Chapter 190: Waiting for the Red Robe

**Turbulence and Warfare: Feudal Lords Play with Beacon Fires**

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The Sisters' Waterfalls of Huishan cascaded in layers. As the last waterfall poured down, the water plunged with immense force, its roar echoing half a *li* away. Yet, a young man sat beneath it, bare-chested, bearing the torrent on his back. His skin, pounded by the impact, turned from red to purple. In the misty spray, a rainbow shimmered above his head. Moss covered the area around the large pool, and slender trees grew sparsely, creating a picturesque scene.

A middle-aged Taoist priest appeared seemingly out of nowhere, not disturbing any of the hidden sentinels on Huishan, and approached the waterfall. He observed the young man from afar, seeing his form sway precariously; continued resistance would soon harm his internal organs. The unknown mountain Taoist, with a flick of his sleeve, pulled the young man out of the waterfall. This was Yuan Tingshan, a swordsman who was practicing a method of "fighting poison with poison" to heal internal injuries, whose training had just been interrupted. Initially, his eyes were sinister, and a plain saber, tied to his wrist with a rope, leaped out of the water like a green dragon, ready to strike and kill an enemy at any moment. Yuan Tingshan's caution was evident. However, once he recognized the newcomer, even with his notorious reputation for being cold and unfeeling on Huishan, he immediately knelt on a large rock by the pool and spoke loudly, saying, "Yuan Tingshan, a native of Julu, greets the Immortal. Your immense kindness in bestowing several immortal fruits on Cloud Brocade Mountain is etched in my heart."

The middle-aged Taoist, who had spent ten years "fishing" at Dragon Tiger Mountain, waved his hand and said, "I merely came to Huishan's Great Snowfield to see Xuanyuan Jingcheng off. Seeing your cultivation going awry and that your internal injury recovery was excessive, I took the liberty to intervene. Please don't fault me for being meddlesome."

Yuan Tingshan smiled, revealing a set of white teeth, and said, "How could I dare!"

The Taoist saw that this young man spoke with extreme reverence, yet his right hand remained tightly pressed against the saber hilt. Unconcerned, he simply smiled and said with a touch of emotion, "Julu is a hub connecting all directions. If Kunlun is the dragon's head and East Sea City its tail, then Julu is the dragon's horn. The people from this place are either exceptionally wicked or great sages and worthies; there are few mediocre individuals."

Yuan Tingshan, still half-kneeling on the large rock, looked directly at the Taoist and slowly said, "Yuan Tingshan is narrow-minded and unaware of these profound matters. I simply couldn't stay in Julu and came out to make a living. I heard that the Celestial Masters of Dragon Tiger Mountain are proficient in divination and physiognomy. Is the Immortal perhaps an elder from the Celestial Master's Residence?"

The middle-aged Taoist shook his head, not attempting to be mysterious, but speaking frankly, "Although my surname is Zhao, I am not from the Celestial Master's Residence. I merely borrowed this blessed land of Dragon Tiger Mountain to build a hermitage and cultivate the Tao, not involving myself in worldly affairs, only to accumulate some positive fortune and hidden virtue for my descendants. Therefore, my Taoist heart is not pure, and I have been idle for some years."

Though Yuan Tingshan was uncouth and barely literate, he was clever. He skillfully hid his disappointment at learning the Taoist was not a dignitary from the Celestial Master's Residence, and with a humble demeanor, he loudly declared, "The Immortal is clearly a celestial being, like a Land Immortal. How could a mundane person like me dare to speculate about your true nature?"

The plain-looking Taoist took a yellowed book from his sleeve and threw it to Yuan Tingshan. His voice was soft, not booming like Yuan Tingshan's, yet it was clearly audible amidst the roar of the waterfall, perfectly distinct. "Xuanyuan Jingcheng sought heavenly tribulation himself, but after the final thunderbolt, as thick as a mountain peak, he still had one soul and one spirit remaining. That is why I mentioned seeing him off earlier. To be precise, our encounter on Cloud Brocade Mountain, where your murderous aura startled away the salamander on the verge of transforming into a dragon in the pool, was one predestined connection. Among the several people I met, only you were willing to eat the wild fruit called 'heart-punisher' from the bamboo basket—that was another such connection. The path I cultivate is the most uninteresting, summed up by the words 'Hidden Solitude,' almost indistinguishable from the Buddhist 'wild fox Chan' that verges on absurdity. When there is a predestined connection, it needs to be resolved. Today, I've obtained a book for you from Xuanyuan Jingcheng. It contains Xuanyuan Dapan's martial arts insights, refined over a century. It's not limited to saber techniques, and you can progress step by step."

