96: Chapter 96 Bai Ze Recognizes Its Master

Zhang Qingyuan stood on the reef, waving desperately.

"Master! Master!"

His voice scattered in the sea breeze, carrying irrepressible surprise and joy. He held the heart lamp high; the incense inside burned vigorously, a wisp of green smoke twisting into strange shapes in the wind.

Lu Mingyuan swam to the shore and stood up, leaning against the reef.

Zhang Qingyuan jumped down from the reef and ran to him, looking him up and down.

"Master, are you okay? That black wall suddenly vanished just now, I thought you—" He stopped mid-sentence as he saw Bai Ze slowly crawling up behind Lu Mingyuan, freezing in place.

Bai Ze lay on the beach, panting heavily. The sunlight shone on its body, revealing shocking scars where the black threads had constricted it.

Zhang Qingyuan's mouth hung open, unable to speak for a long time.

"This... this is..."

Lu Mingyuan looked at him.

"Bai Ze."

Zhang Qingyuan's eyes widened.

"Bai Ze? The Bai Ze from the classic of mountains and seas? The Bai Ze who knows the nature of all things?"

Lu Mingyuan nodded.

Zhang Qingyuan stared at Bai Ze for a long time, then suddenly fell to his knees with a thud.

"Junior Zhang Qingyuan pays respects to the Divine Beast Senior!"

Bai Ze was startled by him, nearly jumping off the beach.

"You... what are you doing?"

Zhang Qingyuan looked up, his face full of piety.

"Junior has heard stories from elders since childhood, saying that Bai Ze is an ancient Divine Beast who knows everything in the world and can discern the nature of all things. I never expected to see you with my own eyes in this lifetime—please accept my bow!"

With that, he prepared to kowtow.

Bai Ze hurriedly extended a front paw to stop him.

"Don't, don't, don't! I'm most afraid of this!"

Zhang Qingyuan was stopped by its paw and couldn't kowtow, so he could only kneel there, looking at it with a face full of admiration.

Bai Ze felt uncomfortable under his gaze and turned to Lu Mingyuan for help.

"Is this disciple of yours... always like this?"

Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment.

"Not exactly. He's not usually this exaggerated."

Zhang Qingyuan heard this and immediately retorted.

"Master, how can this be called exaggerated? This is Bai Ze! An ancient Divine Beast! Being able to meet it once is a blessing cultivated over several lifetimes!"

Bai Ze sighed.

"Fine. Kneel if you want to. I'm going to rest for a bit."

It lay back down on the beach and closed its eyes.

Zhang Qingyuan indeed knelt there, motionless.

After a long time, Bai Ze opened its eyes.

It looked at Zhang Qingyuan kneeling nearby, then at Lu Mingyuan, who was sitting on the reef with his eyes closed, resting. It suddenly spoke.

"Lu Mingyuan."

Lu Mingyuan opened his eyes.

"Hmm?"

Bai Ze was silent for a while.

"You rescued me; I owe you a favor. I must repay this favor."

Lu Mingyuan shook his head.

"No need. I said before, you saved me first."

Bai Ze also shook its head.

"One thing at a time. You gave me that book—though the book later recognized you as its Master, that's another matter. Repaying you for rescuing me is something I must do."

It paused.

"Besides, I don't like owing favors."

Lu Mingyuan looked at it without speaking.

Bai Ze thought for a bit.

"How about this—I'll go with you."

Lu Mingyuan was startled.

"What?"

Bai Ze looked at him, its gaze serious.

"I'll go with you. From now on, I'll follow you. I'll tell you whatever you need to know. I'll offer advice when you encounter problems. And I'll watch your back when you fight."

It paused.

"Consider it repaying the favor. Once it's repaid, I'll leave."

Lu Mingyuan fell silent.

He looked at Bai Ze, at the deep scars on its body, and at its weary but serious eyes.

"Do you know where I'm going?"

Bai Ze nodded.

"I know. The Northwest Rift. The Dharma-Ending Kalpa. An."

Lu Mingyuan was stunned.

"How do you know?"

Bai Ze smiled.

"I am Bai Ze. The Bai Ze who knows the nature of all things. Is there anything in this world I don't know?"

