Longzang

Chapter 98 Choice
On his first day of cultivation, Wei Yuan felt he was struggling to continue. He was constantly being watched by the full moon, and every time he took a half-breath, he would be pulled out of his meditative state. He feared that continuing like this would lead to a cultivation deviation. However, Wei Yuan soon discovered that the entire mountain's spirit-gathering array had malfunctioned. More than a dozen cultivators from the Heavenly Craft Hall and the Heavenly Mystery Hall had arrived, inspecting and repairing the array, creating a huge commotion. It was said that it wouldn't be repaired in less than ten days to half a month.

After learning the news, Wei Yuan understood that the drying up of the spiritual veins was due to a malfunction in the spirit-gathering array.

Unable to cultivate for the time being, Wei Yuan planned to go to Bosi Hall to borrow a few cultivation manuals for the Foundation Establishment stage to read. Before he even left, two young Daoists came to his cave dwelling, saying that the Palace Master of Dao had summoned him.

These two Taoist priests appeared to be very young, but their cultivation was exceptionally high, almost reaching the Dharma Aspect stage. They used their magical artifacts to carry Wei Yuan on a cloud, and after a short while, they arrived at a towering peak at the edge of the Empty Valley.

The peak was slender and towering, with a vast sea of ​​clouds stretching hundreds of feet below. The two young Taoist priests led Wei Yuan to the edge of the cliff and then quietly left.

On the edge of the cliff, there was a protruding rock, upon which sat a man holding a fishing rod, fishing towards the sea of ​​clouds. He was dressed in simple clothes, looking as ordinary as could be. This unpretentious demeanor clearly indicated that he was no ordinary person.

Although he didn't sense any aura or fluctuations of immortal power, Wei Yuan was so nervous that he could hardly breathe. He came up behind the man and respectfully said, "Wei Yuan greets Immortal Lord!"

Pei Tinghai, one of the two great immortal lords of Taichu Palace, was the pillar of Taichu Palace when the palace master lived in seclusion for many years.

Pei Tinghai didn't turn around, and said leisurely, "Wei Yuan, I heard that when you entered the palace, you asked: If the path to immortality is so wondrous, why do people still starve to death in the mortal world? Do you have an answer to this question now?"

Wei Yuan shook his head: "No, I only know a little bit about it."

Pei Tinghai didn't press further, but instead said, "I also have three questions, listen to them. First, once you've achieved oneness with the Dao and entered the immortal realm, your great power will be your own. Why then do you still need to study history?"

Wei Yuan had actually pondered this question many times before. Not only Wei Yuan, but most young cultivators entering the Tai Chu Palace also had this question. History comprised three of the seven subjects in the intensive training. Although the Zhi Gu Sect didn't participate in the intensive training, history was still required in the courses taught in each hall; it couldn't be omitted. Many disciples inevitably wondered, "Reading history doesn't increase spiritual power by the slightest, nor does it grant any more Dao techniques, so what's the point?"
"The second question: You have already been to the Liao Region, so you know what that world is like. The so-called Dao follows nature, and heaven and earth have existed since ancient times, which has its own reason. But if humans want to survive, they must defy heaven. So, is heaven wrong, or are humans wrong?"

"One last question: The airship is traveling across the Abyss of Darkness and is about to crash. The only way to cross the Abyss is to abandon half of the passengers. Who should live, and who should die?"

Wei Yuan could at least have some ideas about the first question, but the latter two were completely unheard of to him. He had no idea how to answer them, let alone any clues whatsoever. Especially the last question, which had no prior assumptions—it simply required choosing half the people to die. How was he supposed to answer that?

After stating the three questions, Pei Tinghai said, "You can choose any one of these three questions to ask me."

Wei Yuan pondered for a moment and decided to ask why one should study history. At least he had some ideas about this question, and the Immortal Lord's answer would corroborate his own thoughts, making it the most rewarding.

Pei Tinghai then said, "In fact, for the vast majority of cultivators, reading history is indeed useless."

Wei Yuan was taken aback; he hadn't expected this answer.

