“You’ve grown much older since we parted at Ridgeplain. We can be considered old acquaintances, so do you have any wishes?” Lu Yin asked.
Lin Jie’s thoughts grew complicated as his mind raced. A wish? In the past, he had most sought to climb higher, to lead his Linlushan family past peak after peak to become the strongest clan. What could he still ask for? What he had experienced over the years had left him exhausted. He was truly tired. Although only a few hundred years had passed, the numerous brushes with death that he had survived were far more than anything he had seen during the first half of his life.
The torment of his injuries and illness had transformed his life into something worse than death. He had wanted to end it all countless times. It was only at those moments that he truly understood what he sought: nothing more than a healthy body, coarse tea, plain meals, to watch the morning sun rise, and to watch the evening sun set, all while accompanying his daughter. That would be the greatest happiness.
He had risen from an independent cultivator to lead the Linlushan family upward, step by step. He had poured so much effort and devotion into those efforts, only for everything to be destroyed in an instant. What, ultimately, was a person’s life pursuing?
Behind him, Lin Jie’s daughter knelt again. “I beg Lord Lu to treat my father’s illness and spare him from the torment of pain.”
A tremor ran through Lin Jie’s body. He looked at Lu Yin, desire appearing in his eyes.
Lu Yin met the old man’s gaze. “Is that all?”
As Lin Jie stared into Lu Yin’s eyes, the experiences of the first half of his life flowed through his memories like water. Terrifying factions like the Autumnspring Slip had been destroyed with ease. Was there truly a difference between living 10,000 years and living just one year? 10,000 years of suffering could not compare to a single year of happiness.
The old man’s gaze gradually grew determined. “That is all.”
Lu Yin smiled. He had no deep connection with Lin Jie. Their encounter at Ridgeplain had been nothing more than a few brief quarrels. If not for Shui Su, Lu Yin would have never paid the old man another visit.
Lin Jie had abandoned the goals that he had pursued his entire life, and now he simply wished to be cured. The man had let go.
Another brick was added to the wall being built in Lu Yin’s heart. It was the second brick. He did not know how many bricks it would take before the wall was completed. But one day, the wall would grow so tall that he would no longer be able to see into the distance, and that would give rise to a desire to break through the wall.
Standing on the bank of the river and watching the small raft drift away, Lin Jie, his daughter, and Shui Su knelt low. With this farewell, there would never be another reunion.
Shui Su’s expression was conflicted. The last month or so had felt like a dream. For that man, it had likely been nothing more than him enjoying the passing scenery.
The bamboo raft continued drifting along the current. The redirected river allowed Lu Yin to see different scenery from before. Mortals were old acquaintances, and yet they were acquaintances that he had never seen before. Still, their ancestors had certainly seen him.
When interacting with mortals, there was no need for Lu Yin to blur his features. Even if they had heard his voice before, they would not be able to recognize him.
Only cultivators had seen his true appearance.
Several years later, the small raft drifted into another city with the river’s current. It was a city entirely occupied by mortals, and Lu Yin heard a familiar form of address: celestial being.
That was the term that mortals used for cultivators.
He sat on the small raft, a few snacks beside him as he sipped tea and meditated. Many people spoke of him as a celestial being, and even some of the city officials appeared to see him and try to speak with him, but Lu Yin paid none of them any mind.
As the sky grew dark, the night watchmen appeared, beating out a rhythm that heralded nightfall.
Curfew had started.
Even so, no one bothered Lu Yin. Celestial beings were not bound by the laws of mortals.
“Hey! Hey!” someone softly called out.
Lu Yin glanced over at the grassy riverbank. A youth stood there. “Are you looking for me?”
The youth stared at Lu Yin. Because of the darkness, it was impossible for him to clearly see Lu Yin’s face, and yet the youth’s gaze was fervent. “Are you a celestial being?”
Lu Yin nodded. “Yes.”
“Wonderful! Celestial being, can you help me with something?” the youth asked.
Lu Yin smiled. “Why should I?”
The youth rummaged around in his pocket before taking out a piece of metal. “I’ll give you this.”
Lu Yin casually beckoned with a hand, and the metal flew over to him, causing a look of envy to appear on the youth’s face.
It was just an ordinary piece of metal, barely suitable for crafting cultivator weapons. It was not of much use to Lu Yin, but for mortals, it was a metal that was difficult to smelt.
“I happened to find this in the mountains. I took it to Blacksmith Wang, but he said that only celestial beings can use it and that his fire can’t smelt it. Do you think it could be useful to you?” the youth asked expectantly.
Lu Yin put the piece away. “Very well. What do you want me to help you with?”
The youth heaved a sigh of relief. It was good that the metal proved useful. “I want to ask you to help me find someone, another celestial being.”
“The world is vast. How am I supposed to find them?”
“Just do your best.”
“That piece of metal is quite valuable. Using it to just search for someone is too wasteful. You can change your request.”
The youth insisted, “I don’t want to change anything. I just want to find that person.”
Lu Yin grunted softly. “All right. Who am I looking for?”
The youth reached back into his clothes and took out a painting. The scroll looked quite old as he carefully unfurled it to reveal the picture.
Seeing the content, Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. Is that...?
The painting showed a small raft floating on the river. There was an umbrella on the raft, as well as a reclining chair. The chair held a person relaxing beside a wooden table with a bit of food on it.
It was a painting of when Lu Yin had sought to refine his mental state. He had purposely traveled on the small bamboo raft while telling fortunes for mortals.
The umbrella, the drinks, the plate of fruit—it was all the exact same. It was a painting of himself.
Is this youth looking for me?
The boy lowered the painting, looking somewhat embarrassed. "I know that just this clue alone means that it will be hard to find him, but there's no other way. It’s possible that you’re the only celestial being I’ll ever meet in my entire life, so I'd like to ask for your help to see if I can find the person in this painting."
Lu Yin intently stared at the youth. A spiral of karma twined about his fingertip before piercing through the youth’s body, revealing multiple scenes of the past from the young man’s karma. Lu Yin was searching for the connection between himself and the youth.
Very quickly, he saw someone familiar. It was a young woman from the past, the one who had written the character for ten on the ground and who had given Lu Yin a bit of insight. Before leaving, he had removed illnesses from the woman, her husband, and her son, allowing them to live long lives.
This youth was her descendant.