Ascension

"My surname is Cheng."

Cheng Qiyue's tone grew a little more respectful as she asked tentatively, "Do you know an elder of my family?"

So she's a girl. I thought she was a guy dressed as a woman. Why does she look like she has a bit of an Adam's apple...? Lin Zhishui wondered. Cheng? Could she be Old Master Cheng's granddaughter?

Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat.

Old Master Cheng had already died. Why would one of his descendants come looking for him now?

Could it be... that after Old Master Cheng's death, his descendants had discovered how much he had spent on Lin Zhishui's calligraphy, thought their elderly relative had been swindled, and come to confront him?

After all, he was only an obscure independent calligrapher, and so young at that, yet he charged tens of thousands for a single piece...

That was just a tiny bit excessive.

But whatever the case, I'm a master calligrapher. Even if I'm not famous, charging a few tens of thousands isn't that outrageous, is it?

Maintaining his outward composure, Lin Zhishui nodded gently like an elder and said with feigned casualness, "So you're one of Old Cheng's descendants. It's been a while since I last saw him, after he came to bid me farewell. He was quite fond of my calligraphy. I was even planning to give him this piece I wrote recently, if I had the chance."

He wasn't sure whether that poem really meant Old Master Cheng had died, so he decided to probe this way.

Otherwise, if Old Master Cheng wasn't dead and he said the man had passed away, wouldn't that offend her?

Phrasing it this way left him considerably more room to maneuver.

He doesn't know the ancestor ascended?

Hearing this, Cheng Qiyue finally realized that the man before her truly appeared to be a mortal. Her ancestor had probably met him while cultivating in the mortal world.

She couldn't help mocking herself inwardly. She had actually thought this mortal was a master concealing his abilities. Apparently, she had simply been overthinking it.

"Sorry for the trouble of keeping him in your thoughts."

Cheng Qiyue gathered her thoughts and said, "My elder departed this world some days ago. Now, only a memorial tablet remains."

Even cultivators spoke cautiously among themselves, using cryptic language whenever possible to avoid being recorded by mortals' technological devices. Naturally, she was even less likely to reveal cultivation's heavenly secrets to a mortal.

Otherwise, she would only be inviting trouble upon herself by drawing an attack from the Outer Demon.

In any case, to mortals, leaving this earthly world was equivalent to death. Her ancestor had indeed left a memorial tablet before ascending, so there was no harm in letting this mortal believe he had died.

So Old Cheng really did pass away...

Lin Zhishui sighed inwardly. Maintaining a master's serene bearing, he shook his head gently and said, "I know Old Cheng has left the mortal world. I merely felt we shared something of a friendship. If this calligraphy were placed before his memorial tablet, our acquaintance would not have been in vain."

Cheng Qiyue glanced at the calligraphy on the desk.

Although the writing was upside down from her perspective, she could still make out the words: "Thinking of the journey ahead, a thousand miles of misty waves, evening haze hanging heavy beneath the vast skies of Chu."

Bell of the Rain: Cold Cicadas in Desolation.

This verse did indeed express farewell, but its original meaning suited a parting involving a journey of immense distance, evoking an expanse of mist and waves. Applying it to someone deceased felt rather forced.

Still, the calligraphy was genuinely good. Perhaps her ancestor had simply enjoyed mortal calligraphy?

Without dwelling on it, Cheng Qiyue withdrew her gaze and said calmly, "The thought alone is enough. Were you close to my elder?"

Noticing the change in the girl's attitude, Lin Zhishui shook his head placidly. "Not especially. I merely sold him two pieces of calligraphy and gave him two more. Before he left, though, he did leave me a letter."

The implication was: he was a master calligrapher who did not form close friendships lightly, while Old Cheng had loved his calligraphy and been a fan, even leaving him a letter before his death.

Surely this girl, who radiated such calm intelligence despite her youth, would now understand that he hadn't swindled anyone?

"He left a letter?"

At those words, Cheng Qiyue's beautiful eyes suddenly lit up. Could it be her ancestor's final letter?

Nothing could be taken along during ascension. Before ascending, her ancestor had distributed all his treasures, but he alone had left the recipient of the supreme treasure, the Azure Sun Ruler, undecided. Its whereabouts were also unknown.

The family had long suspected that their ancestor had left another final letter, one that might contain the Azure Sun Ruler's whereabouts!

