Chapter 17: Even the Lowliest Ant Has Its Springtime

The middle-aged man, who had been lying on the straw bed like a living corpse for days, was now drinking the fish porridge he had cooked without any hesitation.

“You’re awake.”

“You’re awake.”

Unintentionally, both spoke the same words simultaneously. Upon hearing this, they exchanged astonished glances.

The middle-aged man was quicker to react, raising the bowl in his hand. “The porridge is good.”

“Oh,” Shui Sheng replied instinctively, “If you like it, drink more.”

The man nodded and used a spoon to scrape the last bit of porridge from the bowl, savoring it as if it were the most exquisite delicacy in the world. Then he passed the bowl back to Shui Sheng. “Another bowl, please.”

“Oh,” Shui Sheng instinctively took the bowl, went to the table, and scooped another bowl of porridge from the black aluminum pot to hand to him.

The porridge was piping hot, but the middle-aged man drank it without a care, puffing as he went.

“Sir, are you… a human or a ghost?” Shui Sheng asked cautiously.

The man looked up and gave him a sharp glance. “Nonsense. Of course, I’m human.”

Human, human—that was good. Shui Sheng breathed a long sigh of relief inwardly.

“You’re human, but why is it that no one else can see you except me?” He quickly asked the question he had long kept hidden in his heart.

“There is a technique in the Water Spirit Domain called Water Concealment,” the man said. “It finely controls the power of water vapor, creating illusions and preventing light from reflecting. The reason people can see things is that objects reflect light; when light enters the human eye, an image forms. If the water element precisely controls light reflection, the object exists but becomes invisible to the human eye.”

So that’s how it was. Shui Sheng suddenly understood. The principle was not complicated; the challenge lay in mastering the water element’s supernatural ability.

“I was heavily injured and unconscious before, trapped in a ghostly imprisonment and extremely weak. To protect myself, I had to constantly activate this technique,” the man continued. “Thankfully, I met you all, thankfully I met you... Thank you for saving me. Although, even if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have died.”

You wouldn’t have died even without my help... What kind of words were those? Shui Sheng thought.

“Sir, what is your name and background?” he asked.

---

“My surname is Mei—Mei, like the plum blossom. My name is Mei Yulang.” The middle-aged man said, finishing another bowl of porridge. He pushed the empty bowl toward Shui Sheng again.

Shui Sheng went to scoop more but only half a bowl remained. The pot was already empty.

Mei Yulang didn’t hesitate and finished the half bowl as well.

At that moment, Shui Sheng’s stomach rumbled loudly. The young man himself hadn’t eaten yet.

“Young man, you’re a decent person; you didn’t take advantage of me,” Mei Yulang said, placing the bowls aside and rubbing his belly. “I couldn’t move all these days, but I knew everything I needed to know, could feel it all.”

If he hadn’t said it, Shui Sheng might not have been embarrassed, but now he blushed slightly. The man was lying on the bed with his senses intact, meaning he knew about Shui Sheng rifling through his belongings and even peeking into his boundary-stone space.

He hurried to clean up the dishes, turning his back to hide his awkwardness.

“Why were you drifting at sea?” Shui Sheng asked. “You’re a supernatural being, right? Your power should be... quite formidable.”

“No matter how powerful a supernatural being is, they cannot escape the cycles of time. No matter how strong, there will always be those who can restrain them—people, events, or things.” Mei Yulang said, “You are a water element user, and so am I. I was at a critical stage of cultivation when enemies came after me. Though I fought them off, my cultivation was disrupted. The only way to recover was to sink to the seabed, letting the ocean’s pressure cleanse my meridians. But, as luck would have it, a big creature appeared underwater...”

“We fought again, and I was further injured—my meridians were chaotic, and my qi and blood reversed flow... Even now, I haven’t regained even thirty percent of my strength. Then, another group hostile to me came after me... I couldn’t defeat them, was captured and imprisoned, and later exiled to Thunder Prison.”

“Thunder Prison?” Shui Sheng was puzzled by the term, having never heard it before.

“It’s the most dreaded prison of the Water Spirit sect, the place of exile. Terrifying. That’s where I became a ghost prisoner.” Mei Yulang touched his chin, clearly frustrated. “Enough of these painful memories.”

“Oh. Then rest well. I’ll wash the dishes.” Shui Sheng lowered his head, carrying the bowls and chopsticks outside, leaning against a wooden bucket and scooping water to clean the utensils.

Watching his back, Mei Yulang’s eyes involuntarily flickered with a sharp light.

“A water element user, cultivation almost nonexistent, yet with an unusual potential in his bones and blood,” he murmured. “My life was already short. By fate, I have met such a person. Could it be that this meeting is a blessing from Heaven?”

“Your clothes have dried. They’re in the bedside cabinet,” Shui Sheng’s voice came from outside. “The clothes you’re wearing now are mine. You can take them off and return them.”

“No need. I’m slim, and your clothes fit me well. I’ll just wear them.” Mei Yulang replied confidently.

Shui Sheng: ...

Mei Yulang stored the fish scale armor and double spines into his boundary-stone equipment space, put on the ring, and smiled at the expression the young man had when caught looking through his things.

---

He walked over to the young man’s bookshelf and casually browsed through the hundreds of books: mostly basic knowledge about Blue Star’s astronomy, geography, society, and history, with a few treasured old books about supernatural beings and their world. It was unclear where the boy had acquired them.

There was also a stack of old notebooks—reading notes written after studying some meaningful books.

One passage caught Mei Yulang’s eye.

“Compared to the eternal mountains and rivers, human life is as fleeting as morning dew or summer blossoms. In such a brief life, how can one shine the brightest and make the most of time? I believe it is by doing meaningful things, regardless of their size or quantity, giving them your utmost effort.”

“What are meaningful things? Internally, they benefit oneself, improving and progressing day by day. Externally, they benefit others, helping them improve within one’s ability, so their days also grow better each day.”

“Living in a fishing village, I strive to improve myself, read to gain knowledge and broaden horizons; I take care of my life and earn honest money to sustain it. Externally, I help others as much as I can, though young and weak now, I will grow and become capable someday.”

“Even ants have their spring.”

“Even ants have their spring?”

Mei Yulang muttered the phrase to himself, then suddenly grew angry, tossing the notebook to the ground and stomping on it heavily.

“What a naïve boy! The heavens and earth have already set the rules. All creatures are chess pieces. Have you ever seen ants have their spring?”

He stepped outside the hut and saw the young man sitting by a water ditch outside, busily scrubbing a pot.

“Senior, are you leaving?” The young man smiled brightly, his teeth shining.

Mei Yulang was taken aback. “Leave? Why would I leave?”

Shui Sheng was also surprised. “Senior, you’ve regained your mind. Since we’re strangers, naturally you would leave after recovering.”

Mei Yulang scratched his head, thinking hard, but could not find a reason to stay.

He fell silent, looked out into the pitch-black night, and without knowing why, said on impulse, “It’s dark; it’s not good to travel now. Tomorrow, yes tomorrow morning I will leave.”