Chapter 151: A “Familiar Face” Blocks the Way

“Achoo!”

The old boatman instinctively felt an itch in his nose and let out a loud sneeze. As he sat up and saw the boat docked at the shore, he immediately stood up and looked around. “Sir? Where is the gentleman?”

Nearby, a middle-aged boatman waiting for passengers chuckled. “Old Liu, you sure can sleep. That gentleman left quite a while ago.”

“What?” The old boatman looked confused. “Then who brought the boat back?”

“Obviously, the gentleman rowed it back himself.”

“Lucky for you to have such a kind passenger. Otherwise, with you snoring away while he rowed himself to shore, he’d at least demand you refund half the fare.”

The old boatman scratched his head, chuckling awkwardly. “I don’t know what came over me. Normally, I can’t sleep this deeply, but today I slept straight until dawn.”

“Hah! Must’ve been a good dream, right?”

“Come on, tell me—were you dreaming of that charming old lady again?”

The old boatman rolled his eyes. “Get lost! Do you think I’m like you? But I did have a dream—a vivid one, in fact. I saw an immortal in it.”

“An immortal? Could it be the old deity from the immortal cave at the bottom of the lake sending you a dream?”

The old boatman waved his hand dismissively. “No, not that. I couldn’t see the immortal’s face clearly. I just dreamed of him steering my boat and flying into the sky with me. The vast sea of stars up there—it was breathtaking!”

“I think you’re just muddled from sleep. Most likely, it was that gentleman in the green robe rowing the boat, and you felt it while dreaming.”

“Green robe…” The old boatman murmured, and then his eyes lit up. “Now that I think about it, the immortal in my dream was also wearing a green robe!”

“Could it be that Master Gu really is an immortal?” Hearing this, the middle-aged boatman curled his lips. “Alright, enough dreaming in broad daylight…”

…

After leaving Nu Mountain Lake, traveling south along a smooth forest trail for two miles, one would arrive at a quaint, ancient-style town.

At the town’s entrance stood a large stone stele, with the words “Old Mountain Town” carved into it.

Stepping onto the long street paved with bluestone bricks, one could hear the calls of vendors echoing through the alleys.

Gu Ning’an had only just entered the town when a short-haired youth, wearing coarse black linen and with cheeks smeared in soot, suddenly darted out from an alley and blocked his path.

The youth looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old and carried a large, vermillion-lacquered wooden box on his back.

His thin, small frame made the oversized wooden box, which was twice as tall as he was, appear absurdly out of place.

Before Gu Ning’an could speak, the short-haired youth cupped his hands and said, “Master Gu, I am Mu Sheng. May I trouble you for just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea?”

He knows me?

Gu Ning’an thought for a moment and then nodded. “Very well.”

Hearing this, the youth named Mu Sheng quickly explained why he had stopped Gu Ning’an.

As it turned out, Mu Sheng worked in the funerary business. Last night, at the lakeside of Nu Mountain Lake, he had seen Gu Ning’an and his companions.

Spotting the one-armed swordsman Jiang Wanzhou lying on a carriage, he had mistakenly thought he was dead and planned to help arrange his funeral…

Later, after Gu Ning’an parted ways with the traveling merchant, Mu Sheng had followed the merchant’s group.

It wasn’t until he reached the inn that he realized Jiang Wanzhou was merely in a deep sleep, not actually dead.

Initially, Mu Sheng had intended to leave right away, but for some reason, he had stayed outside, hiding behind a wooden post, eavesdropping. There, he fell asleep.

The next morning, he overheard the traveling merchant and the others talking. From their conversation, he learned about Gu Ning’an’s incredible ability to enter people’s dreams like a divine immortal…

“Master Gu, are you an immortal?”

“No.”

“Then do you know if there truly is an old immortal in that Immortal Cave?”

“I haven’t gone to check, so I don’t know.”

“Why not? That’s an immortal…”

“I’m not interested.”

“Then you must be an immortal! Only immortals would have no interest in other immortals!”

“So, are you seeking an immortal?”

“No, I’m looking for someone to help me interpret a dream… I’ve sought out many fortune-tellers, but none of them could explain it.”

“I won’t have you do it for free. I can offer to help you with one funeral service for free!”

Seeing the clarity in the eyes of the “short-haired kid” in front of him, Gu Ning’an couldn’t help but laugh. “While that does count as a form of payment, you shouldn’t use it as an offer to exchange with others in the future. Otherwise, they might think you’re cursing them.”

“And earlier, you said you found the one-armed man pitiful. Why did you think he was pitiful at first glance?”

The short-haired kid paused before replying, “It just felt like he was pitiful, just as I feel that you’re very familiar to me… Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come straight to you for help.”

Familiar?

Gu Ning’an placed one hand behind his back and made some calculations. After confirming he hadn’t overlooked anything, he realized he truly hadn’t met this “short-haired kid” before.

“I think it’s unlikely we’ve met before…”

The short-haired kid replied seriously, “Maybe in a previous life?”

Why did that sound so much like one of those overused lines people use for “pick-up” purposes in later generations?

Carefully examining the “short-haired kid,” who had deliberately dressed like a boy, Gu Ning’an was reminded of his student, Shi Yi.

Shi Yi hadn’t appeared in his memories either, but Worldly Qi wouldn’t lie. To Gu Ning’an, it seemed either his memories had been partially erased for some reason, or Shi Yi had indeed been his disciple in a past life… But he distinctly remembered waking up in this world in the wilderness.

Could this “fake boy” in front of him be similar to Shi Yi?

“Master Gu, can you help me?” Although Mu Sheng phrased it as a question, his face carried no hint of fear of rejection. It was as if, in his mind, Gu Ning’an would definitely agree.

“Fine. I happen to have a funeral service to take care of, and the journey is long. Are you willing to travel with me?” Gu Ning’an asked.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Mu Sheng replied, “I’ll go with you.”

“Don’t you want to ask how far it is?”

“I’ll go, no matter how far.”

“Aren’t you afraid I might be a bad person who could sell you along the way?”

“I’m not afraid… Oh, and I’m a girl. I just dress as a boy for convenience when traveling the martial world.”

Hearing her candidly reveal even this, Gu Ning’an could tell she trusted him completely.

Could it really just be the feeling of familiarity?

“Alright then, come along with me.”

…

“Old Fan, what’s with the generosity today? Ordering chicken is one thing, but you picked the biggest, fattest one?” Han Yong remarked, staring at the spread of red-braised chicken, tofu chicken soup, and white-cut chicken pieces before them.

The traveling merchant snorted. “Hmph, in the martial world, one must keep their word. This morning, that chicken disturbed my sleep, and I swore I’d cook it three ways. I had to follow through!”

“With a temper like yours… I bet your hands were trembling when it came time to pay, weren’t they?” Han Yong teased.

“Don’t remind me!” The traveling merchant raised a hand, smiling bitterly. “Damn it, in this region, they specialize in lake seafood, so poultry costs a fortune!”

“That chicken alone cost me two hundred copper!”

“If that waiter hadn’t been so quick to kill it after I pointed it out, I might’ve had to break my word for once!”