Chapter 1056: The Unbroken Past Twenty-Five

The two old people were indeed pitiful. After settling them into the inn, Hu Yun, Sun Yiqiu, and their companions asked the inn staff to care for them properly. They also promised to visit daily, help them check with the county office for any information about their daughter, and arrange for their return home once everything was settled.

Of course, Hu Yun and the others left a substantial amount of silver at the inn. The scholar, Hong Shusheng, was particularly proactive in this, insisting on covering all expenses himself. He even offered to check out of his current inn room and move into this one to better assist the old couple.

As the group departed, the two tearful old people saw them off at the inn entrance, expressing their profound gratitude.

"Such good people! All of you are truly good people!"

"Our benefactors, whether we find our daughter or not, we will pray for you every day!"

"Alright, alright, please don't see us off any further. Go inside and rest."

"Indeed, the sun is almost down. Please head back inside. Waiter, please make sure to take excellent care of them."

Inside, two inn attendants, supporting the elders on either side, quickly acknowledged.

"Rest assured, honored guests, we will certainly take good care of them!"

Hu Yun and the others had walked quite a distance, but the two old people were still bowing before finally turning back into the inn.

On the way back, Sun Yiqiu felt relaxed and was in high spirits, feeling good about their charitable act. Li Dongdong still felt sympathy for the two old people, but she too felt relieved and content.

"Doing good deeds really feels great!" "It does!"

Hu Yun glanced at the two, shook his head subtly, then looked back towards the inn and sighed softly.

These two old people genuinely exhibited no unusual behavior; their words were sincere and truthful, and their situation was indeed lamentable for ordinary folk. It was only their sudden appearance outside the noodle stall, almost consuming the reserved portion, that had genuinely startled Hu Yun.

In truth, Hu Yun hadn't fully considered the potential ramifications. It was simply his instinctive desire, as the one looking after the Sun family, to prevent Mr. Ji’s established rules from being broken.

The scholar also secretly lamented that it had been so close.

"What about you?"

Hu Yun suddenly turned to the scholar, who, startled, instinctively froze.

"Me?"

Hu Yun looked at the scholar with a hint of exasperation, but realizing the fellow wasn't ill-intentioned, he patiently spoke.

"Didn't Young Master Hong say he was moving inns to stay with those two elderly people? Why are you still following us? If we walk any further, we'll be back at the noodle stall."

The scholar's face instantly flushed, and he looked at Hu Yun with an embarrassed expression.

"Yes, yes, yes, I… I completely forgot! Well, then, I'll go now!"

The scholar scratched his head and turned to leave. After a few steps, he looked back at Hu Yun and the others who were still standing, his face turning a deep red.

"Um, Miss Hu, you will come to see those two elderly people tomorrow, won't you? A person of integrity keeps their promises; you promised them today, didn't you?"

"Yes... I will come tomorrow."

Hu Yun agreed half-heartedly, watching the scholar turn away contentedly, his steps light and quick.

"Pfft..." "Hahahahaha!"

Li Dongdong and Sun Yiqiu both burst into laughter.

"Young Master Hong is usually so prim and proper, but today he's quite flustered. Miss Hu, he must be interested in you!"

"Even a fool could tell!"

Not again? Hu Yun's mouth twitched. He turned and quickly walked away, knowing any explanation would be futile. Unless he changed his appearance every time he went out or revealed something to prove his gender, hardly anyone would believe his "male" identity. Besides, this misunderstanding wasn't without its advantages; at least with the information discrepancy, powerful diviners would likely make errors or even fail to read his fate.

Hu Yun left directly from outside Tianniu Square, showing no lingering affection. Looking back at the scene there, Hu Yun secretly shook his head.

That particular situation was only averted because Hu Yun happened to be there. What if he hadn't been? Would the Sun family's bowl of noodles have been given away? That might, in fact, have been the natural progression of events.

Upon returning to Ju'an Xiaoge, Hu Yun pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped inside. The thought of having to deal with that scholar Hong again tomorrow gave him a headache; he truly wanted to give the fellow a good beating.

As he stepped inside and looked up, Ji Yuan and the Old Dragon were once again playing chess in the courtyard, with Lu Shanjun observing nearby, and Zaoniang cooking in the kitchen.

The others paid no mind to Hu Yun, save for Lu Shanjun, who merely glanced up at him. Hu Yun then closed the courtyard gate and entered, launching into a complaint and recounting everything that had just happened.

Lu Shanjun sneered.

"If they truly wished to give away that bowl of noodles, then they should have. Once such a thought easily arises, they won't be able to uphold the rule anyway; they'll abandon it themselves sooner or later."

Hu Yun walked to the stone table and sat down.

"Zaoniang, I'm hungry! I want honey date cakes!"

Hu Yun called out, then glanced at the complex chessboard, which he couldn't understand at all, before turning to Lu Shanjun and speaking.

