Seeing Jing Jiu's pale face and the golden light in the bottom of his eyes, Zhao Layue fell silent.
It wasn't quiet in the Tranquil Garden. The sounds of coughing could be heard once in a while.
Liu Shisui was sweeping the remaining snow and debris on the ground with the third broom he had made this year. His face was pale, and he coughed once or twice from time to time.
The winters in the last few years had been a bit cold, and the Guocheng Temple had been snowing. As a result, the zhenqi in his body had been in conflict with each other.
The white cat walked into the garden. His gaze moved back and forth between the pale faces of Jing Jiu and Liu Shisui, full of pity.
This pair of master and servant didn't have a good life at the moment, but Zhao Layue was the opposite. She looked much fairer now, with two healthy blushes on her cheeks, looking like an apple, tender and tasty. She was completely different from the girl with short, messy hair and dust all over her body when she was on the Sword Peak.
The white cat walked slowly to the front of the corridor and leaped onto the wooden floor. He stepped on her knee and elongated his body to rub against her face; then he crouched down in her bosom.
The Guocheng Temple was the largest temple in the world, and it focused on cultivating the Buddha in peace. It had a very high status in the minds of the mortals. The villagers in the vicinity didn't dare disturb the masters with firecrackers until the New Year's Day. Though there was no sound of firecrackers, the smell of the New Year's Day drifted over from the outside of the temple …
Some of them were barbecued pork ribs, some were pickled fish, and some were freshly slaughtered pigs.
Even though they were outside the human world and isolated by the Great Formation of the Zen sects, they still couldn't block out these sensations of the mortal world. This was the reason why it was so difficult to cultivate and comprehend the Zen.
A few groups in Chaotian were heading toward the Guocheng Temple like these smells.
This year was the three-hundred-year anniversary of the death of the late emperor, so the royal family sent a delegation to Zhaoge City.
The late emperor pretended to be dead after his abdication and passed away in the Guocheng Temple. This was one of the biggest secrets of the Jing Imperial Court. As such, the delegation was small in number. Besides the accompanying cavalrymen, there were only two official officials. The official next to Duke Lu looked very calm and composed. No one knew which noble's son he was.
Only the Guocheng Temple, Zhongzhou School, Aoyama Sect, Shui Yue Nunnery, and Yimaozhai knew about this matter. As usual, they would also send representatives. However, it had been three hundred years and it was not a big deal. They just sent young disciples to burn incense to express their sincerity.
…
…
At the top of Tianguang Peak, the clouds and mist had dispersed, and the sun was shining brightly.
Zhuo Rusui knelt in front of the stone tablet, thinking that it was better to lie down than to kneel. What was his Master trying to do?
The sect master of Aoyama, Liu Ci, looked at his disciple and said, "Why are you always so lazy? Don't learn from him. Some things can't be learned. "
Zhuo Rusui said helplessly, "I'm really sleepy … Cultivation consumes too much energy. If I don't use my free time to recuperate, do I have to look around?"
"Is that why you keep your eyelids drooping and don't look anyone in the eye?"
Liu Ci said coldly, "When you go to the Guocheng Temple this time, you have to look when it's necessary. Don't make a mistake, and don't miss anything."
After a moment of silence, Zhuo Rusui said, "This disciple obeys your master."
…
…
For some reason, Shui Yue Nunnery didn't send anyone to the Guocheng Temple. The representative from Yimaozhai was Xi Yiyun. He didn't go to the Cloud-Dream Mountain three years ago to participate in the reunion of the participants of the Dao Competition. It was said that he was editing the book he had written in the Illusionary Realm. Now that he could come to the Guocheng Temple, it meant that he had finished editing the book and had improved his Cultivation state.
Two people came to the Zhongzhou School. Bai Qianjun had recovered from his injury, and his Cultivation state of the Yuanying State was more stable; but he was a lot quieter than before. The other disciple had a higher status than him. He walked in the front with a veiled hat covering his head. When he passed by the plaque of the Guocheng Temple, he stopped and looked at it for a while before he started walking again.
The representative from Aoyama was Zhuo Rusui instead of Guo Nanshan, the principal disciple of the Sect Master. It was because Guo Nanshan and the young swordsmen of Liangwang Peak had gone to White Town with their masters to support the army of the Imperial Court in the snowland. The Zhongzhou School didn't send Tong Yan, because Tong Yan … was still digging a tunnel under the ground.
