The Path Toward Heaven

Given the relationship between the Green Mountain Sect and the Center Sect, and the usual plot of a story, Tong Yan should be called back by Zhao Layue and other Green Mountain disciples before he got far, and some exciting events would then ensue. Yet, nobody made a sound in the meditation room until Tong Yan disappeared into the pagoda forest, followed by the green bird.

Zhao Layue thought that the matter was plainly simple and that Tong Yan would tell them if he needed their help.

Zhuo Rusui thought it was simply the fact that the Center Sect’s affair had nothing to do with the Green Mountain Sect.

Liu Shisui’s thought was the simplest, because he didn’t believe it in the least.

He said to Zhao Layue, “I think this is a scheme.”

Tong Yan was the personal disciple of the Immortal Bai and had a promising future; he was the best candidate for the next sect master of the Center Sect after the death of Luo Huainan.

Of course, if Bai Zao wanted to be the sect master, she would be selected by the Sect Master couple.

Regardless of what one thought of the matter, there was no point in him stealing the Green Sky Mirror and betraying the sect.

Liu Shisui thought it was suspicious because he had the similar experience.

He had been expelled by Green Mountain, but it was a scheme.

“It’s not a concern for us simply because it has nothing to do with us.”

Zhao Layue added, “The important thing for us is when he will wake up.”

In the meditation room, the Emperor still stood before the Buddha statue, with his eyes closed; it seemed that he would gradually turn into a statue himself.

Looking at Jing Jiu, Liu Shisui said, “I think he will wake up soon.”

A meowing burst out in a corner by the bed.

This was the first time the white cat made a sound in over ten days.

He agreed with Liu Shisui’s judgment.

Liu Shisui didn’t even glance at him.

Zhao Layue didn’t heed him either. She sat down on the futon, waiting for the moment.

Zhuo Rusui strolled to the front of the bed and looked at Jing Jiu’s face, wondering why he still looked so handsome even in sleep. Then, he made an authoritative sort of judgment: “He is indeed going to wake up.”

The Emperor opened his eyes and looked at the right hand of the Buddha statue.

A rod of golden steel should be held in that hand, but it was not there anymore.

Everybody sensed the sign of Jing Jiu waking up.

Zhao Layue said to Zhuo Rusui, “You take Master White Ghost back to Green Mountain.”

Zhuo Rusui was baffled, wondering what she intended to do.

In Zhao Layue’s view, the purpose of Jing Jiu bringing the Master White Ghost with him was to stave off an attempt by Great Grandmaster Taiping to kill him. Now that the white cat had no intention to help, it would be meaningless to have the cat by Jing Jiu’s side. And she also didn’t want Jing Jiu to remember the unpleasant event when seeing White Ghost, making him feel bad.

The meowing broke out again in the corner of the bed, sounding a bit indignant.

Zhuo Rusui went to the corner and picked the cat up.

The white cat dug his paws into Zhuo Rusui’s shoulder and meowed one more time as he turned his head to look at Zhao Layue.

Sitting on the futon, Zhao Layue didn’t pay any attention to the cat while looking at Jing Jiu’s face.

Zhuo Rusui suddenly inhaled some cold air. He lowered his head to look at the sharp paws digging into his shoulder, wondering what he had to do with all this.

…

…

Jing Jiu woke up nine days after Zhuo Rusui left with the white cat.

It seemed so simple for Jing Jiu to wake up. It was as if he had just woken up from a long sleep, like nothing out of ordinary.

Looking at the expressions on Zhao Layue’s and Liu Shisui’s faces, Jing Jiu knew what they were worried about, saying, “It would be impossible for me to never wake up.”

Liu Shisui thought it was indeed the case. But Zhao Layue said, “Not really.”

The Emperor looked at Jing Jiu quietly, saying nothing.

The Buddha statue was looking at him as well, with the serene and benevolent expression in his eyes.

“I had a dream,” Jing Jiu said.

Everybody was surprised at the statement.

