Chapter 149: First Without Betraying the Heart, Then Entering the Dao

"Guyi, wake up, wake up."

Lying flat with his back pressed against the soft earth, his nose was filled with the fresh scent of green grass. Before even opening his eyes, Guyi knew it was a bright sunny day, for the sunlight bathing his body felt exceptionally gentle and warm.

Someone kept shaking him, calling out to him.

He somewhat wanted to wake up, yet he seemed somewhat captivated by the world the drunkard had displayed, wanting even to sink into it and never come out again.

However, Shuyu's voice by his ear grew clearer and more anxious. Finding it hard to bear, Guyi finally woke at a certain moment.

"You're awake? Guyi, you're awake?" It was merely an awakening, but Shuyu was so emotional she looked as though she might cry, suddenly throwing herself into Guyi's arms. "No matter how I called you, you wouldn't wake up. You really scared me to death."

Guyi was lying down; he gently stroked Shuyu's back, turned his head to look, and asked, "Where is that drunkard?"

"What drunkard?"

Hearing this counter-question, Guyi frowned.

"Come, let me sit up first."

He had to comfort Shuyu first, as she seemed somewhat frightened, and he gently pinched her cheek. "Alright, I'm fine now."

Shuyu anxiously asked, "What happened to you just now? Why couldn't I wake you no matter how I called?"

Guyi lowered his gaze, meditating as he pondered, or rather, recalling, "The changes of all things in heaven and earth follow a Dao. This is fundamentally the Heavenly Dao. Yet if someone can comprehend one person's past and foresee another person's future, what kind of Dao can this be considered?"

"Hmm?"

Guyi squinted and smiled. "Just now, a drunkard brought me to see the place where I used to live, the entirety of my life. Indeed, the Heavenly Dao is the Dao of the transformation of all things, but cultivating immortality has no fixed rules, let alone logic. The immortality in my heart is true immortality; the Dao in my heart is the true Dao. First, do not violate your heart, then enter the Dao; thereafter, do not violate the Dao, and finally transform into an immortal."

"Transform into an immortal?"

"The last eight words are what that drunkard just told me."

Shuyu found this very strange, and her worries resurfaced. "Yet there was no drunkard here at all just now, Guyi. What on earth did you see?"

Guyi was in no rush to correct her, knowing well how it was. "Look at this blade of grass; when you are joyful, you see it as life bursting forth with vigor as it breaks through the earth; when you are sorrowful, you see it as insignificant life amidst heaven and earth. I saw the drunkard, and you did not. Yet just because you did not see him does not mean he was not there. Just like before the Battle of Mochi, Shule heard the sound of the Human Dao, while I heard the words of the Heavenly Dao. The heaven and earth are the same, what we saw was the same, yet the heaven and earth were also different. What each person sees may be different."

Shuyu listened in a daze, having no idea what demonic state Guyi had entered.

"As for the Dao of heaven, earth, and humanity..." Guyi let out a scoff, "It is merely a set of inherent concepts instilled in people by the world, just like how the people of Luyang Academy teach using fixed sword forms and cultivation techniques. In truth, there is fundamentally no such thing as the Dao of heaven, earth, and humanity. In this world, there is also the Dao of demons, the Dao of tea, the Dao of the sword... And in the end, all Daos can converge and transform into one's own Dao."

"The so-called integration of the Dao is merely integrating one's own Dao."

Shuyu's expression froze as she saw Guyi close his eyes. The aura surrounding his entire body surged upward, and a powerful, boundless energy abruptly erupted into a high-pitched buzzing sound.

"Ah," Shuyu instantly pulled her hand back; the scorching pain of the spiritual energy radiating from Guyi was simply unbearable. What about Guyi himself?

Shuyu stopped shouting, for the Guyi before her seemed to be undergoing a certain transformation.

His hair was lifted and fluttered by the rising spiritual energy, his robes billowed, and then the ambient spiritual energy of the surrounding heaven and earth began to be drawn and gathered toward him, while his own spiritual energy slowly overflowed.

Shuyu dipped her finger into it and was instantly startled. "The spiritual energy has turned liquid, becoming refined to this degree. Has he broken through his realm?"

Perhaps she hardly believed things could happen this way.

Immediately after, the space felt as if it were shattering, and the surrounding scenery seemed to change.

Shuyu stepped back a little further; this was not a time to disturb him.

The space truly collapsed, because Guyi was absorbing spiritual energy, and the spiritual energy within the paper scroll was limited, depleted in a matter of dozens of seconds.

Just like last time in the dream paper, when the spiritual energy inside was exhausted, the real people inside would emerge.

