107: Chapter 107 People from Qingcheng
Traveling west from Yuelu Mountain for five days, they entered the territory of Sichuan.
The mountains grew higher and the paths more treacherous. Clouds and mist swirled around the mountainsides, obscuring both the peaks and the bases. Occasionally, the long, shrill cries of gibbons echoed from the deep valleys.
Zhang Qingyuan carried the heart lamp, panting as he walked.
"Master, how much further to Mount Qingcheng?"
Lu Mingyuan looked ahead.
"Almost there. Once we cross that mountain ahead, it will be Mount Qingcheng."
Zhang Qingyuan wiped his sweat and continued walking.
Bai Ze, walking at the very front, suddenly stopped.
It pricked up its ears and looked toward the distant mountains.
"There is Sword Qi."
Lu Mingyuan was taken aback.
"Sword Qi?"
Bai Ze nodded.
"Very dense Sword Qi. It's coming from that direction."
It raised a front paw and pointed into the depths of the mist.
Lu Mingyuan looked in the direction it pointed.
He could see nothing.
Only clouds, mist, mountains, and the occasional cry of a gibbon.
But he believed Bai Ze.
"Let's go."
He stepped forward.
After crossing the mountain ridge, the view suddenly opened up.
Surrounded by mountains was a verdant peak. On the peak, pavilions and temples were faintly visible, their flying eaves and upturned corners appearing and disappearing within the clouds.
Mount Qingcheng.
Standing on the ridge and gazing at the mountain, Lu Mingyuan thought back to five years ago.
The first time he came here, he had been asked three questions on Wenjian Cliff.
He had studied the manuals in the Sword Pavilion, reading three thousand seven hundred volumes of sword scriptures.
On the Sword Testing Platform, he had exchanged a hundred moves with Jiang Yichen.
He had heard the story of Daoist Songyun and read the 'fragments of the heart sword'.
He had left Mount Qingcheng carrying that songyun jade pendant and that nine-hundred-year-old unanswered question.
Five years had passed.
That mountain was still the same mountain.
But he was no longer the same person he was five years ago.
Jiang Yichen walked up to his side.
"We've arrived."
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"We've arrived."
Jiang Yichen gazed at the mountain, his eyes reflecting something complex.
"Five years."
Lu Mingyuan looked at him.
"Do you want to go back and take a look?"
Jiang Yichen remained silent for a moment.
"I do. But there's no rush."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"Business first."
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"Alright."
They descended the mountain, entered the range, and walked up the stone steps.
Halfway up the mountain, they encountered a mountain-guarding Disciple.
The Disciple was stunned to see Jiang Yichen, then cried out in pleasant surprise.
"Senior Brother Jiang! You're back!"
Jiang Yichen nodded.
"I'm back."
The Disciple looked at him, then at the people behind him, finally letting his gaze fall on Lu Mingyuan.
"This is—"
Lu Mingyuan cupped his hands.
"I am Lu Mingyuan, requesting to see Senior Brother Yue Wushuang."
The Disciple was startled.
"Lu Mingyuan? The Lu Mingyuan who exchanged a hundred moves with Senior Brother Jiang on the Sword Testing Platform five years ago?"
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"The very same."
The Disciple's eyes lit up.
"Wait a moment! I'll go report this right away!"
He turned and ran up the mountain.
After a few steps, he turned back and shouted:
"Senior Brother Yue is at the Back Mountain Sword Hut! You can just head straight there!"
With that, he vanished in a flash.
Lu Mingyuan smiled.
"Let's go."
The Back Mountain Sword Hut.
Though called a sword hut, it was actually just a thatched cottage. In front of the cottage was a clearing filled with swords. These swords varied in length and style; some were new, some old, some intact, and some broken. They were thrust into the ground like a forest of swords.
In the center of the sword forest was a person.
That person sat cross-legged with a long sword resting across his knees. He kept his eyes closed and remained motionless, like a stone statue.
Lu Mingyuan stood outside the sword forest, watching the man.
Yue Wushuang.
Five years.
Five years ago, he had exchanged a hundred moves with this person on the Sword Testing Platform. At that time, he was only at Foundation Establishment Perfection, while Yue Wushuang was already at the Late Stage of the Golden Core. After a hundred moves, he had barely managed a draw, but he knew that Yue Wushuang had been holding back.
Now, he was at the Early Stage of the Heavenly Immortal realm.
Yue Wushuang—
He looked closely.
Early Stage Golden Immortal.
To go from the Late Stage of the Golden Core to the Early Stage of the Golden Immortal had taken only five years.
He remembered what Bai Ze had said—"Cultivation is like walking. The speed doesn't depend on talent, but on the heart."
