It was the late spring outside the window; it was a good time to sleep soundly.
It was a few days later when Guo Dong woke up.
She looked across the room and found Jing Jiu was still there, as if he hadn't moved an inch, except that the teacup was gone.
Jing Jiu brought back his gaze from the window and intended to say something while looking at Guo Dong, but ultimately didn't say anything in the end.
"Do you think I'm a crazy woman?" she asked. "I even wanted to kill Xilai in my low Cultivation state."
Jing Jiu answered, "It was a pretty foolish thing to do."
"Tong Yan said the same thing," Guo Dong said. "In the vegetable garden of the Baotong Zen Temple, he advised against my decision a few times."
Jing Jiu thought that she was not a woman who would listen to others' advice.
"I have a nephew named He Zhan. He is kind of brainless. If there is an opportunity in the future, please take care of him for me."
Guo Dong continued before Jing Jiu could respond to her, "I went to the West Ocean because I thought there was a slight possibility. As long as there is a possibility, I'd like to give it a try."
Jing Jiu said, "The prerequisite for taking any risk should be that there is no other option available."
"I don't have that much time left; that's basically having no other option," Guo Dong protested.
Jing Jiu said, "Like I said, you are not going to die."
"Even if I will not die this time, my days are is numbered anyway," said Guo Dong.
Jing Jiu understood what she meant. He turned his head to look at the scenery outside the window.
The spring season was at its last leg. The scenery was not as nice-looking as it had been a few days ago, and was much worse than the scenery of red leaves in the late autumn.
The saying "The silkworms will exhaust their silks in spring only when they are dead" didn't mean that the silkworms would die for real; it is because the silkworms will turn into beautiful butterflies and fly to a farther place by spreading their wings.
It was only that the butterflies couldn't live for too long.
Jing Jiu calculated that Guo Dong would not have so many years to live if she used this method.
If she hadn't used this method, she could at least live two hundred more years in her Cultivation state; but she would lose the opportunity to break through the Heavenly Arrival State and see the scenery in other places.
Even if she used this method, the chance of ascending was still quite slim. What she did was to increase the chance slightly. In fact, it was so slim that it could even be ignored.
To exchange the quiet life for a slim chance of achieving the momentary greatness could be considered a grand gamble.
If it were somebody else who learned of Guo Dong's choice, they would question the worthiness of it.
But Jing Jiu wouldn't question her choice; it was because he would make the same decision if he were in her position.
This was the fate of a Cultivation practitioner.
Jing Jiu thought it was the the entirety of what it meant to be a Cultivation practitioner.
"So I'm a bit anxious."
Having said that, Guo Dong fell asleep again.
It was true. She was anxious.
She was anxious to find someone to inherit her ideal. That was why she provided a jar of alcohol by that lake, and participated personally in the subsequent Plum Meeting.
She was anxious to compensate for the mistakes she had made before. It was why she went to White Town so frequently, and said all those things that were in fact not so meaningful.
It was because of this that she went to the West Ocean.
Jing Jiu walked to the front of Guo Dong, squatted down to look at her face, remaining this way for a long time.
He was ready to leave.
After hearing what Bai Zao told him in Zhaoge City, he just wanted to take a look at her.
He had already seen her; it was enough.
Once she returned to the Water-Moon Nunnery, he could return to Green Mountain. When he gained all the necessary things, he would go to her and help treat her wound.
It looked like she would rather stay in the mortal world than return to the Water-Moon Nunnery.
It was like what she had done in the last few years.
She traveled from the Baotong Zen Temple to White Town, from Zhaoge City to the West Ocean, like a gust of wind. She was traveling enthusiastically in the mortal world.
She had a temperament of seeking action. She couldn't remain idle for a moment, and didn't like staying in one place for too long.
Many hundred years ago, she had told him many things. This was one of those things she told him.
He had never paid attention to what she told him, or what she liked or disliked.
However, those words of hers all showed up in his mind, crystal clear.
