Watching the Mountain

When Wang Zhenye finished speaking, as if deciding it wasn’t worth wasting his breath on such a person, he theatrically brushed nonexistent dust from his clothes, his face full of contempt.

"Fine, I have nothing more to say to your kind. Think your life is short? Great! While you can still move, take a page from my book: eat what you want, drink what you want, and go have some fun! Who are you wailing like a mourner for out here? Pah!"

The moment he said this, many disciples in the crowd couldn’t help but chuckle. Some of the female disciples, in particular, lowered their heads with blushing cheeks, yet they couldn’t resist sneaking fascinated glances at Wang Zhenye.

Many of the Qing Xuan Peak disciples had heard of this Wang Zhenzhuan’s reputation.

’Now that they’d seen him in person, he really was as interesting as the rumors claimed.’

Wang Zhenye said his piece and ignored Wang Xiaohu’s reaction. He turned and began to walk away, shaking his head and remarking with a sigh:

"I don’t know what anyone else thinks, but I, Wang Zhenye, know one thing for sure: this carefree life I lead was given to me by the Sect. I might be a good-for-nothing, but I still understand a fundamental truth."

"And that is, in this world, there’s no such thing as love without a reason, and certainly no love that should be taken for granted."

After saying this, he paused. He looked back silently over the long distance, his gaze fixed on Wang Xiaohu, and spoke softly.

"You were only asked to cultivate properly and work hard to raise your cultivation. Does that cause you so much pain? To argue against even that... just how much do you hate yourself?"

"The girls at the Carefree Pavilion down the mountain are very... welcoming. Perhaps you should go experience it for yourself."

With that, he said no more. With a carefree swagger in his step, his figure slowly vanished from sight.

Xu Ran had been watching Wang Zhenye from the moment he appeared, and only looked away after he had vanished.

So many years had passed, and Wang Zhenye still lived with such clarity. Even Xu Ran found himself a little envious of his lifestyle.

Then, Xu Ran’s gaze fell upon Wang Xiaohu. Compared to Wang Zhenye, Wang Xiaohu was the type to get bogged down in trivialities, unable to see the bigger picture.

’He was quite curious as to why the young man had turned out this way.’

Thanks to the little interlude with Wang Zhenye, Wang Xiaohu’s earlier words failed to sway the other disciples. He left, his face ashen with fury.

And then, Xu Ran finally understood why he had become like this. It wasn’t that he had suffered some injustice, nor was he obsessing over nothing. It was simply that his heart was filled with hate.

Wang Xiaohu had said, his eyes full of resentment, "I heard from some people that our Peak Master, Qing Xuan True Monarch, once considered taking me as his disciple, but later gave up on the idea."

"He said it was because I didn’t have enough righteousness in my heart."

He gave a bitter laugh. "Heh, everyone has seen how many good deeds and righteous acts I’ve performed in the Sect. To say I’m not righteous enough... I get it. It was just an excuse. The real reason is that my innate talent didn’t meet the Peak Master’s standards."

"I did so much to try and make the Sect a better place, and in the end, all I got in return was being told I’m ’not righteous enough.’ Isn’t that laughable?"

Xu Ran looked at Wang Xiaohu, whose eyes were brimming with resentment, and found nothing laughable about it.

The single greatest thing Wang Xiaohu had ever done was when Teacher Qing Xuan was in seclusion. He had relentlessly sought him out, demanding that he deliver justice for the disciples who had been wounded and killed on the Evil Demon Battlefield. That incident was what led to the establishment of Qing Xuan Peak.

’He had only been the messenger; it was Teacher Qing Xuan who had dispensed justice. Afterward, Wang Xiaohu used the credit from that event to build some prestige among the disciples of Qing Xuan Peak and even formed his own little clique.’

’It seemed that in his mind, he took all the credit, completely forgetting that it was Teacher Qing Xuan who had administered justice for him, retrieved the Blood Ginseng, and saved his gravely injured father.’

