From This Day Forth

After catching his breath, Su Yao got up and headed out of the cave abode.

As soon as they stepped out of the cave abode, Lu Yuan and Liu Yunhe, who were on duty not far away, sensed the movement and immediately came to meet them.

Liu Yunhe stepped forward, smiling, and cupped his hands in greeting:

"Congratulations, Abbot, on your successful completion of your seclusion and the attainment of great Divine Ability powers."

Lu Yuan, standing to the side, also cupped his hands and said:

Congratulations, Abbot.

Seeing this, Su Yao simply waved his hand and then asked:

How long have I been in seclusion?

Liu Yunhe said:

"The abbot has been in seclusion for twelve years."

Su Yao nodded, then asked:

Have any major events occurred in recent years?

Liu Yunhe said:

"For the past twelve years, all has been peaceful. Apart from the ' Supreme True Person True Lord of Human Dao's Three Protections of the Seas and Ghost Immortal ' who slew many Divine Core of Witchcraft Dao and Demon Dao practices in the South Sea, and the Emperor following the example of Emperor Taizong, personally leading troops to conquer the North of the Desert, and..."

Su Yao lowered his gaze and asked, "And what?"

Liu Yunhe paused, organizing his thoughts before speaking:

"The emperor made a northern tour, staying in Beizhili (Northern Zhili), and did not return to the capital."

Upon hearing this, Su Yao asked in confusion:

"I remember that the Taizu precepts of Emperor Taizu Huangqing stated: ' Jiankang the capital of our dynasty. It is a place where dragons coil and tigers crouch, a place where people gather. I raised my army here and established my capital here. My descendants should guard it for generations to come. Anyone who dares to suggest moving the capital is not my descendant, and the whole world will unite to punish him.'"

Liu Yunhe continued:

"However, the Emperor issued an edict saying: ' Taizu Emperor Gao established his Jiankang in Jiankang and left instructions to his descendants. How dare I disobey? However, in the past, Emperor Wen Taizong Wen toured the Beiping and stayed in Beiping, with the emperor guarding the country's gates, and the state relied on him for security. Now, the Northern Frontier border is not yet pacified, and the Taizong horses are eyeing us. I wish to follow the example of Emperor Taizong, personally lead an expedition to the Northern Zhili North of the Desert, and stay in Beizhili to strengthen the border defenses. This is a tour of inspection, not a relocation of the capital. Moreover, the system of two capitals has existed since ancient times, and Taizu never prohibited it. I am only acting expediently to ensure the peace of the world.'"

Su Yao nodded in understanding upon hearing this, and then said:

Is there anything else?

Liu Yunhe said:

"Ten years ago, True Person Yang Xiu passed through Qixia and came to look for the abbot, but found him in seclusion, so he returned to Golden Court."

Su Yao nodded upon hearing this, and then asked:

Where is Zilin?

Upon hearing this, Liu Yunhe lowered his head.

Lu Yuan then said:

Five years ago, the True Lord Zique came to Qixia Mountain and said...

"What did you say?" Su Yao asked.

Lu Yuan paused, lowered his head, and suppressed a slight smile as he said:

The True Lord said, "Take my little sister to the Purple Mansion Continent to understand the meaning behind her pursuit of gold. I hope the Abbot of Qixia Temple will not be jealous."

Su Yao was speechless upon hearing this.

At this moment, Su Yao sensed Qingzhu's aura and waved for the two of them to step back.

After the two left, Su Yao turned around and saw that Qingzhu had already arrived.

He was about to speak when he heard Qingzhu:

"Come with me to the Ancestral Hall."

Su Yao nodded, walked to Qingzhu's right front, and stood sideways, assuming the posture of a disciple.

Qingzhu whispered:

"When you were young, you didn't know any rules and loved to play on my back. If it weren't for Qizhenzi using Law Treasure, you wouldn't have been able to get close to me. Now, three hundred years have passed. For me, three hundred years is sometimes just the time it takes to doze off, but now you're going to seek gold."

