Chapter 159

Xiao Changsheng rubbed his eyes dazedly and woke up; opening his eyes, he looked at me pitifully and said, "Uncle, I'm hungry."

His sleepy, dazed cute look melted my heart, and I unconsciously skipped the topic of sending him home, hurriedly taking out the few pastries and bottled water from my pack and stuffing them all into his hands.

Xiao Changsheng had also been hungry for a while; he picked up a pastry and eagerly tore open the paper wrapping. But this time Xiao Changsheng had learned his lesson, remembered my words, took a sip of water first, then ate the bread.

Watching his chubby, sturdy form happily munching on the pastry, a strange feeling welled up in my heart; I believe not only I, but many people would feel this—when looking at a child, stroking his head, your heart fills with a warm, comforting sensation. It has nothing to do with blood relation; it's an indescribable feeling that naturally draws people closer.

Sigh, this child must have been frightened out of his wits. First he got lost with his parents, then he was chased for a long time by the Mountain Goblin Spirit's hand; he must be exhausted.

I let out a quiet sigh, took out a bottle of mineral water, twisted off the cap, and took a big gulp.

"Uncle, is your back okay? That scar is long and scary!" Xiao Changsheng, his mouth full of pastry crumbs, pointed at my back and asked about my injury.

I smiled and told him, "Uncle's fine; I just got scratched by a monster yesterday accidentally, and it's already healed."

Xiao Changsheng hummed, put down the pastry in his hand, then propped his chin and thought for a long time before asking me, "Uncle, did we know each other before?"

Although I found it strange, I honestly shook my head and replied, "We didn't know each other before."

"Then why did you save me? Aren't you afraid you'll die saving me? Do you get money for saving me?" Xiao Changsheng stared at me, asking seriously.

I was momentarily choked by his question; a kid so tiny actually asked me such a philosophical and realistic question.

But why would I go save him? Although the question is a bit nonsensical, once Xiao Changsheng asked it, I couldn't help but want to find an answer.

Perhaps it's just the passion in my heart, or perhaps it's because this child gave me a moment that made me think of settling down and starting a family. Or maybe... because I'm a good person.

But am I a good person? I can't figure that out either; I've agonized over it before. All I can say is that I'm not a great villain, just an ordinary person among the masses.

After thinking a long time without finding an answer, I felt rather foolish for agonizing over this with such a tiny kid; I really am becoming more childish as I live.

Finally, I smiled, rubbed Xiao Changsheng's head, and said something.

"Don't think too much; maybe this is just fate."

This answer, I think, is the standard reply I can give as a Daoist.

Xiao Changsheng nodded as if he somewhat understood, then after a moment, he asked me bewilderedly, "Uncle, what is fate?"

This time, I didn't speak carelessly; instead I tried to answer him in the simplest, most understandable way: "Fate—no one knows what it is; you can't see it or touch it, yet it often makes you marvel at the wonders of the world."

Seeing Xiao Changsheng still looking puzzled, I shrugged and said, "Just like me and you—meeting here in this desolate mountain ruined temple is fate. I don't know why I would throw myself into danger to save you; that instant feeling made me impulsively block that monster's claw for you. Afterwards I don't feel regret, but if you ask me why I saved you, I clearly have a thousand answers in my heart, yet when they reach my lips I can't utter a single word; after thinking it over, I can only come up with 'I don't know.'"

I drew circles on the ground and said, "This world is like a circle; we live inside it. Sometimes we inexplicably meet a person; sometimes, after we become good friends, we occasionally burst out laughing. Damn, how did I become good buddies with this oaf! What the heck, how did I even meet him? At times like this you rack your brain, but no matter how you think, you just can't remember."

"Everything seems to have no clue at first, but afterward it all falls into place; the trajectory inside is unfathomable to anyone—perhaps that's destiny, perhaps that's fate." I shrank my shoulders and sighed.

In fact, the question of fate and destiny has lingered in my mind for a long time; I've asked myself more than once what fate is, what destiny is, and whether people really ought to follow their destiny.

People in our trade know fate best, yet we're also the most repressed. Every time we hope to break free from the predicted trajectory, we hope for a different outcome, but in the end we find that, even if we don't want to admit it, we still intentionally or unintentionally walk along that path. Destiny is like a rapist, and we who study the Yi are like prostitutes—we can only lie down and be ruthlessly taken by destiny.

But if one says destiny's trajectory never changes, it can still change. I have personally witnessed a person's fate shift, and I have also seen someone turn disaster into blessing through their own efforts, creating a future that shouldn't have existed.

Thus, after several rounds of entanglement, I realized the more I tried to clarify that trajectory, the deeper I sank, the more prone I became to going berserk. To the point that I nearly suffered depression, I finally gave up, lay down honestly, and enjoyed destiny's ravage. Since I can't beat you, Grandpa will just lie back and honestly enjoy it—will you bite me? Then I won't provoke you; will your blowing make me swell?

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but learn from Ah Q's spirit, and for myself I loudly laughed, claiming to have "defeated" destiny.

"Uncle, you're a good person!" Xiao Changsheng, his face covered in pastry crumbs, suddenly blurted out, stopping my laughter dead.

"Cough cough..." I blushed a little, but still shamelessly covered up, saying, "This is something anyone can see; you'd better not say it, lest others call you stupid for not even seeing such a simple problem." Without a doubt, I've already grasped a bit of the thick-skinned technique of Pangzi and Fan Wuchang.

Time drifted away in our idle chat; Xiao Changsheng took much longer to eat the pastry this time than before. Perhaps because he'd been frightened, even though he was hungry, his eating speed wasn't fast.

So I said to him, "Xiao Changsheng, Uncle will take you down the mountain to find your mother! We'll eat as we go."

Xiao Changsheng gave an "oh," stood up, and honestly stood behind me.

After packing everything into the travel bag, I slung it over my shoulder, ready to first take Xiao Changsheng down the mountain and then talk.

Who would have thought, Xiao Changsheng tugged at my pants leg and said in a childish voice, "Uncle, actually there's more than one monster on the mountain; when I got lost last night I also saw another one."

"Oh, you say there's another monster on the mountain—what does it look like?" I put down the travel bag, squatted down, and looked at him doubtfully.

"Could it be that the Mountain Goblin Spirit left behind another severed hand?" I thought dubiously, but regardless, since there's a monster on the mountain, we should promptly perform a rites to lay it to rest, lest it remain and harm people again.

Of course, my primary goal this time is just to find medicine. Even if I still had my magical power, I couldn't afford to waste this time—Chen Zheng and Dong Yumin are still waiting for me to rescue them. So even if there are monsters, I can only go up the mountain with Pangzi after everything is settled.

As I was pondering, Xiao Changsheng scratched his head and recalled, "That monster looked like the ginger my mother uses for stir-frying—very fragrant, very fragrant. When I saw him last night, he seemed afraid of me and immediately burrowed into the ground."

"Haha… Xiao Changsheng, you're not bragging, are you? First you encountered a Mountain Goblin, and now you've also run into a monster… like the ginger used for stir-frying…"

I opened my mouth and burst out laughing, but the next moment I somehow felt something was off.

"Holy crap… doesn't Huangjing look just like ginger?"

I smacked my rusty head hard and suddenly came to my senses.