Meeting an Old Friend, Begging for Three Thousand Years

Langya, Yunchuan

"Da Huang, did you do this on purpose?"

"I didn’t! You can’t just accuse me like that."

"You’re seriously saying you didn’t?"

Chen Chang'an glared at Da Huang with deep resentment—this bastard was absolutely getting back at him.

Seven days. A full seven days. Da Huang had gone all out at top speed without giving Chen Chang'an any protection.

Chen Chang'an’s body could handle it, but how could his clothes possibly withstand Da Huang’s speed?

"You should’ve taken better care of yourself."

"Oh right, I forgot—you’ve only just started cultivating. You’re still weak."

"My bad, totally my bad."

Da Huang played dumb with a shameless grin, thoroughly enjoying Chen Chang'an’s misery.

"Fine. Just you wait."

Chen Chang'an ignored Da Huang and was about to change his clothes when a furious roar cut through the air.

"Chen Chang'an!"

"You bastard, I finally found you!"

Huh?

What the hell?

He’d just arrived in Langya, and already ran into someone he knew?

Could it be Lin Xiangliu? No, Lin Xiangliu wouldn’t hold such a grudge against him.

Both Chen Chang'an and Da Huang turned toward the voice, curious. Not far away, a beggar stood glaring at Chen Chang'an with pure hatred.

"A beggar?"

"Damn, do I know any beggars?"

Chen Chang'an racked his brain, combing through every memory, but couldn’t place the man.

"Da Huang, do you recognize him?" Chen Chang'an asked.

"Hmm… looks familiar, but I can’t remember," Da Huang shook his head.

The beggar was a middle-aged man, his face as dark as dirt, his clothes ragged beyond description.

But Chen Chang'an suddenly realized—his own current outfit was practically identical to the beggar’s!

The beggar stomped toward Chen Chang'an, his eyes alight with malicious glee at the sight of Chen Chang'an’s disheveled state.

Chen Chang'an and Da Huang both stared back. Few people knew Chen Chang'an’s name—this had to mean something.

"I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere."

"Yeah, same. He looks kinda familiar."

"Wait, could he be…"

"Holy shit!"

"Xuan Wudao?"

"You’re Xuan Wudao?!"

Chen Chang'an and Da Huang’s eyes widened in shock. The beggar standing before them was none other than Xuan Wudao.

Xuan Wudao wasn’t from Langya. Chen Chang'an had met him three thousand years ago.

Back then, Xuan Wudao had been a rising star, hailed as the top genius of his generation, destined for greatness.

When Chen Chang'an first encountered him, Xuan Wudao was at the peak of his fame—just fifty years old, yet already at the Void Comprehension Realm’s pinnacle!

How had three thousand years turned this once-proud prodigy into a beggar?

Time had blurred the details, and Chen Chang'an couldn’t fathom why Xuan Wudao held such resentment toward him.

Had there ever been any real conflict between them?

"Damn, you were a peerless genius. What the hell are you doing now?"

"Experiencing the hardships of mortal life?"

"Trying out different lifestyles?" Chen Chang'an asked, baffled.

Xuan Wudao’s fury erupted at Chen Chang'an’s clueless expression.

He forgot?!

This bastard actually forgot?!

For three thousand years, Xuan Wudao had clung to their agreement, suffering in silence—only for Chen Chang'an to have no recollection of it?!

"You think I ended up like this because of who?!"

"Chen Chang'an, you ruined my life!" Xuan Wudao’s resentment was so thick it could’ve strangled Chen Chang'an on the spot.

"Hold on, how is this my fault?"

"I never—"

Before he could finish, a long-buried memory surfaced in Chen Chang'an’s mind.

Oh.

Oh no.

This… actually was his fault.

Da Huang, meanwhile, stifled laughter behind a paw, finally recalling the incident as well.

"Three thousand years. Do you have any idea how long I’ve searched for you?"

"Damn it, I’m finally free of this cursed beggar’s life!"

"I’m free!" Xuan Wudao howled at the sky, as if releasing three millennia of pent-up frustration.

