AFTER YAN WUSHI HAD LEFT, SHEN QIAO IMPATIENTLY TRIED to force open his acupoint. Moreover, he worried how Yan Wushi would fare if he fell into Sang Jingxings hands with his present wugong. The true qi within him circulated through his ridians with excessive force for a mont, almost wanting to break out of his body. All that filled his mind then was how his heart burned, as though it were being scorched, before freezing over as though having fallen into a pit of ice. His entire person beca dizzied, such that he could not even determine the passage of ti around him. It was as though he had fallen into a state that was like that of a dream, yet still very real.
Part of this was the resulting tornt of his body temperature alternating between hot and cold; another part of it was because of his mind. It was as though his consciousness wanted more than anything to separate from his body, but because it was still tethered to this world by a single thread. From beginning to end, it was still firmly bound to his body, forced against its will to travel alongside the chaotic circulation of true qi, which rushed about with such fervor that it left him nauseous and his four limbs unbearably numb.
The first half of Shen Qiaos life passed him without much difficulty. Xuandu Mountain was like a barrier that separated him from the dangers of the outside world.
Not only him, but all the others who resided upon Xuandu Mountain, including even the obsessively ambitious Yu Ai. They had nearly broken away from this world, and looked upon mortal affairs with a sort of naivete and expectation that all was fair. However, because there was Xuandu Mountain, and because Qi Fengge had led them and kept them away from the wind and the rain, none of them had ever paid attention to the world beneath the mountain.
After that, however, it was as though Shen Qiaos life had been split into two halves, with Banbu Peak delineating this split. The forr half was filled with comfort and ease; the latter with the continuous rise and billow of ocean waves.
He had experienced a number of circumstances in which death would have been a far more preferable choice than life. He had seen both the kindness and cruelty of humanityand in the end, his heart possessed not the slightest hatred. But even if he had, it had died with Guanzhu and Chuyi, the way that it had when he had taken in a disciple nad Shiwu, just the way that it had when he fought alongside Bixia Sect, and the way that it had the mont that Yan Wushi had done this so as to ward off Sang Jingxing, vanishing with him like that of smoke and dispersed clouds, leaving not a trace behind.
This thought fell upon his heart like that of a cold drop of water, scattering once it made contact with warmth.
At that mont, his mind appeared to have thoroughly removed itself from his physical body, from the Buddha statue that sheltered him, and from the small temple, arriving at an unknown placea vast realm that escaped language. All types of pain gradually vanished from his body, leaving him further unaware, yet before his eyes ca a sudden light like that from the sun and moon illuminating the mountains and ocean from far above, or the droplets scattered by a fish leaping into an ocean wave, shining upon the stars.
His stopped acupoint slowly opened. The true qi that flowed through his body brought with it a warm current, returning strength to his limbs and bones that had once beco numb.
Shen Qiao felt as though he had beco a fish that, with a swish of its tail, was able to leap into the boundless universe, inundated with stars. A steady, rhythmic sound reverberated past himthe sound of water droplets weighing down the leaves which carried them before sliding from them impatiently and falling upon the surface of a deep pond, shattering the surrounding tranquility.
As he raised his head to look at the world outside, he sent a ripple through the deep and transparent waters. A profound sensation that could not be described, but only experienced, spread through him.
The droplets of water falling into the pond seed more like it was falling upon his heart.
All the world shifted with it.
A severe winter transford into a warm spring in an instant. The flowing waters around him had even beco warm and harmonious. The countless other fishes around him had quickly swam away. With a nod of their heads and shake of their tails, they swam further ahead in a lively manner. The moon and stars floated upon the surface of the water in fragnts, carrying its magnificent luster and dazzling light around it beneath, resembling a part of the galaxy.
Shen Qiao closed his eyes, feeling as though he had concluded the life that he had led with the fishes, before once more being reincarnated into a life in the expansive pool of water, waiting every day to fill it to the brim, for the flowers that blood around the pond to pour out their worries, for them to fall and seal him there, within the waters. With the turn of one hand cos the clouds of spring; with the turn of another cos the rains of autumn. The clear sound of a clock resonates; the flowering peach blossoms fill the trees.
He suddenly rembered a sentence from the Zhuyang Ce:
Except for the self, there is nothing else.
Shen Qiao still rembered when he had first co upon this very line, back when his shizun had given him his volu of the Zhuyang Ce. Although he had used the true qi of the Zhuyang Ce to reconstruct his foundations after having fought against imminent death, this did not an that he thoroughly understood every sentence within the Zhuyang Ce.
At the ti, before he had co upon this sentence, he had read another: The self that enters the mind of the other, may do as they please.
