Start from a baby to become a Taoist

Chapter 580, Section 598: Everything to Protect

Chapter 597

Here, there are no sun, moon, stars, mountains, or rivers.

But here, there is everything he needs to protect...

He closed his eyes, and deep within his soul, that grand dream resurfaced once more.

He saw the world he had created thriving, and the spark of civilization was already spreading like wildfire across that continent.

He saw that those newborn creatures had established the first tribes. They learned to farm and build. In their struggle against nature, they continued to grow stronger and wiser.

That world continues to function perfectly well without him.

Just like a child who has grown up, eventually leaving the embrace of their parents to create their own future.

A relieved smile appeared on Xu Ran's lips.

He slowly severed the last connection between himself and that "dream world".

From this day forward, he is no longer the "creator god" of that world.

He is just Xu Ran.

He is Xu Xiaoyu's brother.

He is an ordinary young man from Jiangcheng who needs to work hard to pay for rent, living expenses, and his younger sister's tuition.

He opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the yellowed photograph on the desk, which was pressed under the glass.

The photo shows their family of four.

The young parents smiled happily.

As a child, he was carried on his father's shoulders, waving his little fists.

She was still a tiny little sister, held in her mother's arms, with two pigtails sticking up in the air, smiling like a little sun.

Xu Ran reached out and gently stroked the faces of her parents in the photo.

"Dad, mom."

"I am back."

"Don't worry, I will take good care of Xiaoyu from now on."

His voice was soft, yet it carried a solemn promise that seemed to transcend time and space.

Just then, his phone suddenly vibrated.

It was a text message notification from the bank.

"Dear customer, your account incurred medical expenses of RMB 12540.00 on October 12th. Your current account balance is: -RMB 215800.00."

Look at that bright red, glaring negative sign.

On Xu Ran's face, the unchanging calmness of eternity, the indifference that had pierced through the cycles of time, finally showed a... crack.

For the first time, a feeling called "headache" appeared in his eyes, which seemed to contain the stars and the sea.

Creation, it seems... not that difficult.

The thought flashed through Xu Ran's mind, bringing with it an extremely absurd, almost darkly humorous sense of dislocation. He had once used willpower as a chisel and laws as rules to carve out the primordial chaos from nothingness, establishing earth, fire, water, and wind. Back then, when had he ever been troubled by anything like "numbers"?

But now, that small, red minus sign on his phone screen felt like an invisible mountain, weighing heavily on his heart. It seemed even heavier than a universe heading towards heat death.

Two hundred and fifty thousand eight hundred yuan.

For a family that has just lost its parents, is recovering from serious injuries, and has a younger sister in her final year of high school, this number is enough to crush everything.

Xu Ran slowly placed the old cell phone on the bedside table. His movements were slow, as if the phone weighed a ton. He didn't delete the text message; he just stared at it quietly.

He looked at that number as if he were looking into a bottomless abyss.

His sister, Xu Xiaoyu, stood on the edge of this abyss, desperately supporting him with her frail shoulders, preventing him from falling.

His heart, calm and still as a well, accustomed to the rise and fall of stars, was once again gripped by that invisible hand.

This time, the pain was even more intense.

He began to re-examine this small, single room, which was only a dozen square meters.

The desk, worn smooth and shiny, had its corners taped shut to prevent it from falling apart.

On the wall, several patches of plaster had peeled off, revealing the gray cement underneath. Xu Xiaoyu carefully covered them with a few celebrity posters to prevent this small space from looking so desolate.

On the windowsill sat a small, lush succulent, thriving and clearly well-cared for. It was the most vibrant splash of color in the otherwise somewhat gloomy room.

All of this silently speaks to two words.

poverty.

And, despite poverty, the girl's love for life, which she refused to let fade away, was something she struggled to maintain.

Xu Ran closed his eyes, and his unusually sharp senses caught more previously overlooked details at that moment.

