“It accepted me as its master. Now what?” Xia Yunzhao scratched the Earthwalking Taotie under the chin. “It doesn’t look like it plans to help us find a spirit mine.”
Du Yan handed over the only two pieces of Cloud-Pattern Water-Sinking Iron he had left. “Try communicating with it.”
Xia Yunzhao took the silver spirit ore and held it beneath the Earthwalking Taotie’s nose. “Good baby, smell this. Can you find it?”
The Earthwalking Taotie brought its triangular snout close and sniffed the ore, then squeaked twice.
That sounded promising?
Xia Yunzhao continued, “Is there any more of this kind of ore nearby?”
The Earthwalking Taotie affectionately licked his finger, crawled out of his arms, jumped to the ground, and burrowed straight down. It vanished!
Xia Yunzhao reacted instantly. He activated the Earthwalking Art and followed!
In the blink of an eye, both man and spirit beast had disappeared.
Zhong Yundu nodded. “Looks like this thing picked the right master. First time I’ve ever seen a cultivator burrowing underground alongside an Earthwalking Taotie.”
Xing Wenyu immediately said, “What are you waiting for? Follow them!”
Shang Shuangze had already abandoned the chessboard and risen to his feet. He looked toward the distant sky. With a sharp pop, a small ball of spiritual power rose there and burst apart.
Shang Shuangze immediately flew toward it.
The others followed close behind. Even Jing Ruyun and Wei Xuening came, and Wei Ling and Wei Tu refused to be left out. None of them had ever seen an Earthwalking Taotie search for a spirit mine before. Naturally, everyone wanted to watch.
They followed the little bursts of spiritual power Xia Yunzhao sent up all the way beyond Qingxi City.
Jing Ruyun asked in confusion, “Is it heading into the mountains? Are there Level-Four mineral deposits in Liancui Mountain?”
Wei Ling shook her head. “Doesn’t seem likely. My brother and I have spent so long on Liancui Mountain, and all we’ve ever found were scattered pieces of ore. We’ve never seen a proper spirit-mine tunnel. Forget Level Four. We haven’t even seen Level One or Level Two.”
Du Yan said, “Spirit mines are scarce on Liancui Mountain. There shouldn’t be any large deposits nearby.”
Everyone nodded. They all knew that much.
The Earthwalking Taotie could really run, and it was fast too. It covered several hundred li in a single stretch.
Xing Wenyu nearly failed to keep up. Fortunately, Zhong Yundu doubled back and gave him a hand.
Wei Ling asked, puzzled, “I’ve met cultivators who raised Earthwalking Taoties before. I’ve never heard of one running this far to search for a spirit mine.”
“It has to do with the spirit beast’s affection for its master,” Xing Wenyu explained. “If a spirit beast likes its master enough, it will push its own potential to help them.”
Wei Ling fell silent for a moment, then sighed. “That’s our City Lord for you. Look at that. Even spirit beasts fall head over heels for him.”
“Look ahead.” Wei Tu pointed with one huge hand. “Is that a little city?”
Wei Xuening hurriedly answered, “That’s Yangshan Commandery, a small city within Qingxi City’s territory. It’s a little over three hundred li from Qingxi City.”
Jing Ruyun added, “There are a few unaffiliated cultivators in the city, but they’re all at Qi Refining. The highest cultivation is only the fifth layer.”
When they had been hunting for Su Ying and his brother, she and Wei Xuening had already thoroughly mapped every small city and village under Qingxi City’s jurisdiction.
Ying Yanyu rubbed her chin. “Why did the Earthwalking Taotie come all the way here? Don’t tell me the spirit mine is inside the city.”
By the time they drew near, Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze were already standing outside the city gate. The Earthwalking Taotie was clutching a chunk of Nethercold Iron and gnawing away at it, while the two men frowned toward the city.
Everyone was puzzled. Jing Ruyun asked, “City Lord, why aren’t you going in?”
Xia Yunzhao raised a hand. “Listen.”
The others hesitated, exchanged glances, and strained their ears. After a long moment, Yu Fanyang whispered, “It sounds like… there’s no sound at all?”
Xing Wenyu was silent for a moment. “That’s exactly what makes it strange.”
