Daoist Master of Qing Xuan

Chen Jinchan told Shen Lian about the bier and Noble Qi dynamic. After he heard everything Shen Lian could only muster a laugh, asking Chen Jinchan, “What did I tell you was the purpose of cultivating Qing Xuan?”

The reply came, “Master, you said ‘before cultivating one’s behaviour, one must first cultivate one’s heart’, your disciple remembers this in his heart.”

Shen Lian laughed, “Techniques are like flowing water, hearts are like river channels. The river does not change, the water flows with it.”

Chen Jinchan seemed as though he understood, then left and went out the hall.

Not long after he left, Gu Caiwei leisurely walked into the main hall, and while laughing said, “This disciple of yours, I have no idea where you found him. Even before 30 years are up, he would already surpass me.”

Shen Lian waved a sprinkle, and in the middle of the hall the vital force of the universe condensed, as if it were substance, and formed into a small stool under him. Gu Caiwei helped herself and sat down.

He gazed at her and smiled, “Senior Apprentice-Sister, is something the matter?”

Gu Caiwei gave him an angry stare and said, “Grand Headmaster Shen, am I to meet you only when something is the matter?”

“Naturally, if you came here without any reason, my heart feels even more joyous”, Shen Lian chuckled, his body was bright as though there were divine lights, shaped like a celestial.

Praise was given to him by Gu Caiwei, “Looking at you, I am envious, yet my heart worries. If man hears the right way in the morning, he may die in the evening without regrets. But being able to live is much more glorious.”

Shen Lian replied, “Senior Apprentice-Sister, you are afraid that I was serious when I said that we will not meet after the third of March. In life it is rare that anyone could spend their time together for long. The past and the future is all cloud and smoke. It is enough that we remember the good things, and not ask questions of anything else. Besides, there is no difference between Senior Apprentice-Sister not seeing me and me not seeing you.”

Feelings were stirred in Gu Caiwei’s heart, and she sighed, “Since it will be that way, my guts know, it is beyond expectations to be able to enter the path of Daoism. As for breaking away from the whims, Daoist immortality may not be achieved.”

Having heard her words, Shen Lian lightly smiled and pointed at the stem of the wilted poplar tree in the middle of hall, “That poplar is a gift from Yanxu. I wish to plant it beside Taiwei Pavilion. If it blooms in the future, I will have to go.”

Gu Caiwei frowned, “You are well aware he acts for the people, would there not be a problem to plant it in front of Taiwei Pavilion?”

Shen Lian said, “Senior Apprentice-Sister, let me tell you the origins of this poplar tree. Everyone knows that the Bamboo of No Desire lies in Zizai Temple. For it is not a common thing. It cleanses the mind and spirit, letting the people be free of demonic thoughts, but without knowing that Zizai Temple still bears a clean bottle which a poplar tree grows. It emits wood and water, clean and wonderful, capable of crossing death and entering life, extinguishing all demonic enmity. By my action of planting it in front of Taiwei Pavilion, it will enable all the residual resentments of the ancestors, left behind from their unjust deaths as a result of catastrophes, to be all removed by the poplar tree. This will be considered a small token of appreciation for the younger generation. Yanxu sent this tree also with the future in mind, if I did not believe him, and instead let the resentment of the ancestors pent up, it would be unworthy.

Gu Caiwei said, “Then he correctly predicted you would believe, but just like this all along how it has not fallen with the wind.”

Shen Lian rose up and walked to the dry poplar tree, then touched its shrivelled trunk, “A thousand things with the floating clouds, all of them passing Taixu, why should I dread him.”

At this point he suddenly stood up, his Qi dynamic expanded to the heavens and earth, and even managed to affect the Demonic Order whose ‘Blood Precipice’ was gathered in an earthen jar, where it was not far from the original position where the Tai Su Sect was built. Water from the Tongtian River was attracted and mixed with the Pond of Blood, which then surged endlessly and rammed against the cliff.

Demon Master Yanxu was standing up on the tall cliff, beside him was a tall and towering tree. Its leaves were as big as a pear, its fruit was borne on the trunk, and no flowers were open. It was the Udumbara tree of Jinji Country.

