Chapter 558: Master Zou's Words

Chapter 558: Zou Ye's Words

Three days ago, Qingping Daoist Temple suddenly announced its closure, citing that the abbot had unexpectedly received a great opportunity and needed to immediately retreat for cultivation.

The devout believers living in the surrounding mountain towns and villages, upon hearing the news, expressed their dissatisfaction. To them, losing the place to comprehend the Dao meant their lives had lost their backbone.

To appease the believers, the temple announced that the Huangliang Cave Heaven within would no longer collect immortal energy, offering it free of charge to the public, allowing all believers to enter and leave freely.

Such a good deed is not common. The originally discontented believers cheered, vowing to pray devoutly for the abbot's blessings.

In the quiet depths of the night, the tightly closed main hall doors were gently pushed open.

Chen Qi Sheng had cut off his once-long hair, leaving only a short crop that was still considered heretical in today's Daoist circles. He wore a black robe, and the bandages wrapped around his chest still seeped faint spots of blood.

A narrow, ugly scar on his cheek was particularly striking, running from the corner of his eye to his mouth, a complete defacement of his appearance.

The vast main hall was empty, yet Chen Qi Sheng stopped as soon as he crossed the threshold, sitting on the stone step that reached his knees.

His pale face showed weakness, his distinct brows furrowed in confusion.

He lifted his head, gazing at the Dragon Tiger Ancestral Master standing on the altar.

Within the deliberately dim, yellowish lamplight, the Ancestral Master seemed to lower his brows and avert his eyes, as if also watching him.

When humans look to the gods, they seek peace.

When gods look to humans, they often bring punishment.

Chen Qi Sheng had countless times knelt on the straw mat before the deity, never daring to ask for daylight ascension or immortality.

Because his master had once said, to revere the Ancestral Master without asking for anything. Walk one's own path well, and the Ancestral Master would naturally bestow protection.

Chen Qi Sheng was obedient. Before the Ancestral Master, he had always kept his mind free of distractions. In all his years of cultivation, when kneeling on the straw mat, he had only ever asked for one thing: for his master, Xuan Dou, to live in peace, and for Dou Bu to be safe and healthy.

But today, he did not wish to kneel anymore, nor would he ever kneel again.

Because his master, Xuan Dou, was gone, and the familiar Dou Bu in his memory was also gone.

Though there were only two people, the vast Longhu Mountain had no place for them.

Chen Qi Sheng could not understand why.

So when he met his respected senior brother Yang Zong, whom he had known since childhood, in Shangrao County, Chen Qi Sheng's heart burned with anger, but he had never considered killing the other.

He only wanted to ask clearly: whether his master had suffered when he left, whether he had been subjected to the harsh interrogation of the Tian Shi Fu, whether they had given his master a chance to be reborn, or cast him into the 'Fengdu' to endure eternal torment.

Yet the one who had once taught him how to refine his body, how to inscribe talismans and seals, how to use fists and feet to respond to those fellow disciples who always targeted him—now, upon seeing him, was filled with resentment and hatred.

Those eyes, Chen Qi Sheng still remembered vividly.

He knew why Yang Zong hated him.

If he had not betrayed Longhu Mountain, had not killed Zhang Qing Sheng, had not returned to Guangxin Fu, then Yang Zong would still be the new head of Dou Bu, sitting comfortably on the earth immortal seat of Baiyu Jing, leisurely cultivating the Dao.

He would not be like now, holding the hot potato of the Tian Shi Fu's supervisory office, coming to the mountain to face a group of extremely dangerous demons.

Even if this group of demons included his own junior brother, even if they were the sworn brothers of this junior brother.

Because Yang Zong was no longer part of Dou Bu, nor was he that so-called old-school cultivator anymore.

Chen Qi Sheng touched the scar on his face, his eyes growing darker and more lifeless.

This scar was Yang Zong's answer, and Chen Qi Sheng did not care; he took it as repayment for past kindness.

But why had the other spoken such insults about his master?

Back then, he had despised Dou Bu for having no future and wanted to switch to the new school. It was his master, who disliked asking others for favors, who had gone through intermediaries to change his department.

Clearly, those who had reduced him to a skeletal frame were not his master's equals, yet they had so arrogantly and brazenly criticized the old-school Daoist order, looking down with disdain on the old Daoist priest who bowed and saluted before them.

Chen Qi Sheng remembered clearly: at that time, he had often been beaten by other departments' Daoist boys, who all called him a beggar, a dwarf monkey.

