Chapter 34: A chance encounter

Thinking of this, I took out the invitation, which Master Ge had given me. Given his ability and position in the circle, it was easy for him to get such an invitation.

The invitation card does not have a specific name, just like a token in the underworld. Once it is issued, it is not the person who is recognized, but the token. If you go with this invitation card, you will get some discounts and conveniences in the big city. What exactly it is depends on each session, so Master Liu did not say in detail.

In addition to some rules written on the invitation, there is a map of the nearby area, a map to the big city! Unlike the ghost market, which changes location constantly, the location of the big city has always been fixed in the uninhabited area of X Province.

However, mysterious events often occur in this uninhabited area. According to the Tibetan driver, this is a place where gods and demons truly coexist. Therefore, even with the most advanced equipment, you will still get lost or have an accident here, let alone relying on a map.

With this invitation, as long as you walk to a certain place, someone will come to pick you up and lead you to the big city. If not, you will have to go on your own. In fact, over the years, this has caused some damage to some of the cultivators.

This made me worry for my fellow practitioners. Did they make it to the city? Master Liu only told me about their journey, not that they had already arrived.

With such worries, I walked all the way from the afternoon until the evening. There was no longer a road, and all I could see was the vast, uninhabited grasslands and the snow-capped mountains.

There was no specific road, and everything had to rely on that one fairly detailed and exquisite map. It was hard to believe that there was a trading location for cultivators here, and that it was a fixed trading location!

There was no way to make it in time that night, but I had already arrived, so I wasn’t in a hurry to get there in a day or two. Along the way to this uninhabited area, I also followed the driver’s advice and bought some necessary things, such as fire-making tools and a single tent.

A bonfire was lit in the night, and the light of the fire always gives people hope, even in this uninhabited area, which seems to be an incredibly empty world.

I drank hot water, nibbled on dry food, and calculated when I would be able to reach the so-called connection point tomorrow, where the repairer who drove there had to park and walk.

However, in this dark world, in just one hour, many small campfires were lit, about a dozen of them, which looked so heartwarming.

Those should also be the repairers, just like me, who went to the big market. I didn’t expect that the big market had already officially started, and that there were still so many repairers rushing to it. What is the attraction of this big market?

The nearest bonfire was about two miles away, but I didn’t go over to say hello. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but I always felt that the cultivators here were a bit cold and distant, not very friendly with each other.

Just as I finished eating my dry rations, drank my last hot water, and washed up a bit, I was about to go to my tent to rest when a voice came from far away: “Brother, can you be kind enough to give me a sip of hot water so I can keep warm by the fire tonight? Otherwise I’ll freeze to death.”

I was stunned, and subconsciously looked around. Then, through the firelight, I saw a figure more than 100 meters away, walking towards me. It looked like he was calling me.

“That’s you, brother. Can you do it?” The voice was full of longing and expectation, and a little bit of pleading.

“Come on.” I was silent for a few seconds, and finally responded.

Although I was in a dangerous situation and should be wary of many people and things, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse. I always thought of the hope and warmth I felt when I saw a thatched hut on the night I climbed the cliff. I felt that no matter what the reason, I shouldn’t refuse the kindness in my heart, even if the result was not good sometimes!

Kindness is always the source of a person’s inner peace. Such a person is actually completing a beautiful spiritual practice without realizing it. Even if he doesn’t get results for a while, what does it matter? Moreover, true kindness is just kindness itself, without seeking results or expecting repayment.

This is the answer my master gave me when I asked him why sometimes good deeds are not rewarded.

The man was obviously very happy to get my approval, and even his walk towards me became a little brisk, almost a little trot.

Two minutes later, he arrived at my fire.

I took a look at the man who had come. He was a young man, probably in his twenties, short and stocky, but with a handsome face.

This surprised me. I didn’t expect someone in their 20s to dare to come to the market alone in the middle of nowhere. When I think back to my own 20s, I was still a bit confused, so in comparison, this young man seems even more extraordinary.

“Brother, you’re so nice. I’ve asked several groups of people, but they all refused. The circle of cultivators is so cold now.” As soon as this person arrived at the fire, he couldn’t wait to reach out and warm himself by the fire, and he spoke to me intimately. It seemed that he was a natural conversationalist.

I set up a new stove in the volcano, boiled some water, and handed him some dried food.

I helped him out to the end. A cup of hot water and some dry food, I’m not stingy.

“Thank you, brother, you are really nice, really…” The young man’s face showed a look of gratitude, and he reached out to take the food I handed him and gobbled it down.

I didn’t say anything, and waited quietly for him to finish eating before asking, “Are you a cultivator too? How did you end up like this?”

We didn’t need to verify each other’s identities. Real cultivators can tell each other apart at a glance, and even sense each other. I was just wondering how he could have ended up like this without any preparation. Didn’t he know that the big city was in a no-man’s land?

The young man poured a cup of hot water and held it in the palm of his hand. When I asked him about this, a look of sadness appeared on his face. He said, “Brother, this is a long story. I am a wandering cultivator, and I don’t have a sect to rely on. Since I was a child, I have been with my master and a senior brother. Since I learned of the existence of this city, I have always wanted to come and see it. You know, as a cultivator, I am always eager for some opportunities.”

I lit a cigarette. I naturally understood what he was saying. After all, which cultivator is not like this? Except for our strange old Li lineage, it seems that they care more about the various fetters of human emotions and have never thought about what the right fruit is…

“But you know, Big Brother, it’s hard to make a living as a solitary cultivator. In this day and age, you can’t talk about cultivation without money, and what we, the master and I, rely on is just a small Taoist temple. This time, I came out with money from my master and senior brother. I couldn’t afford a car, so I walked all the way here. I didn’t have much with me, and I’m running out of food and supplies as I look at it here.” The young man’s face was full of bitterness.

I felt a little sad when I saw him. What he said was the reality. If it weren’t for Master Ge’s support and the money he gave me, and if I hadn’t sold my herbs, I would probably be in the same situation as him.

“Have you lost the tools to make a fire?” I asked, actually wondering in my heart. According to what I had heard, it should still be possible to make a fire.

“I don’t have the strength to make a fire. I’ve been hungry all day. Even if I make a fire, I’ll die of cold without anything in my stomach.” The young man’s face was full of bitterness.

I didn’t pursue the matter further. After all, it’s not a good thing to feel superior by asking about other people’s hardships.

In silence, I handed the young man a cigarette, but he sternly refused me and lectured me, saying, “Brother, we are cultivators, and our lives should be regular and restrained. This is the basic foundation, unless you are not wholeheartedly pursuing the Dao. Brother, you should also stop smoking. Even if the Dao is elusive, there is always a difference between those who have pursued it and those who have not. Only by pursuing it can there be hope.”

I smiled and said nothing. My master had always taught me how to be a person and how to walk the righteous path of a cultivator, but he had never taught me about the outcome of pursuing a great path. I had no prejudice about this, and of course, I would not argue with the young cultivator.

I chatted with him for a while, but I was already sleepy. After all, I had been running around all day, and it was quite tiring.

“I’m going to sleep first. Wake me up in the middle of the night. We’ll take turns keeping watch. It’s not easy for you after all,” I said to the young cultivator.

He immediately showed a grateful expression on his face, repeatedly agreed, and said, “Brother, there isn’t much left of the road. Can you take me with you? I really want to see it.”

“Well,” I replied simply, and then I climbed into the tent. I didn’t want him to think that I was doing him a favor.

The night was quiet.

In the tent, I fell asleep quickly, until a bone-chilling coldness surrounded me, and then the roar of the tiger woke me up…