Martial Cultivator

For the young temple master to receive such treatment upon returning to the mountain was rare no matter how one looked at it. After all, along this mountain path, most of the people were his elders; those whom Yun Jianyue himself would normally bow to as a junior.

However, this time, although Yun Jianyue held Ye Zhihua’s hand as they climbed the mountain, he did not wear a stern face. The entire way up, his expression was gentle and smiling.

It felt like being bathed in the spring breeze.

The young disciples naturally had no objections to the actions of this young temple master. After all, the current temple master had once been their senior brother, and they had spent year after year together. As for the younger disciples who had joined later, they had already heard of the fame of the Twin Pillars of Daoism before coming to the mountain. Now, seeing this young temple master reach the end of Nepenthe and become one of the world’s top powerhouses, their respect only deepened.

Given this, whatever the temple master chose to do was acceptable, they only needed to follow the temple master’s lead without thinking too much.

The older daoists, who thought more carefully about protocol, might have felt that Yun Jianyue taking Ye Zhihua up the mountain was slightly against the rules. But considering that this young man had such cultivation at this age, in a few years, whether or not he became invincible in the world, within Daoism, there would certainly be no one who could match his skill. Since that was the case, why should these old fellows say anything unpleasant at this moment?

Moreover, such minor exceptions were not unacceptable, and this young temple master was by no means arrogant or overbearing.

Walking slowly along the mountain path, Ye Zhihua was deep in thought, while Yun Jianyue seemed completely at ease, strolling leisurely, every movement radiating freedom.

When they reached the great hall, Yun Jianyue finally released Ye Zhihua’s hand and walked in alone. From the helper boy standing at the entrance, he took three incense sticks.

The other daoists of the temple gathered at the hall’s entrance. Watching this scene, their eyes held a trace of emotion.

The legacy of the Infatuation Daoist Temple had advanced too quickly these past few years, which was not necessarily a good thing. Fortunately, when it ultimately fell to this young man, he had proven to be the right choice.

From this, it seemed the Infatuation Daoist Temple would enjoy several decades, or even a century, of prosperous times.

Yun Jianyue approached the ancestral tablets of the past masters in the great hall. The young temple master bowed deeply, placing the incense sticks he held into the incense burner in front of him and lowering his head for a moment.

People who followed the Dao often liked to take some incense ash from the burners of various temples and have it made into a string of glass beads by a skilled craftsman. Wearing it on the wrist was believed to bring good fortune and safety year after year.

The size of the temple and the prosperity of its incense offerings determined the value of these glass-bead incense strings. It was said that a moderately sized temple of the Longevity Dao, called Wei River Temple, had earned a considerable amount of skygold coins simply through these incense-bead charms.

Daoism sects often forbade pilgrims from ascending their mountains, so the incense ash became extremely valuable. On the black market, there were even buyers specializing in it. When some ash did make its way out and was made into hand-beaded charms, it could fetch a high price.

The leaders of the two lineages of Daoism were worlds apart.

Myriad Heaven Palace, as the leader of the Great Peace Dao, was almost as remarkable a temple as the Infatuation Daoist Temple. However, because Myriad Heaven Palace did not forbid pilgrims from ascending the mountain, nor prevent them from taking incense ash, the incense ash glass-bead bracelets from Myriad Heaven Palace, though popular, were not valuable. After all, anyone willing to spend some time could always take incense ash from Myriad Heaven Palace.

They could even bring some incense and candles themselves, burn them on the mountain, and carry the ash down.

It was not difficult to obtain.

By contrast, the incense ash glass-bead bracelets of the Infatuation Daoist Temple were priceless, for the Infatuation Daoist Temple, as a leader of Daoism, not only forbade pilgrims from ascending, but never allowed incense ash to leave the mountain. So even if everyone wanted a bracelet with its incense ash, it was completely impossible to obtain.

As for whether the Infatuation Daoist Temple’s daoists could be persuaded to bring incense ash down for others, there was absolutely no need to worry. The mountain rules were clear: any daoist who dared to secretly take incense ash would be expelled from the mountain.

Thus, even the most foolish person would understand what mattered most here. Would anyone risk their cultivation in the Infatuation Daoist Temple just for a bit of incense ash?

Who wouldn’t be able to calculate the pros and cons?

This trip, beyond seeking the Dao, Yun Jianyue had also deliberately verified many of the worldly legends about the Infatuation Daoist Temple. There was no doubt that some were utterly ridiculous, while others were undeniably true.

What affected him the most deeply was that he had once heard a storyteller at a small tavern. The storyteller had clearly never traveled far in his life, and most of his stories were hearsay. By the time they reached Yun Jianyue, they had been altered slightly, making them somewhat distorted.

For example, he had once taken a relatively well-known daoist sage in the history of Myriad Heaven Palace and claimed that he came from the Infatuation Daoist Temple. Some people in the crowd knew a bit and questioned it. Yun Jianyue had initially thought the storyteller would not be able to sustain the story. But, unexpectedly, the storyteller remained unruffled and casually changed it, saying that the master had indeed cultivated at the Myriad Heaven Palace, but later, because of a marriage, had to leave the Myriad Heaven Palace and joined the Infatuation Daoist Temple.