Yet that day, that crooked waist had ended up as tall as his own head.

At that time, when he was beaten to a swollen face, he had not felt anything wrong.

Today, still with a swollen face, he felt everything was wrong.

Why bow, and how could one bow so low?

Why were all favors not cherished by others?

Chen Qi Sheng still could not understand.

His heart was full of doubts, but his eyes gradually grew sharp, as if the clay statue on the altar had been startled and quietly shifted its gaze.

"Is there something wrong? You've been watching for so many years, and you still haven't had enough?"

A sidelong glance caught a face laughing beside him, and Zou Si Jiu sat down next to Chen Qi Sheng.

"Originally, the Yin Yang Order should believe in this more than the Dao Order. But I don't know what's wrong with me; I just can't muster much interest in revering the gods."

Zou Si Jiu wiped his temples with his hands, his oiled hair meticulously groomed.

"In the Yin Yang Order, this is a serious matter. To put it mildly, it's disrespectful to the rituals. To put it severely, it's denying the sequence. So those turtle sons in the Yin Yang Order always look at me with noses that aren't noses and eyes that aren't eyes."

Zou Si Jiu continued talking without regard for whether Chen Qi Sheng was listening: "Back then, I was thinking, the sequence is the powerful manifestation of genes. The rituals are just the awakening conditions of genes. What does it have to do with whether there are gods or not? As the saying goes, there are spirits three feet above one's head. If that spirit stood on my head, would he slip and fall?"

"Young people don't understand, can't control their heads or mouths. So in others' eyes, I'm an unruly thorn, the rotten mouse droppings that spoiled the whole pot."

"A wild child without parents or background, relying on sly flattery and opportunistic tactics to barely become a sequence holder. How could he not be hated and cursed behind his back as a complete bastard? If he's lucky, he might die a miserable death on the street. That's the lighter outcome. Backstabbing and being stabbed in the back, that's what I fear most."

Chen Qi Sheng watched in silence, seeing a face that smiled brilliantly.

"They don't like it, so they can't tolerate it. No problem, if they can't tolerate it, we'll just leave. Who says we can't beat them?"

Zou Si Jiu laughed: "The old two capitals and thirteen provinces, I've almost walked through all of them. I'm not a likable person, and the sequences I've walked aren't likable either. With the title of 'Huangliang Gluttenous Rat,' I often hit a wall wherever I go. That's not a big deal. Using the Confucian order's words, it's the heavens imposing a great task upon me, exhausting my sinews and bones, starving my skin and flesh. Though I've been scolded and taken many losses, at least I've lived a life full of ritual."

As he spoke, a graceful figure appeared behind Zou Si Jiu.

Her long red hair like fire, her gentle gaze fell on the man's back.

Zou Si Jiu seemed to sense something, patting his shoulder.

"I'm telling you all this not to compare who's suffered more with Old Chen. Suffering has its own merits, and besides, can we compare to Li Jun's grandson?"

Zou Si Jiu stared straight into the depths of the main hall, his eyes brimming with malice.

"What I want to tell you is that this world is just so damnably unfair. There are so many unjust and immoral things. Do you really think you can figure out every single one? Nonsense. Some people are just born as bastards, appearing gentle and virtuous on the surface, but secretly worshipping the doctrine of 'heavenly destruction and earthly annihilation.'

Zou Si Jiu snarled: "Before, when I was weak and alone, I couldn't win, so I endured, I yielded, hiding in a corner with my wounds, slowly recovering. But now it's different. Are you, Chen Qi Sheng, alone?"

"No," Chen Qi Sheng replied softly.

"Are you crippled, unable to wield swords and spears?"

"No."

"Are you scared out of your wits, afraid of Longhu Mountain and the Tian Shi Fu?"

"No!"

"Since it's neither, why have you come to this damned place in the middle of the night, looking at this ghostly deity? Heal your wounds first, then go fight another battle. Let the heavenly might be unpredictable, let the Dao be as deep as the sea. If you come to kill, then in the Huangliang dream realm, I'll kill you! If we both can't kill, then we'll call Old Li to compare whose fists are harder. If we can't settle this among ourselves, then we'll openly stir up trouble, wait until our swords and spears are worn out, and then face them head-on and slash away. I've wandered like a dog for so many years, unable to bear it any longer. Do you have to bury your head and rush forward, knowing full well that the enemy is many and we are few, and take your life to splash blood on others?"

