Chapter 559: Unity of the Hundred Schools, Reeling One Character from the Lake!

The man in black robe stared at your retreating back inside the bamboo house, his eyes shifting again into golden vertical pupils.

His voice was hoarse, as if he had not spoken in years, awkward and stiff as he uttered a few words:

"There… there… he…"

Lu Hua clapped his hands beside him, mimicking the black-robed man's stammering speech with a teasing tone:

"There, there, what there?"

"Are you trying to say this man carries the scent of Second Master?"

The black-robed man nodded.

Lu Hua then rose and walked to the desk, his expression turning serious, his tone cold:

"If you want to die, don't drag me down with you. Let the Daoist die, not the poor monk."

"This is the capital of Da Qi. Go outside and look— that academy stands right on Wenchu Street. One whiff of your aura, and the Shen Shen Array in Bianjing will detect you instantly."

The black-robed man's eyes had still held a trace of anger, but upon hearing the words "Shen Shen Array," he fell silent.

The Shen Shen Array was left by the Master, and the entire city of Bianjing was built upon this great array.

Any demon or evil being entering Bianjing would be detected by the array at once.

Lu Hua seized the moment, quietly slipping from the desk the parchment Xie Hong had written earlier—his insights on Xie Guan's "benevolent and righteous"—into his sleeve, then returned calmly to the bamboo chair and sat down with ease.

Xie Hong paid no mind to this act; he fixed his gaze on the black-robed man.

"Until New Year's Eve, you shall not leave this bamboo house for a single step."

The black-robed man understood the gravity of this command, and replied in his hoarse voice:

"Understood!"

Lu Hua sighed, "Had today's academy not changed so drastically from its former self—even if the Master had journeyed to the Eastern Sea seeking immortals, and the three Masters remained in Bianjing—I, Lu Hua, would never dare set foot here even with ten times my current courage."

"Too bad, this mountain temple has become a case of 'three monks with no water to drink' since the State Preceptor left Da Qi."

Only three people remained in the room.

Only Lu Hua spoke to himself, the silence around him heavy.

Lu Hua sighed with particular regret: "I had hoped to step into Bianjing for the first time during this festive season, to wander its streets, admire its prosperity, observe the scholarly elegance of Da Qi's students—especially the courtesan queens, surely peerless in grace."

"While every household gathers for reunion, on the day chosen to crown the courtesan queen, there still lingers the sharp edge of weapons."

"Fusheng Wuliang Tianzun!"

Lu Hua bowed, and both fell silent; then he asked:

"Master Xie, do you truly believe we have any chance?"

At this question!

The black-robed man could not help but lift his head and gaze at Xie Hong.

Xie Hong paused thoughtfully, then spoke slowly: "If he were at his peak, or even a few years earlier, we would have no chance at all." He paused, then continued, "But now, he is too ill!"

"His sword has lain dormant in its scabbard for too long—so long that Da Qi's nobles and the people have nearly forgotten it. Yet a sword hidden too long, once drawn, will shine with unmatched brilliance, unstoppable in its edge."

"That sword must not be allowed to strike—otherwise, he would have already taken back one piece."

Xie Hong said no more.

The black-robed man asked: "His… realm?"

Xie Hong shook his head.

Lu Hua frowned: "Master Xie, your Primordial Spirit has reached its peak—can you not discern his true level?"

Xie Hong weighed his words: "The four Masters of the academy have reached realms beyond prediction—they ascended to the pinnacle long ago."

"He entered the Ninth Realm of Martial Cultivation, Xuan Dan, at sixteen, and stepped into Yang Shen after watching an autumn rain at twenty-seven."

Upon hearing this, Lu Hua's face showed surprise, yet immediately accepted it as inevitable.

After all!

Second Master's life was like the sword in his hand—ruling the world, acting with swift justice and vengeance.

Xie Hong continued in a low tone: "First Master's true essence is 'Xiao Yao You.' Second Master's is 'Zhan Xian.'"

"As for Third and Fourth Masters, I do not yet know their true essences."

Lu Hua nodded beneath his white veil.

The martial path of the world is divided into nine realms, each a severe trial of body and spirit.

Yet cultivation of the Primordial Spirit is even harder, with ten realms total.

Even if a martial cultivator reaches the Ninth Realm, he may live only ninety years.

But if one achieves the Tenth Realm of Primordial Spirit—Yang Shen—before ninety, and perfectly unites martial cultivation with Primordial Spirit, one may shatter the limit of "ninety years for mortals" and enter a higher realm.

This is why Lu Hua told Xie Guan of the dual cultivation method: martial and Primordial Spirit.

