Chapter 73: Ye Qin's Unease

Ye Qin's hearing was keen, so he naturally heard Hu Xiaocao's shout, but he felt there was no need to meet again.

When affinity arises, it ends and is exhausted; flowers bloom, fall, and return to dust.

His affinity with Hu Xiaocao ended after he gave that woman a breath of qi; the rest of the path must be walked by Hu Xiaocao alone.

All things observe the law of affinity; Ye Qin has a clear conscience before his heart and before heaven and earth.

Since affinity brought them together, he helped; when affinity faded and they parted, he no longer met them, cutting off ties.

Thinking this, Ye Qin felt his mind ease somewhat.

Cultivation emphasizes refining body and mind; for Hu Xiaocao it is a gift from the Mountain God, but for Ye Qin it is also a trial.

Those who practice Dao emphasize severing emotion and love, cutting worldly ties, but how can they cut ties without entering the mortal world?

In the past, many who sought the Dao found a place of clear mountains and beautiful waters, fled the turmoil of the mortal world, shut themselves away to tinker, and thought that was the Dao.

Actually, it is not so; to remain in the mortal world, weathering countless storms, yet not forget the original intent, hide in the deep mountains, and sever all previous ties—that is the natural way of the Dao.

If one cannot do that, then continuing to drown in the mortal world—how could that not be another kind of great Dao?

Among the three thousand great Dao of heaven and earth, each has its own method; one should not affirm one Dao and deny the others.

Ye Qin's experience fits perfectly; although his previous life was brief, he also drifted in the mortal world, busy making a living.

This life, reborn as a snake, he has no worldly burdens, no need to worry about firewood, rice, oil, salt, or mundane affairs; he can devote himself to cultivation, undistracted by outside temptations, and never harbored any longing.

Cultivation in the mountains is dull, yet for him it is a joy.

Continually breaking the shackles of life, exploring the unknown path of cultivation.

Looking back now, the memories of his past life seem to grow ever fuzzier; sometimes Ye Qin wonders whether the human Ye Qin is merely a dream he fabricated in contemplation.

Like illusions, bubbles, mist, and lightning—all conditioned phenomena should be viewed thus.

Whether real or illusory, such an experience is something others can encounter but not seek.

What Ye Qin must do is stay grounded and seize the present days.

As the saying goes, the law of affinity is subtly ineffable; as for whether he will meet Hu Xiaocao again in the future, it rests entirely on heaven's arrangement.

There is another matter Ye Qin has kept in mind.

After breaking through the Second Realm, Ye Qin attracted a Heavenly Tribulation; although it did not strike him, it must have been nearly a Heavenly Tribulation.

Therefore he guessed that the Third Realm would also bring a Heavenly Tribulation upon him, possibly on a larger scale than before.

As for whether it would strike him, Ye Qin could not yet determine.

Because the Heavenly Tribulation has not appeared, Ye Qin sometimes cultivates absentmindedly, actually wishing it would come soon.

That way he could settle this matter completely and devote himself wholeheartedly to cultivation.

But Ye Qin is not heaven; he cannot command the Heavenly Tribulation at will, and can only wait quietly for its arrival.

"Thinking about this now is useless; it's not that it won't come, the time just hasn't arrived—I should follow my own course, not be led by the nose."

What about the Heavenly Tribulation?

When the Second Realm tribulation failed to strike him, even if the Third Realm tribulation struck him, given his current cultivation level he would still have the ability to protect himself.

To follow the natural way of all things, act as the heart moves, yet not be bound by the outside world—that is Ye Qin's Dao.

Understanding this, Ye Qin could feel his mind rise to a new level; soon he stopped worrying about the Heavenly Tribulation and entered meditation again.

Hu Xiaocao later looked for Ye Qin several times, but never found him; it seemed she understood something, and never came back to these mountains.

As long as she knows the Mountain God Grandfather is still alive, that is enough.

The mother and daughter continue their offerings and sacrifices to Ye Qin without ever ceasing, knowing their present peaceful life is entirely thanks to him.

Both are ungreedy, cherishing this final year immensely.

Hu Xiaocao also spent this year continually preparing for her mother's departure, though reluctant, she strove to adapt.

They are diligent; although women cannot do heavy labor, with a pair of skillful hands they weave things to sell at the market, and their days gradually improved.

With conditions in place, the offerings made to Ye Qin became more refined.

Ye Qin also stopped paying attention to the mother and daughter's movements; judging by their attitudes, they could live well.

The time of cultivation in the mountains passed in a blink; sunset and moonrise came, Ye Qin's behavioral pattern unchanged—still resting by day and cultivating by moonlight at night.

The surrounding small animals kept changing, yet a few remained unchanged.

Days flowed like water, showing utter tranquility; if nothing unexpected happened, Ye Qin would continue cultivating thus until he entered the Fourth Realm.

But with the arrival of summer, the consecutive days of high heat quickly shattered the original calm.

A crescent moon rose slowly, silver light spilling over the mountains, covering them with a gauzy haze; even so, it could not conceal the leaves scorched into sizzling heat by the high temperature.

Ye Qin had just stepped out of the cave when he felt a wave of heat hit him head-on.

"It feels like the temperature is much higher than usual."

One knows that high mountains have low temperatures, and yet this is at night—such heat is simply unimaginable.

His keen eyes noticed that even the plants around the cave were wilting, and not only that, the other vegetation outside was in the same state.

Although Ye Qin focused on cultivation and paid little heed to the outside world, he vaguely recalled that it had not rained for a while.

Added to this scorching summer, the heat refuses to dissipate, so it's no wonder this situation arose.

Ye Qin fares better, thanks to his cultivation and the fact that he has now entered the Third Realm, so he merely feels a bit hot.

But those other small animals suffered.

Each looked listless, as if they had lost a round of weight.

Ye Qin felt some unease: "Even nighttime temperatures are high—what about daytime? Things could be even worse."

As a streak of morning glow pierced the sky, the heavens resembled a blue‑toned oil painting, gradually brushed with bright colors, the most brilliant being the red sun.

Unlike the past mild and harmless warmth, it merely showed half its face, yet one could feel the air's temperature constantly rising, with heat waves surging forward.

The once broad, spreading leaves were forced to droop; let alone the roadside grass, countless moisture evaporated into feeble tufts that looked frail.

As noon approached, the heat waves kept rising, so much that even the air seemed to distort.

Even with the shade of trees blocking it, the rise in temperature cannot be stopped; there is hardly any small animal activity in the mountains.

Even the sound of cicadas in midsummer has become much quieter, probably unable to endure the heat, their voices almost hoarse.

Ye Qin took in the whole scene, "The temperature in the mountains is probably around thirty degrees, which is clearly somewhat abnormal."

Now that he has settled in the mountains, the surrounding environment is closely related to it; precisely because there are other living beings, plus this vegetation, forming a complete ecological chain.

Although he himself is not yet affected, changes in the surrounding environment will impact the creatures living in the mountains and forests, and can also affect him invisibly.

All things grow because of nature, and nature also gives back, whether good or bad.

The prolonged lack of rain, combined with the high temperature, leaves Ye Qin with a sense of unease.

"If this continues, it won't cause a mountain fire, will it?"

(End of chapter)