The flying formation exploded, and the enormous millet boat of Ziwei Pavilion could no longer stay aloft, sliding down from the sky. Panic spread instantly. No one had expected such a thing to happen!
Ziwei Pavilion—what kind of place was it?
If one were to argue which sect held the most power in the Immortal Realm, opinions would surely differ. But if the question was which sect was the most mysterious, arrogant, and unfathomable, the answer would unanimously be Ziwei Pavilion.
Legend says Ziwei Pavilion was founded more than four thousand years ago. Its disciples have remained detached from the mortal world, guarding their hearts, severing emotions and desires, practicing divination, and calculating the stars and fate.
The Purple Star Astrolabe, an immortal artifact passed down through generations of Ziwei Saints, could predict the world’s fortunes and foresee blessings and disasters across the three realms.
In the secular world, many temples have even been built to worship the Saints of Ziwei Pavilion. Some poor mountain dwellers may not know of the Golden Osmanthus Palace, but they certainly know the Saints of Ziwei Pavilion.
And yet—Ziwei Pavilion! Who would ever imagine someone could one day destroy its flying formation with a single slash of a long knife?
No one would believe it if told, but it did happen.
Standing atop the falling millet boat, shrouded in dark mist, Ji Na’s purple robes billowed in the wind. His expression remained indifferent.
“…The Fang family’s calamity star, Fang Zhiyuan?”
The Holy Son was calm, his demeanor as still as the deep waters of an ancient well, without a single ripple. He merely said, “How presumptuous.”
Fang Zhiyuan’s black hair was tossed by the turbulent air, but he remained unafraid. He rested the long knife against his shoulder, turning his back to Ji Na.
“Saint of Ziwei, I’m here to slay yin monsters.”
He sneered with a hint of sarcasm. “You’re not seriously going to start the infighting among cultivators in front of yin monsters just because I have a bad fate, are you?”
The Star Guardian waved his sleeve angrily. “Brazen and deranged! How dare you deceive the people! It’s obvious you’re the one who lured the monster here!”
The group of tool cultivators whose magic formations had been destroyed were furious, but underneath that fury lay a helpless frustration they could not voice.
Slaying monsters? Yes, you’re slaying monsters.
But you’re a walking disaster. Wherever you go to slay yin monsters, won’t more yin monsters follow?
“…”
Ji Na remained silent for a moment, then said, “The disciples on the boat aren’t strong enough. We should eliminate the monsters first.”
When the Holy Son speaks, all must obey.
Several Star Guardians took formation, their steps aligned with the constellations and the Eight Trigrams. They set up a killing array and moved together to face the Nascent Soul yin monster.
The tool cultivators laid talismans on the spot, and a massive formation spread out. The millet boat’s descent immediately slowed.
Someone shouted, “We can’t hold out like this for long! Find a place to land!”
“There’s a flat cliff below—”
“Good! Land there, but be careful!”
Fang Zhiyuan, having gotten his way, quietly lifted the corners of his lips.
He turned around and slashed down with his blade, dispersing the rolling black mist.
…Unexpectedly, this man was actually working hard to slay yin monsters.
Fang Zhiyuan’s black figure moved as swiftly as an eagle. Many young disciples who should have been clawed by the demon were all protected by him and remained unharmed.
In contrast, his own body became covered with wounds torn open by yin qi, and his breathing grew labored.
Ji Na’s expression darkened slightly, and light began to gather in his palm, as though he were about to summon a magic weapon.
Elder Wang, who had been protecting the Holy Son, raised his arm. “Holy Son, you mustn’t. Yin monsters are filthy creatures. How could we let them defile you? We can handle such evils.”
“How can you…” Ji Na frowned, clearly disapproving, about to argue—
Suddenly, a flash of snowlight burst from below!
A pure white sword fell from the sky, cleaving in two a yin monster that was about to strike Fang Zhiyuan from behind!
Lin Fuqing landed lightly on the deck like a crane. He stepped forward, shook off the yin qi, and backed up until he stood nearly back to back with Fang Zhiyuan.
Fang Zhiyuan looked surprised. “Shige? Why are you—”
“Fang Zhiyuan, you’re doing just fine…” Lin Fuqing gritted his teeth, trembling with anger. “Once we’re done with these monsters, you’d better prepare yourself!”
