The endless void, deep and vast, is like an inky ocean, in which countless points of light and bubbles of different sizes and shapes float.
That was the Three Realms Fragment World scattered in various places after the world was shattered.
Some are vibrant with life, some are desolate and barren, and some exist in between, maintaining a fragile balance.
In one of the fragmented worlds, there is a city called "No Delusion".
The city was not large, only a hundred miles in circumference, but it was quite prosperous because it was located at the intersection of several trade routes.
On the Bluestone Slab streets, pedestrians thronged shoulder to shoulder, and shops lined both sides.
The sounds of hawking, bargaining, and carriages mingled together, creating a bustling scene of everyday life.
At the intersection of a relatively wide, bustling street, a figure was half-lying down against a sunny corner.
He was an old beggar, his hair and beard gray and tangled, as if he hadn't combed or washed them in a long time.
A face was covered in dust and grime, making it almost impossible to see its original features.
He was wearing a tattered shirt with countless patches, and his exposed hands and feet had rough, cracked skin covered in mud.
He huddled in the corner, with only some dry grass under him.
The old beggar squinted, basking in the warm afternoon sun, motionless, as if asleep.
Unlike the beggars around him who either crawled on the ground begging pitifully or approached passersby to offer their broken bowls.
The old beggar neither spoke nor moved.
He just lay there, indifferent to the endless stream of people around him, to the coins occasionally tossed into other beggars' bowls, and even to the pointing and whispering glances.
He seemed quite content, so content that he seemed out of place amidst the busyness and humility around him.
The residents of No Delusion City were initially curious about the old beggar who suddenly appeared in the corner and behaved strangely.
But after a few days, it became commonplace.
Every year, the city sees an increase in beggars, who drift here from all over due to natural disasters or man-made calamities. Among them are many with strange personalities and eccentric behavior.
People have become numb. As long as they don't block the way or cause trouble, who cares whether an old beggar is lying down or sitting, begging or sunbathing?
After all, every year there are many beggars like this who may never wake up again on some cold morning.
As the sun gradually set in the west, the hustle and bustle of the streets subsided slightly.
As evening approached, the back door of the rather grand "Azure Cloud Tower" on the street opened.
A Little Girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in a simple but clean, pale yellow dress, carefully carried out a large wooden bucket that seemed disproportionate to her size.
This Little Girl has delicate features and clear eyes. Although she is not a stunning beauty, she possesses a gentle and kind temperament.
She was the second young lady of Azure Cloud Tower, named Lin Xiaoxiao.
Many people in the city recognize her and know about her good deeds.
As soon as Lin Xiaoxiao stepped onto the street carrying her wooden bucket, a dozen or so figures immediately emerged from the alleys and under the eaves of houses nearby.
There were old and young, men and women, all of them ragged, emaciated beggars.
They had clearly been waiting for a long time, and when they saw Lin Xiaoxiao come out, their eyes immediately lit up with hope, and they silently followed behind her.
The beggars kept a distance that was neither too close nor too far, their eyes following the heavy wooden bucket with longing.
Lin Xiaoxiao seemed to have gotten used to it and didn't turn around.
He simply carried the wooden bucket and followed the familiar route to a slightly wider and relatively cleaner street corner.
She put down the wooden tub, took a soft breath, and raised her hand to wipe the fine beads of sweat from her forehead.
When she stopped in the open space, the beggars who had been following her quickly gathered around, but they didn't fight over her; they just stared longingly at her and the wooden bucket.
"Don't rush, take it one at a time."
Lin Xiaoxiao's voice was clear and gentle, carrying a soothing tone.
As she spoke, she bent down and lifted the lid of the wooden bucket.
The wooden bucket contained a porridge mixed with leftover food from a restaurant, which had been cooked until it was quite mushy.
Though not refined, it was a rare delicacy for these beggars struggling to make ends meet.
The beggars watching all swallowed hard, the sound of their throats bobbing clearly audible.
They were clearly not receiving charity for the first time, and soon they formed a crooked but orderly line, their eyes fixed intently on the spoon in Lin Xiaoxiao's hand.
Thank you, Ms. Lin!
"Miss Lin is truly kind-hearted; good deeds are rewarded!"
"Miss Lin, you brought us food again! Thank you so much!"
The beggars handed over their tattered bowls one by one, and gratefully thanked Lin Xiaoxiao for the hot porridge she scooped out with a large spoon.
For them, that spoonful of porridge might be the source of strength to get through another cold night.
Lin Xiaoxiao returned the gesture with a gentle smile, carefully distributing the food to everyone, trying her best to ensure that everyone received some.
After distributing food to most of the beggars in line, the porridge in the wooden bucket was empty.
Lin Xiaoxiao picked up the spoon and scooped out the last, thickest portion from the bottom of the bucket, without approaching any of the beggars who were still waiting and staring longingly at the wooden bucket.
She carried the bowl and walked straight toward the old beggar who had been lying in the corner sunbathing, seemingly oblivious to the commotion.
At the end of the line, a younger-looking beggar with a resentful expression couldn't help but speak up:
"Miss Lin, please don't worry about that old man's life or death!"
He's just a lazy bum.
We've seen him for several days now. He just lies there, never begging for food, and never waiting for your charity with us. It's like he's just waiting for food to fall from the sky!
People like that deserve to starve; it saves us from wasting food!
"That's right!"
Another, older beggar nearby chimed in, his tone full of disdain:
"They've fallen so low they're begging, what's with the airs they're putting on?"
Instead of thinking about how to survive, they lie in the sun all day, waiting for others to feed them?
Miss Lin, you are kind-hearted, but this food was hard-earned. It's not worth giving it to someone so ungrateful and ungrateful!
"That's right, Miss Lin, just ignore him!"
"Let him go hungry, let's see how long he can lie there!"
The other beggars who had received the porridge and were squatting to the side eating also started talking at once, their tone mostly filled with disdain and resentment towards the old beggar.
In their view, although beggars are lowly, they should still act like beggars, asking for things when they should and expressing gratitude when they should.
That old beggar, with his lazy, "take it or leave it" attitude, is truly annoying.
Everyone felt that he had tarnished the "profession" of beggars and had also betrayed Miss Lin's kindness.
Lin Xiaoxiao paused for a moment as she listened to the crowd's discussion, but the gentle expression on her face remained unchanged.
She simply shook her head gently, said nothing, and continued carrying the bowl of porridge towards the shadows in the corner.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast a long shadow of her.
She approached the old beggar and carefully poured the still-warm porridge from her bowl into the old beggar's dirty, chipped earthenware bowl in front of him.
The old beggar remained in a half-lying position, not even lifting his eyelids, as if he hadn't seen the person in front of him or smelled the food.
The young beggar who had spoken up earlier already disliked the old beggar, and now seeing the old beggar being so rude, he became even more furious.
He couldn't help but raise his voice and rebuke:
"Hey, old man."
Miss Lin kindly brought you food, and you didn't even look up or say thank you?
You're so ungrateful!
The old beggar seemed to be disturbed by the noise and finally reacted.
He slowly and with great effort lifted one eyelid.
His cloudy eyes glanced at the young beggar, then seemed to look at him with utter disdain, before uttering a few indistinct sounds from his throat:
"I... I didn't ask her for charity... it was her own... willingness."
After saying that, he closed his eyes again and shrank back into the corner.
He was inwardly very annoyed and said, "Damn system, it has never given me a good mission. This one actually makes me beg for food to increase my Cultivation, and I'm doing it for three thousand years."