Watching the Mountain

Chapter 63: Chapter 57: That’s Just My Habit

Xu Ran suspected that Little Xiyue’s change had something to do with Ye Shan. He had been reluctant to interfere with Ye Shan’s tutelage of her before, as prying would seem disrespectful.

But seeing how desperately Little Xiyue was training now, he felt he couldn’t let this continue.

He had to find Ye Shan and ask exactly what he had said to Little Xiyue.

But when Xu Ran went to look for Ye Shan, he couldn’t find a trace of him anywhere on Spirit Stream Peak.

’Could he be hiding from me on purpose?’

Then he shook his head, recalling Ye Shan’s recent, peculiar state. Perhaps he was in a crowd, and Xu Ran just hadn’t noticed him.

In truth, Xu Ran was pleasantly surprised by Ye Shan’s current condition. It suggested that he had likely recovered from his severe injuries, or even if he hadn’t, he had embarked on a completely different path from before.

He remembered when Ye Shan had accompanied him during his training that involved facing death directly. He’d asked him back then if he didn’t need to cultivate, since he was always with him.

Ye Shan’s reply at the time had been that for him, every moment was cultivation.

It seemed now that after so many years of quietude following his severe injuries, Ye Shan might have finally found his own path.

Given the relationship between Xu Ran and Ye Shan, he was of course genuinely happy for him.

However, corrupting his own disciple was unforgivable.

Given Ye Shan’s peculiar state, Xu Ran instantly guessed that he was likely hiding in a crowd, seeking enlightenment through cultivation.

If so, finding him would be a bit difficult. But no matter, Xu Ran had a special method in mind.

He thought back for a moment. Ye Shan’s state was probably similar to the Unity of Heaven and Man, a state of merging with heaven and earth, which was why he was so hard to detect.

’In that case, the best way to draw him out should be to simply break the current balance, right?’

With this in mind, Xu Ran went to the Outer Sect Marketplace, the last place he had seen Ye Shan.

This was where the Outer Disciples and Servant Disciples of the Sect traded Spiritual Objects they had collected outside. When the Six Sects’ Disciples had free time, they would also come here to wander around, hoping to discover some hidden treasures.

Ever since the Sect members had gone to the battlefield, the Sect’s population had grown again after several rounds of recruitment over the years, making it a bit more lively.

The Outer Sect Marketplace, in particular, was bustling with people every day.

After arriving, Xu Ran walked slowly through the crowd. As he moved, a peculiar Mental Realm emanated from his body, spreading out into the surroundings.

As he passed, sounds of weeping began to emerge in the Outer Sect Marketplace. In no time at all, the sobbing spread through the crowd like a virus.

”I... I suddenly miss home.”

”Me too. I don’t know why, but I suddenly miss my hometown and my parents so much. Thinking of them makes me incredibly sad.”

The Outer Sect Marketplace was usually guarded by two Stewards. They were slightly alarmed when they saw what was happening. ”What’s going on?”

One of the Stewards quickly realized what was happening. He stroked his chin, watching the disciples weep, his eyes twinkling as he nodded thoughtfully and smiled. ”This is a good thing. A disciple must have suddenly achieved Enlightenment Dao.”

Hearing this, the other Steward asked hesitantly, ”Should we go take a look then?”

The first Steward shot him a glare. ”Go out for what? Everyone here is a disciple of our Sect; no outsiders could have gotten in. It would be bad if we went out and interrupted their Enlightenment Dao.”

”True enough.”

*

*

*

Ye Shan was sitting cross-legged under a willow tree by the lake in the middle of the marketplace, staring in astonishment at Xu Ran, who had stopped a short distance in front of him.

After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice leisurely. ”Junior Brother Xu... you... when did you get so formidable?”

’A Qi Cultivation Stage disciple who has comprehended two different Mental Realms... this is defying the heavens!’

’Is this still the same Junior Brother Xu I knew, the one with exceptionally poor talent?’

Xu Ran replied coolly, ”When you’ve lived a long time and seen a lot, you tend to get sentimental. With that comes more insights. Isn’t that perfectly normal?”

He wasn’t lying. Ever since leaving the Sect gates because of Wang Xingye and the others, he had returned and taken time to settle himself, completely mastering the sorrowful mood he had first comprehended back at the Instructor Hall.

Ye Shan clicked his tongue. ’What kind of talk is that? If any ordinary Core Formation Stage Cultivators heard him, they’d probably be unable to resist beating him up. After all, failing to comprehend a Mental Realm after several hundred years... isn’t that the same as saying they’ve wasted their lives for centuries?’

Xu Ran ignored Ye Shan’s reaction. He glanced around at the crowd, then stared at Ye Shan expressionlessly and said, ”Let’s go somewhere else.”

