Free Web NovelChapter 311: Chapter 40: Heading North, Under the Setting Sun
Wang Ping was already prepared to head north before Ruan Chunzi arrived.
He heard Ruan Chunzi’s invitation, took out two Copper Coins, and tossed them. He glanced down at the divination results in his hand. Just as Ruan Chunzi leaned in to look, he swept the two coins back into his sleeve and said with a magnanimous smile, "Then I’ll be in your care, Fellow Daoist."
"It’s nothing!"
Ruan Chunzi made an inviting gesture. "This is still your territory. After you, Fellow Daoist..."
Wang Ping didn’t stand on ceremony. He activated his identity token and transformed into a streak of light, heading north. At that moment, Yu Lian poked her head out from his sleeve and communicated with Wang Ping in his Spirit Sea, "Aren’t you going back to say goodbye?"
"There’s no need!"
Hearing this, Yu Lian said no more.
Two hours later, Wang Ping appeared within the borders of Nanlin Road. He gazed into the distance, taking in Baisui Lake and Upper Yang Mountain in Wudao Prefecture, then his own Dao Field in Shang’an Prefecture and the port to the south.
At this moment, the Entering Cultivators registered at Qianmu Mountain and those from the various prominent families all stood respectfully upon the clouds, bowing to Wang Ping’s figure as juniors would to a senior.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Wang Ping flew past Shang’an Prefecture and entered the territory of Sanhe Prefecture. The network of waterways here reminded him of Guangxuan, who was still in seclusion. As he neared Sanhe Temple, Liu Chang stood upon the clouds, bowing deeply to Wang Ping from afar.
Next was Ningde Prefecture. Sect Leader Qiuwang of the Single Saber Sect led all the disciples of his sect who could fly to stand upon the clouds. They actually performed the rite of a disciple to their master.
Finally came Fuming Prefecture, a gathering place for Loose Cultivators. Ganxing projected his identity token into the sky as a form of greeting to Wang Ping, while the other disciples stood respectfully upon the clouds and bowed to him as juniors.
As dusk began to fall, Wang Ping landed on a mountain peak on the border between Houjiang Road and Nanlin Road. He looked at the sun about to dip below the distant mountains, then surveyed the surrounding scenery.
Houjiang Road was an endless plain of fertile land, crisscrossed with waterways, completely different from the rolling highlands of Fuming Prefecture.
The border between the two regions was a wetland. A flock of wild geese danced over the water’s surface in the afterglow of the sunset. In the reed marshes, some amphibians frolicked, and farther out on the water, a few fishermen were hurrying toward the shore. A small village stood there, smoke already curling up from its chimneys.
"This place is beautiful, isn’t it."
Ruan Chunzi gazed at the sunset reflected on the river, reached down to pick up a stone, and then, like a child, tossed it into the river below.
With a soft PLOP, ripples spread across the water. Wang Ping pointed at the fishermen hurrying home and said, "Go ask them if they find this scenery beautiful."
Ruan Chunzi was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Wang Ping with a wry smile. "Do you always have to be such a killjoy?"
Yu Lian peeked out from Wang Ping’s sleeve, looked down at the river, and asked, "Are there shrimp in the river?"
Fire Swift also emerged from the soft pouch at Ruan Chunzi’s waist. He shot Yu Lian’s question a look of utter disdain before climbing onto Ruan Chunzi’s shoulder to gaze at the distant sunset.
"Yes, the river shrimp here are famous throughout the Liangjiang Region!" Ruan Chunzi replied to Yu Lian while communicating with his own Spirit Pet.
"I’m going to catch some shrimp. Do you want any?" Yu Lian shot into the air.
"No, thank you!" Ruan Chunzi shook his head. It was clear that, like Wang Ping, he adhered to the traditions of the Taoist Sects, eating only the meats permitted by their doctrines.
Yu Lian let out a cheerful cry, her body suddenly expanding as she plunged headfirst into the river.
With a casual wave of his hand, Ruan Chunzi set a game board on the ground. He then sat down and invited Wang Ping, "Fellow Daoist, how about a game?"
"Alright!"
Wang Ping chose not to travel by night. There was no particular reason for it; he simply didn’t feel like it.
As the two placed their stones in succession, Fire Swift leaped off Ruan Chunzi, darted into the nearby forest, and returned with a pile of dry firewood, which he then lit.
By the time the first game ended, it was late at night. Wang Ping had won by a considerable margin. This wasn’t because Ruan Chunzi had let him win, but because Ruan Chunzi’s skill at the game was genuinely poor. Moreover, he played with a carefree attitude, rarely bothering with deliberate calculations.
When the second game began, Wang Ping had also relaxed quite a bit. By the mid-game, Yu Lian, who had returned to Wang Ping’s shoulder, controlled a few drops of water and sprinkled them onto the fire, causing it to make a series of SIZZLING sounds. This provoked a snarl from Fire Swift.
Wang Ping gently stroked Yu Lian’s head, telling her not to cause trouble. In response, Yu Lian flicked her forked tongue at Fire Swift, enraging him so much that he spat out a gout of flame.
As the game drew to a close, Ruan Chunzi suddenly asked, "Did the Xiao Shan Lord fight with a Fourth Realm Cultivator from the ’First Day’?"
"Yes!"
"What was the outcome?"
"I don’t know!"
"I heard you captured the Primordial Spirit of a Third Realm Cultivator from the ’First Day,’ but later released her?"
"Yes!"
"That was a grand gesture. If you had taken that Primordial Spirit to the True Yang Sect, you could have exchanged it for an unimaginable amount of resources." Ruan Chunzi casually placed a stone, looked up at Wang Ping, and said, "What’s more, I also heard... she was holding Ren Kong’s Primordial Spirit."
"That’s not for me to consider." Wang Ping also looked up, meeting Ruan Chunzi’s gaze. "The way you’re talking, it sounds like there are quite a few problems within the True Yang Sect."
"That’s hardly a secret!"
Ruan Chunzi laughed magnanimously. "The True Yang Sect has existed for many years and has developed dozens of branches. Although each branch claims to be part of the True Yang Sect’s lineage, their goals are not all the same. Take Ren Kong’s lineage, for example. They are extremely secretive, with their residence in the deepest part of True Yang Mountain..."
"Don’t you find it absurd, asking an outsider like me about the internal affairs of your own sect?"
Wang Ping interrupted Ruan Chunzi as he placed a stone. Then, he turned his head again. The first light of dawn was already breaking through the clouds, its glow falling upon the wetlands. Combined with the thick mist, it created an ethereal beauty.
But the weary fishermen in the distant village paid no mind to the beautiful morning scenery. They only complained that the night’s rest had passed too quickly.
Ruan Chunzi stared at the game board, another crushing defeat imminent. "I don’t know why, but the longer I live, the more curious I become... Our branch used to belong to the outer sect a long time ago. Back when I advanced to the Third Realm, the True Flame Realm, and swallowed a mouthful of True Flame, I thought many things could change."
"But after all these years, nothing has changed. Except now I have the title of Vice Sect Leader. Heh, in the True Yang Sect, there are over a dozen Vice Sect Leaders. The message from above is clear: I’m to keep my disciples in line and prevent them from straying from the path!"
"I’ve always been curious about how they determine the success rate for advancement to the Second Realm. I’m even more curious why the disciples involved always forget certain important things after they advance."
Wang Ping met the gaze of Ruan Chunzi, who had just conceded the game. "Forgive me, but I can’t help you. I truly don’t know anything."
Ruan Chunzi wasn’t surprised by this answer. He faced the morning light with a smile and said, "You were right before. Perhaps I should try to break through to the Fourth Realm."