He paused:

"Seeking gold is difficult, and no one dares to say that success is certain. Of the hundreds of disciples under the Dao Ancestor Yuqing, apart from the South Pole Heavenly Venerable who has served the Dao Ancestor since before the Heavenly Venerable attained the Dao, only about 12 of the remaining hundreds have achieved Remaining Rank Fruition Position, and only about 17 or 18 have reached the rank of True Lord."

"Of these seventeen or eighteen people, apart from my Daoist patriarch Kongzheng Rainbow Clouds, the rest are all buried in the East Kunlun. This shows how difficult it is to attain Fruition Position... I wonder if you will be able to see them again ninety years from now when you go to seek the Golden Queen?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yao smiled and said, "Why is Qingzhu so sentimental today?" He paused, and seeing that Qingzhu remained silent, he continued, "This disciple dares not say that I am 100% certain, but I am at least 60% or 70% certain."

Qingzhu just smiled and then shook his back.

Seeing this, Su Yao quickly waved his hand and refused:

"When I was young and ignorant, I dared to sit on Qingzhu's back, but now I dare not..."

Qingzhu rolled her eyes at him, and said with a hint of anger:

"Since you were sent to seek gold by learning Caiche's path, how can you surpass me if you're going to imitate Caiche? After all, I am the mount He took in when He was Foundation Establishment, and I carried Him until He departed from beyond the heavens."

He paused, a hint of sadness lingering in his voice, as if in response:

"Caiche is such a scoundrel! He went to the outer heavens without taking me with him. I wonder if he's doing alright after going to the outer heavens with the Heavenly Venerable of the Laurel-Breaking Household?"

He paused, then said:

"He was originally a divine ruler of the State of Chu, residing in the Hazy Clouds. He cultivated to the Subsidiary Rank Dao Lord, known as the ' Lord of Yunzhong.' However, his cultivation stalled, so he reincarnated and became a disciple of my Qixia. Later, influenced by his past life, he went to Yunmeng Marsh for training and took me in south of Yunmeng Marsh and north of Mount Heng. I was then invited to a banquet at the Yuanfu as Qixia Daozi of Yuanfu. There, I met Su Shuming of the Laurel-Breaking Household, who was studying at the Yuanfu. He later became known as the ' Spring and Autumn Annals Rectifying Names and Illuminating the World to Attain Dao Heavenly Venerable.' The two met and were immediately delighted, becoming close friends."

"Later, the one from the Laurel-Breaking Household dominated an era, and many ancient lineages and other contemporary Heavenly Venerable had to bow before him. After the Qin Emperor's Heavenly Venerable, both of them were to go to the outer heavens. Caiche originally intended to take me and Qizhenzi with him, but before leaving, he asked that Heavenly Venerable to do some divination. That Heavenly Venerable calculated for a long time before saying... that He couldn't predict accurately, and that Qizhen or Qingyi should stay in Qixia to await the future..."

"Caiche was greatly alarmed upon hearing this. After all, although that Heavenly Venerable Heavenly Governance, he had been able to calculate everything flawlessly before, except for the mistake he made with Qin Emperor. Caiche asked who should be kept, but the Heavenly Venerable could not calculate it no matter how hard he tried. Only then did Caiche allow me and Qizhenzi to stay, and he also upgraded the protective array of Qixia Mountain to the Heavenly Venerable level before leaving."

He paused, then continued:

"Both Qizhenzi and I are free-spirited and unconventional. Since Qizhenzi was born on Qixia Mountain, we didn't visit Zhongnan often afterward. Furthermore, the Heavenly Venerable left a prophecy: 'The changes at Qixia are tied to the South Sea. There may be unforeseen events on the shores of the South Sea, and only with a guardian can there be peace. However, I cannot fully know the details.' Therefore, we only stayed at the Qixia Courtyard. After the Caiche a Buddhist ritual), the Han Dynasty established its Xianyang, and Human Dao flourished, far surpassing the Qin Emperor. Seeing the chaos of the Qixia Temple also came to this Qixia Courtyard on Qixia Mountain to cultivate."

