Remembering the Past

"With those words of yours, sir, this old woman's lifetime of hard work finally feels worth it," said Granny Sun.

"At least someone remembers me, right?"

As she spoke, Granny Sun placed the bowls and chopsticks into a soapy bucket on the ground to soak. After rinsing her hands with clean water from a wooden plank, she continued, "Sir, are we sticking to the usual order for the mutton stew?"

"As always." Gu Ning'an nodded and found a seat to sit down.

"Alright then, please wait a moment." With that, Granny Sun busied herself again at her small "stovetop."

As she prepared the roasted flatbreads and mutton stew, she chatted with Gu Ning'an about everyday life.

She spoke of her children and grandchildren before moving on to ask if Gu Ning'an was married yet. The conversation soon drifted to her wanting to matchmake him with a suitable bride and arrange a marriage.

Had it not been for Gu Ning'an's polite but firm refusals, Granny Sun might have packed up her stall and tapped into her network to find him a bride in the county.

Before long, a steaming bowl of fragrant, savory mutton soup and three roasted flatbreads were served to him.

"Granny Sun, how come there's an extra flatbread today?" Gu Ning'an asked, knowing the usual serving was two flatbreads.

Granny Sun waved it off dismissively. "Oh, you're an old customer—what's an extra flatbread?"

Realizing it wasn't a mistake, Gu Ning'an chuckled. "Indeed, as an old customer, why should I be so polite?"

Granny Sun let out a hearty "Eh!" and said, "Go on, eat up now."

With a faint smile, Gu Ning'an nodded and began eating the mutton stew at a leisurely pace.

As he ate, another customer arrived at the stall—a young couple.

The man was visibly thrilled to see Granny Sun, exclaiming, "I grew up eating Granny Sun's mutton stew! It's been ages since I last saw you out here, so today, I just have to have some!"

At first, his wife protested, "We just finished lunch—how can we eat mutton stew now? There's no way I can fit any more."

But by the end of it, she was eating even faster than her husband.

If her husband hadn't worried about her overeating and hurting her stomach, her enthusiasm suggested she would have happily ordered another serving.

Amid this lively scene, Gu Ning'an finished his meal, savoring the warmth of life around him. He raised his bowl and drank down the last of the mutton soup in one go.

He retrieved 20 copper coins from his sleeve and placed them on the table. Rising, he smiled and said, "Granny Sun, here's the payment."

Granny Sun, busy with her work, didn't even look up as she replied, "Alrighty, sir. Take care, and come back whenever you can."

Gu Ning'an nodded. "I will."

After he had walked some distance away, the young couple was nearly finished with their meal as well.

The man turned to Granny Sun and asked, "Granny Sun, do you know what kind of person that gentleman is?"

"What kind of person?" both Granny Sun and the man's wife asked in unison.

With a mysterious expression, the man answered, "Some say he's an immortal—a sage who never grows old or dies!"

"What? Really?" The young woman grabbed her husband's arm, eagerly pressing him for details. "Quick, tell me more! How come I've never heard of this?"

Her reaction was natural enough, but Granny Sun remained calm, showing no interest in prying further.

Noticing this, the young man felt somewhat dissatisfied. Ignoring his wife's questions, he turned to Granny Sun and raised his voice slightly, asking, "Granny Sun, don't you want to know why I said that?"

Granny Sun replied with a cheerful smile, "I can't recall exactly how many years ago I first met Mr. Gu."

"But I do remember that when he looked the way he does now, you were still in your mother's womb."

"Judging by your age, you're a little over twenty, so Mr. Gu must have stayed in Lexiang County for a while more than twenty years ago."

"For someone's appearance to remain unchanged for over two decades… though my memory may not be the best, I'm no fool. Naturally, I know Mr. Gu is extraordinary."

"But even if he's remarkable, my relationship with him is nothing more than that of an old woman selling mutton stew and a loyal customer who eats it."

"So, why would I bother being curious about a customer's background? All that matters to me is whether the customer is satisfied with the food."

Hearing Granny Sun's reasoning, the young man, though initially bewildered, scratched his head awkwardly and mumbled, "True, true," before lowering his head to focus on his food. His wife quietly followed suit.

Before long, the young couple finished their meal, paid their bill, and bade farewell to Granny Sun before leaving.

As Granny Sun began cleaning up the dishes, she suddenly froze, staring at the spot where Gu Ning'an had been sitting earlier. A trace of confusion flickered in her eyes as she murmured, "Didn't Mr. Gu visit just a few days ago?"

...

Bang!

Gu Ning'an felt a sudden heat in his palm. A wisp of Worldly Qi appeared, flickering gently like a tiny flame.

"What exactly triggers the emergence of this Worldly Qi?" he muttered, his gaze fixed on Granny Sun's image within the flame. He couldn't understand the conditions that activated this peculiar energy.

Granny Sun's three souls—heaven, earth, and human—were clearly out of balance. At times, she would forget the present; at others, she'd lose memories of the past.

Logically, in such a state, her body should already be repelling spiritual energy, making it impossible for her to interact with the flow of Worldly Qi or similar phenomena.

Back at the Ansi Courtyard, Gu Ning'an sat on a stone bench, contemplating the potential origins of Worldly Qi.

From his observations, the Worldly Qi had existed since his earliest days wandering the martial world.

At the time, however, he had been completely unaware of its presence.

It wasn't until after his "return to silence" that the Worldly Qi had pulled him back into the mortal world, enabling him to perceive its existence.

If Worldly Qi were born from gratitude or some form of "willing intent" stemming from the people he had helped, that explanation wouldn't quite fit.

Take Granny Sun, for instance. He had never used his spiritual power to assist her in any way, so there would be no reason for her to feel such gratitude.

On the other hand, consider the yellow weasel spirit he had never met. The yellow weasel had benefited from the teachings of his "method" and should, in theory, fulfill the conditions for generating Worldly Qi.

In the case of the yellow weasel, the phenomenon seemed closer to the power derived from incense offerings—a kind of faith-based energy.

"Forget it. If I can't figure it out now, I'll understand it eventually," Gu Ning'an sighed deeply. Rising, he strode into the house, lay down on the bed, and emptied his mind, letting sleep claim him.