A Stone, or an Immortal?

The scene slowly faded.

Chen Yi turned his head and saw Yin Weiying's face.

The private room remained unchanged, though the fragrance of tea wafting through it had thinned a little. Everything that had just happened felt so real, yet also like an illusory dream.

Yin Weiying held her cup, calmly savoring the tea.

"It seems you have already seen what immortals see?"

The white-robed Daoist priestess asked leisurely,

"Do you know the moon's waning and waxing? Do you know spring and autumn?"

Chen Yi gazed at Yin Weiying. Rather than answer, he asked:

"Only through supreme oblivion of emotion can one achieve three flowers gathered at the crown and five qi returning to the origin?"

Yin Weiying merely said:

"This is Mount Taihua's way of immortality.

"Min Yuechi, I am the Taihua Jade Maiden. Today, I must choose a Golden Lad to accompany me up the mountain to cultivate."

Chen Yi slowly set down his teacup, rose, and left his seat.

Yin Weiying looked at him in disbelief.

This shouldn't be. How could this be? I clearly sensed the changes in his state of mind within the illusion.

Someone on the verge of attaining supreme oblivion of emotion and freeing himself from the mortal world had suddenly, for some unknown reason, plunged headfirst back into its red dust.

"Sever mortal ties? Attain supreme oblivion of emotion?"

Chen Yi questioned her with a cold laugh:

"Immortal Maiden Yin, are you cultivating to become a stone, or an immortal?!"

Yin Weiying abruptly stiffened. At first, contempt rose in her heart, but as his words circled through her mind, horror flashed in her eyes.

She gathered herself and was about to argue.

But Chen Yi cut her off sharply:

"A stone has likewise severed mortal ties and likewise attained supreme oblivion of emotion. It can likewise live forever without dying-or rather, it is itself 'immortal.' Even if all of Great Yu were gone, the stone would still be here. But does a person cultivate and cultivate just to turn themselves into a stone? Into a solemn, majestic statue in a temple?"

"I've heard people say that the essence of cultivating the Dao is to become one with Heaven. But how is Heaven without feeling? As the ancients said: Heaven desires righteousness and abhors unrighteousness; those who follow Heaven's will love one another without distinction. Clearly, Heaven is not without feeling, yet you want to cultivate the Dao until you become heartless?"

"When a person cultivates the Dao, are they trying to become an immortal, or a stone?!"

As his words fell, shock and fury instantly filled the white-robed priestess. The two paper serving maids beside her stirred, and murderous intent flooded the private room.

Watching this unfold as she played the zither, Min Ming could not stop exclaiming inwardly:

How did he dare?

Though his words were satisfying to hear, Min Ming still trembled. Had it been her, she would never have dared offend this priestess of such formidable origins. This was simply Wu Zixu being ordered to die-utter blindness.

"You cannot speak of ice to a summer insect."

Yin Weiying laughed in her anger. After a long while, she calmed herself, the resentment in her features melting like ice and snow. Once again, she wore that look of indifference toward the mortal world, untouched by joy or anger. She said lightly:

"I expected that you would be unable to comprehend it now. Once, I was likewise unable to comprehend it."

Seeing her like this, Chen Yi cupped his hands.

"Immortal Maiden Yin, I have offended you."

Yin Weiying smiled.

"There is no offense to speak of. Though your wording was fierce, I will not take this matter to heart."

Chen Yi glanced sideways at the panel nearby.

[Yin Weiying's negative emotions rewarded three years of True Qi.]

Not taking it to heart... I almost believed you.

"Heaven desires righteousness and abhors unrighteousness; those who follow Heaven's will love one another without distinction."

Yin Weiying lightly cradled her porcelain cup and sipped her tea.

"Nothing but the words of Mohism, a heterodox side path. Though it was a prominent school of thought in antiquity, it is now merely one of the Nine Schools."

Chen Yi frowned. He said nothing more on the subject, only:

"If there is nothing else, please head back, Immortal Maiden Yin. I will carry a lantern to light your way."

With a gentle sweep of Yin Weiying's sleeve, the tea table before her vanished along with all the tea, stored away somewhere unknown. Chen Yi watched without comment, but saw that Min Ming beside him was utterly amazed.

