At daybreak, a gentle drizzle fell. The air was fresh and tranquil, while clouds drifted around the mountainside like a gauzy veil, softening the mountain's outline until it seemed hazy and indistinct, like an ink painting.
Xiang Yuan stepped out of Lesser Morality Temple, the corners of his mouth curling up beyond his ability to suppress.
With his master and senior helping him circulate his qi last night, he had not only opened the Shenque Acupoint but surged forward, breaking through the Shuifen, Xiayuan, Juque, Zhongting, and other acupoints with unstoppable momentum. His qi had now reached the Danzhong acupoint in his chest. He had opened sixteen of the Ren Meridian's twenty-four acupoints, and Foundation Establishment was just around the corner.
Good fortune had put a spring in his step. After a night of cultivation, he felt not the slightest bit tired.
And with a clear path to cultivation ahead of him, he was in high spirits and felt much more confident.
He had barely taken a few steps when he spotted Old Daoist Quexin beneath a tree ahead. His figure was blurry, untouched by the drizzle, and grew transparent from the waist down, as if a ghost had appeared in broad daylight.
Xiang Yuan was horrified. Remembering Spiritual Light Old Devil's identity, he guessed that his master had gone to the Southern Border to find this opportunity for him. He hurried over. "Master, what happened to you? Your injuries... look very serious."
More than serious, by the look of it, he had lost his physical body.
Old Daoist Quexin stroked his long beard. "Don't worry. There's more to Spiritual Light's death than meets the eye. It's inconvenient for me to meet you in person, so I sent my art here through divine perception. That way, no one can divine what happened and bring a fatal disaster down on you."
Only then did Xiang Yuan relax, his sadness fading. Looking at his master's current appearance, he was clearly a genie from a magic lamp.
He took out the cracked Bagua Heart-Protecting Mirror and held it out in both hands. "I owe my life to this. It's a pity the mirror broke."
Old Daoist Quexin put away the treasured mirror. He had known it would suffer this fate, but still couldn't help feeling a pang of distress.
Xiang Yuan asked curiously, "Master, this Heart-Protecting Mirror is so powerful that killing Spiritual Light... er, Senior Uncle Spiritual Light was a piece of cake. How did it break so easily?"
"It wasn't easy. It destroyed not just the Spiritual Light in this world, but other Spiritual Lights as well..."
Old Daoist Quexin stopped halfway through. Seeing the umbrella on Xiang Yuan's back, he smiled. "It seems your fated encounter is set. You chose to take this path."
"Master, what exactly is this fated encounter?"
Xiang Yuan was full of curiosity. Carrying an umbrella in the rain had to mean helping someone out.
The question was, who would share an umbrella with him? A snake demon who had cultivated for a thousand years?
"You'll find out who your fated person is when you go. If I tell you, you'll inevitably start trying to make it happen. Whether you hurry or take your time, forcing it will break the connection." Old Daoist Quexin still wasn't willing to say more.
Xiang Yuan didn't press him. Instead, he asked, "Master, I gained some of Senior Uncle Spiritual Light's memories and inherited a number of martial arts. One of them is our sect's secret art, the Formless Seal Method. Is it appropriate for me to use it?"
As he spoke, he studied Old Daoist Quexin curiously.
The moment he saw the old Daoist, fragments of Spiritual Light's memories had surfaced. Most showed him being unprincipled and shameless, filling in the blanks and giving Xiang Yuan a much clearer picture of his own master.
In a word, his master's Daoist name was aptly chosen. He really was quite Quexin.
"Our sect values the heart. The divine art and opportunity came to you, so they're yours. There's no question of whether it's appropriate. Just don't tell outsiders."
Old Daoist Quexin gauged the time. His figure began to fade, and he disappeared along with the treasured mirror. "Cultivating at the Sect Gate is cultivation, and cultivating in the mortal world is cultivation too. Your path doesn't lie in the mountains, so I won't take you back to Northern Qi. If you wish, you can come find me at the True Heart Dao someday."
With that, he left no trace behind.
He appeared like a divine dragon, then vanished without a trace—a true reclusive master.
If Xiang Yuan hadn't seen Spiritual Light's memories, he probably would have believed it.
"You just leave without a word? I still had so many questions. For example, this headache of mine seems a little abnormal..."
Xiang Yuan muttered to himself, unable to figure out what his master was thinking. On the one hand, his master seemed to be brushing him off; on the other, he had left him a treasure for protection and personally gone to the Southern Border to hunt down Spiritual Light, keeping his disciple safe. His master seemed devoted, yet after leading him through the door, he'd turned and walked away, leaving him to grow wild on his own.