No longer concerned with interpreting Lin Zhishui's words, she immediately asked, "You mean my elder left you a letter?"

"That's right." Lin Zhishui nodded slightly.

"That letter... may I have a look?" Cheng Qiyue asked.

Even if he refused, she would find a way to peek at it using magic. After all, the dharma body of the Taiyin Divine Lord she had inherited was particularly adept at stealth and concealment.

"It's only a poem. There's no harm in letting you see it."

Lin Zhishui opened the drawer beneath his desk, took out the letter, and set it on the table, sliding it toward Cheng Qiyue.

He had mentioned the poem precisely because he intended to show it to the girl and dispel her suspicions.

Cheng Qiyue accepted the letter and opened it.

The familiar handwriting and the familiar Dao Resonance contained within it left no doubt that her ancestor had written it.

She couldn't help feeling puzzled. Her ancestor had actually left a letter to a mortal?

Yesterday I heard the Dao; today I bid farewell. All things of the mortal world dissolve like smoke... By green mountains we part at dawn and meet at dusk; may I await your honored presence at heaven's edge?

Cheng Qiyue silently read the poem word by word. When she reached the last line, she froze. May I await... your honored presence at heaven's edge?

She had studied the classics of the Hundred Schools of Thought since childhood. With such lifelong exposure, how could she fail to understand this poem?

The first two lines undoubtedly referred to her ancestor's ascension and departure from the mortal world. The last two clearly meant that the green mountains remained, and sooner or later they would meet again. Her ancestor was willing to wait in heaven until he could once more see the person he respected.

But... once someone ascended, heaven and the mortal world stood apart!

If the other person could not ascend to the heavenly realm, how could they ever meet again?

Unless the man before her...

Cheng Qiyue couldn't help looking up at Lin Zhishui, her eyes filled with irrepressible shock.

Before ascending, her ancestor had even made a point of sending this letter to the man before her by Flying Sword Message. There was clearly no mistaking it.

Suddenly, she glanced again at the calligraphy on the desk, Bell of the Rain: Cold Cicadas in Desolation. The immense journey and boundless misty waves evoked by that verse were perfectly fitting when applied to someone ascending!

One question after another became clear in her mind, as though clouds and mist had suddenly parted.

So that was it!

At that moment, Cheng Qiyue understood everything.

No wonder she had been unable to sense the presence of this seemingly ordinary mortal before entering the shop. This "mortal" was actually an enlightened master concealing his abilities!

And since her ancestor held him in such regard, his cultivation might well be little inferior to her ancestor's!

Cheng Qiyue couldn't help growing nervous.

She had addressed such an esteemed senior so casually over and over, without the slightest respect or humility. He had probably been so magnanimous only because she was her ancestor's descendant...

Cheng Qiyue swallowed. Not daring to dwell on it, she clasped her hands and bowed, saying respectfully, "Earlier, I did not know of your relationship with my ancestor. If I was discourteous in any way, please do not take offense."

It worked!

Lin Zhishui inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. A gentle smile appeared on his face as he shook his head. "It's nothing. You're still young, after all."

Cheng Qiyue also relaxed.

That was true. She was only thirty-seven, and had cultivated for less than thirty years. An esteemed senior nearing ascension like him was an old fellow who had lived for at least several centuries. Why would he take offense at a little girl like her?

"You came looking for me because you wanted to find Old Cheng's final letter, didn't you?" Lin Zhishui asked.

"Yes. Nothing escapes your discerning eyes." Cheng Qiyue made no attempt to conceal it and nodded.

Your eyes lit up like lightbulbs the moment I mentioned Old Cheng's letter. And he's dead. What else could you be looking for?

Lin Zhishui grumbled inwardly, then said without betraying a thing, "Unfortunately, I only have this letter, and it contains nothing but a poem."

Cheng Qiyue sighed. "I'm sorry for disturbing you. Please forgive me."

Lin Zhishui glanced at her and asked casually, "Why are you looking for Old Cheng's final letter? Since you're his descendant, shouldn't he have distributed his property before passing away?"

Old Cheng hadn't died suddenly. He had still been able to leave Lin Zhishui a letter before his death, so surely he had been capable of arranging his inheritance?

Cheng Qiyue nodded gently. "But before my ancestor departed, there was one very important treasure he neither distributed nor took with him. We don't know where it is hidden. Perhaps its whereabouts are in his final letter."