To Shuyu's utter surprise, after the environment changed, they actually found themselves in the middle of a body of water!

How could they be in the water?!

"Ugh..." Driven by the reflex to breathe, Shuyu even swallowed a mouthful of water, but just as she was about to surface, a loud *bang* rang out!

The spiritual energy surrounding Guyi actually forcefully pushed aside the surging waters of the great river. The blocked river water formed waves that reached the skies, and then, defying all logic, began to swirl around Guyi along with the spiritual energy!

At first, it was just this section of the river, but soon the waters of the great river stretching into the distance were also affected.

Unable to comprehend this astonishing and magnificent sight, Shuyu flashed and retreated to the riverbank.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The exceptionally concentrated energy brought forth by Guyi had disturbed the surrounding environment; the wind blew toward his direction as if Guyi were a bottomless abyss devouring everything.

Swish!

Shuyu thought her eyes must be playing tricks on her, as the surging great river before her was actually floating entirely in the air, transforming into dancing water dragons on her left and right!

Huh?

Shuyu saw once again that a faint light was glowing in Guyi's lower abdomen, brightening and extinguishing in a continuous repetition.

Was he about to explode?

The moment this thought crossed her mind, his body burst into a blinding flash of light!

"Guyi!"

Bang!!

The massive roar was slower than the light; the waters of the great river transformed into raging waves and surged forward, placing Shuyu, who was closest, in grave danger.

Yet amidst this chaos, she felt as though someone had scooped her up and carried her away.

The deluge poured down, but she was spirited away just before it fell, soaring through the air.

"Guyi, have you broken through your realm?"

Shuyu tilted her head upward, seeing only a smiling profile.

"Follow me."

"Okay."

Though called 'following', the speed was practically equivalent to teleportation. Guyi sensed the spiritual energy of Longjiao Cat and Yanlang; they were not far away, located right above that towering palace.

In Li State, inside the imperial palace of Xiaqiu City, the Emperor had fired off all the signal fireworks, yet still failed to wait for Shuyu.

Those two Dao-Integration realm experts who had been watching the show placed pressure on many people, especially the Grand Empress Dowager of Li State. It seemed the old woman had the upper hand for now.

That elderly woman who had once appeared in the Great Rain Palace to discipline Guyi now appeared weakened, her aura diminished, lacking her former elegance.

"This aura..."

Both Longjiao Cat and Yanlang were startled. Familiar as they were with Guyi, a shred of a thought had crossed their minds that this might be Guyi, but Guyi hadn't been this powerful!

Before they could ponder for even a second, Guyi had already brought Shuyu to the top of the palace!

"Guyi!" Longjiao Cat and Yanlang were filled with shock. "It really is you. What happened to you?"

Without offering a lengthy explanation, Guyi glanced down at the palace plaza.

It was clearly the aftermath of an intense battle between the two old women, while on the high terrace stood a slender figure clad in bright imperial yellow garments.

"Go ahead," Guyi said to Shuyu.

He would not meddle in this affair.

Kidnapping the Emperor would fundamentally be useless; the order for the Battle of Luyang had been issued by Gu Baici, and this Emperor played no role in it. Furthermore, from what Shuyu had described, she was a diligent and benevolent ruler, and keeping her here would help ensure the peaceful livelihood of the impoverished citizens across the vast northern lands.

Understanding his intention, Shuyu's figure drifted down gracefully, arriving before the Emperor of Li.

Leaving Guyi to face the cat and the dog, "What are you two doing here?"

Longjiao Cat and Yanlang exchanged glances, each instantly grasping what the other wanted to express, though they scarcely dared to believe the implication.

"Guyi, have you... integrated the Dao?" Yanlang asked with trembling lips.

"Mn." Guyi offered no further explanation, simply nodding.

"What Dao did you integrate?" Longjiao Cat pursued the question.

Guyi shook his head again. "It doesn't matter. Next, I am returning to Luyang. There is the Battle of Luyang between Great Xu and the Great Rain Palace waiting there. Where are you two going?"

Without considering anything else, Longjiao Cat suddenly grew anxious. "What do you mean? You're not taking me to eat embroidered perch?!"

Guyi: "..."

"......No, I just forgot for a moment."

"What do you mean 'forgot', how could you forget about this?!" Longjiao Cat was on the verge of tears, his heart set entirely upon it. He pointed at Guyi and scolded, "You didn't take it to heart at all! You vanished for a while, and suddenly popped out asking if I want to go to Luyang—have you no conscience?"

Guyi was speechless—speechless at himself. Why on earth did he ask about their stance? These two beasts had no stance to speak of; they merely wanted food and entertainment.

