Continuing Bitter Cultivation

Continuing Bitter Cultivation

Thousand Wood Temple, Back Mountain.

After returning to the temple and exchanging a few simple pleasantries with his Senior and Junior Brothers, Wang Ping went to the Back Mountain to pay his respects to Daoist Yucheng.

"Go put down your luggage first." Daoist Yucheng was still as calm and unhurried as ever.

"Yes!"

Wang Ping entered his little cottage. The familiar surroundings and scents relaxed both his body and mind as never before.

Yulian also wriggled out of Wang Ping's arms, leaping from his arm onto the only Wooden Table in the room. She looked left, then right.

Wang Ping placed his luggage and Precious Sword on the bed, took off his dust-covered daoist robe, and changed into a summer set of Casual Clothes. As he pushed open the door, Yulian leaped down from a roof beam onto him, coiling around his arm as she followed him outside.

Daoist Yucheng had already brewed the tea. It was ordinary Plain Tea, with neither sugar nor salt added, yet a faint Spiritual Energy Fluctuation could be felt with a single sip.

"I want tea too..."

Yulian sprawled across the Stone Table, though her tail remained wrapped around Wang Ping's wrist.

Sensing Yulian's thoughts, Daoist Yucheng took out another teacup and poured her some tea before Wang Ping could speak. Yulian disliked the temperature of the tea, so she blew at the steam, and the tea cooled at a visible rate.

"Some time ago, two Inspectors from the Daoist Scripture Hall came to the temple to inquire about you." Daoist Yucheng began with this matter.

"It should be about what happened to me on Mozhou Road..."

Wang Ping told his Master everything that had happened in Yuanning County without holding anything back, reporting his own suspicions as well.

After listening, Daoist Yucheng remained neither sorrowful nor pleased. "In this Heaven and Earth, from the great-realm Cultivators of every sect down to the lowest Qi practitioners, the sole standard for action is to improve one's own cultivation. Small fry merely rob homes and plunder households. The great figures... their schemes can even bring down an entire nation, let alone a tiny Mozhou Road."

Central Province's clearly recorded history stretched back five thousand years, beginning only when the Human Way had flourished. Over those three thousand years, more than nine orthodox dynasties had been established. In the border regions alone, there had been at least several hundred changes of power. Add the Ancient Era before the Human Way rose, and no one knew how many more years there had been.

"You need not concern yourself with what happens on Mozhou Road. Your task is to complete Marrow Cleansing as soon as possible. When you need to go down the mountain, I will remind you."

After speaking his final sentence, Daoist Yucheng refilled Wang Ping's and Yulian's cups, then gently set down the teapot and returned to his room to meditate.

Wang Ping rose and bowed toward Daoist Yucheng's room, then sat back down and continued drinking tea.

"This water is tasty. Better than the water in your Water Canteen." After Daoist Yucheng left, Yulian loosened her tail from Wang Ping's wrist and imitated him by using her tail to hold up the teacup. She narrowed her eyes as she savored the tea.

Wang Ping, meanwhile, stared blankly at his teacup...

For a long time to come, he could only pass his days in arduous cultivation.

Yet this was also what he sought. There was too much suffering outside, and with his current State of Mind, lingering too long amid the karmic consequences of the Mortal World would be greatly detrimental to his future cultivation.

Five years passed in the blink of an eye.

Over those five years, aside from Qi Refining and Marrow Cleansing, Wang Ping's most important task had been to follow Daoist Yucheng's instructions: clear all vegetation from the summit of Thousand Wood Mountain, then plant a Huai Tree sapling at its center and nourish it with his own spiritual energy every day.

After five years of spiritual energy nourishment, the little sapling had grown to over eight feet tall. Wang Ping had also moved his residence from the Back Mountain to the summit, building a small courtyard beside the Huai Tree and thoroughly withdrawing from the troubles of the mortal world.

