I made the entire cultivation world cry

Chapter 190 The Immortal in the Pillow (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Jiang Yi's sign was hung up. The next morning, Xiao Wujiu went out to walk his geese and came back with the aunt with the blue headscarf he had seen at the village entrance the day before.

Once a person starts struggling to make a living, they really can't be lazy anymore.

"I didn't realize you were a renowned Taoist doctor yesterday. Doctor, you must help that old man Liu! He's been sleeping soundly at home all day. It's spring planting season, and he hasn't even weeded his fields yet. If this continues, I think he'll pass out."

Aunt Wang was still holding the unfinished shoe sole in her hand. She lived next door to Old Liu. Old Liu's house was unkempt, and the stench wafted into her house every day. She went there every day to scold him, just to make sure that Old Liu was still alive.

The neighbors tried everything they could, but nothing worked. If they said he was trying to kill himself, he would at least eat something; if they said he wanted to live, he would just sleep all day and do nothing.

After hearing what Xiao Wujiu said today, Aunt Wang decided to give it a try and came along.

The words "unconscious" pierced Jiang Yi's heart like needles. She was extremely sensitive to such matters, and the Dream Immortal Sect's spread among mortals was indeed ubiquitous.

"Take me to see it."

Passing through several vegetable plots, Old Liu's thatched hut stood out starkly next to Aunt Wang's imposing blue-brick courtyard.

Before she even got close, a musty smell mixed with the sour stench of spoiled rice hit her, making Jiang Yi frown slightly.

Pushing open the door and entering the yard, one finds weeds growing wildly, almost reaching ankle height. A few rats, startled, scurried into a hole in the corner of the wall.

The room was even dirtier and messier. Half a steamed bun on the kang table had long been moldy. Under the tattered quilt, Old Liu's face was ashen but his lips were smiling as he was lost in a dream.

However, amidst this mess, the shrine in the corner remained spotless.

Incense smoke curled in front of the three memorial tablets, and the outlines of the deities covered by red cloth were faintly visible.

Jiang Yi's eyes narrowed, and an unnamed rage suddenly surged in her heart. She took three steps forward and ripped off the red cloth.

The wooden statue was of a plump old man holding a wooden pillow, with a kind and smiling face. He sat on a lotus throne, exuding a dignified and solemn aura.

Two lines of gilded characters were engraved on the pillow in the old man's arms.

May the Pillow Fairy bestow blessings and may your dreams come true.

She truly is a fairy in my pillow!

Jiang Yi turned to look at Aunt Wang and Xiao Wujiu. Aunt Wang looked blank, and Xiao Wujiu didn't care at all.

"Didn't your local temples tell you that you shouldn't worship the Pillow Immortal? That's heresy!"

Aunt Wang said nonchalantly, "I told them, but in our poor, remote area, those Taoist priests never come here. Nobody knows if we pray to them. Besides, the Pillow Immortal is quite good. If someone's child has a nightmare, praying to him will help them get a good night's sleep. It's very effective, at least more effective than praying to Taoist Yan."

Jiang Yi chuckled. Of course it works! Otherwise, how could more people come to worship? It's precisely because the incense offerings of the mortal immortals are woven into a vast, ubiquitous network that the demonized dream beast can appear at any time and be omnipresent.

Xiao Wujiu shrugged. "Anyway... I've never done it."

Jiang Yi looked at the unconscious Old Man Liu, a hint of murderous intent flashing in her eyes. Just as she was about to step over, Xiao Wujiu suddenly raised his arm to stop her.

"Um... cousin, he's a pitiful person too. He just wants a good night's sleep, he doesn't have any other thoughts, please don't..."

"Get out of the way. Whether it's a good night's sleep or not, I'll judge for myself!"

Jiang Yi walked to the bedside and sat down. An invisible aura emanated from his body, and his divine sense directly invaded Old Man Liu's dream.

Her cultivation was partially sealed, but that didn't prevent her from entering dreams.

The scene before me rippled like water, gradually becoming clearer. Under the warm spring sun, a simple yet tidy courtyard appeared before me.

Old Liu sat in a rattan chair, weaving a bamboo basket in his hands, his rough fingers deftly turning the green bamboo strips.

A five- or six-year-old grandson was squatting beside him, with a round face and bright eyes.

"Grandpa, can I put crickets in this basket after it's finished?" the child asked in a childish voice.

Old Liu's eyes crinkled with laughter. "Yes, of course! When it gets warm, Grandpa will take Xiaobao to the paddy field to catch the biggest cricket!"

The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen. Old Liu's son rolled up his sleeves and brought out a plate of freshly cooked scrambled eggs with chives. The golden egg pieces were coated with bright green chives, and the oil smelled wonderful.

The daughter-in-law followed behind, holding a bowl of steaming wild vegetable soup, and greeted him gently, "Dad, Xiaobao, dinner's ready."

"Hey! They're here!" Old Liu put down his bamboo basket, took his grandson's hand, and led him into the house.

At the dinner table, the son poured half a cup of homemade rice wine for Old Man Liu, saying, "Dad, have a taste. This one is more mellow than the last one."

Old Liu took a sip, squinted his eyes, and savored the taste. "Hmm, it's not bad."

The little grandson clung to the edge of the table, gazing longingly at the wine glass. "Grandpa, I want to drink too!"

