Chapter 2069: Making a Good Connection

In the deep, silent mountains, where deathly stillness reigned, Ye Chen gazed up at the starry sky, his brows furrowed tightly in silence.

The old man, carrying a child on his back, had a pale face and didn't dare make a sound. His demeanor made it clear he had mistaken Ye Chen for a bandit. His son and daughter-in-law had been killed by bandits, and only he and his grandson had escaped. In that moment, he wanted to flee, but he was too old and frail to manage it. However, in his eyes, this bandit named Ye Chen seemed different from the others—he had blocked their path but hadn't said a word, just stood there staring upward at something unknown.

Could this bandit be waiting for me to offer money voluntarily? the old man thought to himself. But now, he didn't even have food to eat, let alone money.

After a few seconds, he gritted his teeth and reached into his robe, trembling as he pulled out a shriveled steamed bun. It was the last bit of rations for him and his grandson.

"Good sir, please show mercy and spare us, grandfather and grandson," the old man said, holding out the bun with both hands toward Ye Chen, his voice shaking as if begging.

Ye Chen's thoughts were interrupted, and he finally lowered his gaze from the void. Seeing the old man's intention, he smiled and said, "Elder, I'm not a bandit."

Upon hearing this, the old man was stunned for a moment, then grew excited. If he wasn't a bandit, they wouldn't have to give up their food or lose their lives.

"Grandpa, I'm hungry," the child whispered, likely spotting the shriveled bun and swallowing hard. His little belly grumbled loudly—he was clearly starving.

The old man smiled and broke off a piece of the bun for the child, tucking the remaining half back into his robe.

The child was overjoyed, holding the bun with both small hands and burying his head to take a bite. But the bun was so hard it was like gnawing on a bone. Whenever he managed to tear off a small piece, he chewed it vigorously and swallowed it down with effort.

Ye Chen watched, deeply touched. This child wasn't just hungry—he was ravenous, driven mad by starvation. It reminded him so much of his own childhood, when hunger had made him frantic, shoving anything into his mouth—whether it was cockroaches, insects, or roots and bark—just to fill his belly.

In a daze, Ye Chen instinctively reached into his bag and took out a piece of osmanthus cake he had bought earlier in a small town. It tasted pretty good, at least much softer than that shriveled bun.

"Come, eat this," Ye Chen said with a smile, squatting down. He took the bun from the child and handed over the osmanthus cake, then gently patted the child's head.

The child's eyes lit up, mainly because the osmanthus cake gave off a fragrant aroma that made it look delicious.

He was well-behaved and didn't take it right away. Instead, he glanced first at his grandfather.

"Go ahead, eat," the old man said warmly.

Only then did the child take it, and in a filial gesture, he broke the osmanthus cake in half and offered it to the old man. "Grandpa, you eat."

"Grandpa isn't hungry," the old man replied with a kind expression, pushing it back.

Ye Chen watched and coughed awkwardly—he had thought about getting more pieces, but embarrassingly, this was the last one, and he had nothing else to eat.

Ah!

With a sigh, Ye Chen turned and vanished in an instant. Just three seconds later, he zipped back, leaving the old man staring in astonishment, as if he had seen a ghost.

Now, Ye Chen held two mountain chickens in his hands, still dripping with fresh blood. It was obvious he had just caught them. The speed of it all shocked the old man—in his younger days, as a hunter, it would take him several miles of running to catch even one chicken, and he wasn't always successful. But Ye Chen had done it in mere seconds.

"A wanderer of the jianghu?" the old man murmured to himself, still trying to process it.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen got to work. He drew his sword and carved out a stone pot from a rock, along with three stone bowls and a spoon. He built a campfire, set the pot over it, added water, and quickly plucked, gutted, and chopped the chickens into pieces, tossing them into the pot. His movements were incredibly efficient.

Meeting is fate, after all—he figured he should at least give this grandfather and grandson a proper meal.

Soon, the meat soup was boiling, and the aroma filled the mountains.

Not just the child, but even the old man was swallowing hard. He couldn't remember the last time he had smelled meat like this.

"Grandpa, I want to eat meat," the child said, licking his lips.

"Be good," the old man replied, holding the child close, worried he might run over on his own.

"Don't just stand there—come over!" Ye Chen called out from where he was stirring the soup with the spoon.

The old man hesitated for a moment before walking over with the child.

"No seasonings, so it's nothing fancy—just make do," Ye Chen said, ladling out two full bowls, half soup and half chicken meat, steaming hot. He even handed them a pair of chopsticks made from tree branches.

"Thank you," the old man said gratefully, quickly taking the bowls. Though he was starving, he still fed his grandson first, taking a couple of sips himself in between. The child ate voraciously, wolfing it down.

"Don't burn yourself—there's plenty more," Ye Chen said with a smile, not stopping them. He knew all too well what it felt like to be crazed with hunger—who cared about burns or bones when food was in front of you?

The grandfather and grandson ate like there was no tomorrow. The two chickens weren't nearly enough—Ye Chen didn't even get to eat any meat himself, just had two bowls of soup.

It wasn't until sometime later that they finally let out satisfied burps. The child's belly was round and full, and the old man's was much the same. Most importantly, both looked much more energetic than before.

