rustycol | Liu Yao - Chapter 56

rustycol.dreamwidth.org

Many thanks to MrMissMrsRandom as usual!

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Although the sect leader seal is always worn on his neck, this is only the second time Yan Zhengming sends his primordial spirit inside it. The first time he did it purely on accident. He didn’t know its true nature.

However, he has a completely different mentality in the present.

Even now, Yan Zhengming can still remember clearly how he nearly lost the will to live, the first time he saw the three layers of locks in the mountain seal.

He felt that he had just been floating through life since his childhood. The only weighty promise he ever made was to return to Fuyao Mountain some day, and bring Xiao-Qian, who had perished on that deserted island in the Eastern Sea, back to home. If he couldn’t do even that, he really didn’t know what was the point of him living on.

Fortunately for him, at that point, Puddle began to undergo the trial of her yao skeleton growing. Puddle’s yao skeleton grew about a finger joint every ten years. As a half yao, her human half both helped and hurt her. On one hand, thanks to the nature of things, she had an intelligence that far exceeds the animal’s, and could have a better understanding for her cultivation. On the other hand, as she grew, her mix-blood body became too weak for the exponentially growing energy of a celestial yao. Before her own cultivation reached a certain level, she needed someone to suppress the yao energy when her yao skeleton grew.

Li Yun was too weak for the task. Although Yan Zhengming had the wish to just stop living from time to time, he never dared to really abandon those two. He just didn’t have the freedom to commit suicide.  

But it is truly his luck that he has them.

He circles around the layer several times but doesn’t find any clue, so he leisurely moves to the ‘heaven’ layer.

The layer of ‘heaven’ is even more strange. Its cover is completely transparent, inside is a starry sky. Billion grains of glittery dust like countless stars emerge and drop throughout the space with neither rhyme nor reason. In a corner there is a hole that is only as big as a needle’s point. Yan Zhengming pauses and concentrates his mind to study it for a long time. All he sees is that from time to time, a star touches that hole, but perhaps because the shape or the size isn’t right, none of them fall out.   

Yan Zhengming looks closely at this ‘only one way’ layer of locks meant to represent the ‘heaven’ for a long while. He realises that besides that hole, there is no other opening, and his awareness can’t get inside there.

A strange thought comes to him. Can it be, among these countless stars, only one of them fits the hole and falls out. Not only its size and shape have to fit the hole, it has to come in the correct direction, so that it can fall out of the lock?

Then, can it be the intent of the ‘heaven’ layer is “where human capability ends, listen to what Heaven ordains”?

As soon as he has this realisation, Yan Zhengming feels a bit upset, but he isn’t too disappointed. It is as if after Cheng Qian has returned, all of his doubts and anxiety in the past years fade away, and Yan Zhengming suddenly can take it more easy.  

He thinks, Cultivation is a field that respects the idea of Fate. That seems logical. If the ‘heaven’ layer doesn’t open no matter what, it must be Fate.  

The last time he entered the sect leader, when the ‘humanity’ blocked him, he felt like he wanted to die. This time, in the face of the mysterious ‘earth’ layer and the 'heaven' that defies all reasons, he miraculously feels no resentment at all. Through this, it can be seen that in life, an outlook on the same issue may change depending on the mentality.

He believes that, whatever happens, they will be able to return to Fuyao Mountain someday. If the current generation can’t manage beyond opening the ‘humanity’ layer, the future generation can open the ‘earth’ layer. If the ‘heaven’ layer is an opaque entity that one can see but can’t do anything to it, as long as the lineage of their sect doesn’t end, they will have all of eternity.

With so much time, even the impossible can become possible.

As long as the relevant people are there, isn’t everywhere already their home?

Yan Zhengming’s mood becomes significantly relaxed. He lets the whole of his mind enter the sect leader seal for the first time. The immense but calm awareness of the sect leader seal absorbs him inside. A whole world opens in his heart. His cultivation, which has been in a bottleneck for a while, suddenly shows signs of breaking through. Thus, he meditates right in front of the 'heaven' layer.  

As the light of the stars in the ‘heaven’ layer shines on his face, Yan Zhengming is acutely aware of the ripples in his heart. He can’t help the gentle smile on his lips, as if to realise that, as soon as he thinks of Cheng Qian, he doesn’t ask for anything else in this life.

Although he is only at the level of “not desiring anything” for only a blink of an eye, it is enough for him to get a glimpse of a wider world.

