Chapter 79 Planning with My Son, Contending with Heaven

As the sun rises, no matter how wonderful the night may have been, a new day begins, and so does a new journey.

After Chang Yubai and his apprentice tidied their clothes, wiped away any traces, and made sure they were perfectly dressed, they slowly opened the right-hand sliding door of the rooftop.

As soon as I came out, I saw Li Tiansheng, who had returned, carrying two bags of breakfast in his hand.

Chang Yubai: ...

Li Qingyun: ...

Was it poisoned?

Li Tiansheng: ...

It's really unnecessary for me to care about you all this time.

"Have you had enough fun?" Li Tiansheng wasn't very familiar with Chang Yubai, so his first question was directed at Li Qingyun. "You promised."

“I’m not going to renege on my promise.” Li Qingyun interrupted him a step ahead, then coughed awkwardly, “It’s just that last night… I couldn’t find the time.”

Li Tiansheng: ".

He wasn't really interested in hearing about that.

Li Tiansheng changed direction and handed the paper-wrapped breakfast to Chang Yubai: "Want some?"

Chang Yubai naturally accepted it, but he was very curious: "How did you know we would eat breakfast?"

Li Tiansheng: "I was busy last night."

Chang Yubai nodded.

But Li Tiansheng never followed up.

Chang Yubai: ? ? ?

Li Qingyun saw through Li Tiansheng's secret. Before her silly lover could figure out the key point, she took Chang Yubai's hand and intertwined their fingers: "Is there anywhere you want to go?"

A single sentence brought Chang Yubai's wandering thoughts back to reality.

Chang Yu thought and thought, but many of the secret places they had originally planned to explore were no longer meaningful. In their previous lives, the master and disciple had explored almost all of Guanwu. Now, if he were to think of a destination, it would be hard to say.

"Just browsing around?" Chang Yubai asked tentatively.

No one offered a rebuttal.

So going shopping became the first thing to do after leaving the brothel.

Some people enjoyed the new night and its new flavors, while others were moved by a sense of loneliness.

The master and apprentice brushed past each other, laughing and talking, but Li Tiansheng didn't immediately follow, remaining silent in place. His faint sorrow betrayed him, causing Li Qingyun to turn around in surprise. But Li Tiansheng had already composed himself in an instant, glancing at her indifferently and nodding as a sign that he was unharmed.

Then he caught up with the two of them, as if his earlier hesitation had never happened.

Chang Yubai also wanted to turn around, but Li Qingyun stopped him. Since she wouldn't let him, Chang Yubai lost interest in investigating. It didn't matter to him anyway, so he would listen to his master.

After leaving the brothel, the three walked side by side. One had an indescribable joy on his face, trying hard to appear calm. Another looked helpless, but his demeanor was detached. The third had his eyes downcast, making it impossible to see his eyes clearly. It was unclear whether he was lowering his head to hide his thoughts or simply to avoid eye contact.

Three people, six feet, but each walks their own way, each with their own rhythmic characteristics. At first glance, it looks like three people with no chemistry at all have come together.

The three of them did differ in their attire, two in white and one in black. This was much better than their haphazard walking, but they weren't entirely in sync. It was all too obvious who the outsider was.

Unfortunately, the cultivation levels of these three strange cultivators were all harder to discern than the levels of the others. Passersby turned around in surprise, thinking they were seeing things, but no matter how they looked, they couldn't see through the cultivation level of any of them.

The doubt turned into fear, for the three big shots were walking side by side, pretending to be ordinary cultivators strolling the streets.

—They must have a lot of free time.

As they walked, Chang Yubai's gaze would occasionally fall on Li Qingyun's waist.

At first, Li Qingyun thought this guy was a lecherous man who hadn't had enough last night and was still thinking about reliving the experience. But after glaring at him and receiving a bewildered and wronged look from his apprentice, Li Qingyun realized that he had misunderstood.

Chang Yubai wasn't looking at his own waist, but at the sword at his waist.

A brand new sword.

...

The story goes back to dawn today.

The two ended their flirtatious game, straightened their clothes, and were ready to relax.

