The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 224 Attitude
As soon as he said it, Ding Lin felt a sense of relief, as if he had shaken off a burden.

That's how it is; there's no need for so much hesitation.

Cultivating immortality is for the purpose of attaining great freedom, but resources in this world are limited, so one must compete and scramble for them.

Behind every accomplished cultivator lies a mountain of bones.

Is success ultimately achieved solely through chance?

Genius helps those who help themselves.

As long as it's within your ability, whether it's something you like, something that excites you, or something you need, you should take it all.

This is the most naked truth of the world.

The shackles of thought were broken, and my mind became instantly clear.

Now, this little beauty before me doesn't even need to be taken away; she's already delivered herself to my door. If I were to refuse even someone like her, what would be the point of cultivation? I'd rather dissipate my magical power, disintegrate, and be reborn as an ignorant and unconscious animal.

However, despite this reasoning, I still feel somewhat burdened.

Ding Lin looked at the five fairies with a complicated expression.

The Fifth Fairy was stunned. She had already given up hope, but she was surprised to hear such an answer. Her strong exterior could no longer be maintained. Her hard shell was broken, revealing her soft nature. Her beautiful eyes suddenly brightened and filled with tears. Her tightly pursed lips turned up, and her joy seemed to leap out of her chest. The movement of her laughter touched the well in her eyes, and tears fell like pearls.

Laughter with tears.

"Brother Jin..."

The five fairies sobbed, controlled their tears, raised their hands to wipe their eyes, and their long eyelashes, already soaked with water, directly clung to their eyelids.

“I said, I’m tempted.” Ding Lin stepped forward and repeated himself.

The fifth fairy understood. Her eyes brightened, then dimmed again. Her joy diminished, replaced by a sense of resentment. She raised her hand to rub her eyes, brushed her eyelashes back, and sniffed.

"Just a crush?"

The Fifth Fairy said, clearly she understood Ding Lin's unspoken meaning.

Ding Lin smiled, which was his answer.

"Being moved is not the same as liking, let alone loving," Ding Lin said truthfully, a sharp glint suddenly flashing in his eyes. "But since I've already been moved, I will naturally try to possess, seize, and then make it my own!"

To fight, to seize, to rob does not mean to resort to underhanded means.

Of course, Ding Lin wasn't some kind of germaphobe who disdained such tricks; it's just that as a man, even if he wanted something in this regard, he should do so openly and honestly, not by hiding it, much less by deceiving. A man can be philandering and not hide his desires, but he shouldn't be vulgar—that's the bare minimum.

The smile that was about to disappear from the Five Fairies' faces flashed back again.

“Brother Jin, you’re saying this… This is the Heavenly Court. If anyone else hears you, you’ll be sent to the Execution Platform to be beheaded,” the Fifth Fairy said, amused and slightly annoyed, “These words can only be spoken in this Jade Chamber. Once outside, you can’t show anything. Not to mention others, even Aunt Hong, with the Golden Immortal’s divine sense covering everyone in this Peach Garden, is always within her sight.”

The reason why the Fifth Fairy continued to pretend to be the Seventh Fairy after Ding Lin woke up and did not reveal her identity was partly to use her sister's identity to make it easier to find out Ding Lin's feelings. However, later, she herself had an emotional breakdown and lost her composure. The main reason was because of Hong Gu.

Ding Lin was not surprised to hear this. He had already guessed this when he recognized the Five Fairies. The Heavenly Rules were strict, and the fairies had just been punished. The fact that the Five Fairies dared to speak so boldly in the Peach Garden must mean that they had a way to isolate themselves from the outside world.

"I understand," Ding Lin nodded.

“Moreover, the Heavenly Laws clearly state that those who enter the celestial register are forbidden from marrying. Brother Jin, you are now in the celestial register. If you want to take me, Fifth Sister, as your own, it won’t be easy.” A blush appeared on the Fifth Fairy’s face.

Ding Lin remained silent.

"Brother Jin, what's wrong..."

The five fairies thought that Ding Lin had been discouraged by her.

“Just because it doesn’t work now doesn’t mean it won’t work in the future. What’s the rule of Heaven? Your maternal grandparents have been doing this for countless eons. And Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, isn’t he also a loving couple?” Ding Lin said. “In the end, it’s just that they are strong enough, whether it’s their background, strength, power, or status. Once they reach that level, the Heavenly Rules are no longer a binding rope, but just an embellishment on their clothes.”

“Yes,” the Fifth Fairy said in a low voice, “Even my great-aunt, my mother, and… my grandmother were never angry because they got married, but because of the people they married. So how can a dragon live with a snake?”

"My great-aunt was too strong-willed, and limited by the circumstances of the time, so much so that in the end she actually..."

The great-aunt of the Fifth Fairy, Yang Chan's mother...

As Ding Lin listened, his eyes suddenly dimmed involuntarily, his thoughts drifting away. He thought of the lotus pond, and the slender figure by its edge… “Grandfather and Grandmother, it wasn’t that they didn’t care for them, they were just angry that they had chosen a mortal, so they punished them severely. In the end, it was just anger at their lack of self-respect. But as for us, the Cowherd’s methods are despicable…”
Here, there's only the elders' heartache. At most, they're a little scared of us being disobedient and secretly descending to the mortal realm. Even with the Ziwei Emperor causing trouble, my grandmother only raised the issue high and then gently put it down..."

