Chapter 88: It Is Impossible for Me to XX! (52K, Second Update)

Passing through the narrow entrance, one enters a secluded valley.

No chirping of insects or birds can be heard; the secluded valley feels like another world.

However, this quiet, uninhabited valley, rarely visited by humans, has now welcomed long-absent guests.

There is a small pond in the valley; the water surface is calm and extremely clear, with swimming fish appearing to float in the air as if without support.

The fish swim slowly, but suddenly startled by the vibration of voices, they dart away in an instant.

"Yu Yu, how much do you know about practitioners like us?"

"In reply to Senior Brother, I do not know..."

Yu Yu and Li Lingling sit obediently by the pond, their bare feet soaking in the clear, cold water, looking up at their Senior Brother who is sitting cross-legged on the rock above.

"Since that is the case, let me ask you a question."

"Compared to mortals, what is the greatest difference for a practitioner? Is it powerful Daoist Art? Or a transcendent status?"

Her mouth moves slightly, but in the end, Yu Yu honestly shakes her head; she truly cannot be sure about this question.

Ren Yidao himself does not expect her to answer and states the answer directly:

"It is lifespan."

"A mortal's life span is no more than a hundred years, and those who can truly reach that are few and far between."

"Practitioners, to sum it up, are nothing more than a group of seekers pursuing the Dao, cultivating for Ascension, and searching for Chang Sheng."

The Dharma Power condensed at his fingertips is flicked out with a wave of his hand, piercing two fish through the water surface, and with a gentle tug, he drags them onto the shore.

"Seize the will of Heaven, cultivate one's own body, and hope for Chang Sheng."

"Seek Dao Technique to protect the body, cultivate the immortal method to Asking Dao, and finally, Chang Sheng can be attained."

There is a gap above the secluded valley, allowing sunlight to pour down, adding brightness to the valley.

And at this moment, the sunlight happens to fall onto the large rock where Ren Yidao is sitting, making his body seem to be plated with a faint golden light under the illumination of the sun.

His expression is not as cynical as usual; his smile is gentle and calm, yet possesses a special power that makes one unconsciously quiet down upon seeing it.

("Did you see that!?")

("Mm-hmm!")

The two little ones secretly exchange a glance, both seeing the little stars in each other's eyes.

Senior Brother is so serious!

Although Senior Brother is already very handsome on ordinary days, he always radiates a faint, eerie aura; he is handsome, but it is ultimately not the look that the immortal path should have.

But the situation at this moment is vastly different; the chaotic aura on Ren Yidao has been swept away, leaving only pure immortal energy.

Not only that, he truly looks like a qualified Senior Brother earnestly teaching his newly initiated Junior Sister.

"As for the love, hate, and grievances on the road to seeking Chang Sheng, those are merely trifles, all passing clouds."

Not minding the two's small movements, he continues to guide them with a question:

"Then, since it is sufficient for a practitioner to just cultivate themselves, why must one join a sect?"

Having no interest in being a riddle-maker, Ren Yidao states the answer directly after a pause:

"Because the paths are different."

"Common people say there are three thousand Great Daos; comprehending one is enough to attain the Dao and achieve Ascension, but how can there be only three thousand paths in the world?"

"Each sect's path is similar, yet they all have different emphases in Dao Technique: nourishing the spirit, raising pets, cultivating the body, Daoist Art... even the same type of Dao Technique has different emphases."

"For example, among sword cultivators, there are sects that nourish swords with their own bodies, eventually merging person and sword into one, with sword light capable of opening up three hundred miles."

"There are also sects that search for rare materials under Heaven to forge swords, melting hundreds and thousands of swords into one; when the Dao is achieved, one sword weighs more than a great mountain."

"So, which of these two is right and which is wrong? Which is superior and which is inferior?"

Smiling and shaking his head, Ren Yidao taps a finger on the Wooden Fish in front of him.

Dong—

The crisp sound sweeps away the chaotic thoughts in the minds of the two.

His voice is soft, like silky nectar flowing into their ears.

He says:

"Dao Technique may vary in power, but the Dao does not."

"Whether it is immortal or Demon, although the forms are different, they reach the same destination by different paths; all are cultivation."

The two, having calmed down because of Senior Brother's tap, both look thoughtful.

"Having spoken for so long about the Dao of other sects, do you know what Daoist Art our Divine Path Sect is based on?"

This, the two do know, and they say in unison:

"Divine Path."

Ren Yidao nods with a squinting smile, drawing the shapes of nine mountain peaks on the ground.

"That's right, the Divine Path Sect takes the Divine Path as the foundation for establishing the sect, praying to transform oneself into a god."

"But the Divine Path can be subdivided into thousands of kinds; our Divine Path Sect generally divides them into nine directions, or rather, nine Divine Paths."

