Chasing Dreams Across a Thousand Miles
Despite saying that, Li Wujiu was thinking about something else at that moment.
In fact, what truly made him decide to take Xiao Yu into his fold at first glance was something else.
At that time, in front of the Hidden World Sect's mountain gate, a composed and beautiful unfamiliar girl in green robes unfolded a piece of cloth with her pale fingers trembling almost imperceptibly.
He recognized it at a glance; it was the banner he had thrown down below the city wall of Luoyang five years ago, with four bright black characters written on the white cloth: "Ziya the Divine Calculator".
That was the first time he and she met.
He remained outwardly calm and asked casually, "Young lady, you come from a noble family and are born into wealth and honor. You can easily obtain almost everything in the world. There should be no unfulfilled wishes. What wish could you possibly have that requires you to come to my desolate mountain valley to be fulfilled?"
This question, however, was directed at her Daoist heart.
Most other sects in the martial arts world aim to eliminate evil and promote good, and help the needy. At the very least, they want people to master martial arts and achieve a future of high rank and wealth. Only the Hidden World Sect takes a transcendent mindset, free from worldly concerns, as the fundamental purpose of its members.
If one seeks fame, fortune, power, and prestige, the Xiao family has already reached the pinnacle of power. Even if one wishes to learn martial arts, the Xiao family can hire renowned masters from across the land. Why would Xiao Yu bother to travel all the way to the Hidden Sect?
Xiao Yu bit his lip and said in a clear voice, "The carefree realm that Sect Leader Li displayed on the outskirts of Luoyang City back then is the life that Xiao Yu yearns for."
Li Wujiu remained silent, lost in thought.
His heart was in harmony with the Dao, and he lived a carefree life in the mortal world. His thoughts were always on the ever-changing natural world. What ordinary people saw as the transcendence of an immortal was just ordinary to him. He did not understand what it was that made Xiao Yu remember him for five years after their first meeting, and then decide to abandon his comfortable aristocratic life at home to come to this desolate mountain wilderness to become his disciple.
He asked again, "Five years ago, I only appeared in Luoyang once before disappearing into the distance. How could you possibly know that the fortune-telling boy under the city wall back then was Li Wujiu of the Hidden Sect?"
Xiao Yu finally smiled for the first time, his eyes sparkling with wonder, and said, "Aside from the later renowned 'Divine Calculator' Sect Master Li, who else could have the ability to enter and leave the heavily guarded Luoyang City as if it were empty?"
Looking at her expression, Li Wujiu found it somewhat amusing and also vaguely understood Xiao Yu's mindset.
Most women from wealthy families spend their lives like birds imprisoned in a golden cage, just as most men born into power and privilege spend their lives under the protection of their fathers and brothers, living as second-generation rich kids. This applies to both men and women. Talented individuals like Shangguan Yuqi and Pei Yu, who possess extraordinary perseverance and exceptional talent and ultimately become pillars of their families, are rare, regardless of gender.
Young women always yearn for and admire heroes, especially those who have actually seen them in person.
What he couldn't understand was that it was one thing for a young woman to have fantasies, but the Xiao family, who were so insightful about the ways of the world and could turn the world upside down, surely had some powerful figures behind them. Why would they allow their eldest daughter to pursue her dreams to such an extent?
Now, of course, he understands the reason.
Unlike the common people's yearning for and deification of martial arts sects, A Qiu was practically born into this myth, the joys and sorrows of which she knew only herself. She smiled bitterly and said, "So, the sect leader just kept her here like that?"
Li Wujiu countered, "Shouldn't I have kept her here? We met once five years ago, and she intended to help me then, which was fate; and she kept my tattered turban for five whole years until I became famous, and only then did she come to me to become my disciple, which was intentional. With both intention and fate present, the bond between master and disciple begins."
He seemed lost in memories as he said, "I took her as my disciple, but I didn't expect her to endure the harsh life in the mountains for long. However, to my surprise, she persevered without complaint. She was meticulous in everything I told her, and I never had to worry about anything. Later, as her cultivation level rose, I intended to have her take over the sect, until the Xiao family came. You know what happened after that."
After hesitating for a moment, A Qiu finally said, "May I ask the sect leader a question?"
Li Wujiu seemed to know what she was going to ask, but still calmly said, "Ask away."
Ah Qiu said, word by word, "Sect Leader Li once asked me whether taking over the Ghost Valley Sect was my own wish or for my master's sake. My answer was for my master. Now, I ask Sect Leader Li the same question: Do you think everything Miss Xiao has done is for the Hidden World Sect or for you alone?"
She asked the question very subtly, but she wanted Li Wujiu to give a clear answer.
Did he know Xiao Yu's feelings, and how did he view those feelings?
Li Wujiu showed no emotion and asked in return, "Looking at my current state, do you think this problem is really important?"
A Qiu suddenly woke up and couldn't help but look up at Li Wujiu's figure, who was quietly meditating and seemed to have no connection with the affairs of the world. She couldn't say another word.
Li Wujiu sighed and said clearly, "She is obsessed with me and yearns for me. Whether it is the illusion of a young lady or the opportunity for her to truly pursue the Tao, it will only be a part of her life. And I have paid the price for my curiosity about her."
A desolate mountain path winds its way, a lonely stream flows by. Birds chirp often, but no one else is around. A gentle breeze brushes my face, snow piles up on my body. Day after day, the sun is unseen; year after year, spring is unknown.
From then on, Li Wujiu's life was destined to be spent in this lonely realm, silently waiting until his lifespan was exhausted, or until A Qiu could replace Gu Yi and complete the still distant goal of unifying the world.
