Unbridled in pure abandon-who would forgive the Taoist way?

"What brings you here, junior brother?"

Beneath a gnarled old pine, on marble stools.

Two Taoists sat facing each other.

Offering a cup of hot tea, Xuanming asked curiously.

Ever since Sword Cliff had been established, his junior brothers and sisters had been very considerate, seldom coming to disturb him.

Besides, Xuan Yang had arrived in such a hurry this time.

Anyone with a functioning brain could guess that he had come with something important.

And that was indeed the case.

The fragrance of tea filled the air, white steam rising.

Looking at the emerald tea, Xuan Yang disregarded the risk of scalding his throat, raised the cup, and drained it like an ox chewing peonies.

His movements were bold, his face flushed.

Whether from urgency or the heat, it was hard to tell.

Xuanming's mouth twitched at the sight. He hurriedly lowered his head to sip his tea, hiding the speechless upward curl of his lips.

Those who know would say you're drinking tea.

Those who don't would think you're competing to see who can hold more liquor.

Xuanming grumbled inwardly without letting it show.

Partly because he was used to it, and partly because Xuan Yang's purpose mattered more.

Fortunately, his junior brother had always spoken plainly and promptly. Setting down his cup, he went straight to the point.

"Senior brother, someone from the Chen Residence down the mountain has come."

"Early this morning, the current patriarch, Chen Liang, personally brought his son and lavish gifts to pay his respects to our senior brother, the abbey master. He hopes his son can join the Truth-Seeking Abbey and become your disciple."

"I happened to go to True Mystery Peak on business, and Changchunzi told me about it. Then the abbey master sent me a voice transmission, asking me to let you know first so you wouldn't be caught off guard."

"The Chen Residence is a cultivation clan in Floating Cloud County. All these years, they and our Truth-Seeking Abbey have kept to their own waters, with no grudges or disputes."

"Our two sides worked together on the last flood-control effort. This time, they've also humbled themselves and shown ample sincerity."

"The abbey master can't refuse to give them face. I'm afraid he won't be able to delay them long, and will soon send Changchunzi to invite you over."

"Whether you accept or refuse, you should decide early, senior brother."

Xuanming did not answer immediately.

He lifted the teapot and refilled Xuan Yang's cup.

White steam curled upward, and the fragrance of tea spread.

When this junior brother of his raised the cup, about to gulp it down in another whale-sized swallow, he suddenly glared.

Xuan Yang's heart skipped a beat. Reacting swiftly, he immediately smelled the fragrance, blew on the steam, examined the tea, then took a light sip and slowly savored the pleasure of tea tasting.

The tea was bitter.

His taste buds were bitter.

Xuan Yang's heart was more bitter still.

He simply was not cut out for tea tasting.

He had never understood what was so enjoyable about something so bitter, so fussy, and so troublesome.

Especially since his senior brother was old, had a heavy palate, and liked strong tea, making the bitterness pile upon bitterness.

Although a sweet aftertaste would follow and soften the bitterness, he did not like sweet things either.

Compared with tea, Xuan Yang preferred wine.

The older it was, the more fragrant; the fiercer its flavor, the more satisfying.

When life offered wine, one ought to get drunk; a single drop could carry one on clouds to the ninth heaven.

Unfortunately, his senior brother loved tea and did not understand the wonders of wine.

Every time he visited, he was forced to drink tea.

Several times, his overly boisterous drinking had earned him a lesson from his senior brother: three whole pots of tea, with three flavors savored in every cup. Upon returning to Blazing Sun Peak, his body had been exhausted but his mind overexcited, leaving him sleepless all night.

After a few such experiences, he had learned his lesson.

This time, the matter had come up so suddenly, and he had been so busy bringing the news, that he had forgotten the rules.

Now that he had been reminded, Xuan Yang immediately slowed down, sipping and savoring. His expression betrayed nothing, but he felt uncomfortable all over and had to endure patiently, not daring to bristle.

Unbridled in pure abandon—who would forgive the Taoist way?

Those of the Taoist path liked following their hearts and hated restraint.

Xuanming was no different. He cared little for rules and elaborate formalities, or for the steps and postures of tea drinking.

