Do you really think you can get me with just a banana?

In order to make the plot more ups and downs and fascinating, and at the same time make the character of Yan Ruchen more vivid, three-dimensional and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, Guan Shanyu deliberately added many suffering settings for him.

Abandoned at a young age, he was adopted by a prostitute in a brothel. The madam didn't treat him well, and beating and scolding him was commonplace. At such a young age, he had to do all sorts of odd jobs in the brothel, serving food, cleaning, running errands, etc. Otherwise, he would be ruthlessly kicked out.

But there are always glimmers of light in dark days. The prostitutes doted on this homeless child. Even though they were required by the madam to entertain guests and drink with them every day, and even their earnings were withheld, the prostitutes still tried their best to prepare surprises for Yan Ruchen.

Sometimes it was a bamboo-woven grasshopper, sometimes it was leftover pig's head from the kitchen, sometimes it was a piece of candy given by a customer. These things were not particularly fancy, and even the threshold for obtaining them was very low. Pieces of them made up Yan Ruchen's childhood.

But later the brothel was destroyed by fire. Although the keepers managed to escape, they were a group of weak women trapped in slavery, carrying a young child, without money or support, and were displaced. They were bullied when they went out, and it was common for them to be molested by ruffians on the street. In the end, they could only take Yan Ruchen and leave Fengping Village.

But this escape was short-lived, because on a cold and merciless snowy day, when Yan Ruchen came back from begging, he found that the foster mothers who had been talking to him gently in the morning had frozen to death and starved to death in the snow.

Only after their death did Yan Ruchen discover that they had not eaten anything during their escape. They just held on to some straw to fill their stomachs, and the steamed buns he had begged for were neatly wrapped in their clothes and hidden under their bodies.

Before, he had foster mothers who would beg for food with him and talk with him. Although life was hard, he was not lonely. But after their death, Yan Ruchen was forced to walk the world alone.

Occasionally he would meet some soft-hearted women who would give him a bowl of rice, but more often than not, they would just watch coldly, sneer at him, or even kidnap him if he was sold by human traffickers.

Eleven-year-old Yan Ruchen felt that he would definitely die. So he crossed the city and the village, trekking through mountains and rivers, and headed back to Fengping Village. He did not seek revenge, but simply wanted to die closer to his hometown.

Before this, Yan Ruchen also had a dream. He wanted to make a lot of money, redeem the foster women, and live with them. If he was luckier, he could marry a wife and have a cow to plow the fields for him.

But later, without parents, without a home, without friends, in a world where no one cared about his life or death, the only dignity and hope that was left also disappeared in the humiliation of begging and competing with dogs for food.

According to the timeline of Guan Shanyu's coming to this world, Yan Ruchen had experienced all of this.

He finally made it to the day when the Immortal Sect opened for enrollment, and followed the children in the village on their journey to seek the opportunity to join the Immortal Sect. The goddess of fate finally began to smile at him on the day when he was selected to join the Tianxuan Taoist Sect.

But he planned to leave the immortal sect and stop practicing immortality.

Then what was all the suffering he had endured before?

If he doesn't practice Taoism and serve the sect, where can he go?

Guan Shanyu took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on Yan Ruchen's face for a long time, never moving away. Yan Ruchen seemed a little startled when he heard this, and then turned his head to meet Guan Shanyu's worried eyes and asked softly: "Have you been worried about this?"

Guan Shanyu nodded, without hiding anything, and replied: "Yes. Do you really want to give up cultivating immortality?"

Yan Ruchen was silent for a moment, then turned his head and smiled at Guan Shanyu before slowly explaining, "Just because I'm not serving in the Immortal Sect anymore doesn't mean I'll stop there. There are many places to practice cultivation. Maybe I can find another way and establish my own school."

"Really?" Guan Shanyu looked at him and asked seriously.

Seeing Guan Shanyu so worried, Yan Ruchen smiled even more: "Of course, we've worked so hard for so long, how can we give up so easily?" After saying this, seeing that Guan Shanyu still had doubts on his face, Yan Ruchen changed the subject with a joking tone, "But Shanyu, why did you think of giving up your life so easily before?"