Yuan Tingshan took the secret manual and notes, whose initial pages were yellowed but became newer towards the end; the last dozen or so pages even smelled of fresh ink. His body involuntarily trembled. Yuan Tingshan was no greenhorn adventurer who only sought fleeting fame. Having been immersed in the world of shrewd individuals on Huishan, he was well-versed in human nature and worldly affairs. Moreover, Huishan was a melting pot of people, and there was no shortage of martial arts world secrets and rumors. Martial artists, excluding those Land Immortals with extraordinary abilities throughout history, have always been more formidable from one generation to the next. There was no guarantee that someone older would necessarily be more powerful. For instance, did Song Zhiming, the 150-year-old alchemy grandmaster from Wudang Mountain—which contended with Dragon Tiger Mountain for leadership of the Taoist sects—enter the Vajra realm after their young sect leader reached the Heavenly Manifestation realm? Therefore, whether a martial arts manual was superior was like a chess manual: the older the antique, the less valuable it became. Xuanyuan Dapan was a genuine and renowned Heavenly Manifestation master of his time. How could his life's work be measured by mountains of gold and silver? Forget one Xuanyuan Qingfeng; Yuan Tingshan wouldn't even glance at ten of them in exchange!

But Yuan Tingshan, naturally cool and detached, was startled. A serious expression appeared on his face. He carefully tucked the book into his embrace, stood up, and bowed to show solemnity. Looking up, he asked, "What does the Immortal want Yuan Tingshan to do? I'll go through a mountain of swords and a sea of flames! Although Yuan Tingshan is a penniless pauper, a promise made under mutually agreeable terms is worth real silver."

The middle-aged Taoist got straight to the point: "Adding wings to a tiger only causes chaos. You have already seen the Prince of Beiliang. I don't want you to kill him; you merely need to eliminate his fledgling retainers. After you read Xuanyuan Dapan's cultivation insights, it will serve well as martial arts refinement."

Yuan Tingshan burst into laughter. "This deal, Immortal, you're getting the short end of the stick! With Yuan Tingshan's bad temper, no matter if he's a prince, the King of Beiliang, or even the Emperor, if he annoys me, I'll chop him down with my saber!"

A rare look of distraction appeared on the middle-aged Taoist's face. He turned to gaze at the pockmarked Great Snowfield after the heavenly tribulation, muttering, "Of the eighty thousand characters in the world, only one can truly kill." The character '情' (qíng – emotion/love) can mislead people. The character '情' can kill people. That is why Patriarch Lü once left his sword hanging from the corner eave of Dageng, imparting the 'Wisdom Sword that Cuts Blue Threads' Taoist method to later generations. Even though this seemingly middle-aged Taoist had long transcended worldly concerns, he still sighed at this moment, "Xuanyuan Jingcheng, since you knew it couldn't be forced, why such great sacrifice? Your talent is unlike anything I've ever seen. If it were used outside Huishan, what person or matter in this world could have constrained you? Why did you gamble everything for a woman, just to catch a few distant glimpses? It's better not to contend than to contend. And you, this woman, infatuated yet ignorant of true love, who disregarded moral principles and shame – if you disregard them, then so be it. But why did you disregard even those who were good to you? You constantly claim not to care for Xuanyuan Jingcheng, but if you truly didn't care, why did you act so perversely, doing whatever would displease him? When people meet, their connections are either benevolent or malevolent. Is a malevolent connection not a connection at all?" Yuan Tingshan, unable to hear clearly, tentatively asked, "May I ask, Immortal, did Xuanyuan Jingcheng truly enter the Land Immortal realm?"

The Taoist nodded. "Indeed, he achieved Great Longevity."

Yuan Tingshan, with a look of longing, murmured to himself, "A true man should be like this!"