He had been digging in the dark underground for a few years, and he had dug through many mountains and rivers before he finally arrived at the deep part of the earth source.
Looking at the glowing Green Sky Mirror wrapped in the cold ice a few miles ahead, he found that he had arrived a few years ahead of schedule.
He had miscalculated one thing. There was nothing in the world that was as familiar as hands and ears. He could even become familiar with things like digging holes, and thus become even faster.
The dim light emitted by the Green Sky Mirror illuminated the cave in the deep part of the earth source and his face.
It was unclear whether it was because the light was too weak or it was too dark under the ground, but his raised eyebrows seemed to be a bit thicker than before.
The reason he raised his eyebrows was because he didn't understand why the formidable energy that had been high above him had suddenly disappeared. Where did the Master Unicorn go?
According to the sect rules of the Zhongzhou School, the Unicorn, as the divine guardian animal of the mountain, couldn't leave the Cloud-Dream Mountain.
It was better this way, because he didn't have to worry about being discovered by the Master Unicorn and torn to pieces.
Thinking of all this, he walked to the front of the Green Sky Mirror and found the layer of ice outside the mirror was a few feet thick, looking like a huge glass cube. He reached out his hand to the surface of the ice and found the cold intent was rather dreadful. Even he felt a bone-piercing pain. Judging from the touch, this layer of ice was extremely hard, and it would be hard to break it open even with a flying sword.
Sensing his arrival, a few dim lights emerged in the Green Sky Mirror, which refracted the ice into a strange light. The figure of Qing 'er appeared gradually.
Because of the refraction, her figure was a bit distorted, and very faint, as if she would disappear at any moment.
Seeing Tong Yan, Qing 'er showed a surprised expression on her small face. She rushed to the edge of the ice, but she couldn't get out, as if she was locked inside.
"Are you here to save me?"
"No," replied Tong Yan calmly while looking at her.
Qing 'er looked at him in bewilderment, asking, "What are you doing here then?"
Tong Yan said, "I heard your cry for help, so I came here to ask you what had happened."
Back when he heard Qing 'er's cry for help in the manor cave left behind by Lo Huainan, he had figured out many things.
His Master wouldn't respond. If he wanted to know what had happened, he had to come to the front of the Green Sky Mirror and ask in person.
As such, he began to dig a hole in the ground. He had dug for six years without rest, and he had finally arrived here.
Qing 'er asked in a trembling voice, "I don't know how you came here, but you must have gone through a lot of hardships. And you … did you come here just to ask me a question?"
"Yes," said Tong Yan.
Qing 'er couldn't understand it. "Is the truth … so important?" she asked while staring at him.
Tong Yan said calmly, "The Go pieces are black and white. The color is very important to me, and what I cultivate is the way of chess. The way of chess is to solve problems, and solving problems is to find the answers."
…
…
Living was a process of searching for the answers.
However, some people found that the problems couldn't be solved, or it was too tiring to solve them, so they gave up.
Yet, there were still many people who were searching for the answers.
Zhao Layue had searched for many years, and she had finally found the answer she wanted to know the most; but she wasn't sure what her Cultivation path would be in the future.
Liu Shisui didn't have any problems, so there was no need to search for the answers, except for the conflicts of zhenqi in his body.
Jing Jiu had only two questions: Who had done something to the Formation of Dispersed Smoke and Clouds so that he couldn't sever the cause and effect after his ascension and the fairy body didn't exist? And who had sneak-attacked him and knocked him down to the mortal world? He had already found the answer to the latter question. He was still searching for the former, but he had already known the answer.
Yin San was still searching for the answer in the Buddhist scripts. How could he combine his spiritual soul and this body perfectly?
The chilly wind came out from the Heavenly Well, but it was suppressed and dispersed by countless amulets, and then dispersed by the ocean wind.
In the forest not far away, the courtyard of Shui Yue Nunnery could be vaguely seen.
There was a round window in the deepest part of the quiet room, facing the snowy lake; it was a beautiful scene.
There was no wind here, and the lamp on the windowsill didn't sway; but for some reason, it felt a bit faint, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.
