Chapter 879: I Who Exist for You 15

Search! This forest isn't big—how could we not find him!

Number Eight, flustered, pressed a few times on his waist strap, drew out a long rod flashing with electric current, and waved it in the air searching.

Jin Chen left a sound for them to follow, until they almost reached the forest's edge, making sure their fight wouldn't disturb Yishen, then he stopped.

Two minutes have passed and you still haven't caught me—God, you're so slow!

A voice begging for a beating and provoking rang out above Number Eight.

Hearing it, Number Eight looked up, just as a dripping wet vine swung down from the tree; he instinctively bent to dodge, but ended up tripping over the root beside his foot and fell forward.

Not dodging obstacles—zero points!

Jin Chen half‑crouched in the tree, made a face at him, and said, "With just this bit of strength you still want to catch me? You're crazy."

Number Eight, who had fallen face‑first into the mud: "…… "

He climbed up from the ground, his face extremely grim, the crackling of the electric rod in his hand louder, making his three cautious subordinates beside him look even more ridiculous.

We must kill him today! Otherwise we'll be waiting to go back and have our life points reclaimed by Number One!

Number Eight let out an angry roar.

Jin Chen in the tree happened to catch those words, and immediately recalled the several members who had been killed.

So they rely on life points to prolong their lives, huh.

He pondered a moment, nimbly dodged several attacks, and decided to test things out.

Meanwhile.

Yishen waited several minutes for Jin Chen to return, feeling a bit worried, yet afraid that rushing over would only hinder him, so he could only stand there anxiously.

Just then, he heard the sound of a cane coming from behind the thicket again.

Sir, why haven't you left yet?

The old monk slowly emerged from the thicket, his tattered robes snagged on branches and torn further, yet he was unaware, still wearing his usual smiling, kindly expression.

But the shadow that had just been seen through still lingered; even if the old monk looked friendly, he remained someone to be wary of.

Yishen didn't answer his question, stepped back half a pace, very cautious, his cold expression growing heavier.

What exactly do you want to say? Don't be vague.

Hahaha, no rush, no rush.

The old monk's hand behind his back reached forward, and in it was actually a battered, paint‑peeled bamboo lot‑tube.

Come, let's tell your fortune, sir. You were born with the innate Word Spirit physique—surely not an ordinary person. I, old as I am, have only cultivated a few decades and caught a glimpse of heavenly secrets.

If misfortune befalls you in youth, it is a heaven‑sent trial; you must temper this body to reap sweetness after bitterness.

In just a few sentences, he had laid bare two of Yishen's secrets.

The Word Spirit physique, and being unloved since childhood.

Yishen half‑believed, half‑doubted, furrowed his brows and reached to draw a lot.

The bamboo lot he drew bore only a strange sentence.

"What comes from above and below is all empty; at the horizon I receive a letter; the letter promises me fame and rank, yet in the end it too is void."

Yishen whispered the words, looked up at the old monk, and saw his smile vanish, replaced by genuine worry and astonishment.

Hiss……

The old monk stroked his gray‑white beard, shook his head and sighed, uttering lament after lament.

Sir, this is…… a worst‑of‑the‑worst lot.

Yishen's expression grew colder: "My luck has always been bad, since childhood."

In other words, he still doesn't believe in these.

Sir, since fate has toyed with you thus and you bear a bond unknown to others, why not listen to me… as I explain this lot to you?

Yishen lowered his eyes, after a few seconds his tone softened considerably: "Please go ahead."

The old monk spoke well.

He could even encounter the protagonist of the book appearing in this world's marvelous events, so why couldn't he trust this lot?

The old monk gestured for him to come to the mountain pavilion; only after they both sat on the stone bench did he speak slowly.

This is the twenty‑sixth lot of the Guanyin spirit lot, situated in the Si palace; this hexagram shows the sign of empty fame—everything tends to be more empty than real.

He half‑raised his head, his expression still torn, and asked Yishen, "Sir, I don't know… which aspect would you like me to explain?"

Yishen originally wanted to talk about work‑related matters, but the first thought that came to mind was still Jin Chen.

"I want to ask about what you saw—concerning the person who was just with me."

The old monk shook his head repeatedly, seeming unenthusiastic: "It's already a false hexagram; paired with a false object, it's nothing but empty joy."

"Perhaps, looking at the early stages, this person's appearance could improve the troubled situation, but false is false—sir, don't be too obsessed."

The more Yishen listened, the more his already anxious heart grew uneasy: "He is someone I created, and he came for me—why isn't he considered real?"

His tone was stubborn, even he himself hadn't realized it.

"Many things, many people—if you can't see or touch them, they aren't real."

The old monk gave a bitter chuckle, then stroked his beard in lament: "People from the two worlds—how long do you wish to stay together, sir? At least three months, at most half a year."

"Since the worlds flow at different speeds, life differs as well; if he were to vanish suddenly before your eyes, sir, how could you not suffer?"

Yishen stared, unresponsive for a long while; his lowered eyes held shock and anxiety, his fingers unconsciously curling.

So… if he stays too long in this world, will Jin Chen gradually disappear?

Then, when that happens, looking back on all that has happened now—what would it be to him? A millet‑seed dream?

Inside the pavilion, they gazed at each other in silence.

The old monk seemed to know this matter dealt a heavy blow to Yishen, stroked his beard while thinking for a long time, then slowly added a sentence.

"However, this hexagram is not indecipherable; concerning career, just stick to the old ways—fame and rank may be mere emptiness, but what belongs to you is yours."

Maybe if you constantly notice the opportunities around you lately, you can welcome a turning point.

Yishen only after a few seconds forced a smile, preparing to say thank you to the old monk.

But when Yishen raised their head, the opposite side was completely empty.

Yishen jumped up, stared in shock at the empty stone bench opposite, and drew a sharp breath of cold air.

No matter how calm he tries to be, he cannot control his expression now.

How could it suddenly disappear.

"Shenshen!"

From outside the pavilion came Jin Chen's tense voice.

Yishen snapped back to his senses, blankly turned his head, his expression vacant.

"Shenshen!"

Finally seeing his wife, Jin Chen's hanging heart finally let go, and he hurriedly ran into the pavilion.

Only after taking his hand and sensing Jin Chen's body temperature did Yishen's tense expression slowly ease.

"Shenshen, how did you come here? I've been looking for you for a long time."

Jin Chen's voice sounded somewhat aggrieved as he buried his head against the shoulder, "I almost thought you had disappeared."

"You looked……for a long time?"

Yishen hadn't yet reacted to what just happened when he heard this again, his voice somewhat tight.

"I only walked a few meters away, didn't I?"

The pavilion is only a half‑minute's walk from the place where Jin Chen told him to wait.

"Ah?"

Jin Chen looked up blankly, "I came from the place where I told you to wait, at least half a mountain away."