Sometimes, when a person harbored an obsession in their heart, it was difficult to reason with them.
Had someone spoken to Xuan Wuqi about anything else, he might not necessarily have truly recognized his mistake.
But Duan Tianya, whose expression could not be seen in the pitch-black night, had said that accepting punishment would delay his cultivation. That struck straight at Xuan Wuqi's true heart.
Even if he truly regarded Luo Bei as an opponent, the path of cultivation was not decided by victory or defeat in a single day.
"Those who cultivate the Dao are supposed to rely on themselves in their later cultivation. Then why form sects and factions, establish so many rules and regulations, and submit to others' restrictions? Is it merely for the inheritance of techniques?"
Once one thing was understood, a hundred things became clear. Xuan Wuqi instantly truly recognized his mistake, yet having violated the rules for the first time, a question he could not quite understand suddenly surfaced in his mind that day.
"Xuan Wuqi ignored his teacher's reprimand, abandoned his fellow disciples alone in danger, and violated the sect rules. In consideration of his first offense, he shall face the wall in reflection for ten days."
Shushan had a total of 1,420 peaks. Of these, 264 had no Shushan disciples residing on them, 382 had no paths connecting them, and 32 were forbidden grounds. New disciples of the Geli Peaks could ordinarily set foot on only sixteen peaks.
"Shushan disciples must not harm fellow disciples... must not bully the weak by relying on strength... must not associate with demons and monsters..."
After Xuan Wuqi provoked Ming Hao into a fury, Ming Hao's expression remained several times sterner than usual throughout the following day. Luo Bei and the other disciples spent that day reading Shushan's rules and regulations.
"Compared to this, Luofu has none of these cumbersome formalities."
Other than that single thought, the simple-minded Luo Bei had no other superfluous thoughts in his heart.
"Where is Martial Uncle Ming Hao?"
"Who is that?"
"Look at that scar on his face."
"What is wrong with his eye?"
Another day later, after Luo Bei and Cai Shu finished practicing the Foundation Establishment Fist Technique once, they discovered that the person teaching them cultivation had changed. The one appearing before Luo Bei was no longer the slightly short and stout Ming Hao, but a stern-looking man in his thirties with somewhat scorched-yellow hair and a dark green robe.
What drew Luo Bei and the others' attention most was the terrifying scar on the man's left cheek. It looked as if most of the flesh and blood on that side of his face had been blasted away by some magical artifact, then grown back again. It was a shocking sight beyond words. His left eye was also exceedingly strange. Its pitch-black pupil seemed twice the size of the one in his right eye. As his cold gaze swept over Luo Bei and the others, they all felt their scalps prickle.
"My name is Dan Lingsheng. You may call me Martial Uncle."
The tall, gaunt man with somewhat scorched-yellow hair and a terrifying scar on his face stood before the lectern in the Hall of Nourishing the Heart and spoke to Luo Bei and the others as they took their seats again on the yellow grass mats.
"So he is Dan Lingsheng."
"You know him?" Luo Bei was sitting beside Cai Shu at the moment and heard her mutter.
"He is Bing Zhujun's third disciple. They say he hates evil as if it were an enemy, and his methods are ruthless. He once wiped out an entire sect that cultivated heretical techniques by himself. They say that scar on his face was left behind when he fought one of his opponents." Cai Shu answered Luo Bei softly.
"Then what is wrong with his eye?"
"He does not primarily cultivate flying swords, but other Dao techniques. They say his left eye became like that because of the art he cultivated. It should have some special use, but I do not know what it is." Cai Shu still answered in a low voice.
"For the next few days, I will be the one teaching you cultivation." At that moment, Dan Lingsheng suddenly cast a cold glance at Cai Shu and Luo Bei, as though he had heard their conversation. Both of them felt a chill run through their bodies. Dan Lingsheng continued speaking. His voice was low, almost a whisper, yet no one knew what method he used, for every person heard him with perfect clarity. "I know that all of you sitting here possess talent beyond that of ordinary people. But do not think that arriving at Shushan, where magical artifacts and flying swords fill your sight, means you will certainly achieve something. I do not expect every one of you to understand that cultivating the Dao is not the same as practicing spells. I only ask that you not be as stupid as the batch of idiots I taught before."
After hearing those words, the Hall of Nourishing the Heart grew even quieter. Zi Xuangu and the others all sat ramrod straight, as though determined to prove that they were absolutely not idiots.
"Luo Bei." Dan Lingsheng suddenly called Luo Bei to his feet. "I heard that you gathered all five herbs the day before yesterday?"
Luo Bei involuntarily glanced at Cai Shu, then nodded somewhat unexpectedly. "Yes, martial uncle Dan Lingsheng."
"Do you know what would be refined if Water Chestnut Fruit and Xishen Leaf were placed together for refining without adding Liudan Wood?"
"I do not know." Luo Bei looked at Cai Shu in confusion. Cai Shu also shook her head slightly. This time, she did not know either.
"Then what if Liudan Wood and Xishen Leaf were refined together?"
"I do not know." Luo Bei shook his head again.
"So much for being talented." Dan Lingsheng gave a derisive laugh. He paid Luo Bei no further attention. With a sudden movement of his left hand, an incomparably vivid illusion of a strange plant appeared before everyone's eyes. It stood about three feet tall, with emerald-green branches and leaves, yet black blossoms. "Today, everyone will go to Tianzhu Peak again. Those who have not yet found the previous five herbs shall find all five. Those who have already found the five herbs shall search for this Poison Arrow Orchid. I will give each of you another Flying Flame Talisman. However, you have already been to Tianzhu Peak once, so this time you will not go in pairs. You are to enter the mountains alone to search. Watch yourselves carefully. If you encounter danger and fail to release the Flying Flame Talisman in time, do not blame me."
