103: Chapter 103 Connecting with Fellow Travelers
Bai Ze was unconscious for an entire day and night.
Lu Mingyuan stayed by its side, not leaving for a single step. Zhang Qingyuan found a cave nearby, moved Bai Ze inside, started a fire, and boiled some hot water.
Bai Ze lay on the hay, its breathing faint and its eyes tightly closed. The scars that had been constricted by the black threads had originally scabbed over, but now they had split open again, seeping faint blood.
Lu Mingyuan used a wet cloth to gently wipe those wounds, his movements very light, as if he were afraid of hurting it.
Zhang Qingyuan sat nearby, looking at his Master and then at Bai Ze, unable to help but ask:
"Master, Senior... will it die?"
Lu Mingyuan shook his head.
"No."
Zhang Qingyuan looked at him.
"How do you know?"
Lu Mingyuan was silent for a moment.
"Because it is Bai Ze. A Bai Ze that has lived for hundreds of thousands of years. It has seen the creation of heaven and earth, seen Vicious Beasts, seen the Initial Calamity of Dragon and Phoenix, seen the Witch-Demon War, and seen the Investiture of the Gods and the Journey to the West. It has survived so many calamities; it will not die here."
He paused.
"Moreover, it promised me that it would watch me until the very end."
Zhang Qingyuan nodded and stopped speaking.
The fire crackled, making the light and shadows on the cave walls sway.
The following evening, Bai Ze woke up.
It opened its eyes and saw Lu Mingyuan at first glance.
"You... how long have you been watching?"
Lu Mingyuan looked at it.
"A day and a night."
Bai Ze smiled.
"Silly."
Lu Mingyuan also smiled.
"It is quite silly."
Bai Ze struggled to stand up, but its body swayed and it fell back down.
Lu Mingyuan held it down.
"Don't move. Rest some more."
Bai Ze lay back and took a breath.
"That General-level... is it dead?"
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"Dead. You killed it."
Bai Ze shook its head.
"You killed it. I only held it back."
Lu Mingyuan looked at it.
"You almost held yourself to death."
Bai Ze was silent for a while.
"It was worth it."
It looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"Do you know what that was?"
Lu Mingyuan shook his head.
Bai Ze said softly:
"That was a General-level Demon. One at the Golden Immortal Rank. If it had been allowed to lead five hundred Demon Soldiers out, not a blade of grass would have remained for a thousand miles. The resentment of those who died would be eaten by The Rift. The Rift would become larger, the Devilish Qi would become thicker, and more people would die."
It paused.
"So, it was worth it."
Lu Mingyuan did not speak.
He naturally knew it was worth it.
But seeing the split wounds on Bai Ze's body and its weakened appearance, he still felt distressed in his heart.
"Next time," he said, "don't do this again."
Bai Ze looked at him.
"Next time, there will still be General-levels. Perhaps even stronger ones."
Lu Mingyuan was silent.
Bai Ze continued:
"You alone cannot win. Even if I help you, I can only hold them back for a while. After this time, what about the next? And the time after that?"
It looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"We need people."
Lu Mingyuan looked at it.
"People?"
Bai Ze nodded.
"People. Cultivators. Those who can fight, those who can guard, and those who can help."
It paused.
"You cannot guard this Rift alone. I cannot guard it either. We need more people."
Lu Mingyuan was silent.
He remembered what the Queen Mother of the West had said—'Remember those who died, and those things that were never attained.'
He thought of Goudan, he thought of those four Golden Core Cultivators, and he thought of the ordinary people killed by the Demon Soldiers.
One person indeed could not guard it.
But whom should he look for?
He did not know many people.
The Seniors of the Three Mountains of Daoism had very high cultivation, but could they come? They had Sects to guard, Disciples to teach, and their own responsibilities.
The Zen Masters of the Three Temples of Buddhism were compassionate, but could they come? Ling Mountain also had its own calamities.
The students of the Three Academies of Confucianism were full of passion, but could they come? They were only at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stages; coming here would just be seeking death.
The friends from the Three Sects of Martial Arts valued loyalty and friendship, but could they come? They had Schools to protect and families to support.
He looked at Bai Ze.
"Whom should I find?"
Bai Ze thought for a moment.
"Find people like yourself."
Lu Mingyuan frowned.
"People like me?"
Bai Ze nodded.
"Young, talented, with potential. Most importantly—those with heart."
It looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"On your journey so far, you have met many people. Some are just passersby. Others can walk the path with you."
It paused.
"Think. Those with whom you have exchanged blows, discussed the Dao, and fought side by side."
Lu Mingyuan thought for a long time.
Then, several names surfaced in his mind.
Zhang Lingyun of Longhu Mountain. A Genius of Talisman Arts, two years younger than him, yet his attainment in Talisman Arts was not below his own. A character who will appear in Chapter 104, he can be conceptualized in advance now.
Fa Ming of Shaolin Temple. A practitioner of Dual Cultivation of Zen and Martial Arts; though he did not cultivate spiritual power, he could fight to a draw with him. A character who will appear in Chapter 105.
