Standing Next To You-Chapter 539: A flap of butterfly’s wings

He brought them a tea set. As he placed the tray down, he turned to Bei Sangyun and stared.

Bei Sangyun noticed his gaze and looked back at him. Their eyes met.

She frowned. She didn’t like being stared at—regardless of how old the other person was. She was ready to scold him, but just as she was about to speak, the old man suddenly shed a tear.

He quickly wiped it away.

"I’m sorry... You don’t like being stared at. That was rude of me," he said.

His hoarse voice sounded younger than she had expected. Because of his long beard and white hair, she had assumed he was the same age as the old monk—perhaps even older. If he had shaved his beard and cut his gray hair short, he might appear as a man in his middle age.

And, for some reason, there was some familiarity she couldn’t place with.

The unkempt man smiled at her, his eyes reflecting relief, sorrow, and longing—emotions that flickered briefly before disappearing.

"I’ll take my leave now. I hope you live a healthy and happy life."

With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.

Bei Sangyun watched him go, feeling strangely unsettled.

"...Do I know him?" she asked aloud.

Maid Ye Zhai shook her head. "I’ve never seen him before."

Bei Sangyun had never seen that man before either. And yet... his voice, the look in his eyes—they felt inexplicably familiar.

She turned to the old monk with a questioning gaze.

The old monk simply pushed the tea tray toward her. "Brew me some tea."

Bei Sangyun: "...."

"I can brew the tea," Maid Ye Zhai offered, reaching for the tray.

But Bei Sangyun took it first. "It’s fine. I know how to brew tea."

Then she shot a glare at the old monk.

He chuckled. "I’ve been stressing over your fate lately. Can’t you at least brew me some tea as a token of appreciation?"

"How about I brew tea for you instead of making donations?" Bei Sangyun countered.

The old monk laughed. "Just this tea is enough."

Bei Sangyun began brewing. As she worked, the old monk watched her.

"You may start asking your questions now," he said.

"Finally."

She finished brewing and handed the first cup to Maid Ye Zhai.

The old monk, who had assumed the tea was meant for him, was momentarily speechless.

Bei Sangyun picked up another cup and began brewing as she spoke.

"I assume you already have the answer I’ve been asking for?"

The old monk remained silent until he received his tea. He took a slow sip before finally replying.

"The answer has already found you."

"What?" Bei Sangyun frowned. She didn’t understand.

"All that’s left is for you to figure out what it is."

"Are you kidding me?" She found his words ridiculous. "Four years ago, you told me to wait so you could make a new reading for me. You said you’d ask the heavens, look at the stars, and find a way to break this cursed fate. I waited another four months and followed all of your instructions—and now you’re telling me this?"

The old monk remained calm despite her outburst. He gestured toward the third cup.

"Brew yourself some tea as well."

Bei Sangyun bit her lip in frustration but still did as he asked.

Maid Ye Zhai watched with amazement. She wasn’t sure if they were arguing or if this was just how they spoke to each other.

When Bei Sangyun finished brewing the last cup, the old monk finally spoke again.

"The stars have collided. A single flap of a butterfly’s wings can cause a mirage of fate to collapse—and a new string of destiny to form." He set his cup down and looked at her. "I can no longer read the heavens because the past and present have intertwined. It is chaos."

"...You’re just making excuses," Bei Sangyun said, her anger rising. This felt like nothing but empty words. First, he told her to wait. Now, he claimed he could no longer read fate. What was next? That he had gone blind?

The old monk sighed. "I should be the one getting mad. And so should the other monks who have the ability to read the heavens."

"...What do you mean?"

"It is true that two people with a dragon’s fate cannot live under the same sky," he said solemnly. "One must die for the other to survive. One must be consumed for the other to thrive. Otherwise, the sky itself will collapse."

The old monk’s gaze met hers, steady and unyielding.

"And that... is exactly what has happened."

Bei Sangyun stiffened.

"I don’t follow," she said, her voice quieter now.

"...Your rebirth is not by chance. There are billions of people in this world—why did it only happen to you?"

Bei Sangyun nodded. That was exactly what she was curious about. She was not a good person, and she had not lived a particularly worthy life in her past. "I wonder that too. Maybe the heavens took pity on me."

"But there are millions of people more pitiful than you—people who deserve that chance far more than you."

Agreed. That was something Bei Sangyun knew as well.

"I don’t know. You tell me." She was done with his mind games.

The old monk was silent for a moment before setting his cup down.

"Do you believe in myths?"

"They’re myths," Bei Sangyun said flatly. "Stories."

"Indeed. But myths often begin from a truth—something that once happened, something extraordinary. There are things in this world beyond human comprehension, things even a thousand lifetimes would not be enough to understand. Even I, who have spent my life reading the heavens, have barely dipped a finger into the surface of the ocean. There is much I do not know."

"Are you saying you’re incapable of finding a solution? That there’s no way for me to be with him? Just like you told me four years ago?" Bei Sangyun clenched her fists.

"What I am saying is that your rebirth was not a coincidence. You were chosen. It was caused by something—a result of countless intertwining karmic threads." freewebnσvel.cøm

Bei Sangyun thought back to her conversation with Bei Xingyun.

"...Did it start with my mother?"

"They were merely strands connected to an intricate web of fate."

"Can you speak in something I can actually understand?"

"It did not start with them," the old monk said, his gaze steady. "But the origin is important. You may find your answer there. I cannot reveal everything to you—there are things I am forbidden from saying. But one thing is certain."

He met her eyes.

"The answer has already found you."