Letting the awareness in the sect leader seal brush his meridians time and time again, Yan Zhengming connects with this awareness. Fragments of images appear to him, the faces in which are all unfamiliar. The scenes come and go in a flash. They appear to be the memories in the sect leader seal.

Suddenly, Yan Zhengming catches a familiar scene as he scans through the memories. He recognises what it is about as soon as he sees it. That is none other than the chaos that broke out on Azure Dragon Island, when the lord of the island Gu Yanxue secretly told them to escape, while he was engaging in a fierce battle with Tang Yao.

In the present, as an outside observer, Yan Zhengming can see that, as Lord Gu sent him the secret message, he also recited a password, which followed his spiritual energy and entered the sect leader seal.  

With a clicking sound, Yan Zhengming wakes up from his meditative trance. Right after that, his primordial spirit is sent out from the sect leader seal, and falls back to his body. Startled, Yan Zhengming opens his eyes. It’s already early morning outside. He has been in the sect leader seal one whole day.

Yan Zhengming frowns as he does his best to recall everything. Back then on Azure Dragon Island, his cultivation was limited, and chaos reigned in his heart. Therefore, he didn’t notice the password from the lord of the island at all.

Does this mean, the Azure Dragon lock in the ‘earth’ layer was opened by Lord Gu?

Frowning, Yan Zhengming thinks about the Four Sages, one of whom had died and the other three injured back then. Can it be that the four passwords in the ‘earth’ layer are kept by the Four Sages?

The more he knows, the more he can’t tell if his disciple grandfather, whose history is a mystery, was friends or foes with the Four Sages.

Furthermore, it would be fine if it were anyone else, but one of the Four Sages died under his disciple grandfather’s own hand. If that person really kept a password, from whom can Yan Zhengming ask for it now?

As Yan Zhengming is lost in his thoughts, Li Yun suddenly pushes open the door to his room and charges in.

Li Yun acts so naturally, so obviously he is used to doing this. Yan Zhengming glares at him, thinking that the sect leader position of this wild chicken sect is good as nothing. Whether it’s his disciple brother and sister, or the underlings, they keep entering his room for the smallest problem without any reservation, such that he no longer dares to take a bath during daytime.

Cheng Qian leisurely follows Li Yun. As Yan Zhengming is still annoyed by the two of them showing up together, Li Yun complains, not bothering to mince his words. “You make me look for you everywhere. I didn’t know you returned here. Didn’t you always stay in the bamboo grove before?”

In Cheng Qian’s presence, Yan Zhengming immediately blushes. He hastily says to Li Yun, “When was I ‘always’ in the bamboo grove? I… I just went there occasionally to tidy the place up!”

As if not understanding Yan Zhengming at all, Li Yun says carelessly, “That’s not true. Whenever I wanted to find you, nine out of ten you’d be there.”

Then, this talkative asshole turns and teases Cheng Qian. “Once you’re back, we’ve all become stepchildren. Our sect leader gifts you even his favourite place. Oh, this reminds me, wasn’t your place on Fuyao Mountain back then called ‘Qing An Abode’ too?”

Yan Zhengming: “…”

Not everyone can have this skill to bring up what shouldn’t be said with every line that comes out of him like this.

Not daring to see what expression is currently on Cheng Qian’s face, Yan Zhengming can’t suppress his anger and shouts at Li Yun. “Shut up. Where is your sense of propriety? Eaten by dogs?”

Li Yun surprisedly says, “Huh? Since when does our sect have any propriety?”

“...” Yan Zhengming can’t find any argument against that. He resigns to saying tiredly. “Go away!”

Taking advantage of his posture, Li Yun hides the smile full of mischief on his lips, and feigns a serious face. “You chase me off even before I can get to the main business. Tsk. Xiao-Qian, you don’t know it yet, but our most senior brother’s temper keeps getting more and more unpredictable.”

Cheng Qian follows up with a straight face. “Well, my mother’s mood before she gave birth to my younger brother, that is unpredictable temper. This is nothing yet.”

His utterly fake humble politeness fills Yan Zhengming with a familiar sensation, making him very annoyed but unable to do anything.

Next to him, Li Yun laughs so hard his body is shaking.

