Chapter 3: Forbearance is Key in All Things "Crush this immortal sect to the ground!"...
Lou Yan is having trouble sleeping.
He tossed and turned in bed all night, the bamboo couch creaking under his weight, which was successfully silenced by Heng Qichun in the next room.
The bed finally stopped making noise.
Lou Yan was wide awake, so he simply rolled up in his blanket, got off the couch, sat cross-legged by the window, and craned his neck to look at the moon.
Tonight is a full moon.
When the realms of immortals and demons were relatively peaceful, such a moon often hung in the sky.
Lou Yan still remembers when she was first taken in by Heng Qichun. She often felt lonely and would squat at night, gazing at the moon and chirping. Every time she was chirping the most enthusiastically, she would be forcibly silenced by a silencing spell.
He suddenly thought of something and tentatively opened his mouth.
A very soft growl escaped its throat: "Awooo—"
fine.
This time, only his bed was suffering; Heng Qichun hadn't yet made things difficult for his vocal cords.
Lou Yan breathed a sigh of relief.
Animals don't lie. Even though Lou Yan warned himself a thousand times—Heng Qichun was a hypocrite who was two-faced and was the god who was forced to dissipate his cultivation in the Divine Firmament Palace in his previous life.
But he still had to admit that he was somewhat afraid of Heng Qichun.
This feeling is very complicated.
On one hand, he felt that Heng Qichun was a villain who betrayed him, but at this moment he could not completely sever his dependence on and awe of his master.
It would be difficult for a normal person to explain this, but a wolf would think it's because it's not strong enough.
Just like a wolf cub seeing a stronger opponent, its first reaction is not to confront the challenge head-on, but to assess the situation and wait for an opportunity to strike.
Lou Yan recalled the books that Heng Qichun had forced her to read in the past, and picked out a sentence from them.
—The most valuable thing in all things is forbearance; this is the wisdom of Lao Tzu.
He secretly agreed with the ancient sage who called himself "Laozi" in the book. He leaned against the window and squinted at the lonely moon. His vision gradually blurred. Before falling asleep, he was still determined to do his best: once Laozi's cultivation improved a bit more, he would one day bring Heng Qichun down from his pedestal!
Dawn broke without any warning.
When Lou Yan woke up, she felt like all the bones in her body had fallen apart.
His shoulders ached, and a red mark was pressed against his forehead against the window frame. He tilted his head and nudged the window, instantly squinting at the sunlight outside.
The branches and leaves of the Endless Tree pressed down densely, and the sunlight filtering through the gaps was almost scorching.
The entire Eighteen Realms were eerily quiet; not a sound could be heard, as if the world had been wiped out.
Lou Yan stood up, leaning against the window, and only then did he belatedly realize that this year was a year of severe drought in the human world, a year that was rare in a hundred years. Every day, people were being scorched to death by the sun. The affected people lacked food and water, and there were dead skeletons everywhere outside the immortal gate.
The Eighteen Realms are dedicated to helping the poor and weak. Their disciples are out setting up formations for disaster relief every day, and only a very small number of disciples stay in the mountains. It is normal not to see them.
Lou Yan stretched his legs, which had gone numb from squatting, and stomped them twice on the ground. Suddenly, he remembered that Heng Qichun, who was afraid of noise, might still be sleeping in the next room.
He didn't want to be silenced.
He carefully and quietly slipped through the door, crouching outside Heng Qichun's room and peering through the crack in the door.
Wolves have exceptionally sharp eyes.
However, the room was empty; there was no one there at all.
Where did it go?
"Senior Brother Lou?" Lou Yan was startled when he suddenly heard a voice.
He hesitated and turned his head, only to see the person behind him wearing the school uniform of the Eighteenth World, about to raise his hand to greet him.
know.
Wei Xiuzhu, his senior master Nan Yushan's youngest disciple, should indeed call him "senior brother".
Lou Yan guessed that he wasn't very bright.
