Chapter 78
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The children responded with a few cheerful calls.
Although they did not understand why the old man was waiting at the village entrance, nor could they grasp the weight and solemnity of the word [apology], they were simple and pure. The promise of candy was enough to make them happy. After agreeing, they turned and ran back toward the village, quickly disappearing into the distance.
Lingmiao Gong stood alone at the village entrance, his gaze following a small river meandering into the village. The settlement leaned against verdant hills, encircled by clear waters, with wisps of cooking smoke rising into the sky. It looked peaceful and serene. Yet, in such a tranquil village, could there truly lurk such a terrifying true cultivator?
The elder instinctively raised a hand, brushing over his hair bun.
The lingering dread from the residual power of yesterday’s sword strike was still vivid in his heart.
As a being with an Earth Spirit and adept in the divinatory arts of the Taishang lineage, he had calculated the origins and whereabouts of the young Daoist.
It should have been foolproof.
Yet, with a single sword stroke, the tables were turned.
The sword aura and intent traveled through the Earth Veins, shattering the incense burner in his hand. The strike’s momentum didn’t abate; it severed his hair bun before dissipating gradually. Such keen perception and pure clarity of spirit were already extraordinary. When the sword energy brushed past the ends of his hair, Lingmiao Gong even sensed the sharpness and vastness contained within the sword intent.
That sword intent was pure and crystalline, as if it looked down upon all sword cultivators under the heavens.
It was a sword that seemed to aim for the Heavenly Palace, seeking to prove the Dao and ascend to the supreme realm of Primordial Oneness(Hunyuan).
Such a clear spirit and boundless sword intent, when combined, made even a single bow from the young Daoist overwhelming. The clarity and purity of that thought suppressed the human desires absorbed by the old Earth Deity. The more Lingmiao Gong thought about it, the more uneasy he became, unable to sit still. What he didn’t know was that the young Daoist carried a scroll of sword scripture between his brows. All he knew was that his rudeness had been excessive. Early that morning, he had already brought treasures from the mountain, intending to pay a formal visit.
Among the offerings were spirit jade, precious qins, miraculous pills, various spiritual materials, and scrolls of scriptures—details that needed no elaboration.
The gestures of courtesy were proper and in full accord with established norms.
The treasures he carried were fitting and chosen with the respect due to a Daoist Yang Spirit True Person.
Given his status and identity, even a Daoist True Person would meet him as an equal, while ordinary True Persons would need to present a formal visiting card.
Although the sword strike was formidable, it had caught him unprepared, as he was not within the mountain at the time.
It was solely due to his own breach of decorum that he humbled himself, waiting at the village entrance and sending children to deliver a message as a display of sincerity.
The children, who had been running at full speed, soon arrived far from their starting point. What began as a simple errand to pass on a message had somehow turned into a contest among the mischievous youngsters. They treated it as a race, sprinting with all their might until they reached the courtyard where Qi Wuhuo resided. However, the large gate was firmly locked. Gasping for breath, they knocked on the door while calling out:
“Big brother, are you home?!”
“Big brother… whew, let me catch my breath first, big brother…”
“Someone’s here to see you!”
They shouted for a long time but received no response.
Exhausted, the children bent over with hands on their knees, panting heavily as they kept knocking. Flushed red from their race, they even began to argue about who had arrived first, pressing their palms against the door in their dispute.
Suddenly, an elderly voice rang out, followed by a sharp flick to the heads of the three boys.
“Noisy, noisy, noisy—what’s all this racket?”
“If you’ve got this much energy, go help your parents with some chores or learn a couple of characters!”
“Don’t you know someone here needs peace and quiet for recovery?”
The children looked up to see Old Master Zhou Lingyi, holding a book as he strolled leisurely under the sun. Seeing the mischievous children suddenly turn obedient, he asked with a gentler tone: “What’s going on? Why all the rush?”
The eldest among them answered: “It’s someone…”
“Someone is here, looking for Big Brother.”
“A guest?”
Zhou Lingyi was momentarily startled, then asked: “Where is the guest?”
The child replied: “The old gentleman said he’d wait at the village entrance. He just wanted us to come here and call Big Brother.”
The elderly man, once a government official, furrowed his brows slightly. A vague sense of unease surfaced in his heart. However, recalling the young Daoist, dressed simply in a plain Daoist robe, he dismissed his concerns. Earlier that day, the youth had even purchased a sturdy bamboo basket in the village, then set off to the mountains with the basket on his back and a small herbal mallet in hand, looking humble and approachable.
Shaking his head to dispel the scattered thoughts, Zhou Lingyi said: “He’s gone up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs and isn’t here right now.”
“Besides, the guest was just being polite. But you can’t really leave him waiting at the village entrance!”
“At the very least, invite him in for a cup of tea.”
“Otherwise, if word gets out, people might think that the people in Shuiyun Village are arrogant and inhospitable.”
“Huh?!”
“Then, we’ll go now!”
“Alright, let’s see who gets there first to bring the old man in!”
“It’ll definitely be me!”
With just a few exchanges, the children were once again caught up in a competitive spirit. At their age, such boundless energy was natural. They charged off, racing each other enthusiastically.
Zhou Lingyi watched them go, helplessly shaking his head. In his old age, with his legs and back no longer as strong as they once were, he could not keep up with the young and lively children. Once, he had roamed mountains and rivers, but now, he could only watch as even these mischievous children left him far behind.
A faint sense of melancholy stirred within him.
Smiling wryly, he sighed at his aging body and slowly began to walk toward the village entrance.