Now this, he could understand sowhat. Frankly put, when one studies swordsmanship, they must understand jian xin, or the will of the double-edged sword. One who studies the equivalent with a single-edged sword must understand dao xin, the accompanying will of the single-edged sword, just as well. One must know their enemies before they are able to co unscathed through a hundred battles.
But in this way, the other and the self will have beco one. Except for the self, there is nothing else. How can they be told apart in such a way?
Shen Qiao at first believed that this was either written erroneously, or that Tao Hongjin himself hadnt thought about this to such an extent when he had written this.
However, at this mont, he suddenly understood the implicit aning of this sentence, feeling sowhat as though he had taken a roundabout path after hitting a wall with his thinking.
Humanity existed within the liminal space between heaven and earth. There must first be a self, before there can be an other. One judges others by comparing them to oneself, the way that one may judge other living things. If one is unhappy, their world is unhappy; if one is without sorrow, so follows their world. For the joy in ones heart gives life to a simple spring, as grief would rob them the color of the mountains and rivers.
Not only does the limits of ones mind expand after realizing this, but the limits of their bodies as well, as though they could hold an infinite amount of true qi, how all rivers rge into the sea. One must be able to possess before they are able to expand; because of the true qi, his ridians broadened, and his true qi moved freely throughout his body as a result of his newly broadened ridians. There was no longer any need to worry about stagnancy or obstructions.
His Shanhe Tongbei sword quivered with such agitation, as though sensing the progress made by its masters mind. It was as though it were ready to be unsheathed to cut down its opponents.
While the four people outside the Buddha statue reached the outside of this small temple, right at this mont.
Yan Shou spoke in a cold voice. Search all around.
Because Xiao Se had been wounded, his steps were sowhat sluggish; however, though Bai Rong was completely unscathed, it seed that she had little interest in pursuing their targets, and followed Xiao Se from behind.
The two of them went around the periter of the small temple once, before Xiao Se responded: Yan-zhanglao. There isnt a trace that Shen Qiao has been here. Could it be that he saw how many of us there were and ran off first, leaving Yan Wushi behind?
Impossible, Yan Shou said. He had expended quite a lot of energy having battled with us. He couldnt have recovered after such a short amount of ti. And even if he were to have done that, he wouldnt have gotten far. Even if he did not leave along with Yan Wushi, he should have found a place and hidden away sowhere, and this is the best place for him. Did you already look around?
We did, Xiao Se said. This temple is very small. In the back, theres a side room, but it isnt a place where you could hide soone. A well would be better, but there was water beneath it, so a person couldnt possibly hide there. And with the size of this place, theres an even lesser chance that theres so sort of secret room.
He gave Bai Rong a look. On the other hand, it seems that Bai-shii has so feelings for Shen Qiao, and may be constantly urging us on and thwarting our attempts to find him. I wonder what sort of intentions she must have?
Bai Rong laughed sweetly: Xiao-shixiong, you really do like to weave all sorts of tales about every hour of the day. Could it be that you think that shizun will treat you more favorably if you cut down? Dont forget that you belong to Yuan-zongzhu first and foremost. If you want to change your status, then show so good faith. What use is there in attacking a little girl like ?
Baoyun, who stood by Yan Shous side, suddenly opened his mouth to speak: We havent yet found who we were looking for, and here you all are starting internal disputes. Is this how Yuan-zongzhu and Sang-zhanglao teach their disciples?
The tone of this voice was severe and ghastly, sharply contrasting with his solemn, dignified appearance of a monk.
However, the effects were obvious. Bai Rong and Xiao Se imdiately shut their mouths and didnt say another word.
Yan Shou glanced around once more. His line of sight finally fell upon the large statue of Buddha. He paused, before taking a step towards it.
His actions attracted the attention of the others. Even Baoyun said: Yi[1], this statue of Buddha is quite large. If it's hollow on the inside, then it could hide soone inside.
Yan Shou looked the status up and down, starting from the top of its head down to the pedestal it sat upon, before suddenly extending his hand and pulling away the sheet of fabric it sat upon. After seeing the marks left upon the sheet of fabric, he laughed coldly, and imdiately struck the statue!
With Zhang Feng[2] aid right at the center, the crack on top quickly spidered throughout the statue. A loud crash followed, and the Buddhist statue split into four!
There really was soone within it!
Everyone present gazed upon the figure that was hidden within the statue. Yan Shou laughed loudly and flew towards them like an eagle hunting its preyhe threw himself towards the man before him!
Before he had even made it there, his Zhang Feng had already swept across the area, as sudden as the madness of wind and strong rain, the skies were filled with bloody shadowsas cold as winter cutting into bone, filled with a ghastly dread coming down in torrents. It was enough to make soone feel as though they were being concealed by the bloody shadow of Zhang Feng from head to toe while being taken by surprise. There wouldnt have been any room for them to have runthey would only tremble with fear as hopelessness took over their hearts.