The Cultivation practitioners shouldn’t dream; it was because their Dao Heart was usually unwavering and their spiritual soul was steady. They should think of nothing and sense nothing during their sleep, even if they were not in a transparent state.

Was it possible that Jing Jiu dreamed because his spiritual soul had been affected by that fairy awareness?

“In that dream, I saw the burning clouds and the flying swords, like shooting stars.”

Having said that, he didn’t reveal more details of his dream.

In that long but actually brief dream, some people were present, in addition to those impressive scenes.

They were not the people in the real world, but in the Illusionary Realm of the Green Sky Mirror.

In the dream, Jing Jiu saw the underachieved son of Grand Scholar Zhang wave his arms wildly in a patch of field in the south, shouting something, and he looked so happy as if he finally had a son when he was seventy years old.

Jing Jiu also saw in his dream a large ship on the ocean and a man and a woman hug each other tightly for warmth on the deck covered in thick ice and frost. He remembered that the man was the eunuch who had served him for many years. Though he didn’t know that woman, he knew that she should be that famous prostitute who had written the line in a poem: No one is a true man in Chu State.

In the dream, he also saw many other people. In the end, he saw a large crowd gathering outside the Royal Palace of Chu State, kneeling toward the palace to show their nostalgia for him and asking for his return. Then he woke up.

Jing Jiu looked at his left hand.

The Fairy Book looked very peaceful in his hand.

The fairy awareness had vanished, only with the purest fairy energy remaining.

“Congratulations, Young Master,” Liu Shisui shouted happily.

The Emperor flashed a faint smile, and turned around, heading for the outside of the meditation room.

There were many state affairs waiting for him to deal with. He had been staying at the Fruit Formation Temple for over ten days, and it was time for him to leave.

State Duke Lu had finally shown up. He came to the front of the bed and bowed to Jing Jiu; then he said in a whisper, “If you have time, please go to Zhaoge City to take a look. His Majesty is under tremendous pressure…”

Jing Jiu looked at the outside of the Meditation room.

The Emperor stood in front of the small stone pagoda, lost in thought.

…

…

Jing Jiu asked the Emperor to take a letter to the Water-Moon Nunnery. Then, he started thinking about the Young Zen Master.

He learned that the Young Zen Master had gone to White Town a few years ago when he came to the Fruit Formation Temple. He didn’t pay much attention to it at the time. However, the Young Zen Master hadn’t come back even after so many significant events had happened at the Fruit Formation Temple, especially when the news about Taiping should have reached him. This meant that something significant must have happened in the snowland.

He asked Zhao Layue to bring over the Elder of the Instruction Hall, and asked about what was going on in the snowland.

“The judgment by the Broadsword King is correct. The Queen of the Snowy Kingdom and her grown-up offspring will fight first, just like what the leaders of any other animal flock would usually do.”

The wrinkles on the face of the Elder of the Instruction Hall were rather deep. He continued worriedly, “Seven years ago, when there was a commotion in the snowland and the Young Zen Master received the letter from the Broadsword King, he went over.”

“The mother and her kid are hurting each other; what does it have to do with us?” Jing Jiu asked.

The Elder of the Instruction Hall replied, “It wouldn’t matter so much, if the loser died right away. But the issue is that if the loser didn’t die and were expelled from the snowland, it would be a problem for us.”

“When will the child of the Queen become an adult?” Jing Jiu asked.

“We have never encountered such a thing before,” the Elder of the Instruction Hall replied, “So nobody knows how long it would be. It could be hundreds of years from now, or it could be right now…”

Jing Jiu thought it was understandable for the Young Zen Master didn’t dare leave White Town even when the Fruit Formation Temple had experienced such a mayhem.

The Snowy Kingdom was located in the northernmost place in Chaotian. If the loser were expelled from the kingdom, that being would have to come to the human territory.

No matter whether it was the Queen of the Snowy Kingdom or her child, whoever came to the human territory would wreak havoc for the humans.

Now that nobody could predict when the loser would come to the human territory, Cao Yuan and the Young Zen Master had no choice but to stay in White Town to keep a tab on them.