"Si Jiu."

The guardian stood behind, words caught in his throat.

"Men speak, women don't interject."

Zou Si Jiu licked his lips, crudely unbuttoned his collar, and mercilessly scolded.

"I despise that wilted, brain‑dead look of yours. After the Xuan Dou Celestial Master fell, you went mad, looking cold at everyone. If you were fierce enough to have beheaded that so‑called Yang Zong of the Longhu Mountain sect, I wouldn't have lifted a finger today—I'd have stayed in my dream, indulging in romance and poetry. But you can't kill, you think about revenge instead of mourning here, whining like a woman?"

Zou Si Jiu shouted angrily, "Chen Qisheng, you should stop asking why the Longhu Mountain Celestial Master Hall wants you dead, and stop wondering why your former brothers turned against you. They have their excuses, but understanding and forgiveness belong to immortals. What you must do is deliver them personally to the heavens to meet the Longhu Mountain founder, understand?"

"Got a chance to curse the Daoist for so long, and I'm getting more enthusiastic—think I'm shy about messing with you?"

Chen Qisheng twisted his mouth, finally revealing Zou Si Jiu's familiar cold grin.

"Oh, you're feeling lively already?"

Zou Si Jiu forced a embarrassed laugh, shifting his seat, "I'm doing this for your own good, don't be so petty."

"Your words are mostly useless drivel, but thanks, charlatan."

"How pretentious."

Seeing the gloom lift from Chen Qisheng's eyes, Zou Si Jiu felt steadied inside, yet sneered outwardly.

"And what kind of nonsense are you spouting? Here I am, laying my soul bare before the woman I love, and you call it drivel? That's pure ignorance and heartlessness, right, Shou Yu?"

"Men speak, where's my chance to open my mouth?"

A blaze of red hair vanished in an instant, leaving only cold words hanging in the air.

"Keep pretending, keep it up. My overflowing masculine aura—won't it overwhelm you?"

Zou Si Jiu wiggled his eyebrows, smug as ever.

"Learned that from Master Ma?" Chen Qisheng suddenly asked.

"Yep."

Zou Si Jiu blurted out, then snapped back, "What learning? This is all genuine feeling."

"How long has Jun Ge been gone?"

Chen Qisheng peeled off his bandages as he asked.

"Three days. He should've entered Yuanzhou Prefecture by now."

"Is Master Ma still in seclusion, training?"

"They say he's planning something fierce this time. We don't get the ink scripts either. But Ao Hu and Chang Jun stare at it daily, never knowing what they're waiting for."

"So Jun Ge is truly on his own this round."

"You needn't worry about him. Old Li can hide better than I can; as long as he doesn't fight, Ge Zao Mountain won't detect him."

"Indeed."

Chen Qisheng chuckled wryly, his bandages falling away to reveal a tapestry of snarling scars.

Razor‑sharp cuts, blunt blows, fire, ice, corrosion—hardly a square inch of unscathed flesh on his upper body, leaving Zou Si Jiu rooted to the spot.

"Zou Ye, you really don't believe in the gods?"

Zou Si Jiu snapped back, nodding, "All the omens are great misfortune; how can I believe?"

"There's no point in believing. If you truly sat in the heavens, I'd already be dead, a traitor. How could I have survived till now?"

Chen Qisheng stared at the Longhu Patriarch statue on the altar, his contempt unmasked.

"Better that you're gone; when they die without seeing you, that's true relief."

A black robe concealed him, yet his edge pierced the fabric.

"Old man, you always claimed you weren't a true old‑school cultivator. I thought you were being modest, but now I see—you aren't, yet you are a genuine cultivator."

Chen Qisheng muttered to himself, "You practice gratitude, I won't. The world is full of swine and dogs; I’ll forge my own slaughter."

Clang!

The sword sang through the temple, a cold flash slicing the Patriarch's head.

"They're all unreasonable monsters, bragging and chatting like it fuels their genes? Nonsense. If you keep this up, I'll become the weakest of all."

A bone‑chilling cold filled the room, making Zou Si Jiu shiver, then a look of relief crossed his face.

"Good thing you’ve got my back, Shen Li. True men in Tianjin who'd jump into a river rather than bow—just keep your temper up, not your force."

"And one more thing!"

Zou Si Jiu muttered, as if recalling something, and looked at Chen Qisheng gravely, "The Yang Dragon must have met disaster."

