Estranged

Changming subconsciously felt that his life was on the line, and that the entire situation was hard to comprehend.

The Luomei from the future had devised all kinds of successful plans and had reached the peak of cultivation of this world. However, he had failed to ascend, and was thus forced to occupy the body of his disciple, Jiang Li. However, the Luomei from the past was not dependent on someone else’s body, and his cultivation was not that much inferior compared to the cultivation he had when he destroyed the world.

At this moment, he was like the sun at noon—he was even stronger than grandmasters. He stood one tiny step away from reaching the Heavenly Dao—but this very step had made him abandon his aspiration to ascend and had forced him to resort to such extreme measures. That had been the limit of Luomei’s strength.

When the two of them fought, Luomei did not spare any effort in attacking, and Changming exerted his utmost as well. He could feel his spiritual powers dissipating in a flash, like water that was quickly flowing away. But at this moment of mortal danger, the seal on his memories had been forcibly broken, and he thought of everything that was to happen in one hundred years. The overwhelming power of a man willing to fight to his last breath scared Luomei—so he decided to stop fighting and leave.

In terms of cultivation, Luomei was slightly stronger at this moment, but he still had other matters to deal with. Obviously, he did not want to risk his life in a battle with some unknown rogue cultivator here. It did not matter whether the rat died here, but Luomei was afraid to break the jade jar. After giving the situation some thought, he decided to retreat. His wound might not have been as grave as Changming’s, but he was still not unscathed. So, for at least the next two or three days, he would not be able to pose a threat for Changming and Yun Weisi.

Break the jade jar: wasted efforts

Yun Weisi…

As Changming thought of this name, thoughts started to surge in his mind, and his heart felt warm.

He forgot about everything that was happening around him—he did not even notice Hua-Shan coming closer, and stood there with his sword in his hand.

Stars shifted in the sea of his consciousness, constellations changed, and blue seas transformed into mulberry fields—the memories he had lost had returned to his mind, but they had been shattered to pieces and were formless. He tried hard to understand them, reconstructing them one by one.

A teenager entered the Yuhuang Temple. The head of the temple asked him: What do you pursue in this life? He answered: Only the Dao, nothing else.

Faithful to his intentions, the teenager spent his life studying the Dao, free from any distractions.

In this life, he had made many enemies, opponents, friends and disciples. There were some people who saw him as their role model, others who only wished him an early death, as well as those who would follow him under any circumstances. However, Jiufang Changming’s eyes were only set on the Heavenly Dao up ahead.

Surviving mortal perils, he had returned from the Yellow Springs, and his attitude to people and affairs had changed. He started to notice many small details that used to escape his eyes.

Sometimes he thought that he was actually a bad master to his disciples.

Out of his four disciples, three had left him and went on their own paths to establish their own schools. They were devout and attentive when they started studying under him, but later, they had all left without any hesitation.

Only Yun Weisi stayed with him till the very end. From the beginning, their discord was only for show.

In the past, Changming was so worried about worldly affairs, and did not expect Yun Weisi to end up at the Void Shore because of him. Yet, for fifty years, Yun Weisi faced the never-ending desolation of that place, while having his body infected with demonic qi. Had it even been worth it?

Now, when Changming looked back at what happened, he realized that Yun Weisi would have had an easier life if it was not for this plan. His talent and cultivation could have let him aspire to the highest position in all Daoist schools. More than that, he could have become one of the strongest cultivators in the whole world—it really would have been him, Yun Weisi, not the sects like the Wanjian Immortal Clan or the Celestial Abode Shenxiao.

Changming still remembered the night when Yun Weisi stood in front of the Yuhuang Temple for the entire night. His clothes were soaked, and he was exhausted like an arrow at the end of its flight. When Changming’s shidi told him about this, he had just exited seclusion, and did not take the matter seriously. He said, If you want to cultivate yet cannot even bear this minor trial, you don’t need to continue.