Having teased his sect leader and senior brother to his heart’s content, Li Yun sits down with a satisfied air, and summons a big piece of Xuanzhi paper from the table with a flick of his hand. He spreads the paper and says seriously, “I’ve carefully analysed Han Yuan’s array. Here, have a look.”

Then, Li Yun picks up the brush and draws each stroke on the paper. “He made a ring of traps outside. That ring was destroyed by our most senior brother, so I can’t find out what was hidden in there. But I do know the part in the middle here. It’s an array to locate the mountain veins called ‘Spirit-Seeking Technique’.”  

What is called “mountain veins” is also known as “spiritual veins” in some places.

A natural site has its spiritual power because the mountain veins form a complete circulation. When the veins are disrupted, the spiritual energy concentrated there will be immediately drained, turning it into a dead lump of dirt. Therefore, “the veins of the mountain” hold its lifeforce. When a sect uses a mountain as their base, they would set up special arrays to protect its veins against outsiders with ill intents. The technique to neutralise such arrays is “Spirit-Seeking Technique”.  

Cheng Qian says, “It can’t be that he wants to drain the energy veins of Fuyao Mountain? Once Fuyao Mountain dies because its spiritual energy is drained out, the natural mystic site there may lose its power, and the seal will be opened. But why would he want a dead mountain?”

“To look for the Wish-granting Stone, maybe?” Li Yun says, “I don’t know. Back then Lord Gu refused to tell where that stone was, even under threat of death. Those people gained nothing from Azure Dragon Island, so they made a big fuss for a while. The remaining two Sages nearly became targets themselves, and had to swear on their own cultivation and lifespans, that they had never seen such an artifact. Xiao-Yuan… that demonic cultivator may think the Stone is on Fuyao Mountain.”  

“He won’t be able to find the mountain’s energy veins so easily,” Yan Zhengming cuts in. “Shall we wait and see? We have been turning that spot upside down all these years.”

“No, Spirit-Seeking Technique isn’t something so simple,” Li Yun says, “Do you remember what he did to escape? That’s the ‘Soul Replacement’ technique. With a piece of paper as the conductor, the user takes a living soul from another place to die in their place, which is typical for demonic techniques. To have ‘Spirit-Seeking Technique’ and ‘Soul Replacement’ technique at the same place. It isn’t easy to find someone who knows both of these rare demonic techniques.   

At this point, Li Yun stops and assumes an air of mystery.

Cheng Qian thinks, Do we have to wait for an explanation for even this?

Yan Zhengming impatiently urges. “If you have something to say then say it. Don’t drag it out!”

Li Yun finally says, “From what I know, apparently only the ‘Nightmare Travellers’ still know these two lost techniques.”

Cheng Qian, who isn’t up to date with the outside world, immediately asks, “What are the ‘Nightmare Travellers’?”

“A gang of demonic cultivators,” Yan Zhengming distractedly says, “Demonic cultivators usually have their own standards, so most of them act alone and very rarely work together. For some reason, the ‘Nightmare Travellers’ manage to gather this gang of demonic cultivators together and declare themselves to be a sect. Long story short, they have never done a single good thing. From what I heard, there are several arrest orders from the great sects targeting them already. Why is Han Yuan with them?”  

Yan Zhengming’s heart constricts as he says this. If Han Yuan has been doing things alone, it is still possible to save him, but if he is involved with this notorious demonic cult...

“Don’t worry. At least we have a clue now,” Li Yun waves the brush that is still full of ink about. “The Nightmare Walkers usually lurk in Nanjiang. That place is full of abnormal energy. Some people think their lair is there. Do you want to go have a look?”

Yan Zhengming hesitates a little. Nanjiang isn’t an ordinary place. Furthermore, it isn’t without reason that no one does anything about the “Nightmare Travellers”, despite their countless crimes throughout the years.   

However, Han Yuan...

Puddle has told them everything about the encounter by Fuyao Mountain, including that Han Yuan and that demon were in disagreement with each other. If Han Yuan has indeed completely fallen to the demonic path, there is nothing left to discuss. He will have to be executed according to the sect rules. Even their Master wouldn’t be able to object. But that isn’t really the case.

That’s their junior brother, whom they entered the Valley of the Yao to rescue despite not even having qi sensitivity yet back then. Although he was a troublemaker, who can give him up as long as they have the faintest hope?

In the end, Yan Zhengming decides, “Fine, when Puddle is back, we’ll go to Nanjiang.”

