The white-bearded old man seemed to sense Wen Qingya's wariness, yet, unexpectedly, he simply gave her a friendly smile.
With a gentle wave of his hand, the internal and external injuries Wen Qingya had accumulated were miraculously healed on the spot!
She was stunned. Such power—comparable to the divine skills of a saint! Even the mighty Zhun Ti might not surpass this. Her vigilance faded, and she fully relaxed.
If this old man were an enemy, I'd already be dead. After all, this is only my avatar. Since I'm still alive… he must be either an ally—or at least not hostile.
Just as she was about to express her gratitude with a respectful bow, she noticed the old man winking at her, then glancing meaningfully at Xin Xiaoqi.
She immediately understood. He wants me to keep this low-key—don't let Xin Xiaoqi catch on.
Quickly changing her tone, she said, "Many thanks to the elder."
The old man chuckled and turned to Xin Xiaoqi, pointing at Wen Qingya. "Boy, you're truly blessed to have such a fine girl with you!"
Xin Xiaoqi lit up the moment the old man addressed him, replying eagerly, "Of course! Our Qingya is a goddess—beautiful, graceful, kind, smart—one in a billion!"
Then, without hesitation, he stepped forward to support the old man by the arm.
Wen Qingya scoffed and ignored him. The old man didn't mind the support and, instead, turned to her and said:
"You've got a strong foundation and have weathered many trials. From this day forward, a great fortune may await you."
Before Wen Qingya could respond, Xin Xiaoqi cut in excitedly, "Elder, are you an immortal?"
The old man laughed. "And what if I am? What if I'm not?"
Wen Qingya could tell the elder had taken an interest in Xin Xiaoqi and quietly stepped aside to avoid interrupting.
Xin Xiaoqi, however, grew more intrigued. He asked, "If you really are an immortal, could you gift me some secret martial arts manuals? Or maybe some beautiful attendants or powerful bodyguards?"
Without hesitation, the old man said, "I am indeed an immortal."
The blunt reply left Xin Xiaoqi blinking in disbelief. He tested further, "Then tell me, what do I need most right now?"
The old man chuckled, flicked his sleeve, and let Xin Xiaoqi help him sit down. Stroking his long white beard, he smiled and said:
"What you need most at this moment is… salt, Sichuan peppercorns, and cumin."
Without another word, he produced three small embroidered pouches from who-knows-where and handed them to Xin Xiaoqi.
Xin Xiaoqi blinked, puzzled. "Ah! You're a chef, then? An expert, huh? You can tell meat's missing salt just by smell? Amazing!"
The old man burst into hearty laughter—not clear whether from Xin's comment or self-amusement.
Wen Qingya, fed up, barked coldly, "Stop talking nonsense! Since the elder is here, hurry and season the meat properly. Serve him a good meal!"
Xin Xiaoqi scrambled to comply. "Right, right! Respecting the elderly is important. Here, Elder, have some tender eagle tenderloin—it's freshly roasted. And your spice pouch is really something!"
The old man glanced at him but said nothing. He bit into the meat without hesitation, chewing heartily. "Not bad. Tasty," he muttered between bites.
Seeing this, Xin Xiaoqi suddenly dropped to his knees and kowtowed.
"Great Immortal! It must be fate that we've met! Please, bless me with something—anything!"
The old man paused mid-bite and asked curiously, "Didn't you just call me a chef? Now I'm back to being an immortal?"
Xin Xiaoqi shook his head vigorously. "No, no! See, back in my hometown, old folks all have high blood pressure or diabetes. None of them dare eat meat like this!"
"And besides, judging by your white beard and hair, you must be eighty or ninety by now, right? But your teeth are whiter than toothpaste ads! Plus, you're out here alone in a primordial forest—no ordinary man could manage that!"
He clung to the elder's sleeve, pleading, "Please, give me something! I don't mind becoming your follower or even your servant!"
Wen Qingya nearly choked hearing that. The old man gave Xin a look full of disgust and said impatiently:
"Scram, scram. You called me a great immortal—guess that's not for free."
Xin Xiaoqi nodded rapidly. "Exactly! And you ate my meat too!"
The old man rolled his eyes. "What do you mean your meat? It was eagle meat you roasted. Besides, I gave you salt, pepper, and cumin in return!"
Without waiting for Xin to retort, he waved his hand again. The three spice pouches fused into one elegant embroidered bag and floated into Xin's hands.
But instead of being happy, Xin cried out in protest, "Hey! Why did it merge into one bag? I got shortchanged!"
The old man looked utterly fed up. "Do you still want to eat?"
Xin Xiaoqi quickly backed off, trying to placate him. "It's just that I'm poor, you know? I'm still wearing a bathrobe—I don't even own a proper outfit."
The old man ignored that and suddenly asked, "Tell me, if one day you see someone bullying the weak, would you step in to help?"
Xin Xiaoqi scratched his head. "Depends. Can I beat them? Isn't there a law enforcer nearby—like a cop or something?"
Wen Qingya struggled not to laugh or cry, holding her forehead in silence.
The old man glared.
Seeing that, Xin Xiaoqi hurriedly said, "I mean, I'd help… But you know, I'm not exactly a fighter. I'd help in my own way!"
The old man asked, "What if you step in and realize you can't win—and can't escape either?"
Xin Xiaoqi threw up his hands. "Told you I couldn't win!"
But seeing the elder's eyes fixed on him, he forced a serious answer:
"Well, in that case, I guess I'd lie down and wait for death. If I'm not meant to die, I'll live. If I am, nothing I do can change it."
The old man's beard twitched as he sighed. "Your mindset… is really something."
Xin Xiaoqi rubbed his head and said casually:
"Nothing special. Folks in my hometown always say: if you don't have the means of a Bodhisattva, don't carry a Bodhisattva's heart."
"I don't want either. I just want to survive today, live well tomorrow, and survive every single day."
The old man swallowed the last bite of meat and said calmly, "From now on, if you say one more word—I'll toss you straight into the river."
Startled, Xin Xiaoqi finally looked at the nearby river properly.
What river? It was a raging torrent! The current was more violent than even the Yellow River's Hukou Waterfall. Wide as several Yangtze Rivers combined!
Overwhelmed by awe, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn…"
Before he could finish the word, a flash of white light struck him square in the chest.
Splash! A loud crash as Xin Xiaoqi plunged into the very center of the river.
In an instant, he was buried by thousands of pounds of wild, surging water.
Eyes wide with terror, he gasped, "Oh shi—!"
He didn't even get the last syllable out before everything went black.