Only when both complement each other can one ascend to heaven; otherwise, it is merely a dead-end cliff.

Yet this union is extraordinarily difficult.

Human energy is limited; mastering both requires extraordinary talent.

Even Lu Hua, hailed as a cultivation prodigy, has reached only the Ninth Realm of Primordial Spirit—Ziwei Yuan—still unable to comprehend Yang Shen.

As for!

Lu Hua was no stranger to the two academy Masters' true essences; the State Preceptor had told him long ago.

First Master's true essence, "Xiao Yao You," grants boundless distance—he can instantly traverse thousands of mountains and rivers. Were he willing, one step could carry him from distant Da Sui straight into Bianjing, truly achieving proximity across infinite space.

Second Master's true essence, "Zhan Xian," unites nine swords to sever all things under heaven—even the Master himself was wounded by it.

Lu Hua had always been curious about the Master's true essence; the Master, who had lived seven hundred springs in the mortal world, must have surpassed the limits of true essence.

He had once asked the State Preceptor, who had once been First Master of the academy, in Da Sui.

First Master thought for a moment, then said: "I do not know. And I dare not know."

This surprised Lu Hua.

She remembered how this ever-wise, confident old man's eyes always filled with reverence and awe when speaking of the Master.

First Master had once told Lu Hua: "The Master is a madman, a demon, a sage, and a broken man."

As the Master's first disciple and the one who served him longest, First Master was surely the person who understood the Master best.

Such an evaluation left Lu Hua deeply confused. He could understand "sage," but what did "demon," "madman," and "broken man" mean?

After hearing this, Lu Hua felt a chill run through him.

Lu Hua snapped back to the present, turned again to Xie Hong, and asked curiously: "Master Xie, what is your true essence?"

Yet!

Xie Hong did not answer.

Lu Hua did not press further; true essence was never revealed.

Xie Hong lightly brushed his brush across the paper, writing five characters with calm grace.

"Know before the world!"

Lu Hua glanced at them, puzzled, then changed the subject:

"Why summon Xie Guan just now?"

Xie Hong gazed at Lu Hua coolly and spoke slowly:

"I called him today only to see whether he will bring disaster upon Da Qi."

Lu Hua felt as if her thoughts had been read, yet she paid it no mind.

Within Xie Fu, her teaching of Xie Guan the Yin Fu Jing could not have escaped Xie Hong's notice.

Yet she had not taught him the Three True Methods, nor any Daoist doctrine—only the techniques, not the principles!

She had not even led him through the gate.

Xie Hong sighed softly:

"I merely wished to leave him a legacy."

As for Second Master, he still has no formal disciple—only a carriage driver, lucky enough to be listed as a nominal student.

Upon hearing this, Lu Hua said no more.

Xie Hong's gaze returned to the desk, where the characters "Confucianism," "Dao," "Legalism," and "Buddhism" were written—the four dominant schools of the age.

In the north, the Celestial Realm of Longsheng governs with Legalism; the entire nation functions like a precise war machine, every citizen a soldier, boasting "a million archers," sharpening weapons and polishing armor.

In the south, the Buddhist kingdom is truly a Buddha realm on earth—"Four hundred and eighty temples of the Southern Dynasties, pavilions lost in mist and rain"—its Buddhist fervor is evident.

Da Sui holds Daoism as its state religion; the Three True doctrines are deeply rooted in the people, governed by the principle of non-action.

As for Da Qi, it reveres Confucianism as the foundation of statehood, ruling through ritual and filial piety.

Xie Hong whispered: "Forty years of Confucian righteous qi blot out the sky; forty years of Buddhist chants never cease in my ears; forty years of Daoist true talismans… forty years of legal codes… forty years of military ferocity…"

With that,

Xie Hong slowly added four more characters beneath Xie Guan's writing.

"Unity of the Hundred Schools!"

…

…

【You stepped out of Dengchun Pavilion; Xie Renfeng and Gan Zhi were still waiting at the gate.】

【He acted as if he did not see you; you made no greeting, and walked away with the servant.】

【You passed each other again.】

【As for the one sentence he spoke when you first entered the mansion.】

【"Xie Guan, I will take your life and Wu Tong's."】

Another low, sinister voice echoed in your ear.

"Xie Guan, don't think Xie Yuan can save your life this time—he's in danger himself."

"Xie Guan, you won't live to see next year—you'll join your mother in death."

Xie Renfeng's eyes glowed with dark malice.

You didn't pause; your face remained calm.

You passed again by that deep pool, where Uncle Mingshan once washed his brush and inkstone as a boy.

You recalled the calligraphy copy Master Er had given you, and a quiet joy stirred within you.