He could "see" the tiny dust particles floating in the air, which, under the sunlight, resembled miniature worlds rising and falling.

He could "hear" a faint, almost imperceptible groaning sound coming from inside the wooden wardrobe, from the wood slowly warping due to the dampness.

He could "smell" the cheap scent of shampoo lingering on his sister's pillow, and... a faint, salty smell of dried tears.

These are all traces of life.

It is real, raw, painful, yet incredibly vibrant... human life.

He stopped thinking about that grand, self-sustaining dream world.

The "Tao" of that world lies in evolution and in the continuous cycle of life.

And the world before him, his "way," lies in... filling in that damned, red minus sign.

After an unknown amount of time, familiar, light yet slightly weary footsteps echoed in the stairwell.

"Brother? You're back!"

The door was pushed open, and Xu Xiaoyu poked her head in. When she saw Xu Ran sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes lit up instantly, like stars that had been ignited.

She walked in quickly and placed a plastic bag on the desk. Inside the bag were a few green vegetables, a small piece of tofu, and a small bag of noodles.

"Why did you come back by yourself? You didn't even wait for me to pick you up after school. The doctor said you need to rest more." She complained incessantly as she skillfully picked up the thermos, poured a glass of warm water, and handed it to Xu Ran.

Xu Ran took the water glass, and the warmth from the glass traveled from his fingertips all the way to his heart.

He looked at his sister. Today, she was wearing a faded blue and white school uniform, her hair was tied in a simple ponytail, and there were fine beads of sweat on her bangs, indicating that she had run back.

Her face radiated the genuine joy of reunion, but beneath that joy lay an undeniable weariness. Faint dark circles lingered beneath her eyes.

Xu Ran's senses told him that his sister's heartbeat was faster than normal, and her breathing was also a little rapid. This was not because she had run back, but a physiological reaction caused by long-term sleep deprivation and a state of mild anxiety.

Chapter 598

"I'm fine, much better now." Xu Ran took a sip of water and said gently, "How are you feeling today? Are you tired from class?"

"Not tired at all, not tired at all!" Xu Xiaoyu quickly waved her hand, took out a test paper from her schoolbag, and unfolded it in front of Xu Ran like a treasure. "Brother, look, I got first place in the class again in this mock exam! The teacher said that as long as I keep it up, I'll definitely get into the design school of Jiangcheng University!"

Her face was filled with pride and anticipation.

Jiangcheng University is one of the top universities in the country. Its School of Fashion Design is a dream school for countless art students. Xu Ran knew that this was also her younger sister's dream since childhood.

His gaze fell on the paper covered in red annotations, and in the score column was a bright red "145".

This is a math test paper.

On the back of the paper, in the blank space, were several sketches of clothing designs. The flowing lines and the inspired designs, with just a few strokes, outlined a very beautiful dress.

That's what she truly loves.

"Our Xiaoyu is really amazing." Xu Ran praised sincerely, reaching out to pat his sister's head as he used to.

Xu Xiaoyu instinctively shrank back a little.

Xu Ran's hand froze in mid-air.

The atmosphere froze for a moment.

"Brother... I, I'll go cook!" Xu Xiaoyu's cheeks were a little red. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she grabbed the dishes on the table and ran into the small kitchen partitioned off from the balcony.

Xu Ran watched her retreating figure, lost in thought.

He could sense that his sister was trying to avoid him.

She wasn't dodging herself, but rather... dodging her own hand.

His gaze fell on his right hand.

It was a very ordinary hand, with long, slender fingers and distinct knuckles. Because of prolonged bed rest, the skin appeared somewhat pale.

But just now, his senses detected it.

From the younger sister's perspective, when she reached out her hand, she smelled a faint, almost imperceptible, disinfectant scent.

This smell reminds her of the hospital, and of the long, desperate wait outside the ICU ward.

I recall those cold, constantly blaring alarms.

I recall the doctor issuing critical condition notices time and time again.

Those three months of memories have become a deep scar in her heart.

