Gravekeeping

The fastest update to Seeking the Dao in the Mortal World!

Qin Yi arrived at the back of Ju Yunxiu's house for the first time.

Not far away are cliffs, and the area between the house and the cliffs is covered in lush green grass, with a few clumps of tea bushes, their fragrance filling the air. The tea leaves are just beginning to sprout; I wonder if this is where the Qing Cha grows...

There are deck chairs on the grass, and a book on one of them, making it seem like a place for Ju Yunxiu to relax, read, and take a nap in the afternoon.

Very bourgeois.

Qin Yi felt that if a parasol were added on top, and sunglasses and coffee were paired with it, it would look like a villa lawn, a model of petit-bourgeois lifestyle.

Behind the house, just outside the door, lies a clear pond. Qing Cha said this is where they wash their calligraphy brushes, but it doesn't look dirty at all. It's not stained black with ink as I had imagined, nor does it have the various colors of paintbrushes. On the contrary, the water is crystal clear, with lotus leaves standing gracefully, and fish and shrimp appearing and disappearing beneath them.

A rainbow floats on the pond, running north to south, like a bridge.

Ju Yunxiu slowly walked onto the rainbow.

Qin Yi, standing at the back, felt somewhat awkward. "I can't fly, will I fall off if I step on it?"

Ju Yunxiu chuckled and turned around, saying, "Come on up, you won't fall."

Qin Yi tried stepping on it; it was neither real nor unreal, and he didn't know what material it was made of. Stepping on it felt somewhat dreamlike.

"This is... a drawing?"

"Yes."

Ju Yunxiu gave a simple reply and stood on the Rainbow Bridge looking at the lotus leaves without saying much.

Qin Yi slowly walked to her side, and heard Ju Yunxiu say softly, "This rainbow bridge is the mark of my initial success in Painting Dao. It can already bring inanimate objects to life. Although it does not involve the soul, it already has infinite possibilities. It was from that moment that my master confidently passed the sect on to me."

So, does this mean it's a private place with historical significance, a place that ordinary people can't come to?

She also has the heart of a young, artsy girl.

Qin Yi stood beside her, savoring the fragrance around him, and whispered, "Actually, someone like you... doesn't really want to be a sect leader, does he?"

"We can't be hypocritical after getting such a good deal," Ju Yunxiu said. "Although I don't want to take on any heavy responsibilities for the sect, I have to admit that the benefits of being the sect leader are great. These twenty-two spiritual mountains are under my control, the Mountain Spirit Land God obey my commands, the relics of our ancestors are at my disposal, and the chess fanatic Book Immortal protect me... If I were to live a carefree life outside, it might seem more in line with my own path, but in reality, I might not be able to enjoy the An Yi seclusion I have now."

Qin Yi seemed to be deep in thought. There was something interesting about this, something that many people might not be as clear-sighted as Ju Yunxiu.

Although Ju Yunxiu has an artistic temperament, she is ultimately a clear-headed strong person who will not blindly "rush towards freedom and hobbies" and forget what the prerequisite for truly giving herself An Yi is.

"So since we enjoy this benefit, we need to bear this responsibility. We need to cherish its heritage and maintain its dignity." Ju Yunxiu said, "I once thought that if I could find a reliable successor, I could learn from my two senior uncles, the Chess Maniac Book Immortal, and pass the burden to the younger generation while I become Supreme Elder. That would be the best of both worlds."

Qin Yi pointed at himself with a strange expression. "You considered me?"

"I did consider it," Ju Yunxiu chuckled. "But then I realized you have even less ambition and drive than I do, and you have absolutely no sense of belonging. If I really handed it over to you, I'm afraid you'd run away even faster than I did."

"You understand me." Qin Yi smiled as well. "That's why we're the same kind of people."

Ju Yunxiu tilted her head slightly, her face flushed, but she did not refute.

Indeed, their deep friendship stemmed from this.

They share the same lack of lust for power and greed, a love for a detached Quiet Serenity life, and a pursuit of music and painting that is free from worldly strife.

I feel the same loneliness, the same sense of self... like a passerby.

One had no fellow Daoists, his strings broken with no one to listen, and could only bully the little maid. The other always felt out of place in this world, a stranger in a strange land, and when Liusu disappeared, he experienced unbearable loneliness.

Of course, there are still significant differences in the specifics. For example, Ju Yunxiu's passion for music, calligraphy, and painting is genuine, while Qin Yi treats them merely as a means of understanding. Ju Yunxiu also knows that Qin Yi is not as gentlemanly as he appears on the surface, and that he also harbors some wicked thoughts.