Lu Mingyuan stared at it.

"Then do you know the origin of An?"

Bai Ze nodded.

"I do. It is the accumulated resentment of the Seven Great Calamities, gathered over billions of years. A projection of the missing Heavenly Dao."

Lu Mingyuan asked again:

"Then do you know how to deal with it?"

Bai Ze thought for a moment.

"I don't. No one in this world knows. Even Hongjun doesn't know."

It looked at Lu Mingyuan.

"But you seem to have some ideas?"

Lu Mingyuan remained silent.

He recalled the words of the Queen Mother of the West—"Resistance is useless; completion is the Righteous Path."

He remembered the final words of the Remnant of the Demon God at the bottom of the sea—"Remember to trust the right person."

He thought of the question in his heart for which he had yet to find an answer.

"I'm not sure," he said.

Bai Ze nodded.

"It's right to be unsure. Anyone who is sure is either a madman or a fool."

It stood up and shook the sand off its body.

"So, do you want me to go with you?"

Lu Mingyuan looked at it.

"If you follow me, what can you do?"

Bai Ze thought for a moment.

"Many things. For example—"

It suddenly turned to look at Zhang Qingyuan.

"This disciple of yours has good Aptitude, but he's gone down the wrong path. He admires you too much and tries to imitate everything you do. But he isn't you; no matter how well he mimics you, he won't go far."

Zhang Qingyuan was stunned.

Bai Ze looked back at Lu Mingyuan.

"And you. There's a question in your heart that you've kept bottled up for five years, and you haven't found the answer. What was that question again? 'After the Heart as the Mysterious Pivot'?"

Lu Mingyuan's heart jolted.

How did it know?

Bai Ze smiled.

"I told you, I am Bai Ze. I know the nature of all things. I can see through the matters in your heart at a single glance."

It paused.

"Besides, that book of yours followed me for tens of thousands of years, and you've been bound to it for five years. I know everything that has happened between you."

Lu Mingyuan fell silent.

Bai Ze looked at him.

"I can help you find the answer to that question. Although I don't know the answer right now, I can help you look for it. I've lived for so long and seen more people than you can imagine. There's bound to be one who can give you some inspiration."

It stopped for a moment.

"Well? Do you want my help?"

Lu Mingyuan thought for a long time.

Then, he nodded.

"Okay."

Bai Ze smiled.

"Then it's settled."

It walked up to Lu Mingyuan, lowered its head, and pressed its forehead against his.

Lu Mingyuan was startled.

"This is—"

Bai Ze's voice echoed in his mind.

"A Master-Recognition Covenant. From today on, you are my Master, and I am your Divine Beast. We shall share life and death, fortune and woe."

Lu Mingyuan wanted to say something, but before the words could leave his mouth, a warm current surged from his forehead, flowing through his Meridians to every part of his body. Wherever the warm current passed, the fatigue eroded by the black mist and the chill left from the seabed dissipated slowly, like snow meeting fire.

He closed his eyes.

Countless images suddenly emerged in his mind—

The Creation of Heaven and Earth, Vicious Beasts running rampant, the Great War of the Three Tribes, the Lich Hegemony, the flames of the Investiture of the Gods, the Journey to the West...

Those images flashed by as fast as lightning.

Yet he could see every single one clearly.

Finally, the images settled on one scene.

It was a mountain.

There was a Taoist temple on the mountain.

In the temple, there was an Old Taoist.

The Old Taoist stood at the entrance, gazing into the distance.

He recognized that back.

It was Xuanweizi.

The image vanished.

Lu Mingyuan opened his eyes and looked at Bai Ze.

Bai Ze also looked at him.

"What did you see?"

Lu Mingyuan was silent for a while.

"Zhongnan Mountain. Master."

Bai Ze nodded.

"That is your root. No matter how far you go, you must remember to return."

It paused.

"The covenant is complete. From now on, you are my Master."

Lu Mingyuan looked at it.

"I'm not used to being called Master."

Bai Ze smiled.

"Then what should I call you? Brother Lu? Mingyuan? Little Lu?"

