Where This Body Belonged

Qin Wangchuan stepped forward and opened the door, and sure enough, he saw Master Chen standing in front of the door.

However, there was one more person.

It was that arrogant old man from before.

His expression remained unchanged; he simply stepped back, making way for half of the doorway.

"Please come in, Master."

Qin Wangchuan felt grateful to Master Chen.

Among so many people in the school, Master Chen took care of him from childhood to adulthood, doing almost everything himself.

Teach him to read, teach him principles.

Although it was useless, he saw all of this.

However, Master Chen also had a flaw: he was soft-hearted.

Qin Wangchuan had already guessed most of the purpose of the two's visit, but he didn't reveal it. He simply turned around, went back into the house, and brewed a pot of tea.

Master Chen did not come empty-handed; he was carrying two books.

He placed the book on the table, gestured for Old Fan to sit down, and remarked, "This courtyard used to feel so empty, but now that we've set up tables and chairs, it looks much better."

He took a deep breath and unconsciously closed his eyes, "And... I always feel that the air here is different from the air outside, it has a kind of freshness."

'How could it not be refreshing? There's an Immortal Tree in the courtyard,' Fan Yuan muttered to himself, and sat down as well.

In the brief moment they met, the boy's gaze swept over him lightly, yet it felt as if he had been dissected from head to toe.

The Ninth Realm of Cultivator seemed to mean nothing to those eyes.

How can a teenager possess such an imposing and authoritative aura?

I never felt this way before.

He suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, and his gaze began to wander.

The courtyard is still the same courtyard, except for the addition of a stone table and chairs; nothing has changed.

Suddenly, his eyes met those of the head on the wall.

It was Qin Zhaoer from next door, standing on something and looking this way, her eyes clearly saying:

Old man, you still dare to come here?

Fortunately, this scene didn't last long.

"Zhao'er, what are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"I didn't do anything by staring at Qin Chuan's courtyard every day."

"There's no such thing as 'everyday'! Besides, he changed his name!"

"Oh, I misspoke."

Master Chen turned to look at Old Fan and said with a smile, "Children are always making a fuss."

"Zhao'er may look fierce, but she's actually a nice person."

"And she and Wangchuan were childhood sweethearts."

"If it weren't for the fact that we're still observing mourning..."

He stroked his beard, clearly having some ideas.

But Fan Yuan didn't listen to a word he said.

The identity of the girl who threatened him that night became clear instantly.

'Zhao'er... so she's Qin Wangchuan's neighbor.'

Before I could think any further, Qin Wangchuan brought over the tea.

Master Chen took the tea, smelled it, and exclaimed, "Excellent tea!"

"Master, you haven't tried it yet."

Good tea doesn't need to be tasted; it smells delicious.

As he was marveling at this, Fan Yuan's gaze was drawn to a White Deer behind Qin Wangchuan, his eyes widening as he stared intently at it.

Master Chen also noticed it and asked, "Where did this deer come from?"

Qin Wangchuan casually replied, "He found it himself."

"It is my guest."

Guest.

Upon hearing those two words, Master Chen's previously lazy eyes suddenly lit up, and he clapped his hands and laughed.

The clear laughter startled several birds on the eaves, causing them to flutter away.

"The deer cry out, 'You you,' calling to each other when they have food."

He slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back, and circled the White Deer twice.

The White Deer didn't flinch, but simply watched him quietly.

"Many people in the world, upon seeing a deer, only think of its antlers, blood, and fur, believing it to be prey, wealth, or a gift from heaven."

"But you said it was a guest."

Master Chen stroked his beard, his expression somewhat wistful.

"Guests Non-Self of our kind, yet we treat them with courtesy, neither driving them away nor harming them. This is not domestication, nor hunting—it is sharing the world."

"Since he's your guest, he's naturally mine too."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and bowed deeply to the White Deer.

"Plants and trees have spirits, and birds and beasts have natures. If people can treat deer as guests, they will be able to treat all living beings in the world with benevolence in the future." Master Chen straightened up and looked at Qin Wangchuan meaningfully.

