Chapter 194: Fate in the Mortal World

As the sky darkened, the fiery red sun painted a brilliant tail across the horizon.

In the countryside, dinner was eaten early. By this time, Gu Ning’an had already finished his meal and was preparing to leave.

However, Madam Yu and her son had left even earlier.

After completely laying her cards on the table, Madam Yu had wasted no time in heading out to find a matchmaker.

Whether by coincidence or fate, the matchmaker quickly suggested a suitable young woman.

Eager to hold a grandchild as soon as possible, Madam Yu dragged her son away mid-dinner to go and meet the girl.

In doing all this, she hadn’t bothered to consider whether Jiao Qingqing was present or not—

To her, this daughter-in-law, who couldn’t bear children, might as well not exist at all.

Gu Ning’an watched the sunset for a moment before turning to leave, his elongated shadow trailing behind him.

Just then, another shadow—shorter and thinner—approached him.

“Mr. Gu, please wait.”

Jiao Qingqing glanced around cautiously. Once she was sure no one was nearby, she called out to him.

Gu Ning’an turned. “Something wrong?”

“Earlier, thank you for helping me out…” Jiao Qingqing bowed slightly in gratitude.

Gu Ning’an smiled. “I didn’t expect you to approach me on your own… Do you not realize that red string was something I gave to Little Grape?”

Jiao Qingqing nodded. “I knew. But since you helped me, it proves you aren’t someone who blindly sees all spirits and monsters as enemies.”

“Your cultivation isn’t high, and you have no trace of spiritual power in you. Apart from the faint karmic ties surrounding you, there’s nothing unusual about you…”

“So if it weren’t for the fact that the power in that red string instinctively repelled spirits and specters, I wouldn’t have even noticed—”

“—that you are actually a blade of grass, transformed into human form.”

At this, Gu Ning’an’s interest piqued.

“If you don’t mind sharing, I’d like to know—how did you manage to take human form?”

Jiao Qingqing nodded. “It’s a long story, but if you have the time, I’ll tell you…”

More than twenty years ago, she was merely a blade of grass that had yet to take shape, though she had already cultivated for a hundred years and gained sentience.

Yet despite that, she was still just a fragile sprout, swaying helplessly with the wind.

Then, one rainy night—

A bolt of azure lightning struck the ground near her.

The earth exploded into flames, dirt scattering in all directions.

She, too, was caught in the fire, burning as she tumbled to the roadside, awaiting death.

At that moment, a chubby little boy happened to pass by.

He patted out the flames on her body, then took her to the vegetable garden in front of his house, carefully replanting her in the soil.

That chubby little boy from over twenty years ago—

Was none other than Yu Fu.

When he was young, Yu Fu would often water the plants in the garden, and whenever he did, he would water her as well.

Sometimes, when he was bored, he would even talk to her.

Over time, Jiao Qingqing gradually learned about human life through Yu Fu’s words.

For the next twenty years, she silently observed Yu Fu’s every joy, sorrow, and frustration.

And she began to notice—

As Yu Fu grew up, his smiles became fewer.

And the times he furrowed his brows became more and more frequent.

At some point, she found herself wishing to make him happy.

As a spirit of the grass and trees, she could faintly sense a deep longing within herself—

A yearning to become human.

Originally, she had never wished for human form.

She thought being a blade of grass, swaying with the wind, free and unburdened, was a good enough existence.

But because of Yu Fu, she changed her mind.

She began desperately seeking ways to take human form—searching for paths to cultivation, striving to understand what it meant to become human.

Then, one day—

A heavenly tribulation descended upon her.

A blinding force struck her, and her world fell into stillness.

When she awoke, she had already taken human form.

Among spirits of grass and trees, trees were far more likely to take shape.

Their lifespan was longer, giving them more time to encounter opportunities, to gain enlightenment, and to evolve into spirit form.

For a mere blade of grass to survive a full hundred years, doing absolutely nothing yet still managing to reach transformation—

That was extremely rare.

Gu Ning’an pondered over Jiao Qingqing’s words, analyzing and deducing, before he chuckled. “Everything follows the destined course of the mortal world. The mysteries of fate… truly beyond words.”

“Mr. Gu, do you know why I was able to take human form?”

Gu Ning’an replied, “It’s a complicated matter, but you can think of it this way—”

“The heavens heard your prayer and granted your wish… or perhaps, this was simply the fate written for you in the mortal world.”

Jiao Qingqing nodded thoughtfully. “Mr. Gu, your abilities are profound… I’d like to ask—can my husband and I have children?”

Gu Ning’an shook his head. “I can’t say for certain. After all, your transformation itself is tied to mortal fate… If your karmic ties are strong enough, then it may not be impossible.”

After a pause, he continued, “However, Yu Fu was already born with the fate of an heirless line. Even if it weren’t you, he might not have had children regardless.”

Jiao Qingqing, half-understanding, bowed slightly. “Mr. Gu, could you help my husband?”

Gu Ning’an shook his head. “I do not interfere in matters of mortal fate.”

“I see…”

“Very well… Thank you, Mr. Gu.”

Bowing once more, Jiao Qingqing turned to head back to the Zheng household.

But just as she had taken a few steps, Gu Ning’an’s voice drifted over on the wind:

“Since you have some karmic blessings, I’ll give you a piece of advice—”

“The fate granted by the heavens, the destined course of the mortal world, was your opportunity to take human form.”

“If that opportunity shatters, you may vanish into nothingness… or you may simply turn back into a blade of grass.”

Hearing this, Jiao Qingqing’s steps faltered for a moment before she responded, “Thank you for the warning, Mr. Gu… I think I understand what that opportunity is now.”

“But if he chooses that path…”

“Then whether I vanish completely or return to being a carefree blade of grass—”

“That wouldn’t be so bad either.”

The last rays of the setting sun were swallowed by dark clouds, and a crescent moon hung high in the sky.

Bathed in moonlight, Gu Ning’an walked with his hands behind his back, his mind drifting through the many wonders of this world.

—A mother sacrificing her own soul to save her daughter.

—A vengeful spirit, the stone broker, carrying out justice by cleansing the mortal world of its evils.

—A blade of grass, living unknowingly for a hundred years, surviving two heavenly tribulations yet refusing to perish—taking human form and marrying the one who had once saved it.

They were all mere mortals, yet through a series of fated encounters, they had brushed against the very concept of the Dao.

At that thought, an intriguing notion surfaced in Gu Ning’an’s mind—

If a mere mortal were to accumulate enough fateful encounters, could they accomplish the feat of ascending to immortality in a single thought?

“Mortal or immortal… in the end, both are but a speck in this vast worldly sea.”

Sighing softly, Gu Ning’an cast aside his scattered thoughts and quickened his pace toward Ansi Courtyard.

By the time he returned—roughly the span of a single incense stick’s burn

He happened to catch sight of the kumquat tree and the Hongchen Sword.

At this moment, instead of leaning against the kumquat tree as usual, the Hongchen Sword was quietly “resting” upon its branches.