Xia Yunzhao pointed to his ear, indicating that he had already activated the Diting Art. “There isn’t a single sound anywhere in Yangshan Commandery.”
“How could that be…” Wei Xuening frowned. “The last time I came to inspect Yangshan Commandery was only five days ago. Everything was fine then!”
Jing Ruyun immediately stepped forward. “I’ll go in and take a look.”
“I’ll do it.” Wei Ling moved ahead of her, rolled her wrists, and smiled. “They say a new official lights three fires after taking office. My brother and I have been Left Protectors for days now. We should contribute something.”
Jing Ruyun laughed and did not argue with her.
Wei Ling and Wei Tu entered the eerily silent city.
Xia Yunzhao did not relax either. He kept the Diting Art active the entire time, carefully listening for movement inside the city. If the two of them ran into danger, he would immediately go save them.
Everyone held their breath, afraid to disturb him.
After roughly another thirty minutes, the siblings appeared inside the city gate.
They were both completely unharmed, but their expressions were strange and bewildered, as though they had encountered some ancient unsolvable mystery.
The City Lord hurried forward impatiently. “Well? What happened in there?”
Wei Ling spread her hands helplessly. “If you want me to say what happened, then nothing happened at all… Everyone in the city is asleep.”
Xia Yunzhao froze. “Asleep?”
Wei Ling nodded. “Every single person. Men and women, young and old. They’re all asleep, all in their beds, sleeping very soundly.”
Everyone looked up at the sky in unison. It was afternoon, and the sun was still high. Whether someone woke late or slept early, no one should be in bed at this hour. And the entire city was sleeping at once?
Du Yan asked, “Are you sure they’re sleeping? They haven’t been struck by a spell or poisoned?”
Wei Ling nodded with absolute certainty. “I even checked one household on purpose. A family of four was lined up neatly asleep. There’s nothing wrong with their bodies, but they just won’t wake up. If you don’t believe me, go look for yourselves. There’s no danger inside.”
Wei Tu nodded behind his sister. “Right. No danger. Forget the people, even the dogs are asleep.”
Everyone practically had question marks sprouting over their heads as they followed the siblings into the city.
The silence inside was eerie. There was not a sound anywhere. If Wei Ling and Wei Tu had not already explained what was happening, the place would have looked like a dead city.
But once they drew closer, there was no need for Wei Ling to say anything. The moment they released their divine sense, they could sense the breathing of mortals.
They really were alive, and they really were sleeping.
Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze exchanged puzzled looks. “Could the city have held some celebration last night? Maybe everyone stayed up all night and agreed to sleep in together today?”
“They couldn’t have made the same agreement with the dog, could they?” Zhong Yundu pointed toward a corner. A big yellow dog was sleeping soundly in its kennel. Ying Yanyu ran over and shook it twice. Its eyes rolled upward in its sleep, but it stubbornly refused to wake.
How strange…
Xing Wenyu asked, “Xiao Xia, where is the ore the Earthwalking Taotie found?”
Xia Yunzhao looked down at the Earthwalking Taotie. The Earthwalking Taotie looked back at him and squeaked twice.
“Uh… I think it means the Cloud-Pattern Water-Sinking Iron is right here,” Xia Yunzhao said.
Here? Everyone looked around, then up at the sky and down at the ground. Wasn’t this just an ordinary street? It was even a little more rundown than the streets of Qingxi City. Where could spirit ore possibly be hidden?
Suddenly, Zhong Yundu’s eyes sharpened as he stared in one direction. “Who’s there? Don’t run!”
Hah!
The black saber in his hand shot out like lightning, and Zhong Yundu chased after it!
Everyone had just started forward to help when Zhong Yundu’s figure vanished!
Several members of the Guard were startled and rushed to look for him. “Elder Zhong!”
The seven rings instantly flew out and blocked their path. Xia Yunzhao’s calm voice came from behind them. “Don’t panic. Brother Zhong’s cultivation is high. He definitely won’t be in trouble that easily. Let’s steady ourselves first.”
On the other side, Mingyun had already flown out, circled once, and returned to Shang Shuangze’s hand. Shang Shuangze shook his head at Xia Yunzhao. He had not seen any trace of Zhong Yundu either. It was as though Zhong Yundu had vanished in an instant.