"The five peaks of the Five Elements cultivate the Five Elements Divine Dao, Tuling Peak cultivates the Totem Physical Divine Dao, Lingxu Peak cultivates the Spirit Void Divine Dao, Lieyang Peak cultivates the Blazing Sun Divine Dao..."

"And our Luoyue Peak, the true foundational Dao, is actually the Taiyin Divine Dao."

Speaking of this, Ren Yidao's expression is somewhat helpless, and he sighs while shaking his head:

"But Master has been missing for many years, the inheritance is incomplete, and Senior Sister is not good at teaching people, so by the time it reached me, the main cultivation is not the Taiyin Divine Dao."

"It is the Incense Divine Dao."

Woo—

Accompanied by a soft roar, the "Eight-Tailed Heavenly Fox", having hidden one tail, appears behind him.

The Dao God leaps down from the rock, transforms into the size of an ordinary fox in mid-air, lands between Yu Yu and Li Lingling, and lies down lazily.

"Wow—"

Ever since the Dao God appeared, Li Lingling could no longer control her expression, keeping her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the snow-white fur.

Slurp.

Want to touch!

But she had some reservations, worried about angering Senior Brother; after all, this was a Dao God, not a pet.

Her fingertips lifted and fell, but her fingers still moved silently toward the Fox Tail.

The Dao God Heavenly Fox glanced at the young girl, then closed its eyes indifferently, dropping its tail to cover her restless little hand.

!!!

Ah—

Emitting a silent scream, Li Lingling felt so happy she could faint.

Yu Yu, however, did not have so many concerns; she gently placed the Dao God's chin onto her lap and began to stroke the top of its head.

The sensation coming from the top of its head and its tail did not make Ren Yidao lose his composure; he had long been accustomed to being ravaged like this.

This level of contact could be ignored long ago, and it didn't even stir a ripple in his heart.

"The Incense Divine Dao is different from other Divine Daos; it has a great need for believers, the time required for it to take shape is extremely long, and the difficulty is also relatively high."

Other members of the Divine Path Sect also begin to cultivate their own believers after entering the Earth Realm, but most of their believers are not human.

Instead, they are spiritual Five Elements spirits, special spiritual bodies, animals that have undergone Opening the Spirit, and so on; by relying on the instinctive worship of these creatures with incomplete intelligence, they continue to refine their own Divine Dao.

From Ren Yidao's perspective, this is a shortcut, very untraditional.

But he also has to admit that after many years of refinement, this is the most suitable method for this group of socially anxious people in the Divine Path Sect...

This type of new-style Divine Dao can avoid contact with humans to the greatest extent, which fits Ren Yidao's stereotype of the Divine Path Sect.

And Ren Yidao follows the most ancient method of Divine Dao—establishing temples and sculpting statues to cultivate believers.

Right now, he cannot distinguish which of the two is better or worse, but he has ultimately chosen the path he feels is most suitable in his heart.

He can spend time slowly accumulating believers, but there is no need for these two young girls to follow his old path.

"The path of the Incense Divine Dao is also a relatively niche one among the many Divine Daos; it can be used for reference and understanding, but I do not recommend that you practice it."

"Alright, if you have any questions now, you can ask them."

Ren Yidao was acting as a good Senior Brother for once over there, while Shi Xue and the others were soaking their feet and chatting on the other side of the water pool.

However, the two were not as excited as they were when they first started playing.

The two looked at each other and saw the shock and suspicion in each other's eyes.

When Ren Yidao began to impart the Dharma, Shi Xue and her companion did not pay attention.

Neither of them lacked cultivation techniques or resources, nor did they have any intention of eavesdropping on the Divine Path Sect's Secret Technique.

It was just that since Ren Yidao did not hide anything, the two did not pretend to be aloof to avoid suspicion, simply taking this opportunity to learn a little more about the Divine Path Sect.

But they didn't expect that the more they listened, the more surprised, and even confused, they became.

Li Qiushui looked at the back on the rock, raised her eyebrows, and asked Shi Xue:

"Did you know before that he follows the Incense Divine Dao?"

"No, I have never heard him mention it before; this is also the first time I've known."

Shi Xue's expression was also somewhat dazed; she did not expect Ren Yidao to be following such a Divine Dao.

The two of them were different from the illiterate (Yu Yu) and the semi-illiterate (Li Lingling); they knew exactly what this meant.

The early cultivation of the Incense Divine Dao yields half the result with twice the effort, is time-consuming and laborious, and is a cultivation method that has been discarded by the Divine Path Sect for many years.

Yet Ren Yidao actually succeeded in practicing it?

How old is he?

Not only did he enter the gate, but he has even entered the Earth Realm!

Such a cultivation speed...

