Chapter 217: Wandering Monk

The old man and Qin Sang brushed past each other.

Qin Sang turned his head, watching the old man until he reached the end of the street. Just as he was about to disappear into the crowd, Qin Sang’s figure flickered, and he quickly caught up to him.

“Senior, please wait!”

The old man stopped, looking at Qin Sang, who had blocked his path, with surprise and a hidden wariness in his eyes. “Fellow Daoist,” he asked, “why have you stopped this old Daoist?”

Qin Sang bowed with clasped hands and said respectfully, “This junior was rude; please forgive me, senior. May I ask... is your Daoist name Yunyouzi?”

His identity revealed by a stranger, the old man stroked his long beard, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized Qin Sang. He frowned in thought and said, “Fellow Daoist, do you truly know this old Daoist? Yet... this old Daoist does not recall ever meeting you.”

“Indeed, senior does not know me.” Qin Sang nodded and said in a deep voice, “So senior is truly Daoist Yunyouzi? I wonder if you still remember Jixin?”

At the mention of the name, the old man’s expression momentarily froze. He looked up at the sky, his gaze suddenly becoming distant, as if spanning decades of time. After a long moment of contemplation, he focused on Qin Sang and asked, “Young man, is the Jixin you speak of the same Jixin that this old Daoist adopted in the mortal world? How do you know him?”

“I was originally from Ningguo. At fifteen, I accompanied my elders on a business trip, but we were waylaid and captured by bandits. After a miraculous escape, I drifted to the Great Sui kingdom, where Daoist Jixin kindly took me in. It was later, by a stroke of luck, that I embarked on the path of immortality... In fact, my smooth entry into cultivation is partly thanks to an ancient medicinal bath recipe you left behind...”

Inside a quiet tavern, the two ordered food and wine and sat opposite each other.

Qin Sang quietly recounted to Yunyouzi the full story of how he came to know Daoist Jixin.

As he spoke of past events, a nostalgic and somewhat wistful expression appeared on Qin Sang’s face. He had always been relentlessly pushing forward on his path of immortal cultivation, completely absorbed in training. There had been no time to dwell on the past. Now, as he thought about it, he realized it had been decades since he first arrived at Qingyang Monastery at age fifteen; he was now well past sixty. It had, in a blink, been over forty years.

“A medicinal bath recipe?” Yunyouzi pondered for a moment, then smiled. “Are you referring to the Marrow-Nourishing Soup, Brother Qin? It is indeed effective for fledgling cultivators. This old Daoist stumbled upon it by chance during his travels; it originated from a martial arts grandmaster in the Great Sui kingdom. What makes it particularly remarkable is that despite using only common herbs, the recipe proves effective for immortal cultivators.”

Qin Sang nodded, then rose and performed a deep bow. “I haven’t yet thanked you properly, senior. I honestly believed you were a mortal; I never imagined you were also an immortal cultivator. Does that mean Daoist Jixin is also a cultivator...?”

After bowing, Qin Sang sat down, looking at Yunyouzi with anticipation. He had never imagined that Yunyouzi, Daoist Jixin’s master, would turn out to be an immortal cultivator!

While at Qingyang Monastery, during a New Year’s celebration, Daoist Jixin had brought out a portrait of Yunyouzi for worship. Qin Sang had joined in the reverence and had seen the person depicted in the painting. That was why, upon their sudden encounter moments ago, Qin Sang had immediately felt a sense of familiarity. He had mentally reviewed everyone he had met since arriving in this world but couldn't place the feeling, until he suddenly recalled the portrait, and then everything clicked into place. According to Daoist Jixin, Yunyouzi was already over seventy when that portrait was painted. Now, as Yunyouzi sat across from him, Qin Sang noted that while he appeared somewhat older than in the painting, his features were unchanged, and he even seemed more vital than his painted depiction.

If Yunyouzi was an immortal cultivator, then were Daoist Jixin and Mingyue also cultivators? Could all his subtle actions at Qingyang Monastery have truly escaped the notice of master and disciple? Had Daoist Jixin given him the medicinal recipe out of pity for his arduous cultivation?

