Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 204 Destruction and Protection

Ye Tinglan knew that there was some truth to this guy's twisted logic.

Some things that we value too much are nothing more than constraints imposed by the world and shackles on our own hearts.

My slow progress in spiritual practice over the years is also related to my mindset.

Not being carefree enough and being too attached to appearances is contrary to the mindset that should be cultivated in spiritual practice, and is obviously detrimental to spiritual practice.

But there was nothing he could do; he was not, after all, the legendary being in the formless realm.

However, the veil was irrelevant to this; he simply wanted to see what he looked like and spouted a bunch of fallacies.

That being said, there's nothing wrong with Madam Ye removing her veil. Even if Shen Tang has never seen her true face, seeing it wouldn't make her associate her with the Imperial Advisor; wearing a veil, on the contrary, might lead to unwarranted associations.

It's definitely worth finding an opportunity to remove the veil...

Of course, it's impossible for him to expose his true colors just because he said that. What would that make him? Ye Tinglan sneered and suddenly pointed a finger at Lu Xingzhou's brow.

Lu Xingzhou was startled, but no matter how he looked inside his body, he couldn't detect any changes.

Just as she was wondering what was going on, Ye Tinglan casually waved her hand and threw Lu Xingzhou out of the window, where he fell flat on his face.

Ah Nuo rushed out and helped her master up with a pained expression: "That old woman is so capricious."

Lu Xingzhou clutched his groin and limped into his room: "Don't offend her... I can't beat her..."

Ah Nuo grumbled, "A gentleman's revenge is never over in ten years. Let's see how Ah Nuo will make her do the splits later."

Ye Tinglan inside the room was fuming with rage.

Knowing that these two didn't really consider him a teacher at heart, which was certainly related to the premise of his taking them as disciples, he could accept that he had ruined most of the respect he should have had. But a teacher is still a teacher, and he was trying his best to make up for it, teaching them diligently, yet these two were still so wicked. It seemed that there were very few good people hanging out with Yuan Muyu.

A follower of the Death Demon Path.

You want me to do the splits in the future?

Ah Nuo escorted Lu Xingzhou back to his room to rest, and then went back to her own room. As she entered the room, the threshold seemed to suddenly become higher, and Ah Nuo, caught off guard, tripped and fell face-first to the ground with a cry of "Ouch!"

Ah Nuo sat up, sniffling, scratching her head in confusion as she looked back. It was clearly her own carelessness, and she could only accept her bad luck.

The light from Ye Tinglan's fingertip magic faded.

It's nothing, just a simple puffing technique; its only function is to lower the barrier to entry. Kid, study hard, and I'll wait until the day you make me do the splits.

Aside from being reprimanded by Ye Tinglan, the Lu family master and disciples had a rather comfortable night. They enjoyed wine and meat, a warm house, and a wonderful hot bath. Having spent several days in the mountains during the heavy rain, transforming into wild men, their former appearance was finally resolved. The next day, when they went to bid farewell to Meng Guan, they were once again a refined gentleman and an adorable little dumpling.

Meng Guan was making polite remarks: "Young Master Lu, following Mr. Ye's teachings, your alchemy skills will surely soar in the future. I've already reserved a Grade One Breakthrough Pill for you."

"How could Prefect Meng possibly lack a breakthrough pill..."

Meng Guan sighed, "Indeed, sometimes we have to admit that talent and ability are what they are, and resources can't change that."

Ye Tinglan said calmly, "That's not necessarily true. Prefect Meng may just be lacking a mentor he can call 'mother'."

Meng Guan: "..."

Glancing at Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo's restrained expressions, Ye Tinglan asked seemingly unintentionally, "What, do you not agree with what Prefect Meng said yesterday that teachers are like parents, and that one should call them 'mother'?"

“I agree!” Lu Xingzhou quickly replied, “Prefect Meng is absolutely right.”

Ye Tinglan smiled enigmatically: "Then shout it out."