They had thought they had overestimated Ren Yidao, but they didn't expect the other party to still exceed their imagination.

"..."

Speechless for a moment, the two each pondered this intelligence.

Shi Xue was wondering if her second uncle knew about this?

She couldn't guess the relationship between Ren Yidao and Shi Anqi, but she could understand that her second uncle needed something from the other party.

Last time, Ren Yidao entrusted her to send wine to Shi Anqi; she didn't steal a taste, but she noticed a rich aura of incense on it.

She didn't pay attention at the time, but her second uncle praised it greatly after drinking it and wrote several letters asking her to go and ask Ren Yidao for a few more jars.

Given Shi Anqi's status and position, what kind of wine could he not get that he would need to lower himself to beg someone for it?

Does this also have something to do with Ren Yidao's Incense Divine Dao?

Li Qiushui's thoughts were more direct.

The cultivation of the Incense Divine Dao requires temples and a Daoist Field, so where is his Daoist Field?

However, Li Qiushui only thought about it for a moment before ignoring it, not taking this matter to heart at all.

Different statuses mean different things to care about.

She is the Princess of Beigan and may be the future Lord of Northern Gan; a mere Daoist Field is nothing.

There are thousands of unknown illicit shrines in Beigan; one cannot manage them all.

"You two, shall we continue our journey in two hours?"

With his sleeves tucked and stepping on the water surface, Ren Yidao walked over with a smile.

Glancing at the fair little feet of the two soaking in the water, Ren Yidao nodded secretly.

Not bad.

(Takes another look)

Very not bad!

Shi Xue and Li Qiushui were each preoccupied with their own thoughts and did not notice his subtle movements, nodding subconsciously at his words.

"... Daoist, is what you said just now true? Are you really a cultivator of the Incense Divine Dao?"

Although it was somewhat presumptuous, Shi Xue still could not help but ask.

"Hm? That's right, is there some problem with that?"

Not treating this answer—which any disciple of the Divine Path Sect could obtain—as a secret, Ren Yidao nodded candidly.

With a flick of his finger, the Heavenly Fox Dao God slipped out of the clutches of Yu Yu and the others, leaped lightly across the pool, and landed in Shi Xue's arms.

Ignoring the painful wail of "Ah! The tail is gone—" from Li Lingling behind him, Ren Yidao smiled at Shi Xue, who had been caught off guard by the Dao God:

"If you don't believe me, you can feel it for yourself; my Dao God is composed of pure Incense Fire Power... Hm?"

Receiving no response, Ren Yidao suddenly raised an eyebrow.

Shi Xue was currently looking nervous, maintaining her previous posture without daring to move, and kept signaling him with her eyes.

This is...

Fear?

My Dao God is so cute, and you're afraid?

You really have no taste!

【Ren Yidao!】

【Make it go away! I, I, I...】

Listening to this helpless plea, Ren Yidao thought for a moment and then reached a conclusion.

Desensitization therapy is needed.

The Heavenly Fox Dao God in Shi Xue's arms gave a wicked smile and slowly stood up.

Just as Shi Xue breathed a sigh of relief, It stuck out Its tongue and licked her cheek.

Slurp!

It's the taste of a lie!

"Ah!!!"

The already tense Knight Princess let out the loudest wail since Ren Yidao had known her, glaring at the grinning youth.

"Ren! Yi! Dao!"

"Go to hell!"

In her panic, she disregarded everything else, picked up whatever she could find nearby, and threw it at him.

Whoosh!

Dodging the flying boot, a satisfied Ren Yidao happily escaped to the side to chat with the isolated Yang Wusheng.

"Why is the eunuch here studying a chess manual all by yourself again?"

Do you like playing chess that much?

Aren't you lonely?

"Hehe, this old man is quite fine here alone; I won't disturb the elegant interests of you Highnesses."

Yang Wusheng smiled bitterly and, without further explanation, asked in return:

"Since the Daoist has finished lecturing on the Dao and there is still time before departure, why doesn't the Daoist go into the water and play with the Highnesses?"

Yu Yu and Li Lingling were meditating on the side, and Ren Yidao had nothing left to do; he could actually have a good time playing.

But Ren Yidao shook his head, sat down, and picked up a white chess piece.

"Hehe, I'll pass. My Junior Sister is here, so I still need to pay attention to my image."

"I'd better keep you company, Eunuch; I'm afraid you'll be too lonely by yourself."

!

Giving Ren Yidao a grateful look, Yang Wusheng felt warm inside and remarked with emotion:

"Daoist, you... are truly kind."

"Haha, others often say that, they all say that..."

Looking at the grinning Yang Wusheng, Ren Yidao wore a polite and not-at-all awkward smile on the surface.

But inwardly, he was already roaring.

"Let me go into the water?"

"I refuse!"

"It is impossible for me to go into the water!"