The young man then spat into the pool, indignantly saying, "To hell with being a Land Immortal! Your own wife is used by someone else as a cultivation vessel, and you act like a coward for twenty years—there's nothing more infuriating in the world!"

The middle-aged Taoist calmly said, "Put yourself in his shoes. What would you have done if you were Xuanyuan Jingcheng?"

Yuan Tingshan, with a look of disdain, unhesitatingly replied, "If I were Xuanyuan Jingcheng, first, I wouldn't care if I could kill the old ancestor Xuanyuan Dapan or not. I'd first butcher that worthless woman and chop her up to feed the dogs! Xuanyuan Jingcheng is no man; he even treats that wretched woman like a Bodhisattva and supports her. Just thinking about it makes me furious."

The Taoist shook his head with a smile. "Later, you will understand that some women, even if you know they are very bad, you just can't let go of them."

"Heh, I certainly hope I don't run into such wretched women."

Yuan Tingshan paused, then asked with some trepidation, "Has the Immortal also encountered such a situation?"

The middle-aged Taoist did not answer directly, but smiled. "For those of us who cultivate the Tao, the countless scriptures written by our predecessors are all merely smoke and mirrors. In a thousand words, they all ultimately seek the character '真' (zhēn – truth). And 'truth' is often connected with '情' (qíng – emotion/love), as in '真情' (zhēnqíng – true emotion). One must understand that for humanity and the heavenly Dao, forgetting emotions is not the same as being emotionless."

Yuan Tingshan, whose murderous aura had always been profound, found his imposing presence subtly diminished when facing this mysterious Taoist. He asked, "Is the Immortal lecturing Yuan Tingshan?"

The Taoist offered an enigmatic response, smiling, "My predestined connection with you must not deepen. Destiny and fortune are already a tangled mess; please don't add more difficulties for me."

Yuan Tingshan asked curiously, "I can still sense things like qi flow, and I know that the Taoist sect you belong to has concepts like 'listening to the breath,' 'internal vision,' and 'guarding the orifices,' all of which I can verify within myself. But as for 'qi luck' or 'destiny,' Yuan Tingshan truly doesn't believe in it."

The middle-aged Taoist smiled. "Do you only believe in the saber in your hand?"

Yuan Tingshan showed no shame, nodding emphatically. "Of course! Yuan Tingshan never believed in his parents before, won't believe in a wife in the future, let alone anyone else. I only believe in this saber in my hand."

A withered yellow autumn leaf fluttered in the air. The middle-aged Taoist flicked his finger in mid-air, and the yellow leaf floated away. Like a blade, the withered leaf cut a grey butterfly near Yuan Tingshan in half. The butterfly fragments fell onto the water, to be swallowed by a fish.

The middle-aged Taoist said softly, "Do you believe this is destiny? Do you believe that I lost several days of my cultivation's good fortune because of this action? Heaven and Earth evolve, forming their own perfect world. A person's fate has its own rules and standards. These are the Taoist sect's deliberately recondite excuses; the worldly saying is more vivid: 'Each person has a scale in their heart, and every family has its own difficulties to bear.' Living a lifetime, whether doing good or evil, is like doing business with Heaven, fluctuating between positive and negative. Those who follow the trend can be seen as accumulating small bits of 'virtue money,' like relatively shrewd merchants. This is the true foundation of the Three Teachings (Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism). This is why, among the Hundred Schools of Thought, only these three stand strong today. For instance, the Mohist school, in my opinion, had excellent tenets and intentions, but unfortunately, it couldn't escape the fate of decline. You might not enjoy hearing all this, so let me be more specific. The Celestial Master's Residence has a Dragon Pool, where they raise over a dozen kinds of spiritual creatures, like salamanders, gathered from all corners of the world. They use spiritual energy to cultivate lotuses in the pool, also known as 'Longevity Qi Luck Lotuses.' The lowest one has been blooming for 1,600 years. Currently, Dragon Tiger Mountain's qi luck is flourishing, and the lotuses can number up to eighteen. Five hundred years ago, Wudang Mountain was powerful, and there were only a sparse six Qi Luck Lotuses in the Dragon Pool. In the last century, Qi Xuanzhen ascended, and a Celestial Master altered the emperor's destiny against Heaven's will. Later, when Dragon Tiger Mountain began to lead the world's Taoist sects, new lotuses bloomed. Do you truly believe that Zhao Danping's descent to the capital back then was merely a fraternal rivalry with the sect leader Zhao Danxia? You should know that in that year, three Qi Luck Lotuses withered for no reason—a situation that didn't even occur when Xu Xiao's army directly threatened Dragon Tiger Mountain. As Wudang's new sect leader connected with Heaven and Earth's qi luck, three more lotuses in the Dragon Pool withered again. Yuan Tingshan, given all this, do you now understand how painstakingly those esteemed figures in the Celestial Master's Residence strive? As for Xuanyuan Jingcheng, whom you greatly disdain, his understanding of the theory of qi luck and grand patterns is no less than mine; in fact, it might even surpass it. As for why I so highly regard Xuanyuan Jingcheng, I won't tell you. 'Not reaching Heavenly Manifestation, not touching heavenly secrets' is not merely an exaggeration from our predecessors."

