My Aspiration Aligns with Your Path

Wei Dagui, who had thought he was going to lose his life here, looked at the handsome young man who had saved him in absolute astonishment.

He even forgot that he was currently suspended in mid-air, not far above the river's surface.

Sun Yigao, who had rushed over in the nick of time to catch the suddenly falling conscripted laborer, breathed a huge sigh of relief. He then held the laborer and used his Air-Treading Technique to deliver the man to a hidden corner on the shore where others couldn't see them.

It wasn't until his feet touched solid ground that Wei Dagui felt he was truly alive again. Only then did he realize that this young man had actually rescued him from mid-air!

"Are... are you an immortal?" Wei Dagui was extremely agitated and immediately tried to kneel and bow to Sun Yigao. "Thank you, Immortal, for saving me!"

Seeing him bend his knees to kneel, Sun Yigao hastily supported him by the arms to lift him up.

"Uncle, there's no need for this! I am no immortal, just a cultivator. The dam is perilous; please be incredibly careful."

With that said, Sun Yigao quickly departed, turning back to the vicinity of the dam to keep an eye out for any emerging dangers.

Just as Wei Dagui looked up, wanting to ask for his savior's name, he found that the tall, elegant figure of the immortal had already vanished.

The tremendous roar of the river water behind him was deafening. For a moment, he felt a bit dazed. Was he actually dead? Was what just happened merely a dream before dying?

However, the faint sound of the conscripted porters chanting their work slogans in the distance pulled the bewildered Wei Dagui back to reality.

He wasn't dreaming. He had truly met an immortal who saved him from the river!

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he hurried back to the main group.

Upon returning to the crowd, he didn't mention this incident to anyone.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lin Xiao was focused on placing reinforcement arrays.

The entire Guchuan Dam was over five thousand meters wide. He had brought a total of fifty large-scale reinforcement arrays, placing one every hundred meters, which was still slightly insufficient.

Lin Xiao, who had just finished placing the large-scale reinforcement arrays across the entire Guchuan Dam, suddenly detected a familiar surge of spiritual energy nearby, which disappeared after a short while.

He felt somewhat puzzled. Had someone else from their sect come over? Thus, he immediately headed in the direction of that spiritual energy.

From a distance, he spotted a tall and slender figure standing on the shore.

Who else could it be but Sun Yigao?

Under the cover of night, he sped through the night sky.

The people working with their heads down on the dam didn't notice this youthful figure treading through the air amidst the thick mist over the Guyue River.

Sun Yigao, who was earnestly observing the situation on the dam, suddenly heard a familiar, clear voice ring out behind him.

"Sure enough, at a time like this, you were bound to show up."

Hearing this, Sun Yigao turned around. Seeing Lin Xiao, he gave a gentle smile:

"Isn't it the same for you, Sect Master?"

Lin Xiao lowered his head and chuckled:

"It's been many days since we last met; I trust you've been well. How did your exams go?"

"I just finished the prefectural exam yesterday. Because the dam repair is an urgent matter, the Prefect hasn't had the time to grade the papers. All exam papers have been sealed, and the results won't be out for a while," Sun Yigao replied.

"I see," Lin Xiao nodded.

Liaoju Prefecture wasn't very close to the location of the Guchuan Dam. With Yigao's current cultivation base, it would take him over two hours to rush over here. He probably set out for this place in the early hours of the morning.

Sun Yigao looked toward the Guchuan Dam, where the repair work was still proceeding in full swing, and said to Lin Xiao:

"Yesterday, I heard that the repair work would begin today. I was somewhat worried, so I came over. Did you do the same, Sect Master?"

Lin Xiao nodded and replied:

"Recently, I've been learning to draw and carve formations. Although they don't possess the power to turn the tide, it suddenly occurred to me today that I could create some reinforcement arrays to lend a hand with the dam repairs. So, I brought some over."

Looking at Sun Yigao standing on the shore, constantly keeping an eye on the dam, Lin Xiao asked:

"Are you planning to station yourself here and keep watch every day for the near future?"

