As evening approached, a fine drizzle fell.
A blue-gray flagstone path shrouded in mist and rain led straight into a courtyard of white walls and dark roof tiles. Green pines stood to the side, artificial rockeries dotted the grounds, and an elegant villa in the style of a traditional Eastern garden nestled within.
Dressed in a white T-shirt and loose black trousers, Cheng Qiyue, whose face looked like that of a high school girl, walked briskly through a corridor lined with red-painted railings and arrived at a pavilion in the courtyard.
Behind the pavilion's stone table sat a tall, lean man in his thirties, dressed in a black, old-fashioned long robe. His medium-length hair hung loose in casual disarray, and an indescribable loneliness marked his sharply defined face. His once hawklike eyes were clouded with drink, and empty liquor bottles stood before him.
At the sight, Cheng Qiyue stared at her father in surprise.
Her father was one of the family's brightest talents, a direct descendant of the patriarch. He had always been carefree and proud, giving others an impression of sharpness and arrogance.
Yet now that proud father had disheveled hair and reeked of alcohol... He actually looked like a down-and-out drunk.
Looking at her father in the pavilion, Cheng Qiyue could not help asking, "Father, you wanted to see me?"
Cheng Buxiu glanced at Cheng Qiyue through bleary eyes and said in a low voice, "Sit."
Cheng Qiyue froze for a moment.
Over the years, her father had grown increasingly disappointed with her progress in cultivation, and his attitude had become ever colder. This was the first time he had taken the initiative to ask her to sit with him.
She felt uneasy, unable to understand what he meant by this.
Cheng Buxiu frowned slightly and was about to snap at her out of habit, but when he saw the apprehension in his daughter's eyes, he sighed instead. Softening his tone, he said, "Qiyue, sit down."
Cheng Qiyue hesitated before sitting on the stone stool beside her father.
Cheng Buxiu picked up a bottle and took another swig before asking casually, "How is your cultivation coming along?"
"I should be able to pass the Academy Student stage in the next few days," Cheng Qiyue said quietly.
"You're thirty-seven this year, aren't you?"
Cheng Buxiu nodded gently, speaking as though both to his daughter and to himself. "Passing the first Heavenly Pass at thirty-seven is fairly good. Being a little ordinary... might not be a bad thing."
"Father, what's happened to you?" Cheng Qiyue could not help asking.
Cheng Buxiu gave a faintly self-mocking smile, then slowly shook his head. "Nothing. Once you clear the Academy Student Heavenly Pass and become a Walker Under the Moon, you'll have some ability to protect yourself. When that happens, ease up a little if you want. There's no need to sacrifice too much for cultivation."
Cheng Qiyue went still, her eyes beginning to sting.
More than twenty years.
For more than twenty years, she had devoted herself to cultivation every day. To awaken her Dharma Body as soon as possible and clear the first Heavenly Pass, Academy Student, she had spent all those years playing the role of a student. She had worked so hard simply because she wanted to prove herself.
And now her father, who had always been so strict and cold, had actually said something so understanding and open-minded?
"In the blink of an eye, you're already thirty-seven."
Holding his liquor bottle, Cheng Buxiu looked at Cheng Qiyue with a faintly lost expression. He sighed and said, "I haven't hugged you since you began cultivating. Let me hold you for a moment. This might be the last time..."
"The last time? What... what's happened to you?"
Cheng Qiyue's eyes reddened. Seeing her father looking so vulnerable and desolate, she could not stop tears from welling up.
What could have happened to turn her sharp, proud father into this?
Was he giving her his last words?
Cheng Buxiu did not answer. He merely reached out, seemingly wanting to embrace his daughter, but his arms paused in midair before he drew them back. Shaking his head, he said, "Forget it. After so many years without hugging you, it still feels unfamiliar. A little embarrassing."
"Father, what exactly is wrong?" Cheng Qiyue asked, her voice catching.
"Don't ask. I don't want to drag you into this." Cheng Buxiu glanced at his daughter and shook his head slightly.
He knew his daughter might have some connection to that Senior Lin. The calligraphy hanging in her bedroom was probably a gift from him.
But... he had examined that calligraphy himself. It held only a faint, elusive trace of Dao Resonance. It was nothing like the calligraphy of the character "Steadfast," imbued with a great divine power, that the female cultivator he had encountered in the calligraphy and painting shop that day possessed.
His daughter's calligraphy was probably just something that senior had casually given her out of respect for the patriarch, with little more than commemorative value.
A master of that stature had prompted even the patriarch to offer a supreme treasure to win his favor. Even Sword Immortal Lu, renowned for his coldness, had given him the Two Principles Magic-Gathering Basin. Who knew what sort of person he truly was?