Upon hearing this, Su Yao felt increasingly uneasy, sensing that Qingzhu's condition was off, and thus offered his advice:

"It seems that Caiche also had his concerns. After all, the Heavenly Venerable of the Laurel-Breaking Household is second only to the three Dao Ancestors and is on par with the Confucian School Sage Confucius and the Buddhist School World-Honored Shakyamuni. It's just that the Heavenly Venerable's lineage is not prominent, and the Laurel-Breaking Household prefers to live in seclusion."

Upon hearing this, Qingzhu simply said:

"Come on my back. Now that you've left the pass, you'll probably be traveling down the mountain. When you return, you'll be asking for gold."

Su Yao hesitated for a long time after hearing this before slowly climbing onto Qingzhu's back.

Then, a Qingxuan light rose from Qingzhu's body, illuminating the entire Purple Canopy Peak in a blue hue.

Then Qingzhu slowly walked forward, heading towards the Ancestral Hall.

Above, Su Yao was unsettled, thinking to himself:

Qingzhu eventually realized what he had done.

Outside the mountain, a blue halo appeared around Qingzhu, and then rose up in a short while.

The entire area surrounding Qixia, spanning thousands of miles, was enveloped in a bluish light.

Looking towards Qixia Mountain from afar, one can see a large, azure sun slowly rising into the sky. However, once it reaches the mountain peak, it stops rising and simply hangs there quietly.

On an unnamed cliff a thousand miles away from Qixia Mountain, in front of a thatched hut, two figures, one in yellow and one in purple, gazed towards Qixia Mountain.

If someone were to look at the two at this moment, they would feel that the two were born holy, and they could feel a sense of holiness just by looking at them from a distance. However, if they looked closely, they would find that they could not remember the faces of the two.

After a long silence, the purple figure finally spoke:

"Master, what's your opinion?"

The yellow figure remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:

"My family's relationship with Qixia is so-so. Zique, not only are you from Mount Lao and Qixia both from Jade Pure One, but you're also related by marriage. Your younger sister is married to someone from Qixia."

The figure in purple was none other than "Heavenly Purple Zique Nourishing Intent and Profound Understanding True Lord" Zique.

Zique said, "They are indeed in-laws, but I've only met Su Yao twice." He paused, then continued, "As for you, Celestial Master, this matter was originally to be handled by the Flower God and me. I don't know why you weren't on duty at the Hall of Complete Illumination, but instead sought out the Flower God to take this assignment."

The man known as the Celestial Master laughed:

"I stood upon the talisman, and feeling something in my heart, I came to observe."

Zique simply smiled and said nothing more, but a few more thoughts crept into her mind.

Although the four Celestial Masters all belong to the Daoist Gate, they are still much less familiar with the rest of the family, so we must be wary of them. After all, Su Yao's pursuit of gold is a major matter and cannot be taken lightly.

At this moment, the Celestial Master said again:

"Perfected Qizhen a figure from before the Investiture of the Gods, Qingzhu even lived through the Spring and Autumn, having met the Supreme Sage, Buddha, the Spring and Autumn Heavenly Venerable, the Qin Emperor, and others. I have some doubts in my heart and would like to ask them in person..."

Zique frowned and quietly moved a few steps away from the Celestial Master.

Upon seeing this, the Celestial Master laughed and said:

"Fellow Daoist, rest assured, I dare not covet Qingzhu. No matter how alluring Qingxuan may be, I dare not, for she likely possesses methods left behind by the Spring and Autumn Heavenly Venerable. Over the years, many have coveted Qingzhu's wondrous Qingxuan, but most have never returned. Indeed, I have some doubts that I need to inquire about..." He paused, then continued, "For example, did the Supreme Deity Haotian perish or depart from beyond the heavens? And what is the Jade Emperor's true origin? I have inquired about this with the other three Celestial Masters, but the three sect leaders have not spoken. I suppose we can only ask Senior Qizhen and Qingzhu, for these two have lived for a long time and have always maintained contact with those in the center of the world."

Zique did not respond to this, but instead moved further away.

