Chapter 113: When the Mo Clan Holds a Grudge Against You
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The Rain Palace Master’s reason for imprisoning himself—after some thought, the Eighteenth Tower Master seemed to have an answer, yet he did not speak it aloud.
Up to now, he rarely left questions unanswered, and each one seemed significant.
“I think, within the Rain Palace, it’s best if you don’t utter the Master’s name.”
Gu Yi nodded. “I suppose the Rain Palace Master herself doesn’t mind, and you can call her that because, aside from the Master, no one here can defeat you.”
“Smart, yes. But you should temper your pride and impatience, sit down with me, meditate together. Quiet contemplation might make things less dull.”
“Do you have something urgent to accomplish?” the Eighteenth Tower Master pressed.
Gu Yi thought for a moment. “Yes, but it’s not exceedingly urgent.”
“Then it’s not urgent. Are you afraid of losing your life here?”
Gu Yi pondered again. “The Pavilion Master might be stronger than me, but killing me would be troublesome.”
“Then you cannot be killed. On your path to immortality, have you resolved all your confusions?”
Gu Yi recalled the phrase “Voice of the Heavenly Dao” he heard during his battle with Mo Chi and shook his head. “Not yet.”
“Then what’s the hurry?”
With a palm motion, the Eighteenth Tower Master drew Gu Yi close.
“In Luyang Academy, anyone encountering me first worries about the Snowy Night ordeal, then about the path of cultivation. You have this chance, and you ask nothing?”
This silver-haired man, in some ways, even surpassed Gu Yi’s previous peak cultivation. At least, he himself did not know how to break into the mortal realm.
Gu Yi owed him some respect, and the man treated him kindly. “You said cultivation should be centered on me.”
The path of cultivation emphasizes comprehension. Those who understand this rarely inquire of others because even if told, understanding another’s path is merely retracing footsteps, imitation without transcendence.
The Eighteenth Tower Master showed a slight smile. “You are quite perceptive.”
“Even with perception, I can only make grand plans within this landscape painting.”
The Eighteenth Tower Master asked, “Why make grand plans?”
Gu Yi thought, “Don’t get philosophical on me; I’m the only one allowed to do that!”
“I didn’t study culture well, just picked a phrase at random.”
The Eighteenth Tower Master glanced at him in surprise. “That I didn’t expect.”
Then he asked, “Do you wish to merge with the Dao?”
“Naturally, if it happens.”
“Which Dao?”
“The Dao of humanity is suffering, the Dao of earth is darkness, the Dao of heaven is righteousness. I wish to merge with the Heavenly Dao.”
The Eighteenth Tower Master replied calmly, “Understood. Meditate now; we will speak tomorrow.”
Gu Yi, just hooked, glanced at the man, hesitating to speak.
“Meditate,” the Eighteenth Tower Master repeated.
After the recent commotion, Gu Yi’s heart gradually settled. He was not a completely restless youth, just found the Rain Palace peculiar upon arrival.
When truly meditating, he entered the state swiftly.
Previously, he experienced successive sensations, moving from setting the heart to guarding the spirit, then returning to simplicity. His realm rose rapidly but he hadn’t yet stabilized his breath.
Upon closing his eyes, his latent spiritual energy rose quickly, emitting a faint humming that wrapped around his body.
The Eighteenth Tower Master turned to watch him, thinking: Twenty years of steadfast guarding, never receiving what he truly sought, yet here comes a prodigious child.
His spiritual energy was pure, and it was clear from his meditation that he followed the four important yet easily overlooked words: go with the flow.
He ended the topic abruptly because he felt merging with the Dao was not yet the best time for this child.
To merge with the Heavenly Dao… does such a Dao truly exist?
Gu Yi cultivated, the Eighteenth Tower Master sat silent; time passed quietly.
The magic of the landscape painting was such that sunsets and sunrises occurred here too; the sun was visible but unattainable.
Entering cultivation erased the sense of time. After a night, day returned.
Gu Yi opened his eyes, stretched, and twisted his body. He saw the Eighteenth Tower Master sitting on a stone by the lake. Not only his movements but even his aura was faint; yet listening closely, his breath was smooth, steady, and continuous.
Impressive.
“Someone’s coming,” the Eighteenth Tower Master suddenly opened his eyes.
“Who?” Gu Yi was stunned, feeling nothing.
“Rain Palace’s Shu Yu seeks audience with the Eighteenth Tower Master.”
No figure appeared, the voice seemed to come from all directions.
“Left Envoy, why do you seek the Eighteenth Tower Master?”
“Are the two people Shu Yu brought still at the Bo Pavilion? They are not seen within the palace today.”
“It’s Shu Yu,” Gu Yi said, about to go out.
“Wait.” The Eighteenth Tower Master moved silently, as if passing through space. Without any spiritual fluctuation, he appeared before Gu Yi in a blink. “I said the day before yesterday, Shu Yu cannot be seen.”
Indeed, it was said before, but something felt strange.
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“Wasn’t that said yesterday?”
The Eighteenth Tower Master really thought about it, tilting his head. “Was it? Maybe not yesterday, perhaps the day before yesterday?”
