I am a living immortal.

He hadn't done anything evil, nor had he harmed innocent people; he even possessed a sincere heart. When the City God mentioned it, Su Mu couldn't even remember it; it could only have been an unintentional act on Su Mu's part.

An unintentional act to repay a favor, isn't this a sincere heart?

The more Cao Chen looked at her, the happier he became. This might be a matter of chemistry. As for talent, while he didn't blindly believe in the theory of fate, since it was a fateful attraction, she should be suited to this path.

However, no matter how fate may exist, it ultimately depends on the other party's choice.

Back in the cave, he had wanted to take Blind Xu as his disciple. They had the destiny and the qualifications, but in the end, they still missed each other. So it often happens that there is a destiny but no destiny.

"Who am I? My name is Cao Chen, I come from Tianyan Sect, and I am now following you, sir. This time I came here to see you." Cao Chen said.

"Sir? To see me?"

"Yes, this is where the gentleman once lived. You should know this. This place is different from the gentleman. I came to you because I feel that you and I are destined to be together, so I am the one who came here."

The young man's eyes lit up when he heard the first half of the sentence. He knew what Cao Chen was talking about. He had sensed that gentle aura when he had stumbled upon this place. He couldn't mistake it for anything. After all, the method he was cultivating was ultimately derived from the Taoist scriptures Su Mu had mentioned, a direct descendant of his lineage. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed in this Taoist temple for two or three years.

"Do you know where Mr. is? Um, can I call him Mr.? I searched for a long time before finding this place, but Mr. seems to have not come back for a long time. Will Mr. blame me for taking the initiative?"

The little fox asked a lot of questions in one breath, and the vigilance in his eyes immediately disappeared.

"Haha, sir, you won't mind."

"By the way, why do you want to repay the favor?" In fact, Cao Chen was also curious. Su Mu didn't remember, which was very embarrassing.

The young man chuckled and said, "It may have been a casual act for you, sir, and you may not even remember it, but for me, it was the beginning of my journey."

"When we first met in the jungle, I was still a novice, and could only worship the moon instinctively. However, perhaps due to good luck, I met the Master. He promised us a chance."

“It was indeed that opportunity that allowed me to see the way forward.”

"Three years ago, I luckily survived the heavenly tribulation and shed my beast form. In my mind, I wanted to find that immortal, perhaps to repay him, perhaps to express my gratitude, or perhaps to do something for him within my ability."

"Unfortunately, the world is too big. I can only explore as I go."

“How did you find this place?”

Logically speaking, it was impossible for this little fox to find this place. Not to mention a little fox, even those big monsters would find it unlikely to find any traces of Su Mu's past.

"Actually, it was an accident." The little fox demon scratched his head.

From this single sentence alone, Cao Chen, with his current strength, could gauge the past with his eyes. The golden thread drooped, twisting into a known past. A master of fate wouldn't trust in unprovoked favors. While the little fox itself might not be a major problem, and while he quite liked it, the involvement of Su Mu made matters more complex.

After Su Mu showed up in the cave, those who were traveling outside began to look at her vaguely.

This known past constantly splits off into new branches, which then split off again. No matter how powerful the person driving it, some traces will always be left behind, whether concealed or not.

Sure enough, the forks of fate connected into a web, and the unknown appeared in the web.

Someone is looking for Su Mu.

As Cao Chen spoke to the little fox, he recalled the past through his words. The other party's methods were very sophisticated, instantly reminding him of those innate gods. Whether it was a test or some conspiracy, he didn't know for the time being. He knew that Su Mu would call out.

He never found out in the end and only saw a fog.

"Still too weak," Cao Chen sighed. As time went on, these kinds of tests became more frequent, and the days of peace and tranquility were numbered.

Thinking of this, Cao Chen casually cut off the arm that stretched out from nowhere, and asked the little fox in front of him with a smile: "What's your name?"

"My name is Chi Jiu."

“Ninth?”

Chi Jiu nodded: "I originally wanted to call it Jiu, but many monsters are basically named like that, so I chose a different one."

"So, do you want to be my disciple?" Cao Chen said bluntly without further ado. Taking a demon as a disciple was not uncommon in the world of immortal cultivation, but it was also rare, considered a heresy.

Cao Chen didn't care, but Chi Jiu shook his head and refused without thinking.

He came to repay a favor, not to become someone else's apprentice. Besides, starting out like that was unreliable. Furthermore, his method relied on Su Mu. If Su Mu was willing to accept him as a disciple, he would be happy to do so, but forget about others.

Cao Chen had already seen this outcome, but he was not discouraged: "Don't be so hasty to refuse."

Then he looked around and said: "If you want to see the master, I can take you there. Then you can follow me. I will stay in this Taoist temple for a long time, and you can observe carefully."

"Why...?" Chi Jiu asked.

"Because no one wants to be my disciple," Cao Chen said honestly. Perhaps it was his destiny; since leaving the Tianyan Sect, it was impossible for him to not have encountered geniuses. However, fate was a cruel trick; every disciple he considered rejected him for various reasons.

This may be the result of playing with fate, and fate is also playing with him.

So when he met Chi Jiu, he already knew that Chi Jiu would refuse, and every reason he had encountered in the past was very sufficient.

"So why do you want a disciple?" Chi Jiu was very curious.

Inheriting the mantle might be important, but the old man before me was truly remarkable. I didn't know why, but I had a hunch. A man like him, if not as long-lived as heaven and earth, would likely live for thousands, even tens of thousands of years. How immense!

Cao Chen laughed. "I haven't had many hobbies in my life, but I've always been obsessed with fate. Compared to the battlefield, I enjoy this kind of confrontation with fate more. Fate says I have no disciples, so I want to see if this is really my destiny. I don't believe it."

“This can be considered a kind of fun.”

“The joy of fighting with fate is endless.”

"This..." Chi Jiu didn't even know what to say. This reason really made him at a loss for words.

"So do you want to give it a try?" Cao Chen invited again.

Chi Jiu still shook his head. He didn't want to be someone else's apprentice for such a strange reason. Even if Cao Chen was honest, he didn't want to do that.