He was clearly more suited to medical cultivation, but a few years ago, he somehow became obsessed with the Gu Dao and insisted on cultivating it. He pestered his senior brother, Fu Yusheng, to go to the Lu Duan Sect, where he spent his days happily capturing various spirit pets on the mountain.
Lou Yan was fortunate enough to have seen the house full of small animals that he kept when he slaughtered the clan in his previous life, which left a deep impression on him.
"What's wrong?" Lou Yan asked, feigning composure, crossing her arms and raising her chin.
Wei Xiuzhu slowly uttered an "oh," her almond-shaped eyes crinkling into a clever smile, revealing two small tiger teeth at the corners of her mouth.
"This morning, our sect leader ordered all disciples remaining in the Eighteen Realms to proceed to the Heavenly Sound Palace." He said, looking Lou Yan up and down for a moment, then asked doubtfully, "Senior Brother Lou, didn't you know?"
Lou Yan was naturally wary, so he took a step back, narrowed his eyes, and focused his gaze on Wei Xiuzhu's hands.
Wei Xiuzhu noticed his gaze, smiled sheepishly, and held up the "thing" in his hand for Lou Yan to see, explaining, "Oh, this is a lizard that escaped last night, and I came here specifically to catch it and take it back."
As if afraid of scaring others, Wei Xiuzhu picked up the bright green lizard and put it in his arms after he finished speaking. He didn't forget to add at the end, "That's why I didn't have time to go to Tianyin Palace with my fellow disciples."
Lou Yan didn't care whether the lizard lived or died, and asked him directly, "What are you going to the Heavenly Sound Palace for?"
“Uh…” Wei Xiuzhu pondered for a moment, “I heard it’s about setting up an array.”
As the largest immortal sect in the human realm, the Eighteen Realms are protected by the "true god" Heng Qichun, whose presence ensures that the mountains are rich in divine blessings and covered with protective barriers, making it a place where danger is rare.
In most cases, disciples only need to follow the rules of cultivation or go down the mountain to help those in distress.
If we need to set up a formation...
Lou Yan's eyes narrowed – that meant someone was about to cause trouble.
Tianyin Palace.
Inside the hall stands a huge jade statue of Guanyin. Beneath the pedestal, a gnomon is displayed, its needle moving gradually under the light—it is now the hour of Si (9-11 AM).
Hundreds of disciples stood outside, swords in hand, forming an inverted cone-shaped circle filled with spiritual energy, while a barrier surrounded by a halo rose into the air.
The water rippled outwards from the battle formation.
Countless sharks leaped and tumbled amidst the suspended water waves, with a graceful figure in the very center dressed in a bewitching blue water dress.
That is the Mermaid Emperor, Hua Jiuyao.
The woman had led the Merfolk for hundreds of years and had long since transformed into human form. Her figure was graceful, but her face was full of majesty. She sent her voice into the Heavenly Sound Palace through the array in front of her.
"The Immortal Sect and the Merfolk have lived in peace for thousands of years, but the Demon and Monster Realms have long coveted the Immortal Sect." She narrowed her eyes and said hatefully, "Now that my son has died in the Heavenly Pool of the Eighteen Realms, if you do not give me an explanation, I may inform the Demon and Monster Realms to help them conquer the Immortal Sect."
She threatened, "Whether the battle of Zhuxian will occur depends entirely on the will of the two Venerable Lords."
The hall was silent. The disciples holding swords looked at each other in bewilderment. Soon after, an even larger sword formation rose into the air.
"thumping!"
A column of water surged toward the sword formation outside the Heavenly Sound Palace. Hua Jiuyao flicked her sleeves, her hands transformed into claws, and the water waves overflowing with spiritual power circled in her palms.
Hua Jiuyao urged more and more urgently, "The Eighteen Realms is the number one cultivation sect in the human realm, and you're just hiding like a coward?"
Seeing that no one came out of the hall, she finally lost her patience, pursed her lips tightly, and gestured to the shark behind her, "Break the formation!"