After they reached the back mountain area where Ye Shan usually spent his time, Xu Ran asked curiously, ”Senior Brother, what’s going on with your current state? Are you able to talk about it?”

Ye Shan could hear the concern in his voice and smiled faintly. ”I know what you’re thinking, Junior Brother, but I’m not really sure myself. I just noticed that everyone stopped paying attention to me, so I’d sit alone in a daze. After a while, I just ended up like this.”

Hearing this, Xu Ran gave him a thoughtful look. After a moment of silence, he didn’t press the matter and instead asked, ”So, Senior Brother, have you recovered?”

Ye Shan waved his hand. ”What are you thinking, Junior Brother? What was shattered was my Golden Core. That’s equivalent to having my entire Dao severed. Otherwise, why would the Sect let me do nothing all day?

At the very least, they could have me instruct and train some disciples. Why don’t they? Because for someone whose own Dao has been severed, that’s simply impossible.”

He shook his head and continued, ”If recovery were that easy, wouldn’t everyone with a destroyed Dao Foundation just need to rest and do nothing for a while?”

Xu Ran was silent for a moment. ”But you’re Ye Shan.”

Ye Shan was also silent for a moment. ”Ye Shan is also human. In the end, he hasn’t escaped the constraints of this world.”

Xu Ran watched him, silent for a long time. Then, he grinned, nodded, and stared at him with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

”I see. Since you haven’t recovered, Senior Brother Ye Shan, I can rest easy. Now, I’ll ask, and you’ll answer. If your answers aren’t to my satisfaction, then your junior brother will have to get rough.”

’Since Ye Shan isn’t willing to say more, I can’t really probe any deeper,’ Xu Ran thought. ’It’s his own business. I’ll just assume what he said is true for now.’

Ye Shan’s expression froze when he saw Xu Ran’s sudden change in demeanor. He was left speechless, especially after seeing the threatening look in Xu Ran’s eyes.

’This junior brother of mine sure can change his tune quickly.’

”Go ahead and ask, Junior Brother,” he said, spreading his hands.

Xu Ran gave him a surprised look. He had only said that because he didn’t want to keep pressing him and hoped to lighten the mood. He hadn’t expected Ye Shan to be so cooperative.

’This isn’t like Ye Shan at all. After he was crippled, he was always so proud and stubborn.’

Xu Ran sighed softly, then returned to the main topic. ”What did you teach Little Xiyue, or rather, what did you say to her?”

Ye Shan was taken aback for a moment. He then turned his head slightly, as if he were too ashamed to meet Xu Ran’s gaze. After hesitating for a moment, he replied:

”Junior Brother, don’t get angry when I say this... but I didn’t actually teach her anything. I was just trying to freeload some food and drinks.”

”Senior Brother, do you believe those words yourself?”

”But it’s the truth! Like I just said, my Dao has been severed. If I could really teach her anything, the Sect would have had me instructing other disciples long ago.”

”Really?”

”Of course. I, Ye Shan, never lie.”

”You just said you were freeloading.”

”Right. So that’s just a habit of mine. I really did trick her.”

Xu Ran stared at Ye Shan in silence for a long time. He felt as if he were meeting the man for the first time.

”Then what’s been going on with her recently?”

”What’s been going on with her? I have no idea. Junior Brother, you know I used to practice Swordsmanship. She’s learning Arrays. We’re not even in the same field.”

After speaking, he paused, as if he had just remembered something. ”Oh, right, I remember now. She asked me if Swordsmanship could transform into a Phoenix.”

Xu Ran was stunned for a moment, then asked, ”And how did you answer her?”

Ye Shan replied calmly, ”I said that if you are strong enough, you can become a Phoenix, break free from the shackles of heaven and earth, and soar through the nine heavens.”

Xu Ran stared at Ye Shan for a long time. His expression was normal, as if everything he’d said was the absolute truth.

In the end, he could only sigh helplessly and turn to leave.

’Even Ye Shan has learned to lie. This world is truly absurd.’

When he returned to his Cave Mansion, he was surprised to see Little Xiyue actually sitting and resting instead of continuing her cultivation.

In response to his question, Little Xiyue calmly replied, ”I encountered a problem while studying Arrays. I couldn’t calm my mind without solving it. Now that the problem is solved, there’s naturally no need to push myself so hard.”

Xu Ran observed her for a while and found that it was just as she said. In the following days, she really didn’t push herself so hard anymore.

This relieved him greatly. After observing her for a while longer and confirming that nothing else was amiss, he began his own cultivation.

His cultivation in the Qi Cultivation Stage Realm had already reached the peak of Great Success, and it was time for a breakthrough.