But Pei Tinghai added, “However, once you cultivate to the level of Yujing and achieve the Mind-Body World, then reading history becomes useful. When the Human King established the Great Li, the Immortal Lord was the Human King, and the Human King was the Immortal Lord. In the early days of the Great Li, several Human Emperors all obtained their thrones through abdication. Over the next 100,000 years, countless dynasties rose and fell. The Great Li eventually became the Great Tang, which was then divided into nine kingdoms, and the position of Emperor gradually became vacant. Once you enter the Immortal Gate, every action you take will involve numerous causes and effects, and every decision will result in the lives or deaths of countless people. Moreover, the power will not only affect the present and future but also the past.”

“By studying history, at least when you encounter situations like interference in politics by relatives of the emperor, the monopoly of power by eunuchs, the separatist rule of regional warlords, or the misrule of the purists, you will know how to deal with them.”

Wei Yuan felt deeply enlightened, but he always felt that Pei Tinghai's words had a hidden meaning, though he couldn't quite grasp the deeper significance at the moment.

Pei Tinghai's fishing rod suddenly jolted and then bent into a crescent shape. He held the rod with obvious difficulty, as if a large fish in a sea of ​​clouds was struggling desperately.

But Wei Yuan clearly saw that there was no fishing line on the rod.

Pei Tinghai exerted his strength several times, and suddenly the fishing rod shot high into the air. A withered branch flew out from the sea of ​​clouds and landed in his hand. Pei Tinghai looked at the branch, which was about a foot long, smiled slightly, and said, "A branch from the ancient laurel tree. It's quite suitable for you. You just happened to be first in the exam, and there's nothing to reward you with, so I'll give you this branch. Let's see if you can keep it alive."

Pei Tinghai casually tossed the branch into Wei Yuan's sea of ​​consciousness, where it then stuck in the ground beside Jade Mountain.

Before Wei Yuan could even express his gratitude, he suddenly felt something stirring in the book recording the merit list in his arms, as if some important news had been sent in. But with the Immortal Lord present, Wei Yuan naturally wouldn't take it out to look at it.

After hooking the branch from the immortal tree, Pei Tinghai put down his fishing rod, got up, and walked to the jade basin beside him. He washed his hands with the water in the basin. His hands were originally unremarkable, but after washing them in the basin, they suddenly became covered in blood, and the clear water in the jade basin turned bright red!

Wei Yuan was shocked, and for a moment he even had the urge to turn around and run away. Fortunately, he was calm since childhood and did not show any abnormality in his expression.

Pei Tinghai had clearly seen through Wei Yuan's thoughts and smiled, "When fishing in the human world, how can you not have blood on your hands? It's impossible to avoid getting blood on your hands; it's just a matter of whose blood you're on."

Pei Tinghai washed his hands for a long time, the water in the basin growing increasingly red, but the blood on his hands didn't lessen at all. Finally, he picked up a square towel next to him and wiped his hands. The cloth was immediately covered in glaring blood, but his hands were finally clean.

Pei Tinghai put down the handkerchief and said, "Xuan Yue has staked his life on you, and you have certainly not disappointed him. Your Dao Foundation is extraordinary. The palace should also show some favoritism. Here's what I'll give you: two choices, you can choose according to your heart."

"Firstly, the palace will grant you a million merit points to cover all your cultivation needs. For the next ten years, you will dedicate yourself to cultivation within the palace. I will allocate a special mountain peak for your practice until you reach the Rebirth Realm. Then we can discuss your experiences descending the mountain." Before Pei Tinghai could finish, Wei Yuan interjected, "This disciple chooses the second option!"

Pei Tinghai asked with great interest, "You haven't even heard me explain what the second option is, how come you've already made a decision?"

Wei Yuan said, “I have already laid the foundation for my Dao, so I should do something to give back to the world. The first option is good, but what difference is there between staying in the mountain gate for ten years and being a parasite? I have already seen the barbarians of Liaoyu during the Grand Examination. Although I cannot expand the territory yet, I am confident that I can handle them. Therefore, I want to participate in training related to foreign races. At least with more experience, I can know myself and my enemy. If I can use foreign races to hone my skills, that would be even better!”