Guo Dong gave herself this name because she didn't like winter and wanted to pass as soon as possible.
It was probably for this reason that she had been sleeping the entire time. Her long eyelashes didn't blink, and she breathed only once in a long while.
The small green curtain sedan was parked outside the quiet room, and Shui Yue Nunnery sat by the lake outside the window.
They looked at the lamp, and the question in their hearts was, how much longer can you burn?
…
…
Many people didn't like winter. The only good thing about winter was the festivities and food during the New Year, as well as new clothes.
There were three days left before the New Year. The people who came to attend the ceremony of worshipping the pagoda arrived at the Guocheng Temple one after another.
Standing in the Tranquil Garden, Zhuo Rusui looked at the remaining snow on the eaves with a grave expression, wondering how cold it would be in the snowland if the seashore of the East Ocean was so cold.
"Your Cultivation state is still low, so don't think about going to the north," Jing Jiu said calmly while looking at him.
Zhuo Rusui wondered why Jing Jiu had the same attitude as his Master. "Senior Master Bai and Senior Master Mo have led the brothers of Liangwang Peak to White Town," he said. "How can I stay in the south?"
Jing Jiu said, "I don't agree with what Liangwang Peak is doing. If something serious happens, the young disciples will die if they go there."
Zhuo Rusui disagreed, saying, "Some things have to be done."
Jing Jiu said, "You can go there after you enter the Broken Sea State."
Zhuo Rusui understood the logic after some thought. "Senior Master, are you expressing your confidence in me?" he asked with a strange expression on his face.
"That's right," Jing Jiu said. "It's okay for those disciples who don't have a bright future like Jian Ruyun to take risks, but you have a bright future ahead of you, so you have to cherish your life."
Zhuo Rusui asked while staring into Jing Jiu's eyes, "What if the monster invasion comes?"
"It has come many times," Jing Jiu said calmly.
If it were Liu Shisui or any other disciple of Liangwang Peak, they would continue to argue with Jing Jiu. Yet, Zhuo Rusui thought what his Master and Jing Jiu said was reasonable. A genius like himself should be saved for the critical moment to turn the tide and save the world from the disaster …
And he was indeed a bit lazy.
This was probably the reason why Jing Jiu appreciated him.
"Senior Master, I think the environment here is nice. I'd like to stay here."
Zhuo Rusui thought the Tranquil Garden was quite tranquil, much better than the guest house arranged for him by the Guocheng Temple.
Zhao Layue suddenly opened her eyes and said, "I don't have any room."
Zhuo Rusui immediately lost his spirit. He turned around and walked toward the outside, muttering with drooping eyes, "She bears a grudge. She bears a grudge too much."
The next day, Monk Duhai led a few doctor monks back from White Town. Zen Master stayed there with the Broadsword King to guard the place.
Monk Duhai came to the Tranquil Garden as soon as possible. He told Jing Jiu about the situation in the snowland and asked Jing Jiu what he thought about it.
Jing Jiu wondered why Jing Jiu came to ask him about such a matter.
Monk Duhai turned around and left without saying anything after letting out a smile.
On the same night, Duke Lu came to the Tranquil Garden.
The Tranquil Garden had many visitors, making it quite lively. It seemed that the whole of Chaotian had learned that Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue were hiding in the Guocheng Temple, listening to the scripts and cultivating the Zen method.
Duke Lu was well aware of Jing Jiu's temperament, so he didn't tell him anything about the snowland or the situation in the imperial court. All he did was tell him a few interesting things that had happened to the Jing family. Jing Shang's job at Taichang Temple was still as leisurely as before, and Jing Li became the study partner of the Prince Jing Yao in the imperial palace and cultivated the magic methods of Aoyama together; but he seemed to have encountered some issues regarding his marriage.
Seeing that Jing Jiu was listening to him attentively, Duke Lu felt relieved, thinking that he had made the right bet. In the eyes of Liu Shisui and Zhao Layue, Jing Jiu was much more talkative than before, and he looked much more lively. However, in the eyes of people like Duke Lu, as Jing Jiu's Cultivation state grew higher and his reputation grew higher, his fairy aura seemed to grow thicker. They were truly worried that Jing Jiu would ignore the affairs of the world. If so, how would they, the people left behind by Jing Jiu, live in the world?
