Chapter 70: Mundane Troubles
The first thing Wang Ping did was take out the Purgatory Banner and tell Yu Cheng Taoist the full story of Tongyu.
Yu Cheng Taoist was shocked for a mere moment by the supposed truth of the Yongming Port incident, but he quickly composed himself.
However, Tongyu Taoist was acting a bit strange. Or perhaps it was that his mood had grown even more somber ever since Wang Ping returned to Qianmu Temple. After Wang Ping finished his story, Tongyu Taoist sighed and said:
"Lord Yuxiao’s renown feels as if it were only yesterday. I never imagined Qianmu Temple would fall into such a state!"
A glint appeared in Yu Cheng Taoist’s eyes. "Fellow Daoist, you know of my Qianmu Temple’s Ancestral Master?"
Tongyu Taoist’s Primordial Spirit materialized at the size of a full-grown man. He cupped his fist toward Yu Cheng Taoist and said, "Right before I fell into slumber, I lived through the great war between the Mystic Sect and the Heaven Sect. The Qi Cultivators of southern Zhongzhou survived that war only thanks to Lord Yuxiao’s protection. Later, I heard the Lord went missing in the Mist Sea. Many sects sent disciples to search for him, but alas, they all came back empty-handed."
Wang Ping had heard Yu Cheng Taoist briefly mention this before he officially became his disciple. Hearing it again now from Tongyu, with his new understanding and circumstances, gave him an entirely different feeling.
He had read about the Mist Sea in books on geography and local lore. It was located at the southernmost edge of the Southeast Zhongzhou Sea Region, a place perennially shrouded in mist. Ordinary people who entered rarely made it out, and those who did had no memory of what had happened inside.
It was a peculiar place, one that perfectly matched Wang Ping’s fantasies about the wonders of the Xianxia Realm. If the founding Ancestral Master of Qianmu Temple hadn’t gone missing there, he would have thought it was just a ghost story told to scare children.
Yu Cheng Taoist fell silent for several breaths upon hearing this. Finally, he stroked his beard and said, "There’s no use dwelling on the past. We who cultivate the Dao must continue to press forward."
With that, he formed a hand seal with his left hand, then reached out with his right and snatched at the empty air.
Wang Ping’s vision suddenly went dark, as if all light between heaven and earth had vanished. The sensation was fleeting, and when his sight returned, he saw a Talisman had appeared in Yu Cheng Taoist’s hand.
"The Borrowing Fortune Technique. You certainly dote on your disciple," Tongyu Taoist said, cupping his fists. He then returned to his original form and reattached himself to the Purgatory Banner.
Just then, Yu Lian spoke up in Wang Ping’s Spirit Sea. "For a split second there, I felt a conscious fluctuation from that old man Tongyu’s Primordial Spirit."
Before Wang Ping could process her words, Yu Cheng Taoist turned to Tongyu Taoist with an apologetic look. "Just a precaution. Your lifeline is now bound to my disciple’s. In the future, should any harm befall my disciple because of you, you will be beset by endless misfortune until your Primordial Spirit is extinguished."
"It matters little to me. As long as I can continue to eke out an existence and watch this world, I am content. If not, then death is fine too." The diminutive figure of Tongyu Taoist gave Yu Cheng Taoist a bow before disappearing.
"Put it away," Yu Cheng Taoist said to Wang Ping, gesturing toward the Purgatory Banner. "He will be of great help to you in the future. If you manage to advance to the Fourth Realm, remember to help him reforge his body."
"Yes, Master!" Wang Ping did as he was told.
Next, Wang Ping reported on the Water Spirit Vein. Yu Cheng Taoist was thrilled to hear about it—so much so that he showed little interest when Wang Ping moved on to the affairs of the White Water Sect and the Iron Art Sect.
When Wang Ping mentioned that he had learned the Nine Extremes Array, Yu Cheng Taoist smiled again, praising him as he often did, "You truly have an innate gift for cultivation." But then his tone shifted. "For now, don’t study this Array too deeply. Wait until after your breakthrough."
