Preferring to Be an Ordinary Person

In the schoolroom filled with laughter, Yi Feng felt a long-lost sense of peace and relaxation.

It was as if he had returned to his former stable life—no excessive worries, no need to run around helplessly. He temporarily cast everything to the back of his mind, as if he were in a dream.

At this moment, both his body and mind were exactly like that of a mortal.

Taking the two bamboo baskets, Yi Feng smiled and expressed his thanks.

"Thank you, Miss Wei."

Hearing this, Wei Xiaowei blushed and bowed again.

"Master Yi, you are truly too polite."

"The whole town will be delighted that you are willing to accept this small token of our appreciation. Please forgive the intrusion; I will wait for you outside the school."

Yi Feng was a bit baffled.

Waiting for him outside? What was that about?

Could it be...

She had another gift, planning some little surprise?

Out of curiosity, before the young girl could turn to leave, he spoke up to ask.

"Miss Wei, is there something else?"

As soon as the question left his lips, the boys and girls at the back of the classroom chuckled quietly, watching with expressions of gossipy concern.

Feeling the gathering gazes, panic flickered in Wei Xiaowei's eyes, and her pretty face flushed even redder.

Looking at Yi Feng's calm and handsome face, she finally summoned the courage to respond.

"Master Yi."

"You are the great benefactor of our Qinghe Town. Teaching the town's children to read and write is a service akin to giving them a second life. Many people keep your kindness in their hearts; these food and daily necessities are hardly enough to express our feelings."

"Therefore, after discussing it, everyone has invited the Old Patriarch to teach you cultivation!"

Cultivation?

Hearing these unexpected words, Yi Feng was dumbfounded.

He never imagined that after sending so many things, the people still feared they hadn't repaid his kindness enough and actually wanted to help him step onto the path of cultivation...

Hearing this truth now, Yi Feng was momentarily speechless.

As the saying goes, a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring.

Many have heard this saying, but very few actually practice it.

People are often blinded by greed; as their status rises, they gradually lose their original self, disregarding righteousness and turning friends into enemies. How many truly remember the word 'gratitude,' let alone repay it?

In the deceitful world of cultivation, the people of Qinghe Town were truly humble and lived in difficult circumstances, yet they still knew how to recognize and repay kindness. Such simple and honest folk customs were truly rare and precious.

However, listening to this goodwill, Yi Feng felt caught between a rock and a hard place.

Did the current him still need to cultivate?

After weathering countless storms and crushing an unknown number of so-called powerhouses—even the Cangyuan Hall was not worth mentioning—he had seen through everything and finally understood his own power.

In this world, there might not be any existence stronger than him.

Invincibility leads to loneliness; this is the sorrow of the strong.

The hope of seeking death was almost entirely cut off.

If he could truly choose, he would rather be a mortal.

If he were still a mortal, seeking death would be as easy as turning over his hand; encountering any random cultivator would allow him to perish on the spot and complete this accursed system mission.

Alas, things had come to this.

Yi Feng had already let go of everything, his heart devoid of waves.

His calmness was a state of mind polished by countless experiences. It was somewhat helpless to say, but definitely not something ordinary people could understand. The children in the schoolroom could hardly grasp such sentiments, and might never touch upon them in this lifetime.

Hearing the name of the Old Patriarch, the children were filled only with admiration and surprise!

"Wow!"

"The Old Patriarch is going to teach the Master to cultivate! The Master will definitely become very powerful in the future!"

"That goes without saying! Master is so smart, and with the Old Patriarch's teaching, he will surely become a big, big expert!"

Listening to the children's surprised cheers, Yi Feng snapped back from his emotional reflections.

Facing Miss Wei's enthusiastic invitation, he could only respond politely.

"I appreciate your kindness, Miss Wei."

"However, I am just a schoolteacher. I am happy and content teaching and educating people every day. Why do you insist that I cultivate?"

