Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 282 Starving to Death

The autumn wind caressed the azure sea, fish swam near the shore in the gentle ripples, groups of crabs poked their heads out, and seagulls circled and cried out in the air...

Xu Sheng sighed, "If you have no worries on your mind, then every day is a good day."

Luo An said, "There is nothing inherently wrong in the world; it is only the foolish who create trouble for themselves!"

Xu Sheng paused, "Don't owe me anything!"

Luo An sneered: "Don't be so clever!"

Xu Sheng turned his head and saw Penglai Pavilion, reaching out to pull Luo An.

Luo An instinctively flung his sleeve to avoid it.

Xu Sheng was both annoyed and amused: "I'm not as narrow-minded and boring as you, thinking about fighting all the time."

Luo An dusted off his sleeves: "Let's talk this out, don't pull and shove."

Xu Sheng turned and walked towards Penglai Pavilion: "Let's go, let's go take a look."

The two climbed to the top of Penglai Pavilion and gazed into the distance. Fishing boats drifted on the nearby sea, while mist rose from the distant sea.

Xu Sheng said, "You saw it?"

Luo An nodded, quite solemnly: "Yes!"

Xu Sheng was clearly excited: "Speak quickly!"

Luo An gazed at the sea, very seriously: "Golden pavilions, silver palaces, handsome men and beautiful women, the elderly and the young, all enjoying themselves. Fertile fields and beautiful ponds, crisscrossing paths, chickens and dogs..."

Xu Sheng frowned when he heard the old man with yellow hair and a child with drooping hair, and finally couldn't bear it any longer, so he kicked Luo An from behind.

Luo An leaped down from Penglai Pavilion, but before he even landed, he heard a whooshing sound behind him, so he had to roll on the ground to avoid it.

Xu Sheng's relentless, unstoppable kicks kept Luo An from getting up. He rolled all the way to the beach, looking utterly pathetic.

Luo An simply didn't move, while Xu Sheng stopped abruptly, almost falling into the sea.

Enraged, Xu Sheng stomped on Luo An's chest: "Do you think I wouldn't dare kill you?"

Luo An slowly said, "What good would it do you to kill me?"

Xu Sheng coldly replied, "I'm happy."

Luo An closed his eyes, looking resigned: "Then kill me."

Xu Sheng kicked Luo An into the sea. Luo An gathered his strength, spun around in the air, lightly touched the surface of the sea with his toes, and leaped into the air.

Luo An intended to land on the beach, but Xu Sheng flew forward and pulled him into the water with him, startling the fish into scattering.

Luo An wasn't a very good swimmer to begin with, and as he struggled, water entered his lungs. After coughing a few times, he choked on the water, felt a tearing sensation in his lungs, and became weak.

Xu Sheng had come prepared, eager to explore the seabed, and completely failed to notice Luo An's unusual behavior, pulling Luo An tightly as they plummeted downwards.

Luo An's consciousness gradually weakened, and he felt the surroundings turn yellow and then black, until he gradually sank into darkness.

Xu Sheng then realized something was wrong and quickly pulled Luo An to float upwards. They saw a white figure rushing towards them, creating a huge current of water.

Xu Sheng instinctively let go to avoid it, and spun around a few times with the force of the water. Then he felt something pulling him down. Xu Sheng was shocked. He took out his knife and slashed at his feet. Without bothering to see what it was, he used all his strength to swim upwards.

As Xu Sheng swam upstream, he always felt something pulling him down. When he broke through the water and saw the sunlight again, he felt a sense of relief, as if he had survived a disaster.

Xu Sheng climbed onto the beach and found that there was nothing on his feet or legs; it seemed he had just imagined it. He spat out a mouthful of water, and after regaining his senses, he quickly looked around.

"Luo An... Luo An..." Xu Sheng shouted, but there was no response, not even an echo, on the vast sea.

Xu Sheng sat on the beach for half an hour, staring intently at the sea, but still couldn't see Luo An. He simply walked along the coastline, his clothes completely dry. The sea reflected the red glow of the sunset, making even the seawater seem red.

The rosy clouds faded, the sun set, and the sea darkened along with the sky. Along the way, we hadn't seen a single person, not even a corpse, a piece of jewelry, or a fragment of clothing.

Xu Sheng murmured, "You're not really dead, are you? You knew I came to Bohai with hope, yet you still had to joke around. Golden pavilions, silver palaces... it's all your own fault."

A bright flash of lightning streaked across the night sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. The sound of rain grew louder as large raindrops pelted Xu Sheng's head, face, and body.

Xu Sheng wailed, "Isn't the weather in June like a child's face? It's already September or October, how can it still change so suddenly?"

Xu Sheng ran wildly through the night rain, his clothes quickly becoming soaked, until he finally saw a light ahead. Overjoyed, he rushed over and knocked on the door, but no one answered.

Xu Sheng exerted a little force; the door wasn't locked, and there was no one inside. It was a temple, housing a statue of a goddess. The goddess had a smiling face and compassionate eyes. The statue's face and clothes were somewhat mottled, indicating it was quite old.

As Xu Sheng approached, he saw an oil lamp lit on the altar, along with fruits and melons, which must have been offerings from the fishermen.

Exhausted, hungry, and sleepy, he was overjoyed to see this: "Indeed, there is always a way out. The goddess is merciful and compassionate, saving us from suffering. Please accept my three bows."

Xu Sheng clasped his hands together and bowed three times, disregarding his appearance, holding a peach in one hand and an apple in the other, taking bites from both sides...

After stuffing a bowl of fruit into his stomach, Xu Sheng finally satisfied his hunger. He saw some firewood by the wall, so he set it up, lit it, and called out, "Don't hide, come out."

A head peeked out from behind the statue, a weak voice asking, "How did you know there was someone there?"

Xu Sheng scoffed: "Of course it's because I'm amazing."

The man asked, "Who are you?"

Xu Sheng took off his coat to dry it, and replied casually, "We're all the same, just passing through."

The man paused for a moment, then suddenly said, "We are different. I am a human being, and I have always lived here."

Xu Sheng turned his head and looked over. The man's hair was messy, his face was dirty, and his clothes were tattered. Only his eyes shone like stars, a kind of captivating brightness.

Xu Sheng became interested in chatting: "You've been living here all this time? Is this your home?"

The man nodded emphatically: "Yes."

Xu Sheng said in a serious tone: "When guests come to your house, you, as the host, don't treat them warmly, but instead hide away? What kind of hospitality is this?"

The man blinked, wanting to refute, but then realized it made sense. After holding it in for a while, he rubbed his stomach with a wronged expression and said, "I've given you all the food, and I'm still hungry."

Having met countless people, Xu Sheng had never encountered anyone so honest before. He couldn't help but smile and wave, "Come on over, you won't feel hungry once you're warmed up."

The man hesitated for a moment before coming over and sitting opposite Xu Sheng. He took out half a steamed bun from his pocket and handed it to him: "Here, have some."

Xu Sheng asked curiously, "Didn't you just say you were hungry?"

The man said, "I'm a human being, I can survive on a meal without food."

"Is he a human?" This question was asked twice.

"This person seems to be out of their mind. What a waste of good eyesight," Xu Sheng thought with a sigh, and blurted out, "Are you human? Am I not human?"

The man said, "Aren't you a starving ghost?"

Xu Sheng's hand trembled, and his clothes almost fell into the fire: "A starving ghost? Are there any ghosts as good-looking as me?"

Seeing his fierce expression, the man immediately shrank back, his once crisp voice becoming weak again: "Are you the Starving Immortal?"