Chapter 63: The Wonderful Word "Fate"

Today was the fourth day of the fifth lunar month.

Soon, Ji Yuan felt the light above him dim, as large rain clouds had already drifted over.

Rumble...

Another violent clap of thunder sounded, and lightning, like a super-powerful camera shutter, illuminated the already dim earth beneath the dark clouds, just before the thunder.

Whoosh... whoosh...

Outside in the wilderness, the wind preceded the rain, sweeping up dust and vegetation. However, the small rock cave where Ji Yuan was located was somewhat special. The rock walls on both sides blocked much of the wind, and combined with the sloping angle above, it created a surprisingly calm situation inside the cave, even as the wind raged just a few yards away.

“It looks like it’s going to rain heavily!”

Ji Yuan smiled, reached into his satchel, and the next second, his smile froze.

He grabbed the satchel, opened it, looked through it, and rummaged around. Finally, he found four fresh dates in a corner, but nothing else.

‘I’ve actually eaten all the dates?’

Scratching his slightly itchy scalp, Ji Yuan truly felt that he might have stayed there for a bit too long this time. After all, hunger was a very real problem.

“Oh dear… these dates weren't easy to come by, and they really helped with hunger. I had planned to ration them, but who would have thought, how long has it only been…”

Just as he was sighing, Ji Yuan's ear twitched. He heard a sound that was different from the wind.

Ji Yuan looked to his left, following the sound. He couldn't see clearly through the blur, but it confirmed that he hadn't misheard; someone was indeed approaching.

‘Someone would come to a place like this? It seems they turned off the main road!’

Before long, the sound of the approaching people was clearly audible. He could see three individuals, driving a carriage and leading two horses, hurrying towards the rock wall mound.

“Ahead is Wolong Cliff! Hurry, hurry! Before the rain starts, let’s quickly get there and take shelter!”

“Hurry up, Zhuzi, Yulian! Get off the carriage so it can move faster.”

Shouts and the crack of a whip occasionally reached him. They sounded like people specifically coming to take shelter from the rain.

Listening to their words, Ji Yuan re-examined the pea-shaped rock shelter where he was.

“Wolong Cliff? How on earth does this place resemble a crouching dragon?”

A moment later, the group driving the carriage finally reached the vicinity of the so-called Wolong Cliff.

Naturally, everyone in the group noticed a person at the other end of the cave, resting his head on a satchel and watching them. An elder in the group, possibly over fifty, cupped his hands slightly towards Ji Yuan in greeting. Ji Yuan, truly not wanting to get up, simply held his book and lightly cupped his hands in return.

Neither side spoke. Ji Yuan watched them hurriedly drive the carriage close to the opening of the rock cave. Two sturdy men immediately and skillfully took a pointed wooden stake and a mallet from the carriage and began driving in a hitching post nearby.

After a good while of work, they finally secured the carriage and the three horses by the cave. The group then relaxed, and those who had been outside or had dismounted from the carriage all settled down inside the cave.

There were seven people in total: the elder who had greeted Ji Yuan, two young sturdy men, a woman who was also not young, a girl of sixteen or seventeen, and two small boys. The youngest boy was even smaller than Yin Qing, and the older one appeared to be thirteen or fourteen.

Ji Yuan's gaze swept over the three horses, then glanced at the people who had taken shelter inside the rock wall. Finding nothing of particular interest, he resumed reading his book.

Rumble...

The thunder rumbled again. About a dozen breaths later, a torrential downpour cascaded down to the earth with a rush. Although the outside world grew louder, there was a strange sensation of the world suddenly becoming quiet.

“Oh, we almost didn’t make it! This road has no village ahead and no inn behind, but thankfully, we weren't far from Wolong Cliff!”

The elder in the group said this with a relaxed tone, and the seven people sat there chatting.

“Uncle Zhong, how long will this rain last?”

“These sudden, torrential thunderstorms are common this time of year. They come quickly and go quickly. I expect it will stop in an hour at most.”

“Great-uncle, great-uncle, there’s still someone lying over there! He’s not moving at all, and he’s sleeping on such dirty ground. Is he a beggar?”

One of the small boys said, pointing at Ji Yuan.

“Child, don’t point fingers at others! We are all just travelers taking shelter from the rain!”

The elder, surnamed Zhong, reprimanded him with a slightly stern tone.

However, the little boy’s words made Ji Yuan glance at himself. At least his clothes were intact; any sloppiness was only relative to his former self, so it shouldn't be an exaggeration… right? How could he possibly resemble a beggar?

“Heh heh heh… called a beggar again~!”

Ji Yuan chuckled somewhat nervously, mainly recalling his own bewildered self from before, and also thinking of a certain scene from his previous life where Stephen Chow played Tang Bohu. It was truly a case of “My mood today is vastly different!”

