Reborn in 2006, I met Mr. Zhou from the past.

The two met while traveling in their youth and were almost conscripted. They escaped and lived in the deep mountains for over a year. During that time, they found a small cave to practice their spiritual disciplines and forged a deep friendship. They never missed their daily practice and often exchanged insights on their spiritual journey. Sometimes they would argue heatedly over a point of view, and other times they would laugh heartily. On their path of spiritual practice, they remained steadfast and never wavered.

Later, they encountered hunters and emerged from the deep mountains. Before parting, they made a pact to compete once they reached a certain level of cultivation to see who was superior. The time was set for once every thirty years, and the first two times they were evenly matched.

But the third time, something unexpected happened.

They fought from day to night without a clear winner. The duel finally ended when Master Juyuan voluntarily conceded defeat.

Ju Yuan voluntarily conceded defeat not because he was incapable, but because he sensed that his time was running out and there was no point in continuing the competition.

Miao Xuan was furious and didn't notice Ju Yuan's discomfort. She insisted on winning, determined to fight to the death. In the end, Ju Yuan could only persist, but she also brought out her trump card—whoever could rescue the soul trapped in the strange space between Yin and Yang, or bring it back to life, would be the winner.

Miao Xuan was intimidated by Ju Yuan's life-risking attitude, but she still agreed to the proposal.

In the end, the ghost they rescued together turned out to be a woman. They saw that she was not destined to die, that she was pure and kind-hearted, and that she had accumulated good fortune in marriage. So, the two of them worked together to give the woman a new life.

As a result, Master Juyuan passed away on the spot.

……

On the way down the mountain, Su Fengnan's mind was still echoing with Master Miaoxuan's words: "This magical artifact is destined for the young benefactor. Since Master Juyuan asked me to give it to you, besides stabilizing your soul, it can also bring good fortune and ward off evil. You must keep it safe."

"Thank you, Daoist Master. Is there anything I can do for you? Or... is there anything you need me to do? Please advise me."

"You don't need to do anything. Just follow your heart, go with your heart, and stay true to yourself."

"Thank you, Taoist priest."

That's right. For highly accomplished individuals like Master Miaoxuan and Master Juyuan, they wouldn't form a connection with someone who isn't destined to be with them; and since they've already done so, they don't care about expecting anything in return.

Su Fengnan never expected that her rebirth was due to a battle between two powerful beings. She gave a bitter smile; fate was truly playing tricks on her.

Regardless, she was a beneficiary. She felt nothing but gratitude.

She looked down at the Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist. The material seemed to be jade, dark green in color. She counted them; there were 21 beads in total.

Suddenly, she seemed to understand something.

Isn't this a symbol of "perfect merit" and "rebirth from the ashes"? It seems that Master Juyuan truly achieved perfect merit in the end, which is why he gave these prayer beads to those with affinity.

This is what they call "seeing the Buddha through to the Western Paradise," right?

At this moment, Su Fengnan touched the Buddhist beads on her wrist, feeling incredibly fortunate to be the lucky one.

After descending the mountain and returning to the city, Su Fengnan ate a few bites of food and then checked into a hotel to rest. The truths she had learned at the Taoist temple were too shocking; she needed to sort out her thoughts.

Lying in bed, a wave of exhaustion washed over her. Su Fengnan closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep without realizing it. The Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist gleamed faintly with a golden light in the dim light.

At this moment, the morning sun was blazing in Zijiang County. The car rally was in full swing, and this contest of speed and passion attracted more attention than ever before.

Outside the competition's safety line, the atmosphere was bustling with noise.

"Ye Hua, can you share some of the photos with me? I can help you too." A girl with an unconventional style followed closely behind Ye Hua, her tone full of flattery.

"No need, I already have someone to help me." Ye Hua refused her expressionlessly and decisively.

Not long after, Ye Hua walked over with a camera, followed by a pretty girl. Ning Xiaojun glanced at the two of them, her expression full of anticipation, and asked directly, "Ye Hua, is this your girlfriend?"

"Not now, but soon. I'm pursuing her." Before Ye Hua could speak, the girl next to him answered first, her tone frank.

Ning Xiaojun was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Ye Hua, you're something else, having beautiful women chasing after you. Why don't you just give in? They're being so proactive."

"Ning Xiaojun..." Ye Hua glared at her through gritted teeth.

Sensing the murderous intent in Ye Hua's eyes, Ning Xiaojun immediately raised her hands in surrender: "Okay, okay, stop killing me with your eyes, I won't say anything more, alright?"

Seeing that Ning Xiaojun had stopped looking like she was watching a good show, Ye Hua was satisfied and changed his shooting position with his camera.

On the other side, a girl with unconventional attire approached Ning Xiaojun and struck up a conversation: "Hello, my name is Gu hope. You're Ye Hua's classmate, right?"

"Yes, we're in the same class." Ning Xiaojun nodded.

"Hey classmate, do you know which girl Ye Hua likes in your class?"

Ning Xiaojun looked at Gu hope with suspicion: "Who told you that? I haven't noticed who he likes. Girls from other classes have given him love letters, though."

Gu hope's heart tightened. She'd been restless ever since Xiao Huangmei mentioned that Ye Hua was paying close attention to a girl in their class; she'd wanted to find out more. Anyone daring to compete with her for that girl was a rival in love.

"Oh, I heard it from a classmate. You haven't heard of it?" Gu hope asked tentatively.

"Ning Xiaojun, come here for a moment."

When Ye Hua saw Gu Xi whispering to Ning Xiaojun, she instinctively felt it wasn't a good thing and quickly called out to stop her.

"Wait a minute, Ye Hua is calling me." Ning Xiaojun greeted Gu hope and quickly walked up to Ye Hua.

Ye Hua handed her his backpack, explaining that the photos were inside and asking her to take them and process them. A short while later, Liu Tao and Wang Bo arrived. The three found an open space, spread out a cloth, and set up their stall.

As soon as I took out the photo, a girl came over and said, "Hey, this is Lzy's photo, he's so handsome!"

"If you like them, we'll sell them cheaply, 20 yuan each." Ning Xiaojun immediately started her sales pitch.

"Oh, really? Then I'll take two!"

"Alright, pick which two you want."

As soon as the girl finished buying and left, a group of people, especially young male and female students, gathered around the road next to her, instantly crowding the stall.

Within half an hour of opening, a bunch of photos were snapped up.

When the three of them packed up and went to meet Ye Hua, what they saw was Gu hope handing Ye Hua water, snacks, and tissues, being extremely attentive.

Wang Bo nudged Liu Tao with his elbow and asked in a low voice, "Hey, do you think Brother Ye will agree to this girl's advances?"

Liu Tao glanced at him as if he were an idiot: "Hmph, don't you really know who Brother Ye likes?"

"Who does Ye Hua like?" Ning Xiaojun happened to walk up behind them and whispered a question.

Wang Bo turned around: "You don't know either?"

"What should I know?" Ning Xiaojun asked, her face full of confusion.

Liu Tao sighed, even more speechless. Too lazy to pay attention to these two slow-witted guys, she walked straight towards Ye Hua.

"Hey, Liu Tao, just tell me!" Ning Xiaojun followed behind, her curiosity completely piqued, wanting to know who Ye Hua liked.