Awaiting Light

"I never imagined that after picking so carefully, choosing the poorest aristocratic clan and the one least likely to cause trouble, I'd end up inviting the greatest trouble of all. Somehow, I've gotten tangled up with a Wisdom King again."

Li Fuchan had truly been frightened badly by the Wisdom King. He even worried that the Destiny he had seized might also be something the Wisdom King had created.

"In the past, I was always rushing from place to place and never settled down to examine the foundations of Destiny. From now on, I'll have to seek out more ancient texts on the subject and investigate it properly."

He suppressed the agitation in his heart and headed straight for Eastwood Market.

In the market's western corner, a three-story wooden building stood quietly.

An old plaque hung above the entrance, bearing the words "Six-Rank Studio." Its paint was mottled, lending it a sober, timeworn air.

Two ever-burning lamps hung beneath the eaves. Their flames shone through plain gauze, bathing the bluestone paving outside the entrance in a warm yellow glow.

Li Fuchan stepped into the studio, and a young attendant came to greet him. He went straight to the point. "I'm here to collect my sword."

The attendant asked no further questions. He merely bowed and gestured, then led Li Fuchan through the front hall toward the rear courtyard.

An old pagoda tree grew in the rear courtyard, its luxuriant branches rising like a canopy. Beneath its shade, a middle-aged man sat at ease, drinking tea. He wore a long hemp-cloth robe, with a black silk sash tied loosely around his waist. His face was square, his forehead broad, his features open and clear. A few sparse wisps of beard hung beneath his chin, giving him something of a recluse's air.

Seeing Li Fuchan enter, Gu Liuru set down his teacup and smiled. "You've arrived at just the right time, fellow Daoist."

Li Fuchan sighed and cupped his hands. "If I weren't prompt, I fear I'd be too late."

Gu Liuru chuckled without probing further. He merely raised a hand to invite Li Fuchan to sit opposite him, then personally poured him a cup of tea. Amid the rising fragrance, he suddenly sighed. "The Immortal Sect herds the aristocratic clans, and the aristocratic clans pen in mortals. Demons run rampant, with no one to restrain them... Cruelty follows cruelty, through two long cycles; brutal laws endure, and two thousand years pass in a blink."

Li Fuchan had no mind to discuss the vicissitudes of the world just then. After a brief silence, he went straight to the point. "I've come to collect my sword, senior."

Gu Liuru glanced at him and said no more, merely nodding to the disciple standing beside him. The disciple turned and entered an inner room, returning shortly with a wooden case, which he presented to Li Fuchan with both hands.

Gu Liuru set down his teacup and said slowly, "This sword was forged from four spiritual materials: Golden Duke, Qifu Essence Marrow, Sixth-Rank Darksteel, and Gravewater Crystal. The moment it left the furnace, it gave off a radiant glow. Counted carefully, there were thirteen thousand five hundred strands of light, precisely matching the number of breaths a person takes in a day and a night. Thus, it possesses a little more Spiritual Nature than an ordinary magical artifact. Sadly, that radiance vanished in an instant. Had it lasted a little longer, the sword might have developed some subtle ability to change its size through Transformation."

At this point, he could not help expressing his regret. "If it were fortunate enough to soak in the Yang Family's Edge-Raising Pool, it would surely rise to another level once taken out."

He reached out and opened the wooden case. An Enchanted Sword lay quietly inside.

The blade had an archaic simplicity, its sharpness held in reserve. With its Wu Earth nature drawing everything inward, its cold gleam was as steady as frost, without the slightest hint of ostentation.

The sword was three feet seven inches long and weighed seventy-two jin. Li Fuchan took it from the case and tested its feel. It barely touched the level of an Outer Scenery magical artifact. This was the first magical artifact he had acquired since coming to this world, and he could not help feeling especially fond of it.

Gu Liuru gestured with a raised hand. "Fellow Daoist, you may give it a name now."

Li Fuchan nodded. "I've heard that when Li Thunder manifested in ancient times, the sun and moon dimmed, yin and yang pressed against one another, and heaven and earth lost their light. Only lightning and Li fire remained in the world, filling the wilderness in every direction. Then, evil demons recoiled, and living beings trembled. No demon dared emerge into the world, and no immortal cultivator dared devour people."