Perhaps he was a Banished Immortal, or perhaps an immortal reincarnated... In any case, he had to be an Immortals and Gods powerhouse who had surpassed all five Heavenly Passes.
Why would such a powerhouse care about his daughter merely because he had given her an ordinary piece of calligraphy?
Thus, he had never considered asking his daughter to plead on his behalf.
The worst outcome he could accept was that the senior would kill him on the spot. But he could not drag his family or his daughter, his only descendant, into this.
"Father..."
Seeing that her father would say nothing and simply drank in lonely desolation, like a condemned prisoner awaiting execution, Cheng Qiyue bit her lip and said softly, "Father... perhaps I can help you?"
Cheng Buxiu glanced at his daughter and shook his head slightly. "With your cultivation, if I'm no longer here, life in the Cheng Family probably won't be easy for you. But so long as you can live without worry, in comfort and good health, that will be enough. An ordinary life is a blessing... In the future, think carefully before you act. Just remember that."
Cheng Qiyue took a deep breath. "Father, I actually know a senior master with extraordinary powers. The patriarch is an old acquaintance of his too. If he..."
Before she could finish, Cheng Buxiu sighed and gave a self-mocking smile. "I know. You mean the owner of that calligraphy and painting shop called He Mingxuan, don't you?"
"Father, you know him?" Cheng Qiyue was taken aback.
Cheng Buxiu fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I might as well tell you. The person I offended today... was that Senior Lin."
Cheng Qiyue felt as though she had been struck by lightning. She stared blankly for a long time before asking in a trembling voice, "How... how did you offend Senior Lin?"
Cheng Buxiu raised a hand to stop her, then said evenly, "There's no need to discuss it any further. The mistake has already been made. Tomorrow, I'll go to that senior and humbly beg forgiveness. Whether I live or die, I'll accept it. But I will never implicate you or the Cheng Family."
"No..."
Cheng Qiyue hurriedly said, "Father, I've spoken with Senior Lin before. From what I've seen, he isn't some cold, vicious practitioner of an evil path, nor is he someone who has cast aside all emotion. On the contrary, he's approachable, respectful and courteous, easy to understand but difficult to become overly familiar with. He ought to be an unparalleled master with an open heart."
At her words, Cheng Buxiu shook his head and sighed. "Even ordinary people wear masks in their daily lives. An unfathomable powerhouse like him has lived for who knows how many years. It wouldn't be strange if he had hundreds or thousands of faces. Now that he's living in seclusion among mortals, even if he imitates their words and behavior, I doubt you could detect anything amiss. How can you judge his character from a few words?"
Cheng Qiyue froze.
Cheng Buxiu reached out and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry too much. I'm merely preparing for the worst. We won't know what will happen until tomorrow."
Cheng Qiyue bit her lower lip. "Then I'll go with you tomorrow."
"There's no need," Cheng Buxiu said slowly. "Your coming along would make no difference. There might be some chance if the patriarch were here. After all, he even gave Senior Lin the Azure Sun Ruler. But a little girl like you..."
At that, he shook his head with a smile.
"The Azure Sun Ruler? So it's with Senior Lin. No wonder..." An idea struck Cheng Qiyue, and she said, "Father, why don't you offer him a gift as an apology? If you can please Senior Lin, perhaps he'll forgive your mistake."
"An apology gift..."
Cheng Buxiu fell silent.
He had not considered that either, because even the Cheng Family's supreme heirloom, the Azure Sun Ruler, was merely a paperweight to Senior Lin. Even Sword Immortal Lu's supreme treasure, the Two Principles Magic-Gathering Basin, was merely a tool for washing brushes. Clearly, he cared nothing for what the mortal world called supreme treasures.
Although the patriarch had given him some treasures before leaving, they were nowhere near comparable to supreme treasures.
"Father, since Senior Lin enjoys a quiet, ordinary life, that shows he places greater importance on keeping a low profile. Perhaps... a treasure with a plain appearance but ingenious qualities within would suit his tastes better?" Cheng Qiyue suggested cautiously.
Cheng Buxiu considered it briefly and felt that her reasoning made sense.
Even a supreme treasure probably seemed little better than an ordinary mortal object in that senior's eyes.
Even if he brought out the magic treasure he kept as his greatest reserve, the man would think nothing of it.
But an apology gift more suited to that senior's tastes might prove useful.
"That's right."
Cheng Buxiu suddenly remembered a treasure he had not taken out in a long time, and his drunken eyes cleared a little. "Perhaps... this one would work?"