Chang Yubai recited a refreshing incantation to cleanse the place of its unpleasant odor. When he turned around, he saw Li Qingyun sitting by the flower bed, holding the Abandoned Heaven Sword in her hand, deep in thought.

Chang Yubai's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly went over to ask Li Qingyun what she was thinking.

Could it be that he forged it carelessly, making Li Qingyun feel that Qitian was different from Wuyuan Sword and dislike this sword?

Li Qingyun shook her head again: "No, this sword is very good, exactly the same as Wuyuan's."

But... Li Qingyun suddenly condensed spiritual power into a sharp sword shape and forcefully cut Qitian in half.

The sword fell to the ground with a thud, now broken into two even halves.

Under Chang Yubai's shocked gaze, Li Qingyun explained:

“In my past life, I named my sword Wuyuan (meaning ‘no wish’) because I was destined to be a lone star, and no one cared about my feelings. So I urged myself not to care about external things. Wuyuan means ‘no wish’ or ‘no distracting thoughts’ is a reminder to myself not to delay my cultivation because of inappropriate thoughts.”

“Abandoning Heaven is even simpler. It was also a damned fate at work. But back then, I was still young and thought simply. I was unwilling to accept the fate that Heaven had placed on me. I thought that I could abandon my destiny and reshape a new life on my own, so I named my sword Abandoning Heaven.”

But now, after more than ten thousand memories have returned, Li Qingyun is neither the Qingyun Venerable who complained about fate nor the stubborn and arrogant young Xiaoyun.

He looked at the sword in his hand, but his mindset was completely different.

Li Qingyun is a person who likes to look forward.

He discovered that the longsword in his hand was already far behind in terms of its symbolism, and could no longer keep up with his thoughts.

Those past experiences that were once highly anticipated are now just that—past experiences. What he wants to do now is incredibly simple.

So he told Chang Yubai, "If we keep bringing up those past events, it will only be a burden."

Chang Yubai nodded in understanding, but he didn't know what Li Qingyun was going to do.

The next second, Chang Yubai's doubts turned into shock as he saw Li Qingyun unleash a pure flame that instantly melted the broken longsword.

The sword was reshaped, and the flames were controlled to remain within a small area, demonstrating the arsonist's mastery of spiritual power.

As the flames subsided, a brand-new, gleaming emerald-silver longsword was born. With the addition of quenching water, the longsword was polished and finalized.

The words "By my heart" are clearly branded on the hilt of the sword.

This is the choice Li Qingyun is making at this moment.

I only wish that everything goes according to my heart, that I may live up to the expectations of others, and that I may not waste this life.

...

Time returns to the trio's aimless stroll through the streets, with Chang Yubai glancing at Pingxin Sword every now and then, a sweet look on his face.

He believed that the words "from the heart" showed that Li Qingyun cared about him more than fate, and it was also a unique confession.

He glanced around and smiled the whole way, acting like a country bumpkin who had just arrived in the city; it was truly unbearable to watch.

Anyway, Li Qingyun didn't know how to deal with Chang Yubai in a way that would seem prudent.

If I can't figure it out, I might as well give up.

Whenever Chang Yubai looked over, Li Qingyun would look back at him, give him a slight smile, and remain silent.

Li Tiansheng: ...

Li Tiansheng had already figured out his role as a third wheel. Seeing that the master and apprentice would occasionally exchange a tender glance, he wisely turned his head away, went his own way, and felt melancholy on his own.

However, he didn't focus all his energy on avoiding intimacy; he observed every unusual movement around him.

For example, a few dozen meters to the right behind him, a group of cultivators were extorting money from a rogue cultivator. Some cultivators who saw the injustice went to help, but they couldn't avoid a dispute, and the two sides started fighting.

The righteous cultivator, fighting alone, was repeatedly forced back. Amid the pushing and shoving, the unfriendly cultivators came up with a bad idea: to escalate the conflict to a point where the hotheads couldn't afford to mess with them. After some coercion, they started attacking the three of them.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned for this group.