The two men stood back to back—one wielding a sword, the other a knife blade; one in white, the other in black. Their century of shared training had honed a seamless coordination. One strike after another, and yin monsters fell.
When the Nascent Soul yin monster vanished, the millet boat finally docked steadily on the cliff.
Ji Na stepped forward and gave a nod to Lin Fuqing. “Thank you for your help.”
“Hmph. Holy Son, don’t be fooled by their routine!” A Star Guardian from Ziwei Pavilion stepped forward, hands behind his back, sneering. “Chief disciple of Xuyun Sect, Lin Fuqing. I’m not wrong, am I?”
“Ziwei Pavilion has no feud with Xuyun, yet your shidi brought a yin monster to our millet boat, destroyed our formation… What exactly is he planning?”
“……”
Lin Fuqing kept his face blank. He weighed Tunan in his hand and said, “My shidi is unruly. I’ll teach him a lesson.”
Before the words had fully left his mouth, he struck without hesitation!
“Shige?!” Fang Zhiyuan’s calm finally cracked. For the first time in his life, panic flashed across his face. He hurried to raise his blade in defense.
Zheng—
The Zaiya met Tunan with a shrill, bone-piercing clash!
Fang Zhiyuan, already hesitant, didn’t dare use his full strength. Unable to withstand the blow, he was knocked backward, crashing into a boulder at the edge of the cliff!
“Ugh…!”
But the sword’s force had been carefully calculated, and it seemed to account for the resistance of Fang Zhiyuan’s block. Though he hit the rock, the momentum had dissipated, and there was no pain.
However—
Fang Zhiyuan’s pupils contracted. Before him, the snow-white sword came sweeping down once more!
He barely managed to raise his long blade. Tunan struck hard, and his hand went numb.
“Shige…”
Cold sweat broke out across Fang Zhiyuan’s brow.
Yes… he’d stirred up trouble. But wasn’t this a bit much?
Lin Fuqing tightly grasped the hilt of Tunan with his right hand, and pressed the sword with his left hand, “Fang Zhiyuan…”
He looked calm as usual, but fury burned in his eyes. He said each word through gritted teeth, “Do you really think I’ll let you do whatever you want?”
Fang Zhiyuan tried to remain calm. “I…”
Clang!
Tunan suddenly pressed down an inch, almost resting on Fang Zhiyuan’s neck.
Lin Fuqing leaned forward, a strand of his black hair scattered on the pitch-black blade. He narrowed his eyes, opened his thin lips slightly, and gnashed his teeth with anger, “You dare to release your spiritual energy to attract the yin monsters. You’re really capable!”
Behind them, a group of people from Ziwei Pavilion were staring in amazement.
This, this, this… So, is the rumor that Xuyun’s two disciples are secretly at odds true or false?!
“I…..” Fang Zhiyuan’s hand on his sword was shaking. He stared at Lin Fuqing and said stubbornly, “I didn’t really hurt anyone! Why are you doing this?!”
Lin Fuqing was so angry that he kicked him in the leg, “How dare you say that? Show me yourself!”
Attracting such a powerful yin monster was no joke. After the fight just now, Fang Zhiyuan had already suffered many wounds corroded by yin qi. Lin Fuqing felt pain just looking at it.
This guy, relying on the good medicine from Ye Huoguo and his own ability to recover quickly, dared to ruin his body like this!
“Yes… I’m wrong, I’m wrong!” Fang Zhiyuan knew he was in the wrong, but he was reluctant to fight with Lin Fuqing, so he could only give in and beg for mercy, “Shige… please save some face for me in front of Ziwei Pavilion.”
“…,This can’t happen again.” Lin Fuqing then loosened his grip, flipped his wrist, and Tunan turned into a stream of light and disappeared. “I’ll teach you a lesson when we get back to the inn.”
After saying that, he flicked his snow-white sleeves lightly, turned to Ziwei Pavilion, and when he raised his eyes, he looked in the direction of Ji Na.
At that moment, Ji Na was also looking at him, and their eyes met.
Lin Fuqing lowered his eyebrows and said calmly, “Pardon us.”
