Chapter 1087: Red Beans Visit the Mortal World

"Has Mister Chen been well these past few years?"

"My uncle..."

Ruyi thought for a moment before saying, "I saw him a few years ago. He was doing quite well. He didn't even stop for breath while lecturing me."

Zhu Sheng did not know whether to laugh or cry.

It seemed Miss Ruyi had been rather mischievous since childhood.

Yan Nantian stood off to the side, unable to get a word in, and simply offered a dry laugh.

Come to think of it, if Ruyi had not brought it up, he never would have guessed that this Mister Zhu, who seemed so detached from worldly affairs, had actually sold lanterns at a Temple Fair.

What a coincidence.

But then again, Qingshan City was only so big. Ruyi was a local, so it wasn't all that strange for them to know each other.

Ruyi sighed softly. "Speaking of which, when I was little, the thing I looked forward to most besides the New Year was the Temple Fair. It's just that with the constant wars later on, they stopped holding it."

Zhu Sheng nodded slightly. "Yes, once war breaks out, the world is no longer at peace, and the lives of the common people become much bleaker."

Yan Nantian listened, silently committing this to memory before asking, "Were the Temple Fairs in Qingshan City very lively in past years?"

"Very," Ruyi said. "There were so many fun things—guessing lantern riddles, wine stalls, acrobatics, and a lot of jianghu people performing tricks like plunging their bare hands into boiling oil. It was incredibly fun. It was practically..."

Zhu Sheng finished the sentence for her. "A babel of voices."

"Right!"

Only those who had seen it for themselves would describe it that way.

Yan Nantian, however, did not quite understand and pondered this to himself.

A moment later, they found the dying Li Gu, and Zhu Sheng treated his injuries.

Li Gu staggered to his feet. "Many thanks, Mister Zhu."

"You are too polite," Zhu Sheng said with a warm smile.

Li Gu asked, "I wonder, Painter Wu..."

Zhu Sheng said, "He is fine. But he said he was going to pursue the traces of the immortal path and went heading south to seek the Immortal Mountain. He also handed the Painted Scroll over to me."

Hearing this, Yan Nantian's heart skipped a beat. "Painter Wu's skills are peerless. He could have stepped into the ranks of immortals long ago. In truth, I was the one who delayed him."

Zhu Sheng smiled warmly. "Your Highness is kind and magnanimous. That is exactly why Painter Wu came to serve under your command."

"Indeed." Yan Nantian sighed softly. He felt that he truly owed a great deal to these ambitious men.

But it had to be said that Prince Yu's unique charisma truly attracted many to his side. His sense of loyalty was just like that of a jianghu person—never stingy. This was likely related to the time he had spent traveling the jianghu in the past.

Ruyi murmured, "Painting Brought to Life... I've only ever seen that in Master Jin San's storybooks. I never expected such a person to actually exist."

She tilted her head to look at Zhu Sheng and asked, "Mister Zhu, what is the principle behind this? Listening to you two, it seems this Painter Wu is just a mortal?"

Zhu Sheng said, "All things possess a spirit. Ordinary commoners often hang portraits of ghosts and deities in their homes, which can also ward off demons and evil. And when that Art of Painting reaches the pinnacle of perfection, it naturally forms a bridge with the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth, bringing dead brush and ink to life. This is pure skill. Looking across the past several hundred years in this world, such people can be counted on one hand."

Ruyi's eyes widened in astonishment as she muttered, "To think it's that incredible..."

Zhu Sheng smiled and said, "Anyone whose worth is measured not by numbers, but by the weight of their years, is extraordinary."

Driving the horse carriage to the side, Li Gu listened to these words and silently pondered them.

In comparison, he really was lacking by a wide margin.

A figure like Painter Wu, despite never entering the immortal path, was not someone he could ever compare to.

He still needed to work hard.

...

The days in Nanyuan carried on as usual.