Just a few steps away from the three of them, Li Tiansheng raised his hand and waved his sword, the Lingxiao Sword plunging into the ground and unleashing a divine sword aura that frightened everyone around into not daring to move.

"Here, let war cease."

With just a few words spoken softly, he completely silenced the troublemaker.

Chang Yubai clicked his tongue in amazement: "You've really put on a big show."

Li Tiansheng: "." Basic stuff, thanks.

"Thank you so much for saving me, senior." The naive cultivator was the first to react and quickly thanked Li Tiansheng.

Chang Yubai glanced at him, but the more she looked, the more familiar he seemed, as if she had seen him before.

He leaned over for a look, which left Li Qingyun and Li Tiansheng beside him full of question marks, and also made the cultivator being looked at swallow nervously.

Looking at this face, Chang Yubai racked his brains for a moment and finally remembered why it looked familiar!

"Young Master Lu?" Chang Yubai uttered a name he hadn't heard in a very long time.

They weren't exactly acquaintances, having only met once, but this person was remembered because of the Black Scale Sword.

At that time, Chang Yubai was eager to buy the Black Scale Sword but lacked the funds. It was this young master Lu who generously appeared and acted as an ATM, helping him obtain his beloved sword without spending a penny. This cause and effect is still worth remembering for Chang Yubai.

Moreover, after he bought the Black Scale Sword, he was pursued by this young master Lu with a warrant issued on his head, and had to leave the Great Wilderness in a sorry state, which was also an unforgettable part of his life.

Young Master Lu humbly declined the honor, stating that he was willful and ignorant back then. After leaving home to become a disciple and wandering the world for many years, he had come to realize that there were also unkind individuals among cultivators and had devoted himself to the righteous path.

Chang Yubai: "..."

Chang Yubai patted him on the shoulder encouragingly: "That's good, keep it up."

Then, before the person was too terrified to react, they quickly released them.

"What's going on?" After the person left, Chang Yubai couldn't hide his surprise. "I remember he was also cannon fodder."

Calling them cannon fodder is already a kind of compliment. After all, more than a decade ago, Chang Yubai only hastily defined them as ATMs, the kind that could only recite lines.

This question is relevant to Li Tiansheng's major; he can answer it.

"Because your destiny is not in the celestial orbit, it is very easy to change. Once someone comes into contact with you, you will break free from the stereotypes attached to you and develop many possibilities."

This is the variable he has always been pursuing.

Only Chang Yubai can completely change the template-based storyline of Guanwu Continent.

As for the variable, Chang Yubai himself: "..."

silence.

He had expected it to be a lot of trouble, but now it seems like it's far too troublesome.

Li Tiansheng continued, "This is what I want to ask of you."

"I would like to ask you for your help to help me break free from the fate that I am bound by in the Guanwu Continent."

Chang Yubai remained: "..."

It wasn't that I was unwilling, but I was just too shocked. I never expected that I would suddenly have such a heavy burden to bear.

"I'd like to ask, besides being touched by me, are there any other ways?" Chang Yubai asked tentatively.

If Li Tiansheng had said no, Chang Yubai's happy face would have immediately crumbled.

Li Tiansheng: "There are two more."

Chang Yubai was relieved. Two options were fine, even choosing one was better than him having to choose one of them.

“One is to stay away from me and not have anything to do with my story,” Li Tiansheng said expressionlessly. “The problem lies with me, but I have tried countless times. If I die, the world will collapse along with me; if I don’t die, the story will stay stuck in progress. If I don’t move, there will never be an end.”

"But if the story ends, the world will still collapse, and the cycle will only repeat itself. There is no solution to this."

Method one: Stay away from Li Tiansheng. This method may seem to save many people, but it can only save a portion of ordinary people. The vast majority of cultivators will be dragged into Li Tiansheng's affairs for various reasons, and even if they are only mentioned briefly, they will be branded with a stereotyped image from then on.

This method has become completely invalid after being witnessed by more than ten thousand reincarnations.

As for the second one...

Li Tiansheng took a deep breath, his words firm, showing that he also preferred this method.

Method Two: Go against the heavens, destroy the celestial order, and rewrite the rules of the Guanwu Continent.