“Children shouldn’t drink alcohol,” the daughter-in-law said with a smile, putting a piece of egg into the baby’s bowl. “Eat more vegetables so you can grow tall.”

Old Liu patted his grandson's head and said affectionately, "When you grow up, Grandpa will teach you how to brew even better wine."

Jiang Yi stood quietly under the pear tree in the corner of the courtyard, watching this scene. She suddenly remembered the three memorial tablets on the shrine.

Ugh……

Jiang Yi sighed softly. A gentle breeze swept by, and pear blossoms fluttered down.

Old Liu seemed to sense something, looked up at Jiang Yi under the tree, a glimmer of clarity flashing in his cloudy eyes, and the laughing people at the table instantly froze like statues. "You... are you here to take me away?" Old Liu knocked over his wine bowl, stood up and asked in a trembling voice.

Old Liu mistook Jiang Yi for a messenger from the underworld who would take away souls.

Jiang Yi stared at him, silent.

Old Liu's lips trembled, and it took him a long time to make a sound.

"I knew all along... it was all a dream."

Old Liu's voice choked with sobs, "My son and daughter-in-law... went to town to sell grain that year, encountered bandits, and never came back... leaving only Xiaobao with me... I'm useless... I can't even take care of a child... Last winter, Xiaobao had a high fever and didn't make it..."

His voice grew softer and softer until it finally turned into a sob.

"I'm afraid to wake up... afraid of waking up to an empty room... I'm even more terrified of seeing them... I have no face to share this with..."

The nameless anger that had filled his heart dissipated, leaving only a deep sense of powerlessness and sighs. Jiang Yi hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I’m not here to take your life. Your son asked me to pass on a message to you. He said… Dad, I don’t blame you.”

Old Liu shuddered, tears streaming down his face like a burst dam. He curled up like a child and wept bitterly.

"It's not my fault, he said it's not my fault..."

In that cry, there was both years of pent-up guilt and the relief of finally letting go.

Some people spend their entire lives waiting for this sentence.
Do not blame you.

……

After leaving the dream, Jiang Yi glanced deeply at the statue of the Immortal in the Pillow in the shrine, said nothing, and left alone.

Old Liu slowly woke up, "Water...I want to drink water...I want to live..."

Seeing this, Aunt Wang looked in astonishment in the direction Jiang Yi had left, "A miracle doctor! He just sat there, closed his eyes, and cured her without even prescribing any medicine! Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

Jiang Yi stood on the edge of the field, gazing at the rice seedlings in deep thought. The Dream Immortal Sect had struck at the heart of people's hearts; whether mortals or cultivators, they were all easily drawn into a false dream.

Even knowing it's fake, they're unwilling to break free.

Uprooting such a thing is no easy task; she might not be able to do it in her lifetime.

After all, what she had to fight against was the human heart.

A 'cawing' sound came from behind. Xiao Wujiu slowly followed with Bai Yu. Bai Yu held his head high and puffed out his chest, as if he had just performed a great service at Old Liu's house, showing off his power.

"Senior doesn't seem happy?" When they were alone, Xiao Wujiu still addressed her as "Senior".

Jiang Yi was silent for a moment, then said, "I was just thinking, is Old Liu's 'illness' really an illness, and how should similar illnesses be treated?"

"What do you mean, senior?"

"He was not harmed by evil spirits, nor was he forced by external forces; he simply did not want to wake up."

Xiao Wujiu smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "In this life, what often traps us is not external things, but our own hearts. Old Liu is like this, and cultivators... must be the same."

Jiang Yi did not answer, but her eyes flickered slightly, clearly indicating that her words had struck a nerve.

Xiao Wujiu didn't press further, but simply looked up at the sky and said leisurely, "Actually, whether one cultivates the Tao or lives in the mortal world, in the end, one must face oneself. Too much attachment can easily trap one. If you can't control it, then don't; if you can't cure it, then don't. It's simple."

“You see things very clearly.” Jiang Yi glanced at him. “If you really want to live, there might be a way. You can let me try first.”

Xiao Wujiu shook his head, his tone relaxed, "I've already finished carving the inscription..."

Jiang Yi didn't reply and turned to continue walking forward.

Bai Yu let out a 'caw', abandoned Xiao Wujiu, and followed Jiang Yi.

Xiao Wujiu stood there, watching her back, and muttered to himself, "Who says immortality means no troubles? It's better to be a mortal."

A mountain breeze blows, and the rice seedlings in the fields sway gently.

Jiang Yi became famous. Before she even returned to Xiao Wujiu's courtyard, the name of the miracle doctor had spread throughout Quanshui Village.

The intelligence network at the village entrance should not be underestimated!
Looking at the villagers who came seeking medical help, Jiang Yi felt a headache coming on.

Left with no other choice, she could only summon Xiao Wujiu and have him screen a few people each day, refusing to treat ordinary, life-threatening illnesses.

The consultation fee was also set by Xiao Wujiu, and considered as tuition for learning the zither from him.

A zither, a sword, and a pot of wine, wandering the clouds on a crane's back—this is the immortal cultivation life she yearns for, a scene that stirs ripples in her stagnant heart whenever she thinks of it.

She's determined to learn this instrument.

(End of this chapter)