Published at 27th of April 2026 6:20 am

Chapter 4236: Encounter

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Youve grown much older since we parted at Ridgeplain. We can be considered old acquaintances, so do you have any wishes? Lu Yin asked.

Lin Jies 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 persons life pursuing?

Behind him, Lin Jies daughter knelt again. I beg Lord Lu to treat my fathers illness and spare him from the torment of pain.

A tremor ran through Lin Jies body. He looked at Lu Yin, desire appearing in his eyes.

Lu Yin met the old mans gaze. Is that all?

As Lin Jie stared into Lu Yins 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 mans 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 Yins 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 Sus 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 rivers 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 Yins face, and yet the youths 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. Ill 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 youths 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 cant 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 dont 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 Yins 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 fruitit 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. Its possible that youre the only celestial being Ill 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 youths body, revealing multiple scenes of the past from the young mans 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, hr husband, and her son, allowing them to live long lives.

This youth was her descendant.

Yet the location was wrong. The youth lived in a city along the altered waterway, a vast distance from the city where Lu Yin had met the woman in the past. It was a distance that mortals would struggle to cross. Why was the family in this city?

Karma caused scenes of the past to continue to flicker endlessly, and Lu Yin soon understood. It was because of war. There were wars even among mortals. The family had left their home long ago to escape war and eventually traveled to their current location. They had wandered around after being displaced, but because they never suffered from any illnesses, they had enjoyed long lives and gradually made their way over. Their descendants had eventually settled down in the current city.

The painting on the scroll had been made by the woman before she died. She had not been able to paint Lu Yins features, but she had clearly remembered the scene of the celestial being sitting on the small raft. She had understood that her familys long lives were solely due to that fortune teller, as he was the only celestial being that the woman had ever come into contact with.

The knowledge of mortals portrayed celestial beings as omnipotent.

Lu Yin continued to stare at the painting. Was this destiny? The river had shifted, and yet he still ended up meeting the descendants of his old acquaintances.

Celestial being? Can you find him? the youth quietly asked.

Lu Yin looked back at the youth. Why do you want to find him?

The youths voice grew bitter, and his eyes grew bloodshot. According to our familys legend, the celestial being in this painting is our protector. My mother is gravely ill, and no medicine is able to cure her. At best, she has two years to live. I want to beg that celestial being for help.

Lu Yin countered, Then why not seek help directly from me rather than asking me to find this other person? Even if I do manage to eventually find him, it might take much longer than two years.

The youth stared at Lu Yin in a daze. Can you cure my mother?

Lu Yin smiled. I can.

The youths eyes lit up with excitement. Then I beg you to treat my mother, please!

Lu Yin sighed. This youth believed his ancestors legend and revered the person in the painting as a celestial being, subconsciously considering them the only person capable of curing his mother and distrusting other cultivators. For that reason, the youth was taking a risk, gambling that it would be possible to find the person from the painting within two years.

Because he was convinced that only the person from the painting could heal his mother, he had not sought out that celestial being and had instead asked Lu Yin directly for help. Otherwise, if Lu Yin failed, the piece of metal would have been wasted. The youth only had a single bargaining chip for making a deal with a celestial being.

He had made his gamble with great determination. This was his only chance, and he was wagering his mothers life on it.

Lu Yin easily cured the youths mother.

Seeing color return to his mothers face, the youth was overwhelmed with emotion, and he prostrated before Lu Yin.

The small raft glided on, leaving the city behind. Lu Yin did not know if meeting the youth was fate or something else. For a time, he fell into confusion.

Several more years passed, yet Lu Yin was still unable to make sense of the situation. Why, after meeting an old acquaintance in a new city, one who was only a mortal and with whom he had exchanged only a few words, had there remained a thread of attachment that had lingered for so long. Where did this thread come from?

Even after years had passed, Lu Yin still considered the matter.

That continued until someone on the riverbank bowed low to him, at which point Lu Yin fell into complete confusion.

Yuan Huo?

Sure enough, the person standing on the riverbank and bowing low at the moment was Yuan Huo. He was a cultivator who had fallen hopelessly in love with a mortal woman, Kui Niang. Yuan Huo had wanted to take Kui Niang away from her hometown, but he had been unable to do so. That had led to an entire city suffering alongside him.

Ultimately, Lu Yin had been the one to help the couple see their true hearts. A single plea from Kui Niang for Yuan Huo to stay with her had allowed the man to let go, while also allowing the entire city to let go.

It was that exact matter that allowed Lu Yin to understand that what many cultivators believed to be their Dukkha was not necessarily their actual Dukkha. Trials could be overcome, but ones true Dukkha was difficult to even identify. That was the real reason why Immortals were so rare.

Overcoming Dukkha was not the hardest part; the hardest part was accurately identifying ones true Dukkha.

Why are you here? Lu Yins expression grew solemn. He was not even close to the city where Yuan Huo and Kui Niang had lived. In fact, this was even further away than the displacement of the previous youths family.

Yuan Huo recognized Lu Yin. At this moment, Lu Yins clothing was almost identical to when he had been telling fortunes. He was simply missing his wooden placard.

Of course, the man had never been able to see Lu Yins face clearly. He merely knew that this was the same person who had once told his fortune and allowed him to remain together with the woman he loved.

Our city was destroyed, and Kui Niang died. After that, I wandered the world alone. I never thought that I would meet you again, sir. This is truly a great fortune. Please accept this bow, sir. As Yuan Huo spoke, he bowed low.

Lu Yins eyes narrowed. Why are you here?

Yuan Huo was puzzled. Should I have not come here?

I dont know. Im just curious why you came here.

I merely followed my heart.

Lu Yin stared at Yuan Huo. Merely followed his heart?

There was no doubt that Yuan Huo had reached this place by following his heart, but why had doing so coincidentally led him to Lu Yin? Where did this heart come from, and where did this fate arise from? Together with the youth from before

Lu Yin suddenly turned his head and looked behind him. His consciousness swept through one city after another. Finally, in one of them, he saw a painting of himself being worshiped by a certain family. Beneath that painting lay six taels of gold.

His body trembled. How could this be?

Those six taels of gold were the same ones that an old woman had once paid him to tell her fortune. Why had they reappeared in that city behind him? Even though he had not directly encountered those six taels of gold, did he not see them the very moment that he looked back?

That was no different from having encountered them.

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