Even if Shen Qiao possessed the strength he had in the past, he would have been caught completely unprepared against the palm of Yan Shous Zhang Fengso large it was that it blotted out even the skiesmuch less with the strength that he possessed now, which was exhausted from having battled the four of them earlier.
When they had fought earlier, Yan Shou had feared how Shen Qiao reached the state of jian xin. However, he had made out the details of Shen Qiaos condition. He had realized that Shen Qiaos present internal strength was completely unable to sustain any jian state. In short, though Shen Qiaos progress on jian dao had developed quickly, his foundational internal strength was unable to keep up. And this fatal flaw wasnt sothing that could have changed within the short amount of ti he was hiding for.
Therefore, he believed that this strike would at least be able to pin Shen Qiao down where he was and leave him unable to act in an unpleasant situation, even if it wasnt strong enough to inflict serious damage upon the other man.
Just as he thought this, his Zhang Feng glided towards its target. The distance between Yan Shou and Shen Qiao shrank quicklyyet the other man quickly blocked him just in ti!
Before Yan Shous eyes was a sea of white light, filled with cold, ominous killing intent. It had even suppressed Yan Shous Zhang Feng and overflowed its bloodied shadows as jian qi closed in on Yan Shous face!
Yan-zhanglao, be careful! Xiao Se shouted.
Yan Shou didnt need Xiao Se shouting his throat out; he had already quickly retreated.
The others didnt stand by and watch. Baoyun had leapt up and grabbed at Shen Qiao from another direction.
Shen Qiao drew his sword, while jian qi followed the swords body, overflowing as it did before being cleansed by true qi. A flash of teal fabric floated past elegantly, almost seeming to transform into a bluish-green bow of light, and was only further enhanced with and by the blades lightthe sight of it was indistinguishably dazzling.
Yan Shous expression changed repeatedly. He had only taken several dozens of steps before reaching the back wall of the temple, finding no other way to escape.
At last Yan Shou could see that Shen Qiao was coming directly for him, which was why he had left Baoyun behind. He only used his jian qi to construct a screen that had completely blocked off the attacks of the others so that he could completely focus on attacking Yan Shou.
But this man had clearly exhausted all of his strength beforehow could he possibly recover to such a point in such a short amount of ti?!
Yan Shou did not think any more deeply. He soared upwards, breaking open the ceiling, while Shen Qiao followed him closely from behind.
The two of them fought from the inside of the temple out up onto the roof. Their silhouettes floated up like demons, riding on the Zhang Feng and swords light like that of fierce winds and thunder. Their movents ca to a halt, resembling the dead of winter, where the grasses and trees wither and all living things remain silent and alone. Because Yan Shou was present, every ti he struck with his bloody palm, it carried with it a foul wind and rains of blooda freezing dread, and gloomy air, an overwhelming intent to kill. However, the light of the sword suddenly rose, taking on the dark, golden color of evening clouds[3]the flowers blooming by the rocks of a stream, the outpour of so magnificent light, completely unparalleled.
In contrast, such light could have stolen even the luster of the moon, shaming it to hide behind the clouds and never to return.
Between heaven and earth, only the light of the sword remained. As all the mountains and rivers grieve, so do the tals and stone cry out!
Xiao Se very soon tried to interfere. However, he did not force himself to do much more, and only stood at the side, watching them fight. From the corner of his eyes, he could see that Bai Rong also did not move, and could not help but ask coldly: Bai-shii, its clear that you have such feelings for Shen Qiao that you cant even bear to personally deal with him yourself?
Bai Rong smiled and said: Even Yan-zhanglao and Baoyun-zhanglao cant even take him down together. If I attempted to interfere, then Id only make more trouble. Xiao-shixiong, if youre capable of it, then your little sister would be happy to hold him down for you while you attack!
These werent truly empty words. Shen Qiao was fighting one against two, and up until now, he hasnt seed to have exhausted himself. Not only Baoyun was unable to deal with hiven Yan Shou was clearly showing signs of being close to defeat.
How could a single person suddenly beco this strong?!
Xiao Se could only think this with such indeterminable bewildernt. He even wondered if Yan Wushi had imitated the dual cultivation thods of Hehuan Sectbut even if he had, the results wouldnt be anywhere near this extent of Shen Qiaos improvent, especially within this short span of ti.
He scoffed coldly, and felt disinclined to continue arguing with Bai Rong. Instead, he continued to watch the battle that took place on top of the roof.
However, in the short ti that the two of them had exchanged a handful of words, it seed that it was already clear who had won and who had lost the battle that took place on the roof.
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