The five fairies kept talking, but they were actually hiding something. They were so bold in their confession at the time, and they didn't realize it because they were carried upward by impulse. But now that the dust has settled, their girlish shyness has begun to take over.

Ding Lin's thoughts drifted for only a moment before returning to his senses, leaving him with a somewhat uneasy feeling, and his expression softened.

The Fifth Fairy occasionally looked up and noticed the change in Ding Lin's expression. She thought Ding Lin was worried, and her voice gradually lowered.

“Brother Jin, I would have been a little worried before, but now, your talent is no less than that of those innate spirits. As long as you cultivate the ‘Celestial Immortal Technique’ to a higher level, you will surely become a Celestial Immortal, and your future will be limitless. You might even have the chance to see those above the Golden Immortal level,” said the Fifth Fairy.

"Who can say for sure what will happen before it happens? All we can do is seize the moment, so that when things come to pass, we can handle them with ease and have no regrets."

Ding Lin said, his words having a double meaning; they applied to him and the Fifth Fairy, and also to Yang Chan.

In that mythical story deep in my memory, in the future, the dignified goddess of Mount Hua would eventually submit to an ordinary scholar.

Unexpectedly, Ding Lin recalled the days and nights in the lotus pond. When he was still a carp, he would feel listless whenever he thought of this. But at that time, he was still relying on others for protection and his future was bleak. How could he have the right to dream of anything else?

But now, things seem different; some changes have occurred.

The future seems to be looking up a little.

So, if he does everything in his power, can he prevent such scenes and such things from happening again in the future?

“Brother Jin, I believe you can do it,” the Fifth Fairy suddenly blushed. She slightly raised her chin, her eyes darting around, quickly glancing at Ding Lin before looking away. “However, you want…”

"Right now, it's just the two of us talking. My... Fifth Sister hasn't really agreed yet. She'll only consider it when you've truly turned your feelings of attraction into love."

The Fifth Fairy said that even though both sides were already fully aware of the truth, she still stubbornly impersonated her own sister.

"Yes, it was the two of us talking about... Seventh Sister," Ding Lin said seriously, finding it quite amusing.

"Brother Jin, you...you're not a good person!" The Fifth Fairy was deeply embarrassed.

Ding Lin smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. His mind was filled with many thoughts, and his expression was somewhat inscrutable.

“Brother Jin, don’t worry too much. Even if you don’t achieve the Great Rank in the end, it won’t matter. With the ‘Celestial Immortal Technique’ cultivated over nine thousand years, you still have a 60-70% chance of becoming a Celestial Immortal. Even in the fastest case, you can become an Earth Immortal. There are many immortals in the Heavenly Court who have attained the Golden Immortal status from Earth Immortal. It’s not a hopeless situation. There’s no need to burn your bridges. Relax a bit,” said the Fifth Fairy.

“I’m not worried,” Ding Lin said.

“Alright, then I will continue reciting the interpretation for you,” said the Fifth Fairy.

"What do you mean by 'terrain'?" Ding Lin asked.

"The terrain encompasses the six directions and the four corners of the earth, illuminated by the sun and moon, traversed by the stars, marked by the four seasons, and governed by the Grand Duke Jupiter. Between heaven and earth, there are nine provinces and eight extremes. The land has nine mountains, the mountains have nine passes, the marshes have nine thickets, the wind has eight grades, and the water has six categories..." the Seven Fairy Maidens recited silently.

What are the Nine Provinces?

"The southeastern Divine Land is called Agricultural Land, the due south Secondary Land is called Fertile Land, the southwest Rong Land is called Turbulent Land, the due west Yan Land is called Parallel Land, the central Ji Land is called Central Land, the northwest Tai Land is called Fertile Land, the due north Ji Land is called Successful Land, the northeast Bo Land is called Hidden Land, and the due east Yang Land is called Shen Land..."

What are the Nine Mountains?

"Kuaiji, Mount Tai, Wangwu, Shoushan, Taihua, Qishan, Taihang, Yangchang, Mengmen..."

……

Beyond the sky.

The fog was thick.

The seven fairies sat cross-legged on the ground, their eyes closed, looking somewhat tired.

"Why are you ignoring me now?" the stone monkey said. Hearing his voice, the Seven Fairies frowned slightly, unwilling to speak. This monkey was too unruly, talking incessantly, never letting anyone have a moment's peace.

“This isn’t your original form. Your spirit and body are not in harmony, so you can’t cultivate at all. Meditation won’t help you. Good sister, aren’t we friends already? Get up and talk to me. This godforsaken place, we don’t know how much longer we’ll have to stay before we can get out. Aren’t you bored at all?” the stone monkey rambled on.

"Can you be quiet for a moment?" The Seventh Fairy felt as if a thousand magpies were circling her ears, her head buzzing. She opened her eyes and looked at the stone monkey. "From the beginning until now, you've been talking non-stop. Don't you feel tired at all?"

(End of this chapter)