Qin Sang offered a wry smile. To leave Qingyang Monastery in search of immortals felt like abandoning the nearby for the distant; a true immortal had been right before him, yet his unperceptive eyes had failed to recognize the truth. At the same time, Qin Sang secretly wondered why, from the moment he had resided at Qingyang Monastery, he had never witnessed Daoist Jixin or Mingyue employ any abilities beyond those of ordinary mortals. Daoist Jixin had even willingly endured hunger, eating coarse grains and wild vegetables, to aid disaster victims. Most of the silver Qin Sang had plundered from the mountain bandits, after purchasing the “Tiger-Subduing Long Fist” manual, had even gone to support the monastery. Could they have been tempering their Dao heart by entering the mortal world, intentionally sealing their cultivation?

Qin Sang’s thoughts raced, but then Yunyouzi shook his head. “Jixin is not an immortal cultivator—at least, he wasn't when this old Daoist left him. I only encountered my own immortal destiny after parting ways with Jixin, and I've never returned since. It's truly remarkable how Jixin took you in, Brother Qin, and now I meet you today... Fate is indeed profoundly mysterious.”

Hearing this, Qin Sang was stunned, thinking he had misheard. He said with immense surprise, “This junior heard Daoist Jixin say that you, senior, were already seventy years old when you parted ways with him...”

Yunyouzi claimed he only encountered immortal destiny *after* leaving Daoist Jixin, at an age well over seventy! Qin Sang could clearly perceive that Yunyouzi’s current cultivation was at the early Foundation Establishment stage, and his aura was noticeably stronger than Qin Sang’s own!

Yunyouzi smiled faintly. “At fifteen, this old Daoist’s medical skills were unparalleled, and I was summoned to the palace as an imperial physician. At forty-seven, I made a grave mistake and nearly lost my life. Disheartened, I renounced the world and became a Daoist, adopting the name Yunyouzi. At seventy-two, I recognized my destiny and suddenly felt my lifespan was nearing its end. Reflecting on my past, I understood the profound terror between life and death and refused to become mere dust in a tomb. A sudden thought led me to seek immortals. Jixin had just come of age and had fully inherited my teachings. So, that year, I once again took up my medicine box and, with only a staff, journeyed westward on foot. Six years later, while gathering herbs in a desolate mountain, I encountered my revered master. Under his guidance, I began my cultivation at seventy-eight. Due to my advanced age and declining health, I diligently cultivated for forty years, and it was only at the age of one hundred and eighteen that I miraculously achieved Foundation Establishment, though it came with some costs. You, on the other hand, Brother Qin, already possess such cultivation at a young age; your future is boundless!”

As Yunyouzi calmly recounted his tale, Qin Sang felt as if he were listening to an extraordinary story, and with every detail, his astonishment grew. It was a widely accepted truth in the cultivation world that after the age of fifty, a Qi Refinement cultivator’s vitality would wane, and their spiritual essence would begin to age, making the prospect of Foundation Establishment increasingly dim. The only way to compensate for this decline was through rare and precious spiritual herbs, the effects of which could not be accumulated. Meng Ruhui, at fifty-eight, had already reached the twelfth level of Qi Refinement, yet feeling no hope for Foundation Establishment, he had abandoned the immortal path to become a steward at the Yuanzhao Sect.

At that age, Yunyouzi was still a mere mortal! To begin cultivation at the advanced age of seventy-eight, never give up, and painstakingly cultivate for forty years, only to achieve Foundation Establishment at one hundred and eighteen years old—this was utterly astonishing, something Qin Sang had never heard of before!

“This junior... is truly impressed!” A thousand words condensed into those two: “impressed.”

Putting himself in Yunyouzi’s shoes, if he were nearly eighty, still a mortal, and frail with age when he encountered an immortal destiny, would he still possess the unwavering determination to succeed or die trying? Qin Sang felt it would be highly unlikely. He had always considered his own devotion to the Dao resolute, but compared to this ‘old man’ before him, it paled in comparison!

Qin Sang raised his wine cup with both hands and toasted Yunyouzi. Even as a complete stranger, he was a fellow Daoist worthy of profound admiration.