Unfortunately, reality did not align with what the elder, surnamed Zhong, had said. The rain only began to subside an hour and a half later, turning from a heavy downpour to a drizzle, showing signs of stopping. Most of the people in the cave, except for Ji Yuan, were drowsy.

“Oh, someone’s coming through the rain!”

At one end of the cave, which had been quiet for a while, the little boy’s voice piped up again.

“Goodness, they’re walking so slowly, they must be soaked!”

Someone else agreed.

Ji Yuan frowned, temporarily put down his book, and looked out into the rain. Through the hazy curtain, an elder, dressed in a round-collared long gown with a straight, open-front outer robe, was slowly approaching the rock wall.

Not only could Ji Yuan see this person clearly, but he also couldn't hear the sound of rain falling on him. Yet, as the person drew closer, it was clear that their clothes were already wet.

Ji Yuan instinctively looked at the seven people in the opposite corner of the cave, hoping it wasn't a bad situation.

The newcomer seemed to be in good spirits, strolling through the rain to the edge of the cave. He suddenly paused, fixing his gaze on Ji Yuan, as if only just noticing his presence. Ji Yuan, meanwhile, had already sat up, holding his book.

Their eyes met. Two breaths later, the person in the rain smiled and, still standing in the rain, cupped his hands towards Ji Yuan. Ji Yuan, feeling a slight relief, also smiled and returned the gesture.

The person in the rain ambled closer, stepped into the shelter of the rock wall, then walked to the front of the cave. He simply nodded and smiled at the seven people whose eyes were curiously fixed on him, before walking directly towards Ji Yuan.

His voice arrived before he did.

“Sir, you certainly have a refined taste!”

The man’s gaze had already meticulously scanned Ji Yuan from head to toe. The dust on his clothes and his somewhat disheveled hair indicated that Ji Yuan had been lying there for quite some time.

Ji Yuan also observed the newcomer carefully. He was of average height with a straight posture. Beneath his square cap, his beard and eyebrows were long. His eyes were clear and full of spirit. He didn't look eighty, but his face suggested he was over sixty. Hearing the man’s words, which could have been either a compliment or a tease, Ji Yuan responded with a smile.

“Haha… I’m merely taking a short rest here. As for refined taste, it pales in comparison to your carefree stroll in the rain.”

As Ji Yuan spoke, his peripheral vision was still focused on the water dripping from the man’s clothes. He could hear his footsteps and the sound of the water hitting the ground, and the wetness on his clothes didn’t seem fake.

The newcomer was certainly not ordinary, but Ji Yuan couldn't discern if he was a god, a demon, or an immortal. Internally, Ji Yuan was far from as calm as he appeared.

The newcomer's leisure, however, was not feigned. He slowly walked up to Ji Yuan and glanced at the book in his hands, his eyes seemingly widening slightly.

“Tales of the Outer Path? That’s a miscellaneous book from ages ago! Do you mind if I sit next to you?”

“Please, make yourself comfortable, Sir.”

Even if he did mind, it wasn't an appropriate situation to say so.

The old man sat about a foot away from Ji Yuan. The rainwater from his body flowed from where he sat, pooling towards Ji Yuan. Ji Yuan, however, genuinely didn't mind. Seeing that the man had no immediate intention of speaking, Ji Yuan naturally didn't initiate conversation either. He picked up his book, pretending to continue reading, while most of his attention was on the other person.

One of them absently read his book, while the other gazed at the rain outside the cave. A brief silence settled between them.

“Great-uncle, what are they doing?”

“Shh… don’t talk nonsense! Everyone, pack up. We’ll leave once the rain stops…”

The elder, surnamed Zhong, lowered his voice considerably, seemingly having sensed that something was amiss. As he spoke, he gestured for the two sturdy young men to go and pull out the hitching posts.

Older generations often said that unnatural winds and malevolent rains made it easy to encounter mountain spirits and goblins. In this wilderness, the newcomer didn't seem normal, and now it appeared the one already there wasn't normal either. Indeed, in this situation, apart from the youngest child who felt curious, everyone else quickly developed a strong sense of fear. The simple wisdom of common folk might not always be entirely correct, but it certainly avoided many misfortunes and evils. Such a reaction at that moment might be hard for many who haven't experienced it to imagine. In Ji Yuan’s previous life, many would surely have cursed them for being foolish.

The cave grew very quiet, with only the gradually thinning sound of rain audible from outside. After about another quarter of an hour, the rain gradually ceased. The seven people at the other end of the cave quickly, led by the elder, led their horses and drove their carriage away in a hurry.

Ji Yuan naturally wished for the seven people to leave quickly at that moment. Yet, seeing how decisively they departed, Ji Yuan couldn’t help but lament inwardly:

The word 'fate' is truly wondrous. Some spend their entire lives and never encounter the mystical things they seek, while others stumble upon them unexpectedly, yet are filled with fear and dread. Perhaps the regret will only ferment later.