After Duke Lu left, Liu Shisui mopped the floor one more time, wiping away all the footprints left by him and Zhuo Rusui.
Jing Jiu said to him, "It will be quite lively tomorrow. You should stay away from here. Don't come over."
Though not many people attended the ceremony, they represented the Jing imperial court and various major Cultivation sects. If they found out that Liu Shisui, who should be in the Sword Jail of Aoyama, was here, it would be inconvenient. Liu Shisui had the same thought, so he nodded in agreement.
Zhao Layue glanced at Jing Jiu, knowing that it was not the reason.
…
…
The ceremony began the next day. It was not much different from visiting tombs among the common people, except that there were more monks chanting outside the Tranquil Garden.
Jing Jiu, of course, did not participate in the ceremony. He sat in the guest room in the deep part of the Tranquil Garden, listening to the chanting outside and looking at the white banners fluttering in the cold wind. No one knew what he was thinking.
Zhao Layue brewed a cup of tea for Jing Jiu and pushed it to him on the floor. She didn't ask him to go out.
Only six people were qualified to enter the Tranquil Garden and worship the small stone pagoda.
They were Duke Lu and the official of the Imperial Court, Zhuo Rusui, Xi Yiyun, Bai Qianjun, and the disciple of Zhongzhou School wearing the veil hat.
Monk Duhai and Monk Dachang welcomed them by the side of the pagoda. Seeing that the disciple of Zhongzhou School was still wearing the veil hat, they couldn't help but feel displeased.
It was not until this time that Xi Yiyun learned that the late Emperor had become a monk in the Guocheng Temple and was even buried here. He was shocked, thinking that it was no wonder that the Guocheng Temple and the royal family were so close.
Seeing Monk Duhai and Monk Dachang's expressions, he turned around and saw the disciple of Zhongzhou School wearing the veil hat. "Please take off your hat," he said.
Since the monks of Guocheng Temple were the hosts, it was inconvenient for them to say anything. Yimaozhai had always been like this.
Bai Qianjun looked at him and said coldly, "Watch your mouth."
Xi Yiyun looked at him and said calmly, "Are you sure that you are awake? Do you still consider yourself an emperor? "
He referred to what had happened in the Illusionary Realm of the Green Sky Mirror.
Hearing this, the expression on Bai Qianjun's face changed slightly, turning a bit livid.
He had resorted to every possible means in the Illusionary Realm of the Green Sky Mirror, and in the end, he had become the ruler of the world. Unexpectedly, the Fairy Book had fallen into the hands of Jing Jiu.
This event had become a legendary story in the Cultivation circle, and he had become the biggest joke.
Though the scholar Yimaozhai was not someone who would hold a grudge, he would never forget it. In the Illusionary Realm, the Emperor of Qin had killed Xi Yiyun, slaughtered his disciples, and forbade his teachings. He couldn't forget such a deep hatred even though he had left the Illusionary Realm. The so-called rules of the Dao Competition couldn't control the hearts of people.
It was then that the disciple of Zhongzhou School wearing the veil hat asked slowly, "Are you sure that you are qualified to ask me to take off my hat?"
His voice was pleasant to hear, but the tone was a bit strange, like that of a child who had just learned how to speak and was not proficient yet.
If Liu Shisui were here, he would recall Jing Jiu, who had just arrived in the small village thirty years ago.
Most importantly, the voice of this disciple of Zhongzhou School seemed to contain countless clouds and fog, which entered the listeners' hearts through their ears, making it difficult for them to breathe.
Xi Yiyun held his breath slightly, knowing that his opponent had a very high Cultivation state, and that he was far from his match.
Yet, he didn't give up. "The dead are the most important," he said while looking at the person. "Moreover, he is the late emperor!"
"What you said makes sense. The dead are always worthy of sympathy. But you have to remember that even the emperor is not qualified to ask me to take off my hat, not to mention a junior like you!"
The disciple of Zhongzhou School took off his hat and yelled at Xi Yiyun.
Xi Yiyun felt a pain in his chest, as if he had suffered a heavy blow, and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
The people in the Tranquil Garden were stunned speechless when they saw the face of the disciple of Zhongzhou School and the two horns on his head.
…
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