World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 629: A Dao Heart of Clarity, Untainted by Worldly Affairs
Qinglin's resurrection was a rare joy for everyone from Earth's cultivation world.
Huai Jing immediately arranged a lavish feast, stacking jugs of wine into a small hill. The group welcomed Qinglin back with hearty toasts, each drinking freely and without restraint.
Qinglin watched the gathering with a gentle smile. He avoided asking about matters that could touch on personal secrets, such as the increasingly extraordinary Buddhist aura surrounding Huai Jing, or Wang Sheng's cultivation, which had already surpassed the others by a wide margin.
He seemed like an outsider. Although everyone kept raising cups to him, he never truly blended into the lively banquet.
When Huai Jing and the others were thoroughly drunk, Mu Wanxuan and Fan Tuantuan began cleaning up the mess. Yaoyun shrank into a tiny three-cun fairy and stood on Mu Wanxuan's shoulder, playing with the bird beside her.
Typical artifact spirits.
"Fei Yu, come walk with me in the back," Qinglin said.
"Mm." Wang Sheng forced the drunken haze out of his mind. Still, as he stood up, he hiccuped a little.
Watching the two men head toward the rear courtyard, Fan Tuantuan muttered, "I feel like that grandmaster from the Shu Sword Sect doesn't really like our atmosphere."
Mu Wanxuan snapped her fingers. "Customs."
Yaoyun lowered her voice. "Of course he doesn't. For Qinglin, hierarchy and seniority have to always be clearly defined. A cheerful gathering where everyone sits together drinking and eating like equals is probably difficult for him to accept."
Fan Tuantuan whispered, "Why is he still thinking like someone from feudal times?"
Yaoyun smiled. "To you, he truly is from a thousand years ago."
From beneath the table, where only half his body was visible, Fei Lianzi shouted drunkenly, "Grandmaster, let's have a toast! From now on, we're brothers!"
Leaning slantingly against the wall, Zhang Zikuang replied with his eyes closed, "Come on, just because you have seniority doesn't mean you can rear a goldfish so openly[1]!"
Mu Wanxuan burst into laughter, while Fan Tuantuan rolled her eyes.
Speechless yet amused, Yaoyun pursed her lips.
"I'll listen to what they're saying," she said, then closed her eyes, remaining silent on Mu Wanxuan's shoulder.
By the pond in the rear courtyard, two Daoists with similar silhouettes walked slowly with their hands clasped behind their backs, feeling the breeze and watching ripples spread across the water.
Qinglin admitted, "I truly find myself in some difficulty with Little Lian."
"What's wrong?" Wang Sheng asked, puzzled. He then smiled. "Senior, are you worried things will be awkward when you meet Big Sister? You really shouldn't be. For you, perhaps a hundred thousand years have passed, but for her it has only been a thousand.
"Also, you are probably unaware of this, but after you sealed her away to protect her, she fell into devilish deviation just a few days later. The depth of her attachment to you is something even you may find hard to imagine."
Qinglin shook his head slightly, his expression turning serious. "How can I not understand Little Lian's attachment? Still, there's more to that than just the love between a man and a woman.
"Santong and I had already sensed the obsession in her heart back then. Rather than arising from romantic feelings toward me, it was born from her inner heart devil. In the end, the old truth hasn't changed: humans and fiends walk different paths. She hated her own nature as a fiend, and her feelings for me merely became the spark that started her devilish deviation. A tribulation of love is still a tribulation of the Dao Heart.
"Santong and I once debated several times about the difference between humans and fiends. He believed Buddhism should save humans, fiends, spirits, and even devils. To him, the Buddha is the illumination of the heart, and all beings exist within that principle.
"I, on the other hand, feel that Buddhist teachings have certain biases. The Dao gives birth to heaven, heaven extends from the Dao, and every living being has its own inherent order rather than being only a reflection of a single mind."
He paused and turned to Wang Sheng. His words had clearly surprised the young sword cultivator.
Wang Sheng carefully reflected on Qinglin's explanation. Since he had reached a high cultivation realm, he felt a deep resonance with it. This was, after all, the fundamental difference between Daoist and Buddhist paths.
"Does that mean you believe love didn't cause Big Sister's devilish deviation?"
Qinglin sighed. "Love was the cause, but her hatred of being a fiend was the root. If Santong and I had done more for Little Lian back then, if we had guided her more, she would not have suffered for a thousand years. I must also thank you. If I'm not mistaken, you helped her escape and removed her heart devil."
Wang Sheng was starting to understand. He frowned slightly. "Senior, be honest. Do you have feelings for Big Sister?"
"Little Lian is the most intelligent and graceful being I have ever met." Qinglin sighed. "After spending so much time together, saying I have absolutely no feelings for her would be dishonest. Still, to claim I truly fell in love would be an exaggeration. It was only a small measure of affection, not enough to convince me to remain by her side.
"In other words, if the one who often discussed the Dao with Santong had been Li Lin or Wang Lin instead of me, she would likely have formed the same attachment to them. Is that truly love? Perhaps calling it admiration would be more accurate."
Wang Sheng felt momentarily stunned. Right after, his mind raced as he looked at the Shu Sword Sect's former sect master, who was gradually regaining the same carefree bearing he had long ago.
How can this great individual see matters so clearly?