"Young man, thank you," the old man said, his eyes tearful with genuine gratitude. "Since we fled, this is the first time we've eaten so well."

"Forming a good karma," Ye Chen replied, handing over his wine gourd.

The old man wiped his hands on his clothes and carefully took it, tilting his head back for a big gulp. The wine was strong and bitter, bringing tears to his eyes as memories of his tragic past flooded in—his late wife, son, and daughter-in-law.

After a long while, the old man composed himself, wiped away his tears with his sleeve, and returned the gourd to Ye Chen. "I must have embarrassed you, young friend."

Ye Chen just smiled without saying more, his attention mostly on the child in the old man's arms. During the meal, he had glanced at the child dozens of times. There was nothing particularly unusual—only that the child's innate soul was identical to that of the Qi Wang Shizi.

He wasn't sure if this ancient star had reincarnation, and he needed to verify it further. If there were more people like this child, then reincarnation likely existed.

"Young friend, you've seen a lot of the world—do you know how to get to Zhuxian Zhen?" Ye Chen was lost in thought when the old man leaned in closer and asked quietly.

"Head south from here, about two or three hundred li," Ye Chen replied with a smile. His guess had been right—these two were indeed making their way to Zhuxian Zhen for refuge. Compared to the chaos outside, it was like a hidden paradise, and its reputation had spread far and wide. In the past three years, countless people had fled there. If he were in their position, he would go too.

The old man's face darkened slightly as he hugged the child tighter. Two or three hundred li was an enormous distance for someone his age—he might starve to death along the way, not to mention the bandits lurking about, which he didn't even want to think about.

"I'm also heading to Zhuxian Zhen to find an old friend. Why not travel together?" Ye Chen said, smiling at the old man.

The old man's eyes lit up instantly, and he felt a surge of excitement. With a jianghu wanderer as a companion, they'd be much safer. He wasn't afraid of dying himself, but he couldn't bear the thought of his grandson suffering—it was their family's last hope, and he couldn't let the line end.

"Rest early—we'll set out tomorrow," Ye Chen said with a laugh, turning to walk away. He sat under an old tree and leaned back to sleep.

The old man took a deep breath, unable to hide his joy. He found a pile of dry grass, held his grandson close, and fell into a peaceful sleep.

As the old man closed his eyes, Ye Chen opened his own, still watching the child. He didn't think this was a coincidence—this ancient star must hold some hidden secrets. His reason for traveling with them was to study the child more closely; perhaps he could uncover some clues.

The night passed without incident, and dawn broke in the blink of an eye.

In the morning, warm sunlight bathed the area as Ye Chen stretched and got up, full of energy.

On the other side, the old man hoisted the child onto his back. After a good night's rest, both grandfather and grandson were refreshed, especially the old man, who was full of determination. His mission was to get his grandson to Zhuxian Zhen, and he had long since stopped caring about his own fate.

"Come, I'll carry him," Ye Chen said, stepping forward to take the child and place him on his shoulders. Whether the child was the reincarnated Qi Wang Shizi or not didn't matter anymore—past grudges belonged to the past and wouldn't follow into this life.

The old man, using a gnarled branch as a walking stick, hurried to follow.

As they entered the mountain paths, Ye Chen picked plenty of wild fruits for them to eat along the way.

Halt!

Deeper in the mountains, a shout suddenly rang out, followed by a group of people charging from the side, all armed. Leading them was a burly man with a big beard and a scar on his face, wielding a ghost-headed blade. His eyes were bloodshot and fierce—who else could he be but a bandit?

The old man trembled in fear, and the child on Ye Chen's shoulders was terrified.

"This road is mine to open, this tree is mine to—"

Smack!

The bandit's words were cut short by a crisp slap. He flew through the air and slammed into the rock wall in a perfect spread-eagle position, stuck there for a long time.

Gulp!

His followers collectively swallowed hard, then scattered in panic.

The one who struck was, of course, Ye Chen. You think you can rob me? Out of all the people in the world, you pick me? He always handled types like this directly—if he could act, he wouldn't waste time talking.

The most unfortunate was the bearded bandit, who had been robbing for years and never felt so humiliated. At least let me finish my line! But that slap had left him half-paralyzed.

The old man was equally shocked, his heart pounding as if he had brushed with death. Without Ye Chen, he and his grandson would likely be lying dead in the wilderness.

Ye Chen remained calm throughout, not even blinking.

Once out of the mountains, Ye Chen picked up the pace. The old man, being elderly, struggled to keep up, gasping for breath. Ye Chen, being considerate, used his lightness skill to leap along, carrying both the old man and the child.

After a quarter of an hour, they stopped in a small city. Ye Chen was generous—he took them to a restaurant for a good meal, bought new clothes for each of them, stocked up on provisions, and even got a carriage before heading south.

"Young man, why are you being so kind to us?" the old man asked in the carriage, full of gratitude.

"Forming a good karma," Ye Chen replied, just as he had the night before. He wouldn't reveal the truth—even if he did, the old man probably wouldn't believe it. Everything was because of this child; otherwise, Ye Chen wouldn't have gotten involved. After all, he wasn't some savior.

The old man said no more, just held his grandson tightly and wiped away tears in secret. Meeting a benefactor like this must be from blessings accumulated in a past life. It was a pity his son, daughter-in-law, and wife hadn't had such luck.