After receiving the gifts, the relationship suddenly became closer, and the atmosphere immediately eased.

Su Mu once again emphasized that the closening of the relationship was absolutely not because of money!

Absolutely not!

Su Mu is not that kind of person!

....

"Brother Yang, I am very curious."

"Since it’s just the two of you living here, why build five such large pavilions and a pond so big?"

Su Mu is someone who knows quality. The bamboo and wood used to build these pavilions are not ordinary; they are very rare, considered a type of treasure.

Moreover, the craft of this wooden pavilion is extremely exquisite, containing the mysteries of advanced Daoist techniques and advanced arrays. It’s not just a simple wooden pavilion. Building it is by no means an easy task.

Creating five wooden pavilions of such a standard is a major project.

The largest and most intricate part is this pond.

Su Mu had built a water cellar at his home, and he knew the difficulties. Back then, building a ten-meter-wide water cellar to raise fish had already taken a tremendous effort.

Later, as his strength increased, he expanded the water cellar by twenty meters and deepened it by ten meters. Once it was plenty sufficient to raise Treasure Fish, he didn’t waste time on this matter anymore.

This Brother Yang, despite looking like he suffers from severe kidney deficiency, managed to create such a large pond. That’s true capability!

The water in this pond, could it really have been carried here one bucket at a time by that headless man??

....

"Because after living here for a long time, you start to take interest in these things."

"People, once they get bored, will find something to do...."

Elder Bai Mei said with a smile.

"The water in this pond, could it really have been carried here one bucket at a time?" Su Mu asked the question he was most curious about. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Upon hearing this, Elder Bai Mei replied, "Of course."

"That’s the only way."

He’s not Su Mu; he can’t, with a wave of his hand, control the Water of Time. For Su Mu, filling this pond takes just a wave of the hand, but for them, it took countless days and years of hard work.

...

"How long did it take?" Su Mu asked again.

"Since I started living here, it has been decades, I suppose...." Elder Bai Mei had already forgotten exactly how many years he’d been here.

It’s not that his memory is bad, but above the River of Time, the concept of time becomes very faint. He’s still relatively good in this regard.

Others, when they stay on the River of Time long enough, even if they’re strong enough to remain, they can still become lost and lose their concept of time. In severe cases, they may become just a mindless shell.

Even Elder Bai Mei himself leaves this place once a year to wash away the "causes and effects of time" that have clung to him, before returning to the River of Time.

To be precise, in the All Heavens and Myriad Realms, only Su Mu can live on the River of Time for long periods without being eroded by the causes and effects of time.

At least in Elder Bai Mei’s perception, Su Mu is the only one.

....

After hearing this, Su Mu was also a bit stunned.

It really is...

With decades of daily effort, it’s indeed possible to accomplish this. Such perseverance is truly unparalleled.

Just as Su Mu was about to continue his inquiries, Elder Bai Mei stood up, walked to the edge of the pond, and slowly said, "For Fellow Daoist Su, the world is vast, but for an old man like me, I just want to keep my small piece of land and live well. That would be enough..."

Hearing these words, Su Mu also stood up, stood beside Elder Bai Mei, and leisurely said, "I only have a small piece of land as well."

Upon hearing this, Elder Bai Mei was slightly taken aback and turned his head to look at Su Mu in surprise.

For a moment, he couldn’t tell whether Su Mu was being modest or humble.....

He manages the entire River of Time, which controls all the All Heavens and Myriad Realms, and calls that a small piece of land??

If that’s a small piece of land, then what is his own pond?

Is it merely the dust on the ground?

What would his own existence be, a particle in the air??

However, Elder Bai Mei didn’t rebut. Perhaps he was just joking modestly.....

...

After listening to Elder Bai Mei’s words, Su Mu gazed at the pond in front of him and let out a sigh.

Actually, he wasn’t showing off at all; he was being self-deprecating.....

He was speaking the truth.

He guards a river, while Elder Bai Mei guards a pond. Everyone guards their own small piece of land, except his piece is larger and Elder Bai Mei’s is smaller.

In his view, Elder Bai Mei must have witnessed all the vicissitudes of life, enjoyed the excitement outside, grown tired of the sceneries from different peaks, and finally returned to retire in the fields, hence coming here to live in seclusion.

Therefore, Elder Bai Mei’s words seemed perfectly normal to Su Mu, and there was nothing improper about them.

But he’s different; he hasn’t yet experienced the outside world, encountered all the different facets of life, experienced intrigues, the warmth and coldness of human relations, or the battles of wits and vengeance of the Great Dao.

Thus, his mindset differs from Elder Bai Mei’s. He is still young and wants to go out and explore!

Perhaps many years later, when he reaches a certain height, he will tire of the struggles, and there’s a good chance he, too, will find a peaceful haven, build a small courtyard of his own, and live in seclusion with his family or by himself.

Those things are concerns for the future. What needs attention now is how to leave here as soon as possible, as he has grown a bit tired of this monotonous life of daily patrols.

He certainly couldn’t let Nannan stay with him on this river for a lifetime, could he??

.....

For Elder Bai Mei, the pond and the small courtyard serve as a place of purification, and he can leave anytime.

For himself, this river is his cage.

Comparisons are destructive; comparing yourself to others can drive you crazy!

...

"Brother Yang, what are those wooden stakes in your pond for?"

Su Mu asked while looking at the wooden stakes poking out of the pond’s surface.

Upon hearing this, Elder Bai Mei didn’t intend to hide the truth. He knew he couldn’t hide it and directly answered, "Suppression."

"Suppression?" Su Mu asked in confusion.

....

"Does Fellow Daoist Su enjoy fishing?" No sooner had he asked this, Elder Bai Mei realized he misspoke.

In a certain sense, aren’t the countless "fish" in the River of Time raised by Su Mu?

He rephrased his question, "Does Brother Su enjoy fishing?"

"It’s alright," Su Mu replied.

He didn’t understand what the old man meant by suddenly changing the topic to strange things.

"Wait a moment for me."

With that, Elder Bai Mei turned and walked towards the house behind him.