Chapter 42: Immortal? Buddha?

During the short time it took to exchange these words with the young girl, Duan Miaoyin, the number of pedestrians on the road had already begun to swell. Despite the heavy snowfall, it was not a holiday, and the crowd of commuters began to weave through the intersection. Before long, the footbridge was quite busy with passersby.

In the middle of this deep winter, Yan Tian was dressed in a short-sleeved T-shirt, while Duan Miaoyin wore monastic robes. With her head shaven clean and her bare feet pressing into the snow, the pair was exceptionally conspicuous. Those crossing the bridge couldn't help but point and whisper, clearly suspecting they were patients who had escaped from a nearby mental institution.

Yan Tian was naturally low-key, and finding himself and Duan Miaoyin so eye-catching made him feel uncomfortable. Duan Miaoyin, however, was shy by nature. Although she believed she had arrived in the Immortal Realm, being watched by so many "immortals" made her feel both honored and incredibly bashful; she kept her head lowered, blushing, and dared not meet anyone’s gaze.

Yan Tian grabbed Duan Miaoyin’s slightly cold, smooth little hand and hurried her off the bridge. As a young lady from a prominent family who had grown up in a temple, she had never even stood within a few feet of a man, let alone had her hand held by one. Under Yan Tian’s grip, her heart began to flutter wildly, and she felt so mortified she nearly wished to vanish. She silently wondered, *Are all the immortals in this realm so devoid of propriety?*

Feeling her slight struggle, Yan Tian didn’t think much of it. He hurried to the base of the bridge, hailed a taxi, and pulled her inside.

Yan Tian’s home was in the suburbs, over ten miles from the city center. Expecting that the driver would be unwilling to go that far, he simply asked to be dropped off at the city limits.

Once the taxi started moving, Duan Miaoyin pulled her hand away and began to examine the window with curiosity.

By now, the streets were filling with buses, cars, motorcycles, and bicycles. Having never seen such modes of transportation, she was fascinated. "The Immortal Realm is indeed infinitely more prosperous than the human world," she remarked. "These iron-box carriages are far steadier and more comfortable than royal carriages, and they move at speeds beyond compare."

The driver glanced back with a strange expression. He had felt something was off the moment these two boarded. Who wears a short-sleeved T-shirt in the dead of winter unless they were insane? And how could a girl with such delicate features be anything but mentally troubled, sporting a shiniest bald head, wearing blue cloth robes, and walking barefoot?

Sensing the driver’s skeptical gaze, Yan Tian felt a headache coming on. Too lazy to explain himself to a stranger, he let the man think what he wanted. He spoke slowly to Duan Miaoyin: "Miss Duan, why are you dressed like this? Did you also shave your head to become a nun along with your grandfather?"

Duan Miaoyin dared not be disrespectful. "Reporting to the Immortal Master," she said respectfully, "I lost my mother in my youth, and there was much infighting and political strife among the palace consorts. Fearing for my safety, my grandfather took me to the Dangshan Temple when I was three to practice under his guidance. I have not yet been formally tonsured due to my age, but my 'three thousand strands of worry' were shorn away in childhood." Her expression turned expectant. "Might I ask, Immortal Master, can I see the Buddha?"

Yan Tian found it amusing. *So, she’s a novice nun; no wonder she has no marks on her head and doesn't call herself 'this poor nun.'* Seeing the girl still naively believing she had reached the Immortal Realm, he decided to tease her. "The Buddha is not someone you can just see whenever you please. Do you have any idea how important he is? How busy he is? You’re just a young girl who hasn't even entered the Buddhist gates—even here in the Immortal Realm, what makes you think you have the qualifications to meet him?"

Duan Miaoyin’s expression dimmed. She lowered her head and whispered, "This disciple was presumptuous."

The car suddenly swerved. The driver, having listened to their conversation, was now convinced he was ferrying two lunatics and, in his agitation, nearly drove onto the sidewalk.

Seeing this, Yan Tian patted the driver on the shoulder and said gently, "Master, please drive carefully. If you hear things you aren't supposed to, just pretend they never happened."

The driver nodded repeatedly. Lunatics were terrifying; if they went on a rampage, they could kill without consequence. He wanted to kick them out, but feared triggering them, so he kept driving, anxious and silent.

"Master?" Duan Miaoyin asked curiously. "Immortal Master, is this man your master?"

Yan Tian nearly doubled over with laughter. He fought back his smile and said solemnly, "Miss Duan, you don't understand. Here in the Immortal Realm, anyone who drives for a living must be respectfully addressed as 'Master.' Otherwise, if they get upset and their hands shake, we’ll be sent straight to the King of Hell."

Duan Miaoyin nodded as if she understood, saying, "Oh, so the owners of these iron-shelled carriages are all formidable immortals!" She then added respectfully, "Master, greetings."

The driver was now utterly speechless, automatically filtering out her greeting.

Amidst the stream of nonsensical talk, the car reached the city outskirts. Before the door was even fully open for payment, the driver sped off as if fleeing for his life, leaving Yan Tian standing there with money in hand, utterly bewildered.