And he'd been showing off the whole time!
Though Xiang Yuan grumbled inwardly, he straightened his clothes and respectfully bowed three times toward the spot where Old Daoist Quexin had vanished.
Once he mastered the divine art, he would go to the True Heart Dao in Northern Qi and serve his master tea.
Xiang Yuan descended the barren mountain. Afraid of losing his way, he didn't dare take the shortcut through the mountains, instead following the main road. He deliberately opened his umbrella, hoping to see who his fated person really was.
He walked at varying speeds, his shoes caked in mud by the time he reached Yulin Academy. The west gate of the County Yamen was five li farther on. Still without a sign of his fated person, he refused to give up, turned onto a smaller road, and followed the river toward Zhao Family Village and Lin Family Village.
Maybe his fated person was a senior constable from Six Doors, a thousand-year-old snake demon who had taken human form and happened to need an umbrella.
When he reached the path where he had stood guard last night, the County Yamen constables had already left. He continued on and arrived at Lin Family Village on the banks of the River of Wrath.
The village was deserted and lifeless. Only a few Six Doors constables remained on patrol. Seeing Xiang Yuan, they hurried over to question him.
Xiang Yuan showed them his constable's token and explained who he was. "I got lost in the woods while surrounding the area last night. Then I ran into a poisonous miasma and fell victim to a criminal's tricks. I only found my way out at daybreak."
He was covered in mud, and his black boots were so caked that they had lost their shape. After he explained what had happened, the Six Doors constables' suspicions were put to rest.
Getting lost in the mountains was normal. Making it out alive was lucky enough.
"The County Yamen constables have already taken the prisoners back to town. You don't need to wait here. Go back yourself."
"May I ask, sir, when you were arresting the Five Poisons Cult criminals last night, did you happen to see a..."
Xiang Yuan briefly described the scene at Lesser Morality Temple. There had been a scar-faced man with arms that reached below his knees. At first, he'd thought the man was from Zhao Family Village, but now it seemed he must have been a member of the Five Poisons Cult.
Xiang Yuan had a vague feeling that this man held some status in the Five Poisons Cult.
"There were too many arrests last night. If you have questions, ask Captain Liu from your County Yamen." The Six Doors constable didn't seem very accommodating.
Xiang Yuan nodded. He'd only asked on a whim anyway, so no answer was no answer.
He turned and retraced his steps. Counting from when he'd left Lesser Morality Temple, he'd covered nearly thirty li after all that wandering. With his martial arts, he wasn't tired, but his stomach was growling.
Yulin Academy.
The drizzle meant classes ended early. The students all wore blue-and-white uniforms. Some left in groups under umbrellas, while others held their book bags over their heads for cover. A few recited poems and traded verses, and laughter filled the air.
Some were happy, others worried. At the academy gate, an elderly man was lecturing a young man in his early twenties.
The old man wore a blue robe and had a refined, gentle air about him. His graying temples spoke of a life weathered by time, while his steady composure suggested a man of learning and experience. He was a learned old scholar.
He was Wang Wenxu, the educational commissioner of Fengxian County.
The young man he was scolding was in his early twenties, with a face as handsome as jade and a striking appearance that set him apart from the other students. But there was a weary look between his brows, and he seemed short on energy.
Perhaps he had stayed up late studying and been caught dozing in class.
It was also possible he was simply lazy, an idler with no ambition.
"Your father and I are acquainted. He sent you all this way to study at the academy and entrusted me with helping you succeed. Yet you spend every day loafing about. Where is your filial piety?"
"Honorable teacher, you've misunderstood. I work hard at my studies while I'm out loafing. That's the height of filial piety!"
"You—you..."
Wang Wenxu's face twitched with anger. He muttered that the young man had no ambition and was a rotten log that could not be carved, then stormed off with a furious sweep of his sleeve.
"Honorable teacher, don't go! Lend me an umbrella so I can..."
Seeing that Wang Wenxu ignored him, the young man shrugged and looked around. The academy gate stood empty, and he was the only one left.
Rain fell from the sky. In the distance, the students hurried along with books raised over their heads. As for him, he didn't even have a book, let alone a book bag.
"Books are always in short supply when you need them. Honorable teacher, I understand now."
"Classes ended early today, and the carriage from home hasn't arrived. Am I really supposed to walk back in the rain?"
"That wouldn't be proper. Getting my clothes wet would be unseemly, and if the old man sees me, he'll start nagging again."
As he muttered to himself, he spotted a constable walking along the road in the distance, holding an umbrella.
Their eyes met.
Oh, there's an umbrella.
Damn, I shouldn't have looked at him.
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