Du Yan raised a hand and summoned the Heaven-Measuring Ruler. The jade ruler spun rapidly in midair before finally stopping at a certain mark. His brows immediately knitted. “This is bad. It’s actually a Heaven-and-Earth Secret Realm…”
Xing Wenyu’s expression changed too. “Then we really are in trouble.”
There were countless secret realms in the world, but broadly speaking they could be divided into two kinds. The first were man-made secret realms, such as Obsession Secret Realms, ruin secret realms, inheritance secret realms, and so on. These secret realms had a purpose. As long as someone fulfilled the creator’s objective, such as resolving the creator’s obsession or passing a trial, they could leave the realm and might even receive a generous reward. Some cultivators specialized in searching for such places. Among cultivators, these secret realms had another name: fortuitous opportunities.
The second kind were Heaven-and-Earth Secret Realms, also called natural secret realms. These were formed by the natural forces of Heaven and Earth. As the saying went, “Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat the myriad things as straw dogs.” A secret realm formed by natural forces would hardly concern itself with how cultivators were supposed to pass through it.
So if a cultivator accidentally entered a Heaven-and-Earth Secret Realm, survival came down to luck. Some were filled with spirit treasures and spirit items without a trace of danger. Others contained no treasures at all and offered nothing but deadly situations at every turn.
That was why the moment Du Yan said “Heaven-and-Earth Secret Realm,” a chill ran through everyone.
Wei Ling frowned at once. “This is my fault. If I hadn’t told everyone to come inside…”
Xia Yunzhao waved a hand. “It’s not your fault. A Heaven-and-Earth Secret Realm wouldn’t be confined to a single city. We probably entered it the moment we reached the area around Yangshan Commandery.”
If they absolutely had to blame someone, they could blame the Earthwalking Taotie for bringing them here… except Xia Yunzhao was the one who had asked it to find the spirit mine.
This was simply their luck. No one was to blame.
Fortunately, Wei Ling was clear-headed enough to recover quickly. She said breezily, “All right. Let’s think about how to get out first. Once we’re out, I’ll buy everyone spirit wine to celebrate!”
Everyone laughed.
Xia Yunzhao said, “Our Left Protector is right. It’s far too early to give up. Let’s split into several groups and search the secret realm. Find its boundaries, see whether there’s anything strange in the city, and look for Zhong Yundu too… We still don’t know where Brother Zhong is.”
Everyone nodded seriously, divided into groups, and left.
The Guard members often patrolled in groups anyway, so they could follow their usual arrangement. Du Yan and Xing Wenyu grouped up with Wei Ling and Wei Tu. The four were familiar with one another and could watch each other’s backs.
As for Xia Yunzhao, naturally he stayed with his own Dao companion.
As the two people with the highest cultivation present, they naturally chose the most dangerous direction, the place where Zhong Yundu had disappeared.
As they hurried along, Xia Yunzhao said, “Brother Zhong seemed to see a figure just then. Did you see anything?”
Shang Shuangze shook his head. “Nothing at all.”
“Neither did I. But Brother Zhong didn’t look like he was lying… Maybe it was a figure only he could see?”
Illusions were perfectly normal inside secret realms. Xia Yunzhao hated illusion arts, but he had to admit they were extremely effective. If that was what had happened, then it was hard not to worry. Hopefully Brother Zhong had not actually run into danger.
As everyone continued searching, the sky slowly darkened. Time flowed at the same rate inside and outside the realm. Once night fell, though, finding a way out would only become harder.
Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze found no trace of Zhong Yundu. They circled Yangshan Commandery once more and discovered that the Heaven-and-Earth Secret Realm covered an area slightly larger than the little city itself.
Suddenly, the Earthwalking Taotie, which had been obediently gnawing spirit ore in Xia Yunzhao’s arms, squeaked twice, jumped down, and bounced over to a section of the city wall. “Squeak, squeak!”
“Hm? Did you find something?” Xia Yunzhao leaned closer and discovered a hole in the wall. “This is…”
He peered through the opening. There was actually firelight on the other side… Was someone in there?
