Chapter 27: Journey of Ten Thousand Miles

  Yao Guang left the grand hall and didn't go far. After waiting for a while, she saw Ye Gu Cheng as expected.

  The first one to speak was not Yao Guang, but Ye Guo Cheng.

  The man who was originally taciturn bowed slightly and said in a low voice: "Trouble Qingxu Daozhang, thank you."

  Yao Guang couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a hint of mockery in his faint smile, yet his tone was very calm.

  "No need for thanks, I thought Master Ye was here to apologize, looks like I overthought it."

  Ye Gu Cheng fell silent for a few seconds under that gaze before speaking decisively.

  "Sorry to disturb your quiet retreat for this matter..."

  Yao Guang quietly looked at Ye Gu Cheng for a while, seeing that he had no other excuses, and smiled as she took over the conversation.

  "I didn't shut the door, and there's nothing that can't be disturbed. However, Sun Xiuzhu's request... If it were Ye Chengzhu who came to persuade me, perhaps it would be more suitable. Since Ye Chengzhu is unwilling to take over, why bother having me meet her?"

  What you don't want done to yourself, don't do to others. This is one of the reasons why Yao Guang was displeased.

  And secondly...

  Yao Guang smiled and raised the corner of her mouth, "Or perhaps Ye Chengzhu also thinks that because I am a woman, I will better understand Sun Xiuzhen's feelings of 'gaining and losing, forever losing what one loves'?"

  Ye Gu Cheng hesitated and did not respond.

  Yao Guang saw Ye Gu Cheng hesitate, and merely said he had guessed correctly, lightly laughing and continuing: "The Dao is without distinction of male or female, how can there be a reason that men cultivating the Dao can focus on the path while women cultivating the Dao will indulge in emotional love? Master Ye Gu Cheng has underestimated me."

  Yao Guang felt she had said enough and turned around to head towards the seaside.

  Ye Gu Cheng suddenly called out to stop her.

  "Please wait for a moment."

  Yao Guang turned back with a puzzled expression, inquiring with her eyes what was the matter.

  Ye Gu Cheng seemed to have made a difficult decision, and after hesitating for a moment, he said in a low voice: "I don't mean to look down on the Taoist priest, it's just that... I don't know how to say it to... Miss Sun."

  Yao Guang couldn't help but blink her eyes.

  Ye Gu Cheng calls Sun Xiuzhi "Miss Sun" instead of "Madam Ximen", this doesn't seem like a slip of the tongue.

  No matter how difficult it is, once you start, the rest will be much simpler.

  Ye Gu Cheng pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "When Ximen Chui Xue got married, I was both happy for him and disappointed to have lost my only opponent. With his heart tied down by his wife, Ximen Chui Xue would never be able to wield his ultimate swordsmanship... Nevertheless, I still made a promise with him to duel on the night of the full moon. I wanted to see whether he would choose his sword or his wife, whether he would charge towards the pinnacle of swordsmanship that no one has ever reached before, or return to the mundane world. When he asked to postpone our duel due to 'my wife's pregnancy', I was deeply disappointed..."

  Because he had already seen the end of this duel.

  Ximen Chuixue, with his wife and children on his mind, was unable to draw his sword at its fastest speed. His hand, his body, his entire being had already been entwined by the tender love in the mortal world, losing the original loneliness and freedom.

  Such a Ximen Chui Xue can no longer surpass him, but this is still the only swordsman in the world who can fight against him.

  Yao Guang couldn't help but feel a little surprised upon hearing this, and her expression revealed her astonishment.

  Although the White Cloud City is isolated overseas, news has always been communicated smoothly - if the news is blocked, how can there be people who dare to associate with the castle lord's affairs? However, smooth communication does not mean that the residents of the White Cloud City and the lower officials of the castle lord's mansion will take the initiative to make the castle lord's affairs a topic of conversation.

  So Yao Guang stayed here for several months, inquiring about various news of the current world through various channels, such as dynasties, emperors, laws, and rumors from Jianghu, heroic figures. She also knew that her appearance on that day coincided with the "Moon Round Night, Purple Forbidden Peak" duel day, but she didn't know the details of this duel. At this moment, when Ye Gu Cheng mentioned that there was such a twist in between, she was stunned for a while.

