was sitting next to Du Yuan eating when he was surprised to find that although there were many listeners, he was the only one who truly heard Du Yuan and the young man talking about their predestined connection with immortals.

Then he realized that this was his 'destiny with immortals'.

(End of this chapter)