Chapter 158 – Dao, Dao, Dao, Dao, Dao

A thunderclap split the heavens, lightning cleaving through the oppressive clouds.

On the tattered strip of prison garb, dark-red blood-characters spread densely, reflected in the depths of Lu Liangsheng’s eyes.

“……When I first heard that Liangsheng had struck the Golden Throne in fury, this teacher could find no rest, not out of fear for my own life and safety, but out of grief for the injustice you suffered. How must Liangsheng have felt then?

Looking back upon the past, I sometimes wonder—when I led you into the official path, was it fortune, or calamity? When in Heliang Prefecture you defied the heavens and braved the thunder tribulation, I had already foreseen it. Liangsheng, who labors tirelessly for the common people, who cast aside life and death to carve a narrow path through peril, hoping the court might yet be reformed…

…Yet in the end, all is reduced to ridicule, mocked as nothing more than sleight of hand. For the words and deeds I once gave the emperor, my heart aches; for the myriad lives of Chen, my heart aches still more; but most of all, I burn with indignation at the injustices suffered by my disciple. Thus I stood in the august hall of state, spat fiercely upon the ground, and cursed aloud—‘Dog Emperor!’”

The ink dripped, drop by drop, from the brush tip dangling at his side, staining the earth. Fingers clenched tight around the blood-soaked cloth, Lu Liangsheng’s body trembled.

Boom—!

Rain poured down in torrents, striking the temple eaves and the distant woods in a ceaseless patter. Around him, Toad Daoist and Sun Yingxian stood in silence beside the scholar. Beyond the temple’s doors, Honglian lingered under the eaves, gazing at the figure clutching the blood-written letter, as though she could sense the torment in his heart.

Raindrops traced down from his hair, sliding past his cheek, splashing at his feet. Lu Liangsheng gritted his teeth, drew a deep breath; moisture welled at the corners of his eyes.

From between clenched jaws came a hoarse whisper—

“Teacher…”

His gaze fell again upon the blood-stained cloth, reading on, word by word:

“The path of safeguarding the lives of all under heaven is no easy one. This teacher squandered half a lifetime, entangled in court affairs, unable to serve the people directly as Liangsheng has done. In these days of confinement, I sometimes recall it all, and cannot help but laugh. Minister Min once came to visit me, asking why I acted so, whether I knew it would lead to death. Later, I answered him thus: To die in this capital is to declare to all our fellow Confucian scholars—that we strive against injustice for the people, that we establish life for the myriad beings, and that we open the way for those yet to come!”

“By the time Liangsheng reads this letter, your teacher may already have departed this world. Do not grieve for me. In a lifetime, to find the road one is meant to walk is no easy matter. But your teacher has found it, and has never strayed from it. Liangsheng, you must be diligent, and one day seek out the Dao within your own heart. You must walk it—walk it to the end…”

The scholar in the raincloak, brush still in hand, slackened his grip. The blood-stained prison cloth slipped from his fingers and fell into the rainwater.

“Dao…” Lu Liangsheng gazed blankly into the distance. After a long while, he slowly lifted his foot, took a wavering step, and staggered toward the courtyard wall.

The Toad Daoist splashed through the puddles, stooped to lift the sodden garment, and after reading further lines, closed his eyes with a sigh.

“……In the brief span of life, there are countless paths one might choose, yet in truth only a single one may be walked. Once your foot is set upon it, there is no turning back. Liangsheng, now you too must persevere. Perhaps, as one who walks the Way, you face more choices than most—but likewise, the road you must tread will be all the longer.”

“This letter ends here—it is your teacher’s final instruction. I had wished to write more, but alas, time has run short. Should Liangsheng one day return, I ask only this—gather my bones, and bury me at Mount Qixia. The scenery there has lingered in my heart, unforgettable through the years.”

The final words were signed: Huashu.

Crash—!

The downpour scoured the courtyard walls. Across the way stood the scholar, wolf-hair brush still in hand, face lowered, shoulders trembling faintly beneath the rain.

“Dao.” He murmured again.

Heh.

“Heh… heh-heh…”

A muffled, broken laugh escaped his lips. Lu Liangsheng himself could not say why he laughed. The brush tip lifted slowly; his lips quivered. The laugh grew hoarse, grating, spreading wider and wider.

“Heh… heh-heh… hahahaha…”

Boom—!!

Thunder roared across the temple roof. The wild laughter rang out with it, reckless, resounding, until the very eardrums quivered.

“Hahahaha… hahahaha…”

It was as if a wild beast were roaring. Arms swept through the rain, parting the cascading sheets. The wolf-hair brush danced violently along the courtyard wall. The unfinished Buddha took form under his frantic strokes; dark ink traced the ominous outline of the Buddha’s eyes, growing more sinister with each line.

