After encountering a monster, Luo Qiu once again came across the mysterious power of the ancient East not long afterward.
Daoist Cultivator.
At first, the old man brought him a strange sense of oppression. But that pressure soon vanished. It was not because of You Ye, but because his own soul resonated with the altar hidden within the Club in some mysterious way.
It was just like the descriptions of liches in certain Western fantasy works he had read before. Liches were immortal because they hid their hearts inside phylacteries. As long as their hearts remained intact, they possessed an undying body.
This seemed to apply to Luo Qiu as well. Only it was not his heart, but something even more ethereal—the soul.
Luo Qiu's soul... was inside the Club's altar. It could be said to be imprisoned there, or protected there. Therefore, as long as the altar continued to exist and Luo Qiu's existence remained sufficient, he was theoretically immortal as well.
"You Ye, can you deal with this old man?" Luo Qiu suddenly asked.
You Ye said proudly, "He's nothing but a useless old fool. How dare he use Mental Power to threaten Master? Watch me take care of him."
It was unclear what type of puppet the alchemist who had created You Ye had intended her to be. But judging from the fact that she could eliminate an Eastern Daoist Cultivator, she clearly had not been made merely for housework and entertaining guests.
"This old man says the White Jade Token belonged to his sect. I want to find out the truth as well." Luo Qiu pondered. "Don't be too heavy-handed."
You Ye nodded. Once again, a sharp, chilling gaze emerged in her eyes. An immense Mental Power, invisible and intangible, erupted in an instant.
Luo Qiu did not feel much of it, probably because his own abilities had not yet reached the necessary level. Yang Taizi, however, personally experienced the true meaning of courting death.
Under You Ye's overwhelming Mental Power, Yang Taizi seemed to see mountains of blades and seas of fire, as though he had been plunged into the wails of countless ferocious ghosts. He guarded the tiny platform of clarity within his mind. In Eastern Daoist cultivation, the life soul was of the utmost importance. If the life soul was injured, the lightest consequence was cultivation deviation; at worst, one might never reincarnate.
In merely an instant, the old man once again realized the enormous disparity between them. He regretted coming to the outhouse at the mountain's Daoist cultivation grounds so much that his guts turned green.
But what could he do? The White Jade Token was an important item passed down through his sect. As a descendant of the sect, he had a duty to retrieve it! If it had merely been an ordinary treasure unrelated to his sect, then after witnessing the terror of this strange woman at the auction, the old man absolutely would not have sought death.
"Wait! Please wait! Fellow Daoist! These two White Jade Tokens truly belong to my sect! I bear no ill will. At first, I only intended to frighten you a little." Yang Taizi hurriedly shouted.
At a time like this, who still cared about face? Cultivation was cultivation for the sake of longevity. If he were crippled here, what face would he have to meet the ancestors of past generations?
Did a cultivator really have to be unable to read the situation and insist on supporting a stiff backbone to the bitter end? This was called following the course of fate: knowing something could not be done meant not doing it. If one foolishly believed that everyone was born with the destiny of a protagonist and that "you only need to stop being a coward and confront them directly," then one could truly die miserably without anyone ever knowing.
During those years of war, he and a group of people fled to the mountains and disturbed the Daoists who cultivated there and avoided worldly affairs. By a stroke of fate, the group was accepted into the old man's sect. After some time, the fellow disciples achieved minor success in their cultivation and gained abilities beyond ordinary people. They all descended the mountain, hoping to make a name for themselves amid the chaotic times. They did not seek longevity, nor could they endure the hardship of cultivating for it. Enjoying a lifetime of wealth and glory was enough for them. Yang Taizi, however, was different. He knew how to read the situation. He knew that although their abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people, the chaos of war was filled with artillery and grenades. How could flesh and blood easily withstand those? Besides, thinking one could roam the world after learning only a little was itself a moronic way of thinking. Yang Taizi did not descend the mountain. He chose to remain there and accompany his master. Many years later, he had received his master's true teachings, while all those fellow disciples from back then had long since died in the wars, leaving not even their bones behind. They could only have simple tombs built with their clothes and crowns. As the saying went, everything could be discussed. One should not become arrogant and overbearing over petty gains. When it was time to be a coward, one should obediently be a coward. After all, the future was long. Who knew what circumstances and changes tomorrow might bring? Proceeding slowly and steadily was the true principle of life.