Wei Xiaowei was stunned upon hearing this, her eyes revealing anxious concern.

"Master Yi, that is not right!"

"Our Qinghe Town is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and demon beasts often appear. Although you are a respected scholar and can start a family and career through your knowledge without stepping onto the path of immortality or laboring as hard as ordinary people, if you had a little cultivation base to protect yourself, you could save yourself in case of danger..."

So they were worried about his safety; it was indeed well-intentioned.

However.

Mere demon beasts were not worth caring about. No matter how dangerous they were, before his eyes, they were just flowers in a mirror or the moon in the water—scattering into smoke with a single touch.

Yi Feng nodded slightly and declined.

"I see."

"Thank you all for your kindness; I am truly grateful. But I really have no ambition to cultivate. I hope Miss Wei can apologize to everyone on my behalf."

Hearing such lackadaisical remarks, Miss Wei and the children stared in a daze.

After a few breaths, surprise, urgency, and annoyance appeared on their faces. Suddenly, they felt a sense of disappointment—like wishing iron would turn into steel—as if the positions of teacher and student had been reversed.

The children were so anxious they stood up, speaking all at once.

"Master, how can you just give up on cultivating immortality like this!"

"Didn't you teach us to face difficulties head-on?"

"Master, cultivating is indeed a bit hard, but with such a good opportunity, you should at least try it!"

Wei Xiaowei's expression also turned serious as she stepped forward, speaking urgently.

"Master Yi, please reconsider..."

"The Old Patriarch is the number one expert in our Qinghe Town, unparalleled for hundreds of years. His knowledge is profound, and his cultivation is unfathomable. Not to mention the geniuses from hundreds of miles around who come in admiration but fail to become his disciples, even the younger generations of his own kin in town don't all get the chance to be guided by the Old Patriarch."

"We petitioned the Old Patriarch, and knowing that you teach the town's children—giving ordinary kids a new path and solving everyone's future worries—he reluctantly agreed."

"This is an opportunity countless people envy; you absolutely must not miss it!"

The urgency in her words became increasingly obvious. Even the children, who had been sitting quietly, nodded in agreement, losing their usual obedience as if facing a major event.

A few mischievous brats who usually caused trouble even boldly squeezed to the front.

"Sister Wei is telling the truth! Master, you must think it over carefully!"

"Yeah, you can't refuse such a good thing!"

Yi Feng listened with a smile and looked at the mischievous boy beside him.

"Cultivation isn't that simple, I'm afraid. How can it be as good as you say?"

He knew better than anyone that cultivating immortality might be nice, but for him, it could only be described as a "scam." If he had known he would be unable to seek death now, he would never have stepped onto the path of immortality back then.

But the child looked unconvinced, tilting his head back and widening his surprised eyes!

"Master, you're wrong about that!"

"If you can get the Old Patriarch's guidance, cultivation will definitely be much simpler. My dad used to say that the Old Patriarch is a legendary Martial Spirit expert, the strongest existence in our Qinghe Town!"

"With such a powerful person teaching you, how could cultivation be hard?!"

As his voice fell, even Yi Feng was stunned by the retort.

So he was a Martial Spirit expert...

A cultivator of this level was indeed overwhelmingly powerful in the eyes of commoners. Even his former self would have found such strength terrifying. It was no wonder everyone kept trying to persuade him, insisting that he cultivate under the Old Patriarch.

By all accounts, this really was a rare opportunity, one that others could only dream of.

Seeing the eager students surrounding him, and even Miss Wei looking as though she wouldn't take no for an answer, Yi Feng could only let out a soft sigh and relent.

"Fine..."

"Since you all insist, I'll give it a try."

The moment his words fell, the entire crowd lit up with smiles.

The pure-hearted children were overjoyed. Even though it was Yi Feng who had obtained this rare chance, they seemed happier than if they had received it themselves. The innocence and sincerity of the children were fully evident as their cheers rocked the small courtyard.