Finding Ah Yin

In the evening, the master and apprentice had dinner at Old Jack's house and walked back along the country road.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two, and the evening breeze carried the scent of earth and grass.

Fu Shiyan suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Tang San stopped and looked at his master with a puzzled expression.

Fu Shiyan turned to look at him and asked seriously:

"Xiao San, what do you think of Old Jack?"

Tang San was slightly taken aback, then frowned and began to think.

After a moment, he looked up and replied:

"Grandpa Jack is a very, very good person."

His voice was very soft, but he said with a sense of emotion:

"If it weren't for his help when I was a child, my life might have been much harder."

"Back then, my father... didn't pay much attention to me, and because of my father, the villagers were reluctant to associate with us."

"Only Grandpa Jack would come to visit every few days, bringing food and necessities, and he'd even put in a good word for me."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Fu Shiyan, waiting for his master's response.

Fu Shiyan nodded, her gaze fixed on the gradually darkening mountain shadows in the distance, and slowly spoke:

"It's good that you think that way."

"Old Jack's help to you seems like nothing more than ordinary little things—a few pounds of rice, a few words of concern, a few acts of kindness."

"But you have to understand that, for you at that time, these were precisely the most important things."

He looked at Tang San and said earnestly:

"A drop of water in need deserves a spring in return. You've heard this saying, but what I want to tell you today is more than just repaying kindness."

Tang San listened attentively.

Fu Shiyan continued:

"You've been with Tang Hao since you were little, and you've experienced so much early on, so your mind is much deeper than your peers."

"This makes you thorough in your work and avoids being taken advantage of easily, but it also makes you prone to viewing interpersonal relationships as exchanges."

"Remember when others are kind to you, and repay them in the future."

"It's not wrong to remember when others help you and repay them double in the future, but if you measure everything in terms of transactions, you will gradually lose something more precious."

His tone became earnest:

"When Old Jack helped you, what did he want from you? Did he want you to help him when he became successful? What did he want in return?"

Tang San shook his head and replied:

Grandpa Jack doesn't want anything.

"Yes." Fu Shiyan nodded and said with a sigh:

"He helped you only because you're a child from the village, because he's kind-hearted, and because he couldn't bear to see a child suffer."

"This isn't a transaction, it's a matter of friendship!"

"Remember this: some things in this world cannot be measured by transactions."

"Neither sentiment nor goodwill can, nor even gratitude itself can."

He looked into Tang San's eyes and said seriously:

"As your teacher, I hope you will become a grateful person, but I hope even more that you will understand that true gratitude is not about repaying debts, but about remembering that warmth in your heart and passing it on to others in the future."

"Don't measure everything in terms of transactions. Living like that is too exhausting."

Tang San listened quietly, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, he nodded solemnly:

"Master, I understand."

Fu Shiyan then smiled and patted his shoulder:

"Let's go back to the Blacksmith Shop."

The Blacksmith Shop remains exactly as it was back then.

A dilapidated wooden door, a dusty anvil, and clutter piled up in the corner.

Everything is the same as when I left three years ago, as if time has stood still here.

Fu Shiyan sat cross-legged in the corner, closed her eyes and regulated her breathing, with no intention of falling asleep.

Tang San also sat cross-legged to the side and began cultivating as well.

Nothing more was said that night.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Tang San woke up from his cultivation and sat cross-legged in the center of the shop.

Fu Shiyan got up and walked to his side, and said:

"Summon your Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul, and try to spread your senses outward using the method I taught you before. Don't use force; just guide it with your will."

Tang San nodded and closed his eyes.

Blue-gold light slowly rose from his body, and the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul appeared behind him, its branches and leaves unfurling, emitting a faint halo.

He took a deep breath and, following his master's instructions, began to try to Martial Soul Fusion, and then spread it outwards.

At first, nothing happened.

But gradually, an extremely subtle blue ripple spread silently outwards from Tang San's center.

One lap.

Two laps.

Three laps.

The ripples spread further and further, becoming clearer and clearer.

Ten miles.

Twenty li.

Thirty li.

Fifty li!

Within a fifty-mile radius, all the Blue Silver Grass seemed to sense something at the same time—they began to sway their branches and leaves gently, emitting a faint blue glow, as if responding to some kind of call.

As the ripples spread, Tang San's perception also extended.

He "saw" the old locust tree outside the Blacksmith Shop, the large blue stone at the village entrance, and the villagers carrying buckets of water as they walked by in the early morning...

His senses swept across the entire Holy Soul Village and continued to spread towards the back mountain.

We passed through the woods, crossed the stream, and entered a secluded valley.

Then--

He "saw" a hidden cave.

The entrance to the cave was hidden by vines and was extremely inconspicuous.

But the moment his senses probed into the cave, a faint yet incredibly familiar aura suddenly stirred his soul.

That was... the throbbing of blood ties.

It was clearer, stronger, and also... weaker than when the Blue Silver Emperor awakened.

Tang San suddenly opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the cave, his chest heaving violently.

Fu Shiyan asked softly:

"Found it?"

Tang San took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and nodded heavily:

"Found it. It should be in that direction."

He paused, then lowered his voice:

"However... Mother's condition doesn't seem good. She's very weak."

Fu Shiyan didn't ask any further questions. He stood up and patted Tang San on the shoulder:

"Let's go take a look once we find it. Let's go."

After saying that, he took the lead and walked in the direction Tang San pointed.

Tang San followed closely behind.

The master and his apprentice passed through the village and followed the narrow mountain path uphill.

Morning light filters through the leaves, and birdsong rises and falls.

But Tang San had no time to appreciate any of this; his steps quickened, and his heart pounded faster and faster.

Finally, they stopped in front of a cave hidden by vines.

The cave entrance was small and extremely well-hidden; unless someone sensed it beforehand, they would never have noticed it.

Fu Shiyan raised her hand and pushed aside the vines:

"Go in."

Tang San took a deep breath, bent down, and crawled into the cave.

Fu Shiyan followed behind him.

The cave wasn't deep; light filtered in from the entrance, making it barely possible to see what was inside.

When Tang San's gaze fell on a certain spot in the cave, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

There, a Blue Silver Grass grows quietly.

But it is quite different from ordinary Blue Silver Grass.

The leaves are broad and long, with a faint blue-gold sheen flowing throughout.

Within the veins of the leaf, golden lines are clearly visible, like blood vessels, flowing with a faint yet noble energy.

It is rooted in the cracks of the rocks, its posture somewhat tilted, as if it has not had an easy time growing over the years.

What's most chilling is the aura of this Blue Silver Grass —weak, yet resilient.

Weak, yet tenacious. As if battered by countless storms, yet never falling.

Blue Silver Emperor.

Ah Yin.

Tang San stood before it, unable to utter a single word.

His lips trembled slightly, and his eyes gradually reddened.

After a long while, he gently squatted down, reached out, and carefully touched the broad leaf.

The leaves trembled slightly, as if responding to his touch.

A faint yet gentle spiritual energy flowed through the leaf into his palm.

That was... a mother's call.

"Mother..."

Tang San's voice choked with emotion.