Zombie Bodyguard

Chapter 2137: Chapter 2134: The Old Man Who Loves Reading

Lin Tian and his companions set off at noon and arrived here by dusk. The gentle sunset bathed the pond in soft light, making it extraordinarily serene. Flowers, grass, and trees grew lushly all around, with an occasional leaf falling into the water, stirring a tiny ripple.

The water moved, the trees moved, even the sun seemed to move, yet the elderly angler appeared motionless. He wore a coarse cloth outfit, old cloth shoes, and his hair, beard, and eyebrows were grizzled.

He leaned casually against a tree on the bank, sitting on the ground, engrossed in a book, seemingly unaware of the fishing rod in front of him.

Lin Tian noticed that the pond was crystal clear, with every pebble visible but inexplicably no fish. He doubted whether the elder was actually fishing or simply reading.

Since he had nothing else to do, Lin Tian paused and observed for a while, realizing still no fish were caught, but the elder was absorbed in his book, seemingly unaware of Lin Tian’s presence.

Given that the elder appeared in the forbidden area, he must be a member of the Ling Family, likely an Ancient Martial Artist and possibly a master. Yet, upon observing for a long time, Lin Tian noticed the elder’s aura was no different from an ordinary person’s.

Strange, could he just be a regular family member of Ling’s? Lin Tian wondered, though Ling Family is an Ancient Martial clan, not every member must be an Ancient Martial Artist. Just like the Zhang Family, where not every member is a Demon Exorcist.

Whether Ancient Martial Artist or Demon Exorcist, both require talent.

Thinking this way, encountering an ordinary elder here isn’t surprising. Perhaps due to his age and seniority, he could enter the forbidden area.

Looking up, he saw the so-called Taoist temple on the mountain, but instead of going up immediately, Lin Tian searched around and found a small path leading to the pond, turning towards it.

The elder remained engrossed in his book, and Lin Tian’s curiosity piqued. What kind of book could captivate an elder so, prompting him to tiptoe closer?

Approaching from behind, Lin Tian almost laughed; the book captivating the elder turned out to be a comic book!

Comic! Book! Lin Tian was bewildered. Shouldn’t such a celestial elder be holding a sword manual, a peerless cultivation technique, or the "Tao Te Ching"?

Curiosity again gripped Lin Tian; what kind of comic book was it, that entranced the elder? Could it hold some secret? He glanced over a few pages with the elder, encountering a scene where the protagonist acquired a treasure and experienced a realm breakthrough.

An ordinary comic book, really. Plenty of similar stories online, Lin Tian found it puzzling.

Only when the protagonist in the comic smoothly broke through did the elder exhale, shifting his attention from the book to Lin Tian, the real person before him.

"Young friend, do you like reading comic books too? You peeked earlier; what do you think of this book?" the elder asked Lin Tian with eager expectation.

Lin Tian scratched his head, feeling awkward. Considering the elder’s age, he shouldn’t be so blunt, and flattering him cost nothing.

Yet, Lin Tian wasn’t one for flattery, so he spoke frankly, "Uh, with respect, this book isn’t great."

"Not great? Perhaps you didn’t finish it; I find it quite good—pictures and words, twisted plot, strange story, better than just reading a novel." The elder, hearing Lin Tian’s low appraisal, argued back like two book readers discussing their thoughts.

"Senior, if this genre was just emerging, it’d be a good book, as it’s innovative. But now, with so many similar comics online, the plot is quite repetitive," Lin Tian patiently discussed, intrigued by the elder.

"Like the recent scene: the lead falls off a cliff, gets treasure, then trains and breaks through—too common. Almost every protagonist goes through it; after a while, it’s aesthetically tiring." Lin Tian found the elder amusing, so he patiently discussed with him.

"Really?" The elder blinked, scratched his head, then muttered, "Darn girl, dared to give me a random book to occupy me, deserves a spanking."

Girl? Lin Tian thought, could it be Ling Shuiyao? Giving a comic book to fool her elders—that’s something Little La Jiao might do.

However, seeing the elder’s disappointed expression, Lin Tian’s heart softened, casually consoling, "Senior, everything has two sides. From my view, it’s not a good book, as I’ve read many. But for you, having read less, the plot is novel, making it a good book, wouldn’t you agree?"

The elder’s eyes lit up, bursting into laughter, "Haha, young brother, well said! The imagination in this story is rich—character breaks through, energy forms into a Golden Core, Golden Core Stage—great idea!"

Golden Core Stage? Lin Tian nearly chuckled; even Nascent Soul Stage, then Emergence Stage, Transcendance Tribulation Stage followed. From the elder’s words, Lin Tian could basically predict the forthcoming plot, yet didn’t spoil it—it’s said spoilers are the worst.

"Sigh..." suddenly, the elder sighed, reflecting, "Young brother, what do you think? An ordinary person imagines such an excellent cultivation path, so what about Ancient Martial Artists? What’s beyond Innate? When one reaches Innate, is it a dead end?"

Lin Tian froze on the spot; what’s beyond Innate? Who knows. Innate Early Stage, Mid Innate, Late-stage Innate, then Innate Perfection, yet Lin Tian had never heard Wang Wanxi mention what lay beyond Innate.

Throughout the Ancient Martial World, it seems like a dead end, chilling to ponder!

But then again, why should an ordinary elder worry about Ancient Martial Artists? Wang Wanxi and Ling Zishan, two promising talents, already reached Mid Innate, yet didn’t seem concerned about stages beyond Innate.

In today’s Ancient Martial World, Lin Tian hadn’t encountered an Ancient Martial Artist at Innate Perfection, not even many at Mid Innate, illustrating the difficulty of reaching Innate Perfection. So, worrying about stages beyond Innate seems premature.

"Oh, the sun is setting soon, I was absorbed in the book, hadn’t caught any fish, no meal tonight," the elder finally realized his purpose in fishing.

Lin Tian chuckled, puzzled, "Senior, I see the pond is clear, no fish present—can fishes actually be caught here?"

The elder smiled slightly, confidently, "Young brother, you don’t understand—the easily caught fish aren’t the best. To taste good fish requires patience and a bit of fortune."

"Even eating fish becomes philosophical," Lin Tian joked.

"Heh, what nonsense philosophy, I’m just greedy for some fish," the elder revealed his true gluttonous nature, amusingly.

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