"Absolutely impossible!"

No way.

I think you bunch of two-legged beasts really don't understand.

If I go into the water, my fur will get wet!

Thinking this, Ren Yidao suddenly felt his Dao God being gently touched by someone?

Hm?

Shifting his perspective into the Dao God, he saw an unexpected figure.

It was Li Qiushui.

Why is it you?

She was soothing Shi Xue while secretly stroking the two fox tails with her fingers behind her back.

Li Qiushui's gaze did not look at the Dao God at all, as if she didn't care, but her fingers never stopped moving!

???

Fine, I see it now; you Li Family members all like things that are fluffy, right?

Good!

Very tasteful!

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Ren Yidao felt another hand tentatively touching the fox tails.

It was the female guard hiding in the shadows.

Am I really that popular?

"Perhaps I could open a Fox Cafe and charge admission?"

After half a month of stopping and going, Ren Yidao and his group were ultimately forced to use a teleportation array before they ran out of time.

After teleporting to the town closest to Wentian, the moment of parting arrived.

Li Qiushui had a special status and could not continue to stay here.

If someone saw the Ninth Princess and the Twelfth Princess traveling together, they would likely take it as a signal that the two had formed an alliance.

This would not be a good thing for either her or Li Lingling.

Although it was a parting, it was actually just a temporary separation; they could see each other again once they reached the city.

But even so, Yu Yu still felt a bit sad.

She leaned close to Li Qiushui, tugged on her sleeve, and whispered:

"Sister Qiushui, come visit the Divine Path Sect next time! My Senior Sister is also very nice."

Li Qiushui did not show a cold face to Ren Yidao, but she did not give Yu Yu the cold shoulder either; during this time, she had even guided her on quite a few cultivation issues.

Raising her hand to pat Yu Yu's hair, Li Qiushui smiled faintly, neither refusing nor agreeing.

Her status meant she could not easily go wherever she pleased; every action could be interpreted by those with ulterior motives.

"Just go if you want to; the Divine Path Sect doesn't have that many rules."

Ren Yidao saw her reservations and smiled indifferently:

"You know, the Divine Path Sect doesn't take the opinions of others to heart."

Let alone taking them to heart, they didn't even want to look at them...

They avoided gazes whenever they could!

Giving Ren Yidao a deep look, Li Qiushui also smiled and nodded gently at Yu Yu.

"Mm, I will go."

"Mm!"

Giving Shi Xue a light hug, she didn't speak to anyone else and turned to leave with her guards.

Li Lingling watched her retreating back and bit her lip.

Over the past half month, Li Qiushui had not said a single word to Li Lingling.

Ren Yidao noticed, but he had no intention of intervening.

For sisters of the Heaven family, being too close might not be a good thing.

Not being close might not be a bad thing either; it could be a form of protection.

As an outsider, it was best not to get too involved.

"Alright, let's set off too; we can't let my brother wait too long."

Brother Li Long, it's time to pay the rent!

Before Wentian City.

Ren Yidao narrowed his eyes, looking at the towering city walls that blocked out the sky.

This was the center of the secular dynasty, but it was also the capital of a divine dynasty that had endured for a thousand years.

Beneath the feet of the Son of Heaven, immortals and mortals lived together.

"This is Wentian..."

The center of Beigan, a place where wind and clouds gathered, a true dragon's pool and tiger's den.

But those messy troubles had nothing to do with me.

I am just a spectator watching the play from below; there is no way I am going up on stage.

Having made up his mind, Ren Yidao was about to ask his Junior Sister how to enter the city when a pitch-black figure suddenly charged out from within.

It was a warhorse, black all over!

"Move! Move! Get out of my way!"

The rider on the horse's back swung his whip, driving away the commoners who dared to block his path.

Crack! Crack!

Not only that, but he also yanked hard on the reins in front of someone who had fallen in the panic, causing the warhorse to raise its front hooves high as if to stomp down heavily.

"Hahaha!!!"

Watching the other party's arrogant and domineering behavior, Ren Yidao blinked.

"I say, you've really struck quite the pose there."

Unable to restrain the impulse of his itchy fingers, Ren Yidao transformed his Dharma Power into a bullet and flicked his finger.

It struck the horsewhip beneath the warhorse's belly...

Hmm, the one made of flesh.

Warhorse:!!?

Neigh!!!

"Get out of the way! Don't block the road, or else... Dahei! What's wrong with you!?"

The rider on the horse hadn't even finished speaking before being thrown off by the warhorse, which had gone mad without warning.

"Dahei!!!"

Bang!

The fifth day of writing ten thousand words, failing to go to bed early once again.

Please, I beg for Monthly Tickets, tips, and subscriptions—the daily increase in subscriptions isn't very ideal, I'm a bit panicked.