Chapter 19: The Answer

...Seeing that Li Nianfan accepted the Sword Immortal Jade, a smile appeared on Bai Wuchen’s face. ...

This was a good beginning.

“Oh yeah, if a person has been frightened, possibly to the point of insanity, do you know if there’s any cure for that?” Li Nianfan asked as he thought of Nanan’s situation, thinking that the cultivators might have some ideas.

Hearing that Li Nianfan was asking them for help, the four of them did not dare to lose any second. They instantly gathered to brainstorm ideas, frowning in seriousness.

Lin Qingyun said, “Insanity is usually caused by the soul being hurt. I do know some medication for curing the soul. May I know what condition this person is in?”

“She’s a little girl who got terrified after being kidnapped by a monster,” Li Nianfan said.

“A little girl and an ordinary person.” Lin Qingyun shook her head. “If this is the case, it seems rather difficult. Her soul is too weak and isn’t suitable for this medication. If she were to take it, it might only worsen the situation.”

Bai Wuchen added, “This is likely to be caused by her inner state. Medication can only do little help working from the outside.”

They sighed inwardly. It was rare for the expert to ask them for help, yet they were not able to provide suitable solutions.

Lin Qingyun’s eyes sparkled a little. “I’ve got a Soul Curing Jade which could cure the soul if one wears it for a long time.”

“How long does it usually take?” Li Nianfan looked at her with anticipation. 

Lin Qingyun explained, “Insanity is the hardest to cure. The shortest time would be about ten years, and the longest would be about twenty years.”

“Too slow,” Li Nianfan sighed. Ten years was way too long for a little girl. 

“It seems that I’ll have to try it my way, though I’m not sure if it’s going to work,” he mumbled to himself. 

The four of them trembled a little. Was the expert about to cure the girl himself?

It was not a surprise that an expert like him could cure a small problem like this. He simply did not bother to do it himself earlier. 

“Mr. Li, I wonder if it’s alright for us to watch you while you cure her?” Lin Qingyun asked him with an anticipated look.

The three of them waited for his response, sharing the same look. Being able to observe the expert in action would be the greatest fortune one could ever get. If they could learn a little from him while watching, it would be adequate knowledge for a lifetime!

“You want to watch me helping the girl?” Li Nianfan paused before he smiled bitterly. “I’m just going to help her through ordinary means. Are you sure you want to watch?”

What? He could even cure insanity while he was in his ‘ordinary’ body? The four of them were even more stunned by what he just said, and they became even more determined to observe him.

“Alright, then. I was just about to go to town anyway,” Li Nianfan nodded hopelessly. He thought to himself, ‘The cultivators here in the Immortal Realm are not only friendly, but they also seem to be so bored that they’d follow an ordinary man like me around.’ 

Holding on to that thought, he called out, “Blackie, let’s go.” With that, Li Nianfan went down to the Fallen Immortal Town accompanied by the four of them.

When they arrived, Auntie Zhang and Nanan were hanging by the town’s entrance aimlessly. Auntie Zhang seemed depressed, wiping off her tears secretly while Nanan remained beside her with a blank expression. Quite a few children were surrounding her who were trying to speak to her and keep her company to help her get back to normal.

“Mr. Li,” Auntie Zhang called out as if she had seen her savior. “Please, help me save Nanan.”

Li Nianfan replied with a serious face, “Don’t worry, Auntie Zhang, I’ll try my best.” He turned to the children and smiled, “Hey, children, it might not be the best for Nanan when you’re all surrounding her. You might make her feel insecure. Please, spread out a little, alright?” 

When the crowd dispersed slightly, his face turned serious. To be honest, he was not entirely sure if his method was going to work, but he thought the chances of it working were high anyway. 

Bai Wuchen and the other three became nervous as well. They were excited that they were about to witness the expert in action.

Li Nianfan found a spot and sat down. Then, he invited Nanan to sit beside him. Smiling, he said to her, “Nanan, Brother Li is now going to tell you a story. You have to listen carefully, alright?

“The title of the story is called… Journey to The West!”

Since Nanan’s insanity was caused by the monster, Li Nianfan thought of using the story-telling technique to neutralize the trauma the monster had caused her. Since most children liked to listen to stories anyway, this technique would work better than the others.

“Story! I want to listen to a story!”

“Brother Nianfan, can we listen, too?”

The children surrounding gathered in a circle, they all looked at him in anticipation. 

“Of course, you may!” Li Nianfan nodded. 

Bai Wuchen and the three of them froze. They did not expect Li Nianfan to cure her in this way. Would this work?

However, they did not leave. They stood there, waiting curiously. 

Li Nianfan composed his thoughts and started telling the story.

“Chaos is everywhere, yet nobody sees it. 

Since Pangu broke Hongmeng, so was an enlightening quest, 

To the hive minds and students, inventing all the goodness from within.

If one is to be enlightened, one should read the Journey to the West!

“There’s a rule of numbers governing the world. One hundred twenty-nine thousand and six hundred years equals one Yuan. One Yuan can then be divided into twelve Hui—Naizi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai. Every Hui lasts eighteen hundred years. These elements are present throughout the day. For example, Naizi is when the sky is dark, and Chou is when the chicken’s cluck. In other words, Naizi is pitch dark, while Chou is the first shine of sunlight.”

Although this introduction to the story seemed rather dry and boring to the children, the four cultivators had shivers all over them, their eyes glowing with shock. 

‘This… This is The Answer!’

Since ancient times, nobody had ever been able to put The Answer into words, yet Li Nianfan had just casually said it out loud in the form of story-telling!

Was he telling the children The Answer to how the world was made?

Or the evolution of all the living things in the world?

Listening to Li Nianfan’s story, it sounded like the Basics of Wisdom ringing in their ears. Although there were many things they did not understand, they still learned a lot!

Coming with Li Nianfan was indeed a wise choice! 

They held their breaths and listened attentively, not wanting to miss out on a single word.

After a long introduction, the story finally started.

“There was a country overseas named Pride to The Country. This country was situated near the sea, where there was a mountain in the sea. The mountain was called Hua Guo Mountain. This mountain lived through the coming and going of ten continents, hosted three dragon eras, and had existed since the beginning of…”

When Li Nianfan got to the part where the stone monkey jumped out of the stone, all the children were captivated. Even Nanan turned her gaze toward Li Nianfan.

Seeing that it was working on Nanan, he continued the story with more passion.

“The stone monkey was the leader of a bunch of happy monkeys who lived carefreely on Hua Guo Mountain. However, this stone monkey wanted to pursue longevity so he made a boat out of bamboo and went on a journey to find the Masters to teach this to him.”

With Li Nianfan’s story-telling, a magnificent prehistoric world gradually unfolded in front of everyone, arousing their awe and surprise from time to time. By then, his audience was not just children, but nearby stall owners and passers-by had stopped their work and gathered around as well. Of course, the four cultivators were even more amused. They could feel their scalps itching and goosebumps all over their skins.

The pursuit of longevity. Was that not the ultimate goal of all the cultivators?

Perhaps the expert was not telling a story, but instead, he was telling them his personal experience?

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