Chapter 148: What is This Like in the Human Realm

A vast wind, ten thousand miles away, sends off the autumn geese; facing this, one can carouse in the lofty tower.

The place where Gu Yi stood was precisely such a four-story tavern towering over a bustling city.

Atop the tavern, a man raised his goblet for a deep drink; beneath the tavern lay a magnificent scene of the mortal world.

"Li Bubai passed the imperial examination today; surely this is one of life's great joys?"

The man on the high tower laughed up to the skies: "Fame and fortune are all passing travelers to me; poems and wine fill my heart to grant to this emotion!"

In the corner of the bustling crowd, Shuyu dazedly stood up and asked Gu Yi, "Where are we?"

Gu Yi had entered once before and had experience, so he was not nervous.

Dusting off his clothes, he said, "Three hundred years ago, perhaps even more."

"Three hundred years ago?!"

Gu Yi pulled her along, preparing to leave this place first: "Follow me."

Based on his previous experience, the people here might all be illusions, but the spiritual energy was real, and being careless could easily get someone killed.

Blame that damn "diminishing plan"; perhaps there were many in the Return to Simplicity realm many years ago.

He needed to figure out the situation first before deciding.

Shuyu was exceptionally obedient as she listened to his words. In truth, she was a figure who became the focal point of the crowd wherever she went, and the continuous sounds of amazement from passersby were endless, though it seemed the madman on the rooftop of the tavern had won somewhat more attention.

Gu Yi slipped into an opposite inn, and the two of them squeezed into a room together, feeling a tiny flutter of excitement in their hearts.

Of course, this was not because they were alone in a room, but because outside...

"Gu Yi, what do you mean by three hundred years ago?"

"Hush... Listen..." Gu Yi and she squatted in the corner of the wall. Sure enough, across the street, that strange wine-drinking man had reached the peak of his enthusiasm and started chanting poetry once more.

What he was chanting, Gu Yi did not hear completely, but it felt immensely imposing—something about several ten thousand years, three thousand feet—seeming grand in scale.

Shuyu cracked open a slit in the window and could see that not only was the poetry being chanted loudly, but the supporters were also fanatical.

"The romance of the mortal world, nothing more than this!"

Gu Yi was aware of it: "The Genius Paper records the illustrious figures of the world before the war between the two peaks of Xu State, and according to the experience I gained in the dream paper, the scenes here are all the memory of a single person."

"Whose memory?" Shuyu squatted down beside him and asked.

"That person is called Old Eel, an old woman from Little Window Peak," Gu Yi rolled his eyes. "Judging by this, she is right here..."

"Who?"

Gu Yi did not have time to answer. He opened the window, poked his head out to look left and right, hoping to find the figure of that senior Old Eel within the dense crowd. However, this task was not easy, and as the elder across the street recited his poetry with increasing fervor, the people on the street gathered rapidly, forming a bustling crowd dozens of meters long.

Shuyu prepared to search with him: "What does this Old Eel you mentioned look like? Is she a man or a woman?"

Gu Yi said, "She is a woman, very dark-skinned, like a foreigner, unlike Central Plains women."

Upon hearing that she was very dark, Shuyu lost interest; very dark meant not pretty.

"How did you meet her in the dream paper last time?"

"Last time..." Gu Yi recalled, "Last time was on a grassy plain among the mountains. I saw her walking with two warriors, and we had a bit of friction. My cultivation realm was still very low back then."

Shuyu found it strange: "Then how did you get away?"

Gu Yi: "..."

He felt as though he had dug a pit for himself.

"I tried very hard to get away."

"Oh... and then?"

"Then I witnessed the battle between the two peaks and the Xu army, and afterward, I inexplicably ended up in the Highland Sea of Trees."

Speaking of the Highland Sea of Trees, a person suddenly appeared in the room.

"Genius of the Two Peaks, have you come to look for me?"

A familiar voice. Gu Yi whipped around, utterly startled. True enough, *The Eight Records of a Rainy Night* was filled with surprises everywhere: "Senior Old Eel! I knew you would be here!"

Old Eel pounded her chest and bowed: "I am very glad to see you again. I once told you to come to the Highland Sea of Trees to find me; I have been waiting for you."

Gu Yi was also happy: "I did intend to go to the Highland Sea of Trees, but as you can see, I ran into some trouble and was in mortal danger several times. Senior Old Eel, could you tell me what it is you want to give me?"

Speaking of treasures, naturally, there could be no outsiders present.

Old Eel could not help but glance at the woman behind Gu Yi; she seemed different from the last one.

"This woman, are you willing to pay the price of your life to protect her?"

Gu Yi spoke with earnest sincerity: "Of course."