Zhang Qingyuan chimed in from the side:

"We all call him Master."

Bai Ze glanced at him.

"I'm not you; I won't call him Master."

It thought for a moment.

"I'll just call you Mingyuan. It's simple."

Lu Mingyuan nodded.

"Alright."

Bai Ze turned around and gazed toward the Northwest.

"Let's go. Aren't you in a hurry to get back to The Rift?"

Lu Mingyuan stood up.

"Can you walk?"

Bai Ze shook its body.

"I've rested for a bit and feel much better. Although I'm still a little weak, walking is no problem."

It started walking forward.

After a few steps, it suddenly stopped and looked back at Lu Mingyuan.

"By the way, there's one more thing."

Lu Mingyuan looked at it.

"What?"

Bai Ze was silent for a while.

"During the covenant just now, I took a look at that question in your heart."

It paused.

"That question doesn't lack an answer. It's just that the answer is too simple—so simple that you won't believe it."

Lu Mingyuan was stunned.

"What do you mean?"

Bai Ze shook its head.

"I can't say it now. Even if I did, you wouldn't believe me. You have to reach that step yourself, see it yourself, and believe it yourself."

It turned around and continued walking.

"Let's go. The road is still long."

Lu Mingyuan stood there, gazing at its back for a long, long time.

Then, he stepped forward to follow.

Zhang Qingyuan carried the heart lamp and followed at a trot.

The three—a man, a beast, and a disciple—walked along the coastline toward the Northwest.

After walking for a while, Zhang Qingyuan couldn't help but lean in toward Bai Ze.

"Senior."

Bai Ze glanced at him.

"Hmm?"

Zhang Qingyuan was all smiles.

"Senior, is it true that you can see through people's thoughts?"

Bai Ze nodded.

"More or less."

Zhang Qingyuan's eyes lit up.

"Then can you see what I'm thinking right now?"

Bai Ze looked at him.

"You're thinking—it would be great if I could have a Divine Beast too. Ideally, one like Bai Ze, who can see through hearts and know all things."

Zhang Qingyuan was stunned.

"You... you really can see it?"

Bai Ze smiled.

"I said I could."

Zhang Qingyuan was dazed for a long time, then suddenly asked again:

"Then can you see what my Master is thinking?"

Bai Ze glanced at Lu Mingyuan.

Lu Mingyuan was looking ahead, thinking about who knows what.

Bai Ze withdrew its gaze.

"I can. But I can't say."

Zhang Qingyuan was curious.

"Why?"

Bai Ze thought for a moment.

"Because there are things in his heart that even he doesn't know. Saying them out loud would cause chaos."

Zhang Qingyuan nodded, only half-understanding.

After walking a bit longer, he couldn't help but ask again:

"Senior, how long have you lived?"

Bai Ze thought for a moment.

"I don't remember clearly. Probably... several hundred thousand years."

Zhang Qingyuan gasped.

"Hundreds of thousands of years!"

Bai Ze nodded.

Zhang Qingyuan looked at the scars on its body again.

"Then you must have encountered many things, right?"

Bai Ze was silent for a while.

"Many."

Zhang Qingyuan wanted to ask something, but seeing Bai Ze's expression, he swallowed his words.

Bai Ze glanced at him.

"Ask if you want to."

Zhang Qingyuan hesitated.

"Have you... ever regretted anything?"

Bai Ze stopped in its tracks.

It looked ahead and didn't speak for a long time.

Then, it said softly.

"No. Regret is useless anyway."

After saying that, it continued walking forward.

Zhang Qingyuan stood there, gazing at its back, suddenly feeling that this Divine Beast didn't seem so divine.

It also had times when it was tired.

Times when it didn't want to speak.

And times when it stared into the distance in a daze.

Just like a human.

After walking for a long time, the sun began to sink in the west.

Lu Mingyuan stopped and looked back.

Behind him, the East Sea had turned into a line of deep blue, faintly visible on the horizon.

He stood there, gazing at that sea, remembering the final words of the Remnant of the Demon God—"Remember to trust the right person."

He thought of what Bai Ze had just said—"That question doesn't lack an answer. It's just that the answer is too simple—so simple that you won't believe it."