Li Haoran of Yuelu Academy. A rising star of the school of mind, who had discussed the philosophical case of 'the flower in the rock' with him. A character who will appear in Chapter 106.
Yue Wushuang of Mount Qingcheng. A sword dao prodigy who had exchanged a hundred moves with him on the Sword Testing Platform. A character who will appear in Chapter 107.
There was also Jiang Yichen, the swordsman who had discussed swords with him at Mount Qingcheng.
And Zhang Qingyuan, that Loose Cultivator; he didn't know where he was now.
And—
He suddenly remembered someone.
In Chapter 84, it was Yunhua who had saved him from the Kunlun envoy.
But she was not a Cultivator of the mortal realm; she was from Kunlun. The Queen Mother of the West had ordered her to guard that place, so she would not leave.
Lu Mingyuan looked toward Bai Ze.
"There are a few."
Bai Ze nodded.
"Then go find them."
Lu Mingyuan was silent for a moment.
"Will they come?"
Bai Ze looked at him.
"If you don't ask, how will you know?"
Early the next morning, Lu Mingyuan began to take action.
He first had Zhang Qingyuan return to the edge of The Rift to keep watch. Not to fight, but to observe. To watch the concentration of Devilish Qi, the growth speed of the black threads, and whether any new Demon Soldiers appeared. Any abnormality was to be reported immediately.
Zhang Qingyuan held the heart lamp and nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry, Master. I will keep watch."
Lu Mingyuan looked at him and suddenly felt somewhat moved.
Five years ago, this boy was just an ordinary farm youth. Now, he was already able to take charge of a situation.
"Be careful," he said.
Zhang Qingyuan smiled.
"You too, Master."
He turned and walked toward the edge of The Rift.
Lu Mingyuan watched his figure disappear into the morning mist, then turned to Bai Ze.
"You stay here to recover from your injuries. I will go find the others."
Bai Ze shook its head.
"I'm going with you."
Lu Mingyuan looked at it.
"Your injuries haven't healed yet."
Bai Ze stood up and shook its body.
"They're mostly better. Besides, I'm better at finding people than you are."
It looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"I know where they are."
Lu Mingyuan was startled.
"You know?"
Bai Ze nodded.
"I am Bai Ze. I understand the nature of all things. As long as it is someone I have seen, heard of, or sensed, I can find them."
It paused.
"Let's go. We'll go to the nearest one first."
Lu Mingyuan looked at it.
"Who?"
Bai Ze thought for a moment.
"The one named Zhang Lingyun. At Longhu Mountain."
Longhu Mountain was in the southeast, very far from the Northwest.
With Lu Mingyuan's current speed, flying at full power, it would still take three days.
Bai Ze followed by his side, speaking as they flew:
"This Zhang Lingyun, are you familiar with him?"
Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment.
"Not very familiar. I only met him a few times at Longhu Mountain."
Bai Ze looked at him.
"Then why would he be willing to come?"
Lu Mingyuan was silent for a while.
"Because he is a Genius of Talisman Arts."
Bai Ze frowned.
"What kind of reason is that?"
Lu Mingyuan looked ahead.
"A Genius of Talisman Arts doesn't just know how to draw talismans. He understands the essence of Talisman Arts—carrying the Dao through talismans."
He paused.
"A person who carries the Dao through talismans knows what the Dao is. A person who knows what the Dao is knows what must be done."
Bai Ze was silent.
After a while, it said:
"You have a very high opinion of him."
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"Yes."
He looked ahead.
"Furthermore, he owes me a favor."
Bai Ze was curious.
"What favor?"
Lu Mingyuan smiled slightly.
"In Chapter 29, during that Tranquil Heart Talisman Test. He suffered a Qi Deviation while drawing a talisman and was almost ruined. I helped him steady his mind."
Bai Ze looked at him.
"You know how to do that?"
Lu Mingyuan shook his head.
"I don't. It was that Jade Pendant—the songyun jade pendant. It helped me steady him."
Bai Ze was silent.
It remembered that Jade Pendant, remembered Daoist Songyun, and remembered the two words on that door.
"Is that Jade Pendant still with you?"
Lu Mingyuan took out the old Jade Pendant from his robes.
"It is."
He looked at the Jade Pendant.
"I returned one piece to Senior Songyun, but I have always kept this piece."
Bai Ze looked at the Jade Pendant, lost in thought.
After flying for a day and a night, they stopped to rest by a small river.
Bai Ze lay on the grass with its eyes closed, its thoughts unknown.
Lu Mingyuan sat by the river, gazing at the flowing water.
The water was very clear, and the stones at the bottom could be seen. Those stones had been washed by the current for an unknown number of years, becoming smooth and rounded without any sharp edges.
He suddenly remembered what Xuanweizi had said—
"Cultivation is walking a path. If you walk the path beneath your feet well, you will naturally know how to walk the path ahead."