Shuyu felt a slight tremor in her heart. Hearing him say this, a vast sense of happiness and fulfillment welled up from the depths of her soul. She had always felt that Gu Yi kept a certain distance from her, but with these words, she had no complaints left whatsoever.

Seeing Shuyu on the verge of tears, Old Eel praised: "Well done, genius of the two peaks, so she is your second woman now."

The moment these words fell, with a 'swish', the aura around Shuyu erupted like an explosion. Although Old Eel possessed all sorts of magical abilities, her cultivation was only at the Spirit Guarding realm. Shuyu's eruption carried anger—the anger of being deceived. In the blink of an eye, the already non-real Old Eel was 'eliminated' and vanished without a trace.

Even the room let out creaking sounds, the floorboards trembling, startling Gu Yi into hastily pulling Shuyu and shouting: "Calm down! There's a misunderstanding here!"

Bang!

Shuyu's entire body's spiritual energy exploded outward, and with a booming crash, this inn split apart.

Then, with a whoosh, Shuyu's body darted out, while Gu Yi, unprepared, was blasted quite a distance away.

"Shuyu!"

Dammit, this senior was truly straightforward.

Without a second word, Gu Yi hurriedly gave chase.

However, with the inn collapsed and the street in the midst of a lively bustle, no one expected such an incident to occur. Instantly, all eyes turned toward him.

Gu Yi had no time to mind this. He stared in the direction Shuyu had left, got to his feet, and intended to pursue, but just as he rose into the air, a man in a long dark robe holding a wine gourd suddenly shifted in front of him.

"Hold on, young friend! The house has collapsed, destroying other people's property to begin with, and someone might even be lying beneath this building right now. You might not have to compensate with money, but refusing to save lives at a time like this is tantamount to murder!"

Gu Yi had no time to deal with him. Seeing Shuyu getting further and further away and about to become uncatchable, he anxiously said, "Aiyah, you people have been dead for hundreds of years already, step aside quickly."

Shoosh!

Without waiting for permission to pass, Gu Yi tried to detour around him.

Yet this drunkard had some skill. The moment Gu Yi initiated his movement, the man easily kept pace and blocked his path, crossing his legs mid-air, tipping his head back with a swagger, gulping down a mouthful of wine, and exhaling wine-laden breath while foolishly laughing: "Though evil is small, once accumulated it is hard to reverse. Young friend, I am helping you."

Gu Yi glanced in the direction Shuyu had left; not a trace of her remained.

He felt extremely helpless.

"What is your name?"

"Hahahah, all mortals ask my name and style; my style flies straight into the white clouds."

"Spouting fancy prose, are you? Fine, you're really something." Gu Yi rolled up his sleeves. "This lord will crush you hard with three hundred Tang poems!"

"What does young friend mean?"

"What do I mean? I'm going to duel you in poetry!"

"Ahahahahaha!" This laughter pierced the vault of heaven and resounded across the earth. "I often lament that the world is full of talentless people, and being undefeated until now is truly lonely. Today, someone wants to duel me in poetry! Good! Good! Good! The joys of life have reached this point, what more could I ask for?!"

He said the word 'good' three times in succession.

"What is your name?"

Gu Yi grew bold as well: "If you won't tell me yours, why should I tell you mine? Let's wait until we've decided the victory and defeat. However, I am in a hurry and cannot耗 with you indefinitely. Let's settle the victory with a single poem!"

He was just bluffing; where was he supposed to recite three hundred Tang poems from?

Yet he had a grasp of these madmen's ways, which basically boiled down to 'you go ahead, I've finished,' so his request would not be refused.

"As it should be! A good poem requires only one!"

Gu Yi provoked him further: "Then let me yield to you; you set the theme of this poem, and I will follow!"

"Ha, ha, ha!" This laugh was mocking, arrogant to the extreme. "Throughout my life dueling poetry with anyone, I have never restricted the theme. You recite first, and I will follow, regardless of the theme!"

"Mad enough!" Gu Yi went with the flow. "Then let the theme be the character 'Mad' (狂)."

"One should be mad in life, one must be mad in life. Young friend, come!" The drunkard suddenly tossed his wine gourd to Gu Yi.

...

"Someone wants to duel in poetry with the Wine and Poetry Immortal? Truly a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger!"

"Dueling poetry is one thing, but to also duel in madness!"

...

The passersby kept chattering, annoying Gu Yi.

The wine-drunkard opposite pointed at Gu Yi and said, "Are you scared?"

Scared your head,

Gu Yi took a huge gulp from the gourd, thinking to himself that surely he could manage to recite at least one poem.

