Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Old Man Mu, who was still immersed in humiliating Dog Butcher, was pacing back and forth obsessively in the tent. He muttered ‘revenge’ a couple of times, looked up at Shangguan Ru, and then went back to pacing back and forth again, hardly listening to the conversation going on between the Dragon King and Doctor Sun.
Doctor Sun held his head high, though he was constantly touching the small bun of hair on top of his head every now and then, as if he were afraid that it would disappear for no reason. It was all to give off a superior and confident air, and even a slightly impatient one. Throughout his many years of experience as a doctor, he had learned that he needed this bluster when diagnosing an illness in front of a patient.
“Shangguan Fei practices the same kind of kung fu as the Dragon King, but only at an entry level which makes the circulation of his internal Qi clearer and easier to diagnose. As for the Dragon King, it’s a total mess. You have had Qi deviation before and now practices several more types of internal energy, and even randomly change them from time to time…”
Shangguan Fei had waited for a long time for Doctor Sun to talk about his disease, but he had to caution the doctor and say, “The Three-in-One Power is a marvelous kung fu skill invented by the Dragon King. It has great power and is quick to active, and is also easy to practice…”
“Bah.” Once he returned to his original identity, Doctor Sun’s hot temper had also came back, and no rules could restrain him. “He’s the Dragon King, but so what? He’s also a human being and in his twenties. How many internal energy manuals has he learned? How dare he create his own? It’s already a compliment just saying that it’s a total mess.”
Shangguan Fei stuck out his tongue and did not dare speak again.
Doctor Sun coughed a bit to calm down a bit and continued, to explain, though he apologized briefly. “Dragon King, please forgive me for being too outspoken.”
“No, you’ve got a point.”
“Hmm. Why does the Three-in-One Power take effect so quickly? The reason is actually very simple; it is because Shangguan Fei has practiced the Daoless Divine Power for several years and has established a stable foundation. It’s like there was a big tree with luxuriant foliage and lush branches, and the Sumeru Mustard Divine Power merely made use of it and picked the already ripened fruit. The Sumeru Mustard Divine Power is also one of the internal energy methods of the Four Noble Truths Temple and I happen to know something about it. Isn’t there a saying that ‘In the Heavens above and on the Earth below, I alone am the honored in the World?’”
“Yes.” Gu Shenwei had been particularly worried about these words for some time but was relieved after realizing that they had conflicted with his current internal energy in a violent or strong manner.
“It sounds quite overbearing, doesn’t it? But the ‘overbearingness’ of Buddhism is different from the ‘domineeringness’ of the ordinary sects. It does not repel, but absorbs instead. No matter what kind of methods you used to practice the Sumeru Mustard Divine Power, it will always be the only internal energy left in the end. There’s no harm in that. If you ask me, I’d say that it’s better than the Daoless Divine Power in this respect. At the very least, it’s harmless to your body and there’s no danger of it dispersing your internal energy either.”
Shangguan Fei, who was listening more attentively than the Dragon King, asked, “I only have one worry. What should I do if I suffer from Qi deviation before the Daoless Divine Power has been fully converted into the Sumeru Mustard Divine Power?”
“Then you simply have bad luck.”
“Oh, no! The divine doctor must have another way.”
“The divine doctor has no other way, but the monks do. Devils are born from the heart, and it’s said that meditation is the best way to subdue one’s inner demons. If you are really afraid of death, then you can simply become a monk, and the hidden danger will be naturally be resolved through meditation.”
“I don’t remember the divine doctor mentioning anything of that sort before.” This was the first time that Gu Shenwei had heard that Buddhist Meditation could help subdue one’s inner demon.
Doctor Sun shook his head and replied, “The martial arts the Dragon King practiced before were not all from Buddhism. Your killing aura was too heavy to practice meditation, but I see that your temperament has changed a lot after you started practicing the Sumeru Mustard Divine Power. You have become more lenient and even learned to win people over by virtue, which reminded me of this method. It’s actually very good because killing aura is a murderous spirit that goes against the nature of the world. Even just occasionally using it will cause great harm to one’s body and mind, let alone years of continuous usage. So it’s best to get rid of it, but I don’t think that the Dragon King has removed it completely yet…”
Doctor Sun glanced at the Dragon King and immediately stopped speaking. The Dragon King was suddenly filled with killing aura, and it showed no sign of diminishing at all. Doctor Sun’s face changed and he hurriedly said, “I was just making a point; I didn’t mean to interfere with the Dragon King’s cultivation at all.”
