802: Chapter 802 Lu Xueqi and Biyao (181)

When his mood was calm, his power flowed as gently as spring water; when he was emotionally stirred, his power would surge like a tide; and when his "heart grew hot"—much like that day on the battlefield when he saw the lamp light amidst the ruins—his power would instantly condense into his palm, transforming into tangible light.

Upon learning of this, the Sect Master remained silent for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, finally saying: "Su Han, this is no longer cultivation. This is a… Realm. A Realm that all of us are pursuing but have never truly reached."

"What Realm?"

"The Realm of 'Heart is Law'." The Sect Master looked at him, his eyes filled with awe and a sense of near-reverence. "Legends say that ancient beings could make flowers bloom or wither with a single thought; wherever their heart reaches, that is their Divine Ability. You have now stepped onto that path."

Su Han said "Oh," feeling neither particularly excited nor terrified. He simply felt that this was troublesome—the Sect Master's gaze looked less like he was looking at a disciple and more like he was looking at a living Buddha. He did not like that look.

Fortunately, the Sect Master soon returned to normal. He was, after all, a wily old fox who had lived for over three hundred years; after a brief lapse, he immediately adjusted his mindset, scolding and punishing as usual. Three days later, because Su Han was late for sword practice by half a quarter of an hour, the Sect Master still punished him by copying the "Heavenly Gang Righteous Qi" three hundred times, without missing a single word.

When Su Han was hunched over the desk copying the scriptures, A-Yuan was crouching beside him grinding ink. As she ground, she asked: "Uncle-Master Su, aren't you already very powerful? Why does Grandmaster still punish you by making you copy books?"

Su Han continued writing without looking up: "Being powerful and following the rules are two different things. No matter how powerful a person is, if they are late, they must accept the punishment."

A-Yuan nodded, seeming to understand but not quite, and added a spoonful of water to the inkstone: "Uncle-Master Su, then does that mean you are the most powerful person in the world now?"

Su Han's brush tip paused, causing a blot of ink to spread on the paper. He thought for a moment, put down his brush, and looked at A-Yuan's earnest little face: "A-Yuan, what kind of person do you think counts as the most powerful in the world?"

"Someone who can beat everyone!"

"Someone who can beat everyone, and then what?"

A-Yuan was stunned, tilting her head to think for a long time: "Then... then no one would dare to bully them anymore."

"Then what if they can't find anyone to fight?"

"Then... then..." A-Yuan struggled for a long time, her little face turning red, "Then they aren't powerful anymore?"

Su Han smiled and reached out to pat A-Yuan's head: "See, power won just by fighting isn't reliable, is it? If you can't find an opponent and you're no longer powerful, what kind of 'world's most powerful' is that?"

"Then what is reliable power?"

Su Han thought for a moment and cast his gaze outside the window. The peach blossoms on the mountain behind had all fallen, and new leaves were emerging from the branches, a bright, verdant green that glistened in the sunlight. An oriole landed on a branch, tilting its head to groom its feathers, its tail flicking up and down.

"I think," Su Han said slowly, "that the person who can make light shine in others' hearts is the truly powerful one."

A-Yuan frowned and pondered for a while, then her eyes suddenly lit up: "Just like you, Uncle-Master Su?"

"Me? I'm still far from it." Su Han picked up his brush again to continue copying the scriptures, "I am still learning."

A-Yuan stopped talking and quietly ground the ink. Outside the window, the oriole chirped twice and flew away. The sunlight slanted in through the lattice window, falling onto the rice paper on the desk, making the damp ink characters glisten.

...

Ten days after the Grain Rain, Su Han set off for Fire Cloud Valley.

The day he departed was a clear, sunny day, without a single cloud in the sky. Su Han carried a small bundle on his back, containing two changes of clothes, a flask of peach blossom wine, and three bottles of Medicinal Pill the Sect Master had shoved into his hands. A-Yuan walked him all the way to the mountain gate, her eyes red, pouting as if she were about to cry.

Su Han crouched down to look at her at eye level: "Why are you crying? I'll be back in half a month."

"Then you must keep your word!"

"I will. When I come back, I'll bring you rice wine from Fire Cloud Valley."

"I can't drink alcohol!"

"Then I'll bring you sugar made from rice wine."

Only then did A-Yuan smile through her tears, holding out her little finger: "Pinky swear!"

Su Han hooked his finger with hers, stood up, and walked down the mountain. After walking dozens of steps, he looked back and saw A-Yuan still standing at the mountain gate waving at him, her small figure shrinking into a tiny black dot in the morning light. He turned and continued walking; after walking a stretch, he looked back again, and the small black dot was still there. By the third time he looked back, the small black dot had finally disappeared; she had likely gone back.

He smiled and continued on his journey.

Fire Cloud Valley was eight hundred li south of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect, and at his current pace, he could arrive in two days. But he was in no rush. He walked along the main road, passing through villages and towns, fields and rivers, walking slowly like an ordinary traveler. Occasionally, he would stop to look at wildflowers by the roadside, rest at a tea shed to drink a bowl of coarse tea, or chat for a while with a peddler carrying a pole.

This was his first time walking in the mortal world alone, without any aim. In the past, whenever he left, it was either to carry out a mission or to hurry to a specific place, always with a clear objective and urgent deadlines. But this time was different. He was going to Fire Cloud Valley to see those common folk, and the "going" itself was the purpose; it made little difference whether he arrived a day early or a day late.

On the evening of the first day, he passed a place called Liuxi Town. The town was not large, with about a hundred households living along a creek. At the entrance of the town stood a stone bridge, and at the bridgehead was a crooked willow tree, under which an old woman sat sewing a shoe sole. As Su Han walked past, the old woman looked up at him, her cloudy eyes lingering on his face for a moment before she suddenly grinned with her toothless mouth: "Young man, are you tired from walking? Come and sit for a while."

Su Han sat down on a stone stool next to the old woman. Twilight spread from the west, dyeing the entire creek a golden red. The old woman had sewn more than half of the shoe sole in her hand, the stitches dense and tight, looking sturdy at a glance.

"Auntie, who are you sewing this shoe sole for?"

"For my grandson. That boy is naughty; he can wear out a pair of shoes in three months." The old woman said, taking another stitch, her fingers covered in thick calluses, "You're from the north, aren't you? Your accent isn't like ours."

"Yes, I came from the Lingxiao Immortal Sect."

After Su Han said the four words "Lingxiao Immortal Sect," he paused for a moment himself. In the past, when he went out to handle matters, he would hide the name of his Sect, avoiding mentioning it whenever possible. But this time, for some reason, facing an old woman sewing a shoe sole, he had said it casually, as naturally as saying "I am from the next village."

The needle in the old woman's hand paused, and she looked up to examine Su Han carefully once more.

"People from the Immortal Sect, eh." The old woman's tone had no ripples; she simply nodded, "No wonder you look so healthy. A few years ago, when the town had an epidemic, it was people from your Sect who came to treat it—a girl in green clothes, looking as fresh as a water onion. She cast a few incantations with holy water, and the sickness was gone."

Su Han knew who she was talking about. It was Senior Sister Ji from the medical branch of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect, who had indeed traveled through several southern towns the year before.