“You can’t keep it around your body?” Li Yundong was stunned and asked curiously, “What do you mean by that?”
Li Yundong knew that there was no way to keep this body around him. There was a famous saying of Zhang Jixian, the 30th Celestial Master of the Zhengyi School. To put it simply, it went: “All laws will end in Taoism.”
The meaning of “All laws will end in Taoism” was that no matter who a person was, what sect they hailed from, or what magic someone cultivated, the first thing they should do was cultivate the heart, accumulate Tao, condense their Spirit and Qi, and act in accordance with magic, so as to achieve the purpose of saving people and oneself.
What should I one do to condense Spirit and Qi and act in accordance with magic?
It was easier said than done.
Ao Wushuang laughed. She seemed to have expected that Li Yundong would ask such a question. “I also asked Wang Yuanshan. Do you know how he answered me?”
Li Yundong asked curiously, “What did he say?”
Ao Wushuang flashed a small smile and said, “He said, ‘One is the child of the Tao. After one comes two, after two comes three, and after three come to all things. Everything has both a bright side and a dark side, co-existing in harmony. For I am abstracted from the world, the world from nature, nature from the way, and the way from what is beneath abstraction.'”
Li Yundong was stunned. He had heard this sentence before when he was at the Taoist assembly. He had said to Zhou Qin, “This sentence is about the meaning of cultivation.”
However, while he understood what this sentence meant when he looked at it in isolation, he didn’t know how to combine the meaning of this sentence with the current situation. How did it work with the cultivation of jinshen for fighting?
Although Li Yundong had broken through to the Jinshen phase and he possessed the power of the jinshen, it did not mean that he could perfectly exert this power. Ao Wushuang’s previous words made him fall into deep thought. Although he had a profound knowledge of magic cultivation and powerful fighting talent, he felt that there was always a thin layer of fog in front of him. It seemed like he could enter a brand new world with just a slight poke.
But Li Yundong found that he was always stuck outside the door to this world. He paced back and forth and was never allowed to enter.
Ao Wushuang’s words struck like a bolt of lightning in his mind, instantly illuminating the surroundings of the darkness of chaos, allowing him to see this strange world clearly.
But it was only for a moment. Li Yundong rapidly fell into an endless trap of darkness. What he had touched just now seemed to have become unreachable.
He had been on the precipice of understanding something, but it now seemed that he did not understand it at all.
Ao Wushuang looked at Li Yundong, who was in a daze. She smiled faintly and said, “Think about it slowly. I’m a little tired. I’m going back to my room to rest.”
At this time, Li Yundong was constantly thinking over Ao Wushuang’s words. He nodded to her in a daze and fell into deep thought alone.
Ao Wushuang did not disturb him. Instead, she flew home alone.
But just as she was about to arrive home, a white light suddenly flashed in front of her. She grabbed at it with both hands, and immediately caught a paper crane that was flapping its wings. There were a few words on the wings of the paper crane.
She frowned and glanced down at the wings, then quickly looked around. After making sure that nothing was wrong, she turned back and flew in another direction.
She flew all the way to the old house in Tiannan City. When she opened the door and entered, she saw Liu Ye sitting leisurely at the square table in the front yard, drinking tea alone.
Ao Wushuang frowned and stood at the door, refusing to come in. She said coldly, “What can I do for you?”
Liu Ye didn’t even look at her. He just pointed to some empty tea bowls and a stool opposite him and said, “You’re here? Sit down!”
Ao Wushuang hesitated for a moment before coming in, but she still didn’t sit down. “Let’s get this straight,” she said. “I’m very busy, I don’t have much time.”
Liu Ye snorted and said, “You’re busy watching soap operas with the little foxes at home every day? Hey, Wushuang, you’re so busy!”
Ao Wushuang sneered. “It’s better than some people who are busy scheming all day long!”
Liu Ye smiled and asked, “Do you know why I’ve been looking for you today?”
“Don’t beat around the bush. Just tell me!”