Gu Shenwei sat down, frustrated. He had changed a lot, which started long ago when he had decided to leave the Big Snow Mountain and join the fight for hegemony in the Western Regions. He had gradually abandoned his killer identity and moved towards the image of an ideal king in Fang Wenshi’s mind, so he was a bit confused whether the ‘mercy’ he had been showing recently was truly his own choice or the subtle influence of the Sumeru Mustard Divine Power.
This was very important. Gu Shenwei would never allow himself to be manipulated again, no matter if the manipulator was a person or a martial arts manual. The only manual he truly accepted was the Death Sutra.
Suddenly, he thought of Chu Nanping.
Not only had the teenager practiced the first four or five chapters of the Daoless Divine Power, but he also had not encountered any obstacles when he switched over and started practicing the Sumeru Mustard Divine Power. He didn’t even need the help of the Three-in-One Power, though he changed even more. Gu Shenwei used to think that it was a natural result of Chu Nanping reaching puberty, but now he suddenly realized that it was not that simple.
For Chu Nanping, not only had the Sumeru Mustard Divine Power absorbed the Daoless Divine Power, but it had also absorbed the mental components of the Emotionless Swordsmanship.
‘In the Heavens above and on the Earth below, I alone am honored in the World.’ The old monk Fayan indeed had ulterior motives when he gave him the divine power manual for free.
Gu Shenwei drew his sword. The rest of the people in the tent all became nervous. Even Old Man Mu stopped pacing and ranting and looked at the Dragon King in astonishment.
Gu Shenwei did nothing more than stare at the blade and search his heart for the feeling of the Death Sutra Swordsmanship.
After a while, he put the sword away and asked, “Is there any way to remove the Sumeru Mustard Divine Power?”
Doctor Sun thought for a moment and then shook his head uneasily. “I can’t help in this regard. I can’t even cure the Dragon King’s Qi deviation, let alone the Sumeru Mustard Divine Power. In fact, the hidden trouble inside the Dragon King’s body isn’t that…”
Old Man Mu, who had never known what the meaning of fear was, immediately replaced the divine doctor by giving unsolicited cultivation advice of the Dragon King, “You can disperse your internal energy. Oh, but that means you’ll lose all your power. Ask Han Wuxian to give you some medicine and teach you something like the Seven Rotation Skills. Then no matter how domineering the Sumeru Mustard Divine Power is, it will definitely be purged for sure…”
Gu Shenwei actually had another reason for calling Old Man Mu in. “You said that you feared the Daoless Divine Power and therefore, were unwilling to enter the Western Regions. Is the internal energy manual of Golden Roc Castle that powerful? Tell me the real reason.”
Embarrassed, Old Man Mu laughed a few times before saying, “The Dragon King really has a good memory. When did I say that? And you still even remember it.”
“I remember it too,” interjected Shangguan Fei.
Old Man Mu made a posture as if he were about to poke Shangguan Fei and thusly scared him away. “The Dragon King must think that the Daoless Divine Power isn’t as powerful as the Sumeru Mustard Divine Power, right? But I heard something vastly different. My dead Master once told me that the ‘Daoless’ Divine Power doesn’t mean it has no ‘Dao,’ but rather that it’s about cultivating the Dao of ‘nothingness.’ Those who practice this internal energy will find themselves longing for fewer and fewer things in their hearts, and will gradually act more and more ruthlessly. I’ve been observing the Unique King’s behavior for quite some time and found that he really has become more and more ruthless. No matter how hard I worked, I wasn’t able to catch up with him. Alas, he’s even willing to kill his own sons and daughters to stay ahead. He must have reached a new level after dispersing his internal energy. By now, I’ve been left far behind.”
Old Man Mu sighed, but everyone else’s face changed after hearing his words. Shangguan Fei revealed a silly smile, saying, “I’ve practiced it for several years and I haven’t seem to become heartless, and neither has my sister.”
“I was also wondering why that’s the case.” Old Man Mu scratched his head and continued, “I thought that maybe you had practiced it wrong, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Strange, it’s really strange.”
Shangguan Ru softly said, “Perhaps the ‘Daoless’ does not mean that one has to abandon everything or become ruthless. Isn’t the so-called ‘severing obsession’ in Buddism another kind of ‘nothingness?’”