Yuan Tingshan listened, dumbfounded.

The middle-aged Taoist gave a self-deprecating laugh and simply sat down cross-legged. "Wielding power across two dynasties, cultivating the Tao for one hundred eighty years... I initially went astray and cultivated the path of 'Hidden Solitude.' Once I start talking, I can't stop. So be it, today I'll just speak my fill. We've talked about the Dragon Pool Qi Luck Lotuses; now let's talk about the Wu Family Sword Tomb. It has a Buried Sword Mountain, filled with tens of thousands of ancient swords, famous swords, broken swords, and shattered swords. When ordinary folk's children celebrate their first birthday, they do a 'grasping test' (zhuazhou). But when a Wu family descendant is born, they are led by elders to the Sword Mountain as soon as they can walk, and they cannot descend until they find a 'Life-Bound Sword.' Do you believe that some people went up the mountain as children and stayed there until they died of old age, unable to descend?"

Yuan Tingshan sat closer to the middle-aged Taoist and asked in puzzlement, "They don't starve to death?"

The Taoist said calmly, "Before the age of ten, the tomb guardians will send food. After ten, they are left to fate."

Yuan Tingshan was not just cautiously ungrateful; as he drew closer, he loosened his grip on his saber hilt and set it aside. Hearing this unprecedented secret, Yuan Tingshan curled his lip, showing disdain for the Wu Family Sword Tomb. He scoffed, "The Wu Family Sword Tomb's glory was only when the Nine Swords came out of Beimang back then. The new and old Sword Gods of this past century have absolutely nothing to do with them."

The middle-aged Taoist calmly said, "Do you know Deng Tai'a?"

Yuan Tingshan laughed heartily, "Of course! Among current sword masters, that fellow is the most transcendent. Sooner or later, I will use him as a whetstone!"

The Taoist looked towards the misty pool and said, "The world only knows that Deng Tai'a burst onto the scene, immediately fighting the Martial Emperor City's Wang Xianzhi to a standstill, and later sought out the Wu Family Sword Tomb to vent his frustration. But they don't know that Deng Tai'a practiced his sword skills precisely on the Sword Mountain within the Sword Tomb. This man was originally an illegitimate child of the Wu family. After being discovered by the Sword Tomb, he was brought back to the family at age six and, according to clan rules, was abandoned on Sword Mountain. Little did they know, this abandonment produced a great talent who could enter the Sword Immortal realm whenever he wished. Wang Xianzhi does not wish to be the strongest under Heaven, but Deng Tai'a is not far behind him."

Yuan Tingshan visibly hesitated, swallowing a sentence back, which was quite rare for him.

The middle-aged Taoist, perceiving people's hearts with piercing clarity, smiled and said, "You want to ask how my cultivation compares to Wang Xianzhi and Deng Tai'a, don't you?"

Yuan Tingshan, exposed, didn't act coy. He grinned and said, "Yuan Tingshan dares to ask."

The Taoist seemed to humble himself, saying, "If we're talking about fighting and comparing strength, I naturally cannot defeat Wang Xianzhi. That young man surnamed Wang was said by a stubborn old man from Dragon Tiger Mountain to be a martial artist who could even contend with Patriarch Lü reborn. Cultivating the Dao through sheer force has always been a deviant path, yet only that young man managed to succeed by a fluke."

