Tongming Jade Slip

"Ah." Li Yunxin blinked without changing expression. "What do you mean? What is that?"

Red Pine Master and Kang Cangzi, on the other hand, both showed faintly complicated changes in expression. Ordinary people probably would not have noticed them.

"Have you heard of painters, little brother?" This time, Kang Cangzi suddenly spoke.

Li Yunxin raised a brow. "Oh, my father mentioned them before."

Kang Cangzi said, "Ha, your honored father knew of such things too? Truly broad in knowledge and experience. Then before his passing, your honored father was—"

Red Pine Master gave him a look, then laughed heartily to smooth it over. "Painters are common enough among worldly folk. But we are not speaking of those people. We mean the great masters of ancient times."

"The painters wandering the streets nowadays have already fallen into becoming Jianghu swindlers. Even the occasional skilled one cannot be mentioned in the same breath as the masters of old. It is said that within the famous scrolls passed down by the great painters of ancient times, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the sorrows and joys of all things were sealed away. Take, for example, the famous scroll 'A Thousand Miles of Desolation' held by the Pure High Alchemy Sect today—if you carefully experienced it with your divine sense, you could feel that bleak, cold desolation. When the ancient masters set brush to paper, they captured a trace of spiritual energy from the landscapes stretching a thousand miles. To experience such a painting was like standing within the scene itself—even more so. That was because those senior masters had attained greater realms and infused their own insights into the painting. Experiencing that painting was like receiving an empowerment from a great master."

"With that being so, why would you need to race east and west, sleep beneath the wind and eat beneath the dew, and rack your brains to no avail?" Red Pine Master sighed softly. "How many extraordinarily gifted people failed to advance their realm because they lacked but the tiniest fraction, and died in gloom and frustration!"

Li Yunxin blinked innocently. "So it is like that feeling was put into the painting and sealed away. Then when someone else looked at it, they could directly comprehend the insights of the master who painted it—basically picking the fruit right off the tree."

"Precisely."

"Then if this method is so great, why not paint more of them?"

Red Pine Master smiled bitterly. "How could it be so easy? The Painting Dao has declined for a thousand years and is already dwindling away. Today, there are two Sages in the world, but two thousand years ago, there were three—the Sword Sage, the Calligraphy Sage, and the Painting Sage! But the Painting Sage later entered the demonic path and was besieged by masters from all under heaven. Since then, the Painting Dao's supreme secret canon, the Tongming Jade Slip, has vanished without a trace, and the Painting Dao has been unable to flourish again. There are still some Grotto Heavens and schools that keep great masters as Attendants—men called Danqing Daoists. But even these people are far inferior to those of the past."

"I see." Li Yunxin nodded. "Then what are Grotto Heavens and schools?"

At that moment, he looked like a student seeking instruction, his eyes full of yearning.

Kang Cangzi seemed somewhat anxious, but Red Pine Master gave him another look and patiently explained, "There are two Sages in the world today. Beneath the two Sages are the Sword Sect's eighteen Grotto Heavens and the Dao Tradition's eighteen Grotto Heavens, together called the Thirty-Six Grotto Heavens. These are inheritances established by the two Sages' personal disciples, who had the opportunity to hear the teachings of the two Sages face-to-face. Below them are the Sword Sect's thirty-six schools and the Dao Tradition's thirty-six schools. These are inheritances established by the disciples and descendants of the Thirty-Six Grotto Heaven disciples. Together, they are called the Seventy-Two Schools, and they too are quite formidable. Below that lies the secular world."

"The Seventy-Two Schools' stations in the secular world, the unorthodox paths established by worldly people, and those wild Daoists who betrayed their masters... well... there are also some independent cultivators and recluses devoted to the Dao, quietly cultivating the Heavenly Heart Orthodox Law..."

"Oh." Li Yunxin nodded. "You two are both men of the Dao. Which Grotto Heaven or school do you belong to?"

"Er... the Seventy-Two Schools are already blessed lands of the mortal realm—ordinary mortals are mostly fated never to see them. As for the Thirty-Six Grotto Heavens, they are even more the dwellings of immortals. Heh heh, the two of us are not disciples of any Grotto Heaven or school." Red Pine Master gave a bitter laugh. "We are merely idle Daoists quietly cultivating the Heavenly Heart Orthodox Law. Of course, this Heavenly Heart Orthodox Law is also an orthodox Mystic Sect lineage taught by supreme Celestial Humans, after the two Sages sensed and received the ways of heaven and earth."

"That sounds **." Li Yunxin said.

"Hmm?"

"Oh, it means super great."

Though he did not quite understand, Red Pine Master still cupped his hands slightly. "Not at all, not at all."

Then he looked at Li Yunxin. "Little brother, you are no ordinary person, are you?"

"Mhm. I'm not."

Li Yunxin's answer made the two Daoists pause in slight surprise. They had not expected him to admit it so readily—then what had they wasted all that breath for earlier?

Red Pine Master cleared his throat. "So it seems. Brother Li has extraordinary bones and is certainly no mediocre man. In truth, the reason we came to your door was precisely because of you, Brother Li."

Li Yunxin could actually see that much himself. After hearing what these two had said, he realized that his parents... probably truly had been far from ordinary. He also realized that the thunderstorm from a year ago could never have been an accident. But if enemies had come to kill them, why had they not killed him too? That was something he could not understand.

But that did not stop him from guessing that these two Daoists might have come because of that anomaly from a year ago.

People from the village occasionally went to the county town as well. There was a lack of major news in these times, so something like a thunderstorm striking two people dead overnight would inevitably become a topic of conversation for some time. Then it would spread farther and farther, until some interested party heard of it...