The Celestial Master simply smiled upon seeing this, and then said:

"The presence of someone at the Rainbow Cloud Fruition is naturally a good thing for our Mysterious Gate and the Immortal Dao."

Zique nodded in agreement, but said nothing more.

Qixia Mountain, in front of the Ancestral Hall.

Qingzhu carried Su Yao to this spot and they stopped.

Su Yao quickly got off Qingzhu.

Qingzhu said:

"Let's go, let's offer incense to the ancestral master."

Su Yao nodded upon hearing this, then bowed in the disciple's salute and led the way.

But after taking only two steps, Qingzhu's voice rang out again:

"Enough, enough. Some things are simply not meant to be said in front of the patriarch."

As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of wind blew up, and the heavy wooden door of the Ancestral Hall closed in the blink of an eye.

Su Yao turned around and asked:

What does Qingzhu mean by this?

Qingzhu smiled wryly:

"Su Yao, I don't know what your plans are, I just hope you won't hide anything from me."

Although Su Yao was startled, he still said:

"Qingzhu, what do you mean by this? I've never hidden anything from you."

Qingzhu, "Where are the Azure Empyrean Sparrow and the Morning Cloud Vulture you raised now? Not to mention the two you got in Nanzhao, after the Proclaiming Earth matter was over and you returned to Qixia Mountain, before you went out to destroy the demons in the South Sea, you went out three times, but each time you went out, a rare creature disappeared."

He paused, then said in a low voice:

"Could you tell me if you are practicing Evil Method? Otherwise, how could you have cultivated so quickly?"

Su Yao's heart skipped a beat. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke:

"Qingzhu, I dare not say that I have never hidden anything from you, but I can swear that everything I have done has been for Qixia, and I have never done anything to Qixia."

A complex mix of emotions welled up in Qingzhu's Azure Jade- green eyes: worry, confusion, and a hint of pain.

"Su Yao, I've watched you grow up since you were a baby. I know your personality better than anyone. You've never been one to practice Evil Method, but your cultivation has progressed too quickly, so quickly that even I was caught off guard. And over the years, your actions have been somewhat strange. What are you hiding from me?"

Su Yao lowered his head, his voice so low it was almost inaudible:

"Qingzhu, you will know in the future. As for me now... it's hard to say."

Qingzhu remained silent for a long time after hearing this.

He looked at Su Yao, his Azure Jade- green eyes swirling with something indescribable—pain, guilt, and a hint of relief.

He felt he shouldn't ask, but he was afraid—afraid that something would happen to Su Yao, afraid that Su Yao would embark on a path of no return.

Su Yao remained silent.

He didn't want to keep it from Qingzhu, but he had no choice.

The secret of the Prism must not be told to anyone.

After a long while, Qingzhu sighed softly, turned around and walked towards the Ancestral Hall:

"Let's go, let's offer incense to the ancestral master."

Su Yao followed behind him, performing the disciple's salute without uttering a word.

In the Ancestral Hall, Qingzhu and Su Yao each lit an incense stick and bowed three times to the tablets of Yun Zhongzi and the other Ancestral Masters.

After the ceremony, Qingzhu turned around and looked at Su Yao with a deep gaze:

"Go."

Su Yao was slightly taken aback, then bowed respectfully:

Thank you, Qingzhu.

After saying that, he didn't say anything more and turned to walk down the mountain.

Qingzhu did not leave immediately, but quietly followed behind Su Yao, its four hooves treading on the white jade steps, making a very soft "tap-tap" sound.

A person and a sheep, one in front and one behind, descended the stone steps, bypassed the Rainbow Bridge, passed through the mountain gate, and walked through the lush pear orchards covering the mountain.

Su Yao paused, turned back to look at Qingzhu, puzzled.

Qingzhu, "I'll escort you to the foot of the mountain."

Su Yao opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing, only nodded, and continued walking down the mountain.

The mountain breeze swept through the pear orchard, rustling the tender leaves on the trees. The white petals were still too early to fall, leaving only scattered green fragments swaying gently in the morning light.

As Su Yao walked, he suddenly remembered something.