"Come, follow me home," Yan Tian said, nodding to Duan Miaoyin as he walked slowly down the snow-covered suburban road.

This road had always been sparsely populated. It was originally built by a coal mine owner for transport, but as the mountain mines had been exhausted for years, the road was largely abandoned, becoming a private path for Yan Tian. Aside from him and the few women living at his house, almost no one walked it year-round.

The footprints Yan Tian had made earlier were already covered by snow, and there were no tire tracks, meaning the others at home had not yet gone out.

Yan Tian noticed that Duan Miaoyin left behind only a faint trail of footprints in the snow. It seemed her *Lingbo Weibu* (Wave-Walking Steps) technique was truly ingenious, and her internal energy was quite pure; even without intentionally using her light-body skills, she achieved such an effect.

By now, Yan Tian had no doubts about her origin. Parallel dimensions and mirror universes were popular sci-fi theories; as a well-read man, while he didn't believe them entirely, he didn't dismiss them either.

Duan Miaoyin’s dramatic arrival and the authentic internal energy she displayed were undeniable. Though he had never seen the *Lingbo Weibu* or the *Six-Meditation Sword* in person, he assumed the girl wasn't tricking him.

But—if the space Duan Miaoyin came from truly existed, where did the master novelist Gu Yong get his stories? Had he been there? Or was he, like the girl, from that very place?

Yan Tian let his imagination run wild, feeling a sudden surge of interest in that other legendary figure of the martial arts genre, Master Gu Yong.

"Little Duan, was all your martial arts taught to you by Duan Yu?" Yan Tian asked casually as they walked.

Duan Miaoyin trailed half a step behind. No matter how much he insisted, she refused to walk side-by-side, claiming the gap between immortal and mortal made her unworthy. Yan Tian had no choice but to let her be.

"All of my martial arts were taught to me by my ancestor personally."

Yan Tian frowned and looked back. "Little Duan, in our Immortal Realm, we don't use 'this young woman' to refer to ourselves; it sounds awkward. If you feel 'I' is too informal, just call yourself 'Miaoyin'."

"Yes, Immortal Master." Yan Tian wanted to show off; his own light-body technique was also called *Lingbo Weibu*, but it lacked the finesse of hers. Still, it was a top-tier skill. With his deep internal energy, he moved across the snow without leaving a trace. This only made Duan Miaoyin respect him even more, and she dared not contradict a word he said.

"Hm, and your *Northern Dark Divine Art*—how is your progress?" Yan Tian was most interested in this. He was a lazy man who had no interest in grueling training. His family’s martial arts allowed him to absorb energy from jade, and if he had to build up internal strength bit by bit, he would rather die.

"Miaoyin has already mastered the *Northern Dark Divine Art*."

"I see your internal energy is quite deep. At your age, you surely didn't cultivate that yourself, right?"

"The Immortal Master is perceptive. Miaoyin has never used the *Northern Dark Divine Art* to harm others for personal gain. My internal power was passed down to me entirely by my ancestor." Her tone was somewhat flustered.

"Well, I believe that. You seem gentle and pure, not the type to do evil. When Duan Yu was young, he absorbed energy from everyone, yet he never trained diligently himself, and his internal energy was immense. But most of those he absorbed were people with ill intentions. It wouldn't be difficult for him to reverse the *Northern Dark Divine Art* to pass his strength to you."

Yan Tian was fully in character now, enjoying the role of the "Immortal Master." Duan Miaoyin, hearing his intimate knowledge of her ancestor’s life, felt even greater reverence.

"The Immortal Master’s eyes are like torches, seeing into the finest details. Miaoyin is in awe."

Yan Tian tilted his chin, feeling immensely smug. He had no noble intentions; having stumbled upon such a high-quality "MM" (beauty) connected to a legendary martial arts world, he was naturally excited. Beauties—better to catch them than let them slip by, especially one who possessed such magical martial arts?

The *Six-Meditation Sword* aside—its power wasn't necessarily greater than the *One-Finger Zen*—the *Lingbo Weibu* and the *Northern Dark Divine Art* were incredibly alluring. While his own *Lingbo Weibu* was fast, it wasn't as elegant as the little nun’s. If he could learn her version, would dodging bullets become easier? And if he could learn the *Northern Dark Divine Art*... that would be wonderful! True, there weren't many martial arts masters in this world to drain, but perhaps he could absorb the superpowers of those "man-made gods."

However, before that, he had to make the girl understand one thing, or his efforts might all be in vain. Stopping in his tracks, he turned around and said to the girl with great solemnity: "Miaoyin, there is one thing I must tell you. Don't go becoming a nun for no reason. The Buddha will get angry."

"Ah? Why?" Duan Miaoyin was confused.

*Isn't it obvious? If you become a nun, how am I supposed to take you into my bed? If you aren't my wife, how can I learn the Lingbo Weibu and the Northern Dark Divine Art from you?* Yan Tian thought to himself. Of course, he couldn't say that out loud.