But, unexpectedly, Yun Weisi had carried on. He obtained permission to enter the temple, and even endured the harshest trials of the sect, quickly turning into its most prominent disciple. However, newcomers were often ostracized in the beginning. Even though the Yuhuang Temple was not that bad in this regard, there was no guarantee that each and every disciple would give Yun Weisi some face and would not use any underhanded methods against him. Yet, Yun Weisi never spoke of this, especially in front of Changming. He did not speak much in general, and almost everything that he said was something that needed to be said.

Afterwards, Changming thought that this was not Yun Weisi’s natural disposition. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but behaved as if each word he said was gold—and he had become like this after entering the Yuhuang Temple.

Each word he said was gold: taciturn

Many events of the past fell into oblivion unjustly, but at this moment, the fog had been slightly lifted, revealing the true nature of Changming’s memories.

He bent over to collect the scattered pieces of them.

There was one year where Yun Weisi descended the mountains to learn through experience. Some disciples were cleaning the houses, and knocked over a bookshelf by carelessness. When they saw the notes he made on the daily, they were outraged, and quickly turned them over to Changming.

Changming opened up the bamboo slips. They were densely filled with notes: of Yun Weisi’s understanding of cultivation, the impressions the events of that day had left on him and some other trifling matters.

—When I was cultivating under the waterfall today, I happened to notice a double rainbow stretching from east to west. It was very interesting. I wonder if Shizun has ever cultivated here and if he has ever seen this scenery. But Shizun has traveled far and wide, presumably, he wouldn’t be excited over such a small thing.

—Spring mornings are bright and sunny. Sparrows are singing on the branches, and all the creatures are free from worry. When I first arrived at the Yuhuang Temple, my heart was brimming with hatred, and I only wished to finish my studies as soon as possible to get revenge. Although I haven’t forgotten the enemies of my family, my mind is more at peace. Every time I am feeling restless, I go under Shizun’s windows and watch Shizun meditate and drink tea under the eaves from afar. Somehow, this calms my mind, and my worries melt away like ice. I wonder how Shizun calms down when he is concerned.

—I was chatting with a shidi today. He told me about daoyou He Yunyun from the Celestial Abode Shenxiao he met on his journey to get experience. He fell deeply in love with her. He asked me whether I’ve felt like this, and I didn’t know what to answer in return. I thought of the times when I used to lead a luxurious life. Back then, I would mess around singing districts and buy flowers and pendants for girls. Nowadays, everyone in the capital considers such behavior arrogant. Yet now, thinking of the past, I only think that behaviour of mine was immature and laughable.

It had started to snow at some point. One snowflake after another fell to the world of mortals, landing on Changming’s hair and brows.

His shoulders had turned white, and the top of his head had been covered in frost. And as if he was a statue made of ice, he stood motionless.

Jiufang Changming’s eyes were shut tightly, but the tips of his mouth curled upwards, as if he had recalled something funny.

The world covered in snow and ice was strange and grotesque, and one could not see through the whiteness.

Yun Weisi was not a taciturn man. In his heart, he was always lively and talkative.

He wrote all his words down in these notes, and only by chance did Changming read them.

After many years, at this moment, he suddenly realized that he had always kept in mind every word his first disciple had said since he was youthful and brash and till he had calmed down.

—He Yunyun came to the Yuhuang Temple unannounced and even sought an audience with the temple master. She beseeched him to allow her and my shidi to become daoist partners. This incident has shaken the entire Yuhuang Temple. I’m afraid that today no one would be inclined to cultivate. I don’t understand—the path to the Great Dao is already so abstruse, why would anyone allow one’s self to be distracted by love? If you’re distracted, can you still desire to gain the heavenly realm? If two people love each other a lot, and one of them dies, how will the other one concentrate on the Great Dao and set aside their sorrow? Isn’t that a burden to both of them? But daoist partners are not rare among cultivators. No matter how much I contemplate this question, I never see the answer. I should probably ask Shizun.

—I would have never guessed that there are things that Shizun doesn’t know. When I asked him questions about daoist partners and dao hearts, Shizun revealed a bewildered expression I’ve never seen on his face. After thinking for a while, he shook his head and told me that he had never felt anything like this in this life, so he’s unable to give me an answer. When I saw Shizun’s face, I almost smiled. Subconsciously, I thought I should ask him strange questions again in the future to see him puzzled. But such behavior would be treacherous, I should cease this immediately. Blessings of the Brilliant Deities.

