Zhang Xuansu’s eyes suddenly widened, "You... you’ve already killed him?"
Yang Ge sneered, "You think I chased him for so long just to play around with him?"
Zhang Xuansu opened his mouth, then closed it, a complex expression that could not be described as either joy or regret plastered over his aged face.
It took a while before he heaved a long sigh.
Yang Ge asked unhurriedly, "Can we now have a proper talk?"
Zhang Xuansu lowered his eyelids, slowly saying, "The old Daoist has already made it very clear. The monk Dao Lidan achieved the status of a Grandmaster through the national destiny of the Zhou Tang, and the reason he previously did not openly strike against Zhao Wei was indeed because the Zhao Wei Kingdom’s reign persisted... Can’t you see that human effort cannot contend with destiny?"
Yang Ge furrowed his brows again, "Are you serious?"
Zhang Xuansu slapped his hand in resignation, "See, I told you that you wouldn’t believe it!"
Yang Ge remarked, "Aren’t you just leading a big fool on a merry dance? How can I believe that?"
Zhang Xuansu rubbed his nest-like hair with a pained expression, rummaged through his thoughts for a long while, and then said, "Let’s put it another way... do you believe in fate?"
Yang Ge responded without hesitation, "I don’t!"
Zhang Xuansu almost put on a mask of pain at the response, "Then have you ever heard the saying, ’When the time comes, heaven and earth move together, when fortune fades, even heroes are not free’?"
Yang Ge nodded, "I’ve heard that one."
Zhang Xuansu’s face finally looked a bit better, and he nodded, "That’s the idea. Although we stand apart from the world, we are also powerless to change the great trend of humanity. If we act recklessly, the lightest consequence is wasted effort, the worst is death and the obliteration of our Dao, rendering all our past efforts void."
Yang Ge couldn’t help but scratch the back of his head, "I’m fed up with you soothsayers who relate everything to some mystical nonsense. On what basis do you determine these destinies? The stars? I Ching divination?"
Zhang Xuansu looked at him, "Let’s not discuss how we calculate destiny for the moment, I’m curious... If you don’t believe in anything, how did you manage to become an Earthly Immortal?"
Yang Ge queried, "What do you mean?"
Zhang Xuansu said leisurely, "Earthly Immortal, Earthly Immortal, although it includes the word ’earthly’, it still denotes an immortal. How can you comprehend the Dao without enlightenment? Without the Dao, how can you become a carefree immortal of this mortal world? Have you ever heard of an immortal who meddles in the mortal world’s affairs time and time again?"
Yang Ge replied, "So your Dao teaches you to believe in fate and destiny?"
Zhang Xuansu shook his head gently and spoke calmly, "Our Dao only teaches us how to pick up and how to let go..."
Yang Ge didn’t quite understand, but he inexplicably felt that this old Daoist’s words carried a sense of profundity and distinction.
And besides, the old Daoist wasn’t wrong; he had indeed not yet become an Earthly Immortal.
"Let’s sum it up," Yang Ge said.
He took a deep breath and spoke solemnly, "So what you’re saying is, while the Zhao Wei Kingdom’s reign still existed, even if you didn’t like the Zhao Family, you couldn’t take action against Zhao Wei, and you could only start causing trouble when the reign of Zhao Wei was over, right?"
Zhang Xuansu waved his hand, "I was talking about that old monk. Don’t involve me; I’ve never lifted a finger against Zhao Wei,"
Yang Ge challenged, "You’ve never moved against Zhao Wei? Then what’s the deal with the Five Poisons Cult?"
Zhang Xuansu replied, "The Five Poisons Cult is merely a fallback, a safeguard to ensure that matters don’t decay to an irreparable state."
Yang Ge incredulously: "A fallback? Who has a fallback that amounts to half the martial world?"
Zhang Xuansu answered, "What do you think, how did I overturn Zhou Tang back then?"
Yang Ge found himself without a retort and changed subjects, "One last question—just how many Earthly Immortals are there in the world?"
Zhang Xuansu answered decisively, "You’re asking me, but who shall I ask?"
Yang Ge suspiciously asked, "You really don’t know?"
Zhang Xuansu elaborated, "After becoming an Earthly Immortal, one must live in seclusion. Even when wandering the world, encounters with ordinary people are to be reduced. It’s common to hear nothing of them for a hundred years. If they do not show themselves, how can I know who is still around and who has long since passed away? Without dwelling on distant matters, just consider my own case—if it weren’t for the changes in the celestial patterns prompting me to take action, would you have known that I was still in this world?"