"Yes, yes, that's true. But today, didn't I think the timing of the two old people's arrival was a bit strange? Who knew they were just ordinary folks with such tragic family histories? Alas, that's how mortals are—birth, old age, sickness, death, sorrow, and separation. It's truly better to cultivate; to be immortal and carefree!"

Ji Yuan, holding a chess piece without placing it, said with a smile.

"Each has its own merits. Some view the world's myriad experiences as fleeting illusions, while others find the mortal realm's ordinary beauty as radiant as clouds and mist. You may perceive a common human lifespan of a few decades as brief, but birth, old age, sickness, death, love, hate, and passion comprise a person's entire long life. Even the most ordinary individual experiences a lifetime of both bitterness and sweetness, full of colorful events that are impossible to fully convey to outsiders!"

The Old Dragon grinned.

"That's true, but Mr. Ji, it seems you're unsure of your next move now, aren't you?"

Ji Yuan, with a resigned air, immediately conceded the game. Had the Old Dragon's words become so sharp?

Zaoniang came over with a plate of date cakes. Hu Yun quickly took a piece and then spoke to Ji Yuan.

"Sir, if the Sun family had truly given away that bowl of noodles just now, you wouldn't blame them, would you?"

Ji Yuan, holding a date cake, looked at Hu Yun in surprise, widening his eyes slightly to reveal his clear, ancient gaze.

"Am I, Mr. Ji, such a petty person?"

"Ha, so everything's fine then. And here I was, worried for a moment."

Hu Yun popped a date cake into his mouth. Just as he was about to reach for another, Lu Shanjun's large hand was already pressed down on the plate.

"Of course, Master would not blame them. But how could the Sun family escape consequences? Once that noodle is given away, their fortune would subtly dissipate, and from then on, they would gradually become just an ordinary commoner family."

"Their fortune would subtly dissipate?"

Hu Yun was startled. He looked at Lu Shanjun, then Ji Yuan, then the Old Dragon, and finally, as if sensing something, he looked up at the sky.

"At least you're not completely foolish."

Ignoring Lu Shanjun's sarcasm, Hu Yun asked, perplexed.

"But if I hadn't gone just now, the Sun family would have offered the noodles to the elders out of good will. That's a benevolent act!"

"Good and evil have their retribution, and the Underworld has its own judgment. However, to heaven and earth, though there is talk of interconnectedness between humanity and the cosmos, ordinary people are but a grain of sand in the vast ocean, utterly insignificant."

"How can that be? Wouldn't that make heaven and earth terribly unfair?"

Lu Shanjun smiled.

"Unfair? Not at all. The Sun family's blessings endure for this generation. While such an act of kindness might seem trivial, the flourishing of humanity is a righteous principle, and acts of benevolence indeed deepen one's fortune. It is simply that by giving away that bowl of noodles, the Sun family's descendants could no longer expect their blessings to continue indefinitely!"

"That's quite a steep price..."

Hu Yun mumbled.

Ji Yuan chewed on his date cake and stood up, holding the remaining half behind his back. After swallowing, he looked up slightly towards the setting sun and the evening glow.

"If Heaven possessed emotions, Heaven too would grow old; the righteous path of the mortal world is one of vicissitudes! Heaven and earth operate by their own principles, and human ethics exist independently. To walk the path without betraying one's conscience—immortals cultivate the truth, and humans also cultivate the truth. The true person, the true person, ultimately attains true liberation..."

Ji Yuan turned his head and smiled at Hu Yun.

"Methods and principles are both essential. Beyond that, as a mere speck in the vast ocean, it's enough for me to act with a clear conscience. Who cares what heaven and earth think?"

Lu Shanjun's heart stirred slightly, and he bowed respectfully to Ji Yuan.

"This disciple has been enlightened!"

"Alright, I'll cook tonight. Shanjun, play another round with me."

"Yes, Master!"

The Old Dragon savored Ji Yuan's recent words, then sighed softly, frustrated that his chess intuition had just sharpened only for Ji Yuan to slip away again.

Hu Yun felt profoundly enlightened but couldn't quite articulate it, so he quietly approached Lu Shanjun.

"Shanjun, Master spoke very wisely, but did you understand it fully? Does it mean I shouldn't have interfered just now?"

Lu Shanjun grinned.

"It means that sometimes, when you feel something is right, have the ability to act, and are willing to bear the consequences, you shouldn't be so damn hesitant!"

"Are you referring to the Sun family or me?"

Lu Shanjun gave Hu Yun a bland look, shaking his head slightly as he sat down by the chessboard, thinking how, despite his understanding, he could be so foolish.

"Hey, hey, Shanjun, are you looking down on me with that stare? Tell me clearly, if you don't, I'll... I'll just, I won't ask anymore..."

Seeing Lu Shanjun's cold stare, Hu Yun's bravado was instantly extinguished, and he slunk off to the kitchen.

"Hahahahaha, hahahaha..."

The Old Dragon burst into laughter. It was always so interesting being around Ji Yuan, and he wondered if Ruoli had received the message yet.