【Old Cold Wood】What is she facing?
Although the news of the evaluation of disciples from various sects was indeed like a stone thrown into the lake, causing ripples in Zhou Suyao's heart, many days of practice and recovery training led by her senior brothers had long since freed her from many worries.
After recuperating for a few more days, Zhou Suyao felt that her body had almost recovered, so she naturally thought of Mingluo. After telling her master Bin Ming about it, she took some common medicinal herbs that could help her calm down and concentrate, and went down the mountain to Xincong Sect.
The original site of Xincong Sect was a dark mountain with beautiful scenery and abundant spiritual energy. However, at this moment, the mountain gate that was once surrounded by fairy air is now all broken walls and rubble, charred beams and broken tiles, as well as some faintly visible dark brown bloodstains, all of which whisper about the tragic battle that took place not long ago.
Zhou Suyao searched for a while and found that Ming Luo was not in the ruins. She followed the subtle fluctuations of spiritual power, bypassed the ruins at the entrance of the mountain, and searched on a fresh and secluded path on the back mountain.
A stream gurgled through the forest, and amidst the trees, a mist-shrouded clearing had been cleared. In the center of this clearing, Ming Luo rolled up his sleeves, revealing his slender yet sturdy arms. He effortlessly lifted a thick, polished log and placed it in the center, preparing to use it as the central support for the pavilion.
There was some mud on her face and sweat was running down her beautiful jaw, but it did not distract her.
"Mingluo." Zhou Suyao called softly.
Ming Luo turned around when he heard the voice and saw Zhou Suyao, and a smile immediately appeared on his face.
She put down her work and hurried over: "Why are you here? Are you feeling better?"
"Almost done." Zhou Suyao smiled and handed her the herbs she had brought. "These are some things to nourish the spirit body. Don't be disgusted. How come you're the only one... and you've already started construction?"
Ming Luo took the herbs, nodded, and led Zhou Suyao towards the pavilion that was taking shape.
The pavilion was built with countless thin bamboos, and the door curtains were made of strings of hollow jade tubes, which made crisp sounds when the wind blew through them.
Ming Luo smiled and said, "I think it will take more than one day to build a mountain gate and a grand hall. It's better to start with a small place of quiet cultivation. The scenery here is beautiful and quiet, with mountains and water converging. If I can recruit disciples in the future, I can also have a place to meditate and gain enlightenment."
"That's a good idea." Zhou Suyao nodded and rolled up her sleeves. "I'll help you."
Mingluo wanted to decline, but seeing Zhou Suyao's determined expression, he stopped being polite. The two of them worked in perfect harmony, one holding the bamboo and the other tamping the earth.
The mountain stream gurgled and birds chirped. Zhou Suyao held a short pavilion pillar and adjusted the mortise and tenon joints. Suddenly, he remembered the heavy words his master had said in front of the dark and terrifying mass grave in the imperial city.
She couldn't help but pause what she was doing, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke: "Mingluo, do you remember what my master said in front of the mass grave in the imperial city... The spiritual path once regarded the common people of the human world as elixir, setting up a large formation to absorb their luck and spiritual energy, refining them into spiritual power for cultivation?"
Mingluo's hand, which was hammering the mortise and tenon, suddenly stopped.
The sound of hammer hitting wood stopped abruptly.
Zhou Suyao looked at Mingluo, watched her slowly stand up, turn her head to look at her, and the smile on her face gradually disappeared.
Instead, there was a complicated expression.
The mountain breeze blew, bringing the coolness of the stream and the fragrance of the grass and trees. The two sat under the hollow jade tube. Not far away, a group of egrets flew up into the sky, and their long whistles broke the silence between heaven and earth.
Ming Luo was silent for a long time, so long that Zhou Suyao almost thought she would no longer answer this question, when she suddenly sighed very softly.
Her gaze turned towards the outline of the Xincong Sect ruins in the distance. Her voice was soft, but seemed to carry a hint of bitterness.
"I remember... what Senior Zhou said is true."