Cheng Qian has no objection to that. As he turns to leave, Yan Zhengming suddenly calls out to him.

“Xiao-Qian, wait,” Yan Zhengming calls him back. He feels that he is being silly, but if he doesn’t talk about this issue, he’ll keep feeling like he were choking on a bone. After a moment of controlling himself, he explains not very truthfully. “Before, I went to the bamboo grove because… because it was cooler there. I myself didn’t live there.”

Not getting why he wants to explain this, Cheng Qian confusedly turns his head and asks, “So, what?”

Yan Zhengming can’t answer that, while Li Yun laughs nearly to death.

Cheng Qian says, “It’s fine if you want to keep staying there to avoid the heat. I don’t take up that much space.”

Back then, when they lived on Azure Dragon Island, they were a group of youths that regularly stayed over in each other’s rooms. Cheng Qian crashed in his most senior brother’s room many times. After the hundred-year separation, his impression of the others stays in the teenage days, so he feels there is nothing inappropriate about that.

Hearing those words, Yan Zhengming blushes.

In this moment of unrest, his hand, which is drenched in cold sweats, carelessly rubs at the coin ring and accidentally stirs up the illusion inside it.

Cheng Qian terrifiedly watches his teenage self emerges with an expressionless face like a wandering soul from a ring with strange mounting right in front of him…  

rustycol | Liu Yao - Chapter 57

rustycol.dreamwidth.org

Thank you to MrMissMrsRandom for editing!

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What should one feel when staring into the eyes of one’s copy that is floating in the air?

Especially when this copy has an icy expression, with his eyes full of frost, as if he deeply hates this world for some reason.

A chill runs through Cheng Qian’s spine. He can’t help taking a step backward, thinking, “What the hell is this?”

As soon as he thinks that, the floating ‘Cheng Qian’ already flies to him like a ghost and raises his hand to slap him.

Cheng Qian: “…”

Of course, even if he is startled by this thing, he won’t let himself be hit by a small shade. With just one move, Cheng Qian flies out of the room and stands on the wall outside. He looks at Yan Zhengming, who is fumbling to withdraw the ‘ghost’ back to the ring, with a weirded out expression. “What is this?”

Having no way to talk himself out of this, Yan Zhengming hides his index finger. Not long after he reaches a relaxed state, he stops wanting to live again.

Li Yun immediately cuts in to ‘explain’ for his sect leader and senior brother. He unnecessarily says, “It’s an imitation spirit.”

The so-called ‘imitation spirit’ is a contrast to ‘true spirit’. Everything in this world has a spirit. Objects that have existed for a long time like ancient jade or ancient wood can gain sentience. When one carves some simple spells on such objects, which have spiritual energy but haven’t gained sentience, such an imitation spirit can be created.  

Although an imitation spirit looks like a real person, it has no awareness or intelligence, and can only do some mechanical tasks. Some imitation spirits made from sharp objects are aggressive, but they only know one move. Some others can do some trivial tasks like sending messages or serving tea. In other words, besides showing off to mortals, the imitation spirits aren’t very useful.  

“I know that thing is an imitation spirit,” Cheng Qian doubtfully says, “It… that thing… why…”

Although Cheng Qian doesn’t think of his own looks as anything remarkable, he can’t help feeling that something isn’t right, as he sees that the little imitation spirit looks just like him. He asks with a frown, “...Does it look like that?”

Seeing a way out from the tight place he is in, Yan Zhengming puts his hand over Li Yun’s mouth, and finally manages to speak for himself. “Because I thought of you when I saw the coin, so I made it at a whim. Uhm, don’t think too much about it.”

Full of schadenfreude, Li Yun thinks, Heh, he keeps digging himself deeper.

“What do I think too much about?” Squatting on the wall, Cheng Qian has more and more questions. “Furthermore, didn’t you make that coin yourself?”

An imitation shade can only be created from raw material, not a man-made artifact. Cheng Qian is in his usual form, where he doesn’t know what he should know, but always knows the inconvenient things.

Yan Zhengming has no reply to that. He feels humiliated, like he were caught red-handed when cheating, and, to make the matter worse, the one that caught him had bad eyesight and just kept staring.  

Cheng Qian asks, “Also, what did it raise its hand for? Did it want to have a round of sparring with me?”

Li Yun easily escapes from his most senior brother, who has gone stiff, and replies leisurely, “Ah, it wants to slap you. An imitation