Blessings of the Brilliant Deities: ‘amen’ is an oversimplified explanation

—Today, I overheard the temple master and shidi talking. Every living creature of this world and every human heart is different, so we pursue different goals. Some people realize that they only have an ordinary aptitude—while they’re better than the common people, they are miles between themselves and cultivators, just like the heavens and the earth. Hence, they don’t seek a way to ascend, but rather live a long life, wandering about. They find someone dear to them, and, hand in hand, they travel through mountains and rivers, unrestrained for eternity. Shidi asked me: if I were to ever meet a person that would be such a heavenly match for me, would that make me, the cultivation maniac (Shidi calls me this jokingly), change my mind and turn to mundane life and away from immortality? I thought a lot, and after a while, I shook my head and told him that this would be impossible.

—A rare occasion: Shizun hasn’t gone into seclusion today. He was playing chess under a tree. I was shameless enough to ask him whether I could join him, and Shizun agreed happily. I lost thirteen rounds, and after that, I realized that my skin had thickened like a city wall and I’m no longer afraid of anything.

Skin had thickened like a city wall: to not feel embarrassed anymore

Has this person died, or is he still alive?

If he’s dead, why’s he breathing? If he’s alive, why’s he standing absolutely still?

As a rule, foxes were paranoid, and Hua-Shan was a special case. She stopped roughly five steps away from Jiufang Changming. She did not hide her murderous expression, but hesitated.

“Hua-Shan!”

Stumbling on her way, A-Rong walked over and stood between the two of them.

“Senior is one of my clan! He saved us, don’t harm our ally!”

Hua-Shan raised her eyebrows: “What do you mean by ‘our ally’?”

A-Rong mumbled: “Senior said that he has cultivated himself a human body after overcoming tribulations in the mountains. He’s one of our kind!”

Hua-Shan laughed: “You’re too easy to deceive! How can he be a fox? Obviously, he’s a cultivator!”

A-Rong tried to defend herself: “But there’s the aura of a fox on him…”

Hua-Shan: “That’s because he’s infected with his fox poison! Can’t you see the infected wound on the back of his hand? His skill of creating illusions is exceptional, so he’s managed to deceive you. Since he’s poisoned, you can say for sure that he’s fought with our kin—maybe he’s even killed some of them and used that to lie to you. Make way!”

A-Rong seemed hesitant for a moment, but then quickly shook her head.

“Senior saved me. It must be some sort of misunderstanding. Sister Hua-Shan, put down your weapon and let Senior explain it.”

She turned around and pulled his hand.

“Senior, wake up! Sister has questions for you!”

His ice-cold arm swayed as A-Rong pulled on it, and snow fell down from him. With the snow, a bell slid down to the ground from his loosened grip, and was thus buried in the snow. Yet, the man did not move.

A-Rong was worried.

“Senior, say something, quick!”

Hua-Shan walked over, bent down and picked up the Bell of One Mind. She squinted and looked at it, but did not crush it, and hid it in her clothes instead.

“Look, he’s already injured from his fight with the young master, he’s half-dead now. There’s no telling how much time he has left. Rather than watching him die in vain, we should take the rest of his cultivation. Let’s split it in half. You’ll be able to improve your vessel at once, and your skills will improve drastically as well. Xun-Qing would never look down upon you ever again.”

Xun-Qing was another kin of theirs, the one that despised A-Rong the most. Xun-Qing thought that she was too weak and got everyone in trouble. At times, she used rather harsh words with A-Rong, and the latter got embarrassed. After that, A-Rong would sneak away and cry alone.

However, if she got this man’s cultivation powers, everything would completely change for her. The strong were respected in the fox clans, so Xun-Qing would certainly not criticize A-Rong after the latter had made advances in her cultivation. A-Rong would not be considered a hindrance that held everyone back.

This man was but a stranger, and they had met like patches of drifting seaweed. Was her own cultivation not more important than that?

It seemed that Changming noticed neither their dispute, nor A-Rong’s internal struggles.

He was smiling slightly, submerged in the dreamworld.