The Path Toward Heaven

The young Daoist monk looked at Jing Jiu for a long while, the baffled expression in his eyes easing in the end. He said with a smile, “Oh, it’s you.”

“Yes, it’s me,” returned Jing Jiu.

The young Daoist monk asked, “Why did you change back to the look you had when you were little?”

“Big Brother, you also have the look from when you were young,” said Jing Jiu.

The young Daoist monk was none other than the Immortal Taiping who had fled to the Green Sky Mirror; for some reason, like Jing Jiu, he had changed into a youth.

“It’s probably because we’re both spiritual souls. Forget it, though. What I don’t understand is…”

The Immortal Taiping said, “I’ve erased my memories, and I can’t even remember who I am. How did you find me?”

Jing Jiu held up the blood-red feather in his hand.

“Oh, that’s why,” the Immortal Taiping said emotionally. “I’ve listened to the scripts at the Fruit Formation Temple for a great many years, and I was the Chief Monk there for a long time. It’s not until today that I’ve finally found that the idea about karma is true.”

Jing Jiu said while pointing to the broom in his hands, “And because of this.”

Jing Jiu was fully aware of the difference in time between the Green Sky Mirror and the outside world; so based on the abrasion on the broom he could tell how long the other party had stayed in the Daoist temple.

In other words, he knew exactly how long the other party had been in the Green Sky Mirror.

As such, it was impossible for him to find the wrong person.

In fact, even without all these attributes, he still wouldn’t find the wrong person.

It was the same as the fact that the eldest son of the Grand Scholar Zhang could recognize him.

It was dusk when Jing Jiu left the capital of Chu State; the twilight in the sky grew darker and the distant setting sun was close to the horizon.

It was because the mountain on which the Daoist temple was situated was quite high. Those mountain streams in the lower location had already been enshrouded by the night.

“This mountain is indeed very high, similar to Tianguang Peak,” said the Immortal Taiping.

The reason the Green Mountain Sect was called the branch of Shangde Peak was because both the Immortal Taiping and the Immortal Jing Yang hailed from Shangde Peak; but the two of them met on Tianguang Peak the first time.

It was because their Grandmaster and Master were both the sect masters of Green Mountain.

Many, many years ago, the Immortal Daoyuan brought back a child from Zhaoge City.

The young Daoist who was stepping on the clouds at the edge of the cliff on Tianguang Peak turned around and said, “Master, this young brother is as talented as I. Let me teach him.”

“But Little Taiping, you have to do a good job,” said the Immortal Daoyuan.

…

…

The height of the sky in the Green Sky Mirror was limited.

If one cultivated a state that was higher than the limitation of the sky in this world, they would draw down heavenly punishment. They would either die like what had happened to Master Mo or break through the sky and get out of the world like what had happened to Jing Jiu. If Jing Jiu wished to kill the Immortal Taiping, he must lower his Cultivation state to a state lower than the Broken Sea State, and so must the Immortal Taiping.

The Immortal Taiping said with a faint smile, “Now we’re merely two ghostly souls; you’re not the sword body anymore. Are you sure you can defeat me here? Don’t forget that it was I who taught you the sword work.”

“Big Brother, your talent is truly inferior to mine,” said Jing Jiu.

…

…

The young Taiping was the most talented practitioner on Green Mountain over a thousand years ago until he had a young brother named Jing Yang.

He had never been jealous of Jing Yang, nor did he snub Jing Yang. He had taught Jing Yang wholeheartedly without concealing anything from him, save for the Formation of Dispersed Smoke and Cloud.

He believed that his own talent was the same as Jing Yang’s and that Jing Yang would listen to him for the rest of his life.

As such, he had taught all the sword styles to Jing Yang.

…

…

In front of the Daoist temple, two young Daoist monks stood face to face, like what they did over a thousand years ago.

They were using the same sword styles that they had used back in the days.

The sword lights illuminated the green trees and the darkening twilight, drawing the marks that were not very spectacular but rather picturesque. In comparison to the sword fight in the hermit peaks, this one felt more realistic.

The two of them employed various sword styles like what they did when they practiced the sword work back then…the Inherited Heavenly Sword style, the Flowing-Snow Sword style, the Old-Bird Sword style, the Endless Sword style, the Six-Dragon Sword style, the Seven-Plum Sword style, the Eight-Side Sword style, etc.

Perhaps for this very reason, they didn’t use the magic methods of other sects even though the secret sword styles of the nine peaks had been used one after the other.

