Chapter 390: The Recorder of Past and Present (Part 1)

A biting wind howled, and snow blanketed the ground.
An old man, raggedly dressed, lay in the snow, his body covered.
Su Chen felt utterly powerless.
He was starving; he hadn't eaten in ages... He only remembered eating dirt and tree bark along the way, until even that was gone.
His fingers and toes were numb; the biting cold had rendered him insensitive.
The icy wind cut like sharp knives.
In the deathly silence, only his intermittent breathing and faint heartbeat told him he was still alive.
Alive, that's right... but how much longer could he live?
He would either freeze to death completely.
Or he would die suddenly.
The final outcome was death, only the manner of death differed.
Su Chen figured he'd probably freeze to death.
At this moment, he couldn't even move, let alone cultivate.
"Grandpa Wei, there's someone still alive here!"
Su Chen sensed someone approaching.
The person was young, with a clear, melodious voice, innocent and carefree, seemingly unaffected by the heavy snow.
Unfortunately, he couldn't even open his eyes.
"What a sorry sight!"
Su Chen inwardly mocked himself.
"Miss, he is indeed alive, but he is about to die."
A deep, resonant voice reached his ears; it belonged to a skilled martial artist with considerable cultivation.
At this moment, Su Chen was even too preoccupied to discern the cultivation level of the person referred to as 'Grandpa Wei'.
His life force was gradually fading away.
"He's dying! Grandpa Wei, please save him!"
Wei Qiong looked at his young mistress, his eyes filled with a mixture of affection and helplessness.
His young mistress was good in every way, except she was too kind.
"Miss, to save his life, we need at least grade three or higher spiritual herbs... but we didn't bring any grade three or higher spiritual herbs or pills with us on this trip."
Grade three spiritual herbs and pills...
Why would they carry such valuable items with them?
Even if they did, who would be willing to use grade three spiritual herbs and pills to save a disheveled old man who was about to freeze to death?
"Grandpa Wei, but he's so pitiful... This was given to me by my father, can you save him?"
The little girl's voice carried a hint of pity and reluctance as she rustled as she took out some items.
"Miss...this is a fourth-grade pill that the Sect Master spent a fortune to obtain for you. It's meant to nourish your meridians..."
"He's not worth such a high price, Miss."
Wei Qiong intervened.
He knew the immense cost the Sect Master had incurred to acquire this fourth-grade pill.
"Grandpa Wei, if I were lying here, would you use this pill to save me?"
Wei Qiong's voice was hoarse.
"Of course you would."
"That's right, Grandpa Wei would save me, and I would save him. Mother always said saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."
Wei Qiong muttered to himself, "Is that the same thing?"
However, he didn't say it aloud.
"Miss, the Sect Master will blame you if he finds out."
Su Chen felt something round and heavy being swallowed down her throat, and the coldness in her body instantly dissipated.
"I know Father loves me the most, he definitely won't blame me!"
The little girl's answer was innocent and carefree.
This left Wei Qiong with a complicated expression.
"He opened his eyes."
Su Chen opened his eyes, his vision blurry, and saw a little girl wrapped up like an overly bundled-up red silk ball. Her red cloak, embroidered with plum blossoms in gold thread, shone like a bright flame in the snowy weather.
The next moment, he lost consciousness.
"Grandpa Wei, what happened to him?"
The little girl was extremely worried.
Wei Qiong glanced at Su Chen and said, "Miss gave him a fourth-grade pill. His body was too weak, and he suddenly couldn't withstand the power and fainted."
"In this freezing weather, even with the nourishment of a fourth-grade pill, it only saves his life. If he stays here, he will still die in the end."
"Miss wants to save him, so now we can only take him back to the sect to recuperate slowly and wait for the fourth-grade pill to dissolve in his body. Perhaps he can still live."
The little girl smiled brightly: "Grandpa Wei is the best!"
Wei Qiong shook his head, his eyes full of affection.
However, when he looked at Su Chen, his doting gaze turned to heartache.
That was a fourth-grade pill!
........
Su Chen woke up.
He realized that fate seemed to have played a cruel joke on him.
He hadn't died, hadn't returned to the Reversal of Fate Space!
He had actually broken the curse and survived again!
Seemingly sensing Su Chen's awakening, a young man quickly entered.
"You're lucky, you just happened to run into Junior Sister Ruan."
"Junior Sister Ruan used a fourth-grade pill to save you!"
A hint of barely perceptible envy flickered in the young man's eyes.
However, seeing the expressionless face of the old man he had saved, he lost interest.
Perhaps the old man had no idea what a fourth-grade pill represented; talking to such a mortal was like casting pearls before swine.
He didn't know that Su Chen was pondering that the girl who had saved him was probably Junior Sister Ruan, as the young man had mentioned.
Judging from appearances, this sect isn't very powerful.
Su Chen stood up, his back still slightly hunched, and said, "Please convey my gratitude to Miss Ruan on my behalf, young man. I will certainly repay you many times over in the future."
The young man laughed heartily, "Old man, Junior Sister Ruan has always been kind-hearted. You're lucky to have met her."
"As for repayment..."
The young man scoffed.
He didn't believe an ordinary old man could offer any repayment.
However, the old man's grateful nature softened his expression, and his gaze towards Su Chen became more pleasing.
"Old man, Junior Sister Ruan wasted a fourth-grade pill to save you."
"If you die after going down the mountain, Junior Sister Ruan's fourth-grade pill will have been wasted... Because of this, the Sect Master was even furious and ordered Junior Sister Ruan to go into seclusion and cultivate, forbidding her from going down the mountain."
"Your life is precious now."
The young man chuckled, then continued, "There are some jobs here. You can live out your remaining years in peace on this mountain, which will also be a way of not wasting Junior Sister Ruan's fourth-grade pill."
Su Chen murmured to himself, "He's all talk and no action."
This sect seems to be too kind.
Whether it's the girl surnamed Ruan, the old man surnamed Wei... and now the young man before him, they are all kind people. Although the young man's tone was dissatisfied and aggressive, he never intended to make things difficult for Su Chen. He even took care of Su Chen while he was unconscious.
As for the job...
Sweeping?
Being an unknown sweeping monk?
Gathering spiritual herbs?
Being a lowly alchemy master who secretly develops his skills?
Su Chen glanced at each one.
At this moment, he dared not cultivate at all!
Finally, Su Chen focused his attention on a profession.
"Recorder"
As the name suggests, it's about recording the life stories of the sect's elders or disciples after their death.
Recorders are nameless, but the names they record are all real, good or bad, revered or despised—all left for posterity to judge.
They are simply responsible for recording.
Looking at the job Su Chen had chosen, the young man was somewhat surprised.
"Old man, this job requires knowing many characters."
Su Chen calmly replied, "I was a schoolteacher in my hometown."
The young man sized up Su Chen, a hint of respect appearing in his eyes.
So he's a cultured person!