But even if he does emerge from seclusion one day, Li Wujiu will no longer be the same person he was when he first entered seclusion.
For him, everything is subject to cause and effect. His encounter with Gu Yi was the cause, and his encounter with Xiao Yu was the catalyst. No matter what feelings he had given Xiao Yu or what responsibilities he had shouldered for her, every moment of his life was like a clear spring flowing over a stone, leaving no trace once it had passed.
Li Wujiu calmly asked, "Do you have any more questions for me?"
A Qiu suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "I would like to ask the sect leader a question on behalf of Bai Shi, a disciple of the Zhu You Sect. Bai Shi's two masters and senior uncles have suddenly disappeared without a trace in the past year. It is said that they planned to travel to the Hidden Sect. Does the sect leader know where they are?"
Li Wujiu paused for a moment, then said, “Qi Luo and Qi Shang of the Zhuyou Sect were summoned by me through a letter. I have been refining Gu Yi’s Transformation Pill, but before the Xiao family visited the mountain, I had a vague feeling that something would happen to me, so I sent Qi Luo and Qi Shang here to refine the pill for Gu Yi in my place. According to my instructions before I entered the pass, they should be hiding in the Desolate Cloud Marsh, which is a dozen miles away from here. That is also where the ancestral temple of the Zhuyou Sect is located. You can go there to look for them.”
He paused, then said, "But given Gu Yi's current state, does he still need the Nascent Soul Pill?"
A Qiu understood that Li Wujiu meant that Gu Yi had already passed on all his skills to her, and now that he was a cripple, was it still necessary for him to take the Transformation Pill to maintain normal hair and eye color in order to walk in the world?
A Qiu's mind raced, but in the end she knelt down before Li Wujiu's seated figure, bowed once more, and said, "Sect Master Li, after my master wakes up, please tell him a lie for me."
Li Wujiu said, "Are you leaving already?"
His unspoken meaning was not that A Qiu was going to leave him and this grotto, but rather that A Qiu didn't intend to wait for Gu Yi to wake up before leaving.
A Qiu lowered her eyes slightly and said lightly, "With Chief Lie taking care of me, and my master being a man of principle, it doesn't matter whether I'm by his side or not. As his successor, I should still return to the capital to plan for the world. However, before that, I will go with Bai Shi to find the two great shamans and settle the matter of the Zhu You Sect."
Li Wujiu said calmly, "Do you know that Gu Yi left for the sake of the world back then, and I have never seen him again in the twenty years since then?"
When they met again, things had turned out this way. One was facing death, the other was on the verge of death. They could no longer laugh and play chess together, carefree and unconventional as they once were. And this was after both of them had met with unexpected circumstances.
If it weren't for these unexpected events, we might never have met again in this lifetime.
Unifying the world is an incredibly difficult undertaking; even if one dedicates their entire life to it, they may not be able to achieve it. If one makes a vow of "never returning until Loulan is conquered," then there is a very high possibility that they will never return, never to come back again.
A-Qiu closed her lips tightly and finally whispered, "That's better."
Gu Yi's lifelong wish should only include the world, not her. She also did not want to disturb his peace of mind with her existence.
To let Gu Yi be Gu Yi, and for her to be herself. That was her wish at that moment.
Li Wujiu sighed, "Then what lie do you want me to tell?"
Ah Qiu quickly said, "Given his current condition, even if he wakes up, there's a high chance he won't remember anything from before."
Gu Yi's mind was originally conflicted and divided, but after experiencing things with her, it returned to its original state, as if he had been reborn. The union of yin and yang is both creation and cleansing. The love flower that she took back will also bring back some memories, so it is hard to say what Gu Yi will remember.
Ah Qiu said, "You will be the first person he meets. So please tell him that he is just an ordinary person who stumbled into this place by accident."
She quickly said, "His other side is free-spirited and unrestrained, doing whatever he wants without regard for any rules, only wanting to do what he wants. I want to give him the opportunity to shed his identity as a disciple of Guigu and be a free and unrestrained version of himself."
Li Wujiu remained silent for a moment, then said, "Alright."
A Qiu swiftly darted out from the entrance of the cave's water curtain, like a swallow in flight, startling Lie Changkong, who was guarding the entrance.
Lie Changkong, who had been sitting against the stone wall with his sword, was both surprised and delighted to see her emerge carrying the Louyue sword, looking refreshed and full of energy. He immediately stood up and asked, "Young Master, are your injuries fully healed?" He then looked behind her but did not see Gu Yi emerge, so he asked suspiciously, "Where is Master?"
A-Qiu stood quietly beneath the waterfall, listening to the cascading water, before saying after a moment, "He's still inside."
Lie Changkong's expression changed several times; he seemed about to speak but hesitated, not daring to ask the question.
At this moment, A Qiu felt that he had gained a unique, calm and composed temperament compared to before.
That's the kind of transcendence and mastery that can only be felt by grandmasters like Gu Yi and Wan Qiqing.
A-Qiu said calmly, "Master is fine, he just fell asleep. He will probably wake up in about a day and a night. You stay here and watch over him until he wakes up."
Lie Changkong was somewhat confused, but dared not ask any more questions. He simply took out two bamboo tubes from his pocket and said, "These are two urgent messages from the capital. Please take a look."
When A-Qiu saw the imperial seal on one of the items, he paused slightly, unsure whether he should take it.
Lie Changkong immediately understood her intention and reported, "Master sent a letter back to the capital a few days ago, informing His Majesty that all his affairs will be handled by the young master from now on. Now that His Majesty has sent a letter, as long as it is addressed to Master, the young master can open it."
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