Chapter 289: The Subtlety Lies in the Heart
On the fifth day after Fan Yunxiao left, many oddly dressed people appeared on this small island, men and women, young and old. First, one arrived, planting a large banner on the island. Then, with a series of whooshing sounds and flashes of light, many more banners appeared on the island.
When the banners were withdrawn, several hundred people appeared on the island. They sat down around the island, each in a different position, scattered like stars on a chessboard, completely motionless.
However, every two hours, these people would rise and change their positions, a pattern that never changed.
Under the shade of a tree, Long Jiaonan shivered several times and quickly moved her body, shifting toward the center of the island.
Si Yunxiang, on the other hand, was quite cheerful, cooking for everyone to keep them from going hungry.
Ling Yuxiu’s expression was grave as she looked around. She could tell that this was a massive formation, trapping them all on the island and denying them any chance to leave. If they tried to force their way through the formation, it would activate, turning into a killing formation and making the island a slaughterhouse!
When this great formation activated, it would surely be terrifying beyond measure!
Moreover, she noticed that some of these strange people were wearing court robes—high-ranking officials of the current dynasty. Others were butchers from the market, executioners who beheaded criminals, and even scholars from the Imperial Academy’s Directorate of Education. Truly, a motley crew!
The most peculiar thing was that these people changed positions every two hours, altering the formation. This was likely to prevent the Dao Lord from deciphering the formation’s changes.
"The Heavenly Demon Sect truly lives up to its reputation as the number one demon sect. They’ve gauged it perfectly."
The old Dao Lord was also studying this killing formation, admiring it in his heart. He said, "It takes me exactly two hours to calculate the formation’s changes, and they change it just at that moment. The Formation Hall Master is indeed cunning."
The Formation Hall Master was a scholar from the Array Element Hall of the Imperial Academy, appointed by Emperor Yanfeng as a Hanlin Academician and greatly favored. The emperor often summoned him to discuss state affairs. Although the emperor had not given him real power due to his origins in the Heavenly Demon Sect, many of the military formations were designed by him.
Clearly, the Formation Hall Master had calculated the old Dao Lord’s limits perfectly. If Qin Mu faced danger, they would never let him leave alive. Even if he left, it would have to be as a corpse.
Unnoticed, the fourteenth day arrived. Qin Mu closed his eyes, then opened them after a moment. He stood up from beneath the stone stele and bowed to the Dao Lord. "Thank you, Senior Brother, for allowing me to comprehend the Dao Sword."
The Dao Lord rose and returned the bow. "I dare not accept such thanks. As the Human Sovereign, you are inherently qualified to comprehend the Dao Sword. I showed it to you, just as the Tathagata would show you the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra. The Human Sovereign deserves this."
Qin Mu said, "I have already seen the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra."
The Dao Lord paused for a moment, then after a long silence, shook his head with a smile. "That old fellow is still as sly as ever, beating me to it. Disciple, return the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra to the Human Sovereign."
Lin Xuan Daozi snapped out of his meditation, quickly gathered the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, which turned into a ball of thread, and presented it with both hands to Qin Mu.
Qin Mu smiled. "You and I are about the same age; there’s no need for such formality."
Lin Xuan Daozi shook his head. "Excessive courtesy does not offend. As long as I am not the Dao Lord, I will always be your junior."
Qin Mu was helpless. "Dao Lord, though you have not seen the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, your words about 'storing evil and storing good' have captured its true essence. When you studied the sutra, how much good and how much evil did you see?"
Lin Xuan Daozi hesitated. The Dao Lord smiled and said, "Lord Qin is an expert in this area. Speak freely."
Lin Xuan Daozi said, "Perhaps due to preconceptions, when I first read the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, I felt every sentence was harmful. Only when I reached the middle section did I begin to see some flavor, and the distinction between good and evil faded from my mind. By the time I reached the final section, I felt I might have misunderstood what I saw earlier, so I started over. My impressions were different again."
Qin Mu asked with a smile, "And how much remains as demonic?"
"Two-tenths," Lin Xuan Daozi replied honestly.
Qin Mu said, "Your Dao heart still has two-tenths of demonic influence. But you are already much better than the Buddha Son. When the Buddha Son with his Buddha heart looked at the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, he saw demonic influence everywhere. He has the appearance of a Buddha, but in his heart, he is an incorrigible demon."
