Why did you provoke me?

The next day, after breakfast, Yu Meng strolled over to the gatehouse.

The gatehouse was simple, with only a simple table and two chairs. At the lame man's request, a single bed was bought for him and placed in the corner.

The cripple looked at Yu Meng in surprise as she entered. So early, is something wrong?

Yu Meng came in, pulled up a chair, and sat by the window. "When are you planning to leave?"

The cripple paused for a moment, then said, "I didn't say I was leaving. I'm fine here."

"But we have no reason to give you a reason to retire in your old age."

"I won't cause you any trouble, and being a doorman is much better than that mute beast."

"That reason won't work." Yu Meng's cold face was very serious.

The lame man scratched his head, looking dejected. "How about I give you one of my little pouches?"

"No, ordinary ones won't work for me." Yu Meng tugged at her small backpack. "Besides, I have one."

The tentacles of the Tyrant Lines stretched out, circled around, and then retracted.

"You lifted the restrictions on me back then, isn't it enough that I repay that debt of gratitude?"

Yu Meng remained unmoved, saying, "Then your repayment of this favor is rather perfunctory."

The lame man sat on the bed with his head drooping, and it took him a long time to raise his head. "So what do you want to know?"

Yu Meng dusted off imaginary dust from her clothes. "Tell me something you know, but I don't."

The cripple glared at Yu Meng and said, "Listen to what you're saying! You don't know? How would I know what you don't know?"

With such intense gazes, it's hard to ignore their dreams.

After clearing her throat, Yu Meng spoke softly, "I heard there are five people with you. Tell me about their current situation!"

The cripple stood there motionless, his throat tight. "What did you say? I don't know."

"Can't you say?"

The cripple finally nodded. "I don't know."

"Tell me something you know," Yu Meng said, not pressing the question further. Instead, she changed the subject. "For example, talk about yourself."

"What's there to say? Just look at how unhappy I am now."

"You look miserable, but your demeanor tells me that you are at peace and even satisfied with everything." Yu Meng exposed his pretense.

The cripple's head drooped again, and he sighed, "My first half of life can be summed up in this body. He's disabled, he's had his share of misfortunes, and he paid the price for his choices. But since I met you, I know my second half of life will be peaceful."

The cripple spoke very emotionally, but Yu Meng didn't completely believe him. No one knew how trustworthy the words of someone who had lived for so long could be.

"You can predict other people's fortunes, yet you can't avoid them yourself. Do you think I'd believe that?"

"Teacher Yu, knowing is one thing, but being able to avoid it is another." The cripple said this very seriously.

Yu Meng scoffed, "You have to put it this way: knowing is one thing, but whether you want to avoid it is another."

The lame man blushed. "Young lady, it's always good to leave some things unsaid. Don't always reopen old wounds."

"So, what I said earlier was true."

The lame man choked for a moment, "I have my reasons for doing that."

"Well, I'm not commenting on whether your choice was right or wrong. I just want to know a bit about the past, like what's the deal with the fairy pets in your drawings?"

The lame man remained silent for a long time before finally raising his head. "Why do you call it a celestial pet?"

"It wasn't me who called it that; it was those of you who possess it. Did you bring it with you when you came?"

The lame man shook his head. "It wasn't us."

Yu Meng frowned. "If it wasn't you, then were there other people who came as well? Or is it someone who was born and raised here?"

The cripple's face turned serious. "Yu Meng, sometimes, hiding your true self is the only way to live longer."

"Have you forgotten how we met? Is this something I'm hiding now?" Yu Meng's voice rang out, her tone full of resentment.

The cripple pursed his lips. "I don't know how you did it, but I know others can't do it. They can't kill this so-called immortal pet."

Yu Meng raised an eyebrow. "Is it really that difficult?"

The lame man nodded seriously. "If it were easy, no one would want to be controlled by others."

"If a bone painter can't do it, then a spirit-possessing master won't do it either?"

The cripple gave a bitter smile. "There are only a few spirit mediums in this world who wouldn't help us blood packs. Most likely, they might even be accomplices."

By the end, the lame man could no longer hide the hatred in his voice.

Yu Meng said softly, "I've been waiting all this time, waiting for you to call your relatives and friends over so I can treat you."

The cripple gave a bitter smile. "If I had met you ten years ago, I would have called everyone I knew over. But now, I just hope you live a good life."

"Senior, you have traveled the human world and must have seen many things. Why don't you tell us about the things you can talk about?"

"Among those people in this melting pot, how many still retain their original colors? This place is a pure land in my eyes. I'm willing to spend the rest of my life protecting it," the cripple said, revealing his purpose.

Yu Meng chuckled, "This isn't a pure land, and it doesn't need anyone to protect it. It exists as long as someone needs it, and it will dissipate when no one needs it. I'm not a sentimental person; after all, you get tired of staying in one place for too long."

Yu Meng was telling him that this place was no different from any other; as long as I was here, it would remain. If I were to leave one day, there would be no point in him staying here.

Clearly, the cripple understood Yu Meng's meaning, and he changed the subject.

"In the beginning, women used their threads to peel dough and make utensils. If they had any good stuff, they would make medicine. Men used their threads to fight. The things women made were basically for them. Back then, the world was very chaotic. Wild beasts roamed the land. In some villages, not a single person was left overnight. Coupled with the silent invasion of aliens, it was very, very difficult to survive back then." The cripple seemed to have returned to the past.

"But now it seems that the methods for men to obtain physiques have been monopolized by certain individuals. Ordinary people seem to have no access to them anymore," Yu Meng continued the conversation.

"It wasn't that it was monopolized by someone else. For the sake of their descendants, they fought to the last man against the force that possessed the immortal pet. They all died in that war, and that's when the lineage ended." The cripple was shrouded in a deep sorrow as he spoke.

Yu Meng hadn't expected things to turn out this way. After a long pause, she said, "This matter doesn't seem to be recorded."

The cripple gave a bitter smile. "There are no records because they all died in the end, and their descendants were hunted down. Apart from a few of us who survived, no one knows anything about them anymore."

Yu Meng suddenly remembered the people from the Yama Palace she had encountered in the dense forest. Their features were very strong, and they were skilled in combat. Perhaps their Yama Palace possessed a complete lineage.

Yu Meng looked at the cripple and asked, "Do you know an organization called Yan Dian?"

Upon hearing the name Yan Dian, the cripple suddenly stood up, his voice trembling, "You actually know Yan Dian?"

"I've only met a few of their people, and we haven't had any interaction." Yu Meng wasn't lying.

The cripple sat back on the bed, took something from his small pocket, and put it in his mouth. Then he said, "The Yan Palace was a very powerful force, but for some reason, it fell apart overnight. In the end, it faded from people's sight."