Yet having this showdown with these wild romantic figures of ancient times also stirred his own passions:

"Magnolia oars and sand-tree boat, jade flutes and golden pipes sit at both ends."

"Hmm... Not bad, is there a second line?!"

Gu Yi tossed the wine gourd back to him: "Fine wine placed in vessels by the thousand measures, carrying courtesans along the waves to stay or leave. Immortals await to ride the yellow crane, while sea-farers follow the white gulls with untroubled hearts."

The wine-drunkard grew interested upon hearing this: "Again!"

Gu Yi shouted: "When flushed with wine, my brush shakes the Five Sacred Mountains; when the poem is finished, I laugh proudly and overlook the滄洲 (vast river/islets). If fame and wealth were to last forever, the Han River would also flow northwestward."

...

"When flushed with wine, my brush shakes the Five Sacred Mountains; when the poem is finished, I laugh proudly and overlook the vast islets! If fame and wealth were to last forever, the Han River would also flow northwestward!"

...

The poetic verses echoed, reverberating between heaven and earth.

"When flushed with wine, my brush shakes the Five Sacred Mountains; when the poem is finished, I laugh proudly and overlook the vast islets. Good verse, good verse indeed," the wine-drunkard's expression changed as he muttered to himself, his tone filled with emotion, as if he had become enchanted. "When flushed with wine, my brush shakes the Five Sacred Mountains; when the poem is finished, I laugh proudly and overlook the vast islets... Ha, ha, ha."

Gu Yi still treated him as merely someone existing from a long time ago, an illusory person within Old Eel's memory. For the sake of an illusory person, he could not continue wasting time here.

"You continue to savor it, I must be going."

He activated the spiritual energy within his body and flew at full speed.

"Hey, why are you leaving?"

"The Wine and Poetry Immortal hasn't even recited his poem yet, why did that fellow leave?"

"Fools, the scale of this poetic verse is also extraordinary!"

The old wine-drunkard paid no heed to the mundane discussions of the worldly people. He poured his wine into the heavens and earth, reaching every boundary of the mortal world without exception. No matter how far Gu Yi flew, the drunkard still led the way ahead of him.

"Young friend, are you chasing that Mo tribe maiden?"

Gu Yi was surprised: "How did you know she is a Mo tribe maiden?"

"Between heaven and earth, there is nothing I do not know. You came from a hundred years hence, and wish to return to a hundred years hence."

"Can you help me find her?"

Swish.

The drunkard spat out a mouthful of fierce wine, his hands fluttering, spiritual energy dancing in chaos. A circular gateway splitting space suddenly appeared, and on the other side of the door was Shuyu, lying on the grass with a dazed expression.

"Thanks."

"Young friend, what is your name?"

"My name is Gu Yi."

"I'll wait for you."

Having said this, he vanished.

Gu Yi was stunned. *Wait for me?*

What did that mean?

He couldn't figure it out for the moment; the priority right now was Shuyu.

Gu Yi stepped through. This seemed to be his first time traversing space, and the sensation felt somewhat wondrous.

"Shuyu."

He stepped across in one stride, arriving right beside Shuyu, but she did not acknowledge him.

Shuyu lay flat on her back, her eyes open, her hands crossed over her abdomen, wondering what she was thinking.

"...On the banks of the Guqing River, among the five people of Luyang Courtyard, two were women. Aside from Shule whom you know, the other was the Seventh Princess of Great Xu."

"When the Seventh Princess and I entered the dream paper, she was at the Spirit Guarding realm and I was at the Concentration realm. I know that Little Window Peak of the Two Peaks has a strange rule: they do not kill a man who is willing to protect his own woman..."

Gu Yi did not say anything else; he simply recounted his past experiences to her, hoping she would understand and comprehend.

The story was not long and was finished quickly.

Gu Yi said: "I consider the Seventh Princess a friend. However, she and Shule are people who place Xu State above all else, whereas I happen not to be."

"Do you like her?"

Gu Yi shook his head: "I don't."

"Do you like me?"

Gu Yi did not nod either: "Actually, I'm a bit afraid of you."

Shuyu felt a sharp pain in her heart, a pain in her chest: "Why are you afraid of me?"

"Afraid of your unstable emotions, afraid of your excessive emotional intensity. You act on impulse and innocence, but I am no gentleman, and I'm afraid of harming you and living with lifelong guilt."

"Yet shouldn't I be indifferent after hearing such words?"

"This place is dangerous." Gu Yi suddenly said something that seemed unrelated. "You know, the world we inhabit has been weakened, so for both of us, especially for you, this place is dangerous. Nobody would be happy hearing Senior Old Eel's words, but you demolished a house and ran so far away..."

