Chapter 277: Love and Tribulation

The Old Daoist then turned around to look at Li Yunxin.

His hair bun was slightly loose from what had just happened. A few strands of hair fell over his forehead.

But this gave him a greater air of aloofness and unrestraint—because the expression on his face was no longer one of panic, but had become calm.

Just as he had always been.

The Old Daoist smiled, walked a few steps forward, and sat down on the steps in front of the door. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Brother Xin, do you remember what happened on South Mountain?”

“I previously thought Brother Xin was no longer with us. But one night you ran to the South Mountain Mountain God Temple, and only then did I learn you were still alive. Then you asked me... what scheme that Lady Hong was up to.”

Li Yunxin stood behind him for a while, then slowly walked over and sat down beside Old Daoist Liu—they sat side-by-side on the steps of the Central Hall.

Old Daoist Liu fell silent after saying those two sentences, and Li Yunxin also remained silent.

They looked together at the distant lake and mountain scenery—it was hard to imagine the presence of terrifying murderous intent hidden within such beauty.

And now, they were enjoying a moment of calm before the impending storm.

After sitting for a while, Old Daoist Liu turned his face and looked seriously at Li Yunxin: “Brother Xin, where exactly are you from?”

Li Yunxin squinted his eyes and looked into the far distance, then let out a soft sigh: “I am not from here. I was originally from another world.”

The Old Daoist was not surprised. He nodded slightly: “Then how did you come to this world?”

Li Yunxin lowered his head and smiled: “Some people there got on my bad side. So I spent ten years to catch the one I hated the most. I tied him up in a room. I thought, I have hated him for so long, I can't let him off easy. So, every day, I cut a slice of meat from his leg and ate it. After a month of eating, I had just finished one leg—when his underlings found him and rescued him.”

“Then they caught me. I was killed by them. And after that, I somehow came to this world.”

Old Daoist Liu thought for a moment: “It sounds like a terrible, deep-seated hatred.”

“It is,” Li Yunxin smiled, “The kind where we cannot live under the same sky.”

The Old Daoist paused his questioning there. He suddenly changed the subject: “Did your former world, Brother Xin, also have love between men and women?”

“I suppose so.”

“Was it different from here?”

Li Yunxin froze for a moment, silent for a while. Then he looked at the distance and narrowed his eyes: “It was both the same and different. In my former world, you fell in love quickly and hated just as quickly. True feelings were easy to spot, but also easy to hide. Everyone said they would only love one person their entire life, but in reality, everyone loved many people. Being together wasn't necessarily because of liking, but separation wasn't necessarily because of hate. Doesn't that sound messy and terrible?”

Old Daoist Liu nodded: “It sounds like a group of demons dancing wildly. So, is it because you went through those things in that world, Brother Xin, that you are afraid?”

Li Yunxin was silent for a while, then said: “I didn't go through those things there either.”

The Old Daoist was startled: “Brother Xin, were you... a human there?”

Li Yunxin laughed: “We only have humans there. No demons—perhaps there are, but I haven't seen any. Are you asking how, as a human, I haven't married or had experiences?”

“...Yes.”

“My world was different from this one,” Li Yunxin smiled, “There was plenty of casual flings, and not everyone had to get married. I've had experiences with men and women, but having those experiences doesn't necessarily mean love between men and women. So, I mean...”

Old Daoist Liu nodded thoughtfully: “This is the second time now, Brother Xin.”

“The last time you were like this, it was also because of that Lady Hong. And this second time, it's her again.” The Old Daoist turned to look at Li Yunxin, “Brother Xin, have you considered that this might be you entering a tribulation?”

“For example, when we first entered Dongting, if you had killed Lady Hong, this Restriction would have lifted after a few days, and we wouldn't have been involved in this mess. But since you showed mercy—you know this yourself—you became entangled with Lady Hong in a karmic relationship.”

Li Yunxin thought for a moment: “I don't love her.”

The Old Daoist smiled slightly: “Love between a man and a woman is hard to define. I told you about my past—my real name is Liu Gongzan. At that time, I was going to wash my hands of being a bandit and got involved with a girl.”

“What kind of girl was she, really? Her looks weren't unpleasant, and her temperament wasn't unpleasant. If you asked me if I liked her, I did. If you asked me if I'd regret leaving her and going somewhere else, I wouldn't be disappointed. But at that time, I just wanted to settle down... and having someone who wasn't annoying to look at was a rare find.”

“Years passed like that. If you had asked me then if I had love between a man and a woman with her? I wouldn't have known if I did. Working from sunrise to sunset. Keeping warm in the same bed in winter, and waving a cattail fan to shoo away mosquitoes in summer. I gave her silver, and she prepared my two meals a day. That's called living together as companions.”

“What I thought was love between a man and a woman back then? It had to be like the heroes and heroines of legendary tales—blood, gore, and excitement, sorrow and joy in separation and reunion. Only when the talented scholar and the beautiful maiden finally came together, was it called love between a man and a woman. So I thought, well, well, well, this kind of thing isn't for everyone to enjoy—mine surely doesn't count.”