Ji Na shook his head slightly and returned the greeting seriously, “There are no casualties among the disciples of Ziwei Pavilion. Thank you for your help, little immortal.”
Finally, the wind and the sea had calmed, and the millet boat stopped at the edge of the cliff, crushing a bunch of fiery red trumpet creeper flowers.
The cultivators on the boat were busy repairing the flying formation, while the disciples who had just been in a fierce battle were still in shock and were resting.
Lin Fuqing thought to himself: This first meeting is quite different from the previous life.
But the moment he looked into Ji Na’s eyes, he saw it clearly: the Saint of Ziwei was not a reborn soul.
It wasn’t hard to tell. Ji Na was too pure, too easy to see through, even a little foolish.
The almighty Saint of Ziwei? The most gifted person in the immortal world? Or the astrological immortal who can see through the blessings and disasters of the three realms?
No, in Lin Fuqing’s eyes, Ji Na just a young man who was too naive.
Since childhood, he was raised on the Mountains, Seas and Stars Platform by the previous Saint Master Ruan Mingtong, and was carved into the image of a noble “Holy Son” by the Ziwei Pavilion.
He even remembered that in the previous life, he’d dragged Ji Na into discussing the Dao, questioning to the point of speechlessness.
At that time…ha, looking back, it was indeed interesting.
=========
“May I ask the Holy Son, why was Ziwei Pavilion established?”
He was leaning lazily against the fiery red flowers, playing with the wine cup in his hand. Then he raised his eyes and looked at the Holy Son sitting solemnly across from him with an indifferent expression.
Ji Na responded calmly, “For peace in the world.”
The sky was clear and the air was fresh. In the cracks of the cliff, the trumpet creeper swayed gently in the wind, and finally a drop of dew fell off.
“May I ask the Holy Son again, what is the world?”
“Immortals, gods, humans, ghosts, flowers, birds, insects, mountains, rivers, clouds, the changing of the seasons…these are all things in the world that belong to the human world.”
The cricket jumped over the corner of the crimson purple clothes and crawled into the grass.
This little insect absorbed a lot of spiritual energy from heaven and earth, and its body was taller and greener than the crickets in the mortal world.
However, its mind was still confused and it jumped instinctively, not realizing that what it had just jumped over was the most noble robe of the young master of Ziwei Pavilion.
“I’ll ask you again, Holy Son, what is peace?”
“The immortals, the people, all return to their places; the flowers, the birds, the insects, all reproduce their lives; the mountains, the rivers, the seas of clouds, flow endlessly; the seasons change, following their own ways. This is peace.”
Ji Na’s voice was flat and steady, without any ups and downs.
These questions had been roughly touched upon by his master and the elders when they were teaching him to establish his mind for the Dao. Given his current state of mind, it was not difficult for him to answer.
“You’re wrong.”
Unexpectedly, the young man in white opposite him laughed and said seriously, “Let me ask you this. If there is such a person that has been separated from the five elements since birth and is not tolerated by the great way of destiny, and although he has lived up to heaven and earth all his life, he still suffered hardships and finally died with hatred..”
“He lived his whole life seeing light as shadow and flowers as blood. Even if the three realms operate according to the Great Dao every day, the human world he sees is all a sea of suffering and hell—”
“In this case, how can there be peace?”
Ji Na was somewhat startled.
He sat upright and said with a frown, “This person is indeed pitiful, but there are billions of people in the three realms, and Ziwei Astrology predicts the fate of this world… How can we save the suffering of one person?”
Lin Fuqing shook his head and smiled, raising his index finger to his lips. “According to what the Holy Son said before, all things in the world are for the world. If that’s the case, if there is such a person who couldn’t live peacefully, how can you have peace in the world?”
Ji Na looked up, speechless.
He thought for a moment, “I…”
But he shook his head and couldn’t continue.
Lin Fuqing continued, “According to what the Holy Son said before, Ziwei Pavillion was established to seek peace in the world. But you can’t even seek peace for this one person, how can you seek peace for all things in the world.”
“In that case…”
The young immortal raised his beautiful eyebrows, blinked, pointed at Ji Na, and said, “…what is the use of your Ziwei Pavilion?”
Ji Na: “…..”
The Holy Son of Ziwei had a dazed look in his eyes, and his head ached from Lin Fuqing’s confusing words.