Gu Yi found himself unable to continue persuading her.

His sudden silence was actually what terrified Shuyu the most.

Fear lasted only for an instant.

Before she could grow even more frightened, Gu Yi had already adjusted his mood. He lay down as well, lying right beside her: "I'm not blaming you; I was worried about you and anxious."

Shuyu turned onto her side, curling up into the crook of his arm.

Her white long robe draped over Gu Yi's body, resembling a lotus blooming amidst green grass.

The quiet serenity of this moment formed a sharp contrast with the chaotic noise of war outside the Genius Paper.

"I like this place."

Gu Yi said: "I like it too, but after the spiritual energy of the Genius Paper is exhausted, we will automatically be sent out."

"Exhausted?"

"Mhm."

"Can we come back in after that?"

Gu Yi did not know; he was only guessing: "Logically speaking, once it is exhausted, there won't be another chance to enter."

So this was the last time.

Thinking of this last time, since she liked it, perhaps she ought to take a good look at this place.

Then, thinking of the value of the Genius Paper: "Didn't you say the Genius Paper records the illustrious figures from a hundred years ago?"

"Right, I've already met one just now."

"Just one?"

Gu Yi pulled her up to a sitting position: "I don't want to look at anyone else. Right now, I only want to look at you."

Shuyu's heart finally sweetened. She naturally leaned back, her cheek pressed against Gu Yi's chest, her arms wrapped around him: "I should trust you. I will never make you anxious again."

"With your jealousy, will I trigger a cataclysm just by speaking to another girl in the future?"

Shuyu pursed her lips and smiled: "Actually, it was my fault. Men are naturally entitled to have wives and concubines; I was just being overly jealous."

The attitude flipped so drastically that Gu Yi was taken aback: "Well, no, aside from you, I really haven't been involved with anyone."

Shuyu stood up, blinked her clear, bright eyes at him, said nothing, and hugged him again.

...

"After drinking wine and dueling in poetry, a beauty is held in my embrace. In this world, not only is there someone madder than me, but there is also someone more romantic than me! Hahaha!"

Shuyu had no particular reaction; she didn't seem afraid of being bumped into by others. She merely stood up alongside Gu Yi and was unwilling to let go of his hand.

"Drunkard, why have you come again?"

Gu Yi thought his eyes were playing tricks on him: "Oh, you've even brought a little bookboy this time."

The little bookboy looked only four or five years old, wearing a small hat and looking extremely cute. He stepped forward with toddler steps and said in a milky voice, "My name is He Si. Hello, big brother; hello, big sister."

"You addressed them wrong." The old drunkard patted the child's head, "Though it doesn't matter."

Shuyu found it strange and lightly parted her red lips: "The big brother was right and the big sister was right, why do you say it was addressed wrong?"

"Because you are people from a hundred years later, and He Si is much, much older than you."

The child wearing the small hat had a black mole at the corner of his mouth. At this moment, his eyes were full of childlike innocence as he tilted his head to look up, appearing cute and spirited.

"Senior, what brings you to find me?"

"The human world has lost its order, which is why I sought you out."

The human world has lost its order...

This drunkard was immensely powerful.

"Come, let's sit down and talk."

The two of them sat cross-legged at the edge of the cliff.

Shuyu teased the little child; perhaps women were naturally fond of children, and this child was also very well-behaved.

"He Si, who gave you that name?"

"My master. Master said: *Dancing to clear shadows, what is this like in the human world (何似在人间)*? So my name is He Si."

"What is this like in the human world..."

...

"A hundred years from now, is there any romantic figure who equals me?"

Gu Yi shook his head: "None."

"Is there any wild romantic who surpasses me?"

Gu Yi shook his head again, then asked a follow-up question: "So far I've only seen senior alone; are there other strange and extraordinary people in the world?"

"Seeing just me alone is enough."

Hah.

"The Heavenly Dao is the law governing the operation of heaven and earth. What are your thoughts on it?"

Gu Yi said: "I understand it, but why must heaven and earth have such laws?"

"That is something you must ask the heavens and also ask the earth. I don't know the answer."

"What on earth does Senior want me to do?"

"If He Si is in the human world, you must help me ask him: living in the human world, what is the human world?"

"He Si?" Gu Yi turned his head to look at the little boy. "Senior's disciple?"

"No, my junior brother's disciple." The drunkard added: "I once promised a Mo tribe woman to grant the Mo tribe a century of peace. I failed to do so and felt deeply ashamed, which is why I want you to fulfill it."

"This is much harder than answering a question."

"It's not hard." The drunkard pulled him along: "Come, I'll take you to see what the true Heavenly Dao is."