You Shouldn't Have Seen That

In the early morning of August, there was a unique sense of freshness and clarity. Sparse mist hung in the air, perhaps from cooking smoke. Before Natsuhi's stifling heat descended, many breakfast stalls had already opened for business on the streets.

You Su walked slowly through the streets, out to buy breakfast for himself and his Junior Sister.

You Su knew the streets of Chuyun City like the back of his hand. Coupled with the nascent perception of a Spirit Platform Realm cultivator, navigating the streets was no longer an issue. If anyone saw him, they would never guess that this innocent and cheerful young man was blind.

"You Su, why are you so late today? It's almost the third quarter of the Chen hour and you're only just coming to buy breakfast. What were you up to last night?"

"Uncle Liu, you jest. What can a blind man like me do?"

"You can do no less than me!"

As he walked, many pedestrians and stall owners greeted You Su warmly, and he responded enthusiastically. Though he had lost his sight, his other four senses were sharper, and he had a good memory, allowing him to remember many people's voices.

You Su stopped when he passed a stall called "Wang's Crispy Pastries."

The old woman selling pastries, with her hunched back and white hair, greeted him familiably, "Two beef-filled ones for yourself, and two preserved vegetable and pork ones for your Junior Sister, right?"

"Granny Wang, your memory is so good, don't say you're old every day."

"If I want to remember something, I always can. The street is less crowded now, I'll pick out a few big ones for you. Don't let anyone else see."

"Thank you, Granny Wang." You Su handed over the money and thanked her sincerely.

Though blind, he was more sensitive to the kindness others showed him.

Granny Wang quickly wrapped the pastries in oil paper and handed them to You Su. You Su seemed to recall something and hesitantly asked, "Granny Wang... have you seen my Junior Sister?"

"Of course, I have." Granny Wang's tone was certain, not paying much mind to why You Su suddenly asked about his Junior Sister. "My old eyes may be dim, but I could never forget someone as beautiful as your Junior Sister. Although she rarely goes out and interacts with people, there are quite a few young men in this city who have fallen for her at first sight. A girl can get married at sixteen. Your master is gone, so you, as her Senior Brother, should pay attention."

"Junior Sister... she's focused on her cultivation and probably doesn't have such thoughts for now."

You Su felt a sense of nervousness for no reason and subconsciously lied, saying, "Junior Sister is focused on her cultivation," an absurd statement.

"Sigh, isn't cultivation just a matter of luck? If you're unlucky and only give up when your beauty fades, wouldn't that be a waste of your Junior Sister's lovely face?"

Granny Wang's tone was full of regret. In her opinion, so many people pursued cultivation, yet so few succeeded, so calling it "a matter of luck" seemed fitting.

"Is my Junior Sister... really that beautiful?" You Su murmured.

"Of course! She's like a goddess descended from the sacred mountain!" Granny Wang was very excited and was about to lavish praise on the girl she had only met a few times when her husband, coming out from the kitchen, interrupted her.

"Woman, always nagging about marriage." The old man came out with a freshly kneaded dough. "You Su, don't listen to your Granny Wang. You and your Junior Sister should focus on your cultivation and not let your master down."

"Grandpa Li, I will."

You Su got the answer he wanted from Granny Wang, but he didn't feel the joy he expected. He felt a sense of loss and picked up the pastries, preparing to leave. "Grandpa Li, Granny Wang, I'm leaving now. You two are busy."

"Mm, be careful on your way back." Granny Wang smiled and reminded him.

Grandpa Li broke off a piece of dough, watched the boy's slender back, glanced at his wife reproachfully, and then called out, "You Su, don't let my old age fool you. When I was young, I went to Henggao City below Mount Henggao and saw those so-called divine sons and daughters. Even if you can't see, you're no less than them, you know? Don't underestimate yourself."

You Su turned back and smiled, feeling his mood lighten somewhat. "You Su will remember."

You Su walked slowly. Although he couldn't see the road, he had vague memories from his past life, which set him apart from those who were truly congenitally blind. He could form basic imaginations of the world around him.

For example, the bluestone bricks under his feet, the geckos on the alley walls, the dew hanging on the moss without dripping – he often used these imaginations to fill his mind's world.

He had also imagined his Junior Sister's face, and each time it was slightly different. Perhaps her eyes should have been bigger, her nose sharper. But now, whenever he thought of his Junior Sister, the monstrous face from his dream would involuntarily surface.