Lu Xingzhou was stunned for a moment, when suddenly a strange force invaded him, and his mind went blank for a moment. He subconsciously blurted out, "Mother."

Meng Guan and his large group of subordinates stared wide-eyed and took a half step back in unison.

Ah Nuo opened her mouth wide, as if she had stuffed a rotten duck egg into it.

Ye Tinglan nodded slightly: "Good girl."

Lu Xingzhou's face turned red as he suddenly remembered the finger strike from last night. What kind of strange technique was that?
"This trick is called 'the lie becomes the truth.' Once you openly agree to a lie that you don't mean, you'll start to believe it the next moment." Ye Tinglan turned and left, feeling refreshed: "Let's see if you dare to spout nonsense again."

Ye Tinglan thought she had taught the two shameless members of the Lu family a lesson, but she never expected that Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo would turn around and watch her back as she walked away, blinking their eyes at the same time.

The next moment, Lu Xingzhou followed after her in full view of everyone, and said with a smile, "Are you tired, Mother? I'll carry you."

With a "bang," Ye Tinglan kicked out, sending Lu Xingzhou spiraling into the air before turning into a tiny dot and disappearing without a trace.

Meng Guan sighed, his hands clasped together. "Why bother, Grand Preceptor? You're the one who'll make people cry for their mothers, but you can't afford to play along if they actually do."

However, the usually aloof, self-possessed, and dignified Imperial Preceptor seemed to react differently when encountering this scoundrel of a demonic disciple... Just like when they refine pills, the main ingredient often needs to be combined with some auxiliary ingredients of similar properties to create new effects.

I wonder what kind of person the Imperial Advisor will ultimately be molded into.

…………

evening.

Small county town.

Ye Tinglan sat expressionlessly in the inn's lobby, watching Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo excitedly order food. To prevent these shameless bastards from calling someone "mother" in front of others again, Ye Tinglan reached a compromise with them, agreeing to normal accommodations and meals along the way, without having to continue crawling through caves.

Lu Xingzhou and his apprentice seemed to have won a great victory, and Ye Tinglan could even see them secretly giving each other a high five.

Don't say they're disrespectful to each other; actually, this master and apprentice pair are quite disrespectful to each other as well. Their rude behavior is more like that of siblings than master and apprentice.

The thought of being so easily manipulated and subdued by a simple form of address filled Ye Tinglan with a sense of humiliation. That phrase, "Sir, you wouldn't want us calling you 'Mother' in front of others, would you?" just sounded so off. Seeing the two of them happily eating, Ye Tinglan's expression remained sour as he sat silently to the side.

“Sigh, sir, why bother?” Lu Xingzhou put a chicken leg on her plate. “Although I’m mostly arguing with you about nonsense, there’s one thing I’m saying that’s from the bottom of my heart.”

Ye Tinglan glanced at him and saw Lu Xingzhou say very seriously, "I hope you can relax a bit."

Ye Tinglan remained silent.

Lu Xingzhou, munching on a chicken leg, continued, "If my understanding is correct, isn't it also detrimental to your cultivation to be so preoccupied with worries?"

Ye Tinglan said calmly, "With your mere musical talent and accumulated knowledge, where did you get your understanding of cultivation?"

"That's what Yama said. She said the ultimate pursuit of cultivation is nothing more than the carefree freedom of doing whatever one pleases. In any case, it can't be like what you're doing, sir."

Ye Tinglan sneered: "Did she omit the last three words, 'not overstepping the bounds'?"

"She didn't emphasize it, so she's a demonic cultivator... But no matter how you look at it, those three words shouldn't mean she has to worry about even going to the city for a normal meal and lodging."

Ye Tinglan had something she couldn't say. An ordinary person wouldn't be in such a predicament, but she was actually a nun, known as True Person Tinglan. When she dressed as the Imperial Preceptor, she wore a Taoist robe and headscarf.

