Chapter 88: Calmly Facing Each Other
Ordinarily, Li Xiaoman was pure and ethereal, never startled by events, always composed and calm. But at this moment, a look of surprise flickered across her face, which piqued the curiosity of the several young men and women beside her. One of them couldn’t help but ask again, “Junior Sister, do you know this little beggar?”
Li Xiaoman quickly regained her composure and nodded. “Yes, I do.”
“Junior Sister Li, how do you know him?” one of the women asked, utterly puzzled. Ye Fan, at this moment, was ragged and haggard, looking like the lowest rung of society, a world apart from them.
“He and I come from the same place. We used to be… neighbors,” Li Xiaoman said calmly.
When Ye Fan heard her use the term “neighbor,” he gave a faint smile and simply said, “Hello,” saying nothing more.
“So you’re an old acquaintance. This little neighbor of yours is really clumsy. The street is so wide, yet he still bumped into me. Brother Yang earlier thought he was trying to steal something.”
“But this young man is truly pitiable, reduced to begging at such a young age.”
“These days, beggars both beg and steal. Junior Sister Li, you should warn him not to go down the wrong path.”
Cultivators and mortals were like beings from two different worlds, especially the lowest of the mortal world—beggars—who had almost no connection to them. The young men and women spoke without any regard for Ye Fan’s presence.
“Senior brothers and sisters, do you have any money on you? Lend me some.” Li Xiaoman took some coins from the young men and women and then held them out to Ye Fan. “Go buy yourself some new clothes. Don’t be a beggar. I believe you can support yourself.”
“Junior Sister Li is so kind.”
“Yes, Junior Sister Li is truly compassionate. He’s just a neighbor, yet she’s giving him so much money.”
“Little beggar, you should walk the straight path from now on. Don’t steal, or you’ll let Junior Sister Li down.”
The other young men and women chimed in.
Ye Fan’s eyes were clear and bright. He looked calmly at Li Xiaoman but didn’t reach for the money. “Thank you for your kindness, but I don’t need this.”
One of the young men frowned. “Hey, little beggar, what’s your problem? Junior Sister Li is offering you clean money, and you won’t take it? Are you really planning to live by stealing?”
Li Xiaoman’s expression was serene, her eyes as still as a placid lake without a ripple. She pressed the coins into Ye Fan’s hand. “Take it. Just live as an ordinary person.”
Ye Fan ignored the others and pushed the coins back. “Don’t worry, I can survive. I wish you well on your path of cultivation, may you go far and have smooth sailing.”
“This little beggar is just too proud for his own good. He’s already reduced to begging, yet he still acts so aloof.”
“Don’t act high and mighty now, only to turn around and steal later.”
The young men and women were all displeased.
Li Xiaoman stared at Ye Fan, her voice calm and without emotion. “This will help you right now. Don’t refuse. Take it. Do you really want to live by begging?”
Ye Fan still didn’t take the coins. “Congratulations on regaining your youth.” He noticed that Li Xiaoman was only at the Sea of Suffering realm, not comparable to him, but he didn’t know how she had restored her vitality.
“Thank you. It was just luck.” Li Xiaoman didn’t insist further and withdrew the coins.
One of the young women chuckled. “This little beggar knows quite a bit. He even knows that Junior Sister Li once lost her youthful vitality. It seems you really are old acquaintances.”
“I’m just a neighbor to him. I don’t know him that well. Perhaps after more than a decade, we might not even recognize each other if we meet again…” Li Xiaoman remained calm throughout, speaking casually as if discussing something unrelated to her.
Though Ye Fan’s face was dirty, his smile was still bright, revealing a set of white teeth. “Yes, memories always fade. Some people and things will slowly blur with time.”
“This little beggar is young, but he has quite a personality.” A woman glanced at Ye Fan, then looked at Li Xiaoman. “It’s a pity you don’t know him well, Junior Sister. Otherwise, you could bring him back to Ziyang Cave Heaven and let him do odd jobs at the sect. That would be better than him begging on the streets and going down the wrong path.”
A man nodded at this. “The sect is very strict in selecting people. We must know their background thoroughly.”
Li Xiaoman was as calm as an ancient well, her expression utterly flat. She said to Ye Fan, “Don’t go down the wrong path. Just live as an ordinary person. That can be a kind of happiness too.”
Ye Fan smiled but said nothing. He waved his hand and strode away.
“This little beggar feels quite special…” the young men and women remarked in unison.
Ye Fan walked away briskly, merging into the flowing crowd. Half an hour later, he appeared at an antique shop, haggling with the owner.
“What? Only fifty copper coins? Be fair, don’t be too greedy.”
“Young man, don’t ask for the moon. It’s just a wooden box. How could it be worth ten gold coins?”
“This is a rosewood box. If you don’t want it, I’ll go to another shop…” With that, Ye Fan turned to leave.
“Don’t rush! We can negotiate the price.” The antique shop owner quickly stopped him.
In the end, Ye Fan left satisfied, carrying ten gold coins.
It was already noon, and he was starving, but he didn’t want to eat without paying. So he sold the rosewood box that had held the “Source” and stored the “Source” in an ordinary wooden box worth only one copper coin.
“Ji Family’s knights!” When Ye Fan looked up at the sky, he was startled. Above this great city, a strange beast was circling before flying off into the distance. He felt puzzled, wondering how they always managed to track him down.
Ye Fan entered a restaurant, ordered a full table of dishes, and ate heartily. After days of fleeing, he hadn’t had a single hot meal, so he wolfed everything down.
It wasn’t until half an hour later that he stood up, satisfied. The waiter had been waiting nearby, worried that this ragged, beggar-like figure would slip away without paying.
Ye Fan didn’t bother arguing. He tossed down the money and turned to leave. But as soon as he stepped onto the street, his heart jolted. The Ji Family’s knights had entered the city, riding that strange beast, and had just disappeared around a street corner.
“What’s going on? Why can they always chase me down? They can’t pinpoint me, but they seem to track my general direction!” Ye Fan grew worried. He sensed trouble. He couldn’t stay in this city any longer, or something would go wrong. Without hesitation, he left the city and sprinted away, plunging into the distant forest.
“They’re like a haunting spirit. How can I shake them off for good?” Ye Fan crossed mountains and traversed endless ranges, not stopping until dusk.
Just then, Ye Fan sensed that the depths of the mountains were rich with spiritual energy, far denser than other areas. When he advanced another dozen miles, he was astonished. He saw a large green stone engraved with four ancient characters: Ziyang Cave Heaven.
“How did I end up here…”
Ye Fan realized he had arrived at Ziyang Cave Heaven, the sect where Li Xiaoman belonged. This blessed land wasn’t far from the city he had just left.
It’s very necessary to mention here that this book will definitely have romance, and there will definitely be depictions of different heroines.
The reason the previous book, *Longevity World*, didn’t have a clear heroine was because the book’s setting wasn’t suitable. In that atmosphere, writing about romantic entanglements would have severely clashed with the theme.
But *Zhe Tian* is different. Rest assured, dear readers, how could the protagonist be a bachelor?
A certain seasoned reader suggested to me, “Not a single beauty can be missing…”
I said, rest assured, the protagonist of this book is not a ascetic monk.