"Wangchuan, your simple word 'guest' pleases me more than ten exquisite essays."

Fan Yuan witnessed this scene and remained silent.

The White Deer is a legendary auspicious beast.

But to Qin Wangchuan, it was merely a guest—a guest no different from himself, no different from any other mortal.

He suddenly realized that the boy was far more terrifying than he appeared.

It was said that he was trying to mediate, but in reality, Qin Wangchuan and Fan Yuan had no conflict whatsoever.

Qin Wangchuan understood his purpose in coming here.

I've reached the limit of my cultivation; I want to see if I can advance further.

He'll keep coming back unless this issue is resolved.

I made it clear to Master Chen that we needed to talk alone.

Master Chen nodded and handed over the two books in his hand. "I know you've been busy learning a skill at the martial arts school lately."

"Flip through these two books when you have some free time."

"I've been reading books since I was a child. Reading a lot may not have brought any substantial benefits, but it certainly won't do any harm either."

"I know." Qin Wangchuan took the book and stood up to see Master Chen out.

As he reached the door, Master Chen suddenly stopped, turned back to look at Qin Wangchuan, and his expression became somewhat complicated.

There was a clear understanding in those cloudy old eyes.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he changed his mind and laughed.

"Wangchuan has grown up."

There's a secret.

They didn't say anything, but it's as if they said everything.

"It's good to have secrets."

His smile deepened, and without asking any further questions, he patted Qin Wangchuan on the shoulder and said firmly, "You are my most prized student, and also like a son to me."

"Having studied for most of my life, I admit I couldn't do something as simple as calling a deer a guest. But you did."

"My child, I am so proud of you."

After saying that, he turned and walked out, waving his hand to tell Qin Wangchuan not to see him off.

But Qin Wangchuan still followed and accompanied him for a while.

Dusk crept in from both ends of the alley until the slightly hunched figure gradually disappeared into the shadows.

Qin Wangchuan stood at the alley entrance, watching intently.

"Master..."

He whispered something, his voice very soft.

The Master is old.

The scholarly air couldn't hide the gray hair at his temples, and his once straight back had unknowingly bent over.

Who knows, this person might be gone one day.

There are ways to extend lifespan.

The alchemy of Spirit Grass can extend the life of a mortal like myself by several decades.

But this is a trial, and we shouldn't interfere with the indigenous people.

Qin Wangchuan stood at the alley entrance, thinking for a long time.

There is no answer.

This trial is one of complete freedom.

No one told him what to do; he made all the choices himself.

The night breeze blew in from the alley entrance, carrying the smell of cooking fires.

Qin Wangchuan returned to the courtyard and closed the door.

He returned.

Fan Yuan immediately stood up from the stone bench, bowed, and asked a question that had been weighing on his mind for a long time.

"Sir, are there really Immortal in this world?"

"Aren't you one?" Qin Wangchuan was in a bad mood, and his answer was crisp and decisive.

Fan Yuan gave a wry smile upon hearing this, "Sir, you jest."

"They say I'm Immortal, but that's only because they're afraid of me, not because I really am Immortal."

"I accepted those two words so readily before because I had never seen Immortal, nor did I believe that immortals existed in this world."

"But after meeting you, sir, I changed my mind."

Qin Wangchuan did not answer immediately, but instead gestured for the other person to sit down.

Fan Yuan hurriedly sat down, and compared to his condescending attitude when they first met, he was much more pleasing to the eye now.

Offering a few pointers wouldn't be a bad idea.

Qin Wangchuan poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and then looked up at him.

What do you think an immortal is?

Fan Yuan was taken aback, pondered for a moment, and carefully chose his words: "Flying through the sky and escaping into the earth, Move Mountains and Fill Seas and filling seas, living as long as the heavens... these are things that mortals cannot achieve, and that is what immortals are."

Qin Wangchuan shook his head slightly after hearing this.

That's not a fairy.

(P. S.: I apologize to everyone. I was indeed a bit neglectful for the past two months. Now that I'm done with my work, I'll resume normal updates. To make it up to you all, I'll be releasing a whopping 0 chapters in one go!)