Six dots appeared on Gu Yi’s forehead. A bad feeling rose. “When I meditate, I forget time! Was it yesterday? Could it be really the day before yesterday?”
The Eighteenth Tower Master scratched his head, then laughed heartily. “Haha, got confused again!”
“What’s so funny?!” Gu Yi felt himself losing sanity.
The Eighteenth Tower Master seemed normal but was oddly off with time, and his laugh was the coldest and most sudden “hahaha” ever!
Outside, Shu Yu was anxious, calling again, “Eighteenth Tower Master, may Shu Yu enter?”
“No need!” The Eighteenth Tower Master suddenly clasped his hands behind his back, walking with solemn steps, like an immortal elder.
“That girl called Shu Le has already left the Rain Palace on her own, Bai Ci knows. As for Gu Yi, he is now beside me.”
Gu Yi also spoke, “Miss Shu Yu, I am inside.”
The Eighteenth Tower Master continued, like a chatterbox, “Left Envoy, you know the palace rules well. I think it’s a pity if this child dies.”
Shu Yu stood before the Bo Pavilion, invisible to those inside, and likewise, the Eighteenth Tower Master and Gu Yi inside could not see her. Only voices could be transmitted, strangely.
“Shu Yu understands.”
Gu Yi said, “She is not a murderer. If seeing her meant death, I would be dead already. Besides, I have matters to discuss with her.”
The Eighteenth Tower Master did warn that meeting Shu Yu could be dangerous, perhaps with reason. But Gu Yi was unwilling to simply follow “his words” blindly here. It felt unreasonable, uncomfortable.
He stepped out directly, leaving a worried Eighteenth Tower Master shaking his head: “Bai Ci’s saintly authority yesterday, still angry now.”
Outside the pavilion,
Shu Yu wore a long dress, a silk cloth tied at the waist. If ever there was a fairy maiden with an ethereal aura, she was it—especially those clear eyes, pure as springs, stunning the mortal realm.
“Eighteenth Tower Master, did she tell you much?”
“Yes, I know. I must stay here day and night, watching your cultivation grow, watching your beauty increase, then worry about when the Master will kill me for looking at you too long.”
Shu Yu turned, hands holding her sleeves, walking along the gaps beneath peach trees.
“The Master’s rules seem absurd to outsiders, but that’s because our Mo clan suffered greatly. You... better not speak like that. If you truly fled then that would be one thing, but since you didn’t, you must watch your every word.”
Gu Yi asked, “The Eighteenth Tower Master said, besides passing the Master’s test to leave the palace, there is another way to make the Master change her mind. How can that be done?”
“There is no way. The Master’s mind does not turn easily,” Shu Yu seemed to find the question meaningless, then asked, “What is it you want to say to me?”
Gu Yi knew impatience was futile; he had to proceed slowly. “I heard from the Eighteenth Tower Master that Two Peaks and the Rain Palace are connected. If so, that Light Wind still seeks Mo Chi to trap you?”
“Yes, but there’s nothing to be done.” Shu Yu’s face was calm as they walked. “Still, thank you for thinking of me.”
Gu Yi was puzzled. “Thank or not, it’s irrelevant. I mean, don’t you tell the Master about such things?”
“The Master has no interest in worldly affairs. Telling her would only annoy her.”
“So what does she care about?”
“Here in the Sacred Realm, her heart is with the mortal world. She used to listen to such matters occasionally, but since the Eighteenth Tower Master advanced further, the Master has grown impatient even to hear them.”
Gu Yi began to understand this place bit by bit. Yet the more he understood, beyond its strangeness was a simplicity—like the scenery, a vast whiteness.
Perhaps Shu Yu had little else to do and came to find him, since their Master would not trouble herself with managing her subordinates.
Of course, the Rain Palace Master was too powerful; even if she didn’t interfere, no major problems would arise.
Gu Yi had never encountered such an organization before.
“Forgot to ask, why did you come to see me?”
He could do nothing here, could not help others, even needed their help. Shu Yu’s purpose was strange.
Could the girl have improper intentions?
Gu Yi dismissed the thought quickly—after the Eighteenth Tower Master’s scare, he realized these Mo clan girls were somewhat paranoid and mentally peculiar. Who would want to marry a lunatic? He already narcissistically refused her in his mind.
“I’m here to tell you that the war between the Li and Xu kingdoms has begun in skirmishes today. You cannot participate.”
“I can’t participate either, so no need to be so serious. Consider it a fair loss of one Return-to-Simplicity realm from each side.”
“That’s not the same.” Gu Yi refused to be fooled. “I can’t fight because your Master trapped me here. You can’t fight because your own people stabbed you. How is that a fair voluntary absence?”
Shu Yu sighed. “Men, why do you always argue about trivial things with me?”
“Because I can’t win arguments about important things on your turf,” Gu Yi shrugged.
Shu Yu blinked, eyes twinkling with amusement, deliberately turning aside to hide a smile.
She adjusted herself and said, “Anyway, I told you.”
“That’s all?”
“Not quite... I can inform you daily about the war between Xu and Li, but you must help me.”