Master Er's original script is worth a thousand taels and not to be traded.

You turned back toward Dengchun Tower; behind it lay a bamboo grove, shrouded in a thick, unyielding white mist.

Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger, mist follows the jiao!

Xie Hong returned to the mansion, bringing with him Lu Hua and the man with scales on his face you had seen today.

In the capital of Bianjing, hidden currents surged everywhere; the Xie family, a noble clan that had flourished for five generations, seemed to be brewing an unprecedented storm.

A cataclysmic upheaval, like a towering tidal wave, was about to sweep through the Xie Fu.

Why was Xie Renfeng so certain that Xie Yuan was about to fall into grave danger—even unable to save himself?

Xie Yuan, the grandson favored by Grandmother Xie, had his mother, Lady Zhuge, and his uncle, Zhuge Jian, standing behind such powerful patrons.

Then why was Xie Yuan facing peril—unable to save himself?

You walked to the lakeside and boarded the boat.

As the old boatman rowed you across the lake, the calligraphy copy you carried seemed to become a conduit, drawing the two "characters" beneath the water to grow more eager, slapping insistently against the stern.

Though the old boatman rowed with all his strength, the boat appeared bound by invisible forces, unable to leave the lake's center—only spinning in place.

"This is truly unnatural!"

The old boatman muttered to himself, his face filled with astonishment.

"Old man, have you ever seen this before?"

Your gaze locked onto the lake's surface, where bubbles continuously rose from below… You made your decision.

1. Do not retrieve the characters from the lake. (Hint: You may be trapped in a deadly peril with no escape, ending in death.)

2. Retrieve both characters from the lake. (Hint: You may survive, but your body will be crippled, and cultivation will be impossible.)

3. Retrieve only the "Xie" character. (Hint: You may avoid the first deadly peril, but further disasters will follow.)

4. Retrieve only the "Hong" character. (Hint: You may move toward a favorable outcome.)

5. Participate personally. (0/3)

The characters atop the great tripod slowly stabilized.

Yu Ke stared at the four options.

He sighed—the Xie Fu was far too dangerous, and Xie Guan's path to cultivation impossibly hard; how many choices had this simulation triggered already?

Even the hint of "death" appeared—this time, the choices mattered greatly.

Each option carried weight, representing divergent paths in life.

After eliminating "Participate personally," only the first four remained.

Judging by the hints, only option four offered a viable path; the rest were all unfavorable.

Yu Ke did not hesitate—he chose immediately.

4. Retrieve only the "Hong" character. (Hint: You may move toward a favorable outcome.)

You gazed at the two jiao dragons beneath the lake, as if a silent understanding passed between you.

The boat lurched violently as the "Hong" character flipped it; the old boatman staggered, nearly tumbling into the water.

You stood at the bow, prepared—using the "Standing Stake" posture from the Taizu Holy Monkey Stance, your feet rooted like iron into the deck. One ink-black jiao leapt upward, landing in your hand and dissolving into the character "Hong."

Your other hand steadied the old boatman.

After your choice, the remaining jiao still clung to you, relentlessly slapping against the hull.

You opened your palm and watched the "Hong" character slowly dissolve, forming in your mind's eye.

Just as when you first received the "Yuan" character, it unfolded slowly in your mind—a radiant golden wall of script.

On it, one hundred lines of characters were neatly arranged; at the top, three bold characters blazed: "Demon-Slaying Sword!"

You whispered involuntarily: "Demon-Slaying…"

You returned to yourself, calming the "Xie" character in the lake; it drifted away with a mournful, pitiful sigh, sinking into the depths.

You shook your head, smiling helplessly.

"Young Master, what superb skill!"

The old boatman praised you, then hurried to row away from the lake; this time, the boat moved freely.

Soon, the boat reached shore.

You stepped off, thanked him, and took your leave.

The old boatman stood on the bank, staring at the now-calm lake, utterly baffled by what had just happened.

"Could there be ghosts in this lake?"

Recalling the rumors long whispered in the back courtyard, his face turned pale.

It was said many servants, having angered the Lady or the Young Master, had vanished into the lake without a trace.

Had they become lake spirits?

Especially half a year ago, the Second Courtyard of the Xie Fu began recruiting new maids, grooms, cooks…

But strangely!

These people always disappeared after less than half a month, their bodies never found. The entire household whispered that the Lady of the Second Courtyard fed them to the lake, turning them into fertilizer for its flowers.

Thinking of this, the old boatman shuddered. He clasped his hands together and murmured a prayer toward the lake: "Grievances have their source, debts have their payers—don't haunt this old man."

Swords and magic of the West, the Demon King returns

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(End of Chapter)