Cultivation practitioners had a good memory; but it was not necessarily a good thing.
Jing Jiu decided to stay around.
Since he came out from the Fiend Prison, he stayed in Zhaoge City for only a few days, then he led Gu Qing to the West Ocean. He traveled through the wind and rain, suffered the Chaotic Wind, and then was severely injured.
He hadn't completely understood and mastered the Underworld Fairy Sword; and his new Cultivation state was not stabilized yet. All this needed time to digest and master.
Mastering all this was not the end, but the beginning.
After entering the Fiend Prison and having learned the Control of Soul-Fire from the Underworld Emperor, he stepped on a Cultivation path that was totally different from others.
Neither the previous masters of Green Mountain or the No-Mercy Sect or the talented swordsmen on the Foggy Island had taken this path before. Though somebody in the history of Chaotian or some devil men had tried a similar method, such as the Locking Soul via Demon Embryo, they were merely similar in form. In fact, the levels of the two paths were completely different in essence.
If he could succeed using this new Cultivation method, the Green Mountain Sect would be able to create a brand new school; it could be regarded as founding a new sect.
Such an important thing naturally needed time to think it through and make some arrangements.
From this meditation room he could see excellent sceneries, and the sound of the lake was gentle and soothing. Moreover, he wouldn't be disturbed here. So it was a good place to ponder over things.
It was better to stay here a bit longer then.
Jing Jiu was in deep thought.
It was almost the end of spring, and summer was near. One could feel it more evidently on the Green Mountain peaks located in the south of the land.
Though it was not uncomfortably hot with the protection of the Great Formation, one would still feel not so comfortable with the darkening color of the forest.
Zhao Layue stood by the edge of the cliff and looked at the greasy peaks of late spring, showing an unpleasant expression with arched brows.
The screams of the monkeys could be heard in the cliffs. The screams sounded pleasant, so it must be Gu Qing who had returned.
Gu Qing stood behind Zhao Layue and said with lowered head, "He Zhan has run away."
He Zhan had an exceptional Cultivation state and was called the "Second in the world" among the young Cultivation practitioners. If he was determined to run away, Gu Qing had no way to stop him.
Yuan Qü stood by the side, feeling it odd. He wondered why his Big Brother didn't kneel down like he had done before, but merely lowered his head.
"I have found out something at the Curtain Rollers, or they let me know of it on purpose."
Gu Qing lifted his head with a strange expression, describing the news in details.
The information revealed by the Curtain Rollers had many details, even including the fact that Jing Jiu used a golden leaf in exchange for a wheelchair.
Zhao Layue listened in silence. "It's good that he is alive," she remarked.
Gu Qing felt relieved.
It occurred to Zhao Layue that it seemed as though Guo Dong was also alive, but her wound must be more severe. "You take this to the broken cliff by the Golden-Whip Stream," she said to Gu Qing.
Gu Qing was taken aback after taking the black stone handed by Zhao Layue, and looked at Yuan Qü.
Yuan Qü shook his head to indicate that he didn't know what she meant either.
"I need it to help me practice sword work," Zhao Layue said.
Gu Qing left by riding the sword.
Zhao Layue said down cross-legged, starting to recuperate after closing her eyes.
The Thoughtless Sword hovered quietly over her head, vibrating slightly, ready to fly away at any moment.
The top of the peak was covered by the beautiful red color.
Yuan Qü understood what his Master intended to do; he truly admired her for it.
The powerful swordsmen could often kill their opponents from ten miles or even further away.
Yet, to achieve this formidable feat, one must ascertain the position of the target.
It was not a big deal to achieve the feat if one could see their opponent.
Zhao Layue did this back when she killed Luo Huainan in Guihua City.
Yet more often than not, the swordsmen didn't know where their target was.
Back when Pei Baifa wounded Xiwang Sun from a few hundred miles away on the Longevity Mountain, it was because Xiwang Sun had the First Child Sword in his hands.
And the Emperor had left a mark of spiritual soul on the First Child Sword.
