Graceful as a startled swan, elegant as a dancing dragon…
Innocent and lovely, seemingly wanting to refuse but unable to…
Seductive and wanton, enough to turn all minds upside down…
Mature and charming, exuding endless allure…
She simply sat there with an air of indifference, but in Li Lingsu’s mind, countless utterly different types appeared.
It was as if this woman embodied all the world’s beauty, able to fulfil a man’s deepest desire for the opposite sex, no matter your preference, you could always find that one type you liked, or several types.
The moment he saw her, Li Lingsu wondered why he had bothered seeking romance among the masses.
There is truly such an enchanting woman in this world…
The Heaven Sect Holy Son’s heart fluttered in his chest, lost in her beauty, unable to extricate himself.
He did not use the word “beautiful” to describe her, but rather, “enchanting”.
For there were simply too many beautiful women in the world. Even the Heaven Sect possessed numerous peerless beauties, such as Li Miaozhen’s master Bingyi Yuanjun.
But though they were beautiful, in Li Lingsu’s eyes, none were as enchanting as this woman in Daoist robes before him.
“Come in!”
Xu Qi’an spoke up at that very moment, pulling the entranced Li Lingsu back to reality.
Xu Qi’an was not surprised by Li Lingsu’s loss of composure. When he had first met Luo Yuheng, he had not fared much better.
Strictly speaking, he had done a little better than Li Lingsu. This showed that the National Teacher’s cultivation had improved; her karmic fire was on the verge of losing control.
Indeed, the reason she has come to seek dual cultivation with me now is that her karmic fire has reached a critical point…
Xu Qi’an thought to himself, then saw Li Lingsu sit down beside him, gazing dumbly at Luo Yuheng.
The Holy Son cleared his throat and, in a tender yet deep tone, introduced himself:
“Fellow Daoist, I am Li Lingsu, the Heaven Sect Holy Son. Judging from your attire, it seems you too are of the Daoist path? May I ask which sect or school you hail from?”
Within Jiuzhou, beyond the Three Sects, many other Daoist schools existed.
In ancient times, many of these were no weaker than, or even surpassed, the Three Sects.
But over the long course of history, these sects had either declined or perished. Now, only the Three Sects of Heaven, Earth, and Man held sway, and the rest were but minor branches.
In Li Lingsu’s opinion, his status as the Heaven Sect Holy Son would surely command the respect of this fellow Daoist.
Indeed, the woman whose age could not be discerned raised her eyes and scrutinised him closely.
Li Lingsu wore a confident smile and poured himself a cup of hot tea. Next, he heard Xu Qian, that crotchety old fellow, introduce:
“This is Luo Yuheng, Daoist Leader of the Human Sect, the Great Feng National Teacher.”
Li Lingsu’s small hand trembled, hot tea splashed on the table, and his self-satisfied expression instantly froze. His body went rigid, more so than he had been at the doorway earlier.
“Se-se-se… Senior, please don’t joke.”
Li Lingsu’s tongue was tied, unable to utter a complete sentence.
He suspected Xu Qian was making fun of him. He carefully sensed the aura of the woman opposite, but found her primordial spirit unremarkable, her bearing ordinary, nothing like the oppressive presence of a sect elder.
Xu Qi’an looked at him with an expression that seemed to say “Why would I need to lie?”
Coul… Could it really be true…? Xu Qian is a native of the capital, had an unusual relationship with the Sitianjian, was at least third rank, given that status, it was reasonable for him to know the Human Sect Daoist Leader…
Li Lingsu swallowed hard and, cautiously, seeking confirmation, looked toward Luo Yuheng.
“I have heard about you from him. Originally, you were meant to face Chu Yuanzhen in the conflict of Heaven and Man.”
Luo Yuheng took a sip of tea and said blandly, “A pity, you wasted half a year, and your cultivation has now been surpassed by Li Miaozhen.”
As she spoke, she gently put down her tea cup.
Thud… As the cup touched the table, Li Lingsu saw a brilliant gleam of swordlight and, instinctively, shut his eyes. His eyeballs burned, and tears streamed down.
This sword intent, she- she really is Luo Yuheng, Daoist Leader of the Human Sect… The sect’s rumours were true, the Human Sect Daoist Leader really is a rare beauty, the most enchanting woman I have ever seen… Li Lingsu hurriedly got up and, nervously and stiffly, gave a Daoist salute, exclaiming:
“Disciple Li Lingsu pays respects to Daoist Leader.”
Luo Yuheng nodded slightly. “Though the Heaven and Human Sects are as water and fire, this is a matter between elders, you should not feel too constrained.”