His gaze settled on the magical sword, his tone light. "I originally intended to name it 'Defying Light,' but feared that too grand a name might break this sword's edge. Better to call it 'Awaiting Light,' to proclaim my resolve to restore Li Thunder and shine with a radiance that pierces all darkness."

As Li Fuchan's words fell, the yang aspect of Lightning-Struck Wood thundered within his Outer Scenery. Green shoots had already appeared upon the wood, brimming with vitality.

Feeling his Dharma Power strengthen and his understanding of Li Thunder deepen, Li Fuchan thought, I knew you liked hearing that.

Gu Liuru clapped his hands in sincere praise. "A fine name! I never imagined you had some attainment in the Name-Aspect Method as well, fellow Daoist."

At these words, something stirred in Li Fuchan's heart. "You flatter me. I've merely encountered this method before and learned the barest rudiments. I still have much to ask you, senior."

Gu Liuru smiled. "You're too polite, fellow Daoist. The name-aspect method is an ancient art, and I know only a little of it myself, far less than you. If you wish to learn more, you could seek instruction at the Sixfold Truth Monastery on the western shore of Great Night Lake. The Sixfold Truth Monastery is an Ancient Era Dao Lineage, with a manifest Purple Mansion Lord presiding over it. Its foundations run deep, and it must have records of the name-aspect method. That True Lord once declared that he would teach without distinction, and that methods could be exchanged for methods. He certainly wouldn't let you make the journey in vain."

Li Fuchan quietly committed these words to memory.

With Li Hua, his font of knowledge, no longer at his side, and this master artifact refiner proving so widely learned, he decided to strike while the iron was hot and ask another question. "May I ask, senior, just what is the Edge-Raising Pool you mentioned earlier?"

Every cultivator south of the Yangtze yearned for the Edge-Raising Pool.

When Gu Liuru had mentioned it earlier, he had known Li Fuchan would be unable to resist asking.

He was advanced in years, with no path left for further progress. Telling Ancient Era stories and discussing profound mysteries were among his few remaining pleasures. Seeing Li Fuchan seek instruction so humbly, he held nothing back and explained:

"The Yang Family of Great Night Lake was formerly the Yangshe Family of Mianshan in Later Jin. Their ancestor, Yangshe Xu, was a lord who upheld the profound in Later Jin and cultivated Wandering Gold. The Edge-Raising Pool was one of Yangshe Xu's divine abilities."

Li Fuchan listened more closely.

Ever since appearing in this world, he had first cultivated Ancient Arts, then Li Thunder. Though his Dao Attainment in Li Thunder was considerable, it was, after all, a hidden Fruit Position. Its domineering thunder remained concealed and unmanifested, which inevitably had certain effects. Besides, his temperament truly did not suit a Dao that crushed evil and upheld righteousness so uncompromisingly. The slightest retreat diminished his Dao Attainment.

Had he not taken advantage of Tribulation Divination to strike the Great Compassionate Venerable Wisdom King a vicious blow and draw Li Thunder's attention, someone as cautious and prudent as him, who colluded with Demonic Cultivators, would long since have been struck dead.

If possible, I'd be better off switching to another Dao.

Now that Gu Liuru was discussing the mysteries of Ancient Era Dao lineages, he naturally listened with care.

Seeing Li Fuchan's expression, Gu Liuru smiled faintly and felt a little more pleased with himself. Determined to give him something truly astonishing, he declared:

"Wandering Gold nourishes without stagnating, flows without exhausting itself, and wanders without settling. It is the gold of escape, movement, and nourishment."

Li Fuchan's heart jolted. He felt those few words had laid bare some profound mystery, leaving him deeply shaken.

Gu Liuru paused, then continued. "Legend has it that Yangshe Xu once reached into the Edge-Raising Pool. With a mere curl of his finger, he could draw to himself any spiritual treasure below the Purple Mansion level. With a mere lift of his hand, all common metal would be nourished, allowing ordinary iron to undergo Transformation into an Inner Vision treasure. Later, when Song destroyed Later Jin, Yangshe Xu could no longer uphold the profound. As he fell from the Purple Mansion realm, he offered up nearly three hundred years of the Yangshe Family's accumulated wealth to save his life. He also personally wrote the Memorial Listing Jin’s Seventy-Two Crimes and the Plea for Mercy for the Song emperor, begging him to spare the Yangshe Family."

