Yun Jianyue and Song Changxi walked towards the distance. These two daoist geniuses stood side by side, and many people looked at them. However, Song Changxi was well aware that he currently had no qualifications to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with one of the Twin Pillars of Daoism. After taking a few steps, he stopped and stood half a step behind Yun Jianyue to show his respect for him.
"No need for that."
Yun Jianyue replied without turning his head. "Cultivate well, keep an unobstructed Dao heart, and one day you will stand at the highest peak."
Song Changxi was in no hurry to answer that question. Instead, he looked at Yun Jianyue and asked, "I heard Senior Sister Ye has a higher cultivation realm than you?"
Being from the same lineage of Daoism, it was only natural for them to address each other like this. However, for some reason, Song Changxi had never used such an address for Yun Jianyue.
Mentioning that girl, a visible smile appeared on Yun Jianyue's face. It was a genuine smile from deep within. The entire Infatuation Daoist Temple knew that Senior Brother Yun held undisguised affection for Senior Sister Ye. However, outside the Infatuation Daoist Temple, not many knew about this.
"She entered the Dao society earlier than me and her talent isn't worse than mine, of course her cultivation realm is higher."
Yun Jianyue was very calm, not finding it difficult to talk about because of the topic.
It was just... the girl he liked had a higher cultivation realm than him. What was hard to talk about being more powerful than him?
Yun Jianyue understood the weight of this sentence very well. He knew what it meant for a proud person like Yun Jianyue to say such a thing, and he fell silent for a moment.
Yun Jianyue glanced at Song Changxi, realizing that this person must have misunderstood. However, he thought for a moment but did not say anything.
Soon, Song Changxi returned to his senses and said, "One day, I will catch up with you two."
Yun Jianyue said, "Travel more, see more. It's more important than staying in the mountains."
……
……
A group of young cultivators walked towards the depths of the Reputation Peak. Deeper inside, there was a stretch of white mist lying in front of everyone.
This was the true entrance to the ancient ruins.
Inside, there were many secrets about history; something every sect's cultivators wanted to know. When facing the unknown, anyone would initially feel fear. Then, they would yearn to know the answers, know the history, grasp the history, and even use history. These were all things they wanted to do.
"If you can't endure it, it's best to return the way you came. I can't give you all any more advice. All I can do is wish you good luck."
Distant Wanderer stood in front of the real white mist and gave a simple explanation before stepping aside.
The medicinal pills had already been distributed and the necessary words had been said. Distant Wanderer had no intention of wasting his breath anymore.
With expectations in their hearts, the young cultivators began to walk into the white mist. Some were in a hurry and even jogged a little. The entrance was quite large, so there was no crowding.
Many of them turned to look at their respective elders, and with their elders' encouragement, they walked forward.
Soon, they all disappeared into the white mist.
Yun Jianyue walked over to Chen Chao and stood beside him just like that.
Chen Chao glanced at him with some uncertainty.
Yun Jianyue said very calmly, "Your actions earlier may have seemed impulsive, but in reality, you wanted to tell them that you're not to be provoked."
Chen Chao showed no surprise at being figured out and said as a matter of course, "If this group of people all come looking for trouble with me, even though I'm not afraid of trouble, I can't kill them all. So, the best choice is to make them stay far away from me to avoid any trouble."
If someone else had said these words, Yun Jianyue would have scoffed. But when Chen Chao said them, he nodded in approval. "It's not wise for them to come looking for trouble with you."
In the ancient ruins where they could not use their cultivation, a martial artist like Chen Chao had a significant advantage.
Chen Chao said, "It seems like you really want to pick a fight with me inside."
Yun Jianyue smiled and said, "Earlier, Song Changxi told me something that I found rather logical."
"Please, go on."
Chen Chao looked at Yun Jianyue without any disgust in his eyes. He had known that true geniuses would never look down on others like those ordinary cultivators did.
"If we encounter each other, there will naturally be a battle."
After saying this, Yun Jianyue did not wait for Chen Chao's reply. He walked ahead on his own and soon, young cultivators made way for him, escorting him like the stars escorting the moon as they entered the mist.
Watching this, Chen Chao could not help but sigh, inexplicably feeling a bit lonely.
Although he had lived alone for many years in the past, and he had spent many years living this way, he somehow did not like this feeling as much after arriving in the Divine Capital.
However, whether he liked it or not, he had to suppress it in his heart. Chen Chao looked at the broken saber at his waist and then continued to walk forward.
