510: Chapter 20

Mysterious Dao, Green Pine, Tian Buyi, and Water Moon True Person walked out.

Mysterious Dao walked up to Master Puhong and said with clasped hands, "Master Puhong, we now understand the cause of the matter. Junior Brother Green Pine went astray because of an old incident from over a hundred years ago involving our Qingyun Sect, leading him to covet the item you possess, which resulted in your current predicament."

"In a little while, we will take him back to the Sect to settle the old matter, and then bring him back here to await your judgment."

"However, the reason you massacred Caomiao Village, Master, has a rather significant discrepancy with what Junior Brother Green Pine stated."

"Junior Brother Green Pine said that the last time he fought you, he used the Divine Sword Control Thunder Technique and certainly did not use any deceptive evil arts, nor does he know such Spells. Master claims you were afflicted by an evil art and suffered Qi Deviation. Could there be another reason behind this?"

Upon hearing this, Master Puhong sighed heavily and confessed truthfully, "This matter is a falsehood I uttered out of selfish motives."

After speaking, he glanced guiltily at Zhang Xiaofan, who looked somewhat bewildered, and slowly recounted the entire sequence of events.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the story was finished.

Mysterious Dao, Tian Buyi, and the others exchanged glances, none of them having expected the situation to be like this.

Zhang Xiaofan was completely stunned, his mind buzzing.

Tian Linger and Lu Xueqi were dumbfounded.

Meng Li also shook his head repeatedly.

Master Puhong's character and actions were truly hard to judge.

He was not an evil person; at least before the Caomiao Village incident, he hadn't committed any great evils.

After obtaining the blood-devouring pearl, he initially intended to Seal and purify this ominous, evil object to prevent it from bringing disaster to the human world.

His intention to seek longevity by attempting the Fusion of the Cultivation Techniques of the Qingyun Sect and the Tianyin Pavilion—both this idea and his initial approach—were not problematic.

Among Cultivators, how many do not wish for eternal life?

Master Puhong visited the Qingyun Sect openly and above board; after being refused, he immediately left the mountain.

Being ambushed by Green Pine afterward was purely accidental.

But the subsequent bloody massacre at Caomiao Village truly made people hate him.

If he had only slaughtered the entire village for his own personal gain, the impression wouldn't have been so bad.

This is because such acts of committing evil for selfish desires are commonplace in web novels and TV dramas: for instance, Evil Cultivators, in order to forge the Myriad Souls Banner, would not hesitate to wipe out entire cities or even nations—slaughtering a village is just basic procedure. Or, immortal beings afflicted by love-sickness would casually threaten to destroy the Three Realms and make all living beings accompany them to the grave for a trivial romantic entanglement.

Master Puhong's sin of slaughtering one village is not even a drop in the bucket compared to these actions.

His status as a figure of the Righteous Path was also not the key issue.

After all, figures of the Righteous Path who maintain a facade of righteousness are abundant.

The reason people hated Master Puhong was that he utterly trapped Zhang Xiaofan—an innocent, trustworthy protagonist who held goodwill towards him—and trapped him irrevocably to his death.

He died right after digging the pit!

Later, Zhang Xiaofan suffered countless grievances and hardships for years, being kept in the dark about the pit he dug. When he finally learned the truth, he could only draw his sword, look around in confusion, and find no one to exact revenge upon. He could only swallow his broken teeth, choose forgiveness, and endure.

Master Puhong's actions, compared to Qiu Chuji concealing Yang Kang's parentage, were no less hateful, perhaps even more so.

Because although Qiu Chuji caused trouble, he was not the true originator of the situation, nor did he kill Yang Tiexin and Bao Xiruo, nor did he massacre Niu Family Village.

... Seeing the varied expressions on the faces of Mysterious Dao, Tian Buyi, and the others, Master Puhong sighed, then looked at Mysterious Dao and said, "Sect Head Mysterious Dao, the sin concerning Caomiao Village is mostly mine. Once I have arranged everything, I will submit myself to the judgment of those villagers seeking revenge for their murdered kin, to repay my debt."

"However, Fellow Daoist Green Pine and I also share a Karma."

"You mentioned settling the old matter afterward and handing him over to me for disposal."

"Although I do not know the specific details, I imagine that your brotherhood of several centuries would not wish to see him fall into an unbearable situation."

"I also do not wish to create further bloodshed. If only Sect Head Mysterious Dao..."

Before he could finish speaking, Green Pine coldly interrupted, "Wishful thinking!"

"My ambush of you disguised as a black-clad man was due to my own evil thoughts—the desire to kill and seize treasure. It has nothing to do with the Qingyun Sect."

