Chapter 477 - 112: Aspiration
Wang Ping could afford to ignore any other piece of intelligence, but he had to care about the positions for the Taiyan Fourth Realm. After all, there were only nine of them. Once someone took a spot, Wang Ping might never get another chance in his lifetime.
"Can you find where he advanced?" Wang Ping asked urgently.
"I lost him, but I’d guess it was somewhere near Shangjing City. Unfortunately, you and I won’t have the time to deal with him then, and it’s not like he could enter Shangjing City anyway."
Zi Luan said regretfully, "We can only leave it to luck. From what I saw, that Guanmao is a shifty-eyed hunchback. He doesn’t even use a Spiritual Body to reconstruct his physique. A man like that builds his entire life on schemes and trickery. How could he possibly walk the Great Dao?"
Wang Ping frowned. At that moment, he was certain: Zi Luan knew the target he’d sent Dongcan to eliminate was Xiu Yu, not Guanmao. These words were Zi Luan’s way of expressing his dissatisfaction.
’Or perhaps Zi Luan is doing this on purpose. It fits his character—that twisted sense of humor of his. Sometimes, his sick jokes don’t even have a point.’
"Can ’First Day’ find him?" Wang Ping asked.
"They should be able to. Rats have their tunnels, and tigers have their trails," Zi Luan said with a light wave of his hand. Waves of Wood Spirit Qi flowed out, illuminating the surrounding space.
"Sit!" He produced a set of redwood chairs and invited Wang Ping to sit, acting every bit the host.
Wang Ping cupped his fist in thanks.
As they sat, Zi Luan took out his tea set and began to brew tea.
Wang Ping returned to the previous topic. "Since ’First Day’ can find his location, leave this matter to me. The Nine Tripods Sect owes me five favors. It’s time they handled one."
Zi Luan smiled faintly as he lit the stove he had taken out. "When I advanced to the Third Realm, I was just as spirited as you are now," he said. "I thought I was the chosen one. Every time I heard about a Taiyan Cultivator secretly advancing to the Fourth Realm, I’d get incredibly nervous, as if that Fourth Realm spot was supposed to be mine!"
His words were blatant mockery, so on the nose that Wang Ping didn’t know how to respond. It was, after all, exactly how he felt. He had even forgotten for a moment that the man before him also practiced the Taiyan Talisman and was at a higher cultivation level.
"The path of cultivation is all about being competitive!"
Yu Lian was very unhappy with Zi Luan’s taunt.
Zi Luan looked up at Yu Lian, the smile on his face deepening slightly. "You’re not wrong," he replied. "Cultivation is an act of defying the heavens. How could one succeed without a competitive spirit? But I am someone who has lost that spirit. Over the past thousand years, I’ve heard of dozens of Taiyan Cultivators attempting to reach the Fourth Realm. Most of them simply vanished without a trace while hunting a Fourth Realm True Spirit."
"I gradually grew afraid. Whenever I thought about my own advancement, my Primordial Spirit would recoil in instinctual fear. Yet, I was jealous of those who dared to challenge themselves. So, I did everything in my power to stop them, not even sparing some Second Realm Cultivators!"
At this, he looked at Wang Ping and said bluntly, "Back then, if it weren’t for my master’s warning, you might not have escaped my schemes, Fellow Daoist!"
Hearing this, Yu Lian, who had been resting on Wang Ping’s shoulder, coiled up. Her slitted pupils flashed with a green light, and she looked ready to attack at any moment.
Wang Ping lowered his head to stare at the tea table, afraid that if he kept looking at Zi Luan, his face would betray his emotions. After collecting his thoughts, he asked, "And what are your thoughts now, Fellow Daoist?"
"Aren’t we allies now? I will fully support your advancement to the Fourth Realm, Fellow Daoist!"
"That’s far too uncertain."
Wang Ping shook his head, making a show of humility.
Zi Luan didn’t pursue the topic, instead focusing on brewing the tea.