Outside Shuiyun Village.
Lingmiao Gong was still waiting. Given his past experience, he refrained from using divine abilities to “see” into the village.
He simply stood there quietly.
From afar, a few children approached, and only then did Lingmiao Gong lift their gaze. The children finished relaying Zhou Lingyi’s words. Lingmiao Gong sighed deeply—since the other party could discern their repeated use of [Earth Vein Qi] and the [Taishang Method] for divination, and considering that he had not concealed his actions at all today, how could someone of such skill fail to predict that he would come for a visit?
“This means he doesn’t wish to see me…”
“The Daoist True Persons are always like this—never pushing things to the extreme.”
“Calm as the breeze, soft as the clouds, leaving room for one to retreat.”
Lingmiao Gong sighed inwardly. As he shook his head, his gaze suddenly fell upon a tree branch in the hand of one of the mischievous children. It seemed faintly familiar. Pausing to take a closer look, he recalled the young Daoist from the day before, turning amidst the swirling smoke and striking with a sword. Except it wasn’t a sword at all—just a mere tree branch. His heart trembled slightly. Leaning forward to observe more closely, he regarded the child with a warm expression and said:
“Child, that branch of yours is quite remarkable…”
Hearing the elder praise his “precious sword”, the child’s eyes lit up instantly.
“Ah? Grandpa, you think so too?”
Lingmiao Gong chuckled and replied: “Indeed… Look at this branch, so straight and smooth. It truly is a fine sword. Where did you find it?”
“Grandpa, I’d love to have one like it myself.”
The mischievous child blinked, puzzled, and said: “This is really simple!”
“It’s just a branch from one of the trees in the village. They’re everywhere, really!”
Fearing the elder might think he was lying, the child emphasized:
“We saw that Daoist Big Brother break it off a tree with our own eyes.”
“And then he just swung it casually.”
“Just like this.”
The child imitated the young Daoist’s movements from that day, gripping the branch and swinging it backhandedly.
!!!
Lingmiao Gong’s expression shifted slightly, and even his hand, stroking his beard, froze mid-motion.
“A branch casually broken off? Casually swung?”
Such a description couldn’t possibly reconcile with the image of the strike he had witnessed the day before—a profound application of the Taishang Dao, a single counter-sword that severed the Earth’s Veins and obliterated the incense censer, utterly devoid of mundane airs. Although his expression remained unchanged, a storm brewed in the old man’s heart. He crouched slightly, smiling kindly, and said: “Grandpa will give you some candy. Could you let me see this sword?”
The child responded generously: “No need for candy, Grandpa!”
With a casual motion, he handed over the branch.
The elder took two steps back, slightly bowed, and extended his hands to receive the “sword.”
He was an Earth Deity.
Not just any Earth Deity, but one entitled to be addressed as [Gong(Lord)].
He could clearly sense that this branch had indeed grown from the soil of this very land, nourished by its essence. It had been broken off only a day before, and yet bore no trace of sword energy. Lingmiao Gong stood frozen, lost in thought for a long while. He murmured: “A branch casually plucked, wielded as a casual stroke—one sword to sever, one sword to withdraw, one sword to give life, one sword to bring death. A strike that cleaves the Earth’s Veins, extinguishing incense offerings, yet leaves no sword energy nor intent upon the branch. And then, gifted to playful children as a toy.”
“It is the realm of lifting the heavy as if it were light.”
“Truly a remarkable Sword Immortal.”
The child, not understanding these words, curiously asked: “Grandpa, is Big Brother Daoist’s swordsmanship really amazing?”
Lingmiao Gong smiled with heartfelt admiration and replied: “Extremely.”
The children exchanged glances and suddenly burst into laughter. “Not at all!”
“Big Brother said so himself. When we asked if he knew swordsmanship—”
“He said he only knows a little bit!”
Lingmiao Gong’s hand paused mid-stroke of his beard.
Looking again at the branch in his hand, he remained silent for a long time.
When Zhou Lingyi finally strolled out at a leisurely pace, he saw the children speaking with a kindly and poised old man.
But the elder shook his head, turned, and prepared to leave.
Zhou Lingyi froze, momentarily forgetting decorum, and called out: “Old Sir, please wait!”
“Although Daoist Qi is not here right now, he will return shortly. If you do not mind, sir, perhaps you could have a cup of tea and wait a while?”
Lingmiao Gong, however, only shook his head and sighed. “There is no need.”
“It is he who chooses not to see me today.”
“No matter how long I wait, he will never return.”
“Just plucking a sword from the tree, and you can follow the Earth’s Veins to strike it in reverse. Such swordsmanship, yet he says he only knows a little.”
Lingmiao Gong gently stroked a wooden box in his hand and sighed:
“The courtesy to give gifts to a True Person.”
“My gift was too shallow…”
He turned and left.
Zhou Lingyi wanted to call after him and hurriedly chased, but the old man’s steps were neither quick nor slow, and yet he seemed to move further and further away from him.
Zhou Lingyi followed him out of the village gate and saw an entire procession by a river.
At the front, eight armored knights rode on fine steeds, followed by more knights. In the center was a palanquin, and two mighty attendants held banners. The banners hung down, their ancient script written upon them, and the entire procession exuded an air of solemnity, dignity, and formality, appearing extremely respectful. After the elderly man sat in the palanquin, the procession turned and moved into the mountains. For some reason, the mist thickened, and the procession gradually disappeared from view.
Zhou Lingyi stood stunned, lost in thought.
Such courtesy.
Such courtesy—
“Too shallow?”