"In fact, this fact has not been truly eliminated."
She bent down, picked up a small piece of gravel on the ground, and rubbed it unconsciously with her fingertips.
"My master... Xuan Yangming, although he later strayed from the right path, did allude to this in his early years when he was teaching us. He said that the universe treats all things as straw dogs. Spiritual cultivators draw spiritual energy from the universe to cultivate, while human beings multiply endlessly. Their vitality, luck, and even their souls and emotions are the largest and most 'accessible' source of spiritual energy in the universe."
Zhou Suyao held her breath. She realized that what Ming Luo was going to say next would definitely not be a utopian world.
"Many sects, especially those with long histories and profound heritage, all more or less... understand or even continue to use similar methods. Of course, the Heaven and Earth Confinement still exists. I don't know how Master... Xuan Yangming escaped such a curse, but I seem to have heard him say that some innocent people were thrown into the Heavenly Dao Prison and transformed into the dynasty's luck. The Spiritual Dao absorbs this Heavenly Dao luck for cultivation... As for many of my senior brothers and sisters, they are actually also using this method of cultivation."
She raised her eyes and looked at Zhou Suyao, as if trying to find the strength of affirmation in her eyes.
"I don't think this is right. It disregards human ethics and tramples upon living beings. As for the path of cultivation, seizing the providence of heaven and earth is already against heaven. If one uses the souls and lives of fellow beings as a ladder, even if one reaches the pinnacle, where will the heart of the Tao begin... In other words, is this the Tao that I truly want to cultivate?"
Zhou Suyao looked at her, feeling a mixture of emotions. She didn't know how to start. She knew she wasn't a pure idealist. If she were to put herself in her shoes, if such temptation were placed before her, she felt she probably wouldn't be able to do it.
Seeing that Zhou Suyao didn't answer her, Ming Luo lowered her head, smiled softly, and said, "So... I have always been resistant to this method. Master... Xuan Yangming also scolded me for not being decisive enough and that I would never achieve great things. Many of my fellow disciples also thought I was stupid..." She smiled bitterly, "Perhaps it is because I have never absorbed human spiritual energy that Xuan Yangming chose me as the carrier of the 'Tongsheng Jue' and the host of his multiple spiritual powers."
As she spoke, her gaze returned to the pavilion, her eyes becoming soft and firm. She whispered, "That's why I want to rebuild the Xincong Sect, but not follow Xuan Yangming's old path. I want to try and see if there's a way that doesn't rely on plundering the dead and the king. Just like how I built this pavilion, every stone and every piece of wood was built with my own hands, absorbing the natural spiritual energy between heaven and earth. That's enough."
She looked at Zhou Suyao, and there seemed to be tears in her eyes.
"Suyao, tell me, can this path be successful?"
Zhou Suyao listened quietly, and she finally understood where the sadness in Mingluo's eyes came from.
It was not only the pain of having one's entire family wiped out, but also the agony of struggling in darkness.
She finally understood why Ming Luo had such a deep obsession with rebuilding the sect - she wanted to prove a purer path that was different from "common sense".
"So, you don't need to ask me if you think you're doing the right thing," Zhou Suyao said. "You've already begun building this Qingxiu Pavilion, seeking to purify your mind and cultivate diligently. Naturally, you have that hope. Even if your progress is slow, every step you take is solid and you have no regrets."
She paused, a smile curling up at the corner of her mouth: "This pavilion, no matter what happens to the Xincong Sect in the future, I will come to your pavilion to meditate when I have nothing to do. You must save a seat for me."
Ming Luo looked at her, tears welling in her eyes. After so many misfortunes, she finally revealed a pure and brilliant smile. She nodded heavily and said, "Okay..."
In the gentle mountain breeze, the two men once again lifted the bamboo and wood until the pavilion finally stood firmly, the mortise and tenon joints making a reassuring sound. Mingluo wiped the sweat from his forehead and sat down on a smooth boulder with Zhou Suyao to rest for a while.