Guan Shanyu's eyes flickered slightly, and he chuckled softly, turning his head away without responding directly: "You are different from me. You have a long way to go in the future, and the end of the road is particularly beautiful."

Hearing this, Yan Ruchen smiled again and asked, "Very long? How long?"

Guan Shanyu looked into the distance, where the bright moon was slowly rising from the mountaintop. He replied softly, "It's longer than mine."

Yan Ruchen's expression froze for a moment, not realizing what Guan Shanyu meant. He was about to turn around to look at him when a voice called out from the darkness, "Is that Shanyu and Ruchen?"

The two followed the sound and had unknowingly arrived at the Tianxuan Gate. In the night, two figures, one blue and one purple, stepped out. Yan Ruchen and Guan Shanyu immediately recognized them as Elder Qing Yuanzi and Qiu Shui Jian Ji. They quickly dismounted and stepped forward to greet them. "Greetings, Elders."

"No need to be polite." Qing Yuanzi waved gently to them, and then his eyes fell on the back of Yan Ruchen, noticing Guan Shanyu's red eyes and nose. He asked, "What's wrong with this kid? Was he bullied?"

Yan Ruchen turned around upon hearing this, and only then noticed the unusual look on Guan Shanyu's face, and immediately frowned. But Guan Shanyu immediately replied, "Master, it's cold out, and I got frozen."

Qing Yuanzi looked up at the bright moonlight and nodded, "It's the end of October, and it's getting a bit chilly. So, you guys should stop standing around and go back to rest."

Guan Shanyu quickly thanked him and nodded in agreement. Seeing this, Qiushui Sword Lady pretended to be angry and said, "You must have been out and about a lot these days, going to Yuchen and then to Zixiao. Are you going to visit all the disciples there?"

Guan Shanyu and Yan Ruchen were startled upon hearing this, and quickly began to think about how to respond. At this moment, Qing Yuanzi patted Qiushui Sword Lady on the shoulder and came to their rescue, saying, "It's just a matter of visiting your comrades. What's wrong with that? Besides, you're only two days late."

Qiushui Sword Lady said, "Isn't it because the world is in chaos and we're afraid they'll get into trouble if they run around? Let's go now. Old Man Yuan is still waiting."

Upon hearing this, Yan Ruchen immediately asked, "Two elders, where are you going?"

Qiushui Sword Lady dragged Qing Yuanzi outside while replying, "Going to Zixiao is just a bunch of messes anyway." Qing Yuanzi walked a few steps before suddenly remembering something and turning back to warn loudly, "It's cold at night, remember to change into a thick blanket."

"You're not a child anymore, stop nagging." Qiushui Sword Lady patted Qing Yuanzi's arm. Soon, their presence disappeared from the mountain path.

Guan Shanyu stood there in shock for a long time, until Yan Ruchen called him and brought him back to reality. He lowered his head and followed Yan Ruchen into the sect gate. Halfway through, he suddenly stopped and whispered, "Ruchen, can you accompany me to Elder Qing's room?"

At this time, the setting sun was half hidden behind the mountains, but there was still a ray of afterglow on the horizon, which did not plunge the whole world into darkness. A brilliant red glow still lingered in the mountains, as magnificent as a sunset cloud.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on Guan Shanyu's face, making him look flushed. His big eyes flashed with worry as he stared at Yan Ruchen.

Yan Ruchen blinked lightly, lowered his head slightly, and without asking the reason, he nodded and agreed: "Okay."

"Thank you." Guan Shanyu thanked him politely. Yan Ruchen smiled slightly, led the horse to the stable and properly settled it, then led Guan Shanyu towards Lingcaoxuan.

Due to the recent disturbances outside, many disciples were sent down the mountain to handle important matters, so that even though it was still early in the morning, there was no one on the mountain path.

Guan Shanyu lowered his head in silence, following behind Yan Ruchen for a long time. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Ruchen, aren't you going to ask me what I'm doing in Elder Qing's room?"

Yan Ruchen turned his head to look at him and said with a calm smile, "Are you going to see the portrait in Elder Qing's room that looks like you?"

Guan Shanyu was stunned and blurted out in surprise: "You guessed so accurately?"