A thousand people could drink the same tea and taste it differently; ten thousand could follow the same path with different hearts.

With any other Taoist, Xuanming would not have insisted. They could drink however they liked, or not drink at all.

Xuan Yang alone was an exception.

This junior brother of his had an impatient temperament, rushed headlong into things, and easily got carried away. The way of tea could soothe the emotions, temper the disposition, and refine the mind. Whenever they met over freshly brewed tea, Xuanming took the opportunity to temper Xuan Yang's Dao heart.

While Xuan Yang tasted his tea, Xuanming lowered his head in thought.

The Chen Residence and the Truth-Seeking Abbey were the two great cultivation powers of Floating Cloud County.

One stood below the mountain, the other atop it.

One engaged with the world, the other withdrew from it.

One was a lineage, the other a sect.

One was built upon blood ties, the other upon master-disciple bonds.

Their priorities, paths, goals, and spheres differed, with little overlap in many respects.

In some areas, they were complete opposites.

That was precisely why they had coexisted peacefully all these years.

The sudden visit from the Chen Residence's patriarch, who wanted his son to join the Truth-Seeking Abbey, was already enough to invite speculation.

And he had specifically asked for his son to enter Xuanming's tutelage.

Anyone who was not muddleheaded would realize something was strange.

After all, for his first fifty-five years, Xuanming had been as pure as a newborn babe, renowned for his innocence. For the following five years, he had remained obscure, secluded in the scripture repository, ignoring outside affairs as he painstakingly studied Taoist scriptures and pondered profound mysteries.

Only last year had he begun to rise to prominence, shedding his reputation for innocence and becoming an example of a late bloomer.

On the surface, he was merely a Third Realm cultivator, inferior to Xuanxu, Xuan Yang, Xuan Su, and the others, placing him somewhere in the middle.

He fell short of those above him but surpassed those below.

He was nowhere near qualified to take the Chen Residence patriarch's own son as his disciple.

Xuanming then counted his visible advantages:

[Highest seniority among the living Taoists of the Truth-Seeking Abbey]

[Youngest son of the previous abbey master]

[Senior maternal uncle of the Xu Family in Cangyue Commandery]

[Maternal uncle of the Yang Family in Tianhe Commandery]

The latter two were the families into which his two elder sisters in this life had married:

One was roughly as powerful as the Chen Residence, but had a longer heritage, deeper foundations, and broader connections.

The other was powerful, possessed deep foundations and extensive influence, had a five-hundred-year heritage and a Qi Refining expert presiding over it, and produced talented people in abundance—a genuine cultivation aristocratic clan.

Dao-Treasuring Peak, Path-Seeking Courtyard.

Xuanming let his thoughts range widely, weighing the possibilities carefully.

In the brief time it took to drink a cup of tea, his thoughts raced.

By the time the cup was empty, he had worked out several possible aims:

[An alliance of the strong]

A Chen Family descendant would enter the Truth-Seeking Abbey.

The two sides would thus gain a bond connecting them.

With the strong joining forces and watching out for each other, their strength would increase greatly.

Both powers could extend their influence beyond Floating Cloud County, even gaining some renown and a foothold in Fengyang Commandery.

[Usurping authority]

He held the highest seniority in the Truth-Seeking Abbey, and was currently the only third-generation disciple who had yet to take an apprentice.

If a Chen Family descendant secured the position of his first disciple, he would immediately stand out among all the fourth-generation disciples.

With the Chen Residence's full support and the legacy of the previous abbey master, that descendant's position would become even more exceptional.

In the future, he would be highly likely to wield considerable power in the Truth-Seeking Abbey and become an influential elder.

If circumstances allowed, he might even have a chance to compete with Changchunzi for the position of abbey master.

[Building connections by a roundabout route]

Compared with the Truth-Seeking Abbey, the Yang Family and Xu Family, being lineage-based powers themselves, could provide greater help to the Chen Family.

If a Chen Family descendant became his disciple, the Chen Residence could use him as a stepping stone to cultivate ties with the Yang and Xu families.

They could then exchange what each lacked and support one another.

