Chapter 233: True Masters Gather

Based on his understanding, Ji Yuan knew that information about his appearance had only circulated among the upper echelons of Da Zhen's divine path. This information circulated among higher-ranking city gods and earth deities, and possibly among river and lake gods who had closer ties to the human realm. Other well-informed individuals might only know that Da Zhen was home to a powerful being capable of "toppling the heavens with a single sword strike."

In fact, the longer he lived here and the more he learned, the more Ji Yuan came to understand the intricate relationships between the various cultivation paths. These relationships were both simple and incredibly complex. While there were degrees of affinity or distance between them, their respective systems did not interfere with or govern one another. It felt more like each path cultivated independently, based on a subtle, unspoken understanding.

Generally speaking, the cultivation world was quite loosely organized. Even divine beings like city gods, who belonged to the same divine path and relied on the broader human trend, were not subordinate to one another.

However, the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, which Emperor Yuande of Da Zhen insisted on holding despite widespread objections, was more than just a public gathering of "eminent figures and scholars." Privately, it was a rare event that brought together various traditional cultivation powers from within Da Zhen, such as immortal sects represented by Yu Huai Mountain, righteous demon clans led by the Dragon Lord, and local deities primarily from the Capital Prefecture.

Ji Yuan, in fact, was the crucial link, and it would not be an exaggeration to call him the primary orchestrator. Given his current prestige among the upper echelons of Da Zhen's cultivation world, he was the only one capable of gaining the cooperation of all parties. Indeed, he was the only one who dared, and could, secure the Dragon Lord's collaboration.

For this purpose, Ji Yuan had been incredibly busy and exhausted for over a month since leaving Master Yin's residence, a stark contrast to his previous relaxed demeanor.

As the chosen venue for the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, the Capital Prefecture naturally served as Ji Yuan's vantage point. He had returned there early, though he expected the area to remain relatively calm until the assembly officially began, as it would take some time for the "eminent figures" to arrive.

One day, as the morning sun parted the clouds, Ji Yuan walked through the city, one hand behind his back and the other holding a bamboo scroll. Sounds from a nearby teahouse made Ji Yuan slow his steps.

"Come, come, shall we continue?" "Sir, have some tea, sir, have some tea."

"Bring the gentleman a plate of red bean paste cakes, put it on my tab."

"Coming right up!"

It sounded like someone was storytelling.

*Smack!* (Sound of the storyteller's clapper)

The sharp sound of the clapper indicated that the storyteller was fully engaging with his performance.

"Last time, we recounted how General Huang, through his repeated extraordinary achievements, was finally bestowed the title of General by the Emperor at the age of merely thirty-four... Now, we move on to the battle that brought General Huang renown across the land, historically known as 'The Battle of Dongshan'!"

Hearing this, Ji Yuan paused. He remembered that he had once heard "The Legend of General Huang" in a teahouse in Jizhou's Juntian Prefecture. On that occasion, he had only heard the first half and missed the second due to other commitments. It was quite a serendipitous coincidence to now hear someone about to narrate the second half.

Consequently, Ji Yuan altered his path and entered the teahouse.

The moment he reached the doorway, the tea server enthusiastically stepped forward to greet him.

"Ah, esteemed guest, please come in! Welcome to our Green Leaf Teahouse. Would you prefer a private room upstairs, or..."

Ji Yuan simply gestured with a "shhh" and pointed towards the storyteller's table.

"Just find an empty table downstairs. I'm here to listen to the tale."

"Alright, alright, certainly, esteemed guest, please follow me!"

The tea server instinctively lowered his voice, nodding, bowing, and extending his hand in invitation before leading the way. He finally guided Ji Yuan to a clean table by a window near the door, even wiping the surface once more with a cloth.

A plate of rice cakes, a plate of red bean paste cakes, a plate of melon seeds, and a plate of dried apricots, accompanied by a pot of fine clear tea – these were Ji Yuan's orders. He sat there at ease, listening to the storyteller's animated narration.

"Ah! This is a good spot. One can smell the aromas of dishes from both sides and observe pedestrians passing by."

A slightly playful, aged voice drifted in from outside. The sound alone was enough to draw Ji Yuan's attention away from the story. He then saw an old man and a young boy, both beggars, settling down in the corner opposite, the younger one having already placed a broken earthenware bowl on the ground.

"Grandpa Lu, it looks like there's a blind man watching us from the teahouse..."

Hearing this, Ji Yuan couldn't help but smile. He then saw the old beggar glance over, and as their eyes met, Ji Yuan clearly perceived a momentary flicker of surprise in the old man.

Just as the old beggar mumbled something, Ji Yuan smiled and nodded towards him.

In this situation, the old beggar understood that Ji Yuan had clearly seen through his true nature.

The young beggar looked at the old beggar's extremely rare expression, then glanced towards the grey-eyed gentleman in the teahouse.

"Grandpa Lu... do you know him?"

"No... but we will soon."

Sure enough, Ji Yuan beckoned the tea server over, spoke a few words, and placed a piece of silver on the table. He only stood up after the tea server nodded.

However, Ji Yuan had no intention of inviting the two beggars into the Green Leaf Teahouse. Back then, he himself had merely looked a bit unkempt, and even that affected the business of establishments he entered. These two outside were far more disheveled than he had ever been.