Yang Ge pondered, "But you must have some idea, right?"
Zhang Xuansu furrowed his brow and pondered for a long while before shaking his head and saying, "Not too clear, anyway. All I know of are only five..."
Yang Ge: "Does that include those two old baldies at Bright Summit?"
Zhang Xuansu: "Of course."
Yang Ge let out a sigh of relief: "Good, that’s not too many!"
Zhang Xuansu remained silent.
After a moment of contemplation, Yang Ge said, "Earlier, I chased after that mischievous old monk to the grasslands, and deep within the grasslands, I encountered a Tartar land immortal, quite aged, dressed in a dragon robe, wearing an imperial crown, referring to himself as ’We’. Do you know who that old fellow is?"
Visit frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓ for the b𝘦st novel reading experience.
Zhang Xuansu frowned: "The old thief you’re talking about, I’ve crossed hands with him and even sent people to investigate his background. But even the Tartar upper echelons know very little about him, only that he has a very long life, having lived at least 250 years. Had it not been for that old thief blocking the way, Wei Taizong’s three campaigns to the Northern Desert would have broken Meng Yuan’s lifeline of national fortune..."
"Let me sort this out."
Yang Ge, pinching his forehead, said: "Two land immortals on the Tartar side, and two land immortals on Wei’s side... So, you all have been in a standoff between north and south all these years?"
Zhang Xuansu pursed his lips and pondered for a moment before speaking with some difficulty: "You’ve seen it yourself, that old monk Daodian is like grass on the top of a wall, shifting with the wind. In these years, the one who has stood in opposition to those two old Tartar fellows with me is the ninth-generation Sect Leader of the Huashan Sect, ’Sword One’, the senior Jiang Ping."
"You actually call him senior?"
Yang Ge exclaimed in shock: "How old is that senior Jiang, then?"
Zhang Xuansu gave him a sidelong glance: "The current Mount Hua Sect Leader is the fifteenth generation. Calculate his age yourself!"
Yang Ge’s eyes widened: "Also around 250 to 260 years old?"
Zhang Xuansu chuckled: "Now you realize how apprehensive you should be? Kid, don’t think you can disregard everyone in the world just because you’ve got a few tricks up your sleeve. The waters of Jianghu are deep..."
He laughed and reached out to pat Yang Ge’s shoulder, but Yang Ge blocked the attempt: "No, what I meant to ask was, between that senior Jiang and the Tartar guy in the dragon robe, who’s stronger and who’s weaker?"
Zhang Xuansu wondered: "Why don’t you ask who is stronger or weaker between me and that old thief?"
Yang Ge looked at him with disdain: "I’ve fought against you and also against that old thief. Don’t I have some idea of who is stronger or weaker?"
Zhang Xuansu was almost caught off guard, shouting angrily: "You impudent boy, how dare you belittle Taoist Zhang like this!"
Without a second thought, Yang Ge rolled up his sleeves: "I’ve used a new move and fought the old thief to a draw where both sides were injured. Want to give it a try?"
Zhang Xuansu’s whiskers trembled, and he forced his eyes to droop calmly as he responded: "At this old age of mine, why would I compete with a youngster like you for bravery and ruthlessness?"
Yang Ge chuckled softly: "You still haven’t told me, between that senior Jiang and the old thief, who’s stronger and who’s weaker."
Zhang Xuansu turned his face away and said softly: "I’ve only witnessed them fight once with my own eyes, and from that one fight... senior Jiang seemed to have the upper hand."
"Great, great, great..."
Yang Ge let out a long, turbid breath: "With senior Jiang holding the fort, I’ll feel more at ease!"
"Kid, don’t count on us old folks to keep fighting life and death battles for you..."
Zhang Xuansu said disparagingly: "Each generation has its responsibilities. We old folks have already completed our tasks and stepped back. The world today is not the world we old people used to gallop across. If we interfere too much, it will be a curse rather than a blessing..."
"What are you thinking about?"
Yang Ge glanced at him and said contemptuously: "I’m saying that with senior Jiang holding down the fort, the next time I go all out in a fight, I can put my all into it without having to worry that a moment of rashness will destroy this great situation!"
Zhang Xuansu had no reply, secretly resolving never to engage with this impudent boy again!
He had seen many brash men who were not afraid to die.
But a brash man who rose to a high position and yet was still not afraid to die, he had only seen Yang Ge alone in his more than two hundred years of life!
This impudent boy was utterly a reckless devil who feared neither heaven nor earth!
Daodian, oh Daodian, you didn’t plant your seeds in vain at all...