It seems strange for monks to stay at a hotel with men and children; monks should still observe basic taboos.

It can only be said that adult male disciples are troublesome, and are a far cry from the adorable Qingli.

She didn't continue the conversation, but simply said, "Now that you're eating and staying in hotels as you wished, why bring this up again?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "So you see, actually nobody thinks much about it, right?"

Nobody really thought much of it. Everyone treated it as a family of three staying at the hotel. It's a perfectly normal thing. Why would anyone need to make a fuss about it?
Ye Tinglan changed the subject impatiently: "The 'Three Melodies of the Qin' is nothing more than the process of setting goals and putting them into practice. What are your goals?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "A steadfast desire for revenge, isn't that it?"

"Yes." Ye Tinglan said calmly, "But if you only adhere to this, your achievements will inevitably be limited. Firstly, your ambition is too narrow, and secondly, what will you do after you have completed your revenge?"

"As long as it doesn't affect my cultivation in the short term, that's fine. As for the upper limit... will it be too late to change my mind later?"

“Theoretically, it is possible, but most people feel empty and lost when they get to that point, unable to find their way, and end up wasting time. Besides, I see that you have a deep understanding of things, so you must have your own ideas.”

Lu Xingzhou recalled what he had said to Gua Mei when they first met: that he wanted to let this world, which was like a furnace, receive his flame.

In layman's terms, it means controlling the universe and setting the rules. Using a pill furnace as a metaphor seems somewhat demonic, highlighting the pent-up rage within oneself at that time.

The hostility has subsided considerably, but the words remain the same, perhaps just phrased in a more palatable way.

After considering for a while, he slowly said, "It's just that I'm extending this from my own family's grudges to the broader issue. There are many injustices in the world, and if I have the ability, I will change them."

In reality, the meanings were worlds apart... Ye Tinglan's eyes lit up slightly.

Seeing her expression, Lu Xingzhou realized why she had suddenly asked this question, and said, "If the way of the master is to protect, then it is naturally tiring. Are you saying that this is your cultivation, tiring but without regret?"

Ye Tinglan was stunned for a moment, but a storm of emotions suddenly surged in her heart.

I haven't talked about these topics much myself, so how does this guy know that my path is to protect?
So, after all this, this lecherous fellow is actually a confidant?

Lu Xingzhou knew what she was surprised about: "It's easy to guess, especially what the master said about Yama... She wants to kill a lot of people, the master will not agree, your ideas are contradictory."

Ye Tinglan calmed herself down and said calmly, "So you agree with her more? That's why you've been assisting her for ten years."

"In a sense, I do agree with her more. Some things can only be rebuilt after they are destroyed. If you want to protect something, in my opinion, you should protect the people, not the Great Qian Dynasty. If you can look at things separately, perhaps you won't be so tired."

Ye Tinglan became seven or eight times more cautious and serious. She suddenly realized that this was not a junior disciple, but a conversation with a judge of the underworld: "Such remarks are often just an excuse."

"But you can tell the difference, can't you, sir?"

Ye Tinglan did not answer immediately.

Lu Xingzhou added, "However, Yama is only concerned with a wisp of energy, not with any grand ambitions, so I'm not too optimistic about him."

Ye Tinglan asked seriously, "So what do you mean?"

Lu Xingzhou smiled brightly: "Isn't Shen Tang here? Whether it's breaking things or protecting them."

Ye Tinglan's heart skipped a beat.

Although she was the one who saved Shen Tang, the reason for saving her was simply because she felt that Gu Zhanting shouldn't have done that, and that it was unfair to Shen Tang.

Now that I think about it, I suddenly realize that Shen Tang cannot succeed to the throne, and if we were to help her succeed to the throne... it would probably involve a complete overhaul.

So that's how it is. That divination back then, "The dragon appears in the field."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Monthly tickets, monthly tickets, sob sob~
(End of this chapter)