Yuan Tingshan had already realized by the deep pool on Cloud Brocade Mountain that this Taoist spoke with a grandiose tone that could encompass the world. So, hearing the middle-aged Taoist refer to the Lord of Martial Emperor City as 'that young man' did not surprise him much. Yuan Tingshan believed in nothing but the fact that whoever had the hardest fist was the boss. Since it was clear that this Immortal was a master with unfathomable cultivation, even if he claimed to be the Dao Ancestor or one of the Three Pure Ones, Yuan Tingshan would hold his nose and loudly applaud. Furthermore, Yuan Tingshan was more astonished and impressed by the terrifying divine abilities of that old monster Wang. He clicked his tongue and said, "That old man, he's invincible."

The middle-aged Taoist chuckled softly. "A monarch's word can determine life and death."

"One must know that the supreme saints of the Three Teachings can even borrow from Heaven, Earth, ghosts, and gods, making a single word a prophecy. In the past century, the Land Immortals who have emerged from the various schools of thought are few and far between. However, your generation has the potential to reach the number of fingers on two hands. This is because the one who killed millions with his tongue, being idle, moved the remaining qi luck of the eight fallen kingdoms onto another chessboard. Yuan Tingshan, whether you can secure a place among them, I do not know if I will live to see it."

Yuan Tingshan exclaimed in surprise, "Me?!"

The Taoist calmly said, "Yuan Tingshan, to be frank with you, having you eliminate the Prince of Beiliang's fledgling retainers will diminish much of your qi luck."

Yuan Tingshan almost drew his saber in anger, but managed to suppress the impulse.

The middle-aged Taoist continued, "But with our conversation here, I have finally returned some qi luck to you."

Yuan Tingshan's eyes were like daggers as he asked, "Immortal, who exactly are you? Why do you favor Yuan Tingshan exclusively? I never believe in pies falling from the sky, and even if one did, it wouldn't land on Yuan Tingshan's head!"

The Taoist looked at the rainbow and muttered to himself, "Back then, I let down both the kingdom and the beauty, insisting on entering the mountains to cultivate the Tao. Why did I do it? I've thought for many years, but I still haven't figured it out. So, many things, ultimately, have no logical explanation. Why did Xuanyuan Jingcheng only love that woman? And why did she choose to jump off the cliff even after seeing Xuanyuan Jingcheng's remaining soul? And why did Fengdu Green Robe fall in love with Li Chungang at first sight and never forget him for a lifetime? In the creation of Heaven and Earth, no spiritual energy surpasses that of humanity. What are heavenly secrets? Perhaps they are the human heart. I remember watching Qi Xuanzhen and Li Chungang fight back then; Li Chungang sadly descended the mountain. Later, I specifically discussed this matter with Qi Xuanzhen, and finally asked him why he never left Dragon Tiger Mountain throughout his life."

Yuan Tingshan asked impatiently, "Why was that?!"

The middle-aged Taoist let out a long breath and slowly said, "Qi Xuanzhen said that he awakened at the age of twelve, realizing he was Lü Dongxuan, and so he waited for a person in red. Only after knowing he wouldn't meet her in that life did he reincarnate, simply to wait again."

Yuan Tingshan was utterly stunned, his eyes wide. "Immortal Qi didn't ascend, but was a reincarnation of Patriarch Lü?! Is there really such a thing as reincarnation?! And one can even know their past life?"

The middle-aged Taoist sighed. "I also don't know who Qi Xuanzhen reincarnated as, or if he has found what he was waiting for in this life. Roughly speaking, due to unforeseen circumstances, calculating from Patriarch Lü over five hundred years ago, and counting by the sixty-year cycle of human life, it should be about ten lifetimes, right?"

Yuan Tingshan, as if possessed by a demon, inexplicably showed a savage expression. "Heh, what Patriarch Lü's reincarnation, what Immortal Qi's rebirth... If I, Yuan, run into that person in red, I'll kill them first! If this immortal has to wait another lifetime after being an immortal for five hundred years, then my journey through this world won't have been in vain!"

The Taoist narrowed his eyes and remained silent.

Heavenly secrets are profound.

Unfortunately, Yuan Tingshan perceived nothing.