The last time he was so far from the mountain was when he Foundation Establishment.

At that time, in order to practice the third talisman, he went down Qixia Mountain alone to the secret realm at the foot of Mount Zhongnan, and then went to Nanzhao. Finally, he achieved the Purple Mansion and returned to Qixia.

At that time, he was young and ambitious, full of the ambition that "the world is vast and I can go anywhere."

This second time he's left the mountain, it's in search of gold.

He suddenly felt a little amused, yet also a mix of inexplicable emotions. He left the mountain during the Foundation Establishment for cultivation; he left during the Purple Mansion Peak to seek gold. Each time he went further, each time he carried heavier expectations, but the path beneath his feet was ultimately the same.

Soon, we reached the foot of the mountain.

Qingzhu stopped and did not go any further.

Su Yao turned around, bowed to Qingzhu, and was about to speak when he heard Qingzhu say:

"I didn't fully explain those words to you before we reached the ancestral hall. Now that we've reached the foot of the mountain, I'll tell you them again."

Su Yao was slightly taken aback.

Qingzhu gazed at him, her Azure Jade- green eyes swirling with an indescribable mix of emotions: worry, reluctance, and a hint of relief.

"You've never hidden anything from me, you've only hidden it from yourself. You were afraid I'd worry if I knew, afraid Daozheng would be distracted if he knew, afraid everyone would disrupt your plans. But Su Yao, have you forgotten how long I've lived?"

"How much of your little tricks can you fool me? I just... trusted you."

Upon hearing this, Su Yao lowered his head, his throat tightening slightly.

Qingzhu continued:

"Go without any worries. If anything happens, I'll take care of it."

Su Yao raised his head and looked at Qingzhu, a hint of warmth appearing in his usually cold eyes.

He opened his mouth, but ultimately only managed to utter four words: "Thank you Qingzhu."

Qingzhu waved her hoof, her tone returning to its usual lazy manner:

"Alright, alright, hurry up and leave. If you don't leave now, I'm going to change my mind."

Su Yao smiled, said nothing more, and turned to walk out of the mountain.

Behind him, Qingzhu stood at the Qixia Mountain, watching the figure in Qingyi gradually disappear into the morning mist and pear orchard.

The mountain breeze rustled through the ancient trees, making the lush greenery of the mountainside whisper in the wind.

After a long silence, He whispered:

"Qizhenzi, I really don't know, letting Su Yao... was that right?"

But in the end, no one answered Him.

The mountain breeze ruffled Qingzhu's green fur, casting its shadow long in the morning light, like a silent mountain.

There is a word cloud:

Amidst the pear blossoms in the deep clouds, I bid you farewell; Qingzhu guard in the mountain courtyard. From here, you journey across ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers, without a care in the world.

The young man once aspired to great heights, and today he embarks on a new journey. Ask not when he will return, for the completion of the elixir will be his call to home.

Su Yao stepped out of Qixia Mountain and was about to enter the Great Void when he suddenly remembered something and looked back.

Qixia Mountain had already turned into a blurry blue shadow in the morning mist, with only a bright blue sun quietly shining above the mountain peak.

He withdrew his gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips. Golden light flashed beneath his feet, and Golden Light Across the Land, transforming it into a streak of pure white light that shot towards the South Sea.

This journey will take me thousands of miles, and all I seek is one word. "Gold."

A poem says:

Heading south to the vast ocean, turning west, where Kunlun collapse with snow.

Further north, the Imperial Pass rises a thousand feet high, its Sword Qi overwhelming.

Looking Jieshi, I gaze at the sunrise over the sea from Jieshi; ascending Zhongyue, I pay homage to the imperial palace.

Laugh at the world, where ten thousand miles are a chessboard; who set it up?

The evidence from the Yunzhong is still incomplete.

The Caiche, how can one possibly follow them?

Recast the rainbow, and begin a new chapter in the celestial order.

A single sword strike shakes the world; a lone traveler journeys ten thousand miles, annihilating all heroes.

From this day forward, I will challenge the world with my sword and start anew.