“Ha ha ha!!”

One final horizontal stroke cut through the space. Blue-white lightning split the sky, illuminating the world. The Buddha’s visage now appeared ferocious, terrifying, alive.

In the southern outskirts of Shangyong, a cavalry tore through the rain, mud splashing with every stride. Rounding a bend ahead, a dozen riders dismounted, forming a protective circle around Yang Jian and Yang Su as they dashed toward the pavilion.

Yang Su waved his sleeve, casting a minor charm to wipe the rain from his elder brother’s robes. He smiled:

“The rain has only just begun. Brother, do not worry. Wait a moment, and I will perform a spell to inform Lu Liangsheng that we have arrived.”

“No matter. I can enjoy the rain for a while longer.”

Boom—!

Suddenly, a thunderclap exploded, as if detonating right beside the ear. Yang Su, hand raised mid-spell, trembled and quickly sealed his magic, glancing up at the pavilion’s exterior.

“This thunder, something is unusual…”

In the next instant, a fierce wind swept through the trees ahead, mingling with the rain. Thunder followed in rapid succession. Lightning ripped through the dense clouds, blindingly bright, illuminating the forest like daylight.

“…Thunder… the Thunder Tribulation!” Yang Su’s eyes widened in horror. He blurted out, “Brother! Do not leave the pavilion! A high-level cultivator is responding to the tribulation!”

Hearing this, Yang Jian turned his gaze outward.

Lightning flickered. A massive tree exploded, splitting in two, and fire ignited in the rain-soaked woods.

The storm raged on. Wind and rain tore through the forest, bending and breaking the trees, as if the mountains themselves were quaking under the wrath of heaven.

The old mule bolted from the main hall, braying wildly. A bolt of lightning slashed across the sky, its glare reflected in the animal’s eyes before striking a crooked old tree at the courtyard wall. Sparks leapt from the impact, and branches splintered and tumbled to the ground. The Daoist flailed his sleeves to shield his face, staggering backward. The Toad Daoist clutched his leg, eyes wide with shock.

“Hahaha…”

A hoarse, maniacal laughter echoed. The lone figure danced along the courtyard wall with his brush, painting in a frenzy. Thunder boomed one after another, while streaks of blue-white lightning tore through the storm clouds, striking around Lanruo Temple.

Boom!

Crack!

Electric serpents seared through the air.

One struck a corner of the temple eaves. Tiles shattered and flew in all directions. Six elders, sheltering from the rain, huddled together, clutching their heads, trembling, crying out in terror.

“Mercy! Mercy!” “I’m already old! What more do you want from me?!”

“I don’t want to die…”

Hee-oh, hee-ah—

The old mule brayed again, kicking up rainwater as it ran joyfully into the downpour. Its head lifted toward the sky, nostrils flaring at the falling lightning. It spun in circles, stomping in puddles, rolling and frolicking in the water with abandon.

Then—

A bolt of lightning struck with a sharp crack! The mule’s eyes went wide. Its body stiffened instantly; all four legs locked. Each strand of mane stood on end, hissing smoke into the stormy air.

“Liangsheng! The Thunder Tribulation!” The Toad Daoist shouted, clutching the Daoist’s leg. He tried to push past Sun Yingxian’s robe to help, but the innate fear of heavenly lightning forced him back. Desperately, he called to his increasingly distant disciple:

“Summon the Demon Pill! Resist the tribulation! Hold it off for a while—!”

The voice reached him. Lu Liangsheng trembled violently. In his eyes, he seemed to see an old man standing on the execution grounds, neck exposed to the blade. Amidst the faint, maddened laughter, tears flowed uncontrollably.

“Dao…

Dao…

Dao…”

The brush in his hand raced across the wall. The final image of a celestial goddess flying into the heavens was laid down. His teeth snapped shut, then he opened his mouth with a fierce cry, swinging the brush with all his strength.

“The entire court of civil and military officials are all demons and crooked ways—”

Light of the spell flickered across the three courtyard walls. Faint Buddhist chants could be heard. A bolt of lightning descended, but as if the flying goddess’s sleeve had swatted it aside, it veered toward the temple roof, striking with a deafening crash. Tiles and splinters rained down. The electric branches arced toward the tree demon holding a small pot above its head.

With a single thunderous strike, flames erupted. The black-robed tree demon gaped in terror, fleeing, its body instantly dissolving into a gust of demonic wind. It smashed through the wall, flames licked at its shoulders, and it tripped over the Earth Spirit Stele, plunging headfirst into an ancient well with a splash.

Across the three courtyard walls of Lanruo Temple, the Buddha and celestial goddess now emerged in full outline, arms stretching toward the sky…

…meeting the fury of countless heavenly bolts.

Boom—!

The world became a blinding, endless white.