He immediately looked at Shang Shuangze. Shang Shuangze raised a hand and fired a ball of spiritual power, blasting the opening wider. The two of them passed through.
The world suddenly opened before them!
A roar of voices flooded their ears all at once, mingling with lantern light and the noise of a bustling crowd… They had gone from silent Yangshan Commandery to a thriving city street!
Xia Yunzhao looked back. The city wall was nowhere to be seen.
The scene before him was prosperous enough to feel dreamlike. Xia Yunzhao instinctively edged closer to Shang Shuangze. “Do you think they can see us?”
Shang Shuangze raised an eyebrow. His expression plainly asked: Why wouldn’t they?
Xia Yunzhao leaned toward his ear, just about to tell him a story about ghost markets, when a resentful voice sounded behind him. “You’re standing on my stall!”
He reflexively turned around and, sure enough, found his heel planted on the beast hide someone had spread on the ground as a stall mat.
He hurriedly stepped back twice. “Sorry, sorry.”
When he turned around again, he caught Shang Shuangze smiling. Seeing Xia Yunzhao look over, the perpetually icy sword cultivator’s eyes flashed with teasing. “Looks like they can see us.”
Xia Yunzhao narrowed his eyes at him. He actually dared laugh at him.
The stallholder straightened his goods, then looked the two of them over. “You’re spirit cultivators?”
Xia Yunzhao froze. “Spirit cultivators? You…”
The stallholder was a cultivator too. “Judging from the two of you, you came to find heart cultivators to verify what you’ve learned, right? There.” He pointed. “See the tallest wooden platform? That’s the Follow-the-Heart Lodge. Go there.”
Xia Yunzhao was stunned. “You… you mean heart cultivators still exist?”
The stallholder burst out laughing. “Listen to you. What’s strange about there being heart cultivators in Heart-Inquiry City?”
Xia Yunzhao sensed something was wrong. “Fellow Daoist, may I ask which sect is currently the largest in the cultivation world?”
The stallholder looked him up and down, apparently taking him for some bumpkin who had only just come down from the mountains. “The Heart-Inquiry Sect, of course. Why?”
Xia Yunzhao fell silent. Shang Shuangze answered for him. “Thank you. We’ll go now.”
The two turned toward the so-called Follow-the-Heart Lodge. Xia Yunzhao finally digested what he had just heard, patted his chest, and whispered, “Do you think we went back into the past, or is all of this just an illusion?”
Shang Shuangze thought for a moment. “An illusion probably couldn’t interact with us.”
Xia Yunzhao had been thinking the same thing… But had they really crossed into the past? How many years ago would this have been? Heart-Inquiry Sect. From the name alone, it sounded like a sect of heart cultivators. The greatest sect under Heaven had once belonged to heart cultivators? In their own era, not even a shred of the heart-cultivation inheritance remained!
When the two arrived at the Follow-the-Heart Lodge, they saw two lines hanging at the entrance: The great recluse hides in the marketplace; temper the heart amid the mortal world.
Looking at those words, Xia Yunzhao suddenly said, “Actually, even now I still don’t know exactly what the difference is between heart cultivators and spirit cultivators.”
Before Shang Shuangze could answer, a voice behind them said, “Heart cultivators follow their true hearts. Spirit cultivators attune themselves to the Heavenly Dao.”
The two turned at the same time. A young cultivator was walking toward them with his hair tied in a short ponytail and a long saber strapped across his back. He had an easy, carefree air and the effortless familiarity of someone who treated strangers like old friends. As soon as he drew close, he asked, “How can the two of you not even know that? How did you cultivate all the way to Golden Core?”
Xia Yunzhao thought, I’ve never even seen a living heart cultivator. How am I supposed to know? He cupped his hands and smiled. “How should I address you, Fellow Daoist?”
The other man cupped his hands too. “No need for ceremony. I’m Fang Qingye, a disciple of the Heart-Inquiry Sect’s five-hundred-and-thirty-seventh generation. Did the two of you come to the Heart-Inquiry Sect to test and verify what you’ve learned?”