He remembered the Queen Mother of the West's final question—"Do you know how to proceed now?"

His answer had been—"Keep walking, until the day it is mended."

But keep walking until the day it's mended, and then what?

He didn't know.

Bai Ze walked up to him.

"What are you looking at?"

Lu Mingyuan was silent for a while.

"Looking at the sea."

Bai Ze also looked toward the sea.

"What's so good about the sea?"

Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment.

"Beneath the sea, there is a person."

Bai Ze looked at him.

"That Demon God?"

Lu Mingyuan nodded.

Bai Ze fell silent.

After a long time, it said softly:

"He has already dissipated. The resentment has dissipated, and the obsession has dissipated. He will be no more."

Lu Mingyuan nodded.

"I know."

He turned around and continued walking forward.

"Let's go."

Bai Ze followed.

After walking for a bit, it suddenly asked:

"What were you thinking just now?"

Lu Mingyuan thought for a moment.

"Thinking about—the last thing he said."

"'Remember to trust the right person'?"

Lu Mingyuan nodded.

Bai Ze looked at him.

"Did you trust the right person?"

Lu Mingyuan thought for a long time.

Then, he glanced at Bai Ze, and then at Zhang Qingyuan following behind.

"I suppose so."

Bai Ze smiled.

"Supposing so means you did. Someone who doesn't trust wouldn't say 'I suppose so'."

Lu Mingyuan also smiled.

"Is that so?"

Bai Ze nodded.

"Yes."

The two—a man and a beast—walked forward side by side.

Behind them, the setting sun cast their shadows very long.

Ahead was the Northwest.

The direction of The Rift.

The direction of the Dharma-Ending Kalpa.

And the direction they had to keep walking in.

At night, they stopped to rest by a small river.

Zhang Qingyuan built a fire and took out dry rations and water from his qiankun bag.

Bai Ze lay by the fire with its eyes closed, whether asleep or thinking, no one knew.

Lu Mingyuan sat on a rock, took out the original copy of the classic of mountains and seas, and opened it.

On the pages, the Divine Beasts, exotic plants, and mountains and rivers glowed faintly in the firelight.

He turned to the page for Bai Ze.

The Bai Ze in the drawing was quietly looking at him.

Those eyes were identical to the ones of the creature lying by the fire.

He looked up at Bai Ze.

Bai Ze's eyes were closed, and it was motionless.

He looked back down at the page.

The Bai Ze on the page suddenly blinked its eyes.

Lu Mingyuan was startled.

When he looked closer, those eyes were still again.

He closed the book and tucked it into his robes.

"What are you looking at?"

Bai Ze's voice suddenly rang out.

Lu Mingyuan looked at it.

It had opened its eyes at some point and was looking at him.

Lu Mingyuan thought for a bit.

"Looking at the book."

Bai Ze smiled.

"What's so good about the book? I'm right here."

Lu Mingyuan also smiled.

"I'm used to it. I've carried it for five years; I can't sleep without taking a look."

Bai Ze was silent for a while.

Then, it said softly.

"That book is yours from now on. You can look at it for as long as you want."

Lu Mingyuan nodded.

"I know."

Bai Ze closed its eyes.

The firelight reflected on its body, making the scars stand out clearly.

Lu Mingyuan looked at those scars and suddenly asked:

"Does it hurt?"

Bai Ze opened its eyes.

"What?"

Lu Mingyuan pointed to the constriction marks on its body.

Bai Ze looked down, then looked back up.

"It hurts. But I'm used to it."

It paused.

"I've endured three hundred years; this little pain is nothing."

Lu Mingyuan fell silent.

After a long time, he said softly:

"It won't happen again."

Bai Ze looked at him.

"What?"

Lu Mingyuan looked at it.

"I won't let you be trapped in a place like that alone again."

Bai Ze was stunned.

It looked at Lu Mingyuan for a long, long time.

Then, it smiled.

The smile was light and faint, but there was light in its eyes.

"Okay," it said.

"Okay."

The firelight flickered.

The night grew deeper.

The man and the beast were silent toward each other.

But some words didn't need to be said to be understood.