Chapter 18 - 15: The Courtesan’s Yin-Yang Dao
Su Luoqiu was horrified.
That Old Ancestor had long since severed ties with their Glazed Dynasty. It was only by a stroke of luck that he, Su Luoqiu, had caught the man’s eye and was allowed to help out at the noodle shop.
The Old Ancestor had warned him time and time again to be respectful when he came.
’For the Old Ancestor to be this serious... This fresh-faced youth with his red lips and white teeth must be some old monster who crawled out of a grave.’
Lu Changyuan, unaware of Su Luoqiu’s thoughts, simply asked, "What’s the situation in the city right now? How has it become a threat to the life of a Prince like you? And what’s this about the Heavenly Repair Pill?"
Su Luoqiu said, "I’m not clear on the matter of the Heavenly Repair Pill either. The rumor just seemed to appear out of nowhere, and then everyone started flocking to Upper Jade Capital. As far as I know, there are over fifty sects, large and small, in the city now. Nearly five of the Nine Gates and Twelve Palaces have sent people. Things are barely stable for now because the Heavenly Repair Pill hasn’t appeared yet. The moment the Pill emerges, the entire Imperial City will descend into chaos."
"So? Even if everyone is thrown into chaos over the Heavenly Repair Pill, as long as you don’t get involved, it shouldn’t have much to do with you."
He was the Fourth Prince, after all. If he stayed out of it, no one should be trying to kill him.
Su Luoqiu sighed. "That was originally the case, but... Mr. Lu, my father, the Emperor, passed away a few days ago."
The Emperor was dead!?
"He passed away. The matter was kept secret due to the urgency of the situation. Right now, a few old ministers are managing the court."
Lu Changyuan frowned. "What about the Crown Prince?"
Su Luoqiu gave a bitter smile. "That’s precisely the problem. My eldest brother isn’t in court. He left on a southern tour before the rumors of the Heavenly Repair Pill even started. By my calculations, it’ll be another half a month before he can return to Upper Jade Capital."
The Crown Prince was not in court.
The Emperor had passed away.
And just then, rumors of the Heavenly Repair Pill had appeared.
The whole affair reeked of something strange.
Su Luoqiu’s expression was grave. "What worries me more is that a few days ago, several Cultivators from the Blood Demon Palace visited my second Imperial Brother’s residence."
The Blood Demon Palace.
Lu Changyuan suddenly spoke up. "Does your second Imperial Brother know that the Emperor has passed away?"
"He shouldn’t. Only three old ministers in the court know about it. However, my father’s health has been poor in recent years, and he’s been relying entirely on Elixirs refined by the National Preceptor to hold on. After he missed court for several days in a row, my second Imperial Brother most likely grew suspicious."
’Only three old ministers know? Then how did you find out your father was gone, kid?’
’And how do you know that Cultivators from the Blood Demon Palace went to your second Imperial Brother’s residence?’
’You’re not so simple yourself.’
Lu Changyuan looked Su Luoqiu up and down. "Regarding the rumors about the Heavenly Repair Pill, do they only say that the Chang’an Daoist left it for your ancestors?"
"Not only that, but rumor has it the Pill is at the bottom of this very lake, Liuqing Lake."
’No wonder so many people have come to Liuqing Lake. This lantern festival must be a desperate attempt by those old ministers to conceal the activity around the lake.’
BANG!
A crisp explosion interrupted their conversation.
Brilliant fireworks lit up the sky.
A sudden clamor arose from not far away. Su Luoqiu said, "Well, let’s watch the song and dance for now, Mr. Lu. The courtesan should be appearing soon. I’m quite curious myself. I’ve heard she’s as beautiful as a peach blossom. Several young masters in Upper Jade Capital saw her once and lost their appetites completely."
’A courtesan. Could she be more beautiful than this Fallen Fairy beside me?’
Lu Changyuan asked, puzzled, "You’ve never seen her? Isn’t the courtesan from Upper Jade Capital?"
Su Luoqiu shook his head. "I’ve never seen her. She appeared suddenly in Upper Jade Capital a month ago. She’s probably here for the Pill, too. The Old Ancestor told me to stay away from her."
Xia Lianxue suddenly interjected, "Is she from the Hehuan Sect? Only people from the Hehuan Sect possess such a Demon Technique, making one lose all interest in food and drink after a single glance."
Lu Changyuan, for reasons unknown, let out a laugh. "The Hehuan Sect is still around?"
