Martial Cultivator

”Great Liang... or rather, Chen Che, has been plotting against the Infatuation Daoist Temple for many years. These years, while we were doing some things, he was also doing some things. And very clearly, what we did was not nearly as much as what he did.”

Daoist Wuyang gave a self-mocking laugh. ”We sat atop the mountain, looking down upon the world, always feeling that we were the most remarkable group of people. But in truth, we were only a bunch of fools.”

Yun Jianyue said, ”Perhaps it is because what they walk is the righteous path, could that be why?”

Daoist Wuyang glanced at Yun Jianyue. He did not rush to speak, only thought for a moment before beginning to recount the earlier matter: ”Chen Chao gave you the evidence. You two killed Yinli together, and in your heart, he planted a seed. And now, that seed has already blossomed in your heart.”

This matter was easy to judge, because Yun Jianyue had come here, which in itself already explained much.

If that seed in his heart had withered, then he would not have appeared here.

But once that seed blossomed into a flower, then for the Infatuation Daoist Temple, and even for the entire Daoism, it was a terrifying matter.

Because Yun Jianyue was now the Temple Master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple, the leader of the entire Daoism. His thoughts would influence the entire Daoism.

Yun Jianyue did not speak. He only looked at Daoist Wuyang before him.

The rift in their hearts was actually quite large.

But at this moment, neither of them had shed all pretenses.

Daoist Wuyang said softly, ”You are still very young. Some matters can only be truly understood after you have seen more, and only then will you have your own understanding and answers. Do not be so hasty to make choices. What’s more, your position right now is very special. Every choice you make will affect many things.”

Yun Jianyue still did not speak, but he had already put the seal away.

What this meant was self-evident.

Daoist Wuyang smiled, unconcerned, and said, ”But seeing you reach this step, I am very pleased. You are indeed the most outstanding figure Daoism has produced in these past years.”

Yun Jianyue bent slightly at the waist and said softly, ”Thank you for Martial Uncle’s praise.”

Daoist Wuyang sighed. ”I had long known you would be different from me. But before, I always felt that with me around, even if you were different, it would not matter. Yet the world shifts, and impermanence rules all.”

In this world, no one could know early on what the future would be. All reasonable predictions, in the end, would inevitably deviate.

This was unavoidable.

But it did not matter.

Daoist Wuyang glanced at Yun Jianyue and asked, ”That girl Zhihua thinks differently from you. When you are together, do you not feel pain?”

The Twin Pillars of Daoism, in some of the years past, people would not separate them, nor would they single one of them out. But now, hardly anyone mentioned them together anymore.

Apart from Yun Jianyue having advanced very quickly and leaving Ye Zhihua behind, there was also the fact that their views had likely already diverged.

Yun Jianyue smiled and said, ”Senior Sister is very understanding, and besides, she is still very young.”

The implication of this remark was very clear: youth meant infinite possibilities.

Daoist Wuyang no longer wished to speak. Some matters, like a chicken talking to a duck, would never find a result, and there was no point in wasting more words.

He wanted to walk forward, but Yun Jianyue still blocked his way.

Daoist Wuyang looked at Yun Jianyue.

Yun Jianyue asked, ”Where does Martial Uncle intend to go?”

Daoist Wuyang replied indifferently, ”To kill someone.”

He had returned from overseas for no other purpose than to kill. And who would he kill? Who was worthy of him specially coming here to kill?

The answer was almost certain.

Yun Jianyue asked, ”Martial Uncle is going to kill Chen Chao?”

Daoist Wuyang said, ”You want to stop me?”

Yun Jianyue said, ”If he were to die now, the demon race might very easily march south. Then the common people would be driven from their homes, the realm might be overturned, the consequences would be severe.”

”What does that have to do with you?”

Daoist Wuyang looked at Yun Jianyue and said, ”The demon race naturally would not do anything too excessive to us. Because once they did, marching south would become all the more troublesome. If they do not, then the story would simply be that Great Liang cedes another thirty thousand miles. You cultivate your Dao, it would not affect you.”

Yun Jianyue frowned, a little angry, and said, ”Does Martial Uncle think those thirty thousand miles are just a few words?”

The thirty thousand miles of the desolate north had long become a scar in the hearts of countless people. The soldiers of Great Liang who had died in the desolate north surely thought of nothing else day and night.

Daoist Wuyang sighed. ”You have indeed changed.”

Yun Jianyue shook his head. ”I have only awakened.”

......

......

This represented the past Daoism and the present representative of Daoism exchanging many words. Both were likely trying to persuade the other, but it was clear that neither could convince the other.

Many times, when words could not persuade, what remained was only a battle.

Victory or defeat could determine right and wrong.

At least, it was more effective than words.

Yun Jianyue was already a great daoist sage at the end of Nepenthe. Many times, he already had the authority to decide right and wrong in a matter. But unfortunately, the Daoist Wuyang before him was not one willing to listen to his right or wrong.

Daoist Wuyang smiled. ”A’Yue, do you really want to make a move against me?”