Old Daoist Liu paused, and sighed softly: “Later, they were all mistakenly killed by Meng'e.”

“When I saw they were all gone... I finally realized, you know, that feeling I had never experienced before. Losing a sword or treasure is one kind of feeling. Losing both parents is another kind of feeling. But their passing then was completely different from losing a treasure or losing parents. It was then that I realized, ah, that was probably love between a man and a woman. I had thought I had never experienced it, but I had been experiencing it all along.”

“So, although Brother Xin is incredibly intelligent and understands how to read people's hearts. But since you have never experienced it before, how do you know if you are experiencing it now?”

Li Yunxin listened to Old Daoist Liu's words and was silent for a while.

Then he looked up: “What you said makes sense. But I still feel it is not love. I just...”

“I have forgotten many things from the past. I haven't thought about them for the past ten-odd years. But suddenly, experiencing it again in person, it's like a floodgate has been opened. My stress has been high recently, and everything is a matter of life and death—all these factors converged, which is why I almost broke down. I understand all these things, and I have ways to adjust my mindset.”

He thought for a moment, then slowly stood up: “But regarding Lady Hong... maybe you are right. I don't mean that the part about us having love between a man and a woman is right, but that she might have become a tribulation for me.”

“When I was in Weicheng, Yue Yunzi said that even if I was a demon, I must seek a Dao Heart. Later, Kun Wuzi also said that.” Li Yunxin smiled, “Actually, I have long had that thing. Self-hypnosis, psychological suggestion, consciousness strengthening. Call it whatever you want—using these things to create something like an obsession. Taoist priests and Sword Cultivators sever all affection and desire; when they cultivate to the end, they hardly care about anything—if they don't care about anything, what the hell are they cultivating for? So, they need something called a Dao Heart to sustain themselves.”

“And how is that different from a Ghost Cultivator's obsession?”

“I have a Dao Heart... I must walk a path that the Taoist priests and Sword Cultivators travel.” Li Yunxin frowned.

After a long time of thought, he finally said: “Then I will overcome this tribulation—if it truly is a tribulation.”

Old Daoist Liu let out a soft breath: “Brother Xin, how will you overcome this tribulation?”

“The way the Daoist Orthodoxy and the Sword Sect overcome it, is the way I will overcome it,” Li Yunxin looked at Old Daoist Liu, “My father, Li Chunfeng, once told me that the Passion Tribulation is most conveniently overcome in the True Realm and Profound Realm—by splitting off a True Body and having it fall into the mortal world with someone. If the Transcending Tribulation succeeds, that split body is cut off, which is considered cutting off a karmic relationship of love. The tribulation is then considered passed.”

“I thought about it and didn't know the principle behind it, but since Taoist priests and Sword Cultivators have been doing this for thousands of years, it should indeed be effective.”

“So... after surviving the troubles outside, I will find Lady Hong. If she is not dead, I will grant her a karmic relationship of love and favor.”

The Old Daoist listened to his words carefully, then thought about it seriously and solemnly. Finally, he nodded: “If it works... it is indeed Brother Xin's style of doing things. I thought you were deeply secretive about this kind of thing, but now that you've truly decided to do it, you're not being coy. Alas... no wonder your cultivation has been advancing by leaps and bounds. After all, you have a subtle heart.”

Li Yunxin's face was as calm as ever: “It is simply... something that must be done.”

At this moment, the hazy yellow in the sunlight was growing increasingly heavy.

Looking to the west, the sun hung alone where the water met the sky. There were no clouds or sunset glow around it, like a single red marble.

It was late summer, after all—the sky was starting to get a little cool toward evening.

If one squinted and looked very closely, one could still see a faint crescent moon in the deep blue sky.

Li Yunxin and Old Daoist Liu watched the distant scenery for a while, then slowly frowned.

This was because the sky seemed to be faintly flickering. It was as if... this Dongting was originally covered by a huge glass dome. Now, the dome was about to melt, causing the scenery at the top of the sky to slowly twist. The flickering became faster and faster, until finally, it merged into one continuous movement, as if the fiery red sun itself was vibrating.

But eventually, a quarter of an hour later, the flickering stopped.

Li Yunxin seemed to hear a “pop” sound next to his ear, as if a large soap bubble had burst.

Thus, he and Old Daoist Liu both knew that the Dongting Barrier had disappeared—faster than Bai Yunxin had predicted.

Li Yunxin took a few steps forward, turned, and faced Old Daoist Liu: “The Snake Demon said it earlier. Yazi and the Evil King both suffered heavy losses. The Evil King is still at Trapped Sky Mountain, but Yazi has come to find me.”

“But now, Yazi is still Yazi, and when it gets dark, he will turn into someone else,” Li Yunxin said as he looked up and squinted at the sunset. According to the usual situation, there was still about one hour until it was completely dark. He turned his head again, “I'm going to talk to him now—and then we'll proceed according to the plan.”

The Old Daoist nodded: “Good.”

“Be careful.”

Li Yunxin smiled, turned, and swept toward the lake: “I won't die.” (To be continued.)