If you force me to take the blame, I'll spend a day in jail and gain a year's worth of spi

Lin Xiaoxiao offered Zhang Yu a few more words of gentle comfort, but Zhang Yu remained silent with his eyes closed, as if he were asleep, completely unmoved.

Although she still had some worries, she knew that she couldn't force it.

Everyone has their own destiny, and all she can do is offer her best wishes.

Lin Xiaoxiao sighed softly and said no more.

She turned to the young beggar, Xiao Luo, who had been standing guard to the side, and said softly:

"Xiao Luo, I think this old man... has a knot in his heart that he can't untie in a while."

If you have any free time, please keep an eye on him, lest he... really do something rash.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Luo immediately puffed out his thin chest and nodded vigorously, as if he had received some sacred mission:

"Don't worry, Miss Lin!"

I...I will definitely keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't do anything foolish.

After giving her explanation, Lin Xiaoxiao glanced at the hunched figure huddled in the corner and shook her head slightly.

Then she picked up the empty bucket, turned around, and walked away lightly along the way she had come.

Xiao Luo watched Lin Xiaoxiao's figure disappear around the street corner until she was completely out of sight. He stood on tiptoe and craned his neck to look for a while before reluctantly turning his gaze away.

He kept his promise and found a relatively clean place to sit down near Zhang Yu, but his gaze kept drifting towards the direction Lin Xiaoxiao had left.

"You like Miss Lin?"

A hoarse, dry voice, tinged with a hint of mockery, suddenly rang out, interrupting Xiao Luo's reverie.

Xiao Luo shuddered, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

He turned his head sharply to look at the source of the sound, which was the old beggar.

No, no!

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

Xiao Luo's face instantly turned bright red, like a boiled shrimp, and he waved his hands repeatedly in denial.

But his tone was hurried, his eyes darted around, and his flustered and embarrassed appearance practically screamed "I'm hiding something."

Zhang Yu found it quite amusing to watch the little beggar's naive appearance as he tried so hard to deny it, yet his attempt to cover it up only made it more obvious.

For the past three thousand years, he has disguised himself as a beggar, traveled far and wide, witnessed all aspects of human life, and his heart has long been as still as an ancient well.

The sight of this young boy experiencing his first stirrings of love and his anxieties reminded him of some vivid emotions from his own, almost forgotten, mortal past.

He suddenly became interested and decided to tease the little guy, and also... settle the karma of being "given alms" today?

Zhang Yu adjusted his lying position to make himself more comfortable.

Then, in a tone that was both languid and strangely alluring, he slowly said:

"Young people should dare to love and hate."

If you like something, just like it. Why hide it?

Miss Lin is pretty and kind-hearted. It's only natural that you like her. What's wrong with telling others?

Xiao Luo blushed at Zhang Yu's blunt words, stammering and unable to speak. He could only lower his head, his toes unconsciously grinding the dust on the ground.

Seeing this, Zhang Yu maintained his tone and continued:

"If you really like her, then go for it."

Whether it succeeds or fails, you'll only know by trying.

It's better than silently grieving here and only adding to your troubles.

These words seemed to touch upon the deepest, most hidden thoughts in Xiao Luo's heart.

He remained silent for a long while before raising his head. The embarrassment from before was gone from his face, replaced by a gloom and self-mockery that seemed out of place for his age.

He murmured softly, as if talking to himself:

"What am I going to use to chase after him?"

She is the second young lady of Cangyun Tower. Although the Lin family is not a wealthy and powerful family, they are still a prominent family in Wuwang City. They have no worries about food and clothing and are served by servants.

And what about me?

He tugged at his tattered clothes and said with a wry smile:

"I'm just a little beggar begging on the street."

What...what right do I have to like her?

It's just... wishful thinking.

The boy's words were filled with the helplessness of reality and a deep sense of inferiority.

Zhang Yu listened quietly, a knowing glint that no one else could detect flashing deep within his cloudy old eyes.

He slowly closed his eyes, as if about to fall asleep again, but uttered a sentence in a flat, almost cold tone:

"However, it's no use if you like her."

Miss Lin has a face that suggests an early death; there is a dark aura gathering between her eyebrows, a sign that she is destined to die young.

In my opinion, she...won't live past eighteen.

"What?"

As if struck by lightning, Xiao Luo abruptly raised his head and stared intently at Zhang Yu.

His face was drained of color, and his lips trembled.

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

"How could you...how could you curse Miss Lin like that? She...she was such a good person..."

His first reaction was that the old beggar was talking nonsense, or even a vicious curse.

But looking at Zhang Yu's calm and indifferent expression, a strange chill suddenly shot from the soles of my feet straight to the top of my head.

This old beggar... although strange, his words were so certain that they gave off an eerie feeling that sent chills down one's spine.