He was actually somewhat emotional too, because it was indeed not his first time coming to this place. But, he similarly did not think that this would be his last time here.
……
……
After eating a meal of cured meat and drinking five large bowls of chicken soup, the Dean picked his teeth and expressed some dissatisfaction, "Cured meat stir-fried with green peppers is fine, but how could you not add garlic sprouts? And the chicken soup was boiled for a little too long, do you think I'm so old that I can't even chew properly?"
The woman had not received such harsh criticism in years. Now, her cooking was suddenly being criticized. She felt a bit wronged for a moment, and her eyes were about to well up with tears. But then, she remembered that the man in front of her was her husband's teacher, so she forcefully held back her tears.
The Dean glanced at the women and had some appreciation in his eyes: "Although a woman's temperament is supposed to be gentle, crying at the slightest provocation is something that shouldn't happen."
The woman silently nodded but did not know what to say.
The dean said, "Are you worried that this guy won't want you in the future? There's no need to worry. Although he had a pretty good marriage prospect back then, that's in the past. Now that he married you, he'll have to spend his days with you. But you are a bit overweight; you should lose some weight."
Hearing the Dean's words and reminiscing about the past, Zhou Gouqi's expression was not too pleasant, but his eyes showed a nostalgic look. That pretty good marriage prospect was indeed quite good.
The Dean saw the nostalgia in his eyes, patted his head unhappily, and said somewhat angrily, "I'm done with my meal and I'm leaving. Brat, are you coming back to the Divine Capital with me or not?!"
Zhou Gouqi shook his head, pointed to the woman, and said, "She's just a country woman. She wouldn't be comfortable in the Divine Capital, so why go through the trouble?"
The Dean naturally understood that his disciple's words were just excuses, and his expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He scolded, "If you don't want to go, then don't go. You ungrateful disciple! I've taught you in vain!"
Zhou Gouqi bit the bullet and said, "Teacher's wish has been fulfilled by taking in Little Junior Sister. That's naturally a joyous occasion. Us useless disciples have brought shame to Teacher."
The Dean looked at Zhou Gouqi and said unhappily, "Do you think your junior sister is a simple person? She doesn't study properly and insists on becoming a sword cultivator. I have no idea when she might go up north to fight like that fellow. Even if she stays in the Divine Capital and I leave the academy to her, it will be two extremes."
Zhou Gouqi smiled and said, "Junior sister has great aspirations. I realized that the first time I met her."
"Hindsight is 20/20."
The Dean looked expressionlessly across the courtyard. The courtyard door was open and they were in the courtyard, so they could clearly see the closed gate of the small courtyard across from them.
Following his teacher's gaze, Zhou Gouqi said thoughtfully, "When that old qi refiner hag came to cause trouble for the kid back then and tore down his house, it was this disciple who paid to have it repaired later. When Teacher meets him again, remember to help this disciple ask for some money..."
Hearing this, the woman felt some pain. When Zhou Gouqi said he would spend money to help repair the house for that kid across the street, she was actually rather reluctant. That kid was good, but no matter how you looked at it, they should not be helping to such an extent. Moreover, it was uncertain if he would ever return.
Spending money to help that kid repair his house might turn out to be a wasted effort in the future.
That was cold hard cash.
The Dean laughed coldly, ignoring the nonsense from this man. He thought for a moment before saying, "You can continue investigating the matter you've been looking into. Actually, I shouldn't have come to find you. Although I'm already very cautious, I can't guarantee that there aren't any eyes on me."
Hearing this, Zhou Gouqi widened his eyes.
What did he mean by being very cautious?
Your elderly self swaggered in here as bold as you please, and you call that being very cautious?
Seeing his expression, the Dean raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you have a problem with that?"
Zhou Gouqi hurriedly shook his head.
"There are many spies in the imperial court, yet you insist on going after the biggest one. When the time comes, you might really shake the whole world. I'm actually quite worried about it."
The Fean sighed, "Why the hell did I take in so many disciples back then? If it was only one or two, who would make me so anxious?"
Even if it was him, he had not expected that when he wanted to imitate that confucian sage and take in 72 disciples, he did not expect that among these 72 disciples, there would be so many oddballs.
The guy who insisted on becoming a sword cultivator and fighting in the Northern Frontier was one. This guy who insisted on doing this particular thing here was another.
Zhou Gouqi rubbed his temples and said softly, "In any case, revenge must be taken. Didn't Teacher also say that it's never too late for a gentleman to take revenge?"
