Chapter 250: with translation of chapter title

250. Chapter 250: Gou Hui's predicament, Dong Wanggong's scheme

"Oh? Really? Then I will give Fellow Daoist Mu Gong a piece of advice: never forget your original intention, only then can you see things through to the end."

Qi showed a slight smile, and Dong Wanggong hastily bowed and performed a salute, speaking with extreme humility and sincerity: "Lord Mu Gong must certainly keep the Emperor's words in mind."

Qi did not believe a single word Dong Wanggong said, but he also knew that Dong Wanggong would certainly keep it in mind, after all his original intention could be anything, but it would definitely not be to protect the scattered cultivators of the world.

"I hope that is the case, but no matter what your original intention truly is, from now on your original intention can only be this."

After saying that, Qi raised his wine cup, took a slight sip, then turned and left. Seeing Dong Wanggong's action, he immediately drained his cup, and only after Qi had walked away did he sit down.

Faced with the concerned gazes of the followers at the same table, Dong Wanggong showed no abnormality on the surface, but in his heart he kept cursing Qi: "Reckless, how dare you humiliate me thus, Divine Qi, I will surely have my revenge someday!"

Dao Ancestor

Those following him saw Dong Wanggong had no response, and with concern asked, Dong Wanggong merely waved his hand lightly and said:

"I am fine; it's merely a small verbal advantage, so what if he takes it?"

"Those who wish to accomplish great deeds must have the heart to endure what ordinary people cannot; merely following me, I thank you for your hard work."

Dong Wanggong's voice was flat, but as he reached the end he carried a hint of indebtedness, moving those who had followed him to great emotion.

"We swear to follow Lord Mu Gong unto death, achieve extraordinary deeds, and repay today's humiliation!"

Everyone spoke up in turn; although their voices were extremely low, it still left Dong Wanggong thoroughly satisfied.

Profound Yin Qi

Grand Primordial Dao

The gods' gazes closely followed Qi, tracking his movements as they continually wandered the scene; upon seeing Qi walk to Gou Hui's side, everyone instantly perked up again.

Seeing Qi gradually approach from afar, Gou Hui felt a helpless, wry smile, not knowing he could escape this encounter, but thinking that as long as he was extremely cooperative with the Heavenly Court, he should be fine.

Seeing that Qi's target was indeed himself, Gou Hui did not wait for Qi to arrive but rose early to await him; seeing this, Qi felt quite pleased.

"Fellow Daoist, you differ from those two sides; I also know your character—you are a person devoted solely to pure cultivation, not one of ambitious sorts."

One who knows when to advance or retreat, understands the greater situation, and feels compassion for the difficulty of all beings, is a person of great merit.

Qi had just arrived, his mouth full of praise, and seeing that the spiritual fruits on the table had hardly diminished, he could not help but speak:

But this banquet may not be to your liking, Daoist friend; perhaps there is no change at all?

Gou Hui gave a bitter smile and said: "Your Majesty Qi, your praise is misplaced; the banquet is not displeasing to me, but I am presently troubled and have little appetite."

Gou Hui's state was obvious to Qi, but before Qi could feign inquiry, Gou Hui continued to explain:

"I have long been acquainted with Your Majesties; you should know what kind of person I am. This position as leader of the female immortals was not my wish, but the Dao Ancestor imposed it upon me at the end."

"How could such an act be considered a favor or honor? I am merely a humble cultivator of Kunlun Mountain, yet now I am placed before the stage; to me, this is no different from being set upon fire."

"Although Gou Hui has long made his intentions clear and knows that Your Majesties will not blame him, even so, his heart cannot find peace."

"Within this anxiety, Your Majesty is the Heaven's Chosen, born to bear a great mission, so you naturally do not understand this."

Qi naturally knows what Gou Hui is thinking; after she hands over the Ren Water Peach Tree, she becomes extremely close to and cooperative with the Heavenly Court.

The Heavenly Court is also very pleased with this, and Gou Hui's current anxiety stems precisely from the Heavenly Court's satisfaction.

Although Qi feels completely at ease with Gou Hui, this does not mean he will let her pass through this matter easily, after all, she ultimately represents the female immortals.

The Dao Ancestor appointed her as leader of the female immortals, bestowing upon her a top-grade innate spiritual root, the Peach Tree, to oversee all the dark yin qi of the world.

Moreover, as the lord of West Kunlun, this status already gives her the foundation to shake the Heavenly Court; although she harbors no such ambition, her importance is extraordinary and cannot be lightly overlooked.

Qi could easily establish her as a benchmark for the Heavenly Court among the myriad beings of the wilderness, offering her high office and generous stipend to demonstrate the Heavenly Court's tolerance.

But the present dilemma is that Gou Hui does not wish to join this vortex of the Heavenly Court, yet she also harbors no desire to contend for supremacy in the wilderness; wishing to stay still while the wind will not cease, Gou Hui has long had no retreat.

As for Qi, Gou Hui has only two paths: either become a part of the Heavenly Court, or else become its enemy.

There is no middle option, for anyone of this kind whose position is uncertain could become a crucial factor in the Heavenly Court's future collapse.

Gou Hui also knows what the Heavenly Court desires, but this is precisely her dilemma; for now she has not yet entered the Primordial Dao, still having some leeway. Yet once she steps into the Primordial Dao, whether it be the Heavenly Court or those opposed to it, they will compel her to make a choice.

Otherwise, all that awaits her is pressure from both sides, and then, amid the great trend, she will come to nothing.

