Nezha lay on the large bed in his room, while Daji, with her jade-like hands, held a cup of sobering tea, gently blowing on it as she offered it to Nezha.
Though the two had been drinking Spiritual Wine, making the sobering tea utterly ineffective, Nezha thoroughly enjoyed being cared for by Daji. He formed a seal with his small hands, and the Mountain and River Map floated in midair. After pondering for a moment, he decided not to put it away and turned to Daji, saying, "Stay close to me for the next few days. Don't wander too far."
Daji immediately nodded happily in agreement. "This strange Daoist is actually quite nice!" she thought.
In a nearby room, Yu Yuan reclined on his bed, not drunk at all, and was leafing through the *Taiping Heavenly Book*. A knowing smile appeared on his face as he thought about Nezha.
Yu Yuan, born of Innate Qi Transformation, had an absurdly powerful origin. Unfortunately, he crossed paths with someone who was effectively a tank.
Daoist Ancestor Hong Jun, born of Chaos Origin Qi Transformation, stood at the pinnacle of the Primordial era. In such a realm, there was no sentiment of "originating from the same root," only a fundamental principle of "like repels like."
The Sanxiao sisters had always been together, transformed simultaneously. Do you think someone like Yu Yuan, transformed from the same White Cloud essence as Yun Zhongzi, could ever get along with him?
Thus, Yu Yuan's circumstances were tragic. Although Hong Jun bore no ill intentions toward him—indeed, Hong Jun likely wasn't even aware of his existence—the Heavenly Dao inherently suppressed Yu Yuan. His superior origins were reduced to a crippling weakness.
Not only was his transformation late, but his appearance was also grotesque, with a blue face and sharp fangs. His cultivation was dismal, his innate Divine Skills weak to the point of uselessness, and he possessed no proper path for cultivation. Even his fortuitous encounters were poor. His life was thoroughly pitiful.
In his infancy, Yu Yuan didn't understand any of this. He merely saw himself as an individual with some peculiar abilities but an unfortunate face and terrible luck.
Yes, he considered himself human.
Trapped within human notions, devoid of any knowledge, and so uniquely cursed—his miserable existence was easy to imagine.
He was cold, hungry, unable to eat, and struggling to stay warm.
Until he was taken in by a group of young beggars. The leader of the little beggars gave him a name, Yu Yuan, meaning "remaining silver pieces."
The head beggar thought Yu Yuan's fierce appearance would help protect the group. In exchange, they would scavenge and beg for scraps to feed Yu Yuan, while Yu Yuan contributed his strength and martial prowess.
Yu Yuan found this arrangement to be perfectly fair. It was the happiest time of his life since his birth.
But then came a devastating drought. Wealthy families were already tightening their belts, let alone a band of beggar children.
Their group dwindled as one by one they succumbed to starvation.
Yu Yuan was heartbroken as he watched his friends die. Using his rudimentary spells, he tried stealing and robbing, but was beaten black and blue for his efforts, only slightly slowing the tragic decline in their numbers.
He tried everything he could think of, even contemplating carving flesh from his own body to save his friends. But just as he was about to act, the sharp-eyed leader of the beggars caught him in the act and stopped him.
Yu Yuan was devastated as his friends left him forever. But he was helpless; extended years of drought had left even those outside the group struggling to survive.
He decided to quietly wait for his death so he could reunite with his friends in another world.
Days stretched into months, months into years—one year, two years—Yu Yuan, beyond the initial pangs of hunger, realized he felt no real discomfort. It was then he understood: he was different. He wasn't human at all.
The redemption he found in the beggars during his "childhood" gave Yu Yuan a tender and compassionate heart. Even after embarking on the path of an Immortal, he never forgot the scene of a group of beggar children huddled around a fire. The head beggar, clutching half of a meager piece of bread, spoke passionately: "When I grow up, I will make sure that beggar children everywhere have food to eat!"
Yu Yuan's origins actually suited him for following a path in the Dharma system. Just look at the Sanxiao sisters, Zhao Gongming, and even Hong Jun himself—none of them practiced Body Cultivation. Yet Yu Yuan chose the path of Body Cultivation.
