Langya, Yunchuan
"Big Yellow, did you do that on purpose?"
"I didn't! You can't accuse me of something I didn't do."
"Still claiming you didn't?"
Chen Changan glared at Big Yellow, resentment in his eyes. That bastard had definitely done it to get back at him.
For seven whole days, Big Yellow had gone full speed without putting up any protection for him.
Chen Changan's body could take it, but how could his clothes possibly withstand Big Yellow's speed?
"Why didn't you take better care of yourself?"
"Oh, right. I forgot—you've only just started cultivating. You're weak as can be."
"My mistake. That was my mistake."
Big Yellow played dumb, grinning shamelessly at Chen Changan.
"Fine. Just you wait."
Chen Changan ignored Big Yellow and was about to change into a fresh set of clothes when a furious shout suddenly rang out!
"Chen Changan!"
"You bastard! I've finally found you!"
Huh?
What the heck?
He'd just arrived in Langya and already run into someone he knew?
Could it be Lin Xiangliu? No, Lin Xiangliu couldn't possibly have such a huge grudge against him.
Chen Changan and Big Yellow both looked curiously in the direction of the voice. Not far away, a beggar was staring at Chen Changan with a resentful look.
"A beggar?"
"Damn, do I know any beggars?"
At that moment, Chen Changan practically ransacked his memories, but he still couldn't find anyone who fit the bill.
"Big Yellow, do you know him?" Chen Changan asked.
"Uh... He looks a little familiar, but I can't remember." Big Yellow shook his head.
The beggar looked middle-aged, his face black as dirt, and his clothes were so ragged they defied description.
But Chen Changan noticed that his own outfit looked suspiciously identical to the beggar's!
The beggar walked toward Chen Changan, full of resentment. When he saw how Chen Changan was dressed, his eyes seemed to gleam with delighted excitement.
Chen Changan and Big Yellow stared right back at him. After all, there weren't many people who could call Chen Changan by name.
"I feel like I've seen him somewhere."
"Yeah, I feel like I remember him, too."
"Could it be..."
"Damn!"
"Xuan Wudao?"
"You're Xuan Wudao?"
Chen Changan and Big Yellow both widened their eyes. Neither of them had expected the beggar before them to be Xuan Wudao.
Xuan Wudao wasn't from Langya. He and Chen Changan had met three thousand years ago.
Back then, Xuan Wudao had been brimming with confidence and was hailed as the foremost young talent of his generation, with a brilliant future ahead of him.
When Chen Changan first met Xuan Wudao, he was at the height of his fame. At only fifty years old, he had already reached the peak of the Void Glimpse Realm!
How had three thousand years passed in the blink of an eye, leaving an old acquaintance alive but turned into a beggar?
So much time had gone by that Chen Changan couldn't immediately figure out where Xuan Wudao's grudge against him came from.
They hadn't had any bad blood between them, had they?
"Damn, you were a peerless genius in your day. What are you doing now?"
"Experiencing the bitter hardships of the human world?"
"Tasting a different life?" Chen Changan asked, looking utterly bewildered.
At the sight of Chen Changan's expression, Xuan Wudao flew into a rage.
He'd forgotten!
He'd actually forgotten?
For three thousand years, Xuan Wudao had faithfully kept his promise, and this bastard had forgotten what happened back then?
"How do you think I ended up like this? It's all thanks to you!"
"Chen Changan, you've made me suffer!" Xuan Wudao's resentment was practically ready to take physical form and strangle Chen Changan.
"Wait, what does this have to do with me?"
"I even—"
Before he could finish, Chen Changan suddenly froze as a strange yet familiar memory appeared in his mind.
Damn!
This... really might have been his fault.
Big Yellow couldn't help covering his mouth with a paw and snickering beside him.
He'd remembered, too.
"Do you know how hard I've searched for you all these three thousand years?"
"Damn it, I never have to be this lousy beggar again."
"I'm free!" Xuan Wudao threw his head back and howled, as if all the grievances he'd endured over the past three thousand years were being released in that moment.
"That beggar's so pitiful. He's already in such a state, and now he's gone mad, too."