Zhang Yu kept his eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to Xiao Luo's pale face and turbulent emotions, and continued unhurriedly:

"If you really like her, then considering your 'good intentions' today, I, the old man, can point you in the right direction."

Perhaps... it might save her life.

He paused, seemingly waiting for Ronaldinho to process what he had said.

However, Zhang Yu changed the subject, sighing in a tone that was both regretful and seemingly indifferent:

"It's a pity you don't even have the courage to admit you like her."

Since that's the case, then let's just forget about it.

After saying that, he actually turned over, his back to Xiao Luo, and stopped talking.

Xiao Luo stood frozen in place, like a clay puppet.

Zhang Yu's words were like a heavy hammer, striking his heart hard.

"Short-lived appearance", "won't live past eighteen", "can save her life"... these words echoed wildly in his mind, weaving together into a chaotic storm.

Does he believe it?

Should he believe it?

Can you trust the words of an old beggar whose origins are unknown, whose behavior is strange, and who seems crazy?

But what if it's true?

Miss Lin... such a kind and beautiful Miss Lin, would she really... die young?

Xiao Luo was torn between his inner conflict and his belief.

Just as Xiao Luo was in a state of utter confusion and inner turmoil, Zhang Yu's hoarse voice rang out again:

"If you believe me, go to the dilapidated temple ten miles south of the city at midnight tonight."

There was a drunken Taoist priest in the temple who could save Miss Lin from her calamity.

"If you don't believe me, just pretend I didn't say anything."

He spoke succinctly and then fell silent, as if he were merely giving an address rather than discussing a matter of life and death.

How do I know if you're lying to me?

Xiao Luo blurted it out almost subconsciously, his voice shrill with excitement and doubt.

The sudden "guidance" jolted him awake, deepening his doubts.

This sounds... just like the tactics of some con artists!

At a specified time and place, find a caretaker (a drunken Taoist priest)?

He stared intently at Zhang Yu's back, trying to discern any flaws or even a hint of guilt from that hunched figure.

However, all that answered him was the empty shadow in the corner and the slightly cool evening breeze blowing across the street corner.

Xiao Luo was stunned. He blinked and realized that the old beggar, who had been lying with his back to him and was dressed in tattered clothes, had disappeared!

Without a sound of footsteps, without getting up, without even a movement of air, it simply vanished into thin air.

It was as if what he had just seen and heard was just an illusion.

"N-It's gone?"

Xiao Luo suddenly stood up, his heart pounding, and he hurriedly looked around.

The streets remained unchanged, pedestrians hurried by, and the afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows from the eaves.

Other beggars squatted or sat, silently eating the little food they had left in their respective corners.

The old beggar who had been basking in the sun in the corner all afternoon had vanished without a trace.

A chill ran down Xiao Luo's spine.

This is something that ordinary people could never do!

Could it be... that I've really encountered the legendary... immortals?

Or... a monster?

The moment this thought arose, it immediately intertwined with the old beggar's assertion that Miss Lin "would not live past eighteen," causing Xiao Luo's face to turn deathly pale.

"If he really is a god... then Miss Lin..."

Xiao Luo dared not think any further; a tremendous sense of panic gripped his heart.

Do not!

Absolutely not!

The boy's clenched fists turned white from the force, and his body trembled slightly, but his eyes, after the initial fear and hesitation, were quickly replaced by an unprecedented determination.

At this moment, Zhang Yu was no longer in Wuwang City.

In that instant when Xiao Luo was filled with excitement, he had already used a small illusion and the supernatural power of shrinking the distance to an inch to quietly leave the corner.

In the blink of an eye, they found themselves on a desolate path dozens of miles outside Wuwang City.

He wasn't annoyed by Ronaldinho's questions, nor was he afraid of anything.

Having reached his level of enlightenment, the joys and sorrows, life and death, fortune and misfortune of ordinary people are no longer able to move his heart.

He simply found it troublesome and didn't want to get too entangled in the karma of these two ordinary young people he had just met.

Pointing out Lin Xiaoxiao's fate and telling her how to resolve it was already out of consideration for that spoonful of leftover porridge and the boy's sincerity, thus ending this karmic connection of being "given alms" and "enlightened" today.

Whether they believe it or not, whether they go or not, and whether they succeed or not, that is their own destiny and choice.

The karmic consequences of worldly affairs are troublesome; the less trouble one has, the better.

He originally planned to continue his journey and find another place to continue being a beggar.

However, he stopped as soon as he took a step.

Two figures appeared silently in the middle of the path ahead.

Zhang Yu was startled at first upon sensing the familiar presence of the two, then a helpless wry smile appeared on his face. He shook his head and sighed:

"What's meant to happen will happen eventually."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two people opposite him, his tone laced with a hint of teasing yet also a subtle seriousness, and slowly said:

"Two... carrier number three?"

"What brings you here today, deliberately blocking our path?"