At that moment the tree danced, as if it received a collision from a shapeless breath, as its roots were bound to the mountain, it incidentally shook all the earthen jars of the Demon Sect.

It just only stopped when the sticks and leaves of the tree dropped. At the same time blood water at the bottom of the cliff slowly returned to its calm state, and stopped moving, reflecting the clear sky above. The gathering together of the cloud shadows was clearly that of Shen Lian’s appearance, which smiled indifferently at Yanxu, then whirled and dispersed without a trace.

Yanxu knew what Shen Lian meant. Be it in heaven or on earth, Shen Lian could always find him, and they need not sound out each other.

He smiled under his breath, “Grandmaster Yuanqing, Grandmaster Qingshui, I now do not regret that I was not born during the same time as you.”

At this time, Shen Lian had already carried the stem of the wilted poplar to Zifu Peak at Taiwei Pavilion, and planted it. It was hidden in the middle of Taiwei Pavilion, where another empty layer of The City of Death was wrapped immediately in innumerable roots. Without resistance, it extracted an uncountable number of demonic enmity Qi that was lingering.

Shen Lian spat out a curse, softly crooned and gently chanted, and finally surrendered having spent half a day on this. He took some water from the River of spirits and watered it. Only then did green sprouts slowly emerge from the declining and wilted branch of the poplar.

After this, the task of watering the poplar will be handed over to Apprentice-Sister Gu Caiwei.

…

Water from the Tongtian River came from above, flowed quickly to the sea and never returned.

Its length and width was still greater than that of Qingshui River, as though it could block off the Yuan Continent, with its majestic and boundless aura. In the beginning there were many cultivators who followed it upstream, appreciating the Great Way of Heaven and Earth.

But the headwaters of Tongtian River is precisely the location of Yuan Continent’s northernmost glaciers, that majestic iceberg, which was actually not inferior compared to any tall mountain in the human world. More so, it had almost no population, and a person not of transcendent celestialization will find it hard to reach here.

Zhao Xiaoyu treaded on the icy surface. With pants white as snow and skin like crystal, she looked like a Ku-yi Fairy, footsteps on the earthly existence of dust. If beside there were still earthly existence of ordinary persons, afraid only that they should bow incessantly, for the sake of being captivated.

From the distance there was a dark shadow, from far and near came a person treading on the sleigh, as nimble as a phantom, but stopped immediately after a long metal shovel was abruptly plunged into the icy surface by the hand that held it, where a clear figure of a person was finally shown. It was Bai Shaoliu, the one who worked for Zhao Xiaoyu in the Capital City of Da Zhou. Through him, Shen Lian was introduced to the sword will of the Milky Way Sword.

Bai Shaoliu reverently said, “Auntie let me tell sister-in-law, it is better if we were not to meet, so please go back.”

Zhao Xiaoyu let out a laugh, all heaven and earth lost colour, and softly said, “Senior Apprentice-Sister lives in seclusion, from the looks of it her Qi improved quite a bit, but since she is determined not to meet, what need would she then have to send you as a messenger? Bring me to meet her then.”

Her soft voice and delicate words fell on the ears of Bai Shaoliu, and was as if she was saying the Constitution. Words that were hard to go against.

As if the body was no longer one’s own, once again he sled the sleigh along the endless glaciers, passing mountains over mountains of ice, and finally reached an igloo.

The igloo was the only thing that was visible in the snow and ice, all around it were tall ice mountains that did not see the light of day nor were there any living things. If Bai Shaoliu did not lead the way, Zhao Xiaoyu would still be able to find the place, albeit rather slowly and at the expense of her Qi energy.

Only when Bai Shaoliu reached there did he regain his sense of freedom. From inside the house came a soft voice, as indifferent as the icy fog, “Junior Apprentice-Sister, why did you take the trouble to find me? The Sutra of the Total Annihilation of the Dharma cannot be passed on to an outsider, please just drop the idea.”

Zhao Xiaoyu shifted her gaze to the igloo. As if it grew from the icy surroundings, it was a work of nature, not a trace of carving was seen.

It was even possible to feel the distribution of the Shapeless District, causing divine power to incessantly flow on her body, which eventually started to weaken. Even if it were just a bit, but it was enough to move her.