That sect was quite deviant. Its members never hid their intent to drain people dry, making them a prime example of the Demon Dao. Yet, there was always a steady stream of people who fell for it.
Later, when Lu Changyuan was cracking down on Demon Cultivators, he gave the Hehuan Sect a good beating, and they learned to behave.
The Sect Leader Lu Changyuan knew had standardized their practices. They would only drain Cultivation, not kill. Not only that, but their methods had also changed. They used to just drain you directly, but later they started cultivating a relationship with you first before draining you.
That way, it was consensual, and even the Chang’an Daoist couldn’t interfere.
Logically, this should have been a good thing. But in the end, even more honest Cultivators met tragic ends because of those high-level, two-faced charmers from the Hehuan Sect.
Lu Changyuan found it baffling.
The story went that those honest folks couldn’t win the affection of the Hehuan Sect’s charmers, became corrupted by Desire Demons, and ultimately died under Celestial Tribulation.
’To think there are still people in this world who actually believe someone from the Hehuan Sect could have genuine feelings for them.’
"They are still around, but in recent years they seem to prefer the method of dual cultivation." Xia Lianxue smoothed her hair and tightened the sash of her white dress. "One of my junior sisters had her soul ensnared by a male cultivator from the Hehuan Sect and defected from our sect."
As the Fairy spoke her gentle words,
another firework shot into the sky. In the explosive flash of light, Lu Changyuan could clearly see a graceful figure dancing on the painted barge in the center of the lake.
Silks and satins, like a waking dream.
A dance of phoenixes, a lover’s song.
And the courtesan could be heard singing softly:
"Plum wine,
A peach blossom nook.
Scholars in white, esteemed guests seated.
The grand banquet begins as twilight falls.
Through trials of true love and lonely partings,
Wrong, wrong, wrong."
Under the lights, the courtesan in a red dress danced to the accompanying pipa, like a breeze rippling across the lake’s surface.
’Beautiful, yes, but not as beautiful as the well-behaved Fairy beside me. Especially in terms of figure; she’s a far cry from Xia Lianxue.’
Lu Changyuan asked in surprise, "Fairy, take a look. Is that a man or a woman?"
Xia Lianxue turned her head to look at Lu Changyuan. "Judging by that figure, it’s naturally a woman."
"If they look male, they’re female. If they look female, they’re male. Therefore, he’s a man."
Su Luoqiu, who had been watching the figure, mesmerized, was so startled by these words that his chopsticks fell onto the table. "Mr. Lu, what did you say?"
Lu Changyuan looked at Su Luoqiu teasingly. "That’s a man."
Su Luoqiu let out a sharp cry. "A man? How is that possible? How could that possibly be a man?"
Xia Lianxue seemed to have thought of something and frowned as well. "Young Master, are you referring to the Yin-Yang Dao?"
Lu Changyuan took a sip of tea to wet his throat. "Yes, the Yin-Yang Dao. For someone to take such an unorthodox path and cultivate the Yin-Yang Dao these days is... commendably brave. And from what I can see, he seems to have already touched the threshold of the Fifth Realm. His dance is capable of disrupting yin and yang. Look, you can see the Yin Yang Qi flowing around him."
Yin Yang Qi is self-sustaining, each containing the other. When the two merge into one, they form the cycle of reincarnation.
It is undoubtedly a Great Dao.
But it is a very deviant one.
Of ten who cultivate this Dao, nine die, and the last one goes mad.
Generally speaking, it is considered a Forbidden Dao.
Lu Changyuan explained faintly, "The last person who successfully cultivated this Dao to the Seventh Realm was a Cultivator with dual male and female souls in one body, born without a gender. Without that kind of innate talent, one can only practice it step by step."
Su Luoqiu managed to tear his eyes away. "What do you mean, ’practice it step by step’?"
Xia Lianxue raised a delicate hand and warmed Lu Changyuan’s tea again. "It is said that for those who cultivate this Dao, if you are a woman, you must cultivate yourself into a man, and if you are a man, you must cultivate yourself into a woman."
Lu Changyuan scoffed. "And the trick to this Dao is that as you cultivate, it’s easy to forget your original gender. But if you truly forget, your Dao will be destroyed and you will perish. This feeling of contradiction—having to cultivate this path without fully identifying with it—is the very essence of the Yin-Yang Dao."
As far as Lu Changyuan knew,
at least fifteen hundred years had passed since anyone had successfully cultivated this Dao.
And he had met one today.
The Cultivation Realm truly was a place where a hundred flowers bloomed; someone would cultivate anything and everything.