A Moment of Compassion

After a while, the two of them left the tavern.

When it came time to settle the bill, Qin Yan noticed that Xiao Miao seemed a bit short on funds. He wasn’t the kind to be stingy with money, so he decided to pay for the meal himself. Fortunately, there was no awkward moment where they both reached for the bill. The girl was still young, and the notion of female independence hadn’t yet taken root in her mind. However, Xiao Miao did feel a sense of shame. After all, she was a woman, and yet she had to rely on a man to pay for her meal.

“From today on, I must work hard to earn my own money!”

“Farewell, gentlemen!”

The server at the door called out loudly.

Qin Yan and Xiao Miao walked side by side, heading towards the location of the spiritual herb that Xiao Miao had mentioned.

The autumn wind was chilly, and there was a slight chill in the air. Fortunately, both of them were practitioners, and the autumn breeze didn’t bother them. But just then, a beggar girl suddenly ran past Qin Yan and stumbled, falling face-first into the dirt.

“Get out of here! You beggar, you’ve disturbed my honored guests!”

The server, who had also seen the incident, rushed over and kicked the beggar girl. Qin Yan and Xiao Miao had just enjoyed a fine meal at the tavern, and the server had received a generous tip. Seeing the situation, the server took it upon herself to intervene.

The beggar girl seemed to sense the hostile energy around her and curled up into a ball.

However, just as the server’s foot was about to land on the beggar girl, someone grabbed her arm, causing the kick to miss. The server looked puzzled and turned to see that it was Qin Yan who had stopped her.

“Mercy is best shown to those who deserve it.”

Qin Yan sighed and spoke.

This was a feudal world, governed by the principles of ‘loyalty to the ruler and obedience to the hierarchy.’ In his past life, Qin Yan hadn’t found anything particularly strange or oppressive about it, as everyone in the sect was like a family.

As a modern person in this world, Qin Yan couldn’t bear to see or ignore certain things. But this was a structural issue, and even with immense power, he couldn’t change it.

Who could be more miserable than the ordinary people in this world of cultivation? In this land, the king and the noble families ruled together, with sects as part of the power structure.

They were all insurmountable mountains of power, resources, and connections—a world where might makes right.

The server scratched her head, a sheepish smile on her face, and Qin Yan released her. He reached out to help the beggar girl up, who looked at him with fear in her eyes.

“Better to be a dog in a peaceful era than a human in a chaotic one.” Destroying something was relatively easy, but rebuilding was the real challenge. Could he, as an emperor, establish a republic? As the saying goes, ‘The mode of production determines the relations of production.’ In a world where might makes right, the rule of law had some effect, but it was limited. As long as one could cultivate, it was all about who had the bigger fist. That’s why Qin Yan never had such thoughts. He pitied the little girl because he was a person from a different world, and his experiences gave him a different perspective, like how one would find simple food unappetizing after tasting gourmet cuisine. His thoughts were the same.

He reached out to wipe the dirt from the little girl’s face, not as a show, but from a genuine sense of compassion that welled up from within.

The server watched in silence. Though Qin Yan had removed his hat, she could tell from his voice that he was a man. As a server, she knew how to read people, and some people’s aura was like that of a cloud and the earth.

Xiao Miao also watched quietly. The wind rustled Qin Yan’s long hair as he leaned down, his eyes filled with a compassion that seemed to come from a deity looking down on the suffering of mortals. This wasn’t condescension but a genuine empathy that few people possessed. For example, if Xiao Miao were in Qin Yan’s position, she might have chosen to stop the server, but she wouldn’t have felt the same depth of compassion for the beggar girl.

As a native of this world, Xiao Miao hadn’t seen the true nature of human connection, like how modern people might criticize the indifference of ancient times. But how could they achieve enlightenment without a point of comparison?

“This man, he has great compassion in his heart…”

Xiao Miao’s master commented, her eyes filled with a mix of admiration and wisdom. A seasoned person could tell the difference between a genuine act and a performance.

Xiao Miao nodded in agreement.

Qin Yan wiped the dirt from the little girl’s face and let her go. Watching the girl scamper away on her short legs, he let out a deep sigh, feeling a mix of relief and regret.

In his mind, a modern person crossing over to this ancient world must feel like they’ve entered some bizarre, rule-bound dimension. He couldn’t help but feel grateful that his own life had turned out this way, thanks to his master taking him in. It was an outcome he could see clearly.

At that moment, Qin Yan sensed a flicker of golden light in his dantian. Looking within, he found that his spiritual energy had become more concentrated. He knew it was the effect of his cultivation method, the Nine Suns Brightening Scripture. ‘Brightening’ meant gaining insight into certain truths. His recent actions had evidently pleased the scripture.

What seemed like a simple act of helping a beggar girl avoid a beating was, in truth, a display of emotion that everyone present could see.

It was a rare and precious moment.

Meanwhile, in a hidden corner, another pair of eyes was watching Qin Yan intently.