  That is to say, after Ximen Chuixue got married, he still accepted the duel with Ye Gucheng. Halfway through, he discovered that Sun Xiuning was pregnant and asked for a postponement. He probably wanted to use this time to arrange the second half of his life for his mother and son. Without a doubt, Ximen Chuixue's approach has already shown his choice - he chose emotion over sword.

  Before the duel, he chose love; after the duel, he re-chosen the sword.

  No wonder Sun Xiuzhi couldn't accept it and even went so far as to travel overseas to Baiyun City.

  This drastic change is inextricably linked to that duel no matter how you think about it.

  Yao Guang suddenly understood something and couldn't help but burst out laughing, her midnight-black eyes staring at Ye Gu Cheng for a moment before she laughed again.

  "Yecheng master... Yegu Cheng, you are really interesting. No wonder I met Sun Xiuchang, no wonder I didn't know what to say..."

  What a ridiculous thing, Ye Gu Cheng naturally didn't know what to say.

  Ye Gu Cheng issued a duel invitation after Xi Men Xiao Xue's wedding, and as the contemporary top swordsman, Xi Men Xiao Xue did not refuse. From this moment on, Xi Men Xiao Xue's wife, Sun Xiu Qing, was destined for tragedy.

  As top swordsmen, at the moment of their duel, even a slight difference of one part in ten thousand will become the difference between life and death.

  If Ximen Chui takes the emotional path and abandons his sword, he will surely die under Ye Gu Cheng's sword. Sun Xiuzhi can only lose her loved one, leaving a widow and an orphan to rely on each other for survival.

  If Ximen Chuixue draws his sword and abandons emotions, regardless of whether he can defeat Ye Guucheng or not, the one who survives will only be an emotionless swordsman, and Sun Xiuning will also lose her loved one forever.

  Yao Guang had thought that this duel was proposed by Xi Men Xue Xue to Ye Gu Cheng, and at the time only felt a few sentences of cause and effect, if the duel was caused by Ye Gu Cheng, it can be said that Sun Xiu Qing's tragedy came from him. As long as people have a conscience, after doing something wrong, they will always feel a little uneasy, now Sun Xiu Qing comes with resentment, as the main culprit Ye Gu Cheng naturally finds it hard to speak. This situation was caused by him and cannot be reversed. The victim is in front of him, how can he eloquently explain?

  After a while, Yao Guang finally finished laughing and concluded with the sentence "Ye Chengzhu gets what he wants, congratulations are in order".

  Ye Gu Cheng finally got the best opponent of his time, and Ximen Chui Xue returned to the ruthless sword path. From now on, he will not be lonely because of losing his opponent and fellow traveler, so congratulations are in order.

  The congratulatory words in this situation are somewhat sarcastic.

  Ye Gu Cheng's pale face turned a faint shade of pink, and his eyebrows showed a hint of embarrassment.

  "I'm really sorry for Sun's daughter, but I also can't persuade Ximen Chui Xue to turn back - he can no longer turn back."

  And you're actually quite happy about this change, so guilt is one thing, but being an onlooker is another.

  Yao Guang pursed her lips, "You're indeed not being very kind in this matter, but this situation was also somewhat predictable. Sun Xiuzhu should have already been aware of it before marrying Ximen Chui Xue... Although she wasn't perfect either, one stroke for another, you still owe her this time. If you don't clear up this debt, with this matter weighing on your mind, it'll be hard to make a breakthrough in swordsmanship. It's better to settle it early."

  Ye Gu Cheng once said to Xi Men Xue Xue "Only be sincere with the sword, no need to be sincere with people", which shows that he has great respect for the sword in his heart.

  When the mind is perplexed, one cannot wield a sword. When the mind is filled with evil intentions, one cannot wield a sword. When the mind is filled with guilt, it naturally cannot wield a sword.

  He didn't understand this matter at all.

  But every time he thought of this, what he felt more was the comfort and joy of Ximen ChuiXue's return to Wu Qing Jian Dao, even if time were to reverse, he feared that he would still make the same choice.

  A person can live without friends, but cannot live without rivals; otherwise it would be too lonely.

  Ximen blows snow and he is his chosen opponent.

  At this moment, Xi Men cut off his emotional ties, and Ye Gu Cheng had a faint envy amidst those comforting words.

  "Ximen Chui Xue has found his own sword path, this is good... My sword..."

  Yao Guang glanced at Ye Gu Cheng.

  His sword was unorthodox, and that's why she omitted explaining Ye Gu Cheng's swordsmanship in front of Sun Xiu Qing.