Subconsciously, he felt that something was wrong. In the four thousand years of its establishment, Zewei Pavilion had predicted countless blessings and disasters for the three realms. There were countless temples raised in worship of it in the mortal world. How could it be useless?
As the Holy Son of Ziwei, he had been taught by the elders since childhood to establish a heart of Dao for the three Realms, to be kind and wise, and to be ruthless and selfless.
He must become the person to observe the stars and predict the fate of the world from a high place, until one day when all his energy is exhausted. He must be the person to protect all the people through his entire life…just like his master.
How could this be useless?
But Ji Na was unable to defend himself. He could not refuse a single word from the young man in front of him.
He forced himself to calm down and ask, “May I ask what you think peace in the world is, Little Immortal?”
Lin Fuqing’s eyes curved and revealed a hint of evil intent. He tilted his head, pursed his lips and took a sip of the wine he brewed.
“I speak and act as I please, and I arrange the people, things and events around me to my liking, so that I can live a peaceful and comfortable life.”
He shook the wine cup between his fingers.
The clear liquid inside diffused the sunlight shining through the clouds.
“In other words, I live a happy life – this is my peace.”
Lin Fuqing lay down with his head raised among the flaming flowers, feeling a little drunk, and flicked his snow-white sleeves.
“I lie here, seeing the immortals, humans, flowers, birds, insects, mountains, rivers, clouds, the changing of the four seasons, and even the three thousand great ways. So, I am the human world.”
Ji Na’s eyes widened.
“……”
He wanted to say “absurd” but no sound came out. He wanted to get up and leave in anger, but he couldn’t move his legs.
He thought in surprise: How could there be such a person in the world?
You dare call yourself the human world?
Lin Fuqing picked a trumpet creeper and put it to his nose to smell it.
He said softly, “If I am peaceful, the world will be peaceful.”
“I didn’t find Xuyun Sect out of kindness, and I have no ambition toward benefiting the three realms. I just want to live happily.” Lin Fuqing closed his eyes and said, “But unfortunately, I’m human, so I founded the Xuyun Sect to seek peace in the human world.”
Ji Na looked at him in astonishment, and thought: How could there be such a person in the world?
When this man founded the Xuyun Sect, it was clear that he was trying to protect yin-body disciples from suffering. Yet he refused to say so.
Instead, he said it was for his own pleasure.
“Holy Son, may I ask you one last question.”
Lin Fuqing’s voice was still gentle. He sat up slowly, poured the wine into the cup, and then put the fairy flowers he had just picked into the wine.
“The disciples of Ziwei Pavilion are pure-hearted and have no desires. They do not get involved in the secular world. Holy Son, you have been secluded on the Mountains, Seas and Stars platform since you were young and have never been in the secular world.”
“May I ask the Holy Son, if you do not know the human world, how can you seek peace for the human world?”
Ji Na’s nerves, which had been stretched to the extreme, suddenly relaxed, and calmness and composure gradually returned to his body.
This question was simple after all, and every disciple of Ziwei Pavilion could answer it. He had also recited it countless times since he was young.
Ji Na said, “Heaven and earth are not benevolent, so they can run the six paths with great justice; saints are selfless, so they can protect the human world with great justice.”
“Wrong again!”
Lin Fuqing laughed and fell among the flowers, with a look of triumph clearly reflected in his bright eyes. A bright red trumpet creeper flower just happened to be sticking to the boy’s white jade-like cheek.
His voice was as clear as the first thawed stream in early spring, splashing on the pebbles by the river:
“If saints must learn to be like heaven and earth, then what saints are needed in this world? Wouldn’t it be better to just keep the rules of heaven and earth?”
“What…”
Ji Na was stunned and speechless.
“Ai ya.” Lin Fuqing threw the wine cup. “It seems that the Holy Son only knows how to look up at the sea of stars and does not care about the mundane world.”
“Your world is on the horizon, but my world is right before my eyes.”
The young man had eyes as clear as a river. He chuckled and waved his hands, saying, “Then I have nothing to say to you.”
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The author has something to say:
The young Immortal Lord Lin is very good at bluffing people, and he enjoys shattering other people’s worldviews every day =w=