The Dean scolded, "Speaking of that, it makes me angry. Back in the academy, you were the one who loved misinterpreting the classics of sages the most. Something about, 'to understand the Dao in the morning and die in the evening is enough'? How did you interpret it back then?"
Zhou Gouqi weakly said, "In the morning, if I know the way to your house, you'll die in the evening."
The Dean suppressed his anger and continued saying, "A gentleman who doesn't have good manners lacks awe"
"A gentleman needs to act decisively when necessary, otherwise, he won't be able to establish awe."
"To learn without thinking leads to confusion; to think without learning is dangerous?"
"If you learn my martial arts but not my ideology, you'll be lost. If you learn my philosophy but not my martial arts, you'll be beaten to death by someone."
The Dean remained expressionless.
Zhou Gouqi said in a low voice, "Maybe that sage in the past meant this, but it got passed down wrongly?"
The Dean laughed coldly a few times, "I should have passed the position of the Dean to you back then!"
Zhou Gouqi stayed silent.
Even if he were truly stupid, he knew that his teacher was speaking sarcastically now.
The Dean got up, indicating he was leaving.
Zhou Gouqi quickly stood up to see him off.
When the Dean arrived at the door, he glanced at the woman and said with a slight smile, "Don't worry."
It seemed like he left many words unsaid, yet at the same time, it also felt like he had said a lot.
The woman inexplicably felt somewhat at ease.
Zhou Gouqi saw the Dean off.
Then, he turned around and shut the courtyard door.
Only then, did the woman lower her voice to ask, "Is my cooking really that terrible?"
Zhou Gouqi frowned and said, "What are you listening to his rubbish for?"
After saying this, he nervously looked towards the door, afraid that his teacher who left might burst through the door again.
Seeing her husband like this, the woman found it somewhat amusing. But in reality, she felt somewhat happy.
Which woman in the world did not wish to be protected by her husband?
However, neither of them noticed that on the opposite rooftop, the Dean stood with his hands behind his back, watching the couple opposite with a faint smile on his face.
……
……
Entering the mist-filled place once again, a familiar sensation engulfed Chen Chao. Chen Chao naturally would not say that he missed this feeling. When he was brought here initially and experienced so much, it was a painful memory. He would rather not have experienced it at all. But since he had experienced it, there was nothing to be said.
Looking at the scenery several yards ahead, Chen Chao silently drew the broken saber from his waist and held it in his hand. Then he took out a bag he had prepared earlier, picked up some broken stones from the ground, and threw them into the bag. He then tied the bag around his waist before walking forward.
These preparations could have been made before entering, but he did not want to attract too much attention.
It was not much different from several years ago.
The ancient ruins before him were still shrouded in thick fog, and he could only see the scenery a few yards in front of him. Furthermore, Chen Chao understood one thing: whether was it a high-level cultivator or an ordinary person, there would be no difference in this ruin. They were all the same.
After some thought and recalling that path from several years ago, Chen Chao turned around and headed in that direction.
This ancient ruin was very desolate, with no trees around. There was just some hard ground. As for living creatures, there were none.
After walking for about an hour, Chen Chao stopped in front of a tree stump.
The tree stump was large, and by counting its growth rings, one would know it had been around for hundreds of years.
But many years ago, it had been cut down by someone.
The culprit was unknown.
Chen Chao looked at the familiar tree stump, fell silent for a while, and confirmed he was on the right path. Then, he bent down and began using the broken saber in his hand to dig at a spot next to the tree stump.
After a moment, something appeared before his eyes.
It was an ancient-looking small cauldron.
Back then, this small cauldron was one of the artifacts he found here. Except, he did not dare to take it with him.
The small cauldron was entirely green, with many ancient patterns... no, they were not patterns but rather, words.
Those were ancient characters, similar to the Sanskrit that came from Buddhist lands. Both were very ancient scripts, but while there were still people who understood Sanskrit, it was likely that no one could understand these ancient characters anymore.
Chen Chao fell silent and put the cauldron away. He then continued walking in the predetermined direction.
It was just that a moment later, Chen Chao stopped. It was because he saw a dead body in front of him.
It was a badly decomposed corpse.
It had likely been dead for several months.
The appearance was no longer recognizable.
But judging from the figure, it should have been a teenager.
Chen Chao looked at this corpse and was silent for a long time.
It was because he remembered another youth.