Seeing Guyi ignore him, Longjiao Cat grew even more frantic. He ran over and shook Guyi's shoulders. "What are you thinking?! Pull yourself together, man! You need to go find that Madam Ye to personally cook embroidered perch for us! I want to eat the most delicious food in the entire world."

"Yes, yes, I know. Stop nagging like an old mother, going on and on. I heard you."

"You heard my foot! I kept talking just because you forgot earlier?"

...

"That was an accident, I didn't truly forget."

...

The Emperor of Li looked up at the sky. Who were these people? The original two Dao-Integration experts seemed quite familiar with the newly arrived youth, their interactions intimate.

Goodness gracious, that made three Dao-Integration realm experts.

"Your Majesty, I have returned late."

The Emperor withdrew her gaze and said, "Not late at all. Is that person the one you told me about... the one you love?"

Shuyu also glanced up at Guyi and gave a sweet affirmative response. "Yes."

"Then he is also a Dao-Integration realm expert."

"Yes."

"And not a man of Li?"

Shuyu hummed in assent.

A trace of unconcealable disappointment surfaced in the Emperor's eyes. "What a pity that Li State failed to produce such a heaven-defying talent."

In her heart, she also felt envy toward Xu State, though such words were not for her, the Emperor, to utter.

Shuyu didn't know what to say; she certainly couldn't ask Guyi to pledge allegiance to the Emperor of Li, something even she would never agree to.

"Then who are the other two?"

Shuyu replied, "They are two friends of Guyi. Ever since he left the Great Rain Palace, he has been traveling and playing around with them."

Hearing that it was the Great Rain Palace, a glimmer of hope surged in the Emperor's heart.

"Could you invite them down to converse with Us?"

After a moment of thought, Shuyu agreed to the Emperor's simple request, running over to Guyi's side, after which all four of them descended together.

The Emperor of Li could not discern that Longjiao Cat and Yanlang were beasts rather than humans.

As soon as they arrived, she greeted them with a grand ceremony to demonstrate her sincerity. "It is truly a great fortune for Li State to have two masters here! One can tell at a glance that the demeanor of the masters is extraordinary."

Having grown up in the Great Rain Palace, Longjiao Cat and Yanlang understood nothing of these winding formalities; they found them entirely tiresome.

So they asked very bluntly, "What is this young woman trying to do?"

This was, in truth, highly disrespectful.

Yet the Emperor of Li minded not a whit. "We are not asking the two masters to do anything; We merely wish to host a banquet to welcome the two masters to Xiaqiu City."

A banquet?

Both Longjiao Cat's and Yanlang's ears involuntarily twitched.

Guyi wasn't foolish; he saw the situation clearly. It seemed the Emperor of Li had designs on recruiting them of talent. But would that really work?

He had never even thought of subduing these two beasts.

Indeed, Longjiao Cat and Yanlang possessed no malicious intent. Having stayed by the Eighteenth Lord's side for so long, they could distinguish right from wrong to a certain degree, yet the Eighteenth Lord had never taught them what submission meant.

Gu Baici had never taught them what submission meant either.

These two mistresses had only ever taught them what it meant to be beaten until they had no choice but to submit.

Yet neither had ever intended for them to pledge allegiance.

Nor did Guyi.

Because they lacked such a concept, they were simply creatures who would treat anyone with milk as a mother.

Totally devoid of any monarch-loyal ideology, they would naturally let the Emperor of Li return empty-handed. But a banquet, now...

Longjiao Cat and Yanlang suddenly felt a stir of temptation. "Guyi, what do you think of this..."

They were actually asking for his opinion; that was rather nice.

"Guyi, why don't you go on ahead?"

Guyi: ？？？

Without the slightest hesitation, he kicked Yanlang. "I can beat you now, you'd better think carefully before you speak."

It was a mock kick.

Yet this action left the Emperor of Li dumbfounded. This was a bona fide practitioner in the Dao-Integration realm!

And Guyi...

The Emperor of Li finally took a serious, careful look at the youth's appearance.

Many titles could be bestowed upon him, but the most dazzling was undoubtedly that of a genius cultivator.

Though shocked, the Emperor reacted swiftly. "No need, no need. Everyone who comes from afar is a guest of Li State. The banquet is for all four of you, and all four of you are welcome to stay and enjoy the fine wine and cuisine of Li State!"

"However, it will take some time to prepare, and the timing is unfortunate today, as an uninvited guest of the Dao-Integration realm has arrived in the palace."

Hearing that someone had interrupted their meal, how could Longjiao Cat and Yanlang tolerate it?

