In the small courtyard nestled halfway up the mountain, Eugene, dressed in a blue-violet Daoist robe, was slowly walking along the veranda.
Compared to over six hundred years ago, his features remained unchanged, yet he now appeared much more mature. Not only had he grown a long beard, but his whole face looked like that of a worldly man in his forties or fifties, radiating the calm aura of a high-grade Earth Immortal.
Soon, he arrived before a small pavilion.
Inside the open doorway, Master Sage Subhuti sat with his back to Eugene, stroking his long beard and pondering deeply over a Go board. From time to time, he would push aside his sleeve to place a stone, then turn to pick up one of the other color.
"Master," Eugene bowed and saluted, "The people from Five-Fruits Temple say that Clara Heart and Yvonne Rain left long ago, but still haven't returned. Do you need me to go look for them?"
Master Sage Subhuti glanced at Eugene, then continued to gaze at the Go board, replying casually, "It's normal they haven't come back. It's rare for her to go out alone, so she must have gone off wandering somewhere to play. Don't worry about her. Once she's had her fun, she'll return on her own."
"But, Clara Heart has almost never gone out alone. Is it really alright?"
"Isn't Yvonne Rain with her?"
"Well..."
Master Sage Subhuti turned to Eugene and said, "There's nothing to worry about. Go on and mind your own business."
Eugene hesitated for a moment, then could only nod, bow, and withdraw.
...
Tens of thousands of miles away, a tiny village had become lively at once with the arrival of Clara Heart and Yvonne Rain. Everyone treated them as living immortals, bowing in reverence.
Many villagers, hearing they wished to stay overnight, immediately went home to slaughter chickens and sheep, preparing to lavishly entertain the two 'immortals.' Soon, the host family's tiny courtyard was piled high with all kinds of gifts.
Some sick villagers even lined up, hoping the 'immortals' would treat their illnesses.
At once, Clara Heart was as busy as if she had stirred up a hornet's nest, running herself ragged and exhausted, while Yvonne Rain could only sigh from the side.
"Do you never think things through before you act?"
And so, the busy day lasted until sunset.
The old farmer finally managed to shoo all the villagers home. After shutting the gate, he bowed and kowtowed repeatedly to the two of them, leaving Clara Heart thoroughly embarrassed.
After much coaxing and support, they finally managed to "invite" the old farmer and his mother back inside. Clara Heart closed the door and collapsed onto the pallet prepared for the two of them, utterly spent.
Yvonne Rain stood quietly to the side, arms folded, watching for a long time before softly saying, "You brought this trouble on yourself. I told you not to come into this village. Since you chose the path of cultivation, you shouldn't get too involved with mortals. After all, we belong to different worlds."
"It's not like I chose to be a cultivator myself. Besides, what's the harm?" Clara Heart lay on her pillow and giggled, her laughter crisp as silver bells. With a long sigh she added, "Sure, it's tiring, but don't you think they're all so happy?"
"Of course they're happy. There's a 'living immortal' here ready to grant their every wish." Yvonne Rain shook the white bottle, opened the cap, and took a deep whiff, sighing softly. "And not just any immortal—one who hands out golden elixirs as if they're nothing. Forget them, even I feel happy about it."
"As long as everyone's happy, why worry so much?" Clara Heart rolled over, resting on her arm and gazing up at the ceiling.
Her bright, lively eyes darted around, taking in everything.
It was nothing but a shabby thatched hut. Though the villagers had brought out the best things from their homes to pile here, compared to Tusita Palace—let alone even the simple Crescent Star Cave—there was a world of difference.
In Yvonne Rain's words, this was simply not a place fit for cultivators to live.
Yet no matter what it was, Clara Heart was always so enthusiastic. In no time, she had picked up a little wooden carving to play with, beaming as she asked, "Guess what this is?"
"Maybe it's a wolf."
"No, a wolf's ears aren't round."
"Maybe it's just some random carving—a villager's dream, perhaps." Yvonne Rain sat down on the pallet, unable to help herself from saying, "Aunt-master, do you really not know how precious those golden elixirs are? As far as I know, only a handful of Heavenly Generals ever receive one. I never realized you were so extravagant before."
"Of course I know how precious golden elixirs are." Clara Heart flipped over, lying on her stomach as she studied the strange wooden carving, her brows furrowing. Propping her chin, she said, "But I only have this one on me. Besides, what good does eating more elixirs do—make me gain weight? I’ve already eaten plenty; more won’t make a difference. My master doesn’t hand them out freely because he doesn’t want a swarm of people crowding Tusita Palace begging for gifts all day."
"Even if you don’t need them, you shouldn’t just give them away so casually!"
"But if you were the one deciding, and you saw the old grandmother who took us in was frail and sickly, and you could easily cure her—would you really look away just because the golden elixir is precious?"
Faced with the question, Yvonne Rain was stunned, her face flushing red. "Mortal birth, aging, sickness, and death are all part of the natural order—what’s there to lament?"
"Isn’t that just an excuse for inaction?"
"There are so many suffering people in the world—who can you really help?"
"I can help those I actually meet. The ones I never see—well, there’s nothing I can do. But if it only takes a lift of the hand, why not help?"
"But... does it have any meaning?"
Clara Heart glanced at Yvonne Rain with a faint smile. "I’m giving away something I have no use for, and they’re receiving a gift they never expected—what I get in return is a smile from the heart. Don’t you think that’s good enough?"
Lowering her head, Clara Heart continued to study the wooden carving in her hand, while Yvonne Rain was left silent by her words.
After a long while, she could only sigh softly, "I really lose to you. Good thing you have two masters—no matter how much you squander, you’ll never bankrupt them."
...
“This disciple of Lord Lao…” In the shadowy room, two monks exchanged glances. “She’s far too naïve. On the long road of cultivation, if not for Master Sage Subhuti and Lord Lao shielding her, she’d have been eliminated long ago. What do they see in her?”
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Manjusri smiled faintly, gazing out the window with deep meaning. “Some things depend on fate. A little naivety isn’t bad. If not for that, we wouldn’t have chosen her as our breakthrough. That, too, is fate.”
...
At this moment, Clara Heart had moved all the villagers’ trinkets under the oil lamp, carefully inspecting each one in the light. Her eyes sparkled like a child admiring new toys, chatting idly with Yvonne Rain.
“This vase looks pretty nice. I want to take it back for my master.”
“What’s so good about this old bottle? Lord Lao wouldn’t care for something like this.”