Xu Ran slowly withdrew his hand.

He walked to the kitchen door and saw his sister carefully washing vegetables under the tap.

Her movements were swift and efficient, clearly indicating that she was already used to it.

"Xiaoyu," he called softly.

"Hmm?" Xu Xiaoyu turned around, a hint of doubt on her face.

"You don't need to worry about the medical expenses." Xu Ran's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. "I've already come up with a solution."

"Brother, what are you saying?" Xu Xiaoyu stopped what she was doing and forced a smile. "You've just been discharged from the hospital. The most important thing now is to recover. As for the money... don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."

As she spoke, she turned around and continued washing the vegetables, but her voice lowered, carrying a barely perceptible sob.

"Besides, what other options are there... Just don't do anything foolish..."

In her view, how could a brother who had just been discharged from the hospital and needed crutches to walk possibly earn more than 200,000 yuan in a short period of time?

She was afraid, afraid that her brother would do something dangerous or sell his dignity for the money.

Xu Ran did not explain further.

He knew that any language would seem pale and powerless in the face of that glaring negative number.

What he needs is not promises, but actions.

Dinner was simple: a bowl of clear soup noodles, a few blanched greens, and two poached eggs.

Xu Xiaoyu put both fried eggs into Xu Ran's bowl.

"Brother, eat more to nourish your body."

Xu Ran looked at the two golden-brown fried eggs in his bowl, then at the thin, watery noodles in his sister's bowl. After a moment of silence, he picked one up and put it back in her bowl.

"You should eat too, you're still growing."

"I don't like it..."

"obedient."

Xu Ran's voice wasn't loud, but it left Xu Xiaoyu speechless. She lowered her head and silently ate her noodles, her eyes reddening slightly.

After dinner, Xu Xiaoyu was about to do her homework, but Xu Ran said he wanted to go for a walk and get familiar with the surroundings.

Xu Xiaoyu was a little worried, but seeing Xu Ran's insistence, she had no choice but to agree, only repeatedly reminding him not to go far and to be careful.

Xu Ran, leaning on his cane, slowly walked down the creaking wooden stairs.

Night has fallen.

The nighttime scene in Willow Leaf Lane is completely different from the daytime scene.

The dim streetlights illuminated the alley, and people were coming and going, returning home from get off work.

The air was filled with the aromas of food wafting from kitchens, the sounds of children playing, couples arguing, and the news broadcasts from an old television set…

These sounds and smells, intertwined, create a vivid yet noisy picture of everyday life in the city.

There are no great masters vying for supremacy here, no immortals and gods battling it out; there are only ordinary people toiling away for three meals a day and a place to sleep.

Xu Ran walked among them, his gaze, which once looked down upon the universe, now carefully observing everyone who passed by him.

He could "see" the construction worker who had just finished work, whose herniated disc was throbbing with pain.

He could "hear" that the old lady carrying the vegetable basket was calculating whether the vegetable prices would rise or fall tomorrow.

He could "sense" the humble and ingratiating tone in the young white-collar worker who was walking and talking on the phone, and the suppressed, weary sigh after the call ended.

All beings are suffering.

These four words, in his previous "dream," were merely a grand and compassionate understanding.

But now, it has transformed into countless specific and vivid details, impacting his senses.

He suddenly understood.

The ultimate meaning of "creation" and "protection" may be to give these creatures struggling in suffering a chance to catch their breath.

He could save his younger sister from losing sleep over the debt of over 200,000 yuan.

It allows her to avoid instinctively wanting to push away a bowl of noodles with a poached egg on top.

This is his current way of being "Xu Ran".

He didn't go far, but just walked slowly, in circles, near Willow Leaf Lane.

His brain was working at an unprecedented speed.

He laid out all the abilities he had gained from his "dream" and placed them on the scales of reality to weigh and select them.

Powerful strength? In this society governed by law, punching through a wall would only get you locked up; it would be utterly useless.

(End of this chapter)