FVN Chapter 150 Do you believe it?
Chapter 150 Do you believe it?
The city of Jinling in late autumn was slightly chilly. Because the Spirit-Binding Ring had sealed off all his magical power, Du Fan could still feel the chill of autumn frost even without any resistance.
He wandered aimlessly until he stopped by a river.
Du Fan stood there for a long time. Suddenly, a small boat came from a distance. The boatman was a middle-aged man wearing a straw hat, who looked to be about fifty or sixty years old. Judging from his appearance, he was probably not far from becoming an old man with gray hair and beard.
However, this person was tall and straight, with thick eyebrows, a broad nose, slightly high cheekbones, and bright, piercing eyes. His appearance was quite extraordinary, and Du Fan couldn't help but take a second look at him with surprise.
"Young man, would you like to take a boat ride?" As the boat approached, the man in the straw hat glanced at Du Fan, smiled slightly, and spoke in a deep, resonant voice.
"I have no money left." Du Fan shook his head slightly.
"So what if you don't have any money? Young brother, look around. Besides the two of us, is there anyone else here? In this unfamiliar place, only you and I can meet. This must be fate. I won't take your money. Come on up."
The man in the straw hat laughed heartily, waved his arm, and said in a hearty manner.
Du Fan glanced around instinctively, and just as the man had said, there was no one else there but them.
Du Fan smiled slightly, nodded, and with a light leap, landed on the small boat.
A boat carrying two people sailed eastward with the current.
After a long while, Du Fan's expression suddenly changed, and he said, "Uncle, you still haven't asked me where I'm going."
"You yourself don't know where you're going, so how would I know?" The man in the straw hat chuckled as he held the pole and asked in return.
"Yes, then it doesn't matter." Du Fan looked at the green mountains on both sides of the river, and after a few breaths, he spoke again:
"I don't even remember when I left Jinling City..."
"Young man, Jinling City is nice and can provide you with a lot of protection, but it is not your home. The outside world may be cruel, and you may even face life and death at any time, but this is the place you should go." The man in the straw hat laughed heartily.
Upon hearing this, Du Fan's body trembled. After a long silence, he nodded heavily.
"Young man, do you have any wine?" the man in the straw hat suddenly asked.
"Yes, I do." Du Fan didn't hide anything, slapped his storage bag with one hand, took out two jars of wine, and threw one jar to the man opposite him.
The man in the straw hat retracted the pole, letting the small boat drift away with the current. He sat down, opened the wine jar, and took a big gulp.
"Haha...Good wine! But there's still a bit of a regret. No matter how good the wine is, it's still a little inferior to the 'Drunken Life, Dreamy Death' of the Sky Rat Clan."
The man in the straw hat first burst into hearty laughter, then sighed softly, his expression seemingly revealing a long-forgotten memory.
Du Fan's expression changed, but he quickly regained his composure, raised the wine jar, and took a sip.
Before we knew it, dusk was falling, the night was cool and still, and the bright moon hung in the sky.
Du Fan, slightly tipsy, glanced at the wine jar in his hand, the wooden boat beneath him, the green hills and clear waters, and the bright moon high in the sky. A helpless, bitter smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he spoke softly:
"I sail in a small boat, raising a gourd cup to toast you. We are but mayflies in the vastness of heaven and earth, a mere grain of millet in the boundless ocean. I lament the brevity of my life, and envy the endlessness of the Yangtze River. I wish I could ride the immortals and roam the heavens, embracing the bright moon until the end. Knowing that this cannot be achieved in an instant, I entrust my lingering thoughts to the mournful wind."
Upon hearing this, the man in the straw hat's usually calm eyes flickered slightly, and he glanced at Du Fan with some surprise.
Du Fan tilted his head back and drank the wine in the jar in one gulp. He swayed as he stood up, threw the empty jar far away, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, continuing to mutter to himself:
"Time flows on like this, yet it never truly goes away; waxing and waning are like that, yet they ultimately neither increase nor decrease. If we consider things from the perspective of change, then even heaven and earth cannot last for a single moment; if we consider things from the perspective of permanence, then both things and I are without end, so what is there to envy!"
"...Only the clear breeze on the river and the bright moon in the mountains, which the ear hears as sound and the eye sees as color, are inexhaustible treasures of the Creator, which you and I share."
The man in the straw hat's eyes suddenly lit up. He abruptly stood up, and, deeply shaken, let out a maniacal laugh:
"Haha... It's incredible that you have such insights at such a young age! I admire you!"
That's right! What the ear hears becomes sound, what the eye sees becomes color, it can be taken without restraint, and used without end... How come I never thought of that! It turns out it's that simple!
I came here to meet an old friend from many years ago, but I never expected to encounter such an interesting person as you, young friend! It's truly a fortunate event in my life! I have other matters to attend to, so I must take my leave now!
The man was incredibly excited. After laughing loudly, he waved his arm, and his bamboo hat instantly fell off, revealing a green robe. In a flash of green light, it disappeared into the horizon.