What was Yue Wushuang's heart like?
He didn't know.
But he knew that this person was worth the wait.
He stood there without making a sound.
He waited for a long time.
The sun moved from overhead to the west, then sank behind the mountains. Dusk fell, and mist began to rise in the mountains.
Yue Wushuang never once opened his eyes.
Zhang Qingyuan grew impatient and asked softly:
"Master, is he asleep?"
Lu Mingyuan shook his head.
"No."
Zhang Qingyuan was puzzled.
"Then why isn't he moving?"
Lu Mingyuan said softly:
"He is waiting."
Zhang Qingyuan asked:
"Waiting for what?"
Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment.
"Waiting for what should be waited for."
Zhang Qingyuan was even more confused.
Bai Ze said leisurely from the side:
"Waiting for the sword."
Zhang Qingyuan looked at it.
"Waiting for the sword?"
Bai Ze nodded.
"He is comprehending the sword. When reaching a critical point of comprehension, one cannot be interrupted. If interrupted, the flow is broken."
It looked at Yue Wushuang.
"This person is a sword maniac."
Zhang Qingyuan nodded, seeming to understand yet not quite.
They waited for a long time more.
The moon rose.
Moonlight spilled over the sword forest, and those swords glinted with a cold light. In the center of the sword forest, Yue Wushuang remained motionless with his eyes closed.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
In that instant, the entire sword forest seemed to light up.
It wasn't a literal light, but a sensory one. Every single sword was glowing, trembling, and emitting a faint sword hum.
Yue Wushuang stood up.
He looked toward Lu Mingyuan outside the sword forest.
"You've come."
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"I've come."
Yue Wushuang stepped out of the sword forest.
Walking up to Lu Mingyuan, he stopped and looked at him.
He looked for a long time.
Then, he said one thing.
"You've grown stronger."
Lu Mingyuan also looked at him.
"You've grown stronger too."
Yue Wushuang nodded.
"Yes. A little stronger."
He paused.
"But it's still not enough."
Lu Mingyuan looked at him.
"What is not enough?"
Yue Wushuang said softly:
"The Sword Dao is not enough."
He looked at the swords thrust into the ground.
"Each of these swords has its owner. Some of those owners are dead, some have left, and some are still on the mountain. But their swords remain here."
He paused.
"I sit here every day, looking at these swords, listening to these swords, and thinking about these swords. I've looked, listened, and thought for five years."
He turned back and looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"Do you know what I realized?"
Lu Mingyuan shook his head.
Yue Wushuang said softly:
"I realized that—the Sword Dao is the Heart Dao."
Lu Mingyuan's heart jolted.
The Sword Dao is the Heart Dao.
This was what he had realized in Chapter 64.
Yue Wushuang had realized it too.
Yue Wushuang looked at him.
"You don't seem surprised?"
Lu Mingyuan shook his head.
"I'm not surprised."
Yue Wushuang asked:
"Why?"
Lu Mingyuan remained silent for a moment.
"Because I realized it too."
Yue Wushuang was taken aback for a moment.
Then, he smiled.
The smile was faint, but there was light in his eyes.
"Then it is right."
The two stood outside the sword forest as moonlight bathed them.
Yue Wushuang suddenly asked:
"What have you come for?"
Lu Mingyuan looked at him.
"The Northwest Rift needs people."
Yue Wushuang nodded.
"I know."
Lu Mingyuan asked:
"You know?"
Yue Wushuang pointed into the distance.
"Someone told me."
Lu Mingyuan looked in the direction he pointed.
Deep within the sword forest, there was a stone tablet.
On the tablet were three carved characters—
"sword-heart stele".
Yue Wushuang said softly:
"This tablet was left by the Ancestral Master of Mount Qingcheng. The Ancestral Master said that the sword-heart stele would only react to one thing—"
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"When the world is about to fall into chaos."
Lu Mingyuan fell silent.
Yue Wushuang continued:
"Three days ago, the sword-heart stele lit up. It stayed lit for an entire night."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"The next day, I knew you would come."
Lu Mingyuan looked at him.
"Then, are you willing to go?"
Yue Wushuang did not answer immediately.
He turned, walked back to the center of the sword forest, and picked up the long sword that had been resting on his knees.
The sword's blade was bright as snow, reflecting a cold, chilly light under the moon.
He walked back and stood before Lu Mingyuan.
"This sword has been with me for twenty years."
He said.
"It is called 'shouxin'."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"Do you know why it's called shouxin?"
Lu Mingyuan shook his head.
Yue Wushuang said softly:
"Because the Sword Dao is the Heart Dao. If you cannot guard your heart, you cannot guard your sword. If you cannot guard your sword, you cannot guard your Dao."