Yan Ruchen's lips curled up slightly as he turned his head nonchalantly, continuing to stare at the road ahead. He replied, "When we went to Wangshuiling that time, I asked if you wanted to know why Elder Qing recruited you into the sect, but you refused to ask. But now, times have changed. You live in Lingcaoxuan all day, so you must have seen something that made you suspicious."

Guan Shanyu nodded, then asked slowly and carefully, "Ruchen, do you know what's going on?"

Yan Ruchen pursed his lips and nodded: "I know a thing or two."

At this moment, they happened to reach Lingcaoxuan and stopped at the door of Qing Yuanzi's room. Guan Shanyu looked around and saw that the lights in the surrounding disciples' bamboo houses were all off. He couldn't help but hesitate: "Is everyone away?"

Yan Ruchen followed his gaze and replied, "That should be the case. Many disciples from the Heavenly Sword Pavilion are also absent. Let's go in and take a look."

Guan Shanyu came back to his senses and looked at the door in front of him with hesitation: "If I just go in like this, what if I get discovered?"

Yan Ruchen pursed his lips and smiled, saying, "I'm bringing you with me, so how could anyone discover us? Just go in boldly."

Guan Shanyu still had some concerns in his heart, but when he looked back at Yan Ruchen's smiling eyes, he felt a little relieved.

If Yan Ruchen says there is no problem, then there must be no problem.

So, after hesitating for a moment, Guan Shanyu slowly pushed open Qing Yuanzi's door.

As it was almost nightfall, the room seemed a little dim. Guan Shanyu had just taken two steps when he accidentally bumped into a stool. He was considering whether to light a tinderbox when suddenly, all the candles in the room lit up.

Guan Shanyu was startled, thinking someone had returned, and quickly turned around to check. Behind him was Yan Ruchen, who was trying to suppress his laughter. Before he could even put down his fingers after snapping them, he saw Guan Shanyu turning around in fear. He couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Don't be afraid, I'm here, you really won't be discovered."

Guan Shanyu glanced at him with a hint of ridicule and complained in a low voice: "There is no need to light all the candles. They are too bright. What if they attract others?" After all, they sneaked into the elder's room.

Yan Ruchen shook his head and emphasized again: "There's really no one here."

"Oh." Guan Shanyu touched his nose, turned around guiltily, walked into the room, and began looking for the portrait.

Qing Yuanzi's room was actually quite compact, not unlike any other elder's bedroom. Upon entering, he was greeted by a table piled high with files, a few green plants dotting the table and windowsill. Behind the table stood a tall bookshelf, also filled with files.

The last time Guan Shanyu had been able to glimpse the portrait was because several shelves of the bookshelf were empty, and through the gaps in the bookshelves, he had just caught a glimpse of the portrait hanging by the bed. But now, the bookshelf was filled with files again, and standing at the doorway, he could no longer see any trace of the portrait.

But it doesn’t matter, this time Guan Shanyu can go in and take a look.

He walked around the desk and went deeper into the room. The other side of the room was more spacious. At the innermost end was Qing Yuanzi's rosewood bed. By the window was a pot of blooming daisies, but Guan Shanyu had no time to pay attention to these out-of-season flowers. He wanted to see the person in the portrait hanging on the wall next to his bed.

Guan Guan Shanyu slowly approached and stopped in front of the portrait.

The figure in the painting, a young man who bears a striking resemblance to Guan Shanyu, stands in an open field, with a vast forest behind him. Standing on a fallen black bear, the young man smiles, gazing off into the distance, as if engaging in a silent eye contact with the viewer.

The painting is unsigned and unnamed. The cyan background gives it a sense of tranquility, while the smile on the boy's face adds a touch of warmth. Although the facial features are similar, Guan Shanyu can still tell the difference at a glance.

For example, Guan Shanyu thinks he looks better when he smiles than him.

After thinking about it, Guan Shanyu turned his head to look at Yan Ruchen. Yan Ruchen was leaning against the wall with a curious look on his face, his eyes following Guan Shanyu closely. When his eyes met Guan Shanyu's, he smiled slightly and asked: "Why do you suddenly want to explore this matter today?"