Just now, moved by the scene before him, Du Fan unconsciously recited Su Shi's "Ode to the Red Cliff." He didn't know how he had provoked this mysterious man... Without thinking further, his eyes flashed, he stepped forward, clasped his hands, and called out:
How should I address you, senior?
"Azure Sea..." A faint voice suddenly came from afar, echoing through the mountains and rivers.
Du Fan looked up in the direction where the man had disappeared. After standing on the wooden boat for a long time, he picked up the pole, steered the boat to the riverbank, and walked ashore.
When he turned around, he found that the small boat had turned into a withered branch, drifting with the current and disappearing into the distance.
Du Fan, now completely sober, sighed softly, shook his head, and turned to leave.
He wandered aimlessly until, two hours later, he saw what appeared to be a village in the distance. He paused, thought for a moment, and then continued on his way.
It was already midnight, the night was deep and quiet, and the village was shrouded in darkness and tranquility.
Du Fan stepped into the village with a slight smile, intending to simply cross over. However, when he unconsciously scanned the area with his divine sense, he let out a soft exclamation, and his expression immediately turned strange.
Because just two hundred feet to his left, in a farmhouse courtyard, he "saw" a familiar figure. Beside him sat a four or five-year-old girl with exquisite features, and in her arms was an adorable white snow fox.
The figure that Du Fan recognized so well was none other than Chen Ru, who had left the Qixia Sect a few days earlier and entered the mortal world.
Du Fan suddenly hesitated. He didn't know whether he should go over, or if he should, what to say. Should he reject her? Accept her? Or tell her something like, "You're a great girl, you should find a better man than me"?
His previously relaxed state of mind immediately became tense and anxious again.
After a long while, he shook his head vigorously. Although he had not yet made a final decision, he did not want to run away anymore.
Having made up his mind, Du Fan took a deep breath and walked step by step toward the farmhouse.
……
"Tongtong, it's so late, why aren't you going to sleep? Your mother will scold you if she finds out." Chen Ru reached out and affectionately stroked the girl's hair, speaking softly.
"No, Mom and Dad are already fast asleep. I sneaked out," the little girl named Tongtong said proudly in her childish voice.
Upon hearing this, Chen Ru couldn't help but smile, her gaze softening.
"Sister Chen Ru, please tell me a story." The little girl's big, bright eyes darted around, and she grinned at Chen Ru, pleading.
"Sister, you don't know how to tell stories," Chen Ru said with a wry smile. From childhood to adulthood, she had only ever heard Du Fan tell her the story of "Zhuangzi's Dream of a Butterfly," but how could a child understand such a story?
"Sister Chen Ru, tell me about this cute little fox. What's its name? Did you buy it at the market?"
The girl pouted, looking somewhat displeased, but then glanced at the snow fox in her arms, her eyes lit up, and she spoke up again with great interest.
"It... doesn't have a name yet. My sister didn't buy it herself; an older brother bought it for me as a gift," Chen Ru said with a smile.
"That brother gave you such a cute little fox, he must really like you. But why isn't he by your side? Uncle Wang's son Yutian and Aunt Sun's daughter Chunjiao are together every day."
The little girl actually frowned in an extremely cute way, and asked as if she was puzzled.
"He won't stay with me because he likes another sister." Chen Ru sighed softly, raised her head, and looked at the bright moon in the sky.
"How could this be? Do you like him?" The little girl's curious voice rang out again.
Chen Ru didn't speak, but nodded vigorously.
"Sister Chen Ru, are you sad? Don't be sad, Tongtong won't ask anymore." The little girl seemed to sense something, and a look of worry appeared on her face that was beyond her years.
"Good girl, Tongtong." Chen Ru chuckled softly, slowly raising her arm to embrace the little girl.
"Sister, let's name this little fox. Look at its fur, it's as white as snow, and its shadow is so long in the moonlight. How about we call it Snow Shadow?"
The little girl's eyes darted around mischievously for a moment, then she suddenly smiled sweetly, looked up, and said...
"This..." Chen Ru hesitated upon hearing this. In her heart, she still hoped that Du Fan could personally name the fox.
……
Standing in a secluded spot not far away, Du Fan sighed softly:
"Miss Chen is deeply in love with me and has made many sacrifices. Moreover, that incident happened. I am not a heartless person. How could I not be moved at all, not be touched at all, and not have any feelings for her?"
It's just for one lifetime, right? I'll take on this responsibility!
Liang Xin, if you knew all this, you would bless me from another world...
……
"This is a very good name, Miss Chen. How about we call it Snow Shadow?"
Just then, a sudden voice rang out, and a figure flashed into view, revealing a man in a green robe, none other than Du Fan.
"Du Chang... Du Fan, what are you doing here?" Chen Ru trembled, her beautiful eyes wide open, her face full of disbelief.
"If I said... this is fate, would you believe me?" Du Fan smiled gently and slowly walked over.