"Daoist, please halt."

Those were no kind words.

Li Jun jabbed at a ragged kid, turned, and saw a composed, round‑faced Daoist standing behind him, his aura gentle.

Though the stranger wore a smile, Li Jun felt an inexplicable urge to strike.

"Who are you?"

"I am Ge Jing of Ge Zao Mountain."

The Daoist's cheerful words barely left his mouth before a fierce gust of fists slammed forward.

"I mean no harm!"

Ge Jing's complexion shifted; he raised an invisible shield, only for the punch to pierce it, smashing into his hastily crossed arms.

Bang!

His large sleeves shattered, revealing two bronze‑tinged mechanical arms; the fine cracks healed in an instant.

"Eight‑body proof? Dao Three?"

Li Jun's cold gaze scanned; the surrounding pedestrians remained oblivious.

"Illusion?"

Li Jun realized why a sinister aura lingered.

"Now rumors in the Daoist ranks say Master Li Xin, your killing aura is heavy, your strikes ruthless—today proves it."

Ge Jing, floating mid‑air, spoke, his voice echoing beside Li Jun.

"Master Li Xin, you can see I have no malicious intent; otherwise you wouldn't have missed it until now, realizing you're in an illusion, right?"

In a flash, Ge Jing reappeared before Li Jun, his robe restored.

"How did you discover me?"

Li Jun didn't rush to strike; he furrowed his brows and asked.

"The Longhu sect thinks they're the ancient ancestral hall of the Dao, pretentious and theatrical. We of Ge Zao are different. Since we learned Master Li Xin appeared at Guangxin Mansion, the skies over Yuanzhou have no longer been ordinary celestial tracks—fearful of your sudden visit, Ge Zao would not welcome you from afar."

Ge Jing's face twisted into a helpless grin, "But alas, Master Li Xin, your martial skill is astonishing; even the Southern Dipper couldn't trace you. Yet Yuanzhou is now half a Dao kingdom; though you changed attire, you remain conspicuous. The two facts together reveal your identity without words."

"Yet you claim no ill will—why pull me into this illusion?"

Li Jun narrowed his eyes, smiling, "I prefer face‑to‑face talks. Why not drop the illusion and speak openly?"

"Master Li Xin jokes, the illusion isn't to threaten you; it's merely a safeguard I give myself."

Gè Jìng clasped his hands and said, "The Eight‑Body Proof is a rarity even on Gézǎo Mountain; I went to great trouble to obtain one. If I later say something that unintentionally offends you and you smash it, I’ll have nowhere to plead my case."

"Compared to the Gézǎo Dao sect’s Luò Chéng you met before, he doesn’t seem to belong to the same Daoist lineage at all."

Though Li Jūn held him up against disciples who were generations inferior, Gé Jìng showed no trace of anger; instead his tone grew ever more reverent.

"In recent years the incense of Gézǎo Mountain has burned bright, yet it has bred a few ungrateful juniors—overbearing in demeanor, extreme in conduct."

Gé Jìng’s face flushed with apology as he said, "We have investigated Luò Chéng’s deeds in the Wa region thoroughly; his death and the dissipation of his Dao were wholly his own doing. If Minister Lǐ Xīn remains dissatisfied, Gézǎo Mountain can hand over his master within the sect and his worldly kin, leaving the disposition to you."

Li Jūn raised an eyebrow, "He is, after all, a disciple your Gézǎo sect sent into the Wa lands."

"If it were merely a contest of fate, I would certainly demand an explanation from Minister Lǐ Xīn today, but Luò Chéng’s actions have already entered the demonic path—he slaughtered his fellow Daoists and brought harm to innocents; his death is no great loss." Gé Jìng spoke with a solemn expression.

"Your reasonableness leaves me somewhat ill at ease."

Li Jūn interlaced his fingers, twisting his wrists left and right.

"I have come a long way; if you send me back empty‑handed, I cannot save face."

"Gézǎo Mountain sincerely wishes to resolve our grievances with you. Moreover—"

Gé Jìng’s expression grew grave as he said, "Now a far more formidable enemy looms nearby; why should we destroy ourselves and let the foe profit?"

Self‑destruction?

Li Jūn chuckled, "And who is this formidable enemy you speak of?"

"The chief of the New Donglin Party, the Premier of the Cabinet, Second Rank of the Confucian Order, Imperial Tutor Zhāng Fēngyuè!"