Chapter 143: Let Him Think

“Im… immortal!”

“Mr. Gu! You’re an immortal, aren’t you?”

“You haven’t changed! Not even a bit!”

“Are you here to help me find my brother?”

Suddenly, the middle-aged man, laughing and crying at the same time, dropped to his knees before Gu Ning’an with a loud thud and prepared to kowtow.

Gu Ning’an quickly reached out, grabbing his arm to stop him. “Enough. I’m not an immortal. My appearance hasn’t changed simply because I’ve practiced certain techniques.”

The middle-aged man, with tears and snot streaming down his face, choked out, “Sir, I’m useless! After all these years, I still don’t know whether my brother is alive or dead!”

Seeing the situation take a turn, the traveling merchant hurriedly rushed over and helped the man to his feet. “Han Yong! What are you doing?!”

“I don’t understand a single word you’re saying!”

The sudden encounter with someone from his past caused Han Yong, who had spent twenty-six years searching fruitlessly for his brother, to collapse emotionally. He broke down into loud sobs, unable to utter another word.

Life is but a few short decades, and a twenty-six-year search for a lost loved one would wear down even the most determined individual. When the search yields no results, despair and hopelessness are inevitable.

Perhaps Han Yong, at some point, had already given up hope of finding his brother. His ongoing search was driven solely by a stubborn obsession.

But when he saw Gu Ning’an—this man he had once imagined to be an immortal, standing before him unchanged as though frozen in time—the long-dormant flicker of hope inside him reignited.

In that moment, his wailing contained the despair of a fruitless search, the guilt of nearly giving up, and the grievance of a life that had been so unfair.

Gu Ning’an quietly observed the man who had once been the boy he met years ago. Back then, Gu Ning’an hadn’t even known the boy’s name. Yet, during a time when Gu Ning’an was “returning to silence,” this same boy had once extended him a helping hand.

“Mr. Gu, what’s going on here?”

“Did you two know each other before?”

Watching Han Yong cry uncontrollably, the traveling merchant grew anxious and turned to Gu Ning’an for answers.

“We did. I once drew a portrait of his brother for him.”

“Let him cry for a while. He’s been holding it in for too long.”

With that, Gu Ning’an turned around, found a large tree, and sat down with his back against it.

The traveling merchant glanced at the sobbing Han Yong, sighed deeply, and left him to it.

…

The night was picturesque, punctuated by the occasional chirping of insects. Stars dotted the dark sky, lending a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.

Gu Ning’an and the other three sat around the campfire. Apart from the one-armed swordsman who had yet to wake up, the other three each held a bowl of fish soup with noodles, slurping it down noisily.

Han Yong, his eyes swollen and red like two peach pits, set down his empty bowl and gave Gu Ning’an an awkward smile. “Mr. Gu, would you like some more soup?”

Gu Ning’an waved his hand with a smile. “One bowl is enough.”

“Ah, alright.” Han Yong nodded and pursed his lips.

For a moment, silence fell over the group again.

The traveling merchant, still sipping his soup, darted his sharp eyes between Gu Ning’an and Han Yong.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, he took the initiative to speak. “Mr. Gu, where are you headed? If we’re going the same way, why don’t we travel together? It’s always livelier with someone to chat with along the road.”

Gu Ning’an smiled. “I’m planning to head southwest. What about you?”

The traveling merchant stroked his chin, calculating. “If you’re heading southwest from here, you’ll pass through Shouzhou and Chuzhou… eventually reaching the Huainan region.”

“Where are you heading, sir?”

Gu Ning’an smiled and replied, “Heading southwest first. Once I get to the region, I’ll decide where to go next.”

Hearing this, the traveling merchant nodded thoughtfully. “We’re also heading toward the Huainan region. Why don’t we travel together for now? If our paths diverge later, we can part ways then. What do you think, sir?”

Gu Ning’an nodded slightly. “That works.”

“Mr. Gu!”

Han Yong suddenly stood up. The campfire in front of him reflected in his eyes, and combined with his serious expression, it gave the impression he was about to do something drastic.

“Old Han, why so serious!?”

“You look like you’re about to fight Mr. Gu!”

The traveling merchant, skilled in reading the room, interjected at just the right moment to diffuse the awkwardness. His comment even reminded Gu Ning’an of “Jin Wan,”¹ who also had a knack for smoothing over tense situations.

Han Yong, hearing the merchant’s words, forced a smile. “Mr. Gu, I lost control earlier… Searching endlessly for my younger brother has turned me into a walking corpse…”

“Back then, to keep going, I always thought of you as an immortal. I believed that with an immortal’s drawing, I’d surely find my brother…”

“Who would’ve thought you really knew spiritual powers…”

“I got carried away in my excitement and offended you… Please don’t take it to heart…”

“No harm done. I understand how you feel.”

Gu Ning’an waved it off and continued, “Back then, I had just begun studying spiritual arts, and I only had a superficial understanding of divination.”

“Now, my skills in divination have improved. Unless there are unusual circumstances, I might be able to determine your brother’s current situation.”

“If you’d like me to help, just provide your brother’s eight characters.”

As soon as he said this, Han Yong hadn’t responded yet, but the traveling merchant jumped up. “Great! Old Han! Quickly write down your brother’s eight characters so Sir can help you!”

“Opportunities like this don’t come twice!”

With that, the merchant pulled a stick from the campfire, blew out the sparks, and shoved it into Han Yong’s hand. “Hurry up, just write it on the ground!”

Han Yong held the stick, but after raising his hand and pressing it into the dirt, he didn’t move.

“What’s wrong?”

“Can’t write?”

“Or do you not remember your brother’s eight characters?”

The traveling merchant frowned anxiously. To him, this Mr. Gu was far more remarkable than the one-armed swordsman!

The one-armed swordsman was undoubtedly strong, capable of splitting great waves with a single strike, but even he couldn’t withstand the passage of time!

Yet, Mr. Gu had remained unchanged for over twenty years… Was this not the legendary secret to immortality?

Thinking further, wasn’t immortality a sign of divine power?

And now, Mr. Gu had offered to help. In the merchant’s eyes, Han Yong shouldn’t hesitate at all!

He couldn’t believe that someone who had spent 26 years searching for their brother would forget their sibling’s birth details.

Han Yong glanced at the merchant, then looked at Gu Ning’an. He opened his mouth, hesitated, and stammered, “Mr. Gu… could you allow me to think about it a bit more?”

The merchant couldn’t help but interject, “What’s there to think about! Don’t you want to find your brother!?”

Gu Ning’an raised his hand to calm him down and said with a smile, “It’s alright. Let him think about it. As long as he decides before we part ways, that will do.”