"One person acts, one person bears the consequences. After I return to settle the past affairs, I will come back to await your disposal. But at most, it will be one life for one life. If you intend to use this matter to scheme for the Qingyun Sect's Cultivation Technique, I, Green Pine, absolutely refuse!"

It was true that Green Pine held resentment towards the Qingyun Sect, but he also had affection for it, as he had studied, worked, and lived there for several centuries.

Furthermore, his hatred stemmed from the belief that Wan Jianyi, who was like a father figure to him, had suffered injustice and even died.

Now that he knew everything was a misunderstanding, he naturally had nothing to hate.

As long as he returned to the Qingyun Sect and saw Wan Jianyi, confirming the truth of the matter, this hatred would completely dissipate, replaced by regret and guilt.

Under such circumstances, as long as there was any room for salvage, he would defend the Qingyun Sect even at the cost of his own life.

Therefore, upon seeing Master Puhong attempt to use him to scheme for the Qingyun Sect's Cultivation Technique, he refused without a second thought.

If circumstances hadn't prevented it, Green Pine would have wanted to cleave Master Puhong with his sword, trade one life for one, go to the Tianyin Pavilion to apologize with his death, or directly betray the Qingyun Sect to mitigate the impact of the incident on the Sect.

He thought this not only to resolve the issue but also because he scorned Master Puhong's behavior.

To achieve his goal, he not only intended to slaughter the entire innocent populace of Caomiao Village but also meticulously calculated against an innocent youth who held goodwill towards him.

Green Pine considered himself quite insane, but compared to Master Puhong, he admitted defeat.

This was because the things he schemed for could at least yield a tangible result; Master Puhong would die after completing his task, never seeing the final outcome.

This was no longer madness; it was complete derangement.

When Master Puhong saw Green Pine react this way, he said helplessly, "Fellow Daoist Green Pine, please let me finish speaking."

"My desire to fuse the Cultivation Techniques of the Qingyun Sect and the Tianyin Pavilion was not out of greed for your Sect's techniques, but rather an attempt to obtain the method of longevity."

"The ancient saying goes, 'If one hears the Dao in the morning, one can die content in the evening.'"

"If I could glimpse the Dao of longevity, I would not care about dying. I certainly won't see that day, but I wish to make an attempt to provide a possibility for those who come later. Whether the result is right or wrong doesn't matter."

"It doesn't matter if the one who ultimately achieves longevity is not me."

"I only wish to try."

"What I seek is not for you to pass the Qingyun Cultivation Technique to me or the Tianyin Pavilion, but to have Zhang Xiaofan become a Disciple of the Qingyun Sect."

"From then on, he would be your Qingyun Sect Disciple, yet be able to cultivate the Tianyin Pavilion's techniques simultaneously."

This...

Green Pine was stunned.

Tian Buyi also found it incredible and asked, "Master, aren't you afraid the Tianyin Pavilion's techniques will leak out?"

Master Puhong shook his head and smiled, "What I seek is the method of longevity. Although the Tianyin Pavilion's techniques can prolong life, they cannot grant eternal life, so they hold little significance for me. Moreover, the Qingyun Sect is the leader of the Righteous Path and possesses peerless marvelous techniques like the Taiji Xuanqing Dao; why would they covet the techniques of another School?"

"The most important thing is that your current situation is stronger than mine. After learning of Fellow Daoist Green Pine's transgression, you did not rely on strength to bully the weak but chose to cover for him."

"Even Fellow Daoist Green Pine, who went astray, has recognized his error and is willing to trade his life for it."

"Given this, what do I have to worry about?"

These words silenced Mysterious Dao and the others.

A few seconds later, Mysterious Dao praised, "Master's pursuit of the Dao is indeed admirable!"

This was the truth.

As a Cultivator, he too had entertained thoughts of pursuing longevity, but he could never be as reckless as Master Puhong for an ephemeral goal.

Because he was not just Mysterious Dao; he was also the Qingyun Sect's Sect Head and had to consider the Sect.

So, Mysterious Dao shifted his tone: "However, what the Master seeks presents two difficulties. First, the Tianyin Pavilion's techniques belong to the Tianyin Pavilion, not Master personally. While Master might set aside sectarian differences for the sake of seeking the Dao of longevity and generously share techniques, Master Puhong, the Sect Head of the Tianyin Pavilion, and the other members might not be willing."

"If this leads to enmity between the Qingyun Sect and the Tianyin Pavilion, it would be unwise."

"Second, Zhang Xiaofan has already taken Master as his teacher, and Master previously intended to send him to cultivate at the Tianyin Pavilion."

"Now suddenly asking this child to switch allegiance to the Qingyun Sect, he might not readily agree."

"Taking a Disciple is based on mutual willingness; only then is it righteous. If one party forces the issue, discord will inevitably arise, which may lead to disaster in the future."