"Yes, Master!" Soon, Wang Ping brought up the nomination for the Sixth Seat and took the opportunity to ask for Yu Cheng Taoist’s opinion.
"For now, your only focus should be on your breakthrough. I will handle everything else. We can make other plans once you’ve succeeded." Yu Cheng Taoist didn’t elaborate; his greatest fear was that Wang Ping’s cultivation would be delayed by unimportant matters.
"Yes, Master!"
"By the way, I’ve heard of this Hongchen. The Daoist Scripture Hall lauds him as a generational talent, the best in decades. If he also cultivates the Taiyan Talisman, he will be your greatest rival in the future. Be wary of him."
"Yes, Master!"
"There is one more thing... Your father passed away ten days after you left. And your... that disciple of yours got married three days after your father’s passing."
For a moment, Wang Ping was stunned. He felt a wave of disappointment—in his disciple, in himself—and a conflicting mix of longing for and rejection of his mortal family.
"Go and see for yourself."
"Yes, Master."
...
Wang Ping left his master’s small courtyard, formed a hand seal to cast the Invisibility Technique, and then rose into the air on a cloud.
As he flew over Qianmu Mountain, Yu Lian asked, "What was your father like?"
"The memory is a bit hazy. I just remember he was very thin and darkly tanned. He liked to come back from the fields and suck on his pipe, though most of the time it was empty."
"Oh? What about your mother?"
"What I remember most is that she woke up very early every day, always telling me to do chores. She had an endless list of tasks herself!"
"You had it pretty rough..."
’I did have it pretty rough.’ When Wang Ping had first transmigrated, he’d inherited some of the original owner’s memories and had briefly dreamed of using his modern knowledge to change the world. But when it came time to act, he realized he was useless. His best bet was to hide away in Qianmu Temple and cultivate, where he could be out of sight and out of mind.
While they spoke, Wang Ping arrived above the village at the foot of the mountain. The once-poor hamlet had become a bustling, walled town. None of the neatly arranged buildings within the town existed in his memory. It was surrounded by vast stretches of rice paddies.
Wang Ping scanned the area and easily found his father’s grave. Its feng shui was excellent, situated on a slope that resembled a Grandmaster’s Chair.
He descended.
The grave was well-maintained. The inscription on the headstone read: "Tomb of Beloved Father, Wang Guiyi."
Wang Ping materialized, knelt, and kowtowed three times. After rising, he turned invisible again and flew toward his ancestral home from memory. The original three-room thatched cottage was gone, replaced by a sprawling five-courtyard mansion bustling with activity.
In the eastern courtyard’s garden, Wang Ping saw a white-haired old woman reclining comfortably in a Grandmaster’s Chair, attended by two pleasant-looking maids. Her eyes were crinkled in a smile as she watched two children roughhousing in the courtyard.
’The two children must be descendants of the two younger brothers I never met.’ After he had formally renounced his secular ties, his parents had another son, and later, a second son and a daughter.
"Is that your mother? She’s not like you described," Yu Lian asked curiously.
"Times change. I suppose I’ve repaid them for the gift of life..." Wang Ping muttered to himself before summoning a cloud and flying toward the small courtyard atop Qianmu Mountain without a backward glance.
The Spirit Wood and Spirit Grass in the small courtyard had been replanted, bringing life back to the once-barren mountaintop.
In the distance, he saw Liang Tao pacing anxiously back and forth at the courtyard entrance.
When Wang Ping landed and materialized, Liang Tao immediately bowed and said quickly, "Martial Uncle, you have to go see! Junior Sister Liu and Junior Brother Yang have started fighting."
"I’ll go take a look!"
Yu Lian’s body rapidly expanded, and she shot into the air on a cloud.
Wang Ping, however, remained unmoved. He let out a breath and walked into the courtyard without a single word to Liang Tao. Liang Tao stood at the entrance, frantic, but dared not follow. In the end, all he could do was give a quick bow before heading back down the mountain.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Yu Lian returned to the small courtyard on her cloud.
"How boring. They stopped fighting the moment they saw me..." she complained, landing on the roof eaves and curling up to bask in the sun.