On the eighth day…
From the mont she woke up, Qingying felt that sothing was off.
Everyone seed unusually quiet and reserved. The atmosphere was heavy with a strange tension.
Even Qingchen, who was usually cheerful and friendly, only offered a brief, polite greeting that morning. “Greetings, newcor. I wish you good luck today.”
Qingying could sense a forced politeness in his smile.
…What was going on?
On the platform, the Daoist continued his lecture, his voice as gentle as ever. “The profound mysteries of the Dao are not found in heaven and earth, nor in the primordial chaos, but within the human heart.”
Qingying sat beside Chen Yin, her mind wandering, occasionally glancing at her brother.
She noticed that everyone’s expressions were different today.
Their faces were etched with a deeper sense of confusion and contemplation, each of them more imrsed in their pursuit of enlightennt than before.
Every word spoken by the Daoist seed to weigh heavily on their minds, and the silence on the platform was almost eerie.
Even Qingchen’s brow was furrowed in thought, as if he had encountered a bottleneck in his understanding.
“Why does everyone seem so strange today?” Qingying couldn’t help but ask, turning to Chen Yin.
Chen Yin, however, remained calm and composed, as always. He shook his head slowly. “There’s nothing strange about it. If you had listened attentively to the Dao Scripture these past few days, you would feel the sa.”
Qingying didn’t understand. The Daoist’s lecture was exactly the sa every day.
As the sun began to set, the Daoist concluded his lecture and asked calmly,
“Fellow Daoists, have you gained any insights today?”
Qingying noticed that fewer people stepped forward to answer this ti.
And still, no one had given the correct answer.
“It seems you haven’t fully grasped the Dao yet.”
The Daoist smiled faintly. “It’s alright. You can try again tomorrow.”
“Even though the Dao is infinite, as long as you continue to seek, you will eventually find it.”
As the Daoist flew away on his crane, the cultivators began to disperse, returning to their dwellings.
Qingying and Chen Yin followed Qingchen back to the cave.
But this ti, Qingying slowed her pace.
All the returning figures were unusually quiet. After entering their houses, they fell silent.
They passed by the house of the Daoist couple, Huang Manlou and Yu Manli. Usually, they would be sitting outside, enjoying a delicious al they had prepared, sharing their cooking tips with newcors.
But today, they simply bowed slightly with an apologetic expression. “Greetings, newcor. Forgive us, but we’re feeling a bit tired today and won’t be cooking.”
They passed by the young girl Xu Xiu’s house. She was also standing there silently, her head lowered in thought.
Qingying felt that everyone had beco strange.
As they reached Qingchen’s house, he bowed slightly. “Greetings, newcor. I apologize.”
“Today… I have no insights to share.”
Qingying and Chen Yin exchanged a look.
“After studying the Dao Scripture these past few days, I feel the Dao is even more vast and elusive, it’s terrifying. I was just reading it superficially before, without truly understanding its depths.”
“The more I understand, the more confused and lost I beco…”
His youthful face was filled with disappointnt, but he still managed a weak smile. “But it’s okay!”
“The Daoist is right. Even though the Dao is infinite, as long as we continue to seek, we will eventually find it.”
“One day, I will fully comprehend it!”
With that, he bowed again and entered his house.
“A’Chen…”
Qingying instinctively reached out to him, then withdrew her hand, her eyes filled with worry.
“Are you worried about him?”
“A’Chen…” Qingying said softly, “He’s always been stubborn. He never talks about his problems, always trying to bear everything on his own.”
“I have a bad feeling about this. If he continues like this—”
“But you can’t help him.” Chen Yin interrupted her.
“Everything here has already happened.”
He looked at Qingchen’s house silently. “Once you’ve reached this point, there’s no turning back.”
Qingying bit her lip, her arms crossed.
“…I’m scared.”
Chen Yin glanced at her and saw the sadness in her eyes. She said softly,
“Can you… stay with outside for a while?”
“What? Don’t you find annoying anymore?”
“Just for tonight.” Qingying turned her head slightly.
Chen Yin didn’t tease her. He went back to his house, brought out two stools, and sat down under a tree.
Qingying sat beside him silently, gazing at the shimring light of the barrier.
“…Have you really been here before?”
“Of course.” Chen Yin nodded calmly. “Otherwise, how would I know where to find your brother?”
“Then why isn’t there an illusion of you here?” Qingying asked curiously.
Chen Yin looked into her eyes. “I can choose not to tell you.”
Qingying pouted, then asked, “When you were here before, were you like them?”
Her question made Chen Yin fall silent.
Qingying rarely saw him so quiet and reserved. His dark eyes were filled with an unreadable emotion, as if he was lost in mories.
After a long while, he finally spoke:
“Perhaps… I was a little different.”
…In his previous life, in the Azure Cicada Ancient Domain, Chen Yin had been forced onto the most dangerous path by a group of cultivators who preyed on weaker disciples.
Without thinking, he had run towards the deepest part of the domain, determined not to perish in such a place.
He still wanted to return to Mount Yu, to his Master and Junior Sister.
He couldn’t rember how he had managed to survive that journey.
When he finally saw the gem at the end of the path, he had been overwheld with relief.
He had arrived at Epheral Mountain, becoming one of the countless cultivators seeking enlightennt.
But from the very beginning, he hadn’t believed he could comprehend the Dao.
He couldn’t understand the abstract and profound words of the scripture, he couldn’t even bring himself to think about them.
He didn’t want to comprehend the Dao.
He just wanted to go ho.
So every day, he had been like a student daydreaming in class. While everyone else focused on the lecture, his mind wandered, more interested in the illusory figures of those who had co before him.
He had t the kind and gentle couple, Huang Manlou and Yu Manli.
He had t the adorable and soft-spoken Xu Xiu.
…And he had t Qingchen, the boy with the pure and innocent smile.
He had t almost everyone here.
Five hundred and sixty-nine people, each with their own unique face, appearance, and voice.
He rembered every single one of them.
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