"Guyi, I'm going to stretch my muscles. Are you coming?"

The Emperor of Li found it curious why these two kept checking in with this youth before doing anything.

Guyi waved a hand. "It's just one person. If all three of us go, there won't even be any stretching to be done."

"I've never killed anyone before. Shall I just beat her away?" Longjiao Cat asked another question.

Guyi looked at that familiar elderly woman—he had seen her in the Great Rain Palace, probably some peak master or another from one of the two peaks.

Catching a Dao-Integration expert wasn't a frequent occurrence.

Strong in cultivation, yet harboring malicious intentions.

That spelled two words: dangerous.

Therefore, after a brief moment of thought, Guyi calmly replied, "I think we should just kill her."

The Emperor of Li felt a sudden jolt in her heart, an ominous thought flashing through her mind: What if this person decided to kill *her*?

Shuyu had not uttered a single word about this.

Yet those two masters she held in such high regard complied so effortlessly.

The ensuing scene of death was something Guyi did not witness, nor did he care to look.

But the two of them would certainly make that person disappear.

...

...

Guyi did not demand that Longjiao Cat and Yanlang abstain from the Li State Emperor's banquet. Since it was imperial, the culinary standards were presumably quite good.

The two of them naturally loved such things.

And Guyi certainly wouldn't stand in the way of what they loved.

As for the hints dropped by the Emperor of Li, the two of them simply could not understand them.

They were not Guyi's personal property; how they handled things was their own affair.

However, Shuyu went to remind them.

They were old retainers of the Great Rain Palace. Even if they didn't take orders from Gu Baici, Gu Baici had indeed commanded them on certain tasks in the past; fundamentally, however, Gu Baici still held sway over them.

Staying in Li State was fine,

but running over to support the Emperor of Li...

If the Palace Mistress ever took them to task in earnest, it would spell total disaster for them in the end.

In essence, this was a path to self-destruction.

After Shuyu pointed this out, the Emperor of Li realized that her esteemed masters were somewhat impervious to reason. Believing Guyi to be the crux of the matter, she sought him out.

The imperial palace, following the great battle, recovered with astonishing speed. Not only were the damaged structures repaired, but the rain had also cleared into sunny skies, restoring a vibrant spectrum of color to everything.

While the Emperor had initially feared Guyi, she trusted Shuyu. Shuyu had assured her that Guyi harbored no intentions of harming her, and if he had, he would have done so long ago.

"Mr. Gu."

Guyi made a polite bow. "Thank you for the hospitality, Your Majesty. Having spent so much time in Li State, this is my first time tasting such exquisite food."

"If Mr. Gu likes it, you may stay here indefinitely. Though Li State is poor, we still possess fine wines and good food."

Guyi shook his head. "Your Majesty should state the purpose of your visit."

The Emperor of Li sighed softly.

"Mr. Gu." Reaching this point, she spoke directly. "Are those two your subordinates?"

"Naturally not."

"Do they effectively take orders from you?"

"I wouldn't put it that way. Sometimes I simply humor them, for instance, staying here for a few more meals."

"Then you are friends?"

"Perhaps that word is closer to the truth."

"Your two friends are men of Li, and while they enjoy what I have prepared for them, they are unwilling to stay and pledge allegiance to the throne. Is Mr. Gu persuading them otherwise?"

Guyi denied it once more. "I have never spoken such words to them."

The Emperor of Li found it hard to believe. "Why is that? Could it be that Mr. Gu has no desire to subdue them?"

"There is no particular reason; I simply have no need to subdue them." Guyi harbored no ambitions of pledging allegiance to any monarch either, and spoke very plainly. "Since Your Majesty's current strength is insufficient, naturally you desire their assistance, but such a model cannot be applied to me."

Raising her wine cup, the Emperor was speechless for a moment. "Those two are, after all, in the Dao-Integration realm!"

Guyi smiled and shook his head. "Even so, it changes nothing. I still have no need for it."

This serene detachment and self-confidence suddenly stirred a sense of envy within the Emperor.

"Will Mr. Gu return to Luyang to pledge allegiance to the Xu Emperor?"

"I will not. My mother carried me for ten months in the hope that I would live a happy and peaceful life, not so that I could risk my life fighting to the death for others. I will not pledge allegiance to anyone, because none of them are worthy."

Had he been a citizen of her own country, the Emperor would likely have called him audacious.

Yet at this moment, those words stuck in her throat.

"Your Majesty, if this is all, I have already answered your question. I shall take my leave now." With that, Guyi turned and walked away.

The Emperor gazed at the youth's retreating figure, biting her lip in silence for a long time.