Naïve and Blind

LUO FAN

 I listened to the sound of the leaving carriage until I could no longer hear it. Li Yao had left, and he had dropped me in front of this inn.

I might never see him again.

“Sir, this way please.” The innkeeper escorted me upstairs and showed me to my room. Although I was blind, I still could see silhouettes so I could still determine where the bed and chair were.

Li Yao had told me that this place was dangerous but was still much better compared to the neighboring cities. For someone like me who was raised in an isolated place and had not been exposed to many people, I wasn’t sure what kind of danger he was referring to.

But this would be my life from here on. Whatever awaited me here, I had to embrace it, I had to adjust, and I had to blend in. It was the only way for me to survive.

I spent the whole afternoon and night planning my life ahead. I had asked Li Yao how long could my remaining money support me, and he said that it should be enough to cover a half-year stay in an inn with food. That should be ample time for me to find a job. However, with my visual impairment, I was not very confident about my chance of getting employed.

As for my cultivation, I knew it was over. Even though I had lived with a goal of achieving the pinnacle of cultivation, it was no longer possible to continue. That dream was gone. I had failed. If I wanted to make something of myself, out of what little had remained of me, the first step that I should take was to accept reality, no matter how painful it was.

My heart still ached whenever I thought about all the hard work that I had put into becoming a grandmaster cultivator, only for me to lose it in an instant with no hope of ever retrieving it. For weeks, I had grieved over it, but now that I had found myself a place to settle down and start a new life, I had to let go of the past.

From now on, I would not think about cultivation again. I should just think about how to live my life out here as an ordinary blind man.

The next morning, I left the inn and went out to learn more about Yueshu City. The first place that I should go check was the market.

Earlier, I had asked the innkeeper for directions and he had told me to just follow the street ahead and turn right at the first intersection. From there, I should be able to see the marketplace.

So I followed the direction and after half an hour of walking, I came to a crowded and noisy place.

This should be the market already.

Because of my poor eyesight, I had collided with many people and they had yelled at me.

I was beginning to understand why Li Yao had repeatedly told me to be careful of people around me and not trust anyone so easily. People here were indeed irritable and were always in a hurry.

Suddenly, I felt pain in my chest, as if something had crushed my heart and I could not breathe.

What is happening?

I knew I was still weak after barely surviving my recent ordeal, but I thought everything was already in the past and the only setback that I must face now was the loss of my sight.

So why can’t I breathe?

Unable to control my balance any longer, I collapsed on the street and even fell into someone.

I did not know that it was a frail old man until he cried in pain and tried to push me away. Before I could apologize, a strong fist punched me in the stomach. The blow was so hard that I ended up curled up into a ball on the ground with my breath stuck in my throat.

When someone hit me on the head, I finally blacked out.

When I woke up, I was leaning against a wall in an alley. Someone must have taken me there so I wouldn’t be an obstruction on the street. It was cold, so I assumed that it must be late in the afternoon already.

As I tried to stand up, the tightness in my chest recurred and I tasted something metallic in my mouth. Suddenly, I coughed out blood.

Now, my whole body hurt, but the most painful one was the sharp pain in my stomach that it felt like my internal organs had been squished and disarranged.

For another time, I collapsed on the ground but I tried not to fall unconscious again. I continued to spit out blood as I struggled for breath.

There were people around me, but none of them seemed to care. They just passed by me as if they had not noticed anything.

I remembered Li Yao’s parting words again, that people in this city were self-centered and no one would spare a moment to help the needy.

Then why did he bring me here?

Is this place really better than anywhere else? If that was true, then I have not seen the worst of people just yet. Is that what he means?

I clawed on the ground to subdue the pain. After a long moment of agony, my airway loosened and I finally was able to breathe.

I lay there for a little longer. When I had gathered enough strength, I slowly got up and tried to find my way back to the inn.

But I realized that I was lost. I did not know which direction to go.

“Excuse me,” I told someone who was coming my way.

“Hmp,” he grunted and shoved me away.

I almost fell to the ground. It looked like people here weren’t only self-centered but rude as well.

This was a shock to me. From where I had come from, people who would act this way would be severely disciplined.

When I spotted a small shadow, I knew that must be a child. I approached him. I was sure he would be easier to talk to.

“My child, could you point this blind man to the inn?” I asked.

“Ten copper coins,” he demanded.

I was momentarily perplexed.

Even a child of around five or six already knows how to extort money? Even from a blind man?

I sighed and fondled for the purse underneath the lapel of my robe.

I found nothing. The purse was gone. Someone must have stolen it while I was unconscious.

My whole body went cold. That purse of silver was the reason why I was brave enough to venture this far. Now that it was gone, I had no idea how I could survive in this inhospitable place on my own.

“Are you going to give me or not?” the child asked.

“Ah… I don’t have money. I apologize.”

“Then don’t waste my time.” The child vanished all of a sudden.

I sighed. Even a child was that obnoxious.

This place was indeed a hostile one. People weren’t only indifferent, they were also law offenders. It was beyond me how someone could just steal someone else’s money.

I walked aimlessly, clutching at my stomach to suppress the pain. I no longer thought about going back to the inn because I didn’t have anything to pay for a room with anymore.

I had not even gone far when I felt like I would again collapse in exhaustion.

I felt so weak as if there was something inside me that was draining my energy. Something like… a poison.

But who could have poisoned me?

The only thing I had eaten was the meal I had at the inn.

Why should anyone here want to poison me?

I crawled to the side and leaned against a wall, coughing out blood once again. My fingers were numb and trembling.

Cold sweat drenched my forehead. I was dizzy. The world was spinning around me.

I tried to retain my consciousness. It would be bad if I collapsed here. I had already lost my purse. I might lose my clothes next.

But it was inevitable. My mind was already shutting down. I was completely helpless.