It was interesting to note that Jing Jiu had never used the Inherited Heaven Sword and that the Immortal Taiping preferred using the Nine-Death Sword style of Shenmo Peak.

They did the same as what they had done back then.

…

…

After the deaths of their Grandmaster and Master, the two of them relied on each other to live on Shangde Peak. Taiping gradually became more reserved, and started taking on disciples, making friends and raising chickens and dogs.

Jing Yang was as thick as before; but he practiced the sword work more diligently in secret.

They went and killed many people after finishing a hotpot; then they united the Green Mountain Sect, intimidating the whole world.

Though it was the Immortal Taiping who was often seen in public, Jing Yang had killed people just as many as Taiping.

In the end and after eating another hotpot, Jing Yang led Liu Ci and Quan Qijing moving toward the Immortal Taiping; then, he pierced his sword at the back of the Immortal Taiping.

…

…

A sword light passed through someone’s chest.

Another sword light passed through another one’s chest.

The spots and the angles of the swords piercing through the chests were basically the same.

Their wounds appeared the same.

The Daoist temple had been leveled to rubble by the sword lights filling the sky.

Jing Jiu and the Immortal Taiping were both sitting on the ground against a big tree, covered in blood.

Yet, the blood on them was not real blood in this world; it dissipated with the mountain wind, merging into the dim sky.

“Is it because my talent is not as good as yours? Otherwise, why have I lost to you again?”

The youthful face of the Immortal Taiping revealed a painful expression, and his voice was a bit hoarse.

“No, you didn’t lose to me. You have lost to this world, because your opponent is this world itself.”

Jing Jiu continued, “Of course, if this world didn’t have me, you might be able to win.”

“It’s truly fascinating.”

The Immortal Taiping took a look at the wound in his chest before saying helplessly, “I’ve thought of how I will leave this world many times, and I had even thought about this before I came to the Green Sky Mirror. I thought that I might be knocked to death by a pawn you had left behind with a stick, that I might be bitten to death by those unenlightened and animal-like farmers, that I might drown myself after getting drunk and looking at the stars reflected on the surface of the water, and I even thought that I might fall into a shit pit and die…But this sort of death is really boring.”

Jing Jiu got up by propping against the big tree, saying nothing.

The Immortal Taiping lifted up his head and said, “More often than not I thought that you might not find me and that I would spend a few hundred years here, wake up by a sudden chime of a bell and then think about those past events…All in all, it’s truly boring to end all this with a swing of the sword.”

Jing Jiu said, “Death is very boring no matter how it occurs.”

“This is the part I don’t like about you the most; you’re always so boring, though I have to admit that someone like you has a better chance of achieving longevity.”

The Immortal Taiping went on with a smile, “It’s because the victory is always the same, and the interesting souls will die for sure.”

“Big Brother,” said Jing Jiu, “there is something I didn’t bear telling you before.”

The Immortal Taiping asked earnestly, “What’s that?”

Jing Jiu said, “Since you came back from the Underworld and decided to be the savior of the world, you had become dull.”

He only liked the Big Brother who liked eating hotpot and playing Mahjong.

After a moment of silence, the Immortal Taiping responded, “Really? Maybe you’re right.”

Having said this, he closed his eyes. His body disappeared slowly, turning into countless light specks and spreading like the fireflies.

Those light specks were red; they looked like fire when they gathered together and like the twilight when they spread.

Jing Jiu fell silent while looking at the empty tree, then headed toward the sky.

There were no stairs in the sky; but he walked higher and higher until he reached the roof of the sky. Only at this elevation he could see the setting sun.

The dark clouds came over for no obvious reason. The thunder rumbled. It was the heavenly punishment.

He waved his hand a few times and broke through the sky.

…

…

The green grass in the hermit peaks was as fresh as before.

The Green Sky Mirror was laying quietly on the grass.

Jing Jiu opened his eyes, and he placed his right hand on his chest for a while.

It was the spot where the Immortal Taiping had pierced his sword through; it still felt a bit painful.

“What’s the matter?” asked the Green Girl.

“Nothing,” replied Jing Jiu.

He picked up the bone flute in the grass.

The Green Girl asked, “Do you want to play a flute music?”

“No,” said Jing Jiu.

He looked up at the sky.

It was a spot outside the hermit peaks.

It was the highest spot in the real sky.

“The sun is setting down, and she is coming.”

…

…