"Tell me about it. Look at those two beggars—they seem pretty close. They're having such a nice chat."
"Ah, they're all poor souls. Look, even in that state, they're keeping a dog. They must be kindhearted."
"Right. They're down on their luck, but that Big Yellow Dog is kept spotless. They really are kindhearted."
"Come on, let's give them some money so they can have a decent meal."
"Sounds good to me."
The passersby's conversation left Chen Changan, Xuan Wudao, and even Big Yellow silent.
They really thought they were beggars?
Xuan Wudao was certainly the genuine article, but what about Chen Changan? He didn't consider himself a beggar; his clothes were just a little torn.
The most infuriating of all was Big Yellow. As soon as he heard what the bystanders were saying, he turned away and faced in the opposite direction, as if to say he didn't know either of them.
"Get lost! Do I look like a beggar?"
"What's wrong with your eyes?" Xuan Wudao said indignantly.
Hearing that, everyone looked at Xuan Wudao as though he were an idiot. Their eyes seemed to ask, "Do you not?"
Xuan Wudao had been ready to put up a fight, but when he thought it over, if he wasn't a beggar, then who was?
"Come on, let's go. Stop embarrassing ourselves here."
"Damn, I've been embarrassing myself for three thousand years."
"All these years, I've been avoiding people I know, scared they'd recognize me."
Xuan Wudao hurried Chen Changan away. Now that he'd found Chen Changan, he didn't have to keep being a beggar.
"Fine, let's find somewhere to wash up and change clothes."
"I know a place. It's pretty good. I've had my eye on it for ages, but I never had the money to go."
"You're paying this time."
"Fine, I'll pay. Your grandpa's loaded."
Chen Changan shook his head helplessly, then let Xuan Wudao lead him straight to a brothel!
"Huan Hua Tower?"
"This is the place you've had your eye on all this time?" Chen Changan asked, looking helpless.
"Of course. What's wrong with this place?"
"Don't tell me you haven't been to a brothel in all these years?"
"I'll have you know, I've traveled far and wide over the years. Whenever I managed to save some money, I spent it at brothels." Xuan Wudao looked pleased with himself.
Damn!
Just how many brothels had this bastard visited over the years?
"With your cultivation, why did you have to save up before going?" Chen Changan asked curiously.
"What do you think? It's all because of you, damn it," Xuan Wudao said irritably.
Chen Changan chuckled. Back when he'd met Xuan Wudao, that bastard had been so arrogant, convinced he was invincible.
At first, Chen Changan hadn't thought much of it. But when they were about to part, Xuan Wudao insisted on sparring with him.
So Chen Changan made him a bet.
Chen Changan gave Xuan Wudao the time it took for one incense stick to burn. He would stand still, and if Xuan Wudao could hurt him even a little, Chen Changan would lose.
If Xuan Wudao lost, he would have to live as a beggar until the next time he saw Chen Changan.
In the end, Xuan Wudao attacked Chen Changan with all his might for the whole time it took the incense to burn, and Chen Changan didn't get so much as a scratch.
"Let me get this straight. It's been three thousand years. If you hadn't found me, you'd have kept begging the whole time?" Chen Changan asked curiously.
"Obviously. A real man stands tall between heaven and earth and keeps his word. How could I go back on my promise?"
"Now that's a real man!"
"Enough talk. Take me out for a good time."
"Fine, let's go."
Chen Changan shook his head helplessly. He'd never been to a brothel, so this was a good chance to see what one was like.
"Hold it! Hold it right there!"
"Do you even know what kind of place this is?"
"Two beggars think they can come into Huan Hua Tower?"
The moment they reached the entrance, a young attendant stopped them. With the way they were dressed—and a dog along with them—they were truly an eyesore.
"Quit wasting your breath."
"Show us the way."
Chen Changan didn't bother arguing. He simply tossed out a few gold ingots. After all, gold was just ordinary currency for common folk; cultivators used spirit stones.
"Oh! This humble servant was blind to the eminence of your presence. My eyes failed me, my eyes failed me."
"Please, honored sirs, come inside!"
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