It was a night when the moonlight gently fell upon the riverside.
A man knocked on the gate of a manor.
His long ears and beautiful face seemed to transcend the mortal world.
He called out to the master of the manor, offering to stay as a guest for the night and provide medical treatment.
His mysterious features and the faint scent of grass lingered in the air.
The gatekeeper dared not treat him lightly.
The master of the manor happened to have a newborn baby at the time.
Hoping to have the child’s pulse checked, he welcomed the man with long ears.
The man, holding the baby and examining it carefully, spoke.
"It will be difficult for this child to live past twenty. Such is their constitution."
"You mean they will die young? This child was born after their mother was disgraced. Is this a punishment from heaven?" the master asked.
The man frowned as if the question was inappropriate.
"Are you asking a physician such a thing? Even if you’re from the countryside, you should know better..."
"How is the child’s condition?" the master coughed awkwardly and asked.
"Still, as a father... This child’s condition is similar to the Nine Yin Severed Meridians. In all my life, I’ve never seen someone with their Baihui point so excessively open. The crown of their head is completely unsealed, so to speak."
"I’ve heard that the Nine Yin Severed Meridians cause death due to blocked meridians."
"You’re not entirely ignorant. This child’s meridians at the crown are excessively open, leading to their demise. It’s often referred to as ascending to immortality."
"Suddenly talking about ascending to immortality? Isn’t that when a highly skilled Taoist ascends to the immortal realm?"
"Do you believe in such things?" The man brushed his long ears and continued.
"I wonder if you’ve heard of the absolute masters who use the upper dantian in their heads. They become intoxicated by the natural energy descending from heaven and earth, but in the end, they cannot bear it and cross the River of Forgetfulness. That’s what ascending to immortality truly is. It’s a distorted tale."
"It seems like this child is indeed being punished by heaven."
"You’re like a turtle. How can you call yourself a father..."
The man clicked his tongue in disapproval.
The master pointed at him and stood up abruptly.
"Listening to you, it seems you’re from the martial world. What is your standing? Even if you’re from a noble family, your words are hard to bear."
"My standing? Are you questioning my standing? Even your grandfather’s grandfather wouldn’t dare..."
The man, who had been speaking rudely, was driven out, and the conversation between the two never spread beyond the manor.
* *
"If this child had grown up in the Demonic Path, they would have become a demon. If they had grown up in Shaolin, their seventy-two techniques would have doubled. But born as a hated child in such a remote place, they’ll die young in the countryside with no other way to live."
The man shook his head and left.
"If they awaken on their own, who knows..."