This casually invented story actually fooled the audience. People’s attention then shifted to the marriage story of the master, and no one cared anymore whether he had really come from the Infatuation Daoist Temple.

If it had ended there, it would not have lingered in Yun Jianyue’s mind. What truly made the story unforgettable was that, after telling his fabricated tales, the storyteller took a sip of wine and murmured, “What kind of Dao are these daoists really cultivating?”

Yun Jianyue kept thinking about that sentence over and over; he feared he would never forget it in his lifetime.

Kneeling on the meditation cushion, Yun Jianyue looked up at the countless ancestral tablets before him. His expression was complicated. At this moment, it was unclear what this young temple master was thinking.

Afterward, Yun Jianyue left the great hall, waved to the crowd outside, and the disciples finally dispersed.

Those who were supposed to remain in seclusion continued their seclusion; those who had matters to attend to continued their work.

Only some disciples, who had doubts in their cultivation, stayed behind to have their questions answered by their temple master.

They already knew about Yun Jianyue giving lectures on the Dao at Mount Xi. Whether or not that was proper aside, since the temple master had taught outsiders, he couldn’t possibly treat his own disciples unfairly by ignoring them, could he?

In the end, fortunately, Yun Jianyue did not refuse. He earnestly lectured on the Great Dao in the great hall for half a day. By the time the crowd had dispersed, night had fallen. A bright full moon hung high in the sky, its light spilling over Yun Jianyue’s form.

The young temple master looked increasingly ethereal like an immortal.

He truly seemed like a banished immortal stepping out of an immortal palace.

Ye Zhihua slowly walked over and sat beside him, looking up at the bright moon. She asked curiously, “In the future, will you also go and live in that place?”

Yun Jianyue smiled. “The legends speak of ascending to immortality, claiming that one can attain true fruition in the immortal palace. But I have never truly seen anyone actually reach that so-called immortal palace. Eternal life is inherently elusive; where is there any real fruition?”

Ye Zhihua said, “When disciples ascend the mountain, their seniors always remind them to cultivate earnestly, and they will attain the Dao. Actually, this phrase is not only a reminder, but also a hope. Yet over the years, it seems the Dao has been simplified into just two words.”

”Eternal life.”

Yun Jianyue took up the conversation. “Cultivation cannot be taken lightly. If the heart clings to obsessions, even in Nepenthe one does not truly forget worries. I do not know how the elders came up with this name.”

Ye Zhihua said, “Yun Jianyue, for others, if their cultivation centers on the two words ‘eternal life,’ it is considered that their Dao heart is stable. But what is in your heart at this moment?”

As she spoke, Ye Zhihua’s face was full of unmasked worry. Others would only remark that Yun Jianyue, so young, had already reached this realm, becoming one of the youngest in history to do so, with limitless potential. But the more others praised him, the more worried she felt. Because she understood her junior brother too well, he no longer believed in eternal life at all. His Dao heart was like a lamp swaying in the rain, flickering endlessly. Who could say when it might be extinguished?

Yun Jianyue turned to look at Ye Zhihua. He did not speak immediately, but simply looked at her, as if gazing at the most beautiful flower in the world.

”Senior Sister.”

Yun Jianyue called softly, then reached out to touch Ye Zhihua’s hair and spoke gently, “Senior Sister, there seems to be a fog before my eyes. The wind has blown some of it away, and I can see parts, but other parts remain unclear.”

Daoist cultivators often say that cultivating the Dao is cultivating the heart, but over these many years, Daoist cultivators in the world have gradually focused on cultivating power rather than the heart.

The words “cultivating the heart” have become somewhat unfamiliar.

But it was obvious that Yun Jianyue was now truly cultivating the heart.

Ye Zhihua frowned. “Is it very painful?”

Some pain is not physical, but spiritual. This kind of pain often cuts deeper than any physical suffering.

Yun Jianyue shook his head and smiled. “Not really painful.”

“Sorry.”

Suddenly, Yun Jianyue spoke. “When I said I would stay on the mountain with Senior Sister for a while, that was actually to deceive them.” This text is hosted at novｅlfire.net

Ye Zhihua was extremely perceptive. Hearing him say this, she immediately understood. Her eyes were complex as she softly asked, “You still plan to go north?”

Yun Jianyue nodded and smiled. “I always feel that doing this is the right thing, though they won’t understand. For now, I have to hide it from them.”

The temple master of the greatest daoist temple in the world, the leader of Daoism itself, appeared glorious. But in many moments, he was helpless.

With this position came responsibilities that must be fulfilled.

It was both rule and restraint.

Such things often weighed heavily on people.

Yun Jianyue was such a person.

Ye Zhihua’s expression was complicated. She moved her lips and said, “I always worry that one day you will leave and never come back.”

Yun Jianyue replied gently, “People always have to leave. If the manner of leaving could be chosen by oneself, I think that would be a very happy thing.”