After the Elder of the Instruction Hall left, Jing Jiu set up a game of Go.

Liu Shisui and Xiao He went back to the vegetable garden to boil the medicine for Jing Jiu.

Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue were the only ones left in the meditation room.

Looking at the Go board, Zhao Layue wondered what he was doing now.

The black and white pieces on the board had nothing to do with the political situation in the world or with the snowland.

The Queen of the Snowy Kingdom or her child might come to the human territory. Even though Jing Jiu felt a great deal of pressure, his Cultivation state was still too low, so he couldn’t do anything about it.

This game of Go was to repeat the game played between him and his Big Brother.

This was the first face to face battle between him and his Big Brother after their reincarnations.

His Big Brother used two hidden swordsmen and a person he knew in his former life at the Fruit Formation Temple.

Jing Jiu also used those he knew in his former life, like the Emperor and the Sword Formation of Green Mountain.

Both of them had made some mistakes.

Jing Jiu failed to anticipate that his accomplice at the Fruit Formation Temple was the Monk Duhai.

Yin San failed to anticipate that Jing Jiu dared use Zhao Layue as the last pursuer.

Looking at the chaotic Go pieces on the board, Jing Jiu remained silent for a long time. He then got up and came to the outside of the meditation room. He remained silent for a long time again while looking at the small stone pagoda.

His body was still rather weak. It was worrisome to see him stand in the cold winter wind, his clothes ruffling slightly.

Zhao Layue walked to his side and held up his left arm.

Jing Jiu’s right arm was badly deformed; it was unclear when it would recover.

“I was afraid that you might not wake up.”

Though her voice sounded calm, her emotion in it could be sensed.

Glancing at her, Jing Jiu noticed that her hair had been cut short, looking messy.

Zhao Layue said, “I think the short hair is more suitable for me.”

Jing Jiu knew that she had understood his intention. He reached out his injured right hand to rub her head, as a gesture that he was pleased.

Zhao Layue added, “But it’s a pity still.”

“The short hair also needs some care. I’ll comb it for you when my hand recovers,” said Jing Jiu.

“That’ll be great,” Zhao Layue said.

Liu Shisui and Xiao He came back to the meditation room with the medicine pot.

Jing Jiu knew that those precious medicines would have no effect on his wounds, but he didn’t want to disappoint them. More of all, he felt it too troublesome to explain to them; so he picked up the pot and drank all of it with one gulp.

Startled, Xiao He almost yelled out; it was not because the medicine was too hot to drink, but because the medicine was made according to the recipe of a highly achieved monk of the Fruit Formation Temple and the amount of the medicine was for three takes; but Jing Jiu took it with one gulp.

Liu Shisui was well aware of his Young Master’s temperament, knowing that he did it because he thought it was too troublesome to drink it so many times; so Liu Shisui didn’t mind. But he felt embarrassed for another matter.

He didn’t mention to anyone that it was the Great Grandmaster Taiping who explained the script to him; he was also deep in thought about his Young Master’s identity…

Thinking of all this, his mental state was troubled; he started coughing.

Jing Jiu glanced at him and said, “Is the problem of conflicting zhenqi getting worse?”

Liu Shisui didn’t dare tell a lie, and admitted, “Yes.”

Xiao He was quite worried for him.

“You have to go to the One-Cottage House,” Jing Jiu said. “This issue has to be resolved. As for your worry, Bu Qiuxiao won’t do anything to you, as long as you don’t make any trouble there.”

Liu Shisui had told him about Mister Yan and the Pen of Guarding City. Jing Jiu thought at the time that Shisui could go back to Green Mountain if everything else failed and check with Dead Dog to see if he had changed his mind. However, after this event at the Fruit Formation Temple, Jing Jiu changed his idea; that black dog was his Big Brother’s, so it was better that Liu Shisui stayed away from him.

Liu Shisui realized that Jing Jiu had changed his idea, feeling astounded. “Does this mean…I’m expelled from the mountain gate?” he asked gingerly after a while.

