0p0 Chapter 445 On Mount Qingcheng, Yuzhen Debates on Scriptures (2)
Chapter 445 On Mount Qingcheng, Yuzhen Debates on Scriptures (2)
“Yuzhen, you…” Wang Yihang didn’t know what to say.
At this moment, Lü Suzhen's voice came from the back hall, filled with deep weariness:
“Yi Xing, take your junior brother to practice swordsmanship. Yu Zhen, remember your master’s words—the Boundless Sword Technique emphasizes the word ‘measure.’ Act according to your ability and move according to the situation, and do not force things.”
"Yes, Master," Zhao Yuzhen replied, picking up her peach wood sword as she stood up.
As he walked out of the Sanqing Hall, he glanced back at the tall statue of the Three Pure Ones inside.
Amidst the swirling smoke, the three celestial deities gazed down upon all living beings with compassionate yet indifferent eyes.
Zhao Yuzhen suddenly asked in a low voice, "Senior brother, do you think the Three Pure Ones can see everyone's fate?"
Wang Yihang followed his gaze and hesitated before saying, "I think... I should be able to see it."
"Can they see what I'm thinking?"
"This……"
"I think they can see it, but they don't care." Zhao Yuzhen turned and strode towards the sword-training area outside the hall.
"Because for them, everyone's fate is already written. Like a play script, it's always the same few scenes over and over again!"
He walked to the center of the courtyard and drew his peach wood sword.
The sword light that appeared was not the Boundless Sword Technique taught by Lü Suzhen, but rather a set of moves he had haphazardly cobbled together himself—
It possessed the blazing intensity of the Heavenly Fire Technique, the gentle grace of the Profound Water Technique, and even included a few moves that Wang Yixing had never seen before...
Wang Yixing stood in front of the hall, looking at it, and the more he looked, the more his brows furrowed.
This junior brother's swordsmanship is completely unorthodox, yet every strike lands in the most tricky positions, and every move exudes a stubbornness that says, "I'll do it this way."
What alarmed Wang Yihang even more was that Zhao Yuzhen's internal energy flowed around her body in a subtle, self-circulating manner, unbound by the orthodox cultivation methods of Qingcheng Mountain.
The red light on the peach wood sword grew brighter and brighter. As the sword wind passed, several fallen leaves on the ground spontaneously combusted and turned to ashes.
"Yuzhen! Stop!" Wang Yihang couldn't help but shout.
Zhao Yuzhen seemed not to hear him. His swordplay grew faster and faster until he transformed into a red blur, moving swiftly across the open space.
The howling wind caused a slight change in the celestial phenomena—a few thin clouds had gathered in the once clear sky.
"I said, stop!" Wang Yixing stepped forward, flicked his sleeve, and swept it toward the peach wood sword.
Zhao Yuzhen spun around, her peach wood sword flashing out at an angle, and with a "whoosh," she tore Wang Yixing's sleeve!
He used the momentum to step back, sheathed his sword, and stood still, his breathing slightly rapid, but his eyes were full of excitement: "Senior brother, look! I can change it!"
"What can you change?" Wang Yihang asked, both surprised and furious.
“Let’s change the date.” Zhao Yuzhen looked up and pointed to the thin clouds gathering but not dispersing in the sky. “Master said that the Boundless Sword Technique must follow the timing of the heavens, but the sword I just used can make the timing of the heavens work for me!”
Wang Yihang looked in the direction he was pointing and was startled.
Those thin clouds were not gathered naturally, but were drawn together by Zhao Yuzhen's sword intent.
Although the scope was extremely small and the duration was short, it was still an astonishing event—an eleven-year-old boy whose sword intent could actually influence celestial phenomena.
"Nonsense!" Lu Suzhen's voice rang out again.
The old Taoist priest in purple robes had appeared on the steps in front of the hall at some point, his face as solemn as iron. "Yuzhen, do you know what you are doing?"
Zhao Yuzhen turned around, faced her master, and bowed with her sword in hand: "This disciple is practicing swordsmanship."
"Practicing swordsmanship?" Lü Suzhen descended the steps, each step heavy. "What you're practicing isn't swordsmanship, it's calamity!"
He walked up to Zhao Yuzhen and reached out to press down on the boy's shoulder.
Zhao Yuzhen shuddered, feeling a vast, gentle surge of true energy flow into her body, slowly calming her restless inner energy.
“Yuzhen,” Lü Suzhen looked into her disciple’s eyes, enunciating each word clearly.
"I know your destiny better than anyone. If you stay on Mount Qingcheng, you can ensure its prosperity for a hundred years, and you yourself can attain enlightenment and ascend to immortality. If you descend the mountain..."
"If we go down the mountain, will we die?" Zhao Yuzhen asked.
Lu Suzhen was silent for a moment, then slowly shook her head: "It's not death, it's something more terrifying than death—you will lose all the people you cherish, you will be pushed around by fate, and in the end, you will even forget who you are."
Zhao Yuzhen was stunned.
He had never seen his master so serious, nor had he ever heard his master speak such harsh words.
“But Master,” the boy’s voice trailed off, “there’s someone waiting for me down the mountain. I can feel it. She’s been waiting for me to come and keep her company!”
Lu Suzhen sighed deeply, released her hand, and turned to walk towards the main hall.
The setting sun cast a long shadow of him, making his purple robe appear particularly heavy in the light.
"Go back to your room. Starting today, you will be in seclusion for three months to reflect on your mistakes."
Zhao Yuzhen stood there, watching her master's figure disappear into the palace gate.
Wang Yixing walked over and patted him on the shoulder: "Listen to your master's words. When it comes to matters of destiny, it's better to believe in them than to be stubborn!"
"Does Senior Brother believe in fate?" Zhao Yuzhen suddenly asked.
Wang Yihang thought for a moment and smiled, "I believe it, but I also believe that things can be accomplished by human effort. However... some things cannot be forced."
Zhao Yuzhen looked down at the peach wood sword in her hand. The red light on the sword gradually faded, and it returned to its ordinary wood grain.
He suddenly said, "Senior brother, if one day I really have to go down the mountain, will you stop me?"
Wang Yixing didn't answer immediately. He looked into his junior brother's earnest eyes and finally sighed, "I will try to stop you, but if you absolutely must go..."
He paused, stared at Zhao Yuzhen, and said, "I will help you too!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuzhen looked up and smiled, "Thank you, Senior Brother."
As the sun completely sank behind the western mountains, Mount Qingcheng was shrouded in twilight.
Inside the Sanqing Hall, Lü Suzhen stood alone in front of the statues of the Three Pure Ones, remaining motionless for a long time.
On the altar, three sticks of incense burned quietly.
Smoke rises and gathers into blurry patterns in the air—like a person's destiny, or a pre-written verse.
Outside the hall, Zhao Yuzhen and Wang Yixing walked back to their lodgings side by side. The young man suddenly stopped and looked down the mountain.
The lights in the countryside gradually came on, and the warmth of everyday life drifted up on the mountain breeze.
“Senior brother,” Zhao Yuzhen said softly, “I still feel that someone is waiting for me.”
Following his gaze, Wang Yixing saw only a vast expanse of night.
But he knew that what his junior brother said might be true.
Some destinies are etched into one's fate long ago.
It can't be avoided, and it can't be changed.
……