He paused.
"But guarding the heart isn't for the sake of just keeping it. It's for—stepping out."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan.
"Do you understand?"
Lu Mingyuan thought for a long time.
Then, he nodded.
"I understand."
Yue Wushuang smiled.
"That's good then."
He sheathed the sword.
"Let's go."
Lu Mingyuan looked at him.
"Just like that?"
Yue Wushuang nodded.
"Just like that."
He stepped forward.
After a few steps, he suddenly stopped.
He looked back at the sword hut, the sword forest, and the swords thrust into the ground.
Then, he said softly:
"Wait for me to return."
Having said that, he strode away.
Lu Mingyuan followed by his side.
Behind them, those swords remained quietly in the ground, glinting coldly in the moonlight.
They were waiting.
Waiting for him to return.
After descending the mountain, they met up with the others.
Zhang Lingyun saw Yue Wushuang and nodded.
Jiang Yichen saw Yue Wushuang and also nodded.
Fa Ming pressed his palms together.
Li Haoran cupped his hands in a salute.
Zhang Qingyuan carried the heart lamp, curiously watching this newcomer.
Bai Ze walked up to Yue Wushuang and looked him up and down.
"You're that sword maniac?"
Yue Wushuang looked at it.
"Are you—Senior Bai Ze?"
Bai Ze nodded.
"It is I."
Yue Wushuang cupped his hands in a salute.
"I have long heard of you."
Bai Ze laughed.
"Another 'long heard of you'."
It looked at Yue Wushuang.
"The Sword Qi on your body is very heavy. Heavy enough to cut people."
Yue Wushuang nodded.
"Yes. I haven't reined it in yet."
Bai Ze asked:
"When will you be able to rein it in?"
Yue Wushuang thought for a moment.
"I don't know. Perhaps I won't be able to rein it in for my entire life."
Bai Ze looked at him.
"Then what will you do?"
Yue Wushuang said softly:
"If I can't rein it in, I won't."
He looked at Bai Ze.
"The Sword Dao is the Heart Dao. If the heart cannot be reined in, the sword cannot be reined in either. If it cannot be reined in, then let it shine. Only by letting it shine can I know where I am."
Bai Ze remained silent for a moment.
Then, it said:
"Interesting."
Yue Wushuang smiled.
"Senior overpraises me."
The night grew deep.
They found a place at the foot of the mountain to rest.
A campfire was lit, and Zhang Qingyuan took out dry rations to share with everyone.
Yue Wushuang sat by the fire with 'shouxin' resting across his knees, his eyes closed and motionless.
Zhang Lingyun and Jiang Yichen still didn't speak, each meditating.
Fa Ming faced the direction of the Shaolin Temple, chanting softly.
Li Haoran used the light of the fire to flip through that 'record of near reflection'.
Bai Ze lay not far away, its eyes narrowed.
Lu Mingyuan sat by the fire, looking at those people.
Zhang Lingyun, Jiang Yichen, Fa Ming, Li Haoran, Yue Wushuang, Zhang Qingyuan, and Bai Ze.
Six people, plus one Divine Beast.
Including himself, that made seven.
Seven people willing to walk together.
He suddenly remembered a sentence.
Chapter 64: Sword Dao is the Heart Dao.
The Sword Dao is the Heart Dao, and the Heart Dao is the Human Dao.
The Human Dao is the path that many people walk together.
He looked at the firelight, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
Bai Ze opened its eyes.
"What are you laughing at?"
Lu Mingyuan said softly:
"Laughing at my good luck."
Bai Ze looked at him.
"Good luck?"
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"To be able to meet these people and walk with them, if that's not good luck, then what is?"
Bai Ze remained silent for a moment.
Then, it said:
"It's not luck."
Lu Mingyuan looked at it.
"Then what is it?"
Bai Ze said softly:
"It's the path you're meant to walk. They are also the people you're meant to meet. On the path you're meant to walk, you will always meet the people you're meant to meet."
It paused.
"This is called—fate."
Lu Mingyuan was stunned.
He thought of Xuanweizi's words.
He thought of the Queen Mother of the West's words.
He thought of Daoist Songyun's words.
He thought of those who had died, those who were alive, and those who were still on the road.
fate.
The path one must walk.
The people one must meet.
He looked at those people, looked at those lights.
Then, he smiled.
"Yes. fate."
He stood up.
"Let's go. It's almost dawn."
Those people opened their eyes and looked at him.
No one spoke.
But they stood up and followed behind him.
Together, they walked toward the Northwest.
Behind them, the night gradually receded.
Ahead, the first light of dawn appeared.
A new path had begun.