The old beggar sunbathing in the corner was none other than Zhang Yu.
On that day, in the Void left after that world disappeared, he decisively fled.
Following the system's guidance, I traversed the endless void and finally arrived at this world.
This world has a solid foundation and relatively complete Principle, so its potential is naturally higher.
The moment he arrived, the system's familiar voice rang in his mind.
The system issued a task that made Zhang Yu's lips twitch slightly: [Beg on the street; for every day you beg, your Cultivation increase by one year.]
This "begging" has lasted for three thousand years.
Yes, three thousand years.
For Mortal, it represents the rise and fall of dozens of dynasties, the transformation of the sea into mulberry fields.
For Zhang Yu, it's the same routine every day: going to work without fail, then finding a place to lie down and bask in the sun.
Then, after work, the system calculates the Cultivation: +1 year of cultivation.
At first, he tried to be more "dedicated" and actually beg.
But he soon discovered that even with his initial Golden Immortal Realm level of State of Mind and knowledge, it was difficult for him to feel any sense of accomplishment in successfully begging when faced with the charity, disdain, or pity of Mortal.
So he simply "laid down" completely, just basking in the sun, not speaking, not moving, begging in a completely "Buddhist-like" manner.
To avoid arousing suspicion by staying in one place for too long, he would "move" every few years or decades and then continue his sunbathing business.
He had only recently wandered into this No Delusion City.
For three thousand years, he has been "clocking in for work," steadily increasing his One Year of Cultivation every day.
He is now a true Daluo Golden Immortal, and at the late stage of Daluo Golden Immortal, just one step away from reaching the limit of this world!
After the Daluo Golden Immortal comes the Quasi-Saint, a level that a single fragmented world cannot withstand; it requires the fusion of numerous fragmented worlds to help him break through.
Even now, with only the Cultivation a late-stage Daluo Golden Immortal, the Principle of this world have begun to subtly repel him, as if he were an "outsider."
This is because he is approaching the limit that this fragmented world can withstand, placing a tremendous burden on the operation of the world's Principle.
With such Cultivation, Zhang Yu naturally didn't need to rely on scraps from begging to survive.
Grain Avoidance has long been a basic practice. Occasionally, when the mood strikes, a sweep of the Spiritual Sense reveals the surrounding mountains, rivers, Earth Vein, Spirit Grass, and rare treasures, which can be easily acquired.
Therefore, in the eyes of other beggars, his behavior of "not engaging in production," "sitting around waiting to die," and "having no ambition" naturally made him an "oddball," a typical example of "laziness" and "ungratefulness."
The young beggar often begged in this area and received help from Lin Xiaoxiao many times. Lin Xiaoxiao also took good care of him because of his young age.
Therefore, he was extremely grateful to Lin Xiaoxiao, and seeing Zhang Yu trample on Lin Xiaoxiao's kindness, he angrily confronted Zhang Yu.
But Zhang Yu's words, "I didn't ask her for anything," left the young beggar speechless, his face turning red. He pointed at Zhang Yu and stammered, "You... you..." for a long time, his chest heaving, clearly furious.
He simply couldn't understand how there could be such a person in the world who so scorned the kindness of others.
"You're utterly unreasonable! Miss Lin was so kind, and you actually..."
The little beggar struggled for a long time, and could only squeeze out this sentence indignantly. He didn't know how to continue criticizing the old beggar, and just felt that the old beggar was simply hopeless.
Lin Xiaoxiao gently shook her head and softly stopped the young beggar:
"Xiao Luo, you mustn't do that."
You haven't experienced his life, so you naturally can't understand his behavior.
In this world, everything that anyone does, no matter how incredible it may seem to us, generally has its reasons.
Her voice was gentle, yet it carried a clarity and inclusiveness beyond her years.
These words were not only meant to persuade Xiao Luo, but also seemed to be a way of convincing himself to understand the eccentric old man.
Upon hearing this, the beggar called Xiao Luo, though still indignant, didn't raise his voice in rebuke. He simply glared at Zhang Yu with discontent and muttered under his breath:
"But... but what's the difference between him like this and waiting to die...?"
Lin Xiaoxiao ignored Xiao Luo and squatted down in front of Zhang Yu again.
She looked at Zhang Yu with a calm gaze, her tone even gentler, filled with sincere comfort:
"This old man, in life, will always encounter all kinds of difficulties and hardships. Sometimes you may feel like you have nowhere to go and the sky is about to fall."
Although I am young, I have seen a lot.
However, please believe that as long as a person is alive, there is no hurdle that cannot be overcome.
Look at the sun; it rises and sets every day. No matter how cold the winter is, spring will always come.
Never let temporary difficulties make you feel that the future is bleak and cause you to stop cherishing your life.
As long as you're alive, there's always hope.
She thought that Zhang Yu had suffered a huge blow or an unbearable change, which led to his despair and even suicidal thoughts, so he ended his remaining life in a way that was almost "self-abandonment".
After all, if a beggar has lost even the most basic "motivation" to ask for a meal to survive, in her view, this is almost equivalent to giving up the will to live.
Xiao Luo heard Lin Xiaoxiao's words, he was first stunned, and then he suddenly realized what she meant.
Yes!
Upon closer examination, isn't this old beggar's behavior nothing less than a form of slow suicide?
Not begging, not working, just lying there—isn't that just waiting to die?
I was so angry about his attitude that I didn't think about it more deeply...
In an instant, the young beggar's resentment was replaced by a belated sense of guilt and sympathy.
It was truly... utterly wrong of me to speak so harshly to an elderly person who might be contemplating suicide and filled with despair!
"Old man,"
Xiao Luo's voice softened, even taking on a hint of urgency and earnestness:
Miss Lin is right!
What obstacle in this world is insurmountable?
What could be more important than being alive?
Please don't do anything rash!
Look at us, aren't we all struggling to survive?
As long as you're alive, there's hope. Maybe things will be better tomorrow?
He began to patiently persuade Zhang Yu, trying to influence him with his own experiences and simple outlook on life, so that he could "cheer up".
Zhang Yu: "..."
He was speechless at this sudden encouragement, and even felt like laughing.
I, a Daluo Golden Immortal, need the guidance of you two little kids.
I was just lying in the corner sunbathing, completing the system's daily tasks and increasing my Cultivation. How is that not valuing my life?
And what could be more important than living?
For me, completing daily tasks and improving my Cultivation are very important!
And I'm alive and well, probably a million times better off than you can imagine...
But he was too lazy to explain. Was he supposed to jump up and shout, "I am Daluo Golden Immortal, here to experience the mortal world. You Mortal, shut your mouths!"
The scene was too beautiful; he was afraid of frightening the two "kind-hearted" young people, and it would also go against his original intention of keeping a low profile.
So he could only remain silent, not even bothering to lift his eyelids again.
As for the two little kids' speculations and words of comfort... let's just consider them insignificant noises in the midst of worldly trials.