Zhou Suyao sipped her water and suddenly remembered something. She said, "By the way, Mingluo, the sect disciple evaluation is about to start again. Did you know?"
Ming Luo was sipping water. He paused, put his water bag down, and nodded, "Yeah, I heard about it. I think every sect in the spiritual world has heard about it... This time, it will probably attract more attention than previous disciple and sect competitions."
This is natural, Zhou Su thought.
The big sect that has been responsible for the selection of disciples for a hundred years turned out to be a witchcraft master, and almost killed the son of the world's number one avenue.
All these things are destined to make the new evaluation of sect disciples not smooth sailing.
Zhou Suyao pursed her lips. After receiving a positive answer, she turned to ask about another matter that concerned her: "So... have you heard any news about Qi Jie and Qi Shuobei recently? I haven't heard from them since we parted in the Imperial City."
When the Qi brothers were mentioned, Mingluo's expression changed slightly. She was silent for a moment before she whispered, "I... I know something."
"Their injuries are probably long gone. But... they were imprisoned by the elders of Raotian Dao."
"Locked up?" Zhou Suyao was stunned, almost thinking she had misheard. "Why? Even though they acted independently, they ultimately eliminated the huge threat of Xuan Yangming. Even if their merits and demerits offset each other, they shouldn't be locked up, right?"
Hearing this, Ming Luo sighed and lowered his voice even more. "The two brothers of the Qi family, after all, represent the reputation of Rao Tian Dao. There are great disagreements within Rao Tian Dao about this matter. Some think they are reckless, while others think they have exposed Xuan Yangming's conspiracy. But judging by Elder Qi's handling of the matter, it seems that those advocating punishment have the upper hand."
She paused for a moment before adding softly, "I've just recovered from a serious injury, and during the few days I rested at your mountain gate, I felt quite lethargic. But while my consciousness was drowsy, I seemed to... sense a very weak transmission of spiritual energy, very similar to the spiritual energy fluctuations that Qi Shuobei had used to communicate with me in the Imperial City. But that spiritual energy fluctuation was very unstable, and it seemed that as it approached, it was blocked by a powerful barrier, unable to penetrate at all, and quickly dissipated."
These words made Zhou Suyao's heart tighten suddenly.
The barrier surrounding the Immortal Path? Is it the Master, or... the Senior Brother?
But why do they want to isolate themselves from outside communications?
Ming Luo continued, "Not long after that, when I returned to Xincong Sect, I received another summons. This time, the summons was not blocked and was delivered directly to me."
"It was Qi Jie. He seemed to have used some secret method to avoid the Qi family's surveillance. His voice sounded very weak. He hurriedly asked if I was okay and asked if I had seen me. After learning that everything was fine, he told me to be careful. There might be changes in the spiritual path in the near future, and not to trust others easily. After that, the communication was cut off. I tried to contact him again, but couldn't."
After hearing this, Zhou Suyao frowned.
The doubts in her mind grew bigger and bigger.
Why were the Qi brothers imprisoned, why did Qi Jie take the risk to issue a warning, and Rao Tiandao's ambiguous attitude towards Xuan Yangming.
All of this is too unusual and too unreasonable.
Or say.
She, Mingluo, and the two brothers of the Qi family...
It's already happening without even knowing it.
Accidentally touched something...that they didn't want to be touched?
Zhou Suyao felt more and more uneasy.
After bidding farewell to Mingluo and returning to the path of becoming an immortal, Zhou Suyao's mind kept echoing with Mingluo's words.
"Be careful..."
"The spiritual path has changed recently..."
"Don't trust others easily..."
Why?
Could it be that there was something bigger behind Xuan Yangming's incident? Perhaps it was even related to someone within Rao Tian Dao?
Or do they simply not want the two Qi brothers to be exposed to these spiritual troubles?
Zhou Suyao couldn't understand.
Matters concerning the Imperial City, and the upcoming disciple evaluation.
It was like an abyss with countless bony arms, dragging her down.
Then fell into more endless darkness.
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