Sun Yigao nodded:

"I'm afraid too many people will get into accidents. Although I don't have any good methods for repairing the dam, if I can save even one more person, I'll be satisfied."

Hearing his words, Lin Xiao sighed inwardly and said to him:

"Yigao, do you know? Actually, in the world of immortal cultivation that I learned about from the Old Immortal who gave me my fortuitous encounter, the lives of mortals are just like weeds."

Saying this, he shook his head again.

"No, it's not just mortals; everyone's life is like that. In the eyes of those cultivators, nothing is more important than their own cultivation. Murdering for treasure is commonplace for them, and looking out only for themselves is the eternity they pursue."

Hearing this, Sun Yigao fell silent for a moment before shaking his head and sighing softly:

"Perhaps it should be like that, but I can't do it."

He looked at the busy figures on the distant dam, his voice sounding softly amidst the roar of the surging river water beside them:

"I can't harden my heart against these people I've never even met. I always find myself considering their plight.

I don't think I'm particularly compassionate or kind. I just want to see a little less suffering in this world, within the limits of my ability.

I think you are the same, Sect Master."

Following his gaze, Lin Xiao also looked at the people working hard on the dam. He smiled faintly:

"Looking at these people striving to live, my heart feels truly fulfilled. Whether walking the path of immortality or living an ordinary life, life must ultimately be lovable to give me the motivation to keep going.

I admit I am no great saint, but I will always respect lives that strive and work hard."

Hearing this, Sun Yigao felt a sense of joy. He lowered his eyes and replied with a smile:

"My direction is the same as where you are heading."

While the two conversed in the shadows, Wei Dagui, who had been rescued by Sun Yigao earlier, returned to the crowd.

The supervising bailiff saw him and, assuming he was trying to dodge the draft, became extremely angry. But upon hearing him explain that he had actually fallen off the dam due to a companion's mistake, the bailiff was half-skeptical.

"Falling from such a high place, and you actually..." The bailiff was too embarrassed to say "you actually aren't dead." If the man had truly survived a great disaster, saying such a thing would sound like wishing for his death.

Wei Dagui did not mention that he had been saved by an immortal. He only claimed that he was a strong swimmer and had good luck, being washed ashore by the current.

The bailiff then called over the companion who had been with him just now.

Upon seeing the man he had personally witnessed falling and assumed was definitely dead suddenly appear before him again, Wei Dagui's companion was startled.

He asked Wei Dagui with some fear:

"Y-you aren't a ghost, are you?"

Although Wei Dagui was very annoyed that the man's carelessness had nearly cost him his life, he also knew that the man was in poor health and hadn't rested much all day. He merely snorted:

"Of course I'm not a ghost! If it weren't for your carelessness, how could I have fallen!"

Seeing this, the bailiff immediately stepped forward to pacify them. In his heart, he now believed that Wei Dagui hadn't been fleeing duty but had genuinely fallen. He thought to himself that today was truly bizarre; just this morning, he had heard from other bailiffs that a man's rope had snapped, causing him to fall, only for the man to return perfectly fine. And now, here was another one.

It was just that the guy who fell this morning had his brain a bit scrambled from the impact, actually claiming that an immortal had saved him. How could an immortal appear so easily? Even though the Prefect had already sought help from the immortals, if one had truly descended, there would undoubtedly be a massive commotion over at the Prefect's residence, just like last time.

Yet today, he hadn't heard a single whisper about an immortal's arrival.

How could there be absolutely no news by now? To step in, save someone, and then simply vanish?

At least the fellow in front of him hadn't knocked his brains out from the fall.

Still, after a moment of thought, the officer decided to let him go back and rest for a bit.

After all, the man had just taken a tumble from such a great height. What if he had suffered some unseen internal injuries?

The Prefect had given strict orders: if the casualties among the conscripted laborers were too high this time, the supervising officers would face punishment as well.

Naturally, if the casualties were kept low and the task was completed satisfactorily, they would receive generous rewards.

With this in mind, the officer quickly urged Wei Dagui to head back and rest, telling him to return to work the following day.