He had walked for five years, from Heyin City to Zhongnan Mountain, from Zhongnan Mountain to the Three Mountains of Daoism, from the Three Mountains of Daoism to the Three Temples of Buddhism, from the Three Temples of Buddhism to the Three Academies of Confucianism, from the Three Academies of Confucianism to the Three Sects of Martial Arts, from the Three Sects of Martial Arts back to Zhongnan Mountain, from Zhongnan Mountain to the Kunlun Ruins, from the Kunlun Ruins to the Abyss of the East Sea, and from the Abyss of the East Sea back to the Northwest Rift.
He had walked so many paths, met so many people, and experienced so many things.
Now, he sat here, gazing at the flowing water.
The water still flowed as it always had, from the past to the present, and from the present to the future, never stopping.
But he was no longer the same person he was five years ago.
Bai Ze opened its eyes and looked at him.
"What are you thinking about?"
Lu Mingyuan was silent for a moment.
"I'm thinking—where does the person walking the path eventually arrive?"
Bai Ze looked at him.
"What do you think?"
Lu Mingyuan shook his head.
"I don't know. But I know one thing now."
Bai Ze asked:
"What?"
Lu Mingyuan said softly:
"The person walking the path is not walking alone."
He looked at Bai Ze.
"There is you, there is Zhang Qingyuan, there is Zhang Lingyun, there is Fa Ming, there is Li Haoran, there is Yue Wushuang—there are those who are willing to walk together."
Bai Ze was silent.
Then, it smiled.
"You finally understand."
Lu Mingyuan looked at it.
"Understand what?"
Bai Ze said softly:
"Understand why you are the Person of Destiny."
Lu Mingyuan was stunned.
Bai Ze continued:
"It is not because you can fight, not because you have talent, and not because you were chosen by 'the one that escaped'. It is because—you can make people willing to follow you."
It looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"That is the most precious thing of all."
Lu Mingyuan was silent for a long time.
Then, he stood up.
"Let's go. There is still a long road ahead."
Bai Ze also stood up.
"Alright."
The man and the beast continued flying toward the southeast.
Behind them, the river water continued to flow.
Ahead, Longhu Mountain was in sight.
On the morning of the third day, they arrived at Longhu Mountain.
The mountain was still that mountain, and the clouds were still those clouds, but Lu Mingyuan knew that everything was different.
He landed before the mountain gate, gazing at the familiar stone steps and the Daoists coming and going.
Bai Ze stood by his side.
"How shall we enter?"
Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment.
"Knock on the door."
He stepped toward the mountain gate.
The little Daoist guarding the gate saw him, froze for a moment, and then recognized him.
"Senior... Senior Brother Lu?"
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"It is I. Is Zhang Lingyun here?"
The little Daoist looked at him, then at the snow-white Divine Beast behind him, his eyes going wide and round.
"He is... he's here. I'll go report right away—"
Lu Mingyuan shook his head.
"No need. I'll go in myself."
He stepped through the mountain gate.
The little Daoist stood there, staring at his back, unable to regain his senses for a long time.
What kind of Divine Beast was that?
How had he never heard of it before?
But no one answered him.
Lu Mingyuan had already disappeared into the morning mist.
Zhang Lingyun lived in a small courtyard on the back mountain.
Lu Mingyuan walked to the courtyard gate and saw him sitting in the yard, staring blankly at a stack of talisman papers.
He looked a bit more mature than he had five years ago, with a few more hints of steadiness between his brows. But that dazed look was exactly the same as back then.
Lu Mingyuan stood at the gate without making a sound.
Zhang Lingyun suddenly raised his head.
"Who is it?"
Lu Mingyuan stepped into the courtyard.
"Me."
Zhang Lingyun looked at him, stunned for a long time.
Then, he smiled.
"You've come."
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"I've come."
Zhang Lingyun stood up and walked over to him.
"It's been five years."
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"Five years."
Zhang Lingyun looked at him, his gaze containing some complex emotions.
"You've changed a lot."
Lu Mingyuan also looked at him.
"You've changed too."
Zhang Lingyun smiled slightly.
"But some things haven't changed."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"You've come to find me because of something?"
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"Yes."
Zhang Lingyun looked at him.
"What is it?"
Lu Mingyuan was silent for a moment.
Then, he said softly:
"The Northwest Rift needs people."
Zhang Lingyun was stunned.
He looked at Lu Mingyuan, looked into his eyes, and looked at the Bai Ze behind him.
Then, he asked one question.
"How many are needed?"
Lu Mingyuan looked into his eyes.
"The more, the better."
Zhang Lingyun was silent.
Then, he smiled.
"Alright."
He turned and walked toward the house.
"I'll pack up. We leave immediately."
Lu Mingyuan stood there, watching his back.
Bai Ze walked to his side.
"Just like that? It's done?"
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"It's done."
Bai Ze looked at him.
"How did you know he would agree?"
Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment.
"Because he is Zhang Lingyun."
He looked at the small house.
"A person who carries the Dao through talismans knows what must be done."
Bai Ze was silent.
Then, it smiled.
"You found the right person."
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"I know."
He stood in the courtyard, gazing at the eastern sky.
The sun had just risen, dyeing the entire Longhu Mountain in gold.
A new day had begun.
A new path had also begun.