53: Chapter 53 Suddenly Encountering a Theatrical Troupe

Just then, a travel-worn Opera Troupe, families in tow, was making its way laboriously along the narrow path by the pond.

The wooden carts were piled high with trunks and props; elders coughed, children wailed, and every face bore the exhaustion of the road.

The troupe leader, Luo Hui, was a dark-complexioned, middle-aged man.

His brow was furrowed as he looked down, calculating their next livelihood.

"Father! Someone fell into the water!"

His daughter suddenly cried out in alarm.

She had spirited eyes and appeared to be about five or six years old, wearing an oversized red robe. Her small face was full of anxiety as she extended a tiny finger, pointing toward the far side of the pond.

She was pointing exactly at Shen Moyan, who had just stood up from the water.

Luo Hui snapped his head up at the sound, thinking it was some poor soul who had lost hope or accidentally slipped.

Upon closer inspection, he realized it was actually a child.

The Opera Troupe traveled far and wide and lived by the code of Jianghu mutual aid. Luo Hui didn't stop to think and roared:

"What are you standing around for? Save him!"

As the words left his mouth, he dashed toward the pond, intending to jump into the water to pull the person out without a second thought.

Several young men beside him also reacted, rushing forward with him.

At that moment, Shen Moyan happened to circulate his magical power. The moisture around his body evaporated instantly, and his robes and hair fluttered despite the lack of wind.

Seeing Luo Hui about to plunge into the icy water, Shen Moyan frowned slightly. He had no desire for further entanglement with Mortals, let alone explaining himself.

Thus, he lightly tapped the surface of the water with his toe.

In the next instant, before the horrified eyes of the Opera Troupe members, Shen Moyan's figure rose several feet into the air, floating weightlessly above the pond!

It was sunset, and the dying rays of the sun spilled over him, plating him in a layer of golden light.

His wet clothes were now dry, and his posture was composed—a world away from the slightly disheveled state he had been in while in the water.

"This..."

Luo Hui, who was about to jump, skidded to a halt. He looked up at this scene, his pupils shrinking and his lips trembling. He froze in place as if a binding spell had been cast on him.

The troupe members behind him—whether the robust martial actors or the delicate female leads—were all terrified to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. They instantly fell to their knees in a row, kowtowing like pounding garlic, their bodies shaking like sieves:

"Immortal... Immortal Master!"

"The Lord Water God has manifested!"

"Mercy! Immortal Master, have mercy! We were blind and did not recognize you!"

The young girl who had cried out earlier was also stunned. She forgot to be afraid and forgot to follow the adults in kneeling.

Her small body stood there, her little face turned upward. Her large, dark eyes were wide and unblinking as she gazed at Shen Moyan, who was suspended in mid-air and bathed in golden light.

In those eyes, there was no terror, only pure yearning.

Shen Moyan gazed down at these Mortals.

As the troupe leader, Luo Hui actually possessed a certain Realm, but not much—only the second level of Qi Gathering.

The others were either scattered at the first level of Qi Gathering or had no cultivation at all.

It seemed the influence of the origin dao preaching stele was quite vast. In this world, aside from those raised in the nurseries, Mortals in other regions all possessed a certain degree of cultivation.

Shen Moyan originally intended to turn and leave, but he paused slightly. His Divine Sense swept over the terrified troupe, and his gaze landed on the young girl who had just spoken up.

The girl looked frail and her appearance was ordinary, with a chubby round face.

However, the fact that she could react faster than the adults and spot Shen Moyan while he was still in the water was no coincidence.

Although Shen Moyan's current abilities could not yet perceive the so-called Dao Rhyme, he could see the Bloodlines of all living beings, filtering the mundane from the talented.

Within his Divine Sense, he vaguely detected a faint yet extremely ancient and obscure fluctuation dormant deep within the girl's Bloodline.

This fluctuation was so weak it was almost negligible. If those people from the Academy were here, they might be able to identify it.