That morning, Wang Ping was seated as usual on a cushion before the Huai Tree, practicing Qi Refining. A burst of Footstep Sound came from the mountain path, causing him to open his eyes. These footsteps did not sound like those of the Young Disciple who usually delivered meals.

He opened his eyes...

And saw a dignified, imposing Youth.

It was Wang Kang. He had already undergone his Coming-of-Age Ceremony.

"Senior brother!" Wang Kang's face was rosy, and obvious delight shone between his brows.

"So it's junior brother. Why aren't you cultivating properly? What are you doing here?"

"The Apprenticeship Ceremony is tomorrow. I've taken on disciples too!"

The smile on Wang Kang's face grew even brighter.

For an instant, Wang Ping was dazed. Looking at Wang Kang's smiling face, he tried hard to recall what he had once looked like, but could not remember at all.

"And once the Apprenticeship Ceremony is over, the three senior brothers will be leaving... I'll take over Senior Brother Yu Long's position and be responsible for teaching the New Disciples martial arts and Qi Refining. There are also three junior brothers..."

Wang Ping quietly listened to his junior brother's introduction, unable to stop himself from recalling what Daoist Yucheng had told him and the three senior brothers in the Main Hall when he had cultivated the Evergreen Cultivation Technique to perfection.

The three senior brothers had no hope of Marrow Cleansing or Foundation Establishment. Staying at Thousand Wood Temple any longer would be little different from sitting in prison, so leaving was the best choice. Thinking this, Wang Ping looked at the junior brother before him. He would likely only reach Qi Refining as well. In the future, he too would face the same problem as the three senior brothers.

"Oh, right. Senior Brother Su will be coming tomorrow too. I heard he even has children now—two of them."

Wang Kang followed Wang Ping into the small courtyard. He seemed to have endless things to say, talking so much that he woke Yulian, who was sleeping beneath the eaves in a Fur Coat. After five years of growth, Yulian had passed her childhood stage, though she still liked wrapping herself around Wang Ping's arm in ordinary times.

"Can you chase him away? He's so annoying!"

Yulian was still afraid of the cold, but she was no longer as timid and shrinking as before, too scared to leave the warmth of her bedding.

Wang Ping ignored Yulian's request outright, taking out a stove to Boil Water and Brew Tea.

The Senior and Junior Brothers talked until noon, when the Young Disciple delivered their meal. The food was still the same as before: two Steamed Buns and a plate of Fried Tofu. Wang Kang left together with the Young Disciple who brought the food, likely having his mind on the noon meal.

"I'm hungry too..."

"Get it yourself!"

"But it's cold..."

Wang Ping and Yulian tugged back and forth for quite a while. In the end, Yulian admitted defeat, crawling out of the warm Fur Coat and tearing down a piece of air-dried meat from the wall on the right side of the room.

"It tastes awful. When will winter ever end?"

After eating, Yulian returned to the Fur Coat as fast as she could. Wrapped in it with only her head exposed, she stared blankly at the eaves.

After Wang Ping finished his meal, he suddenly felt like practicing swordsmanship. Thus, he stretched out his hand toward the Precious Sword hanging to the left of the Main Gate, channeling spiritual energy to drive it from its sheath.

"Clang."

The Precious Sword landed steadily in Wang Ping's hand.

After casually performing a set of the Thousand Wood Sword Art, the vexation in Wang Ping's heart dissipated considerably.

That afternoon, he continued the Marrow Cleansing he had not completed that morning. Then, following Daoist Yucheng's instructions, he used his own spiritual energy to nourish the Huai Tree. He vaguely felt this step should be connected to a secret art of his future cultivation, so he never dared to slack off each day.

The next day.

When Wang Ping awoke from Enter Meditation, he cast three divinations. Every Divination Sign was favorable.

"What are you thinking about again?"

"Nothing!"

"Then why is your Spirit Sea such a mess?"

"..."

Having passed her childhood stage, Yulian was no longer as easy to fool as before. She always loved asking troubling whys.