Mister Qingshan, sitting cross-legged above the Desolate Sea, breathed in and out, undergoing his Cultivation amidst the alternating cycles of yin and yang.

With every breath, Daoist rhythms surged around him.

Spiritual Energy swept over, forming a vortex above Mister Qingshan's head before pouring into his body.

His Strand of Hair fluttered as the Yin-Yang Qi swept out.

He turned his palms over and slowly pressed them down.

Chen Changsheng opened his eyes, having sensed something.

He paused slightly and pinched his fingers to divine.

"This wretched girl..."

Chen Changsheng sighed helplessly. Now that he saw she was unharmed, his heart relaxed a little.

However, this served as a reminder.

That girl Ruyi was always giving him reason to worry.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Changsheng raised his hand, and a single Red Bean fell into his palm.

The Red Bean transformed into a human shape and looked at Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng said, "I will have to trouble you to take a trip. Pass along a few words to some old friends on behalf of This Chen."

The tiny figure nodded and listened carefully to Chen Changsheng's words.

With a wave of his hand, Chen Changsheng passed a few wisps of Yin-Yang Qi to the tiny figure.

He then drew in a streak of Sword Qi, guiding the tiny figure toward the Mortal World.

With everything settled, Chen Changsheng closed his eyes and resumed his Cultivation.

There were no years in Cultivation. Between the opening and closing of one's eyes, an unknown amount of time could pass.

...

The bewildered tiny figure arrived in the Mortal World.

Its movements seemed a bit stiff as it followed the direction the master had given, walking forward along the river.

An unknown amount of time passed.

The tiny figure walked forward along a tributary of the river.

It wasn't until it saw a willow tree radiating with a demonic aura that it stopped. It verified this against what the master had said, and after confirming it was exactly the same, it walked over.

"What thing are you?"

The willow tree suddenly spoke.

The tiny figure looked up at the willow tree and said, "I have come to visit by the master's orders."

The willow tree paused and asked, "Who is your master?"

"The master's surname is Chen, and his given name is Changsheng."

The willow tree was slightly taken aback and immediately said, "Wait here a moment."

The willow tree then summoned a lesser demon and ordered it to pass on a message.

Before long, Hu Yin, wearing scholar's robes with a fox's head and a human body, walked out from the Demon Market.

Hu Yin looked at the tiny figure, his heart skipping a beat.

Then he heard the tiny figure say, "Are you Demon King Hu Yin?"

Hu Yin hurriedly said, "I wouldn't dare claim such a title. Immortal envoy, you can just call me by my true name."

"I have come to visit by Mister's orders. There is a matter I would like to ask for your help with."

"Please, come in."

Hu Yin respectfully invited it into the market.

Only then did he listen to the reason for the tiny figure's arrival.

It turned out that Mister Chen's niece had encountered a demon in this Mortal World and nearly lost her life. Mister Chen was worried about this, so he sent this tiny figure to pass on a message, asking them to look after her.

Hearing this, Hu Yin nodded repeatedly and said, "Mister showed a great kindness to my Demon Lord. My Demon Market is duty-bound to help with this matter!"

The tiny figure nodded solemnly and said, "Many thanks, Fox Demon King."

Hu Yin nodded slightly, and then heard the tiny figure say, "I still have other places to go, so I won't disturb you any longer, Fox Demon King. Mister is still in seclusion, and said that when he comes out, he will come to visit in person."

Hu Yin hurriedly said, "Mister Chen is too polite. It should be us who go to visit him."

Hu Yin then politely escorted the tiny figure down the mountain.

He watched as the tiny figure walked step by step through the fields, following the river.

Hu Yin couldn't help but marvel at Mister's vast Divine Abilities.

For such a dead object to be transformed into a living spirit.

It truly felt incredible.

And there were the words the tiny figure had left before departing.

He suspected that Mister Chen had likely asked for help from more than just their Demon Market.

Given Mister Chen's connections, then...

He was afraid that no one in this Mortal World would dare to touch that young woman named 'Ruyi'.