Chapter 42: Ignorance of Good and Evil
Yu Qingtang blurted it out, but the other side stayed quiet for so long that he began to feel a little uncertain.
Based on his experience, after a question like this, the worst-case scenario usually had only two possible developments. One was that he lied and said he was firm, then got beaten up until they discovered he was not firm at all and threw him out of the trial.
The other was that he honestly said he was not firm, and they threw him straight out of the trial.
But he had not been thrown out directly, which meant things had not gone in the worst possible direction.
Yu Qingtang waited there eagerly for a while. At last, the voice that had been silent for far too long rang out again, now faintly tinged with anger. “If your nature is not firm, why did you come here?”
Yu Qingtang said sincerely, “My sect is too poor. I came to try my luck.”
The other side fell silent again.
With the spirit of since we’re already here, Yu Qingtang decided to make one more effort. He tried to negotiate with the other side. “Um... it’s fine if the cultivation method isn’t impressive. Participation is what matters. I can even pick up the scraps you don’t want.”
After he finished, he stared expectantly at the air.
There was a moment of silence in midair. Then light flickered, as if struggling, before finally tossing out a tattered little booklet with a smack.
Yu Qingtang picked it up in delight and looked up in shock. “You’re just giving it to me? No trial?”
The other side’s voice carried a trace of irritation. “You are not firm. How am I supposed to test you?”
Yu Qingtang fell silent. That did seem to make sense.
Tests had always tested firm convictions. There was no need to test convictions that were not firm in the first place.
The voice urged impatiently, “Memorize the cultivation method and leave at once!”
Since the other side had already issued an eviction order, Yu Qingtang hurriedly lowered his head to look at the cultivation method in his hands—Scripture of Awaiting Good Fortune.
Yu Qingtang: “...”
Why did this title smell so strongly of waiting for a pie to fall from the sky?
If he had not obtained this cultivation method inside Sage-Hearing Academy, even he would have suspected it was a scam.
Suppressing his doubts, Yu Qingtang earnestly memorized the scripture and cultivated it once.
In summary, the main content of this scripture was: do one good deed each day. It was not restricted to praising others, letting someone off, persuading someone to abandon evil and return to righteousness, or any other particular form. As long as you held a sincere heart that wanted to do good—
Then quietly await good fortune.
Yu Qingtang opened his eyes in confusion. Could this thing really be useful? Why did it sound like cultivation-world motivational soup for the soul?
But it did not seem like pure chicken soup, either. It was pretty salty.
It said that when doing good deeds or praising others, the other person did not necessarily have to accept it. For example, if you sincerely praised someone by saying, “Your bald head is so shiny,” then even if the other party flew into a rage, as long as you were sincerely praising them, that was good.
When persuading someone to abandon evil and return to righteousness, results were not required. It was enough to persuade them. If you persuaded them, that was your goodness. If they refused to listen, that was their evil.
Yu Qingtang: “...”
The whole thing carried the idle-cultivator flavor of “just do your best” and “good enough is fine.”
Not going to lie, it actually suited him pretty well.
With a strange expression, Yu Qingtang lifted his head. The plot setting said that everyone could find an opportunity suited to them in Sage-Hearing Schoolhouse. This scripture couldn’t have been something the Heavenly Dao had just made up on the spot to patch the setting, could it?
He had just followed it and circulated the cultivation method once. He had not felt any wondrous sensation of his cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds, but his mood had become very good.
It was like... he had come to terms with things.
Although he had already been pretty good at coming to terms with things in the first place.
Yu Qingtang rubbed his nose. His feelings were a little complicated, but he still politely saluted and thanked the voice. “Many thanks—”
Before he could finish, his vision went black, and he was kicked out of the trial. The other side was more or less impatient to be rid of him.
Yu Qingtang staggered out through the doorway and nearly fell before managing to steady himself.
“Miss Yu, that fast?” Scholar Xiao was slightly surprised. “Did you succeed?”
His face was full of concern. “What cultivation method did you obtain?”
“Uh...” Yu Qingtang guiltily looked away.
“Miss Yu, we agreed just now.” Scholar Xiao hurriedly cupped his hands and begged him, “You can’t go back on your word at the last second, can you?”
“It’s not that I won’t tell you.” Yu Qingtang looked up at the sky. “The main thing is, I’m afraid that even if I tell you, you won’t believe me.”
Scholar Xiao had already taken out his brush, his expression sincere. “I would be honored to hear the details.”