"Seeing that his divine abilities were about to be lost, the Song emperor ordered that the Yangshe Family must have no Inner Vision cultivators for three hundred years, and thus spared them. Yangshe Xu led his clansmen south. On his deathbed, he changed their surname from Yangshe to Yang and transformed this divine ability through Transformation into an Edge-Raising Pool. Though its miraculous powers were gone, it could still nourish magical artifacts, and only those of the Yang Family's bloodline could use it."

Watching Gu Liuru speak so freely, Li Fuchan unconsciously swallowed.

Wait, you're just passing judgment on a former lord who upheld the profound, saying all this right out in the open?

Heaven knew whether any remnants of Later Jin still existed, waiting to settle accounts after the autumn harvest. The Yang Family was still around too, now practically the foremost aristocratic clan of Great Night Lake. Besides, was it really all right for an old man at the Aperture Opening level to know secrets like these?

A chill crept down Li Fuchan's back. Just as he was wondering whether to rise and take his leave immediately, Gu Liuru saw through his misgivings. He chuckled and waved a hand in explanation. "No need to be nervous, fellow Daoist. The Yang Family of today claims no connection to the Yangshe Family. These old events are known not only to me, but to the Ning Family as well. After all, the Song emperor once circulated the Memorial Listing Jin’s Seventy-Two Crimes and the Plea for Mercy throughout South of the Yangtze, making them known to the whole world."

Only then did Li Fuchan understand, and the unease in his heart finally subsided.

The two chatted for a while longer. Gu Liuru felt increasingly that he and Li Fuchan were kindred spirits, and had already begun calling him Fuchan at every turn.

Li Fuchan took the opportunity to ask, "You're widely learned, senior. May I ask whether you know anything about Destiny?"

Gu Liuru pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Destiny is a Mystery Beyond Mystery. My cultivation is shallow, and I know little of it."

He paused before continuing. "But I once read a passage in an ancient text: 'Nature is the root of life, and life is the stem of nature.' The foundation of the Hundred-Scene Profound Immortal Way lies in taking from the substance of heaven and earth to replenish one's Life Force. Only upon attaining Divine Ability can a cultivator truly be said to possess his own Life Force. Perhaps Destiny has something to do with that."

Li Fuchan's eyes brightened slightly. He cupped his hands. "Might you allow me to read the ancient text you mentioned, senior?"

Gu Liuru waved a hand and smiled. "It's only a collection of miscellaneous tales. Some unknown Outer Scenery rogue cultivator muddled together a heap of strange accounts, ancient traditions, and unofficial histories, cobbling them together at random. Many passages are sheer nonsense, unworthy of belief. It's hardly a proper scripture. It circulates widely among mortals too, though my edition is more complete than those commonly available. If you wish to read it, Fuchan, simply take it."

With that, he turned to the disciple standing beside him and instructed, "Go fetch that collection of tales."

The disciple attending them immediately turned to retrieve the book. A short while later, he returned bearing a somewhat aged volume.

Li Fuchan accepted the book and glanced at it.

"A Plea for Thirty-Six Years of Romantic Tales."

The identity of its author could no longer be established. Only scattered phrases revealed that he had been an unknown rogue cultivator.

Li Fuchan casually leafed through a few pages and discovered that the events concerning Yangshe Xu, which Gu Liuru had described, were recorded here as well. It even included the original texts of the Memorial Listing Jin’s Seventy-Two Crimes and the Plea for Mercy.

From the look of it, this affair really was known throughout the world, and the Yang Family probably did not care. Otherwise, how could they let such a book circulate even among mortals?

Gu Liuru insisted on giving him the book, and Li Fuchan genuinely wished to read it. Better to accept than stand on ceremony, so he respectfully took it.

After Li Fuchan left, Gu Liuru stood beneath the pagoda tree's shade, motionless for a long time. At last, he sighed. "Wind and rain are gathering over the Lake. I wonder whether I can still weather them safely."