Xi Lian didn't have a chance back then. Worse, even if she could reunite with Qinglin now, winning him over would still likely be difficult without extraordinary measures.
Qinglin pointed toward a nearby pavilion and slowly walked to it with Wang Sheng.
He smiled brightly and openly. "Earlier, you suggested that Little Lian should come meet me. Did you imagine that when we met, we would embrace in tears and spend the rest of our lives together?"
"You wouldn't?"
Clearly intending to offer guidance, Qinglin gently said, "Fei Yu, your Daoist realm is already quite high, yet your Dao Heart still lacks a measure of purity. As cultivators, we also have to consider other people's perspectives and constantly reflect upon our own hearts. Only then can we avoid straying onto the wrong path while seeking the Dao.
"The same applies to this situation. You assumed the scene you wished to see would inevitably occur, yet overlooked a simple principle of heaven and earth: all things follow their own course, and the world never revolves around just one person. As cultivators, the best we can do is refine ourselves.
"Little Lian fell into devilish deviation because of love, but now that the root of her heart devil has been resolved, does that not show she has already moved on?"
"Well, Big Sister has probably let go of her obsession with being born a fiend."
"See? Even you can't be certain of it." Qinglin sighed softly. He tucked his hands into his sleeves and looked out over the pond. "When she and I meet again, it should be as old acquaintances, perhaps as elder and junior. It can't proceed the way you imagined it. Santong and I were companions in gentlemanly affairs, and I always regarded Little Lian as my own disciple. Fei Yu, do you have juniors of your own?"
"I suppose I do. I haven't gone back home in quite a long time."
"In that case, if one of your martial nieces fell for you and openly confessed her feelings, how would you feel?"
"I..."
Wang Sheng raised a hand to his forehead and fell into thought. Perhaps he had been too one-sided, after all. He had assumed that after suffering so much, Xi Lian had to naturally reunite with Qinglin and have a perfect ending. However, he never truly considered how Qinglin felt about her.
Even his earlier belief that Qinglin had rejected her because he had to preserve the Shu Sword Sect's reputation as its sect master had merely been speculation from later generations. No one truly knew what was in the mind of such a great being at the time.
Based on his words and demeanor, he was clearly a naturally free-spirited man who did not cling to worldly matters. He pursued the Great Dao and longed for immortality.
Still, if he truly loved Xi Lian back then, he would have likely already chosen to remain with her long ago. Instead, he had treated her as his junior, kin, and even half a disciple, watching over her and guiding her cultivation. Xi Lian followed both Buddhist and Daoist paths. Naturally, she had learned her Daoist arts from him.
Would this break Big Sister's heart even further?
After pondering for a moment, Wang Sheng concluded that she would not. Simply being able to see Qinglin again would already be half a release for her. Perhaps it would even allow her to completely move on.
Wang Sheng smiled bitterly. "That may actually be a good thing. I was too shallow."
Gazing into the distance, Qinglin gently replied, "It's not that you were shallow. People just naturally think this way, yet the world rarely follows human expectations. During my long years of imprisonment, I saw and understood many things. I also often thought about Little Lian.
"Since Santong stayed in our homeland to care for her despite the lack of primal qi, I will continue his wish and devote myself to helping Little Lian achieve immortality. She fell into devilish deviation because of love, and her Dao Heart will always have a trace of imperfection that can only be resolved through matters of the heart.
"I will neither reject nor accept her feelings for me, if she still has any. I would feel much more at ease if she could move on and love someone else, though." Qinglin patted Wang Sheng's shoulder. "We'll learn what lies ahead of us eventually. Let us not discuss it now."
Wang Sheng could only agree.
The two chatted about cultivation for a while. Afterward, Qinglin asked, "By the way, could you lend me that banner for a moment?"
In response, the young sword cultivator readily handed over the ghost banner, which his Pure Yang Immortal Power had already half ruined.
The Shu Sword Sect's former sect master shook his arm lightly, making translucent figures drift out from the banner. Transparent Primordial Souls floated around the two. Among them were four phantasms that still had traces of Primordial Spirit power—the war slaves who had once fought Wang Sheng.
Qinglin just silently clasped his hands and respectfully bowed to the Primordial Souls. A gentle breeze blew, and the unconscious souls dispersed into tiny points of shimmering light that quickly faded in the wind.
Meanwhile, the four phantasms returned his bow.
The female war slave smiled. "Congratulations. Despite being trapped for so long, you were still fortunate enough for your junior to rescue you. We benefited as well and suffered less in the end."
Qinglin gave her a mild and gentle smile. "Take care on your journey."
The war slave who used a spear and a bow cupped his fists in salute. "Thank you."
The others also bowed in farewell.
"Take care!"
"If our true spirits can reincarnate, it would be a blessing to meet you again."
"Being able to see the outside world once more before fading will already be enough."
After a few brief words and a few faint smiles, the four drifted away with the wind, vanishing into the gentle breeze.
Who they once were, and what positions they held a hundred thousand years ago, no longer mattered.
Qinglin stood there, lost in thought.
Wang Sheng did not disturb him. He quietly sensed that a fleeting hint of the Great Dao had appeared, allowing time to slip through his fingers and leave only the faintest trace behind.
1. "Rear a goldfish" is a Chinese slang for when someone leaves enough wine in the cup to rear a fish. It's meant to tease someone's drinking capabilities and to encourage the person to drink more. ☜