Yu Qingtang leaned closer. “Have you ever heard of—Scripture of Awaiting Good Fortune?”
Scholar Xiao looked confused. “What?”
Yu Qingtang said in one breath, “It means you do one good deed every day, cultivate earnestly, then wait for great fortune to descend from the heavens.”
Scholar Xiao: “...”
He slowly put away his brush and sighed. “Miss Yu.”
He patted Yu Qingtang on the shoulder, comforting him. “The Sage-Hearing Schoolhouse trial is difficult to begin with. If you didn’t pass, that’s only reasonable. It’s all right.”
Yu Qingtang: “...Tch. Believe it or don’t. When the great fortune comes, I won’t share any with you.”
He crooked a finger. “Then I’ll sell you another piece of information. Five hundred spirit stones.”
Scholar Xiao was startled. “Brother Ye’s result is out too?”
“He’ll be a while yet.” Yu Qingtang waved a hand. In Sage-Hearing Schoolhouse, if you wanted to learn techniques, you had to withstand the other side’s moves.
Ye Chenyan had to fight a prodigy from the old Sage-Hearing Academy who used a long spear, learning as he fought. How many techniques he learned depended on how long he could hold out.
In the original work, he had lasted a whole day and night, learning an entire set of the Ten Halls of Yama Spear.
“It’s not his. It’s Jin Yangzi’s.” Yu Qingtang lowered his voice and encouraged him, “You can use his information to make your fortune. Take it and trade it for other people’s.”
“Oh?” Scholar Xiao leaned closer with great interest. “You even know Jin Yangzi’s?”
Yu Qingtang lowered his voice. “Of course.”
“On this trip, not only will he obtain Dharma Academy’s inheritance, the Lotus Realm, but he’ll also learn a dangerous and powerful secret art from Sage-Hearing Schoolhouse—Ignorance of Good and Evil.”
“The details—” Scholar Xiao was just about to press further when his expression suddenly changed. He pushed Yu Qingtang’s head down with one hand, spun the paper fan in his grip, and struck the pale hand that had suddenly reached out.
The two exchanged a move. Scholar Xiao’s expression froze, and he was actually sent flying backward, staggering several steps before he could stand firm.
But he did not forget to pull Yu Qingtang with him.
“What happened? What happened?”
Although Yu Qingtang had no idea what had happened behind him, he fled with Scholar Xiao without the slightest hesitation. Only after first pulling a safe distance away did he turn back—Jin Yangzi himself was standing behind him.
Yu Qingtang: “...”
Was this Scripture of Awaiting Good Fortune really genuine or not? He had only cultivated it once, and he was already caught red-handed talking badly about someone behind his back!
“Ahem.” Scholar Xiao hid his faintly trembling hand behind his back, the usual smile appearing on his face. “A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.”
“Brother Jin’s appearance here must mean you’ve gained a great harvest this time...”
Yu Qingtang cautiously reminded him, “His surname isn’t Jin. Jin Yangzi is a Daoist name.”
“I know.” Scholar Xiao’s smile was stiff. “I’m a little nervous.”
Yu Qingtang asked quietly, “How bad is it?”
Scholar Xiao lowered his voice. “His aura is astonishing now. We haven’t seen him for only a short while, but he seems to have advanced greatly. I actually feel as if I’m no match for him.”
Yu Qingtang nodded sincerely. “That isn’t your imagination.”
If I remember correctly, you really shouldn’t be able to beat him.
“As long as it isn’t my imagination.” Scholar Xiao let out a breath of relief. “Then we need to run.”
Yu Qingtang clutched his sleeve tightly. “Take me with you!”
“All right!” Scholar Xiao still had some loyalty. He flew upward and fled by stepping through the air.
Jin Yangzi stood at the entrance of the schoolhouse and slowly raised his head. If the two of them had looked back at that moment, they would have seen that his eyes, which had always been tightly closed, were now open. They were pitch-black, as if covered by black fog, and the red dot between his brows had transformed into a bright red character for “evil.” There was no trace left of his natural Buddhist appearance. He looked instead like a demon from hell.
He lifted his hand. A flying wheel stained with black energy shot after them, and he rose into the air after it.
Scholar Xiao turned around alertly, held his brush in his right hand, and swiftly wrote the character for “book.” With a sweep of his fan in his left hand, that single word smashed down with tremendous force, forcefully blocking the flying wheel.