Xu Ran’s feelings were complicated. Wang Xiaohu had been the first person whose business he had ever meddled in. Although it had been at Teacher Qing Xuan’s behest, Xu Ran had been the one to carry out the entire affair.

’A portion of the goodwill Teacher Qing Xuan had shown the boy had come from him, too.’

’And yet, that kindness had ultimately been repaid with resentment.’

"I want you to think back carefully. During your time in the Sect, have you received more kindness, or have you given more? I will wait for your answer."

After leaving Wang Xiaohu with this question, Xu Ran departed.

*

*

*

The incident with Wang Xiaohu had no effect on Li Daoyi. Afterward, he continued his daily routine of visiting the various peaks to practice his swordsmanship and encourage others in their cultivation. Thanks to his efforts, the atmosphere within the Sect steadily improved.

Li Daoyi also continued to seek out Xu Ran for advice on his swordsmanship. However, after some time, he arrived for his next visit with two other people.

One man and one woman.

They were none other than Li Daoyi’s opponents from the final two matches of the last great inter-sect tournament.

Luo Qianxue from the Jade Radiance Immortal Sect and Chu Lingxiao from the Illusion Spirit Sect.

Li Daoyi led the pair to Xu Ran’s Cave Mansion. He then bowed to Xu Ran and began to speak slowly.

"Senior Uncle, these are my friends, whom you’ve met. They heard that your swordsmanship is related to that of Sword Dao Ye Shan and wished to witness it for themselves. Would that be possible?"

Xu Ran felt a pang of exasperation upon hearing this. ’This kid really just says whatever is on his mind, doesn’t he?’

Luo Qianxue and Chu Lingxiao quickly followed suit with bows of their own, their voices sincere. "We implore you, Senior, please grant our request."

Xu Ran regarded the two of them for a moment before speaking slowly.

"I have no issue with that. However, before we proceed, I have a question that I hope you will answer for me."

The two exchanged a glance and quickly replied, "Senior, please ask whatever is on your mind. We will not be offended."

After motioning for the group to sit, Xu Ran’s gaze swept over them before he slowly began to ask his question.

"What is the situation here? If I remember correctly, the relationship between our three Sects is not exactly amicable. Is it alright for you all to be associating like this?"

The relationship with Luo Qianxue’s Jade Radiance Immortal Sect was one thing, but the one between Chu Lingxiao’s Illusion Spirit Sect and the Profound Pure Sect was genuinely poor.

Upon hearing Xu Ran’s question, the young disciples exchanged a smile, and Li Daoyi spoke first.

"What you say is true, Senior Uncle. However, we believe those are issues of the previous generation. Besides, even if the relations between our Sects are poor, we are all powers within the Immortal Ancient Cultivation Realm. In critical times, we are allies."

After he finished, Luo Qianxue added, "The last inter-sect tournament made us realize that we are all cut from the same cloth. Finding true kindred spirits is a rare thing in life. Compared to the state of our Sects’ relations, we place more importance on gaining a few good friends."

Then, Chu Lingxiao spoke. "We are the foremost disciples of our generation in our respective Sects. This means the future of our Sects rests in our hands. The future of the relationships between our Sects is also for us to decide."

Li Daoyi then smiled. "We’ve heard that the Demon Court has recently produced several young prodigies who are in the process of changing the Demon Race. We thought we might also try to change our Immortal Ancient World together."

Xu Ran looked at the high-spirited, utterly fearless youths before him and fell silent.

’He was right. This is how the young should be—fearless, confident they can change the world.’

’How could something as trivial as sect politics possibly be an obstacle for them?’

He looked at the smiles in their eyes and thought about the current state of the Cultivation Realm. He sighed to himself. ’I hope their friendship can last. It would be best if they could change the world, just as they dream.’

"I have no more questions. You wanted to see my swordsmanship, didn’t you? Then let’s begin."