Only then did Li Lingsu relax somewhat. He did not dare sit; instead, he obediently stood at the side, looking as though there was something he wished to say but could not.
“National Teacher, please help remove his seal.”
Xu Qi’an said.
Li Lingsu was overjoyed, unable to resist glancing at Xu Qian, this crotchety old man might be eccentric and proud, but he was treating him rather well.
Luo Yuheng flicked her finger, sending a ray of sword qi instantly into Li Lingsu’s brow.
In the next moment, Li Lingsu heard a vague sound in his ears, that of shackles shattering.
With that sound, the force suppressing his nascent spirit shattered, and that long-lost power returned. He felt deeply moved, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the moon.
His first thought was: he could finally be free of the agony of kidney deficiency.
A dignified fourth rank Nascent Soul, his body might not be as monstrous as a martial artist’s, but he had methods to nourish his body and cleanse impurities.
This would go a long way to relieve the burden on his kidneys and restore his vitality.
His second thought: I really chose the right person to follow.
If it weren’t for following Xu Qian, the Dongfang sisters might have already found him, and the lifting of his seal would have been a distant dream.
This is my fortune. If Li Miaozhen knew I had a beyond-mortal senior guiding me on my adventures, she would be so jealous she’d cry… As Li Lingsu’s thoughts wandered, he suddenly heard Luo Yuheng say:
“Before coming here, I visited the Sitianjian. The Jianzheng said this winter will be bitterly cold and will contain countless variables.”
Countless variables… The Jianzheng meant that Xu Pingfeng was likely to make a move this winter, but he still hadn’t gathered the Dragon Qi!
No, wait!
Xu Qi’an’s expression shifted as he realised he had overlooked something.
Back in the capital, father and son had laid their cards on the table and fought.
Xu Qi’an had won by a whisker, the unfilial son had failed to recover his fortune.
Thus in Xu Qi’an’s mind, if the unfilial son wanted to rebel, he must either reclaim his fortune or gather the Dragon Qi.
But this was a mental trap.
If Xu Pingfeng wanted to rebel and support that bloodline from five hundred years ago, both Dragon Qi and national destiny would only be the icing on the cake. So long as the Great Feng became weak enough, his chances of success would dramatically rise.
At the battle of Shanhai Pass, he had stolen the Great Feng’s fortune. At the slaying of Emperor Yuanjing, he had managed to destroy the Dragon Qi.
The Great Feng had thus weakened, beset by internal and external troubles.
Xu Pingfeng had already all but achieved his goal.
A worthy fortune refiner, no wonder he was the Jianzheng’s senior disciple, all this time, Xu Pingfeng was thinking five steps ahead… Xu Qi’an rubbed his brow and said:
“Understood. I will gather the Dragon Qi as soon as I can.”
This Dragon Qi again; Xu Qian’s ties to the Jianzheng are truly unusual… Li Lingsu pricked up his ears as if attentively listening to lessons at an academy.
“After this, will you be able to break through to first rank, National Teacher?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Qi’an asked the question that had long piqued his curiosity.
What?!
Li Lingsu barely kept his face from contorting, was Luo Yuheng, Daoist Leader of the Human Sect, planning to reach first rank?
Utter nonsense… He nearly blurted out. As far as the Holy Son knew, the Human Sect had never had a first rank Daoist Leader. At least, none had appeared in recorded history.
“Advancing to first rank is not so simple,” Luo Yuheng said thoughtfully.
“In as little as three months, or as much as half a year, I may have a chance to weather the tribulation.”
One ordeal by karmic fire per month, at minimum three times, at most half a year, that would be six times… Xu Qi’an instinctively wanted to grimace.
“Hopefully before the conflict of Heaven and Man, you can help Jinlian resolve his corrupted demonic thoughts. He is the chief culprit behind Zhende’s fall, the weakening of the Great Feng, the Zhenbei King’s massacre, and even Wei Yuan’s death, all are, to varying degrees, his doing.”
Xu Qi’an said solemnly.
Luo Yuheng glanced at him and said, “That could also be done after the contest.”
Is she angry at my lack of confidence in her… Xu Qi’an smiled:
“I hope by then, my cultivation will have recovered. Actually, I have always been curious: why does the Heaven Sect vanish so strangely if it does not partake in the conflict of Heaven and Man?”
He looked at the National Teacher, awaiting the beauty’s reply.
“Only the Heavenly Venerable knows the answer to that.” Luo Yuheng replied.
“Then why is it that when the Human Sect Daoist Leader defeats the Heavenly Venerable, they have the hope of breaking through to first rank?” Xu Qi’an asked again.
“They can seize fortune,” Luo Yuheng said.