And so, had they not come looking?

Perhaps the two Daoists thought their expressions could fool a fourteen-year-old boy, or perhaps they believed that their probing from the day before had already established that this boy was a greenhorn. But the problem was... the one beneath Li Yunxin's skin could not be considered a genuine boy at all.

At that moment, he felt that his parents had probably thought that if the three of them could live out their lives peacefully and steadily in this mountain village, then there would be no need to tell him too much. Young people, after all—once they knew too much, they were always bound to stir up trouble.

If one day a great change suddenly came and they could no longer live in peace, then it would not be too late to explain everything to him in detail. It was only that they had not expected to meet such an end and die.

Thinking of the divine abilities his father had once displayed, then recalling what these two Daoists had just said, a guess that both shocked and thrilled him surfaced in Li Yunxin's mind.

The Painting Sage, the Painting Dao, painters... the Tongming Jade Slip.

Could that secret canon of the Painting Dao... be with his parents?

Heh... had these two minor Daoists come seeking treasure?

Li Yunxin replied to Red Pine Master, "You came for me?"

"Yes." Red Pine Master turned solemn. "A year ago, a thunder anomaly occurred here. When the two of us heard of it, we knew that perhaps a spiritual treasure had emerged. Brother Li's parents met with misfortune because of it, and this poor Daoist is deeply saddened as well. But since things have already come to this, and Brother Li appears to possess a Dao Bone, this poor Daoist will speak frankly."

"Treasure is a good thing. If it is gold, silver, or worldly wealth, then when worldly folk obtain it, they may enjoy a spell of glory and riches, and it can be considered put to proper use. But if it is something else, such as a Dao Tradition spiritual treasure, a Sword Sect divine weapon, and so on, then it is not something ordinary people can bear to possess. For example, if little brother obtained some Dao Tradition spiritual treasure—but did not know cultivation methods or understand the Heavenly Heart Orthodox Law—it would be no different from useless junk. You would be better off offering that spiritual treasure to some school, or even a Grotto Heaven. First, it would be put to proper use; second, perhaps you could become a true Mystic Sect disciple, one among immortals, which would bring you enormous benefits as well. The reason we came was precisely because..."

"Wait, wait, wait..." Li Yunxin frowned and waved a hand. "So you think my parents and I were all rather unusual. Then something happened, and you think I have some treasure here."

Red Pine Master was somewhat puzzled by his attitude. He exchanged a glance with Kang Cangzi and said, "That is indeed so. But the two of us merely could not bear to see that spiritual treasure left to drift amid mortal dust, nor could we bear to see someone as naturally gifted and intelligent as little brother—"

"Then here is the problem." Li Yunxin grabbed pine nuts from a small basket on the table and shook his head. "Since you think that treasure can be offered to a school or a Grotto Heaven—oh, the incredibly impressive sects you mentioned before—then that thing must be immensely valuable. So... can you tell me what treasure you are looking for? Then I can have some idea, and search around my room later."

Red Pine Master's expression changed, and just as he was about to speak, Li Yunxin began chattering again while grabbing pine nuts. "Then there is another problem. Look, you think my parents were not ordinary people, and by normal logic, I should not be ordinary either. Then you should not have tried to fool me with what you said earlier. Yet you still did it—does that mean you got some information from somewhere, information about me, and decided that I truly knew nothing? That I was just a child?"

"First, you do not understand my situation. Second, you do not know exactly what treasure you want... so does that mean you killed the people who truly knew the truth and had intended to come deal with me? Hahaha, right, that is exactly it—so you only understand half the story yourselves and have no idea what it is you are really looking for."

The two Daoists exchanged glances. Suddenly, they felt a trace of sinister air about the boy before them—he did not seem like a fourteen-year-old youth at all, but more like some ancient monster!

And yet everything he said was the truth!

How had he thought of it?!

"I also know that you two intend to trick me into handing over the treasure, then kill me." Li Yunxin sat up straight and pointed at his own face. "There are too many flaws in your expressions. People say murderous light shows in one's eyes, but the light in yours could be used as searchlights."

Kang Cangzi suddenly sneered. "Oh, you are right. All of it—right. We did kill an injured old fellow. They said he was even from a Dao Tradition Grotto Heaven—how impressive. But now, you are merely a mountain brat. No matter how much you know... heh heh heh. Hmm, you think you have some tricks, but do you know the methods my brother and I possess?"

"Your parents were merely two traitorous disciples of the True Martial Sect. They stole a treasure and fled here. They say their talisman arts were passable enough, but do you know who we are?!"

He slapped the table and shouted toward the air, "Sword, come!"

From who knew where, a refined steel longsword two fingers wide tore through the air and landed in his palm with a smack.

Red Pine Master rose soundlessly as well, a steel sword appearing in his hand too.

The three had originally been seated around the table. Now, the two longswords lay across Li Yunxin's front, sealing off all his paths of retreat.

Yet after Red Pine Master stood, Li Yunxin instead slammed the table as well and sprang to his feet. Without yielding in the slightest, he shouted, "You want to know what I have? Huh? Fine, I'll tell you. The treasure in my hands—listen carefully—is the Painting Dao's secret canon, the Tongming Jade Slip! You two want this? Huh? Want this? Fine, kill me and take it! Once you take it, if even the slightest word leaks out, let's see whether you can swallow it down! Ordinary people can't bear to possess it? Can you bear to possess this thing?!"

When Red Pine Master and Kang Cangzi heard the four words "Tongming Jade Slip," their eyes flew wide open, and they froze for an instant.

That old Daoist from the Grotto Heaven... had only said it was... the 'Ten Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers' left behind by a Daoist Danqing a thousand years ago...?