"A special Bloodline..."

"It seems to be some kind of Black Bird."

Shen Moyan did not know exactly what kind of existence this Bloodline was.

His figure flickered as he executed the Azure Wave Stillness Step. Like a shifting shadow, he appeared noiselessly before the young girl who was still staring up in a daze.

Seeing his ghost-like movements, the troupe members were scared out of their wits.

The high-level Cultivators of this world were fickle. If they were not under the watch of the Holy Court, they could do as they pleased.

A slightly older boy hurriedly shielded the girl behind him. He appeared to be her older brother, his face filled with determination.

"Immortal Master, my younger sister is frail and weak, please..."

"What is your name?" Ignoring the boy, Shen Moyan asked in a deep voice.

"Luo... Luo Hanchán."

The girl stared blankly at Shen Moyan.

She suddenly lowered her head, her face flushing bright red as she began to cough uncontrollably.

The boy beside her looked anxious and quickly pulled several Spirit Stone fragments from his waist pouch, pressing them against Luo Hanchán's chest.

The pure Spiritual Qi was absorbed by Luo Hanchán, which finally caused the coughing to subside.

Seeing this, Shen Moyan raised an eyebrow.

After the intensive study he'd done at the Academy in his previous life, Shen Moyan had a decent understanding of the Cultivation World.

The Bloodline in this Luo Hanchán was not simple.

If there were no Spirit Stones to constantly provide Spiritual Qi for her to absorb, this girl would surely die young and never reach adulthood.

He had heard of certain special Bloodlines that remained dormant until they were fully awakened.

And once they underwent Awakening, their strength would undergo an earth-shattering transformation.

Going from a Mortal to Mortal Transformation in a single step, gathering and dividing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi with a wave of a hand—it was even possible to suppress a Purple Mansion Realm expert across Realms.

"Interesting." Shen Moyan became intrigued, a slight grin touching the corner of his mouth.

The boy beside Luo Hanchán sensed the subtle shift in the atmosphere and immediately fell to his knees with a thud, saying:

"Immortal Master, you are compassionate and possess great Divine Abilities. Please, save my younger sister!"

He hurriedly pulled Luo Hanchán down to kneel with him before Shen Moyan.

The boy knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime Opportunity.

"My sister has been plagued by a malignant illness since childhood. For five years, we have visited famous doctors among men, but none had a cure. We can only use Spirit Stones to alleviate it, but that is like drinking poison to quench thirst; my sister's health is deteriorating by the day..."

"Changting! Stop this nonsense!"

Luo Hui's expression changed drastically.

What kind of existence was an Immortal Master of the Mortal Transformation Realm? With just a single thought, he could kill them all.

Ants like them, who were at most at the second level of Qi Gathering, had no right to make demands of such an existence.

Furthermore, Cultivators focused on Karma. If the Immortal Master truly cured Luo Hanchán, what could they possibly use to repay such a debt of gratitude?

"Lord Immortal Master, my son..." Luo Hui was about to kowtow when Shen Moyan suddenly uttered two words:

"Granted."

Shen Moyan knew that with the right Opportunity, this girl was an unpolished jade.

"Meeting is fate. I grant your request." Shen Moyan's expression was indifferent.

He acted according to his own whims, and his mood happened to be good lately.

Today, this troupe leader's heart was not bad, and the girl possessed a bit of spiritual intelligence.

Leaving behind a good Karma was but a simple task for him. Moreover, by placing this casual chess piece today, when the girl's Bloodline awakened, he could study it a bit. It might provide him with a few more Divine Abilities, and there would be unexpected benefits after harvesting.

"Thank you, Immortal Master!" Luo Changting's face was full of joy.

"Thank you, Immortal Master." Luo Hui's expression was complex.

Shen Moyan pulled a stalk of ginseng from his storage ring and, with a flow of magical power, compressed it into a pill.