Chapter 38

Qing Shui Zhenren stood up, barefoot, and stepped onto the corridor, looking at Lin Fan and Ximen Shuai. Lin Fan estimated him to be around thirty, with very handsome features and a slender figure, exuding a feminine charm. However, his expression was rigid, as if he hadn't smiled or cried for at least twenty years. Lin Fan had seen such expressions before; among the cultivators in Yunqing Sect, those who reached a certain realm all had this look, indifferent to joy and sorrow, without hate or desire, as if they had seen through all worldly matters.

San San Zhenren then told Lin Fan, "This is what it means to go astray in cultivation."

Lin Fan was puzzled. "Why say that? Isn't this transcending the mundane and reaching a high realm?"

San San Zhenren replied, "What is called going astray in cultivation is losing one's humanity. Do they still have humanity? If, after becoming an immortal, one is indifferent to all things, without desire or emotion, what difference is there from a stone? If that's what being an immortal means, then I'd rather not be one."

At that moment, Lin Fan sat down and placed a piece of malt sugar wrapped in paper in front of the cultivator. The cultivator, who seemed to have no regard for others, simply said, "Leave, don't disturb my cultivation." Lin Fan saw no curiosity in his eyes, no interest in what was in the paper. San San Zhenren was talking about him right beside him, but he showed no anger, no joy, no concern. Lin Fan finally understood why San San Zhenren said they had gone astray; they had already transcended the realm of humans, as emotionless as plants, losing themselves in their cultivation. Was this a blessing or a curse?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Qing Shui Zhenren asked Lin Fan.

"Oh? Being able to ask this shows you're not a cultivator," Lin Fan replied. "I thought you were a cultivator."

"Cultivation?" Qing Shui Zhenren felt a pang of pain in his heart and looked at Lin Fan. "Come here."

"Can I not go?" Lin Fan asked, feeling he might have said something wrong. The Ten True Sayings, he seemed to be preparing to run.

"What sect are you from?" Qing Shui Zhenren asked.

"Yunqing Sect, Zhengyi Sect."

Qing Shui Zhenren's eyebrows twitched, and he gritted his teeth. "Yunqing Sect? Hmph, hmph, hmph..."

"..." Lin Fan ran, disappearing on the spot. This was the Wood Escape technique, allowing him to move through forests and trees without obstruction, the denser the trees, the faster the escape.

Qing Shui Zhenren was stunned for a moment. "What... did he do that for?"

"You scared him," Ximen Shuai said with a bitter smile. "When you talked about the cultivator, you had a hint of killing intent. When you mentioned Yunqing Sect, you clenched your teeth and coldly huffed."

"Call him back. I won't harm a junior; I just want to ask some questions," Qing Shui Zhenren said.

Ximen Shuai used the Qiankun Ring to chase after Lin Fan, then used his true qi to form words, searching for Lin Fan. After half an hour, they returned, and Lin Fan was embarrassed. "I apologize, Zhenren."

Qing Shui Zhenren shook his head, leaning against the corridor, the lake breeze gently blowing his hair, making him look less rigid and more beautiful and charming. "What's your name?"

"Lin Fan."

"Lin?" Qing Shui Zhenren asked. "How did you join Yunqing Sect?"

Lin Fan thought for a moment. "Can I not answer this question?"

"Please tell me," Qing Shui Zhenren said politely.

How did he join Yunqing Sect? Lin Fan grew up in a village a hundred miles away, raised by an old man and woman who said he was the child of their benefactor, entrusted to them. At the age of nine, Lin Fan and the old man went to Yunqing Sect. The old man told the gate disciples he wanted to see the sect leader and showed them a cloth bag.

The gate disciples naturally didn't report it, but the old man refused to leave, saying his benefactor had instructed him to deliver the contents of the bag to the sect leader. At this point, Elder Zhang passed by, heard the story, and mentioned it to San San Zhenren. San San Zhenren, who was in a good mood that day, became interested and went to the gate. He took a liking to Lin Fan, introduced himself as the sect leader, took the bag, and asked the old man if he wanted to leave Lin Fan behind.

The old man was naturally very happy. Both he and his wife were in poor health and were worried about Lin Fan being too young to survive without them. In the end, San San Zhenren gave the old man two jade pendants, one for him and one for his wife. Three years later, the old man and woman passed away peacefully. Lin Fan and San San Zhenren returned to the village, and Lin Fan buried them as a filial son.

Qing Shui Zhenren asked, "Your sect leader never knew about this?"

Lin Fan shook his head. "No, he didn't." It was a big deal, but it didn't need to trouble the sect leader.

Qing Shui Zhenren was skeptical. "Do you know someone named Lin Xuege?"

"I know him," Lin Fan said. "Lin Xuege was the top expert of Yunqing Sect fifty years ago, already having passed the Lesser Tribulation at the age of forty, making him the first in Yunqing Sect and one of the top cultivators in the realm. But the records end there. I asked the sect leader, and he said Lin Xuege died."

"Died?" Qing Shui Zhenren was shocked. "He died? How did he die?"

Lin Fan said, "The sect leader said he went astray in cultivation. It's said he had a heart demon and forcibly practiced the methods of evil sects, Buddhism, and Daoism, trying to unify all methods, but he died." Unifying all methods, he returned to his ancestors.

Qing Shui Zhenren stared ahead, silent for a long time. "What about his body?"

"It was cremated." Those who died from going astray in cultivation were always cremated. Lin Fan asked, "Zhenren, do you know my senior uncle?"

Qing Shui Zhenren gently shook his head. "I was Lin Xuege's wife."

Lin Fan and Ximen Shuai were surprised by this revelation.

"Unfortunately, Xuege was obsessed with cultivation and paid no attention to me. In a fit of anger, I moved here. I thought he would eventually come looking for me, but fifty years have passed, and I almost forgot about him. I never thought we would be separated by life and death." Qing Shui Zhenren's tears flowed. "He always said he was the personal disciple of the Guardian Elder, the eldest senior of the second generation, and had the responsibility to glorify the sect and protect Yunqing Mountain. He wanted to make Yunqing Sect the top cultivation sect. He said this was his ambition... I should have known why he never became the sect leader, why he was always out of touch, because... I didn't dare to think about it, year after year, I didn't dare to ask. I never thought that, in the end, it would be someone from Yunqing Sect who told me this tragic news."

Loneliness, desolation, and sorrow... these emotions were fully expressed in her words. Ximen Shuai kicked Lin Fan's Daoist shoe and gave him a look: since there's this connection, get the Heartless Vine first.

Qing Shui Zhenren seemed to notice Ximen Shuai's actions. "Go. Although Sun Hu is a demon beast, he practices Buddhism and vegetarianism and won't harm your life. If you can't defeat him, just say you are a junior of Qing Shui and only want Ling'er's fur."

Ximen Shuai breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Zhenren. Goodbye."

"Be on your way," Qing Shui Zhenren replied indifferently.

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