So, Ji Yuan placed the teapot, snack plates, and other items from his table onto one long bench. Then, carrying this bench with his right hand and lifting another long bench with his left, he calmly walked out of the teahouse and over to the corner opposite.

As he approached, both the old and young beggars watched Ji Yuan. The old man's focus was entirely on Ji Yuan himself, while the younger one's attention had already shifted to the bench in Ji Yuan's right hand—more precisely, to the pastries.

Ji Yuan first steadily set down the bench laden with snacks, the teapot, and teacups. After placing the second bench from his left hand, he finally freed his hands to bow respectfully towards the old and young beggars.

"My name is Ji Yuan. Greetings to you two travelers from afar. If you don't mind, let's share some tea."

As Ji Yuan spoke, he gestured towards the empty bench, then added.

"Please help yourselves to the tea and snacks; it's already paid for."

The young beggar immediately looked at the old beggar with expectant eyes. The latter scratched his neck, stood up, and offered Ji Yuan a rather casual bow.

"My name is Lu Niansheng, and this child is Lu Xiaoyou."

Ji Yuan raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.

"Your grandson?"

"Hahaha... This child used to have a given name but no surname, so I simply put 'Lu' in front of his name."

As the old beggar spoke, he patted his backside, grabbed a piece of pastry and popped it into his mouth, then sat down on the long bench, addressing the young beggar.

"Go on, eat."

"Yay!"

The young beggar cheered, glanced at Ji Yuan, performed a much more proper bow than the old beggar's, then straddled a corner of the other bench and enthusiastically stuffed several pastries into his mouth.

The old beggar's gesture of patting his backside raised a cloud of dust, but Ji Yuan paid it no mind. He sat down directly beside the old beggar, taking up the remaining half of the bench. He then turned over the three teacups on the tray, picked up the teapot, and poured tea into all three cups.

The first cup was for the young beggar, whose mouth was still full of pastries.

"Don't choke."

"Mmm... mm-hm-mm-thank you..."

The young beggar took the teacup with both hands, barely managing to swallow a mouthful of pastry before washing down the rest with tea, and finally, managed to utter "Thank you."

When the old beggar observed the dust from his patting motion seemingly slide downwards on its own near Ji Yuan, his eyes widened slightly. He then seemingly casually, just like Ji Yuan, picked up the remaining cup of tea from the tray.

"I had assumed this so-called Water and Land Dharma Assembly would only attract malevolent spirits and demons, but unexpectedly, true eminent figures are indeed present."

Ji Yuan could tell that this old beggar was certainly not from Yu Huai Mountain, and the old man's curiosity was undisguised.

The old beggar also took a large sip of tea, narrowed his eyes, savored it, and nodded slightly in response to Ji Yuan's words.

"What you said, esteemed sir, this old beggar deeply resonates with!"

Similarly, the old beggar knew that Ji Yuan was certainly human, but definitely not a cultivator from Yu Huai Mountain. Master Ji lacked the subtle "noble aura" often found in ordinary cultivators.

"So, old sir, you are indeed here for the Water and Land Dharma Assembly?"

Ji Yuan looked at the beggar, who also showed no signs of divine power or magical radiance. If it weren't for Ji Yuan's special "dharma eyes" that could perceive the subtle flow of Dao essence around him, he might easily have been mistaken for an ordinary person.

"So, Master Ji, you are not here for the Assembly?"

The old beggar likewise looked at Ji Yuan.

"Naturally, I am not."

Noticing that the old beggar offered no further revelations, Ji Yuan simply replied and continued sipping his tea, listening intently to the storyteller's captivating narration inside the teahouse. The story had reached a thrilling climax, and just as the old beggar was about to speak again, Ji Yuan instinctively raised his left hand to silence him.

Only when General Huang's pivotal battle at Dongshan concluded did Ji Yuan finish his cup of tea. He then picked up the teapot and refilled his own cup and the old beggar's.

While Ji Yuan listened to the story, the old beggar had been closely observing him. He realized that Ji Yuan wasn't merely putting on a show but was genuinely engrossed, which piqued his curiosity even further.

"Master Ji, are you interested in such mundane stories?"

Ji Yuan smiled.

"The myriad facets of the mortal world are all contained within them, full of delightful and inexplicable wonders."

He spoke in a seemingly profound manner, but in truth, he simply found them entertaining when he was bored.

The young beggar ate pastries while listening to the two converse. Although much of the conversation went over his head, he was happy with his treats. Ji Yuan and the old beggar chatted desultorily, mostly on the topic of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, yet carefully avoided any explicit mention of demons or spirits.

Both understood that the other was a righteous cultivator with a significant level of attainment. Their chance encounter was fated, and there was a unspoken understanding of meeting without probing backgrounds and chatting without disturbing peace.

Inside the teahouse, some individual patrons, the consistently enthusiastic tea server, and even passersby on the street instinctively cast glances at this peculiar group. They were simply too conspicuous and unusual.

The sight of the dirty, disheveled old beggar and the refined Ji Yuan sharing a single bench, yet appearing remarkably harmonious, was particularly striking. Both, one holding a cup and the other a teacup, seemed perfectly at ease as they drank tea and chatted.

The proprietor of the Green Leaf Teahouse also peered from the doorway, a thoughtful expression on his face.

'His Majesty has proclaimed the Water and Land Dharma Assembly to the world; it seems truly eminent figures are gathering after all...'