Then she added, “But even then, it is merely hope, in fact, unless one can rely on an emperor and absorb imperial fortune, the Human Sect has little chance of breaking through to first rank by defeating the Heaven Sect.”
What are they talking about… Li Lingsu only half understood, and wanted to raise his hand to ask, but dared not.
Even so, his heart was still burning with excitement, for the conversation between these two big figures was brimming with information.
This was something he could never have touched before.
“Could it involve the Daoist Venerable? I mean, the mysterious disappearance of the Daoist Leader of the Heaven Sect,” Xu Qi’an suddenly asked.
Li Lingsu felt as if he could hear the pounding of his own heart; the topic at hand was just too high-level.
“What makes you think that?” Luo Yuheng frowned.
“Do you still remember the underground palace I mentioned to you? Based on the murals and some clues I obtained myself, I infer that in ancient times, the Daoist sect was as prosperous as martial arts today.
But at that time, the Daoist Venerable did not exist. This means that the Daoist sect was not founded by the Daoist Venerable.
What he truly established were the three sects of Heaven, Earth, and Man.”
Xu Qi’an said.
In that instant, Li Lingsu almost blurted out, telling the other not to joke.
the Daoist Venerable was the founder of the Daoist sect; this was recorded in the ancient texts of the three sects and recognised by all major systems since. The ancient prosperity of Daoism was thanks to the Daoist Venerable.
Xu Qian’s words were something Li Lingsu could not accept.
“Senior, do you have any evidence?” Li Lingsu could not help but ask, unable to hold back.
…
In Yongzhou city, inside a courtyard with two rows of buildings.
A man in a cloak returned and went straight to the backyard, ignoring the monks watching him as he headed into a quiet room.
Inside, three monks were seated cross-legged. One was the Arhat Duqing, with long brows hanging to his cheeks and a fleshy mole between his brows; another was the Asura Vajra, who was extremely ugly with a fierce gaze; the last was the Vajra Du’nan, with no hair, beard, or eyebrows.
“Vajra Du’nan, you have broken our agreement.”
The cloaked man said in a low voice, “I gave you the teleportation artifact to use during our cooperation. But you instead went ahead to ambush Xu Qi’an yourself.”
Vajra Du’nan replied flatly, “You can choose not to cooperate.”
“You…”
The cloaked man laughed in anger, “A Dignified Buddhist Vajra, and yet you go back on your word. Now that you have alerted the target, how can we draw him in using the Dragon Qi hosts?”
At this point, Arhat Duqing opened his eyes, glanced at the cloaked man, and slowly said:
“You gave the teleportation artifact to Junior Brother Du’nan in advance, precisely with this intention no? Let’s not beat around the bush. Now it has been confirmed that the Daoist Leader of the Human Sect, Luo Yuheng, is one of the Buddha Son’s trump cards, together with Sun Xuanji of the Sitianjian. That roughly makes clear the strength on their side.
What will the Tianjigong do next?”
The cloaked man was silent for a moment, then chuckled and dropped the previous topic, saying,
“The Tianjigong has obtained reliable information that a host of the Dragon Qi has arrived in Yongzhou city to participate in the Martial Assembly. If we capture him, we can lure Xu Qi’an out.”
The voice of Vajra Du’nan was deep and loud, “One of the nine Dragon Qi?”
After today’s events, an ordinary Dragon Qi host could no longer draw Xu Qi’an out.
The cloaked man nodded, “The Palace Lord agrees with my plan, and has already sent the Azure Dragon of the new twenty-eight constellations to assist us.”
“Very good,” the Asura Vajra interjected.
…
In response to Li Lingsu’s question, Xu Qi’an thought it would not matter to reveal some secrets to him, since it didn’t involve himself, and Li Lingsu, as the Holy Son of the Heaven Sect, could access some ancient books from the sect.
If he searched with purpose, perhaps he could discover some clues, which might help Xu Qi’an deduce the identity of the underground palace’s owner.
So, he calmly explained,
“I once entered an ancient tomb, so old that its era could no longer be determined. The tomb’s master was a Daoist. After failing his tribulation, he used the remnant soul and the old body he had left behind to create a brand new life form.
The old body told me he knew nothing of a person called the Daoist Venerable. He had no reason to lie.”
This… Li Lingsu’s pupils contracted. By instinct, he didn’t want to believe it, but he also knew Xu Qian had no reason to deceive him.
The Daoist path was not founded by the Daoist Venerable?
the Daoist Venerable came later?
This secret was too shocking for him.
Luo Yuheng asked, “And what does this have to do with the disappearance of the Daoist Leader of Heaven Sect?”