To protect his softest inner heart with the hardest outer shell.
As Yu Yuan gazed at the passages in the Heavenly Book advocating equality for all and Universal Unity, he seemed to see an image of the head beggar from years ago, full of passion and ambition.
The figure from his memory and the ideals written in the book became one in his mind. Brilliant, innocent, kind, yet with a hint of mischievous cunning.
This time, I will protect you!
Nezha, unaware that he had become someone's first love, still hadn't completely let go of his wariness toward Yu Yuan. However, given Yu Yuan's kind demeanor, Nezha, who preferred soft approaches to hard ones, decided to let it slide and return to his usual cultivation routine.
One day, an unexpected guest arrived for Nezha.
It was King Wu Cheng, Huang Feihu, accompanied by his wife.
Their three-year-old son had gone missing.
Nezha received them and immediately understood what was going on. A classic tradition of the Chan Sect.
Huang Feihu had nearly turned Chaoge upside down in his search for his son, but still couldn't find him. Ultimately, he concluded it must have been the work of someone extraordinary.
Supporting Mrs. Huang, who was crying so hard she could barely stand, Huang Feihu sincerely pleaded with Nezha: "Master, if you can help me find my son, the Huang Family will follow you through fire and water!"
To Nezha, the actions of Qingxu Daoist were hardly respectable. "You call that taking in a disciple? That's kidnapping!"
But telling Huang Feihu the truth—what justice would that accomplish? Even if Huang Feihu was a reincarnation of a Great Expert, he was a mere mortal now; he wouldn't even live long enough to reach Yuxu Palace.
Nezha decided to be honest. Pretending to calculate for half a day, his expression turned grim as he said, "Through my divination, I've discovered that your son was taken by Qingxu Daoist, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, to be his disciple. Rest assured, he is safe, but I cannot say when you will reunite."
"Truly, that Daoist Master has no sense of morality," he grumbled inwardly.
Huang Feihu's anger only intensified upon hearing this.
He clenched his fists and struck the nearby pillar with a loud "bang." "How could an Immortal of the Chan Sect resort to kidnapping a child? If he wished to take a disciple, couldn't he do so openly?!"
Mrs. Huang fell to her knees and pleaded, "Master, my son does not care for Immortality or Dao-seeking. Please, I beg you, bring him back to us!"
Huang Feihu, seeing Nezha's hesitation, followed suit, kneeling silently despite his pride, desperate to recover his son.
Nezha's mind raced as he weighed the pros and cons. Finally, he decided it was feasible to help, but it would require caution.
Just as Nezha was about to agree, Yu Yuan suddenly leapt out, his monstrous face baring sharp fangs, shocking Huang Feihu and his wife. Yet his words were surprisingly warm and comforting: "The hypocrites of the Chan Sect, abducting a mere three-year-old child—how despicable! I'll take you to Yuxu Palace myself!"
Huang Feihu looked at Yu Yuan's ferocious face, which now seemed like a face of kindness. "Thank you, noble one. If you ever need assistance, the entirety of the Huang Family will spare no effort!"
"May I know the name of our benefactor?"
Yu Yuan pounded his chest enthusiastically. "This humble Daoist is Yu Yuan, a third-generation direct disciple of the Jie Sect!"
Watching Yu Yuan's bold display, Nezha thought to himself: *Yuanshi Tianzun's hatred for Jie Sect disciples is no secret. And you're brazen enough to walk directly into Yuxu Palace? This isn't Yu Yuan—it's pure Primordial Spirit courage!*
Nezha's understanding of Yu Yuan had been completely overturned. This guy? He truly rises to the occasion!
During Yu Yuan's stay, Nezha had developed quite a liking for him. This valiant act further solidified Nezha's positive opinion. Who said there were no good people in the Primordial era?
Nezha decided to accompany him, primarily to prevent Yu Yuan from accidentally saying the wrong thing and biting the dust at Yuxu Palace. Besides, it would be a good excuse for a little sightseeing—he hadn't visited Yuxu Palace before!