Chapter 82: I've Watched Dragon Ball Too
When the little Taoist boy left, Yamcha took a deep look at his back.
"Master, I suggest you keep an eye on that little Taoist boy."
The old Celestial Master nodded. He didn't know why Yamcha would say that, but he chose to trust him.
"Alright."
"Also… Master—"
At this point, Yamcha showed a rare moment of hesitation.
"You're leaving?"
"..."
The old Celestial Master's eyes seemed to see through Yamcha's thoughts.
After a long silence, Yamcha finally answered.
"Yes."
"How long?"
"In about a week."
It wasn't that Yamcha didn't want to stay—he hadn't even "graduated" from his training under the Celestial Master, having completed less than half of it.
But he had stayed in this world for too long—longer than all the time he had spent in other worlds combined.
To be honest, he really liked it here. He enjoyed the days training under the Celestial Master.
But something inside him warned: he couldn't stay any longer. If he did, something bad might happen.
"Alright. Then come see me every evening this week."
Yamcha paused at those words. He knew the Celestial Master planned to teach him as much as he could during this final week. To say he wasn't moved would be a lie.
"Yes, Master."
Then, the Celestial Master's expression became a bit strange—just like when they first met, as if he had something to say but couldn't quite bring himself to.
"There's something I've been curious about since the beginning."
Yamcha showed a listening expression, quietly waiting for him to continue.
"Why did you… what's the word again..."
"Oh, right—'COSPLAY'."
"Why did you cosplay Yamcha?"
"?!!!"
The moment the Celestial Master asked that, Yamcha's expression became extremely odd. He knew someone would eventually ask, but he hadn't expected the first to be the Celestial Master.
"I've watched Dragon Ball too," the old master said matter-of-factly.
He pulled out a slightly yellowed comic book with Kid Goku on the cover and gave it a little shake in front of Yamcha.
Looking closely—oh, it was the old Hainan edition!
"Other than not wearing that turtle-school uniform, you look almost exactly like that Yamcha. Do you really like the character that much?"
In the world of The Outcast (一人之下), not only does Dragon Ball exist, but so do Naruto and One Piece. Aside from the The Outcast series and its related works and special beings, this world was no different from Yamcha's original one.
Yamcha lowered his head—no one could see his expression. He spoke softly:
"Do you really want to know?"
"You don't have to say if you don't want to. I'm just a little curious."
The Celestial Master shook his head. He wasn't the type to pry into others' secrets. It's just—the resemblance was too uncanny.
"Actually, I come from the world inside this comic."
With people he trusted, Yamcha didn't hide the truth. And the Celestial Master was someone he could trust.
A man of virtue and great renown, an ideal mentor—a character written to be nearly perfect. If anyone in The Outcast could be trusted by Yamcha, it was the Celestial Master, without question.
As for outsiders—
Even if they knew who he was, it didn't matter. He wasn't the same "him" from the original plot.
"I see," the Celestial Master nodded and said nothing more.
Seeing how calm he was, Yamcha was the one who ended up surprised.
"I said I'm someone from a book, and you're not shocked?"
The Celestial Master looked up at the clear blue sky:
"This world is full of possibilities. Everything has its own rules of development. Anything that happens has its reason—we just haven't discovered it yet."
"Maybe I, too, am just a character in a book. A character in a comic. Just like you."
His words made Yamcha truly respect him. And what the Celestial Master said next left Yamcha deep in thought.
Yamcha's eyes widened.
He wasn't stupid—he instantly understood what the Celestial Master meant.
And honestly? It wasn't impossible.
Yamcha fell into thought, and naturally, the Celestial Master noticed.
"My disciple, in the eyes of the 'Dao,' aren't our lives nothing but scripts?"
"Whether you're from a book or a movie doesn't matter. What you need to do is simply be the best version of yourself. That's enough."
It was the first time the Celestial Master called Yamcha his disciple—and perhaps the last.
His words struck Yamcha like thunder, snapping him out of his thoughts.
And just as he came to, the Celestial Master's powerful voice echoed again:
"What is the meaning of 'Dao follows nature'?"
Almost reflexively, Yamcha shouted the answer:
"Old Master does what he wants—goes with the flow, and has the final say!"
"Exactly!"
The Celestial Master smiled in satisfaction.
Seeing this, Yamcha smiled too.
"Master!"
He bowed deeply.
He had chosen right. He hadn't chosen the wrong master.
A master is someone who passes on knowledge, solves doubts, and teaches truth.
It boils down to two words: open-mindedness. Easy to say, hard to truly embody.
It was a pity that the world of The Outcast wasn't a proper cultivation world. Otherwise, the Celestial Master might've ascended to the heavens one day.
Just like Zhang Sanfeng in his world—his martial arts realm had already surpassed that world's limits, but the world itself held him back. He could attain enlightenment, but not transcend or ascend.
The only one who could break free of world restrictions and embrace the best of all systems was Yamcha—the one who could break the fourth wall.
That was his unique, natural-born gift.
"Go rest. Come see me again tonight. This last week will be intense, and there's still so much for you to learn."
"Yes, Master!"
A week later, Yamcha left the Celestial Master's residence on Mount Longhu and returned to his original world.
From then on, countless people tried to find him. But all their efforts were in vain. Just like he had appeared suddenly, he disappeared just as suddenly—leaving no trace.
It wasn't like Yamcha hadn't considered using his resources to donate another few billion to Mount Longhu. For him, money was just a string of meaningless numbers.
He could completely say, "I've never seen money. I'm not interested in money!"
But the Celestial Master rejected him.
Some things, once is enough to attract envy. Wealth moves hearts. Too many times, and even Mount Longhu couldn't bear such overwhelming fortune.
(End of chapter)