He had already experienced it twice in his lifetime.

Historically speaking, the Immortal Taiping and Liu Shisui were the only ones who had achieved such a feat.

If he were expelled from Green Mountain one more time, it would be truly hard for him to take.

“Don’t always think too much into it when something happens.”

Seeing Liu Shisui’s pure and bright eyes and thinking of what had happened in the past, Jing Jiu felt complex emotions.

He didn’t want Liu Shisui to become someone like his Big Brother, so he didn’t want him to have too much contact with that black dog. In a sense, Shisui was very much like his Big Brother at a younger age; both of them were stubborn in their ideas.

The formation of the Fruit Formation Temple had suddenly sensed something.

The chilly winter wind blew through the pine forest and the pagoda forest, bringing up some tiny dusts.

A small green curtain sedan descended from the sky.

Both Zhao Layue and Liu Shisui had seen this green curtain sedan, and knew it belonged to the Great Grandmaster of the Water-Moon Nunnery, feeling astonished, wondering what she came here for.

But they were more astonished after having witnessed what happened next.

“I’ll be waiting for you on Shenmo Peak.”

Jing Jiu said this to Zhao Layue before he walked over to the small green curtain sedan and pulled up the cloth curtain.

It was empty behind the curtain.

He went inside and sat down.

The small green curtain sedan rose up against the wind, heading toward the northeast.

The Water-Moon Nunnery was located in that direction.

Seeing the disappearing small green curtain sedan in the dark clouds, Zhao Layue fell silent.

She felt something was out of place when Jing Jiu was tempering the Fairy Book, because he seemed very anxious.

He wanted to go to the Water-Moon Nunnery immediately after he had just woken up and his body was still in a very weak condition. He still appeared very anxious.

Why was he so anxious? Why couldn’t he just wait a little bit?

And why would it be you who would be waiting for me on Shenmo Peak, not the other way around? Would you return to the peak before me?

…

…

The Water-Moon Nunnery was situated by the East Ocean, not far from the Fruit Formation Temple.

It didn’t take long before Jing Jiu smelled the bloody breeze from the ocean inside the small green curtain sedan; soon, he smelled the scent of osmanthus flowers.

The small green curtain sedan landed in the far end of the Water-Moon Nunnery.

Jing Jiu pulled up the curtain and walked out.

The Master of Water-Moon Nunnery was waiting for him.

This nunnery master had a pretty face, but she didn’t look so outstanding among many other beauties since the Water-Moon Nunnery was famous for their beautiful disciples.

The expression in her eyes was peaceful and amicable, giving off an impression that she was like a young woman next door.

The Water-Moon Nunnery was one of the major Cultivation sects in the Plum Meeting, and had a high status in the Cultivation circle. If one thought that this nunnery master was merely a regular young woman, they were basically inviting death.

Jing Jiu greeted her in a single hand courtesy

Seeing his badly deformed right arm, the Nunnery Master said, “Thank you for going through so much trouble.”

“This is something I should do,” said Jing Jiu.

The Nunnery Master didn’t say anything more. She led Jing Jiu walking along the lakeside, heading to the isolated room.

She was fully aware of what her Big Sister had suffered over the years, so she didn’t have a good feeling toward the Green Mountain Sect and Jing Jiu.

The trees by the lake were much less than when he was here. Jing Jiu was not sure if it was because she accepted his suggestion.

Though he didn’t like the scent of osmanthus, the scene of the branches of the osmanthus trees bending and touching the surface of the lake was truly gorgeous.

The isolated room had a round hole on one of its walls.

To look out from inside the room, the scenery of the lake seemed to be on a round fan; to look in from outside of the room, it displayed the Zen intent.

Jing Jiu could see Guo Dong sleeping from outside.

The door of the isolated room was on the other side, so he got in the room from the round window.

In the next moment, countless golden lights were emitting in the isolated room, overwhelming all the scenes around the lake.

Spring came to the Water-Moon Nunnery.