After a pause, Dan Lingsheng swept another cold glance across the group and said emotionlessly, "You thoroughly read Shushan's precepts yesterday. As before, I will use the Flying Flame Talisman as the signal. Anyone who sees a Flying Flame Talisman and does not immediately return may forget about remaining in Shushan!"
"Not remain in Shushan—does that mean being expelled from the sect?!" Luo Bei and the others could not help raising their heads to look at Dan Lingsheng. But seeing his grave expression, they all felt that this severe Dan Lingsheng was absolutely not making an empty threat.
"Luo Bei." At the head of Tianzhu Peak's iron chain bridge, Dan Lingsheng suddenly called Luo Bei aside alone again, making the newly initiated disciples all feel somewhat uneasy. "You seem to have a good relationship with Lin Hang."
Luo Bei did not know why Dan Lingsheng had suddenly asked that. He was somewhat taken aback, but still nodded. "Yes. Senior brother Lin Hang has taken great care of me. What is it, martial uncle?"
Dan Lingsheng glanced at Luo Bei. "Lin Hang has not yet found Xishen Leaf. Why did you not tell him where you found it?"
"How did martial uncle Dan Lingsheng know where we found Xishen Leaf? How did he know there were several more plants on that cliff?"
That thought rose in Luo Bei's heart. After a brief hesitation, Dan Lingsheng sneered again. "Luo Bei, there is a saying in this world: if you do not want others to know, do not do it yourself. Besides, this is Shushan. You have already fought the disciples of Jing Shen—did you think no one would find out? But I am not here to pursue this matter. I merely saw you walking with Lin Hang just now, and you seemed hesitant. You were likely hesitating over whether to tell him, but in the end you did not. I am simply curious why you chose not to tell him."
"The rocks in that place are somewhat loose, so it is rather dangerous." Luo Bei answered Dan Lingsheng, who was watching him coldly. "His legs are inconvenient, and this time, martial uncle Dan Lingsheng, you have sent us into the mountain alone. I was afraid that if I told him, he might meet with disaster if he went there. I thought that if I did not tell him about that place, he might find it elsewhere, so I did not tell him."
"So that is how it was?" Dan Lingsheng stood coldly beside the iron chains, watching Luo Bei's figure enter the dense forest. "Luo Bei, I hope those words came from your heart."
"I wonder whether Cai Shu will be afraid by herself. Probably not. She seems to have already cultivated Dao techniques, and is much more capable than us."
"I do not think I saw the Poison Arrow Orchid that martial uncle Dan Lingsheng wants us to find anywhere along the way last time. I might as well search in another direction."
Thinking this, Luo Bei tightly gripped a Flying Flame Talisman in his hand. He had not used a single Flying Flame Talisman last time, and Dan Lingsheng had given him another one this time. Thus, he now had two Flying Flame Talismans, one Yimu Green Lightning Talisman, and three Divine Speed Talismans remaining after giving several to Lin Hang.
Tianzhu Peak covered an extremely vast area. After walking three or four li in the direction opposite to last time, Luo Bei discovered a forest where mountain birds gathered. The trees in this forest were of many different kinds, and with Luo Bei's knowledge, he could recognize only two or three of them. When he entered the forest, countless birds took flight in fright, and feathers drifted down from the sky.
The ground was covered in a thick layer of bird droppings. Bird nests filled the branches and bushes, and many yellow-beaked, white-feathered chicks within them cried hungrily for food. Only after Luo Bei passed through the forest did it gradually return to silence.
Further ahead, the mountain forest appeared even more wild and primordial. Countless thick vines twisted together like tangled roots, and Luo Bei walked with increasing caution.
Having spent a long time in Luofu, Luo Bei knew the rules of the wild forest very well. In theory, places where ordinary mountain birds gathered would surely attract snakes and beasts that preyed upon birds. Yet there were no traces of such snakes or beasts near this forest. Ordinarily, there was only one possibility: nearby dwelled savage beasts or birds of prey that those snakes and beasts feared even more.
"Liudan Wood."
"Water Chestnut Fruit."
As he went onward, the Poison Arrow Orchid seemed far rarer than the other herbs. Until the sun slanted westward and the sky gradually darkened, with at most half a shichen remaining before Dan Lingsheng released the Flying Flame Talisman, Luo Bei found several plants of the herbs they had previously been asked to seek in succession. Yet he never found the Poison Arrow Orchid he was searching for.
"Looks like I may have to return empty-handed today."
Seeing that time was running short, Luo Bei did not dare venture deeper. He could only slowly return along the marks he had made, searching carefully along the way. Suddenly, he spotted a plant blooming with black flowers. "The leaves do not seem right. It is not a Poison Arrow Orchid." Yet to his disappointment, after carefully uprooting the plant and bringing it before his eyes, Luo Bei discovered that the shape of its branches and leaves did not match the Poison Arrow Orchid either.
"Is this the Poison Arrow Orchid you are looking for?" At that moment, a sinister voice suddenly sounded behind him. "Did that old ghost Dan Lingsheng send you here to find it?"
Luo Bei whirled around in alarm and saw at once that, at some unknown moment, a gaunt man entirely shrouded in a black robe had appeared behind him. The man wore a vicious white bone mask over his face, concealing his age and features, while a bizarre, gloomy aura rushed toward Luo Bei. In his hand, aside from a Poison Arrow Orchid with emerald-green branches and leaves and black blossoms, he held a string of white prayer beads. Looking closely, Luo Bei discovered that these white prayer beads seemed to be strung together from sections of human finger bones!
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