  Perhaps he once had his own way of swordsmanship, but now...he seems to have lost it.

  These past few months, even if it was just a fleeting glance, she could see the confusion in Ye Gucheng's sword.

  Light and swift, like the floating clouds in the sky, yet without roots or dependence, filled with the restlessness and uncertainty of drifting aimlessly, losing the freedom of the white clouds, instead resembling a duckweed.

  As expected, Ye Gucheng sighed and said in a low voice: "My sword is in confusion, I don't know where to go. In the past, I thought I had already reached the peak of swordsmanship in this world, no one could surpass me... I thought I had walked to the end of swordsmanship, so...

  "Why must you give up on your aspirations?" Yao Guang's eyebrows were furrowed in surprise as he said, "The way of the sword and the way of the king are two completely different things. A swordsman and a ruler are not the same, even if you are the king of swordsmen, it doesn't mean you can ascend to the throne... Moreover, the way of the sword has no end, it's just that you haven't found it yet. You think you've reached the end because your heart is too proud, valuing yourself above heaven and earth, which is a misconception. If you cultivate humility and re-examine the world, perhaps you will gain something new. The path is under your feet, who knows if the road you're taking won't become a stepping stone for future generations to seek their own way."

  Go forward, and you may find the right path to reach your destination; or you may get lost in a wrong way, or even fall halfway.

  But in any case, taking that step is always better than standing still with pride and self-satisfaction.

  Ye Gu Cheng stared blankly at Yao Guang, his expression changing, as if lost in thought.

  "Life has boundaries, knowledge has no boundaries, the Way is endless. Using what has boundaries to seek what has no boundaries, hardship and suffering are inevitable. Therefore, our kind cultivates dual cultivation of nature and life to seek longevity, in order to ask about the Way, rather than cultivating the Way for the sake of longevity..."

  Yao Guang found that Ye Gu Cheng's previously clear expression had become perplexed, and immediately stopped the topic, saying: "Your sword was born on a solitary island in the sea, taking the momentum of the sea and sky, noble, agile, free, and lonely. Since you are perplexed, seek what you lack. Go take a look at the various appearances of all living things, and truly experience the warmth and coldness of human life, perhaps you will gain something."

  Taoists have both worldly and otherworldly pursuits. Being worldly and indulging in worldly emotions will not lead to the attainment of Tao, while being otherworldly and solely focusing on spiritual cultivation also cannot achieve Tao; being worldly is for the sake of being otherworldly.

  People first know cold and then know warmth, they must first know life and then know death.

  If one wants to sever emotions, they must first have had emotions. Just like Sima Yi's swordsmanship, he first had emotions and then severed them, returning to the emotionless way of the sword.

  The highest is to forget emotions, and the lowest is not enough for emotions.

  In Yao Guang's view, Ye Gu Cheng, who has always been high above in the White Cloud City, lacks this "emotion" - worldly emotions, familial love, friendship, and romantic love. Without knowing these emotions, how can one know what it means to be heartless or forgetful?

  Ye Gu Cheng listened to these words and sank into deep thought for a long time. He then bowed respectfully towards Yao Guang with his hands clasped together.

  "Thank you for your guidance, Master Qingxu Dao."

  Several days later, on a clear morning, Yao Guang finally went out and was surprised to see that the servant girl at the door was not the familiar one she had seen before, but Ye Gu Cheng, tall and slender.

  "The Qingxu Daochang is long, I have the intention to go to Zhongyuan as you said, and specially come to invite Daochang to travel together."

  Yao Guang: *silence*

  The author has something to say: First of all, let's clarify a fact. Jianwang 3 is an immortal (Lü Dongbin really flew up, and the moves of various schools are beyond). Luk Siu Fung is a martial arts world. The difference in the boundaries of the two worlds leads to differences in the thoughts and cognition of the original inhabitants. In Yao Guang's view, continuing to cultivate the sword will eventually lead to breaking through the void and flying up on a sunny day. What does it mean to reach the end? You can't find an opponent, what kind of end is that?

  Poor Lu Xiaofeng's world has never had anyone fly up in broad daylight, which swordsman would consider being invincible and then go to break through the void?

  So this is not to say that Yao Guang is stronger than Ye Gu Cheng, but rather to say how important it is to have a powerful master (no), to stand on the shoulders of giants (......) and naturally see further.