"Daoist friend, you worry too much; the Heavenly Court naturally has the capacity to tolerate people, and even someone as ambitious as Wood Lord, if he does not violate the heavenly laws, the Heavenly Court will not act against him."

"If this is how we treat him, how much more so for a Daoist friend? We have been acquainted for a long time; the choice rests entirely with you, Daoist friend."

Qi knows that now is not the time to press too hard, and she is currently only a Lofty Heaven Revered God, unable to influence the greater situation, so he can naturally grant her a little more time.

Gou Hui's face showed a bitter smile; he did not conceal his thoughts, speaking frankly: 'After all is said and done, Gou Hui has merely thought too simplistically and too superficially.'

"'Regarding these considerations, Gou Hui ought to think more deeply, but I still hope Your Majesty will be lenient and grant a little more time, allowing Gou Hui to ponder a bit further.'"

Qi nodded; he had no intention of pressing too hard, and his coming over was merely a reminder; in response to Gou Hui's words, Qi simply smiled and said:

"'Then there is no problem.'"

Having said that, Qi raised his wine cup slightly; Gou Hui did the same, they clasped hands, and drank the wine in their cups.

After Qi left, Lu Wu and some female immortals who had followed Gou Hui over then turned their gazes toward her; Gou Hui merely shook his head slightly, indicating they should not pay attention.

Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, Lu Wu approached Gou Hui's side and smiled, saying: 'My lord, have my words all come true?'

Gou Hui felt somewhat helpless about this; she was already vexed, and Lu Wu actually ran over regardless of occasion to add trouble for her, but she had always been gentle and could not say much, so she could only give a bitter smile: 'Yes, yes, yes, Lu Wu, you are the most resourceful, but I do not know whom you have again brought to teach me?'

Seeing this, Lu Wu gave a slight smile and said:

"'My lord, I have already said before that you need not surrender the peach; you only need to join the Heavenly Court.'"

"'But my lord does not listen, and now he has instead placed himself in a dilemma; according to my words, it is still the same as before: choose a side to join, or else he will ultimately be unable to escape this predicament.'"

"'However, I recommend the Heavenly Court all the more, for by joining it one might even regain the peach tree, and moreover the Heavenly Court now holds a great advantage, so it should be able to laugh last.'"

Sometimes Gou Hui feels that he is truly too gentle; he ought to have given Lu Wu a slap to make him understand why he is the lord.

What time is it now, still thinking about the peach tree? Moreover, she wants to join no one, only wishing to cultivate in peace at West Kunlun! 'You must have taken a bribe from the Heavenly Court, otherwise why do you keep urging me to join it? Instead of doing this useless work, you had better think for me: how can West Kunlun remain tranquil.'

Faced with Gou Hui's delusion, Lu Wu unhesitatingly shattered this beautiful dream, and solemnly said: 'My lord, I have not taken anyone's bribe; merely, given the current state of the wilderness, I truly see no one who can contend with it.'

"'As for the so-called Immortal Court and the Eastern King Duke, in my view they will ultimately fail to amount to anything; perhaps they may enjoy a brief prosperity, but in the end they cannot endure long.'"

"'Although I do not wish to say this, relying solely on the power of the wilderness female immortals, we lack the ability to contend for supremacy over the world; yet we must not underestimate them, for to seek independence outside both sides is absolutely impossible.'"

The several Majesties of the Heavenly Court are all rare heroes of the world, leaders of the age. I observe that Duke Dong is still somewhat inferior to the Kunpeng; how could he contend for the world?

Gou Hui's gaze burned as he stared at Lu Wu, not speaking, his eyes continually flicking backward; Lu Wu seemed to think of something and hastily turned his head.

Seeing a figure approach in the distance, it was indeed Duke Dong. Fortunately, he had not entered the formation, so he likely hadn't heard anything, which let Lu Wu breathe a sigh of relief.

Duke Dong glanced at the crowd with some doubt, not knowing why their looks were so strange, but seeing Gou Hui already rise, he gave it no further thought and said, "Dao friend Gou Hui, you and I are the foremost male and female immortals personally selected by the Dao Ancestor; naturally we should draw closer. Hence, though we have seldom met before, I have come specially to share a drink; I hope you will not take offense."

Gou Hui forced a smile and said, "Dao friend Mugong, your words are quite right; there is nothing strange about it. It's just that Gou Hui is one who wholeheartedly cultivates in seclusion and has no desire to manage."

"Dao friend, this visit of yours is likely to be in vain, and moreover, this is within the Heavenly Court; it's best not to commit an act that leads to misunderstanding."

Duke Dong had long expected Gou Hui's refusal; his face showed no displeasure. After sharing a drink with Gou Hui, he said nothing more and turned to leave.

He has not yet revealed his strength, so being refused is normal; even the Immortal Court still needs to accumulate strength. His coming to interact with Gou Hui is merely in the hope that she might help divert some of the Heavenly Court's attention.

As for whether Gou Hui accepts or refuses, it makes no difference to Duke Dong; for him, as long as the two meet, his purpose is already achieved.

Both being born of innate divinity, Duke Dong cultivates the Pure Yang Great Dao, which corresponds to the Profound Yin Great Dao that Gou Hui cultivates.

If the two could become Dao companions, there is no doubt it would be of great benefit to their cultivation; Duke Dong's visit this time also harbors some thoughts.

He merely thought to approach gradually, wanting first to become acquainted, while Gou Hui knows nothing of Duke Dong's thoughts.

If she were to find out, she would likely drive him out the door; originally she only wanted to cultivate in seclusion, even unwilling to join the Heavenly Court, so how could she form such a Dao companion and be dragged into the vortex? (End of chapter)