Liu Ye didn’t care about her attitude. He dipped a finger into his tea and wrote a few words on the table with a hint of enthusiasm in his eyes.
Ao Wushuang saw that he was writing: “The second day of February!”
She was stunned. “The second day of February? What do you mean?”
There seemed to be a flame burning in Liu Ye’s eyes, and his whole body was coursing with uncontrollable excitement. “The second day of the second lunar month will be the day of the resurrection of the Mystical Silver Fox!”
“What? So soon?” Ao Wushuang was shocked. She immediately sat down and asked in a surprised voice, “Why is it happening then?”
Liu Ye couldn’t help laughing. “On the second day of February, the dragon raises its head! Are you very surprised? Yes, a bunch of charlatans wouldn’t have expected this either! Hehe, thank you so much! These days, I’ve been thinking about how to release the sealed soul of the Mystical Silver Fox. Now, hahaha, I finally have a way!”
Ao Wushuang narrowed her eyes. “You have spies around Li Yundong? Who? Cao Yi? Liu Yuehong? Or someone else?”
Liu Ye stroked his beard and said proudly, “Oh, don’t you worry about that. I need you to do something for me.”
Ao Wushuang said with a darkened face, “What is it? If you want me to go against Li Yundong, I won’t do it!”
Liu Ye frowned and said unhappily, “Do you really think of him as your leader?”
Ao Wushuang spat angrily, “Oh, please. Given Chan’er’s character, do you think she will still recognize me as her master if she finds out that I’ve been trapped by Li Yundong? I can tolerate living alone for the rest of my life, but I can’t watch Chan’er follow in my footsteps! So, if someone wants to do something harmful to them, they’ll have to get permission from me first!”
Her words were sonorous and powerful, and there was a sense of dignity in her tone that could not be breached. Liu Ye narrowed his eyes slightly. After a long while, he slowly smiled and said, “Well, well… you haven’t changed at all. However, this matter is beneficial to Li Yundong. So, are you relieved?”
Ao Wushuang’s face softened slightly, and she asked in a deep voice, “Look, what do you want?”
Liu Ye stroked his beard and said with a smile, “It’s very simple. I don’t care what method you use, but you must ensure that Li Yundong will go to Mount Kōya and have a fight with the goddess of Zhenyan Tantrism, Masako Tachibana!”
Ao Wushuang asked suspiciously, “Why? And why are you asking me in particular to do this? Li Yundong seems to be easy-going, but he is a man of his own mind. He can’t be easily influenced by others. What’s more… why do you want him to go to Mount Kōya? I’ve seen Masako Tachibana of Zhenyan Tantrism. She is not easy to deal with. Her Cultivation Quotient and kung fu are very powerful. You asked Li Yundong to fight with her, how could you say that it’s beneficial and harmless? Are you out of your mind? I think it’s harmful!”
Liu Ye laughed and said, “If Li Yundong wins, he will be the best cultivator in the Chinese cultivation world of the last fifty years! No one has ever been able to defeat Japan’s top practitioners! If he manages it, he will gain both fame and wealth!”
Ao Wushuang sneered and said, “What can such an empty reputation do? The taller trees in the woods are the ones that get their tops blown off. Even if you don’t understand this, do you think he’ll be ignorant as well?”
No matter how well-educated Liu Ye was, he couldn’t stand her provoking him again and again. He snapped angrily, “Enough! Li Yundong must go to Mount Kōya! As long as he goes there, Masako Tachibana will definitely hold a grand cultivation gathering. At that time, almost all the cultivation sects in Japan will attend, and all famous cultivators will go, even the members of the Abe family home. At that time… Humph!
Ao Wushuang frowned. “What’s wrong? You want to wipe out the entire cultivation world of Japan?”
Liu Ye sneered and said, “Do you take me for a madman? Even the Mystical Silver Fox couldn’t do such a thing. How could I hope to? I only need an opportunity to attract the attention of everyone in the Japanese cultivation world… As long as I have this opportunity, I can enter and release the seal of the remaining soul of the Mystical Silver Fox!”