"Poor guy. He’s already like this, and now he’s lost his mind."

"Right? Look at these two beggars, chatting away like old friends."

"Ah, pitiful souls. Even in their state, they still keep a dog—must be kind-hearted."

"True. They’re barely scraping by, yet that big yellow dog is clean and well-fed. Good people."

"Let’s give them some money so they can have a decent meal."

"Good idea."

The passersby’s conversation left Chen Chang'an, Xuan Wudao, and even Da Huang speechless.

They were being mistaken for actual beggars?

To be fair, Xuan Wudao was undeniably a genuine beggar. Chen Chang'an? He refused to accept the label—his clothes were just a little torn, that’s all.

The worst offender was Da Huang, who immediately distanced himself, turning his head away as if to say, "I don’t know these two."

"Piss off! Do I look like a beggar?!"

"What kind of eyes do you people have?!" Xuan Wudao snapped.

The crowd stared back as if he were an idiot, their expressions screaming, "Uh, yes?"

Xuan Wudao opened his mouth to argue, then paused.

…He was, in fact, a beggar.

"Let’s go. No point embarrassing ourselves here."

"Damn it, I’ve been humiliated for three thousand years."

"All this time, I’ve avoided anyone who might recognize me."

Xuan Wudao hurriedly dragged Chen Chang'an away. Now that he’d found him, the beggar act was over.

"Fine. Let’s get you cleaned up and into fresh clothes."

"I know a place. Been eyeing it for ages, just never had the money."

"You’re paying."

"Fine, my treat. I’ve got plenty."

Chen Chang'an sighed as Xuan Wudao led him straight to… a brothel.

"Huanhua Pavilion?!"

"This is the place you’ve been dreaming about?!" Chen Chang'an facepalmed.

"Obviously. What’s better than this?"

"Don’t tell me you’ve never been to a brothel in all these years?"

"Let me tell you, I’ve traveled far and wide. Every time I scraped together some silver, I spent it all in brothels." Xuan Wudao smirked proudly.

Holy hell.

Just how many brothels had this guy visited?!

"With your cultivation, why bother saving up money for this?" Chen Chang'an asked, puzzled.

"You really have to ask? It’s all because of you!" Xuan Wudao grumbled.

Chen Chang'an chuckled. Back when they’d met, Xuan Wudao had been insufferably arrogant, convinced of his own invincibility.

Chen Chang'an hadn’t cared much—until Xuan Wudao insisted on a duel before parting ways.

So Chen Chang'an made him a bet.

He gave Xuan Wudao one incense stick’s worth of time. Chen Chang'an wouldn’t move a muscle—if Xuan Wudao could so much as scratch him, he’d admit defeat.

If Xuan Wudao loses, he must live as a beggar, surviving on alms, until the next time he sees himself.

In the end, Xuan Wudao desperately attacked Chen Chang'an for the duration of an incense stick’s burn, yet Chen Chang'an emerged completely unharmed.

“I mean, this is three thousand years we’re talking about. What if you never find me? You’d just keep begging forever?” Chen Chang'an asked curiously.

“Nonsense! A true man stands firm between heaven and earth. A promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold—how could I go back on my word?”

“Truly, a man of honor!”

“Enough chatter. Treat me to some fun.”

“Fine, let’s go.”

Chen Chang'an shook his head helplessly. It wasn’t like he’d ever visited a brothel before—might as well see what it was like.

“Hold it right there!”

“Do you even know what kind of place this is?”

“Two beggars trying to enter our Huanhua Pavilion?”

The moment they reached the entrance, the attendants blocked their path. Their shabby attire, not to mention the dog tagging along, was frankly hard to look at.

“Cut the crap.”

“Lead the way.”

Chen Chang'an didn’t waste time—he simply tossed out a few gold ingots. After all, such things were useless to cultivators; ordinary folk might treasure them as currency, but for those who practiced, spirit stones were the real deal.

“Oh! This lowly one failed to recognize true nobility earlier—how blind of me, how blind!”

“Right this way, honored guests!”