Daoist Master of Qing Xuan

Bai Yufei let out a laugh, “Nothing could be better!”

Age has taken away his vitality, but it cannot change the fact that he was once a Jianghu drifter. It takes one day in Jianghu for a person to never leave Jianghu, for even if Jianghu is a place of unpredictability, but that kind of wilfulness and pride was also what every man’s heart yearned deep down.

Carrying the firewood, he beckoned Shen Lian into Qing Xia Temple. Inside it was clean, all of the firewood was stacked neatly. The furnishings at the top of the hall remained largely similar to when Shen Lian was last here. One could see the carefulness of Bai Yufei.

He watched over Qing Xuan temple, whether or not one day Mister Shen came here for Celestial Cultivation, at least he would not feel that the place was not homely.

Bai Yufei did not say it, and thus no one knew, but the person he had the most respect for was Shen Lian. Shen Lian saved him, and gave him some peace of mind.

Some say that a calm heart is better than an abundance of wealth.

Bai Yufei was an outstanding thief, money was something he could easily get. But before he met Shen Lian, he was only a pitiful wretch, to the point where Ye Liuyun tramped over mountains just to chase him down and kill him.

Shen Lian gave him new life. Therefore at the time, he guarded over the Shen family for many years. In the end he even saved a young Shen Ruoyi.

One after another they stepped into the temple. Bai Yufei tossed about in the kitchen for a while and brought out the wine. The both of them did not bother to be couth, they immediately started drinking.

The mountaintop in February was equivalent to December below the mountain. Cold and chilly, after the last remains of the sun left its afterglow, there then came a pitter-patter of rain and snow.

Shen Lian only had wine in his mind, so did not display even the slightest of techniques, allowing the cold air to intrude upon Qing Xia Temple. The occasional snow and rain dampened the window lattice.

They drank, accompanied with the wild mountain soybeans that Bai Yufei fried.

To be frank, even though the wine was Monkey Wine, but the taste was only so-so. If one placed more thought into it, it would seem hard to fathom that monkeys could ever brew good wine. In deep mountainous forests, far off the beaten track, it was very likely that the monkeys harvested various spiritual fruit and fermented them into fruit wine. Perhaps it could taste better, but with the spiritual fruit, even after they went through Celestial concoctions, no matter what the effect and taste, might not be better by any margin.

That was why Shen Lian drank for the sake of drinking, and not to savor the flavors within.

Just like an emperor, who amongst the people wore lavish clothes, sat in a small tavern, content with being able to eat and drink, one could also feel the different moods from the past.

Shen Lian drank while he told his life story. He started from Qing Xuan Temple. The memories he spoke of happened long ago, but when he spoke about them, it was as if it happened just yesterday, for every little detail, not a single bit was omitted.

Towards the end there was one particular story that Bai Yufei experienced in the flesh. As for the matter that involved Shen Lian seeking the way of Dao, Bai Yufei did not know the details.

After all he was only an ordinary person, in his eyes the heavens and earth are small, completely incapable of imagining the means of a deity and first class figure that could produce clouds and rain with one wave of the hand and stop the flow of rivers in a mere instant

But he was a good listener, happily lending his ears. Humans all have curiosity, and towards matters of deities they naturally could not understand, but they were incredibly curious.

Another sip of wine, another story.

Everything that Shen Lian went through in his thirty-three years, other people would not even encounter in three-hundred and thirty years.

It was as if he was a spectator and everything was expounded, beneath the warm smile was an icy tone of voice.

Bai Yufei had wanted to get drunk with Shen Lian since a long time ago, but back then the session at the inn was supposed to be the last chance. But now Shen Lian feared than he would only get drunk if he drank the mythical Celestial Wine of the Heaven Courtyard.

After they finished the wine, Bai Yufei leaned over the table. The rain and snow outside were still present. Shen Lian had finished telling all of his stories.

Bai Yufei had finished listening to the story at just the right time. Shen Lian would have a Dao discussion with an extremely terrifying Demon King on the third of next month.

When Bai Yufei passed out from being drunk, Shen Lian rose up and went outside. He allowed the raindrops and the snow to fall on the hair on his temples and on his forehead.

Apart from the candlelight of Qing Xuan Temple, the heavens and earth were dark beyond comparison. No other light could be seen. The silent darkness, the pitter-patter of rain, and the snow that melted in the rain, they contained the Qi dynamic of heaven and earth and its natural growth and decline.

If a person could sense the complex Qi dynamic of heaven and earth as well as the many transformations, even if there was not a strand of Mana it was still possible to move mountains and turn seas.

To the point where one could go along with the changes of Mana, a point could be found, where a single interference could reverse the Yin and Yang.

The Qi of Vitality in Mount Qing Xia was not that thick, it could properly be called thin.

As of this moment that little bit of Qi of heaven and earth started to clash with each other, then exploded and dispelled in the heavens and earth. A raging wind started in the mountaintop, blowing the trees that were caught in the rain.

It was in this scene that Shen Lian once again met Zhao Xiaoyu.

Natural beauty, the crescent of her eyebrows, a sweet smile, the beauty of her eyes, various beautiful words can be heaped onto her, but none of them do her justice.

Shen Lian could feel that Zhao Xiaoyu was different. With her every step, the control Shen Lian had over the Qi of heaven and earth weakened slightly. In the end, the surroundings were all the domain of the technique.

Shen Lian softly told her, “Xiaoyu, in doing this, I’m afraid that the mutual affection you have with your sister is finished.” On worldly things he could not be outsmarted, not to mention his body was equipped with Tongtian Skill and Tiandi Jian. Once all the power peeped into the world, the fear was that in such a short time, it really could have the type of Ouija where deities know all.

But then again everything was done, and to him it was absolutely an extremely high burden. To be like the Daoist Masters and Buddha, knowing the cause and the end result through ideomotor reflex, the past and future not omitted, may not be possible even throughout one life.

“If I had not done this, our fate would also be finished.” Zhao Xiaoyu plainly smiled, empty and quiet in spirit, her whole person along with the heaven and earth were ill-matched. Such simple words were much more powerful than any other touching words of love. Shen Lian was left unable to avoid them.

Shen Lian was speechless and could only look quietly at her. The bitter cold of rain and snow were completely forgotten.

Zhao Xiaoyu gently pursed her vermillion lips, the heavens and earth sounded one after another with intriguing syllables, clean and clear was the sound quality, the chants of these syllables had an indescribable demonic power. Shen Lian committed each of these syllables to memory.

This was The Sutra of The Dharma of Total Annihilation. Made known by Buddha, passed down by Maitreya Buddha, and that which contained the great mystery of the karmic cycle.

Shen Lian could not melodramatically refuse. In addition, Zhao Xiaoyu was not the type of her who would willingly be with him all day and night. Even though she had feelings for him, she was still Zhao Xiaoyu.

Shen Lian knew he already had an unbreakable involvement with a girl who was like a witch and a fairy, but he was not burdened by this, it gave him a kind of transparency that ‘Dao is both with and without emotion’.

After the night, the rain and clouds dispersed. The morning sunlight shone on the water droplets that remained on the tree leaves, which resulted in much radiance, as if one were in a dream.

Bai Yufei was still leaning on the tabletop, eyes barely open. Shen Lian was long gone. The tables were cleared and cleaned, and a line of words were inscribed on it ————– ‘I lift my drink and sing a song, for who knows if one’s life is short or long; man’s life is but the morning dew, past days many, future days few’.