"Raze this immortal gate to the ground!"
As soon as he finished speaking, countless streams of water, imbued with spiritual energy, surged up like waves whipped up by a gale, rushing forward with tremendous force, threatening to encircle the disciples who were arrayed in formation.
"Zheng—"
Suddenly, the sound of a zither rang out.
Large, surging waves leaped up to the sound of the piano, gradually calming down until they became a still pool, slowly accumulating on the ground, greedily absorbing the long-parched bricks and stones.
In the sweltering heat of June, it was like a refreshing rain falling from the sky.
After the sword formation, Heng Qichun walked out carrying a stringless zither in one hand.
His plain robes billowed with spiritual energy, a gust of wind whipping up at the hem, yet his posture holding the zither remained unchanged. He stood there, stepping across the gate of the Heavenly Sound Palace, his white hair like a pure lotus, untouched by dust or grime.
Hua Jiuyao withdrew her spiritual power, and the remaining water droplets dripped onto the ground. She stopped outside the hall and squinted at the last true god of the human realm.
"Has the deity finally shown himself?"
Heng Qichun didn't exchange pleasantries with her. He made a lotus hand gesture with one hand and said in a calm voice to the disciple beside him, "Let's leave."
"Yes." The disciple leading the formation cupped his hands, sword in hand, without hesitation, "Divine Lord."
The sword formation was dismantled, and hundreds of disciples raised their hands in salute before making way for the hall doors behind them.
The leader of the Eighteen Realms, Nan Yushan, has finally emerged.
Nan Yushan gently brushed Heng Qichun's shoulder, glanced at him, and his gaze quickly fell on Hua Jiuyao. "Your Majesty, you flatter me. The reason why the Eighteen Realms are avoiding us is because my junior brother and I are investigating the true cause of your son's death."
He stepped aside and gestured with his hand, "Things are far more complicated than you imagine. Please come inside, Mermaid King, for a chat."
Hua Jiuyao did not step forward. She curled her claws, her sharp nails stirring up a small splash of water. She sneered and looked at the two Venerables standing in front of the Heavenly Sound Palace.
"I've heard that the wicked disciple who killed my son is a direct disciple of the Divine Lord," Hua Jiuyao asked Heng Qichun. "How can I believe you?"
Nan Yushan's face darkened.
He frowned slightly, stepped past Heng Qichun, and was about to speak when someone behind him grabbed his arm.
"Senior brother."
Nan Yushan let out a soft breath, afraid that he and his junior brother would choke, so he simply turned his gaze away and didn't look at him.
Heng Qichun is a very quiet person most of the time.
He didn't speak, but simply raised his hand to meet the Mermaid King's gaze, flicked his sleeve, and the spiritual energy at his fingertips instantly disappeared.
His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and the stringless zither in his hands transformed into a mere illusion of light and shadow. His face instantly turned pale.
The hundreds of disciples looked over in surprise or confusion, but none of them dared to utter a sound.
No one dared to question the deity.
"I have already sealed my spiritual power." Heng Qichun raised his hand in a salute, revealing his delicate fingertips, and said calmly, "The Mermaid Emperor can investigate."
Hua Jiu glanced at him, probably never expecting that a true god in the heavens would actually seal off his spiritual power one day.
The Eighteen Realms, the main realm of cultivation, has been coveted by demons for many years. Only because Heng Qichun is in charge of it, they dare not act rashly.
By sealing his spiritual power, he is essentially exposing his weakness to the world.
Was that wicked disciple really worth him going to such lengths?
Hua Jiuyao had no time to think further.
She slowly closed her curled fingers, suddenly bursting the water droplets, and the overwhelming spiritual power was drawn back into her body.
Attacking the immortal sect at this time would be tantamount to taking advantage of someone's misfortune, and she disdained such a thing.
"What's the secret behind my son's death?" she asked.
A note from the author:
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[Dog head carrying a rose]
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