[An advanced-study place]

If the Chen Family descendant wanted to join the Truth-Seeking Abbey, why had he not struck while the iron was hot after the successful flood-control effort? Why wait half a year? Why had he not come to seek a master when Xuanming advanced to the Third Realm?

Clearly, his intentions were not wholly sincere, and he almost certainly had another aim. There were few things in the Truth-Seeking Abbey worth coveting, and whatever he wanted could have been pursued earlier.

The greatest difference between the abbey now and before was that it held two admission places for Heaven and Earth Academy.

In the past, when weary from reading scriptures, Xuanming had sought out Xuanxu for leisurely conversation and learned that the Chen Residence had obtained a place at the Heaven and Earth Tower. Could their greed be unsated, prompting them to seek another advanced-study place?

Given his background and position, a Chen Family descendant who became his disciple might indeed obtain one.

What a fine scheme—several eagles felled with one arrow!

Having worked it out, Xuanming remarked inwardly, a cold smile on his face.

Although these were only guesses, they still startled him and sent a chill through his whole body.

The benefits of becoming his disciple were far too substantial.

Still, he would not take a disciple merely to verify whether his guesses were true.

At present, Xuanming had no such plans.

A teacher passed on the Dao, imparted knowledge, and resolved doubts.

His own cultivation was not yet sufficiently accomplished.

Taking a disciple would both hinder the student and divide his attention, consuming time and delaying his own cultivation.

Weighing it all up, the gains hardly justified the losses.

More importantly, Xuanming did not want to.

And as long as he refused to take a disciple and declined to play along, whatever the Chen Residence was plotting, and whether his guesses were true or false, he need not worry. The problem would unravel at a stroke, and the hidden danger would collapse without an attack.

Even if he had guessed wrongly, overthought the matter, and measured a gentleman's heart with a petty man's yardstick—even if the Chen Residence's descendant sincerely sought his tutelage with no other schemes—it would only mean they were not destined to be master and disciple.

The world contained countless disappointments.

One person seeking a master did not oblige another to accept a disciple.

It was a mutual choice, requiring willingness on both sides.

Once he thought this through, Xuanming's thoughts flowed freely. Some of his calculating worries fell away, replaced by greater steadiness and composure. His whole body felt lighter, and his bearing grew more transcendent and unfettered.

Noticing out of the corner of his eye that Xuan Yang's cup was empty, Xuanming lifted the teapot and unhesitatingly poured him more tea.

Xuan Yang, who had only just struggled through one cup: ...

If I could beat you, would you believe I'd make you gulp down three jars of strong liquor right in front of me?

Drink your heart out for this Taoist!

You're not leaving until you're drunk!

Of course, Xuan Yang only dared think these things.

In reality, he grinned, showing his big white teeth. With his burly frame and bushy beard, he looked like a smiling fool as he declared, "Thank you, senior brother."

He raised his cup and continued tasting the tea slowly and deliberately.

This poor Taoist's heart is bitter.

This poor Taoist dares not say so.

Xuanming was very satisfied with Xuan Yang's good sense. Otherwise, if his junior brother obstructed the free flow of his thoughts, he would certainly have to exert his hands to reason with him.

Refilling his own cup, Xuanming slowly savored the tea. Only after three cups, when Changchunzi came to invite him over, did he rise. Once outside the Path-Seeking Courtyard, he lightly pushed off with his toes and swept away through the air.

Watching his senior brother recede into the distance, Xuan Yang felt as though a great weight had been lifted.

He raised his hand to pour the remaining tea onto the old pine, but had barely tilted his wrist before pulling it back. Closing his eyes, he drained the rest in one gulp, then greased his soles and swiftly fled, as though a raging flood or savage beast were pursuing him.

He was going back to drink wine and soothe his wounded soul.

Until his thoughts flowed freely, he would not stop.

I've recovered now, so normal updates will resume tomorrow: two chapters guaranteed, three to keep things steady. I'll gradually make up the chapters I owe from before.

Thanks to readers 2023...6872, 2019...9435, and 2018...8174 for one monthly ticket each; thanks to reader 2023...6091 for two monthly tickets.