Gu Yi knew there was no free lunch. Forget friendship everlasting—they had faced life and death and still kept it real.
“What do you want me to help with?”
“Killing,” Shu Yu said lightly, as if killing a chicken.
“Killing? This is the Rain Palace. You’re the Palace Protector. Who do you want to kill that you can’t? If you can’t kill them, why would I, a captive, help? Besides, you’re a girl, shouldn’t you avoid such violence?”
“You’re the one who’s overly cautious. What’s wrong with killing one person?” Shu Yu gave a slightly stern look. “It’s not someone from the Rain Palace.”
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“Who then?”
“The one you mentioned who framed me—Light Wind. Two Peaks target the Xu Kingdom’s Yin family. They allied with the Rain Palace. But Two Peaks’ actions are despicable. They not only used He Yu but also want to use me. I suspect they’re trading with Mo Chi, hoping he will join the war. Someone who has merged with the Dao can sway victory decisively.”
“After I returned to the palace, I heard Two Peaks would enter the Rain Palace again, including Light Wind.”
If killing that person was possible, it was not out of the question.
Gu Yi was also a victim of Light Wind’s schemes.
“If I kill a guest of the Rain Palace, won’t your Master torture me?”
“No need to worry. Light Wind plotted against me, but the Master hasn’t spoken. I set a trap for him. The Master may ignore worldly affairs, but would she favor outsiders? Besides, I guess Light Wind believes we have been poisoned by Mo Chi. He wouldn’t suspect a Mo clan woman holds a grudge.”
A cold breeze suddenly swept through Gu Yi’s lower body.
The words Ye Xiaoniang spoke about the Great Xu prince being killed by the Rain Palace Master echoed in his mind.
Clear love and hate—Shu Yu was bent on revenge against Light Wind!
“What’s wrong?” Shu Yu asked, puzzled. “Why suddenly move so far from me?”
“Nothing. I feel better this way.” Gu Yi asked in advance, “We have no grudge, right? Just different stances.”
His demeanor was odd to Shu Yu, but understandable. She revealed a faint smile. “Are you afraid of me?”
Gu Yi denied it outright. “No, I’m just puzzled why so many praise the Mo clan women. Not that you’re bad—I just don’t know what’s so good.”
Though injured, Shu Yu was in the Rain Palace, and Gu Yi knew well how powerful the Master was. With just a finger, she could crush a Return-to-Simplicity cultivator.
“Then just think we’re not good,” Shu Yu’s character didn’t care about others’ opinions. “Have you agreed to my request? You must have gotten into trouble because of him. Will you let it go if you get a chance to settle accounts?”
“I don’t care. I have a good temper.” Gu Yi’s mind raced. This girl had no clue what negotiation means under market economy.
“You!” Shu Yu was surprised. “You take injustice so passively?”
Gu Yi held two facts: she would certainly take revenge, and her injury prevented her from defeating Light Wind now.
That guy was annoying but powerful.
Silly girl, laying everything bare so clearly.
“I do care, but no matter what, I’m stuck here for life with that old geezer. Killing or not killing Light Wind won’t change that.”
“Unless I can leave someday…”
“Delusional! You’ll stay in the palace all your life!”
Hearing this, Shu Yu clearly understood Gu Yi was bargaining, but his condition was something she couldn’t fulfill.
So she turned and left.
“Stay then. You beg me, I beg you.”
Such arrogance when asking for favors.
After she left, the Eighteenth Tower Master dared to come out, like a nosy village bumpkin eavesdropping.
“You should have agreed to her.”
Gu Yi grumbled, “Why? Light Wind isn’t easy to kill.”
“Have you forgotten I’m here? Once he enters the Rain Palace, killing him won’t be hard.”
Though comforting, Gu Yi was curious.
“Do you help me just because I’m also from Luyang Academy?”
The Eighteenth Tower Master sighed, a hint of sadness. “I owe much to Luyang Academy. But also because we both will stay here for a very long time.”
“I’ll find a way out. By then, Xiaoniang will have figured out how to make hot pot. I’ll invite you.”
“I am not a foodie.”
Not a foodie?
Gu Yi narrowed his eyes. The Eighteenth Tower Master’s character was always a bit of a dark horse—powerful, outstanding, seeming like a recluse, yet casually unpretentious.
His imposing silhouette sometimes betrayed little flaws unbefitting a ‘master.’
“Tower Master, with nothing else to do, shall we make some food?”
The Eighteenth Tower Master stopped walking, his ears twitched, and he asked in a deep voice, “What food?”
“Fish. Grilled fish. But it takes two. I catch the fish, you grill it.”
Catching fish was easy; after all, Gu Yi was a Return-to-Simplicity cultivator.
He gathered stones and branches to make a simple grill. Gu Yi skewered the fish, and the Eighteenth Tower Master naturally took over to grill it.
The scene was strange—a man so capable calmly sitting and grilling fish, seemingly enjoying it.
Gu Yi thought he might have gone too far, but the Eighteenth Tower Master said, “Fortunately, you’re here; I have many more things to do now.”
Gu Yi: ...