Chapter 1381: Tribulation of Fate
Ruan Yaozhu tilted her head slightly and gazed at Li Qingshan in interest. She wondered why what she had said had led to such an intense response from him.
Her preachings were not particularly popular. Other direct disciples all had paths of their own, so they would not listen to her at all. Even if she nagged a gambler like Le Tian for another thousand years, it would be useless. While formal and inner disciples all did listen to her, they feared her status. They did so to please her, but they disagreed with her inside.
That was why she said at the start that there would be plenty of times to come when Li Qingshan would be annoyed, but she never expected it to be so effective. She could not help but become slightly complacent, fiddling with her hair subconsciously.
The nine-coloured deer understood her best, so she became extremely wary. Oh no, this kid is far too good at this! Softwood is buying his act! Bastard, you were so staunch just earlier, and in the blink of an eye, you act like you’ve been enlightened. Why do I feel like this advice is not particularly useful? Yeah, he must be acting.
Li Qingshan opened his eyes and exhaled. His entire body seemed to relax, and the speed at which he circulated the Qilin’s Conventions of Longevity slowed down too, except it was much more natural and gentle, like flowers and trees that had been refreshed after rain.
The obvious change in demeanour left even the nine-coloured deer amazed. She exclaimed inside, This acting is just a little too good! Then she looked at Ruan Yaozhu whose smile became even wider. The way she looked at him was as gentle as the spring breeze.
Just like how all men wanted to save at least one woman that had become lost in life, women all had the wish to tame a “wild beast”. Young, gentle men could only serve as second choices at most. Overbearing CEOs would always be at the top of the list.
As an unruly, wild beast, Li Qingshan had unwittingly conformed with her thoughts, such that her impression of him grew extremely favourably. On the other hand, he did not feel anything special. Persisting with his path was not necessarily always about getting his way blindly.
If Ruan Yaozhu’s suggestions could make him care for more plants, obtain more contribution, and increase his cultivation, yet he still decided to stick with his own ways, that would not be perseverance, but stupidity.
However, due to the special characteristics of the Qilin Transformation, he obviously could not achieve enlightenment overnight and rise up on the spot. However, he was certain that after wandering around for all this time, he had already found the correct path.
He opened his eyes again, clasped his hands, and bowed. “Thank you for your guidance, senior sister. Your advice just then was worth even more than another heavenly tome to me.”
Ruan Yaozhu accepted his gratitude calmly. She smiled so wide that her eyes squinted together. “No matter how impressive you are, when it comes to planting and growing flowers and shrubs, I still know a little more than you. You finally understand that now!”
The nine-coloured deer thought, Oh no, he’s actually managed to get softwood to talk with such little humility. She must feel extremely complacent. This kid really does practise the path of the māra.
“I should have asked you for advice the first time I met you!”
Li Qingshan lamented. That way, he could have saved two or three months. Perhaps he would have undergone the fourth heavenly tribulation already.
“Look at you, you’re in a hurry again! Weren’t you worrying that I would do something to you when you first met me? How were you supposed to ask me for advice? I didn’t know who you were either, so why would I babble on with you? Everything was nature taking its course, which is why you had your enlightenment today…”
“Fair enough.”
Li Qingshan nodded. The Qilin Transformation’s aspect of letting nature take its course was indeed his greatest blindspot, as he had always relied on the ox demon’s stubbornness and persistence, the tiger demon’s violence and battle-hungriness, and the ape demon’s desire to do as it pleased to make it to today.
There was also the phoenix soaring in the heavens with its noble heart of refusing to fall into mediocrity. While the spirit turtle did prefer peace and quiet, thousands of thoughts flashed through its head with each passing moment, such that it would still rack its brains at the end of the day. All of this was for the sake of becoming faster and stronger. He devoted himself to changing his fate, so how could he slow down? He could not let nature take its course.
If it were not for Ruan Yaozhu’s inspiration, it might have taken him a very long time before he would realise this. Coupled with the help she had constantly given him, he truly felt extremely grateful.
“And, while I am more fortunate than most people, it hasn’t been smooth sailing. When I faced the first heavenly tribulation, I almost died…”
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“Really?”
Li Qingshan was surprised. The first heavenly tribulation should have been the easiest, yet something still went wrong even with her talent.
“Back then, I was only a servant. I knew nothing at all. All I wanted to do was go home…”
“Haha, that’s intriguing!”
Only now did Li Qingshan learn that she had been brought to the Myriad sect against her will, taken away from her home and parents, going from a princess to a servant all of a sudden. It really was a mystery whether she was fortunate or misfortune.
She had a meek personality, but she also liked minding the business of others, so she had truly faced a lot of grievances. Her peers treated her as naive and ignorant, even turning against her over petty profits. All of these matters haunted her, filling her with pain. In order to go home, she faced the heavenly tribulation in a hurry, so she failed and almost lost her life.
Every single Human Sovereign had a legend of their own. It would never truly be smooth sailing, where luck could explain everything. Even at their current cultivation, they still faced many hardships.
The snow fell harder and harder, covering the bodhi tree.
In their joy, their conversation and smiles became clearer and warmer. A happy atmosphere filled the area beneath the tree.
“Master, it’s time for us to go back!”
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With several of her coughs ignored, the nine-coloured deer finally could not help but interrupt them. Addressing her as “master” was a very stern reminder.
Only now did Ruan Yaozhu return to her senses, which made her blush slightly. She just said softly, “I’m going!” She left in a hurry.
Li Qingshan watched as her figure vanished into the great snow. He felt a little like he still had not had enough, even a little despondent. He stood there for a while longer and reached into his chest, pulling out a gourd of alcohol to take a few sips. Then he cast this thought out of his head. He still had a lot of work to do!
A range of fifty kilometres was a very large place. He wondered whether the shadow clones could reach that far. He needed to make further progress with the Heavenly Tome of Liberty and the Fractal Shadow technique, so he needed to think carefully about how he would handle this.
“Letting nature take its course” definitely was not doing nothing and thinking about nothing, but the principle of abiding by nature. Although more haste was less speed, it was even worse to stand where he was without moving. He had to find the perfect balance.
If he managed this region properly, it would be an extremely stable source of contribution. As his cultivation increased, he might not have to resort to cheating with the Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance anymore.
In the distant dwelling, the nine-coloured deer who had transformed into a young girl grabbed Ruan Yaozhu’s thin shoulders firmly and shook them forcefully. “You have to chase him out! You have to chase him out! Do you hear me or not?”
“But he’s done nothing at all?” Ruan Yaozhu just allowed her to shake her about helplessly. “Jiu’er, I beg you, stop shaking me.”
“That’s exactly what makes him terrifying! You really should have seen your expression just then.”
Ruan Yaozhu said with some embarrassment, “You’re just not happy with the fact that he constantly calls me more fortunate than others.”
The nine-coloured deer said, “He’s not the only one who feels like that. What am I explaining this to you for? Trust me, this is your tribulation of fate!”
No matter how Li Qingshan racked his brains, he never would have thought he would receive such an evaluation, but even if he heard that, he probably would not find anything wrong with it. It was not like he had not done that before. Just recently, he had become an embodiment of a tribulation of fate, dragging Si Long down from his throne.
“I’ll go talk to him and make him leave the Hundred Herbs garden immediately!”