Old Man Mu curled his lip and seemed to want to argue with the good girl, but finally, he relented as much as he could and said, “Who knows. It’s more likely that you two are still at the entry level compared to the Unique King. It doesn’t matter if one’s heart changes or not. The monk’s internal energy isn’t bad, and I find that the Dragon King has become more formidable after combining the saber and palm techniques.”
Gu Shenwei asked Shangguan Ru, “So you knew that already?”
“Fayan mentioned something like that to me, and I told you before.”
Shangguan Ru had indeed mentioned it, but Gu Shenwei hadn’t cared at that time. He didn’t expect that changing his internal energy could affect his temperament.
“So you suggested to Lianqing that he should teach me the palm technique?” Gu Shenwei said with a little bitterness in his voice. If that were true, it would mean that Shangguan Ru was trying to reform him secretly.
“I wasn’t thinking that deeply.” Shangguan Ru appeared a bit flustered. She hadn’t thought of it at that time, but she did carry such a hope deep in her mind.
Gu Shenwei no longer asked any more questions. The Formless Prajna Palm and the saber technique of the Gu family had unawares made Gu Shenwei use the Death Sutra Sabersmanship less and less.
Doctor Sun sensed the tension in the air and felt that he needed to provide an explanation, so he said, “There’s no need to worry too much, Dragon King. Martial arts has always had an effect on its practitioner. When a man who lacks the strength to truss up a chicken changes into a powerful man who can defeat ten people, that man will change from inside to outside. As is the case with medical skills. I used to be a poor man that was always bowing and nodding, but once I became a famous doctor, I was pumped full of confidence and even my temper became hot.”
“Ehh, so we are the same,” Old Man Mu excitedly said. “When I was young, I racked my brains for ways to ingratiate myself towards my Master, but I killed him as soon as I perfected my martial arts skills. Before he died, he blamed himself for choosing the wrong disciple. Haha, it turns out that everyone is the same… Shangguan Fei, are you going to kill me after you master the Five Hole Punch?”
Doctor Sun did not find any similarities between his experience and that of Old Man Mu’s.
Shangguan Fei was so scared that his legs became soft and flopped to the ground. Holding the corner of the table, he said with a grimace, “Do you think that I have the guts to do that?”
“It’s hard to tell. I thought that you didn’t, but after hearing what the divine doctor said, I finally understand that everyone will become ruthless after practicing the Five Hole Punch because he will believe that he has advanced kung fu skills.”
“My sister is different,” Shangguan Fei countered as he pointed at his sister who was his life-saving straw. “The better her martial arts are, the softer her heart becomes. We are twins, we look alike, and even our personalities… are similar.”
Old Man Mu looked at Shangguan Ru with bewilderment. “She’s different, but only after her martial arts skills improved did she dare wander in Jianghu and lead a country. Isn’t that also a change?”
Seeing that the topic was being carried further and further away, Gu Shenwei ended the talk then are there.
Shangguan Ru was very worried when she left. There had been a certain change in the Dragon King that made her feel strange, even stranger than when he was full of killing aura.
Doctor Sun comforted her in a low voice, whispering, “The Dragon King’s inner demon must be solved by himself. Alas, if only I had kept my mouth shut.”
“He’ll understand it sooner or later, and maybe it’s better for him to know it earlier.”
Everything was still unsettled, but Gu Shenwei still sat alone for nearly two hours before he walked out of the tent and went to visit the only monk in the camp.
Lianqing was packing. When he saw the Dragon King come in, he saluted him and said, “I was just about to say good-bye to the Dragon King. I’m going to leave for the Four Noble Truths Temple with my Master’s remains tomorrow morning.”
The monk seemed to have completely forgotten about his vendetta against the Dragon King who had killed his brother even though he had never practiced the Sumeru Mustard Divine Power.
“The martial arts as well as the truth that Fayan taught you are transforming you into a different person, a person who’s different from your former self.”
“I know.” Lianqing actually smiled. “I resisted, but have finally accepted voluntarily.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s my nature.” Lianqing was like an enlightened monk whose eyes had suddenly became surprisingly similar to Fayan’s, giving the feeling that they could see through everything and pity everything. “My Master didn’t reform me. He just wiped away the dust and brightened my eyes so that I could see the real me.”
Gu Shenwei’s face no longer held the same disgust and anger it had a moment ago.
