Chapter 98

The atmosphere between the two became somewhat unusual for a moment. Xin'er felt a bit shy, a vague and indescribable feeling creeping into her heart. She couldn't figure out what was happening to her, so she kept her head down, not daring to look at Lu Zheng's eyes. Her heart felt as if a little deer was about to leap out.

After hesitating for a while, Xin'er was just mustering the courage to speak when she suddenly heard Lu Zheng loudly say, "Ah, ha... Xin'er, Big Brother was just joking with you! That... I guessed it, one of the ten great spiritual masters you mentioned, could it be the person in white on Bright Moon Mountain? Am I right?"

At first, Lu Zheng was also a bit dazed, seeing Xin'er's black hair gently resting on her cheeks, and even her eyelashes could be seen from this angle. But when he noticed that Xin'er didn't respond for a long time, he was startled and suddenly realized how he had blurted out those words. He felt very embarrassed and quickly tried to laugh it off, returning to the previous topic.

Xin'er was taken aback, a faint sense of disappointment creeping into her heart, though it was barely noticeable. It stirred her thoughts, making her feel a bit annoyed. "How can Big Brother be so silly?" she thought, feeling a bit frustrated. She pouted and called out, "Big Brother!..."

"What... What's wrong?" Lu Zheng, sensing her tone, wondered if Xin'er was angry because of his words. He became extremely nervous, his speech becoming a bit stammered.

Xin'er didn't answer but instead opened her eyes wide and began to scrutinize Lu Zheng from head to toe, her eyes alternating between anger and resentment, changing several times.

Lu Zheng felt uneasy under her gaze, as if he had grown fur all over his body. He took a step back and asked, "Xin'er, why are you looking at me like that? Is there a leaf on my clothes?" As he spoke, he avoided Xin'er's gaze, turning his body and lifting his sleeve to pretend to check for any leaves.

Seeing his comical actions, Xin'er's embarrassment and anger vanished, and she giggled, "Big Brother, stop looking for leaves. The leaves are growing in your heart! How can you find them on your clothes?"

Lu Zheng realized Xin'er was teasing him, calling him a fool. He quickly covered his heart, looking tense, "Yes, yes, my heart is growing leaves, and a lot of them! What should I do!"

Xin'er, of course, understood his meaning. She huffed but didn't want to expose him, as that would make it seem like she was the one who started the teasing. She stomped her foot and said, "Big Brother, there are no leaves on you, not on your body, and especially not in your heart. I wasn't looking for leaves. I was wondering how you became so smart today, guessing it right away! It's really strange. You're right, the person on Bright Moon Mountain is indeed one of the ten great spiritual masters, ranking third!"

Is that considered smart? I've only met a few people in the cultivation world. If it wasn't the person on Bright Moon Mountain, it couldn't have been that shameless old man from the Sword Sect of Mountains and Waters, right? Xin'er was clearly still secretly teasing him, but at least she didn't seem to mind what had happened earlier. Lu Zheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and decided not to argue with her. He continued, "Xiang Di Xian? That's a very impressive name! I heard the great monk say he is a high-ranking figure in the Daoist sect. That talentless one is also from the Daoist sect, named Huang Weiyang, which sounds very impressive too!"

He tried to change the topic, but Xin'er had no intention of letting him off. She raised her nose and said, "Big Brother, you're so enthusiastic about praising others. Xin'er asks you, do you think Feng Lin sounds better, or Yun Lin?"

Lu Zheng was immediately at a loss, his words stuck in his throat. Xin'er was truly cunning and strange. Feng was her father's surname, and Yun was her mother's surname. By asking this, wasn't she essentially asking him whether her father or her mother was better? Such a question was bound to be wrong no matter how he answered. Even if he said both were good, Xin'er would surely roll her eyes and say he was being evasive.

Seeing Lu Zheng's anxious expression, Xin'er couldn't help but giggle, "Big Brother, hurry up and say, which one is better?"

Lu Zheng, in a hurry, said, "Both names were given to you by your father and mother, so they are both very good. I really don't know which one is better. But I usually call you Xin'er, and I'm used to calling you Xin'er. I like calling you Xin'er. No matter what, in my heart, Xin'er is the best."

These words carried a subtle meaning. Xin'er was delighted, her lips pursed, and she said shyly, "Really?"

Lu Zheng nodded repeatedly, raising his hand seriously, "I swear!"

Xin'er's voice suddenly became soft and gentle, "Who asked you to swear? There's no need to swear about such things. I was just teasing you, silly Big Brother." As she spoke, she played with her braid and turned away gracefully.