This was a storage method unique to the people of the mountain. Chen Yi had seen it before. The tea utensils had not suddenly disappeared; they had been put inside a "Square Realm." Min Ming, however, would not know any of this.

Chen Yi slowly escorted Yin Weiying out of the Hundred Flowers Tower. He lit a lantern and walked ahead to illuminate her path. Looking up, he found that the sky had darkened.

The sky was dark, exceptionally so.

At some unknown point, for some unknown reason, the sky that had still held twilight moments earlier had abruptly darkened. Wisps of yin baleful energy spread.

A chill wind suddenly rose, adding several degrees of cold to the already cool autumn night.

Sensing something, Yin Weiying frowned slightly and murmured:

"Such heavy killing intent... This shouldn't be. Hasn't Demon-Quelling Day yet to arrive?"

Hearing the white-robed priestess's words, Chen Yi raised his brows as well.

Once Demon-Quelling Day arrived, the Capital City at night would become the Netherworld. The boundary between humans and ghosts would no longer be clear, and demons and monsters would be everywhere.

The street before them, bustling with activity not long ago, was now so quiet not even a crow or sparrow could be heard. The pleasure boats on the distant river had also become indistinct.

Chen Yi's heart tightened, and confusion kept rising within him.

What's going on... This shouldn't be. Isn't Demon-Quelling Day three days away? Why... has it come early? Has the plot changed again?

Having experienced the plot changing multiple times, Chen Yi had long since realized that he could not rely entirely on his previous experience, so he raised his guard now as well.

Suddenly, a clamor of voices reached them from afar.

A Daoist sat beneath a banyan tree with a divination and fortune-telling stall, calling loudly:

"Seek a fine talisman, buy a stroke of luck, gain a share of fortune."

A crowd of common folk surrounded him, heads jostling in a lively throng.

Not far from the stall, Chen Yi saw Min Ning looking at it with confusion and curiosity.

"If you're buying, hurry up! Don't block the way!"

"Hey, if you're not buying, I am! Stop blocking the road to fortune."

"Daoist, give me a talisman to cure illness. I'll boil it into talisman water when I get home and treat my poor child."

People scrambled to offer copper coins at the Daoist's stall, pushing and shoving one another. Carrying her saber, Min Ning finally managed to force her way out of the crowd.

She spotted Chen Yi and hurried over, only to pause when she saw the priestess behind him.

The white-robed priestess glanced at her, first surprised, then puzzled. She looked at Chen Yi beside her, seeming uncertain.

Quick on the uptake, Chen Yi said:

"Brother Zunming, have you been waiting long?"

Their eyes met, and Min Ning instantly understood.

"Yuechi, has the matter at the Hundred Flowers Tower been resolved?"

Chen Yi nodded slightly and pointed to Yin Weiying.

"It has. This is... Immortal Maiden Yin."

Then he introduced Min Ning to Yin Weiying:

"Immortal Maiden Yin, this is... Chen Yi, courtesy name Chen Zunming, a Thousand Household of the Western Depot and the current Acting Depot Lord of the Eastern Depot."

Hearing those final words, Yin Weiying turned her eyes to study Min Ning, then shook her head with a soft sigh.

"Such a profound affinity with the Dao... What a pity, what a pity."

Min Ning found this behavior strange and was inwardly puzzled.

"Daoist, don't go! Don't go! Sell us another talisman, just one more!"

"Have mercy, Daoist! Please bestow a few more."

At the stall, the Daoist was packing up to leave. The copper coins from selling talismans had already filled an entire bag. He bowed to the crowd with clasped hands and said apologetically:

"My powers are shallow, and my energy is limited. That will be all for today..."

An old woman threw herself forward, clutched the Daoist's leg, and begged:

"Please show some kindness! My poor child is so sick he can't get out of bed. Our family depends on him. With no income, all we can hope for is to ask you for a talisman."

The Daoist hesitated, then sighed softly and drew a talisman from inside his robes.

"I still have one final talisman tucked away, drawn with the essence blood from my heart. I can give it to you now, provided you are willing to pay three times the price..."

Yin Weiying's slender brows shot up. She raised her peachwood sword slightly and interrupted:

"Fiend, stealing money people need to save their lives! With this Daoist here, will you still not reveal your true form?!"