Ao Wushuang’s heart skipped a beat. All of a sudden, she opened her eyes wide and said in a low voice, “You mean…”
Liu Ye laughed and said, “You get it now? Isn’t it a good opportunity? Think about it! Even if it’s for your disciple, Su Chan, you’ll have to do it! Otherwise… Hmph!”
Ao Wushuang’s eyes were fixed on Liu Ye, but her expression changed. After a long while, she asked with some uncertainty and reluctance, “But how can you guarantee that Li Yundong will win and get away?”
Liu Ye said disapprovingly, “How could the reincarnation of Wisdom King lose? According to the relationship between Gods and Buddhas, Li Yundong is the ancestor of Japanese cultivators! Those b*stards should be kowtowing to him!”
Ao Wushuang laughed angrily. “Do you really think of the reincarnation of Wisdom King as a panacea that can cure all diseases? Do you know how many reincarnated Buddhas in history have died of unnatural causes? You should know that Li Yundong is only a reincarnated body now, not the Dharma King’s true body! Do you want to be invincible in this world? Let’s talk about it after he’s gone through Lightning Retribution, become a Jinxian, and acquired a true god’s power!”
“What do you want me to do?” Liu Ye retorted. “Do you know how long I’ve been planning for this day? I’ve even given him the Renyuan Jindan and Diyuan Jindan. What else do you want me to do? Do you think that I’m less dangerous than him? Do you know who I’m going to face? It’s Abe, one of the most fearsome existences in the Japanese cultivation world, at the Abe family home!”
When Ao Wushuang heard the name ‘Abe’, she was also shocked and said with a gasp, “That’s exactly what you thought! How dare you say that! Don’t you know that the Abe family has been guarding the soul of the Mystical Silver Fox for 900 years?!”
Liu Ye sneered and said, “Of course I know, but it’s exactly because of that that I can succeed!”
Ao Wushuang looked very grave and did not speak for a long time. After a while, she stood up and neither agreed to nor rejected the proposal. She just walked outside. At the door, Liu Ye suddenly shouted after her and said, “Wushuang, if you are worried about Li Yundong, you might as well give him your Bahuang. Maybe the combination of the two swords will make him more likely to win.”
Ao Wushuang sneered. “So, you know that he has a low chance of winning? The combination of two swords… Humph, do you think it’s as simple as eating and cooking?”
After that, she sauntered out of the door without hesitation.
Her mind was swirling with thoughts and worries. However, she did not want to fly back immediately, so she walked slowly along Shantang Street.
Although it was past nine o’clock in the evening, Shantang Street was still brightly lit. There were all kinds of colorful lights hanging high on the ancient and elegant cornices, giving the palace the feel of an elegant young woman with a classical aura.
Ao Wushuang stopped in a desolate place. She suddenly looked back at the secular mortals playing on the street, and her eyes were full of confusion. She did not know what kind of changes her decision would bring to Li Yundong, Su Chan, the people around her, and even the rest of the cultivation worlds in China and Japan.
Would these changes be good or bad?
Could the Mystical Silver Fox really come back to life on February 2nd？
What would happen if she was resurrected?
Ao Wushuang gradually hid her figure in the shadows. She casually slid the Bahuang out from behind her, pulling the longsword from its sheath. It was engraved with exquisite patterns and vibrated slightly in her palm, like a loyal servant who had seen its master and could not help but let out a joyful cry.
Ao Wushuang looked at the weapon in her hand with a complicated expression and muttered in a low voice, “Head Shibo is right. Only the combination of the two swords will be a real powerful magical weapon. Only together… they are the most powerful swords in the whole world! Even if there is a problem later, with two swords in-hand, Li Yundong will be able to escape even if he can’t beat Masako Tachibana. Yuanshan… The sword you left me is ready for a new owner.”