Thus, Yang Taizi completely lowered his stance. In the eyes of worldly people, Daoist Cultivators like them were mysterious and unfathomable and deserved respect and awe. Yet in the world of Daoist Cultivators, a stronger person was simply stronger, and even the smallest gap was like the difference between heaven and earth. Lowering one's head to an opponent stronger than oneself was not something shameful.
Luo Qiu waved for You Ye to stop. He actually felt little guilt watching an old man bullied to this extent. He especially disliked those people who relied on their age to act superior. Every generation had its own way of thinking; this was probably the attitude of most young people. That did not mean they could not respect their elders, but the elders also had to be worthy of respect. First impressions mattered. If the initial impression was already bad, then when people began interacting with each other, an invisible barrier had already formed between them.
"Su Houde told a story that gave me reason to believe him." Luo Qiu pondered. "But what reason do you have for me to believe that these two White Jade Tokens belong to your sect?"
Seeing that there was room for discussion, Yang Taizi hurriedly said, "The inscription carved into these two Jade Tokens is the Supreme Jade Emperor's Heart Seal Subtle Scripture. But it isn't the ordinary Daoist scripture that has been passed down to the present. It's the inner version! I can recite some of it silently. If this fellow truly was the jade craftsman from back then, he should naturally recognize it and be able to distinguish the genuine from the false."
Luo Qiu said indifferently, "Then try."
Yang Taizi quickly recited several lines silently... It was probably something he had chosen at random, as it was disjointed and incomprehensible. But Luo Qiu carefully noticed that Su Houde underwent a slight change after hearing it.
Unexpectedly, after Yang Taizi finished reciting, Su Houde insisted that the old man was a fraud and merely wanted to take the Jade Tokens for himself.
"Benefactor! This old Daoist saved you once before, at least! You can't be so ungrateful!" Yang Taizi exploded with anger upon hearing Su Houde's words. "The gods are watching from three feet above your head!"
"The gods?" Su Houde sneered. "If such things truly existed, then after I've wandered the mortal world like a lonely ghost all these years, why haven't they taken pity on me? When San Niang's Three Souls and Seven Spirits were split apart by that demonic Daoist, why didn't they take pity on her? You're telling me that the gods are watching from three feet above my head? Bah!"
Yang Taizi said, "That year, Grandmaster ordered San Niang to enter the palace and assist Emperor Xianzong in cultivating the Dao. The plan was for her to temper herself in the mortal world and hone her Dao heart! Who could have expected her to develop mortal feelings, secretly engage with you, and anger the emperor? You were conceited about your talents and carved the evidence of your crimes into the Jade Tokens. In the end, you lost your head. You brought that fate upon yourself!"
"San Niang and I truly loved each other. Who cared about that ethereal path to immortality? You Daoist Cultivators suppress your emotions and desires until you've practically lost your humanity! You're nothing but a bunch of cold-blooded animals who don't understand true love! Give me the Jade Tokens!"
Su Houde suddenly went berserk and charged at the old man.
Luo Qiu found it somewhat tiresome the moment he saw this. He had originally thought he would be able to learn about the mysteries of Eastern Daoist cultivation, but it had turned into a melodramatic "immortal romance" television drama. He shook his head and turned to You Ye. "These people are noisy. Make them shut up and bring me the Jade Tokens."
Once her Master had spoken, You Ye had no more reservations. The mysterious puppet created by ancient alchemy released a powerful force in an instant.
With nothing more than a cold snort, Yang Taizi, Su Houde, and the young man beside Yang Taizi all cried out miserably and collapsed to the ground, clutching their heads in pain. You Ye beckoned toward Yang Taizi, and the Jade Tokens in his hand flew straight out.
You Ye caught the Jade Tokens and brought them before Luo Qiu.
Luo Qiu held the two Jade Tokens and looked at the three people on the ground, each wearing a different expression. He said indifferently, "I'll listen to what this San Niang has to say one last time."
He gently fitted the two Jade Tokens together. "If you're still here, if you know that an infatuated man has searched for you for several hundred years, and if you also know that your sect has a descendant here, then show yourself."
The two joined White Jade Tokens began to shine. Two wisps of Qingyan emerged from the Jade Tokens, swirling through the air before finally merging together.
It gradually took shape.
"Hahahahaha! Five hundred years! This old Daoist can finally see the light of day again!"
The one who appeared was not San Niang, who should have emerged, but a filthy, disheveled man who looked like a lunatic... Damn it, what an idiot. It was another old man!
Luo Qiu froze for a moment and cursed, "Fuck!"
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PS: I guess I'm just incapable of writing the plot properly... If you're enjoying this, remember to vote... Vote... Vooote...
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