Xia Yunzhao nodded as though it were the most natural thing in the world, without the slightest sign that he was lying. “Exactly! The two of us have been in seclusion for many years. We were just hoping to find an experienced senior and ask for guidance.”
Fang Qingye burst out laughing. “In seclusion for many years? Hahahaha! I doubt either of you is even fifty by bone age. Reaching Golden Core before fifty would count as genius even in the Heart-Inquiry Sect. Wait here. I’ll report to my martial uncle, and the two of you can stay as guests at the sect for a while!”
Xia Yunzhao looked delighted. “Many thanks, Brother Fang! If we hadn’t run into you, we wouldn’t even know where to stay.”
Fang Qingye waved it off. “It’s nothing. The Heart-Inquiry Sect always welcomes spirit cultivators who come to exchange and debate teachings.”
Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze exchanged a look. Xia Yunzhao smiled again. “So heart cultivators and spirit cultivators often exchange views?”
“Naturally.” Fang Qingye nodded. “Everyone has different strengths. If we all shut ourselves away and work in isolation, what happens if we go astray? Heart cultivators would become stubborn, spirit cultivators would become cold, and then wouldn’t none of us be able to ascend?”
Something stirred in Xia Yunzhao’s heart. He felt as though he suddenly understood a great deal, yet could not say exactly what he had understood…
Fang Qingye was decisive. Since he had invited the two of them to stay on the mountain, he quickly obtained entry tokens for them.
As it turned out, the Follow-the-Heart Lodge belonged to the Heart-Inquiry Sect. The cultivators stationed there were all heart cultivators from the sect. Anyone who wanted to go up the mountain had to collect a token there first.
Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze followed Fang Qingye up the mountain.
The Heart-Inquiry Sect, a sect neither of them had even heard of in later generations, was actually the greatest sect under Heaven in this era.
Yet from appearances alone, no one would ever have guessed it.
The entire Heart-Inquiry Sect occupied a spirit mountain, but its mountain gate was not even as tall as Baiyujing’s. Once inside, they saw buildings scattered across the slopes. Nearby, the only structures clearly visible were the Heart-Knowing Terrace and the Promise-Fulfilling Hall. As for what either place was used for, they had no idea.
Fang Qingye saw their expressions and asked, “What can you see?”
Xia Yunzhao asked, “Does everyone see something different?”
Fang Qingye smiled. “The Heart-Inquiry Sect itself is an Immortal-grade magical artifact. What you can see depends on your own heart.”
After Xia Yunzhao explained their ignorance, Fang Qingye gave them a strange look. “You truly have never heard of the Heart-Inquiry Sect?”
Xia Yunzhao spread his hands. His meaning was obvious: absolutely genuine. Not a single thing.
“In that case, stay a few more days.” Fang Qingye waved to them and turned to leave. “My task is complete. As for the rest, see for yourselves.”
Xia Yunzhao froze. “Task? What task?”
But Fang Qingye seemed not to hear him. He strode ahead, and his figure quickly disappeared.
Shang Shuangze looked at the sky. The night had already passed, and it was daylight now. “Haven’t you been curious about the difference between heart cultivators and spirit cultivators? Shall we find someone and ask?”
Xia Yunzhao thought for a moment. “Come on. Let’s find somewhere crowded first.”
Somewhere crowded… There really were plenty of people in the Heart-Inquiry Sect.
Almost anywhere they went, they could see cultivators practicing. Others were exchanging ideas and debating teachings. Some were heart cultivators speaking with other heart cultivators, while others were heart cultivators speaking with spirit cultivators.
After seeing enough of them, Xia Yunzhao began to make out the difference between heart cultivators and spirit cultivators. Most heart cultivators were either free and unrestrained or completely immersed in worlds of their own, almost two opposite extremes. Spirit cultivators looked much more “normal.”
But these spirit cultivators also seemed different from the spirit cultivators of later generations… He could vaguely feel the difference, but for the moment he could not put it into words.
Since everyone was holding these discussions out in the open, Xia Yunzhao did not stand on ceremony. He and Shang Shuangze found a place and began openly “eavesdropping.”
That one bout of eavesdropping lasted three days.
Over those three days, Xia Yunzhao traveled through almost the entire Heart-Inquiry Sect and witnessed countless cultivation methods used by its disciples. His final conclusion was… the Heart-Inquiry Sect had people cultivating in every imaginable way!