Yun Jianyue did not speak, only looked at Daoist Wuyang.

”You killed Yinli, and I was very pleased. At least it proved I had not misjudged you. But today, by stopping me, you make me very displeased.”

Daoist Wuyang sighed.

Today he had sighed many times.

That meant there were indeed many things that made him displeased and dissatisfied.

”Martial Uncle, this disciple killed Daoist Yinli not entirely for Martial Uncle’s sake, but also for the sake of certain principles.”

Yun Jianyue looked at the Daoist Wuyang before him, his eyes shining brilliantly, as though his whole being radiated light.

He seemed to be walking upon the Great Dao in his own heart, and that was why he appeared so dazzling.

Daoist Wuyang listened to the thunder rumbling in the heavens and recalled that youth who had just entered the mountain back then.

He felt great sorrow.

......

......

Chen Chao and Xie Nandu walked together in the wind and snow, and soon both their heads were covered in white.

Neither of them used their qi to dispel the wind and snow. They simply walked like that, letting the snow blanket them.

Xie Nandu reached out and patted Chen Chao’s shoulder, softly asking, “Though it was never said beforehand, I didn’t expect it would still turn out to be such a good result.”

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes and said, “Actually, they don’t understand you. Only I do. Since you’ve begun commanding the army, your very first time had to be a great victory. Because only that great victory could establish your position in the frontier army, only that could make others submit. Without it, many things would have been far more troublesome. But even so, I must say, what you did was too much.”

Using herself as bait, gambling the outcome of a great battle on her own body. If anything had gone wrong, the consequences would have been disastrous.

For Great Liang, they would have lost an outstanding general.

Xie Nandu smiled. “Weren’t you in the desolate north? With you there, I didn’t think there would be much of a problem.”

Chen Chao snapped, “I came, and the Demon Emperor came too!”

“Things like that are beyond our plans. It couldn’t be helped, so you shouldn’t dwell on it too much.”

Xie Nandu raised her brows. When it came to life and death, she truly regarded it far more lightly than most in the world.

Chen Chao was a little angry, but said nothing. He only gripped the hand of the woman before him, tightening his hold.

That was his attitude.

Xie Nandu nodded. “In the future, I’ll try to do fewer of such things. I also know that I’m more useful alive.”

Chen Chao frowned. “You’d better.”

Xie Nandu glanced at him, and for once she joked. “Don’t look so grim, as though we’re about to part forever.”

Chen Chao didn’t reply. When he learned that Autumn had not chased after him but had gone after Xie Nandu instead, he had already been deeply worried.

The entire journey afterward, he had feared that he might arrive too late.

Even the smallest delay could have led to a different outcome.

Xie Nandu smiled and said nothing more.

What was past was past, what use was there in bringing it up again?

The two of them walked along, and suddenly ahead lay the carcass of a gray deer. Xie Nandu grew interested. She drew out the short flying sword Chen Chao had given her, crouched before the gray deer’s corpse, and after a while, a small gray deerskin cap appeared in her hand.

At the front of the little cap were two small antlers.

It looked rather nice.

Xie Nandu held it in her hand for a moment, then said, “Lower your head.”

Chen Chao lowered his head.

Then Xie Nandu forcefully pressed the deerskin cap down on his head.

The woman looked at the young martial artist before her, now wearing the deerskin cap with its little antlers, looking rather comical. She nodded in satisfaction.

“You don’t even know how to be gentle.”

Someone grumbled this, but he didn’t reach up to take off the deerskin cap. Instead, he shook his head a little, as though he was quite pleased with it himself.

Not long after, a medium-sized snowball appeared ahead of them. The one who was already the most remarkable martial artist under heaven jogged a few steps, leaped clean over it, then turned his head back proudly to look at the woman, asking, “Wasn’t that impressive?”

The look on his face, if someone didn’t know better, they would have thought this fellow had just cleaved the Demon Emperor in two with one strike.

The key thing was that the woman even played along, nodding solemnly and clapping her hands. “Very impressive!”

The young martial artist burst into laughter, his eyes curved like little crescents.

After a while, Xie Nandu suddenly asked, “Chen Chao, what’s your dream now?”

Chen Chao returned to his senses. Before he could answer, the woman shook her head and said, “Don’t talk about the world, or Great Liang. Say something smaller.”

Without hesitation, Chen Chao replied, “Then my dream is that the one I like can always be by my side, every second, every year.”

Xie Nandu frowned, just about to speak, but Chen Chao cut her off. “It’s precisely because it can’t be done that it’s a dream.”

Xie Nandu understood what he meant, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.

After thinking a bit, she smiled and said, “Then why don’t you change the one you like? That way, your dream could come true.”

This time, the young martial artist shook his head very seriously. “It’s because of this person that I have this dream. Without her, it wouldn’t matter whether I had a dream or not.”

Some people are not the best in the world, and there will always be others better than them. But it doesn’t matter. For some, it never mattered whether the one they liked was the best in the world. As long as it was her, then she was the best.

As he spoke, the young martial artist shook his head, the two little antlers wobbling back and forth, looking very cute.