Wang Ping stared intently at the kettle on the stove, lost in thought. He then looked up at the night sky. The inky blackness was just as it always was, dotted with only a few scattered stars. This cosmos was not as brilliant as the one from Wang Ping’s past life; most of it was deep and dark.
Compared to the boundless cosmos, Wang Ping and Zi Luan were insignificantly small. They didn’t even need to be compared to the cosmos; against the backdrop of the Zhongzhou Continent alone, the light from their fire was as minuscule as a single grain of sand.
Wang Ping looked at Zi Luan again. ’I’m sure of it. Zi Luan didn’t stop targeting me because of Xiao Shan Lord’s warning. It was more a calculation for his own future. When Xiao Shan Lord decided to pursue the Realm of True Monarch, Zi Luan lost his sense of security. And just then, I appeared, rising like a brilliant moon. It was like making an investment. Zi Luan had chosen to bet on me.’
Yu Lian spoke in his Spirit Sea, "His Primordial Spirit is incredibly strong. I estimate he’s already cultivated the Taiyan Talisman to its peak. In terms of cultivation level alone, he’s much higher than Xiu Yu. Talent like that is rare on the entire Zhongzhou Continent. It’s a pity his spirit is completely broken."
Wang Ping watched Zi Luan pick up the kettle and replied in the Spirit Sea, "That’s why the Taoist Family emphasizes Pure Cultivation. It’s to avoid being too tainted by the mortal world."
Yu Lian retorted, "You mean like Xiu Yu? He meditates and cultivates all day, and now he’s no different from a madman. At this point, the slightest thing could probably push him completely over the edge."
"Balance is what’s most important. Using the natural way of the Dao to do something that defies the heavens!"
"Sounds nice, but it’s bullshit. You try defying the heavens. You’ll be dead without a single scrap left in minutes."
"It’s not just empty words. Defying the heavens isn’t about opposing them. It’s about striving for that sliver of life the Celestial Dao leaves for all living beings. That sliver of life..."
Wang Ping didn’t finish his sentence.
Yu Lian didn’t press him, seemingly pondering the meaning of his words.
After a long silence, Zi Luan finished preparing the tea. As steam rose from the three cups, he invited, "Fellow Daoists, please."
A sip of clear tea settled in his stomach, and Wang Ping cleared his mind of unnecessary thoughts. Yu Lian’s mood also became lively again. Zi Luan spoke up, "I received your letter earlier asking about the Shangjing Court purging spies from the various sects. I figured I’d be coming to the front lines soon, so I didn’t write back."
He took a shallow sip of tea and continued, "It was only after your letter that I learned the Six Heart Sect’s spy was dealt with before the Spring Festival. The disciple in charge of intelligence in Shangjing City intentionally concealed the report. By the time I sent someone to investigate, he had vanished completely—not seen alive, nor his body found."
Zi Luan put down his teacup and looked at Wang Ping. "Speaking of which, you bear some responsibility for this matter!"
"Oh?"
"You and Xia Yao secretly planted quite a few people on each other back in the day, didn’t you? This disciple was one who got into Nanlin Road through your connections!"
Hearing this, Wang Ping offered a brief apology. "That was my oversight." But as soon as the words were out, he changed his tune to defend himself, "However, when I cut ties with Xia Yao, I thoroughly purged the people he had planted."
Zi Luan just smiled and didn’t continue the topic.
Wang Ping, naturally, didn’t press the issue either.
Zi Luan picked up the teapot and refilled the three cups. He then set the pot down, took his own cup, and walked to the edge of the summit. Gazing out over the land cloaked in night, he asked, "Master told you to wait here for orders, didn’t he?"
"Yes!"
"After Midnight, it will be the fifteenth. The Duke of Chu will ascend to the title of Emperor and worship Master’s divine tablet. At that moment, the Heaven and Earth Fortune will converge!"
"What do we need to do?"
"Nothing. Master already said we just have to wait!"