Lin Xuan Daozi was stunned, then suddenly enlightened. "I see!"
Yet he felt a bit unconvinced. His gaze flickered as he looked at Qin Mu. "Human Sovereign, when you look at the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, how much is demonic?"
Qin Mu said, "All chapters of the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra are both righteous and demonic. It depends on how I use them."
Lin Xuan Daozi was dumbfounded. "This..."
Qin Mu said with profound meaning, "The way of the sage lies in the daily use of the common people. The very first sentence of the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra makes this clear. You and I are also common people. When our hearts are set on the righteous path, the sutra is righteous; when our hearts are set on the demonic path, the sutra is demonic. I can use it as a righteous technique or as a demonic technique. The subtlety lies in the heart."
"The subtlety lies in the heart?" Lin Xuan Daozi was stunned again, finding this reasoning quite profound.
The old Dao Lord quickly shouted, "Hey! Don’t listen to his teachings! They’re just crooked theories of following nature! You are the next Dao Lord. Beware of his clever words seducing you into his demon sect!"
Lin Xuan Daozi snapped back to reality, breaking out in a cold sweat that soaked his clothes. He thought to himself, "While pretending to guide me, he was discussing the demon sect’s doctrines, trying to seduce me! His 'following nature' is different from our Daoist 'following the Dao of nature'!"
The old Dao Lord said seriously, "Lord Qin’s state of mind is indeed a notch above yours. In the future, when he opposes you as the Demon Lord, you must be careful. Don’t just remember that he is the Human Sovereign; forget that he is also the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader!"
Qin Mu was both amused and exasperated. The old Dao Lord treated him like a flood or a wild beast, strictly guarding his disciple to prevent him from being lured into the Heavenly Demon Sect.
The old Dao Lord asked, "Human Sovereign, what do you think of the Dao Sword?"
Qin Mu said solemnly, "It exhausts mathematical principles with extraordinary subtlety. Toward the final moves, it seems to transcend mathematics and approach the Dao."
The old Dao Lord’s words also carried deep meaning. He smiled and said, "Our Daoist sect’s Dao Sword can also be seen as how to accurately measure a circle. The precise and approximate ratios are nearly infinite. The relationship between diameter and circumference cannot be resolved through emptiness and stillness alone; there are countless digits beyond. The Dao has no end, and the circle has no end. So why change the Dao? Why alter the methods?" ①
Qin Mu was taken aback. This old Dao Lord was spreading the Daoist sect’s doctrines to him!
"Dao Lord, let’s keep it at that." Qin Mu smiled.
The old Dao Lord laughed heartily and had Lin Xuan Daozi put away the stone wall. He said, "Human Sovereign, your identity is special, and you will face many formidable enemies. It would be best to return to the Great Ruin as soon as possible. The Dragon King’s daughter—I sent her to invite you. May I take her away?"
Qin Mu looked at the yellow essences beneath their feet. Many had grown a few leaves, but quite a few had also died.
"Don’t worry. She listens to me. She won’t come here again."
The old Dao Lord smiled. "You haven’t lost anything. On the contrary, she has lost a great deal."
Qin Mu nodded and called Long Jiaonan forward. She endured her pain and hobbled up to him.
Qin Mu asked, "Will you still oppose me?"
Long Jiaonan said, "My Dragon Gate Sect was annihilated because of you. I have no choice but to oppose you."
"Whether I was there or not, your Dragon Gate Sect was destined to be wiped out. It was the trend of the times. Even if I hadn’t been at Tianbo City, you would have met the same fate."
Qin Mu said, "I just happened to be there. It’s natural for you to hate me, but if you come to kill me again, I won’t show mercy."
Long Jiaonan gritted her teeth. "I won’t show mercy either!"
Qin Mu shook his head. "You’ve already lost your chance. Don’t shed your skin again. If you keep doing it, you’ll grow old. Go with the Dao Lord."
Long Jiaonan stood beside the Dao Lord, her heart filled with confusion. Every time she encountered Qin Mu, she found him much stronger than before. If they met again, would she still be a match for him?
Would she ever have another chance?
But her mind was soon consumed by hatred, pushing this confusion aside.