Some sat motionless in the mountains. Some went down the mountain every day to run market stalls. Yes, Xia Yunzhao even ran into the stallholder from before and discovered that the man was a Heart-Inquiry Sect cultivator too. Others spent every day dancing with immortal cranes…
To them, every one of these things was cultivation.
Was running a stall cultivation? Tempering the heart amid the mortal world.
Was meditation cultivation? Tempering one’s patience.
Was dancing with immortal cranes cultivation? Take nature as one’s teacher; let the crane’s dance open the heart…
The more Xia Yunzhao watched, the more he began to understand. The Dao and methods; methods and Heaven; all methods led to the heart, and the heart led to nature. So this was the true difference between heart cultivators and spirit cultivators…
Heart cultivators followed their true hearts. They sought inward, sought within themselves, sought understanding, sought to become immortals where they stood. Spirit cultivators comprehended the Heavenly Dao. They sought to investigate things, to know them, to understand Heaven and Earth through and through.
No wonder heart cultivators and spirit cultivators of this era needed to exchange ideas. They were like a person’s two legs. With only one, how could anyone walk the road?
Xia Yunzhao finally understood what Fang Qingye had meant by, “Heart cultivators become stubborn; spirit cultivators become cold…”
Exactly. Didn’t the spirit cultivators of later generations perfectly embody the word “cold”? He finally understood the difference between the spirit cultivators of this era and those of his own.
The deeper Xia Yunzhao thought, the farther his thoughts traveled. Suddenly he murmured, “Cultivation is a road that defies Heaven… But is it really a road that defies Heaven?”
Was Heaven truly so easy to defy?
If every cultivator was someone who defied Heaven, wouldn’t the Heavenly Dao amount to nothing more than a paper tiger?
And if the Heavenly Dao were merely a paper tiger, why did cultivators turn pale at the very mention of a Golden Core tribulation? Surely not everyone could be as lucky as he was, crossing a Golden Core tribulation as easily as walking across level ground…
Could it be that the Heavenly Dao did not reject cultivation at all?
Cultivators carried spiritual energy within them, and spiritual energy came from Heaven and Earth. In a sense, cultivators seized spiritual energy from Heaven and Earth and stored it within themselves. Would the Heavenly Dao truly tolerate that?
At some point, Xia Yunzhao had closed his eyes. “Follow the true heart… comprehend the Heavenly Dao…”
What was the Dao?
It was a question he should have begun pondering from the very start of cultivation, yet only now did Xia Yunzhao truly begin to think about it.
This was not his problem alone. In fact, if he were fully conscious at this moment, he would realize that it was a problem afflicting the entire cultivation world.
In the cultivation world of his own era, cultivators had already forgotten what the “Dao” was. All anyone thought about was seizing resources, raising their cultivation, and then seizing still more resources.
They had already forgotten what heart cultivation was, and so they had forgotten to cultivate the heart.
“The Great Dao is supremely simple; the true heart perceives the subtle… My heart itself is the Heavenly Dao…” Xia Yunzhao sat cross-legged. Spiritual energy surged around him, seeming to stir the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth. Spiritual energy of extraordinary purity poured down from the nine heavens.
Everyone in the Heart-Inquiry Sect went still and turned toward him, their faces carrying gratified smiles. One figure after another disappeared. Finally, with a pop, the entire scene shattered like a bubble being pierced, revealing Yangshan Commandery behind it.
Xia Yunzhao slowly opened his eyes.
Heart cultivation and spirit cultivation were two sides of the same whole. So why had the heart cultivators of the past disappeared?
Elio’s Notes:
- “Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat the myriad things as straw dogs.” This is a line from the Dao De Jing. “Straw dogs” were ritual objects, and the point here is the impartiality of Heaven and Earth rather than deliberate cruelty.
- Near the end of the chapter, the Chinese raw briefly writes 问天宗 instead of 问心宗. The surrounding scene is unmistakably still the Heart-Inquiry Sect, so the translation keeps Heart-Inquiry Sect and records the apparent source slip here rather than introducing a different sect for one line.