Pei Tinghai smiled and said, "It's truly admirable that you have such ambition. There are a few things that are suitable for you to handle recently, but I still need to consider which one to entrust to you. Go back and cultivate on your own first, and someone will inform you when the time is right."

The two young Taoist priests reappeared and led Wei Yuan back to his residence.

After Wei Yuan left, Pei Tinghai slowly walked to the stone table and sat down. On the table was a chessboard with an unfinished game. Pei Tinghai picked up a piece, pondered for a long time, and finally gently placed it down, muttering to himself, "With this piece down, you can't take it or give it back. Shouldn't we be able to bring that thing back?"

After placing his piece, he stopped moving and simply stared at the board in deep thought.

After an unknown amount of time, a young Taoist priest dressed in a black robe suddenly appeared on the mountain peak and stood beside Pei Tinghai, saying, "The Western Jin Dynasty has sent an envoy who has just left the capital and wants to investigate Wei Yuan's crimes."

Pei Tinghai said calmly, "If you want to cause trouble, one adjutant is not enough. You should at least get two admirals or a duke or something to make it seem more appropriate. Lü Ming is getting more and more stingy. He even has to send an envoy for such a small matter."

How should this matter be handled?

"Let Yan Shi change the envoy's luck and cause some natural disasters or man-made calamities to deal with it. If Lü Ming is not senile yet, he should know what to do since the envoy disappeared halfway through the journey for no reason."

The young Taoist hesitated and said, "Isn't the price of changing their fate a bit too high? How about I go and throw them all into the East Sea to ensure that their karma is clean?"

Pei Tinghai's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile, and he said, "There will be no price this time."

The young Taoist priest bowed and then disappeared.

A moment later, in the simple courtyard, the young Taoist looked thoughtfully at the Taoist in black robes who had vanished into thin air. Then he stretched out two fingers, pinched the lid of the teacup, and gently twisted it. Sure enough, it was light and easy to turn.

He pondered for a moment, then said, "Liuli, come to see me."

A moment later, Ji Liuli entered the courtyard, bowed, and asked, "What does the Patriarch want with me? Has someone else filed a complaint? Who is it this time who doesn't want to live? Is it Xu Henshui?"

Yan Shi Zhenjun laughed and scolded, "All you ever think about is revenge; you never know how to win people over with virtue."

Ji Liuli said, "I am full of martial virtue, isn't that also winning people over with virtue?"

Lord Yanshi felt a headache coming on and scolded, "From now on, stay away from those people from the Azure Sky Palace! All they've learned is how to talk big!"

Ji Liuli stuck out her tongue, but didn't dare to say "She even learned to fight."

Yan Shi Zhenjun snorted and said, "I'm in a good mood today. Come on, let's go find Xuan Yue for tea!"

Ji Liuli's expression changed: "Tea? What good tea does he have?" She knew that her ancestor loved tea to death and was extremely picky, and would never drink even a drop of ordinary tea.

Yan Shi Zhenjun immediately realized, "I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it. I was so busy looking for Xuan Yue. Go to the third shelf in the room and get a box of tea. Let's go find Xuan Yue for tea!"

"You need to bring your own tea leaves to have tea with him? Your teas are all top-grade!" Ji Liuli was even more surprised.

Yan Shi Zhenjun said, "The important thing is to find Xuan Yue, not to drink tea. Oh, drinking tea is important too. Well, when we get to Xuan Yue, you can make the tea and then scatter two tea leaves on the ground."

Ji Liuli was surprised again. These immortal teas could enhance a True Monarch's comprehension and strengthen his foundation with just one sip, and even have a slight effect on changing one's luck. They were not something that could be bought with immortal silver, nor could they be exchanged for heavenly merits! Did he deliberately drop two pieces on the ground?
Yan Shi Zhenjun snorted, saying with exasperation, "Look at your pathetic self! I'll make sure Xuan Yue watches, and I won't even pick up two pieces of immortal tea that have fallen! This old man has all the skills in the world, if you're willing..."

The young Taoist priest had just begun his sermon when Ji Liuli had already disappeared, having gone inside to fetch tea leaves.

(End of this chapter)