Chapter 54: Gentle Little Flame (Part 1)

  The river north of the city passed over the Seven Eyes Bridge and wound its way around the Guanhe Pavilion, where it slowed down and gradually became a tranquil and peaceful stretch of water. Although the surface was not vast and endless, the calm and windless mirror-like appearance still resembled the limpid lakes of Jiangnan. The water's surface was clear and unblemished, reflecting the wispy clouds in the sky and shimmering with soft sunlight... As the sun gradually set, the evening sun shone on the water's surface, and a few rain clouds drifted over from afar, revealing another corner of blue sky and early moonlight.

  Yi Tian Xing quietly hid at the bottom of the muddy water, using the gentle pressure of the water flow to comfort his disordered and unpeaceful heart. He did not know that the young woman he faced today was the mysterious little prince in Jixiang Tian, nor did he know that if the news of his escape from Qin Zhi's hands spread to the cultivation sect, it would make a group of cultivators evaluate him to what extent. He just felt a bit down, thinking that after working hard to cultivate in the temple, he ended up being defeated by a little yellow-haired girl.

  The water beside him was a bit icy, and Yitian Xing sealed his mouth and nose, using the skills he had learned in the county town to absorb the air from the water with his skin. The coolness gradually seeped into his body, and he secretly ran through the Situ San Zen Jing several times to resolve the previous injuries. Then, with great effort, he stood up shakily at the bottom of the river, barefoot in the muddy water, struggling hard to resist the waves that came rushing towards him.

  He didn't know where to go.

  Although he felt that Qin Zi, the woman, did not have any intention of killing him. But thinking about her identity, Yi Tian Xing couldn't help but smile bitterly.

  "It's possible that I'll be caught by her again, and taken to the mountain as a monster for that dogshit Jixiang Tian to guard. Even if she has a good conscience and pleads on my behalf, but as a lower-level cultivator, she doesn't have much weight in what she says inside the sect anyway."

  He lifted his head upwards from the bottom of the water and saw that the daylight was gradually fading, only then did he realize it was late. He estimated that people on the shore would find it extremely difficult to discover any traces underwater, so he decided to start his own escape.

  The riverbed was pitch black, and even with his extraordinary eyesight, he couldn't see very far. He had no choice but to follow the direction of the water flow, vaguely sensing the river's course, then using a trick from a martial arts novel, he mustered all his strength to move a large boulder from the muddy riverbed to stabilize himself, and step by step, trudged through the mire, facing the clear water, sinking into the riverbed as he moved forward...

  ………………………………………………

  Yi Tian Xing had always been a bit arrogant since he was young, although at that time it was just self-confidence as a demon. He never thought he would be bullied so badly, so when he was humiliated in the county town, he could transform into an arrogant young man. When facing the black market leader, Old Master Gu, he could also talk and laugh freely. All of this was actually built on his almost abnormal self-confidence. But today, a little girl named Qin Zi shattered that confidence. As a result, he hugged a large rock and walked aimlessly at the bottom of the river, not caring about direction or time, only startling the shrimp soldiers and crab generals who had not been disturbed for many years at the bottom of the river.

  Until the last ray of light on the river's surface disappeared, he, who had been walking underwater with his head bowed and holding a rock, finally calmed down and returned to normal. Then, silently reciting the Heart Sutra to examine himself, he was somewhat astonished to discover that the injuries within his body seemed to have improved significantly. The previously dull and lifeless fire element that had been shaken by Qin Zi's seal earlier now gradually revived, rejoicing and leaping about in his own body, wanting to make up for the large patch of dark color between his chest and abdomen.

  He was somewhat bewildered. Suddenly a dark wave came over and hit him right in the face, which finally woke him up.

  Isn't this exactly the kind of strange and mysterious Taoist environment that Qin Zi was in?

  When faced with setbacks, different people will choose different coping methods. Some may give up. Others may become angry and seek revenge to vent their grievances.

  Yi Tianxing is neither of these two kinds of people.

  He just felt a bit resentful, then a bit scared, so he wanted to figure out what was going on and make himself stronger, not for revenge, but so that next time he wouldn't be at a disadvantage.

  He is a mystic, but first of all a secularist, half a cynic.

  As he had a sudden inspiration, he touched the edge of the cultivation card, and he certainly didn't want to miss this opportunity for cultivation. So he didn't go ashore either, and simply threw the stone aside, stirring up a piece of mud and water, then sat cross-legged on this stone, with his hands placed on his knees, his eyes slightly closed, his tongue against his lower jaw, calming his mind and spirit, his thumb and middle finger seemingly touching but not touching, forming the lotus child hand seal, and then he began to meditate at the bottom of the river, floating gently with the water waves.

  "Think thus, and don't let your mind wander!"

  When he was trapped on the shore in the secret realm of Qin Ziqing's Green String, this sentence from the Three Flavors Chan Sutra had echoed in his mind, and at that time, due to an extremely ridiculous reason, they had brushed past each other.

  At this time, he sat quietly at the bottom of the dark river, feeling the flow of water on his face, feeling the extremely fine pressure all around him, and feeling this environment that was similar to the Qin Zidao family's secret method in terms of its power. His mind was clear and calm, and various Dharma gates flowed slowly from his sea of consciousness like a stream, including the contemplation gate that he had never before penetrated, which he repeatedly recited and prayed to.

  The crimson fire within his body seemed to have sensed his joy as well, and began to flow gently and slowly, gradually enveloping the patch of ink color inside him.

  "With a clear and calm mind, free from any hindrance, all beings know for themselves, their hearts pervading the ten directions, seeing the emptiness of the ten directions, like observing the palm of one's hand, holding a leafy object."

  Easy to travel on the river bottom mouth can't recite, but heart can understand.

  The Lotus Sutra floated slowly from his mind.

  The scarlet flame within him was gradually changing shape, no longer raging through his body like a wildfire, but instead spreading quietly and gently, like a clear breeze, to every place it touched.

  Just like Yitian Xing in the small black house next to the pond in Gao Yang County, his body was also gradually emitting golden red flames. The flames were like snake letters that suddenly spit out and retracted from his skin, swift and agile beyond compare, and from time to time they splashed the river water around him into a boiling frenzy.

  But now the heavenly fire within him seems to have its own spirituality, its radiance is no longer overbearing, but rather has a subtle and refined feeling, and when it's several inches away from his body, it retreats leisurely.

  In the dark depths of the Heihe River, a young man surrounded by strange flames that seemed to connect heaven and earth did not illuminate the entire river, but instead attracted a large group of curious fish swimming around him. Some brave fish even swam within a few feet of him, staring at the small flames that occasionally burst out from his body with wide eyes, as if wondering what was going on in this bizarre scene.

  PS: The book is about to be published, so the update speed must be slowed down. From now on, only two chapters will be updated every week, with about 4,000 words. Please forgive me.