"It shouldn't be like this."

You Su stopped, closed his eyes, and shook his head, trying to shake the monstrous dream from his mind.

You Su opened his eyes, and it was chaos again. Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound not far away. You Su instinctively turned his head and saw a pitch-black monster appear in his vision.

The monster had a fish head covered in sharp teeth and gills, yet it possessed the strong limbs and torso of a canine, gnawing on a corpse.

You Su stared intently at the monster and the corpse beneath it, his brow furrowed slightly.

Sensing he was being watched, the monster slowly turned its head. A fleshy protrusion on its head, resembling a small lantern, flickered with a strange, scarlet glow, as if luring curious prey like moths to a flame.

You Su subconsciously took a few steps forward, then suddenly realized he had regained his sight! But the range of his vision seemed limited to this sudden monster...

Before You Su could fully comprehend, a powerful pressure suddenly descended, almost making him gasp for breath. The monster, however, extinguished its scarlet light, its "blood lantern" transforming into a disgusting, swollen fleshy tumor. The monster bared all its white, sharp teeth, as if smiling.

"Malevolent Spirit, die!"

A clear, righteous voice, hoarse with effort, suddenly rang out, followed by several sounds of energy tearing through the air, jolting the stunned You Su back to reality.

You Su felt a lingering fear. Though he couldn't see the suddenly appearing old Immortal Master with white beard and robes, he could see that the monster, curled up and whimpering, now had several bloody wounds, with dark, wriggling worms crawling out of them.

The monster did not fight back, as if accepting its fate. Its round fish-like eyes were filled with fear and pleading, and perhaps a hint of confusion? The dormant fleshy tumor began to flicker again, but the scarlet light no longer carried a dangerous aura; instead, it was full of appeasement.

"Contain!"

The ancient voice sounded again. The monster was suddenly enveloped in a white light. It grimaced in pain, its expression contorted. In an instant, it, along with the corpse, vanished completely, presumably taken into a magical artifact by the old Immortal Master.

Before You Su could speak, the Old Immortal Master asked first:

"You, can you see it?"

"Replying to Senior, I am blind." You Su bowed to the Old Immortal Master, then looked at him with neither subservience nor arrogance.

"Blind?"

The Old Immortal Master had white hair and a wizened face, but his eyes were sharp and bright. He carefully observed the young man before him. The youth had a face like jade and a bearing like soaring clouds, making it difficult to associate him with the word "blind." Yet, his eyes were unfocused, lacking any discernible point, and his tone was steady and sincere, not like he was lying.

"You are not lying, you are indeed blind." The Old Immortal Master's withered face creased into a thousand wrinkles, looking as if he understood everything. "But that doesn't mean you haven't seen it."

He spoke with conviction, seemingly not finding these two statements contradictory.

You Su didn't think his trick could truly fool the Old Immortal Master. He knew the Immortal Master must have seen the monster's movements, which he had been staring at intently. He said frankly:

"Replying to Senior, I did indeed see it."

"Do you know what it is?"

"This junior does not know."

"It is called a Lantern Ghost. It specifically carries a lantern at night to lure the curious into its trap, then it devours their flesh and blood."

"Such a terrifying Malevolent Spirit. Fortunately, Senior intervened to eliminate this menace for the people."

The Old Immortal Master, with his immortal bearing, ignored You Su's flattery and proceeded to draw the treasure-gleaming sword from his waist, executing a sharp, elegant flourish.

"Do you also know that it is only interested in cultivators and is adept at concealment? Anyone who can see it is at least in the Condensing Water Realm?"

Channel Opening, Spirit Platform, Condensing Water, Feather Transformation, Void Glimpse, Heavenly Awakening, and the legendary Supreme Spirit. Ninety-nine percent of cultivators in this world remain in the Channel Opening realm. The Spirit Platform Realm can be considered an initial glimpse into the immortal path, while the Condensing Water Realm is enough to transcend the mortal world and secure one's place in the divine mountains.

This Malevolent Spirit, which was utterly defenseless against the Old Immortal Master, actually required the Condensing Water Realm to be seen. But I...

I am in the Spirit Platform Realm!

The oppressive aura had not dissipated; instead, it surged even more intensely at this moment, becoming even harder to resist!

The old man sighed softly, "You shouldn't have seen it..."

Along with the ancient voice came a sword flash, cold and sharp, irresistible!