But compared to the rarity of finding a kindred spirit, those differences don't matter anymore; it's not like looking in a mirror.

They were so compatible that they even considered changing their minds about having him participate in the Dao Discussion Assembly, which was originally planned.

Originally, they were just close friends trying to comfort each other's loneliness, and neither of them had any impure thoughts. However, this "confession through a painting" that was misunderstood by the entire Immortal Palace caused things to become anything but pure.

Both of them were deeply moved, their State of Mind inexplicable and difficult to explain. Their love had not yet blossomed, yet neither of them wanted to sever ties.

So "I want to draw you by hand" became the best excuse between the two of them.

In reality, standing side by side on the Rainbow Bridge, feeling the gentle breeze by the pond, in quiet and peaceful moments, is simply companionship; where would a paintbrush come from?

After standing quietly for an unknown period of time, Qin Yi finally broke the silence. "Your master's painting is in Zheng Yunyi's hands... Is it the one you said you lost a bet to the Zheng family on?"

Ultimately, the important matter is the priority; everything else can wait.

"That should be a different one. My master shouldn't have given my portrait to someone else." Ju Yunxiu pondered, "In my understanding, this painting should have been buried with my master..."

"Judging from your tone, you didn't bury it yourself?"

Ju Yunxiu said irritably, "Who do we cultivators need to be buried by? We choose our own graves, seal them off from all sides, and heaven and earth will know nothing."

He paused, then continued, "When Five Signs of Decay, their ugly state is fully revealed... even more wretched than a mortal dying. No one would want to be seen like that unless absolutely necessary."

Qin Yi scoffed, "These cultivators who are so concerned with saving face, they actually see through appearances."

"..."

"So since you didn't bury it yourself, this painting is the one that was lost to the Zheng family back then, and it was another one that was buried with them," Qin Yi said. "Do you think your master wouldn't give your portrait to someone else? Maybe your master intended to match you with someone from the Zheng family back then, but then shelved it."

Ju Yunxiu frowned and thought for a while, then muttered to herself, "It's not impossible. If that's the case, it means that Master had some dissatisfaction with the Palace Master back then and reached some kind of tacit understanding with the scheming sect."

"Hmm? There's also the story of the Palace Master?"

"Because the Palace Master hasn't shown his face for many years, everything is relayed by cranes. Even when we go to the palace to see him, we only communicate from a distance and never see him in person."

Qin Yi finally understood why the Palace Master had not personally attended this Daoist Dao Discussion Assembly, which should have reflected the Palace Master's importance.

No wonder some members of the Scheming Sect have started using their schemes against their fellow disciples, attempting to gradually annex or squeeze out their space and seize resources, with the ultimate goal likely being to usurp the position of Palace Master. Given this power struggle within the sect, the Palace Master shouldn't be completely oblivious. Perhaps there's some unusual situation at play, making a public show of force unsuitable, forcing a tacit understanding?

"Something seems to have happened to the Palace Master... Before his last public appearance, did you hear that he was going to cultivate some kind of Cultivation Method in seclusion, or do anything like that?"

Ju Yunxiu pondered for a moment, "I've only heard the crane mention a strange term, 'guarding a tomb.' But in this celestial palace, whose tomb is worthy of the palace master's seclusion to guard?"

Qin Yi was also bewildered. Ju Yunxiu didn't know something even after a thousand years in the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace, then Qin Yi knew even less about the Immortal Palace, let alone be able to figure out anything.

But at least one thing can be determined.

The Palace Master is essentially in a semi-retired state and rarely appears in public. Most of the stewards in the main hall of the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace Immortal Palace Main Hall n't possess high levels of cultivation; their duties are primarily to manage internal and external affairs. In other words, the true controllers of the Myriad Paths Immortal Palace are the leaders of the four strongest sects; whoever subdues the other three sects becomes the acting Palace Master...

If you only have a few skills in Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, Painting, and painting, who else would people turn to if not you?

"If that's the case... we could actually get the other two sects involved, and teach them the lesson of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'—if we're wiped out, they'll be next. Why should we two sects foolishly fight one-on-one?"

Ju Yunxiu hesitated and said, "If others get involved, the situation will become more complicated. We are ultimately outnumbered and will be unable to cope."

Qin Yi said, "But the other side has already brought in outsiders, so they're not as gentlemanly as we might think. I'm afraid we'll have to fight two against one, and that would be a real tragedy."

"Huh?" Ju Yunxiu didn't react for a moment.

Qin Yi chuckled coldly, "Where did Xi Xiangzi get his Great Joy Temple elixirs from?"