“Brother, let us talk this over...” Scholar Xiao was still trying to persuade him when Jin Yangzi’s figure suddenly vanished from before his eyes.
“Lower your head!”
Yu Qingtang’s voice came from behind him. Scholar Xiao was startled and instinctively obeyed. Yu Qingtang even kicked him lightly on the backside. He did not resist at all and threw himself forward with it, narrowly avoiding Jin Yangzi’s palm, which had been aimed to pierce his heart.
Scholar Xiao turned around in a sorry state, and even the smile on his face was starting to fail. “Brother, for you to strike so ruthlessly is somewhat... Miss Yu!”
Scholar Xiao turned pale with alarm, because Yu Qingtang was already being held by the throat in Jin Yangzi’s hand.
Jin Yangzi’s state was wrong. He was like a completely different person from usual. He pulled Yu Qingtang closer and asked, “How did you know what technique I learned?”
Yu Qingtang: “...”
Give me a moment to think up a lie.
Scholar Xiao’s face showed struggle. No one knew what he was thinking, but he tightened his grip on the brush in his hand, looking as though he was about to get serious.
“Wait!” Yu Qingtang struggled to lift his head, tears shimmering in his eyes as he urged him, “Don’t be reckless, Scholar Xiao! You’re no match for him!”
“I think so too!” Scholar Xiao looked bitter. “But I can’t just abandon you!”
“Don’t worry about me, hurry and run!” Yu Qingtang closed his eyes with the air of one who had seen through the vicissitudes of life. He had known it. Being taken hostage by the villain was the destiny of his female-lead route.
Scholar Xiao was caught between choices, somewhat moved. “Miss Yu... this!”
Yu Qingtang quickly opened his eyes again. “No, wait, you can’t completely ignore me either. Run first and call someone to save me!”
Scholar Xiao gritted his teeth, cupped his hands, and flew up. “Jin Yangzi, the Golden Core Competition is a trial of the immortal sects. The disciples of the Nine Provinces are of one breath and branch. No matter what, you cannot harm her life!”
“Miss Yu, I owe you five hundred spirit stones. I definitely won’t abandon you! I’ll go call someone to save you!”
Yu Qingtang struggled to raise his head. “It’s one thousand!”
Scholar Xiao’s fleeing figure stumbled for a moment.
As he ran, the brush in his hand did not stop. A thickly inked character for “danger” was stamped into the sky.
Only after watching him slip away did Yu Qingtang secretly raise his eyes to look at Jin Yangzi. Jin Yangzi did not seem especially interested in Scholar Xiao and had not stopped him.
Yu Qingtang did not dare move his neck while it was being held in Jin Yangzi’s hand. He spoke cautiously. “Can I ask whether you’ve successfully cultivated Lotus Realm?”
Jin Yangzi was utterly different from his usual cold-as-frost, everyone-irritates-me appearance. His handsome face was filled with an evil air, and he smiled wantonly. “What would you do if I haven’t succeeded?”
Yu Qingtang answered quietly, “Then you still can’t kill living beings, so I’ll be a little braver and shout for help a couple of times.”
As if he found that interesting, Jin Yangzi laughed until his eyes curved. “Then what if I have succeeded?”
Yu Qingtang shrank his neck. “Then I’ll behave a little and not shout for now.”
Jin Yangzi threw back his head and burst into loud laughter, seeming almost deranged. His mental state looked extremely abnormal. “Haha! Interesting, interesting. So Ye Chenyan was deceived by this...”
He lowered his head, his expression turning a little strange. Then he suddenly released Yu Qingtang’s neck, pinched his face, and pulled him closer to examine him carefully.
Yu Qingtang was caught off guard and found himself staring straight into Jin Yangzi’s eyes, where even the pupils and whites had gone entirely black. He was so frightened that his gaze darted around and he did not dare look directly.
Jin Yangzi laughed again. This time, he laughed even more wildly, almost unable to straighten his waist. “So that’s it, so that’s it! You’re actually a... hahaha!”
“Ye Chenyan was deceived by you. He was actually deceived by you, haha!”
Yu Qingtang: “!”
The plot said he had a special eye technique and could not casually open his eyes.
Previously, his eyes had always been closed too. But now, although his eyes were completely black, he was indeed keeping them open. Could it be...
Yu Qingtang slowly lifted a hand to cover his chest. With not nearly enough confidence and a clear attempt at cover-up, he said, “D-don’t talk nonsense, okay? I’m just a tiny bit flat.”