Lin Zhishui couldn't help muttering inwardly.

Took with him?

Does she mean burial goods?

A treasure... Old Cheng really did come from a wealthy household. He even collected valuables. No wonder he'd paid tens of thousands for a piece of calligraphy so readily, and had even looked doubtful. Thinking back, perhaps he'd thought it was too cheap?

No wonder, whenever he accepted payment, Old Cheng's gaze made him feel like a reclusive master who regarded money as dirt.

He breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed she wouldn't be giving him trouble over that little bit of money.

"Is that treasure very valuable?"

Lin Zhishui was somewhat curious.

"To the family, perhaps not that valuable, but..." Cheng Qiyue hesitated. Feeling that she could not hide anything from such a master anyway, she told the truth. "Actually, I want that treasure for myself. That is why I came here."

"You want it?" Lin Zhishui looked Cheng Qiyue over.

This little girl looks so young, yet she certainly knows how to seek out benefits.

Cheng Qiyue did not conceal anything. She nodded and said, "I don't really hold any standing in the Cheng Family, and I receive few resources. But if I can find that treasure, perhaps the road ahead of me will open up."

She dared not say it was the renowned supreme treasure, the Azure Sun Ruler, so she could only speak vaguely.

She had also noticed a camera installed at the calligraphy shop's entrance. She didn't know whether these mortal technologies could record sound, so it was better to be cautious.

"I see."

Lin Zhishui nodded almost imperceptibly, understanding dawning on him.

He had already imagined a melodramatic tale of a modern wealthy family. Cheng Qiyue might simply be a neglected, unvalued descendant who was painstakingly searching for the collectible Old Cheng had hidden away to secure a brighter future. Once she found and sold it, she would have her initial startup capital and a chance at a whole new future!

Still, as a member of a wealthy family, even if she wasn't valued, she had to be much richer than a poor man like him, right?

At that thought, something suddenly stirred in Lin Zhishui's mind.

Hmm?

Isn't this a business opportunity standing right in front of me?

Business has practically delivered itself to my door!

So Lin Zhishui looked at Cheng Qiyue amiably and smiled. "You do have some ideas of your own. But you must understand that you are still Old Cheng's descendant. If he were still alive, I'm sure he wouldn't want to see a rift develop between you and your family. Wouldn't you agree?"

Cheng Qiyue paused, then nodded silently. "You're right."

Yes, although her family neglected her, it was because her aptitude wasn't good enough and she had disappointed them. In truth, she wanted their recognition and hoped to regain their care.

Seeing her response, Lin Zhishui's faint smile grew warmer. "I think... what you need most is recognition and affirmation from your family's elders. Am I right?"

"Your insight truly is keen." Cheng Qiyue lowered her head, somewhat ashamed.

Anyone who isn't blind could figure that out...

Lin Zhishui complained inwardly, still smiling as he said, "Since you need your family's elders to acknowledge you and see promise in you, I think... perhaps I can help."

Cheng Qiyue froze for a moment, then looked at Lin Zhishui in surprise. "You're willing to help me?"

"Didn't I say so?"

Lin Zhishui gazed at her, the faint light of the setting sun reflected in his eyes. "Everything is simply a destined connection. My acquaintance with Old Cheng also brought about my acquaintance with you. This... is fate."

A little girl who liked old-fashioned things should be receptive to this sort of empty platitude.

Sure enough, Cheng Qiyue fell silent for a moment, then drew a deep breath and said, "Thank you very much."

Fate was elusive and impossible to grasp.

Not only had cultivation masters throughout the world and across the ages believed in fate-even immortals in heaven could not disregard destined connections or dare disbelieve in destiny.

"It's a small matter."

Lin Zhishui shook his head lightly, as though unconcerned, while inwardly cheering that he had a chance. He stood and said, "Come with me."

With that, he walked around the screen blocking the middle of the room and led Cheng Qiyue behind it.

The space behind the screen occupied more than half the room. Once they rounded it, they could see mounted pieces of calligraphy hanging in the air, along with a few ink paintings.

Every piece of calligraphy bore bold, sweeping brushwork, and every ink painting held a profound, distinctive artistic conception. Even someone who knew nothing about calligraphy or painting could recognize their exceptional quality.

But when Cheng Qiyue saw these works, she froze completely, staring at them in near stupefaction, her eyes filled with shock.