The old Dao Lord clasped his fists, forming a Taiji diagram on the outside and a Zi Wu seal on the inside. "I take my leave."
Qin Mu returned the gesture and rose. "Farewell, Dao Lord."
With a rustle, the Heavenly Demon Sect hall masters, protectors, and heavenly kings around the island all stood up, clearing a path.
The old Dao Lord led Long Jiaonan and Lin Xuan Daozi off the island. Then a cloud rose beneath his feet, carrying the three of them away.
Qin Mu looked around at the Heavenly Demon Sect members and waved his hand with a smile. "Disperse. All of you, go."
Each person performed a bow, rolled up their banners, and vanished. However, Jade Heavenly King and Master Heavenly King remained, clearly uneasy about Qin Mu’s safety.
Qin Mu smiled. "There’s no need to be so tense about me. You go too."
The two heavenly kings exchanged a glance, covered themselves with their robes, and disappeared.
"I don’t think they’ve gone far," Si Yunxiang said.
Qin Mu nodded. Ling Yuxiu, however, was troubled. "Great Sect Leader, you were just putting on airs in front of your subordinates and let them leave. How are we supposed to get away?"
Qin Mu hesitated. He had indeed been putting on airs. The elders in the village had taught him from a young age that even if you lose the battle, you must not lose face. So he hadn’t asked the Heavenly Demon Sect members to carry him, the Saint Sect Leader, out of the East Sea, lest he lose face in front of his subordinates.
"Do you think Fan Yunxiao will come back to pick us up?" he ventured.
The two women sneered and said in unison, "He left crying so pitifully! He won’t come back!"
Qin Mu stammered, "Well, maybe we should just walk back over the sea..."
"It seems we have no choice."
Si Yunxiang looked back at the spirit spring, reluctant to leave. "Do you think those yellow essences, when they wake up, will still recognize us?"
"I don’t know."
Qin Mu looked back. The area around the spirit spring was lush and green. He shook his head. "They died once. If they originally had souls, their souls should have fallen into the dark Netherworld. But they came back to life. Whether their souls are the original ones, whether their memories are the original ones, or whether new souls were born from their bodies with memories like a blank slate—that’s anyone’s guess."
Si Yunxiang felt a pang of melancholy. Seeing Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu already walking on the sea surface, she quickly caught up. A wave formed beneath Qin Mu’s feet, shaped like a dragon’s head, surging forward and carrying them westward.
Elsewhere, the Sorcerer Venerable of the Loulan Golden Palace received news from Banguo Cuo and immediately left the Golden Palace, heading west.
He traveled a great distance, skirting the vast Great Ruin, crossing snowy plateaus and entering the Flame Desert, arriving in the Western Lands. He climbed the highest peak in the Western Lands.
At the golden summit of this divine mountain, there was nothing but an altar. The Sorcerer Venerable took three incense sticks and lit them. The smoke curled upward, reaching the heavens.
At the point where the smoke disappeared, a cyan face faintly appeared in the air, seeming to merge with the blue sky.
"A new Human Sovereign has appeared," the Sorcerer Venerable said, burning incense and bowing.
Note ①: The precise and approximate ratios refer to terms in pi calculation. The mathematician Zu Chongzhi of the Southern and Northern Dynasties calculated pi to precise and approximate ratios. Those interested can look it up. Zu Chongzhi was a Daoist priest of the Heavenly Master Sect and a master of mathematics. He said of himself, "I devote myself to the art of numbers, searching through ancient and modern works."
So, want to cultivate immortality? How good are you at math? How about chemistry (the alchemist Daoist Tao Hongjing)? Medicine (the medical Daoist Ge Hong and Sun Simiao)? Philosophy (Laozi and Zhuangzi)? Statecraft (Wei Zheng and Li Mi)? Economics (Fan Li)? Military strategy (Zhang Liang)? Calligraphy and painting (Wang Xizhi and Wu Daozi)? Astronomy (too many to list)? Poetry (Li Bai)?
Study hard, and ascend soon!
PS: Zhai Zhu will be traveling to Shanghai and Japan for an author salon hosted by Yuewen. He’s setting off today and doesn’t know if he can release chapters in Japan. Updates may be unstable or interrupted during this time. If he can release chapters in Japan, Zhai Zhu will do his best to write and try to keep updating. The notes and PS are free of charge.