Lu Zheng didn't understand why Xin'er suddenly turned away. Seeing that she no longer pressed him about which name was better, he quickly changed the subject, "That Xiang Di Xian can make an entire mountain float in the sky. That's truly remarkable, a world-shaking great power! No wonder he ranks third. Who are the two people ranked above him?"

Xin'er turned back and said, "Big Brother, who else could be ranked above him in the cultivation world?"

Lu Zheng thought about it. He wasn't familiar with the cultivation world, so how could he know? But he suddenly remembered what the ascetic monk had told him about the cultivation world, the Buddhist Mountain and the Daoist Sea. "I remember, the Buddhist Mountain and the Daoist Sea. The first and second must be the great figures from the Buddhist Mountain and the Daoist Sea, right? Could it be the Worldly Venerable from the Buddhist Mountain and the Forgetful Heaven from the Daoist Sea?"

Xin'er said, "That's right, Big Brother, you're correct. The current Forgetful Heaven of the Daoist Sea is named Dichen Lan, and the Worldly Venerable of the Buddhist Mountain is named Lianhua Bumie. However, given their status, no one would call them by their names; they are only referred to as Dichen Tian and Lianhua Zun." Her parents were both disciples of the Daoist sect, so she naturally placed the Daoist sect first when speaking.

"Dichen Tian, Lianhua Zun?" Lu Zheng silently repeated the names, "If you think about it, the Buddhist Mountain and the Daoist Sea are the two major sources of cultivation. It makes sense that the first and second are these two great figures. Xin'er, who ranks first and who ranks second?"

Xin'er shook her head, "Big Brother, you're wrong. They are both ranked second, with no distinction between them."

"Both ranked second, with no distinction? Why is that?"

Xin'er laughed, "Big Brother, think about it. Given their status, if you were a Daoist disciple and saw the Worldly Venerable of the Buddhist Mountain ranked ahead of your own Forgetful Heaven, wouldn't you be不服气 (unwilling to accept it)? Or if you were a Buddhist disciple and saw the Forgetful Heaven of the Daoist Sea ranked ahead of your own Worldly Venerable, how would you feel?"

Lu Zheng was taken aback, "What's there to think about? Naturally, the one with the greater power should be ranked first!"

Xin'er laughed, "Silly Big Brother, do you think they would fight each other just because of their status? Not to mention, would they fight over a ranking? You're treating them like children. Besides, they practice the highest spiritual techniques of Buddhism and Daoism. If they were to fight, it would be a scene of unimaginable magnitude! And do you think every generation of Forgetful Heaven and Worldly Venerable would fight each other? That's why I said before, this list of the ten great masters is probably just someone's fabrication and doesn't count."

Lu Zheng was enlightened. He thought about it and realized that even he wouldn't fight over a ranking, let alone such great figures. He was indeed naive, and his understanding of things was not as profound as Xin'er's. He admired her, "Xin'er, you're really amazing. You can understand these principles, but I'm far behind you, just thinking like a child."

Xin'er's words, "You're treating them like children," were also a subtle tease. She said it out loud, but in her heart, she meant, "You're treating them like you, a child." But she didn't expect Lu Zheng to completely miss the underlying meaning and even admit that he was just thinking like a child. This made her little trick fall flat. She said, "Xin'er isn't that smart. These are things my father told me. I was young then, but I remembered what my father said, so I told Big Brother."

Just as the two were chatting, a thousand miles away from the Sun and Moon Cottage, four people were standing on a cloud, talking. Two of them were together, so the four people stood in three groups, forming a triangular standoff.

On the left was an old Daoist, with white hair and beard, holding a silver silk duster. His silver hair was neatly combed into a bun, with a green dragon-shaped jade hairpin. Opposite him was a middle-aged monk in a bright red robe, with thick eyebrows and a stern face, bowing his head in prayer.

These two were Dichen Lan and Lianhua Bumie. One had a sage-like demeanor, the other a solemn appearance. However, upon closer inspection, a silver thread could be seen falling from Dichen Lan, whether from his hair or his duster. On the other side, a corner of Lianhua Bumie's red robe was missing. It was truly unknown what kind of person could make both of them suffer a slight loss!

In the middle stood two people. One wore a green robe, with a long beard, a serious expression, and a solemn demeanor. The other was the opposite, lively and smiling, with long hair tied with a red ribbon, a few strands flying with his white robe. They were Li Yi and Yue Zhongping.

There was nothing unusual about the two of them, but when Mr. Yue saw the silver thread falling from Dichen Lan and the missing corner of Lianhua Bumie's robe, he frowned deeply, "This is not good at all!"