Zhao Layue asked Gu Qing to bring the black stone to the broken cliff by the Golden-Whip Stream, in an attempt to practice this method of killing by way of a flying sword.
The broken cliff by the Golden-Whip Stream was about six miles from the peak top. This was the farthest distance from which someone in the initial state of the Free Travel could achieve the feat. It was why Yuan Qü admired her so much.
He wasn't sure if Gu Qing had placed the black stone there yet.
Zhao Layue suddenly opened her eyes.
They were distinctively black and white.
The Thoughtless Sword shot up skyward.
The whistling sound of sword could be heard atop the peak.
A white air flow occurred in the sky a few miles above the ground, and then an exploding boom followed. It was so loud that ear drums were shuddered.
The Thoughtless Sword disappeared without a trace.
A moment later….
There was a faint noise on the distant cliff.
The breeze ruffled her clothes, and the sword will lingered for a long time.
Yuan Qü could sense the lethal intent in the sword, his face pale.
He wondered how Gu Qing, who was waiting by the Golden-Whip Stream, would feel at that moment.
Evidently, others besides those Green Mountain, tried to obtain information regarding the whereabouts of Jing Jiu.
The Curtain Rollers didn't provide them with too many details, like about the wheelchair and the last place where Jing Jiu appeared, but they didn't forget to mention that Jing Jiu had an iron sword on his back.
It was obvious that this the information that had been intentionally filtered.
Many people knew that Jing Jiu had been prepared to break through the Cultivation state during the years of his disappearance, but few people knew that he had been to Zhaoge City, and nobody knew that he had gone to West Ocean.
The iron sword was still on his back…It meant that his Cultivation state was stagnating; his Undefeated State was not even completed yet.
This made the Cultivation practitioners feel sentimental.
Was it possible that a talented practitioner would forever stay in the same Cultivation state and become someone whose name would be mentioned occasionally over the years?
Summer arrived on the heels of spring.
Dayuan City was a famous summer vacation site in Chaotian; but it was still a little hot here.
In the meditation room, Guo Dong woke up for the ninth time.
The natural worm silk on her body grew utterly white. As the lake wind blew in through the window, the worm silk broke inch by inch and then disappeared without a trace.
"Getting better?" Jing Jiu asked.
Guo Dong uttered "hmm". She appeared displeased when the hot wind blew over her face.
Though the Cultivation practitioners were not susceptible to the cold of winter or the heat of summer, it didn't mean that they didn't prefer cooler weather, especially someone like her.
Jing Jiu noticed her expression and the tiredness between her eyebrows. After some thought, he walked to her side and picked her up.
Guo Dong looked at him emotionlessly.
Without explaining why he was doing this, Jing Jiu carried her outside the meditation room, and put her in the wheelchair.
The wheels of the wheelchair made noise when they pressed on the green stones.
The sounds continued in the following days.
Jing Jiu pushed the wheelchair to the lakeside where the cooler shadows under the trees were.
Guo Dong didn't sleep as much now, and could talk to him; but she didn't talk as much as he imagined she would. She spent most of the time in silence.
On cloudy days, Jing Jiu would push her in the wheelchair to outside to bathe in the sun; but it didn't take long to hear her irritated voice.
A few days later, as summer progressed, it grew even warmer. This was made especially clear given that the nunnery was located in a deep valley, so it was less windy here, not to mention the warm steam coming out from the lake.
Guo Dong's mood was getting worse; she complained nonstop.
Jing Jiu was aware that she was a person who couldn't stay idle, so she must want to go outside. He went to the old nun to ask if there were some sites nearby worth visiting.
The old nun said that they had seen a lake by the intersection of two streams on their way to the nunnery. It was a pretty good site with many lotus flowers in the lake, and it was cooler there as well.
Dayuan City was a famous summer vacation site in all of Chaotian. Jing Jiu thought that it would already crowded in such a wonderful place; so he was worried that it would be inconvenient to go there.