“The great Daoist factions gradually declined, while the three sects became prosperous. the Daoist Venerable, a Beyond-rank, disappeared mysteriously and hasn’t been seen for thousands of years. Perhaps there’s a connection between these events that we do not know about?”
Xu Qi’an’s words sent Luo Yuheng into deep thought, but she could not give an answer.
Time passed as the two chatted idly, while Li Lingsu eagerly listened at the side, occasionally sneaking glances at Luo Yuheng.
The more I look the more enchanting she gets, the more I can’t pull myself away… Li Lingsu thought.
He couldn’t help but develop feelings of admiration and love. As the saying goes, “A beautiful and virtuous woman, the perfect mate of a gentleman.”1 Admiring and chasing after a beautiful woman was the nature of all men.
Among the three sects of Heaven, Earth, and Man, the Heaven Sect neither supports nor opposes marriage, Earth Sect is the same, but only the Human Sect encourages disciples to find a Daoist partner…
She definitely doesn’t have a partner. I wonder if I stand a chance. Will my damnable charm succeed in winning her favour?
Li Lingsu was very confident about his own charm, but his rival was the dignified Daoist Leader, not as shallow as other women.
However, this also meant that ordinary men would not catch Luo Yuheng’s eye.
As for Xu Qian, he didn’t see him as a rival at all, since Xu Qian already had a wife. Luo Yuheng would never form a partnership with a married man.
Suddenly, a gentle light flickered through the tearoom, and a figure unfolded.
Clad in snow-white robes, with unremarkable features, it was none other than Sun Xuanji, the Jianzheng’s second apprentice.
“You’re here,” said Xu Qi’an.
Sun Xuanji nodded, opened his mouth to speak, but Xu Qi’an rushed ahead, “Let’s write instead.”
Li Lingsu quickly agreed, “Yes, yes, let’s write.”
In the Holy Son’s opinion, listening to Sun Xuanji speak was extremely damaging for one’s emotional state.
No matter how collected a person, if you stayed with Sun Xuanji for more than three days, your cultivation would definitely suffer.
“…” Sun Xuanji was a little displeased, clearly sensing their dislike, but still went along and picked up a brush and wrote,
“I teleported here the moment I got your letter, and located this place using the magic conch’s positioning.”
Why are you only here now? Here to clean up my corpse? At least my aunt can be relied upon… Xu Qi’an secretly complained.
“I have already collected two strands of Dragon Qi,” Xu Qi’an said.
He was referring to two of the critical nine Dragon Qi.
Sun Xuanji nodded and wrote, “I’ve gathered some loose Dragon Qi too. The hosts have been taken back to the Sitianjian. When you have time, you can return to the capital and extract the Dragon Qi.”
He was also gathering Dragon Qi on the Jianzheng’s orders, but without an Earth Book fragment, he could only bring the hosts back to the Sitianjian and imprison them underground.
After writing this, Sun Xuanji took a stack of letters out from his brocade pouch and put them in front of Xu Qi’an.
“They told me to pass these to you,” Second Senior Brother wrote.
Li Lingsu craned his neck to take a look; the top envelope was labelled “Lin’an.”
Who’s Lin’an? he wondered.
With Li Lingsu present, Xu Qi’an did not open the letters immediately, just glanced at them briefly and saw that there were five letters.
Besides Lin’an and Huaiqing, who’re the other three from? Erlang, Lingyue, and Chu Caiwei perhaps? Couldn’t find me, so used Second Senior Brother to deliver news. Clever… he muttered inwardly as he tucked them away.
Then he turned to Li Lingsu, “Go back to the inn, and look after her for me. Tell her I’ll be back in seven days.”
“Has Senior got something to do these next days?” Li Lingsu asked.
To dual cultivate, little brother… Xu Qi’an replied mildly, “It has nothing to do with you.”
As he spoke, all four people in the tearoom looked towards the door.
A small white shadow darted in and stopped outside, accompanied by a child’s voice, “He’s here, he’s here…”
A small, exquisite white fox stood at the door and called over its shoulder.
A few seconds later, Mu Nanzhi arrived, panting.
Why has she come… Xu Qi’an’s face instantly fell.
Luo Yuheng narrowed her eyes.
…
Author PS: Li Lingsu doesn’t actually know Luo Yuheng. In the chapter where Freeloader Xu rescued him, he had said that he had come down from the mountain to experience the world, and was intending to go to the capital. However, he encounted some mishap along the way (imprisoned and became a RBQ — vulgar slang, go look it up yourself), and so never reached the Capital.
This quote is from a poem in the Book of Odes, which was compiled some 3000 years ago. The translation is not going to really convey much of that. ↩
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