"Huh?" Yún Rèn, who had always been calm in such matters, could not help but voice his surprise. Looking in the direction they had left, he exclaimed, "That was a girl?"
But Li Chuan, standing to the side, did not look surprised; his expression suggested he had known all along.
"Oh my," the old man stroked his beard and said with certainty, "Though I am old and my eyes are dim, I am not mistaken when it comes to people. That was certainly a girl."
"How can you tell?"
"Well, that is quite obvious," the old man pointed to his own eyes and said, "A pair of eyes is meant for seeing, after all."
"But she... she really didn't look like a girl... at all." Yún Rèn's tone grew weaker, his own confidence in his judgment wavering.
"You have just arrived here; it is natural that you cannot tell just by looking at the surface. You have to look at the details."
The old man stroked his beard again and said slowly, "When that mother and child came to town a few days ago, I saw them. Every time she passed a stall selling jewelry, rouge, or clothes, the child would glance at them from afar. If it were a little boy, he would most likely have been drawn to the stalls selling crickets."
"Furthermore, there is an even more important detail. Do you know what it is?"
"...What is it?"
"In the days that mother and child have spent here, I have never seen them take the initiative to speak to anyone. As far as I have seen, this was the first time."
"Why is that?" Yún Rèn became increasingly confused.
"As for that," the old man stroked his beard, chuckling slightly, "if I were a young girl, I would find it hard not to approach such a handsome and dashing gentleman myself."
"This..."
Yún Rèn looked toward where Li Chuan stood. Although it sounded like a joke, when applied to an Immortal, it seemed to carry a grain of truth. Not to mention the little girl, when Immortal Li Chuan appeared, he was like a Fallen Immortal descending to the world, his elegant and refined demeanor causing both him and Yìng Huái to be captivated.
Watching the mother and child slowly walk away, the old man sighed with emotion, "I don't know how it is in other places; I have grown this old without ever leaving Kangle Town, and it has already been five years since a single child was born here."
"No children born in five years?" Yún Rèn exclaimed in astonishment.
All these years, they had been following Li Chuan to many places, and hearing this, he recalled that he truly had not seen any infants in arms recently.
"Yes, whether it is a time of chaos or peace, no matter what the world is like, isn't humanity's goal in living to seek a glimmer of hope? Children are the hope that keeps us going. Many believers have petitioned the heavens, but the heavens have left us with no hope to see."
"Logically, with no children being born, those families who already have children should cherish them deeply, yet for some reason, families still end up torn apart and homeless."
Upon hearing this, Li Chuan's gaze darkened, and his eyes flickered slightly.
"Speaking of which, that little girl's words reminded me of the boy on Fog-Hidden Mountain," the old man said, looking at the backs of the mother and child as they departed.
"A boy?" This time, it was Li Chuan who asked.
Seeing Li Chuan speak, Yún Rèn stepped aside.
The old man nodded and said, "In these chaotic times, the people are suffering, and it is no longer strange for families to be torn apart and homeless. That child also suffered such a fate."
"That child, young as he was, spoke words that could comfort the heart. Even the boatmen felt at peace just listening to him."
"...What did he say?"
Yún Rèn looked at Li Chuan. Ever since the day they decided to come to Kangle Town, Li Chuan had seemed somewhat different from before.
Although it appeared to be a simple question in the eyes of others, those who had been by Li Chuan's side for a long time could detect the subtle changes.
His calm tone carried a hint of urgency.
"It started five years ago. For reasons unknown, the child drifted alone by the sea to the foot of Fog-Hidden Mountain and was taken in by a widow. An island mountain isn't a very interesting place, so the child often went out fishing with the boatmen. When he encountered dead sea creatures—seashells, starfish, and the like—he would bury them and pray for them."
"The boatmen thought it was just a child's temperament and praised his kindness, but the child said something that went beyond what the boatmen imagined. He said..." The old man looked up at Li Chuan and smiled, "'All living things are neither high nor low, noble nor base; they are simply born with different origins. If one could treat them with kindness, how would there be a distinction between good and evil?'"
In an instant, Li Chuan's pupils contracted sharply. His eyes were filled with an unmistakable panic as the words Xuanming had once spoken rang in his ears.
"My name is Xuanming. Would you like to be friends?"
"Perhaps one day, when you know my true identity, you will want to kill me too."
"The Heavenly Realm killed my family back then and even tried to steal what was rightfully mine. Am I supposed to just let people hounded me to death, give up the hope of living, and choose to die? Answer me, Li Chuan—!"
"Stop talking, I won't believe you anymore."
......
"Lord, are you all right?"
Noticing the panic in Li Chuan's eyes, Yún Rèn hurriedly approached and asked with deep concern.
At the title used by Yún Rèn, the old man was slightly taken aback, but the confusion quickly vanished from his eyes. He stepped forward and looked at Li Chuan with some concern, "Young master, what is the matter with you?"
"I... I am fine. Did he... did he say anything else?"
"The boatman didn't mention anything else to me, he only told me that one thing."
Li Chuan adjusted his composure and gave a slight nod, saying, "Thank you."
The old man looked truly flattered, "Young master, there is no need to be so polite. I only shared what I know; it isn't much help to you."
As they were talking, a crowd of believers arrived at the temple gates.
The old man bowed respectfully and said enthusiastically, "The temple is getting crowded again, so I must take my leave. If you young masters have any other questions or things you wish to know, you can come to this temple to find me. I am here all day."
After bidding farewell to the old man, Li Chuan and Yún Rèn returned to their inn.
Once the door was closed, Yún Rèn asked tentatively, "Immortal Li Chuan, did you know that the child was a girl all along?"
"Yes," Li Chuan nodded and responded calmly.
After a moment of silence, Yún Rèn turned to look at Li Chuan's back by the window. As if having made up his mind, he gathered his courage and asked, "I wonder... may Yún Rèn ask the Immortal one more question?"
"Are you wondering if the old acquaintance I mentioned at Xiandu Temple is on Xiandu Mountain?"
Li Chuan's certain tone accurately hit upon his thoughts.
Yún Rèn couldn't help but gasp, and his eyes were filled with panic as he said, "Immortal, I do not intend to pry into your personal affairs, I just feel, I just feel..."
"Feel what?" Li Chuan turned around and looked at Yún Rèn with indifferent eyes.
Li Chuan had returned to his usual cold gaze. The direct look seemed to see right through him, and Yún Rèn dared not meet his eyes. He lowered his gaze and said awkwardly, "I... I just feel that you are slightly different today than in the past."
"Is that so? How am I different?"
His indifferent gaze created a sense of detachment that kept all things at bay. Yún Rèn could not fathom Li Chuan's thoughts at all and was terrified of his own bluntness.
"This..." Yún Rèn looked up for a moment before dropping his gaze again. He knelt on the floor and hurriedly apologized, "Forgive me, Immortal Li Chuan. I should not have pried into your private matters and made you angry. It was my presumption."
"I am not angry. I was only reminded of some unimportant past events. As for the mountain..." Li Chuan lowered his eyes and said faintly, "There is indeed an old acquaintance of mine on the mountain, but that is all in the past. My visit here is not to see him, and you do not need to worry about it. Rise."
"Yes," Yún Rèn cupped his hands and responded respectfully.
"Knock, knock, knock—!"
Before he could even stand back up, there was a sound of knocking at the door.
Yún Rèn bowed slightly to Li Chuan, then stood up and walked to the door to open it.
As soon as the door was opened, a small, frail figure darted in and plunged straight into Li Chuan's arms. With excitement and joy, a soft, delicate voice called out, "Brother Li Chuan—!"