The old nun told him not to worry. Few people in Dayuan City knew about the lake; especially during the early morning hours, nobody would go there. It would be a great idea to bring the young woman there to relax.
Early next morning, Jing Jiu left the nunnery by pushing the wheelchair. The old nun saw them off, her face full of relieved expression.
In fact, it was not a lake but a pond at the intersection of two streams.
The lotus grew densely in the pond, entirely covering the pond water. As the breeze blew over, the pink lotus flowers looked, under the morning sunlight, so fresh as if the water would drop from them. It was indeed a fabulous sight.
Jing Jiu recalled the pond in the Fiend Prison, feeling it was an interesting comparison.
He parked the wheelchair by the pond where the lotus leaves were the densest.
The morning sunlight rose higher.
The two of them didn't speak to each other.
A noise suddenly occurred in the water of the pond, and the lotus leaves swayed violently. Then, a man appeared.
That man waved his hands toward the bank of the pond, struggling in the water. His mouth was filled with water, so he couldn't speak. All he could do was make muffled noises.
Jing Jiu and Guo Dong looked at him quietly. They didn't say anything and had no intention to rescue him either.
The man's eyes were full of despair and baffled expressions.
If he could think at the moment, he must have wondered, Why won't you two rescue me; you're so close to me!
Even if you didn't want to rescue me, why did you watch me die in such a quiet manner?
It didn't take long for the man to exhaust his energy and sink to the bottom of the pond, his outstretched hands patting on the lotus leaves a few times helplessly.
Jing Jiu and Guo Dong still stayed motionless.
After a while.
Jing Jiu said, "It is real."
Feeling surprised, Guo Dong said, "I never suspected it not to be."
After a moment of silence, Jing Jiu said, "I thought you wanted to decide whether to take action after making sure it was real."
Guo Dong said while looking at him, "I'm disabled in a wheelchair; it would be you to rescue him if needed."
The man lay on the ground, his chest heaving slightly. He spat out water from time to time, resembling a struggling golden fish.
The man was fairly young. Judging by his clothes, he should be a young master of a wealthy family. It was unclear why he ended up in this remote pond in the early morning and almost drowned.
After a while, the young man had finally recovered and got up clumsily. He bowed to Jing Jiu, thanking him for saving his life.
Then, he turned to Guo Dong in the wheelchair. As he was about to thank her, his body somehow grew rigid.
Though the young woman in the wheelchair looked feeble, her expression was somehow quite calm, as if she had completely understood life and death.
The young man's eyes brightened, gleaming like the stars.
He finally found someone he was looking for.
Guo Dong didn't like the enthusiastic expression in his eyes, saying, "Let's go."
Jing Jiu left while pushing the wheelchair.
The young man watched them leave blankly. He came back to his senses after a while and caught up to them hurriedly. He thanked them many times and also asked about their backgrounds.
Jing Jiu didn't listen to him.
Guo Dong didn't even take a look at him.
The young man had thought of one possibility, so he felt that his behavior was a little too flirtatious. "The two of you…So, you're…" he stuttered.
Jing Jiu was not going to answer this question.
In fact, he didn't even know what kind of relationship he and Duo Dong had.
In the past hundreds of years, they had fought against each other a great many times, though the results were unimportant.
On the road toward heaven, they had chosen entirely different paths.
Though they were not enemies, they swore not to see each other.
What kind of relationship was this?
After hearing the past affairs between the Immortal Jing Yang and Lian Sanyue, Zhao Layue had her own judgment.
This was a complicated relationship for certain.
As a result, Zhao Layue showed so much caution when facing the Water-Moon Nunnery.
It seemed that her judgment was accurate.
The wheelchair suddenly stopped.
It was because Guo Dong's hands gripped on both wheels.
"We are brother and sister," she said calmly.
Hearing this answer, the young man felt ecstatic, as if heaven and earth made him drunk.
Jing Jiu's eyelids drooped slightly, but his eyelashes didn't move.
They were like the lotus flowers in the pond.
The wind suddenly blew over.