Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ye Futian looked at the imperial advsior and sighed secretly. Due to Feixue’s status, even if the imperial advisor were to ask for Emperor Li’s help personally, the emperor would have no doubt agreed to help.
If Feixue remained incapable of seeing still, then there would not have even been a need to ask in the first place.
“There is no need to grieve for my sake, Seventh Swordsman. I’m fine as I am,” Feixue said with a smile, as if she was able to read what was going on in his mind.
“I’m not grieving.” Ye Futian denied and continued, “I’m just thinking that someone as good-looking as you’re would have felt brilliant if you were to be able to see.”
Feixue smiled faintly. Although her eyes continued to look dead, her smile felt pleasant nonetheless.
“Take a seat,” the imperial advisor smiled and said. All of them took their respective seats by his side soon, with Yan Yuan seated at the first seat at the left, followed by Nan Zhai, Mu Chunyang and Wang Zhong.
Feixue, Lu Chuan and Ye Futian were seated at the right.
“Where is the mistress?” Ye Futian asked Lu Chuan telepathically instead of asking out in the open. The case with Feixue told him that the imperial advisor might have had his own stories. If the mistress did not show up, there would have also been a story behind.
Lu Chuan did not look at Ye Futian but replied telepathically nonetheless, “I’ve never seen the mistress. She passed a long time ago. Don’t bring the mistress up in front of teacher.”
“Will do.” Ye Futian nodded in secret.
“Seventh Swordsman, there is no need to be so formal in a family event like this,” the imperial advisor smiled and said.
“Sure, teacher.” Ye Futian said and nodded. The group began eating away. They all looked relaxed as there were hardly any rules to be observed there.
“How are your training been going?” The imperial advisor asked all who were present.
“I don’t think I’d ever get to your plane, teacher,” Yan Yuan smiled and said.
“Yan Yuan, your strength lies with your sense of perception of worldly affairs, but it’s at the same time, your shortcoming. But then again, it’d only be a matter of time before your achievements eclipse that of mine,” the imperial advisor said.
“Teacher, I don’t have much of any specific goal and I’m only following my heart in training,” Nan Zhai said.
“Yeah.” The imperial advisor nodded. “I’m not all that concerned with the few of you. Wang Zhong, your obsession runs too deep. It’s probably pointless for me to tell you to let go, but you need to understand that while the obsession might drive you to greater achievements, it might also get in the way of you achieving greater things.”
“I would definitely surpass you,” Wang Zhong said.
“And I’d be waiting,” the imperial advisor nodded and said.
Ye Futian looked at Wang Zhong with surprised eyes. He had always thought Wang Zhong to be rather different from the ohers. From the looks of things at the moment, he was actually more than just different, as it seemed that he and the imperial advisor did not even seem to be on good terms.
IF THAT IS THE CASE, WHY WOULD THE IMPERIAL ADVISOR TAKE HIM IN IN THE FIRST PLACE?
“Seventh Swordsman, I’ve asked you that day why did you become a cultivator and your answer made me decide to take you in as my student.” The imperial advisor then said. “The great path knows no boundaries. Not even I had been capable of such spirit as you.”
“I was just mouthing away actually,” Ye Futian added.
“There are no doubt boundaries in the world. Any who was brazen enough to say that the great path knows no boundaries would be a show of open-mindednesss. Me, for example, has never had such spirit with me. If you happen to have that something that I lack, it’d naturally something I’m happy to see.”
Ye Futian looked at the imperial advisor and asked, “I have something that I find puzzling. Would you mind giving me some guidance, teacher?”
“Alright, speak.” The imperial advisor nodded.
“If you had agreed with the notion of the great path knows no boundaries, why would you have aided his majesty in strengthening Dali and went about taking other realms? Wouldn’t that be going against what you agreed on?” Ye Futian asked.
He had always been curious what kind of a person the imperial advisor actually was. Since the opportunity to ask was right in front of him, he saw fit to take it right away.
“When I asked you about why you sought the path, you said that you hoped, that even if there would be a day when you stop cultivating altogether, you would still have the freedom to choose nonetheless. That applies to you as well as Dali as a whole. Wars never ceased since the ancient times. Even the mess the world went through over 300 years ago, we have still not been able to shake off its effects. Wars between realms easily had casualties racking up to millions. If we were to not strengthen Dali, destruction would have been the only thing lying ahead of us, and there is no freedom of choice for us there.”
The imperial advisor turned his eyes at Ye Futian and continued, “I have done a lot of wrong in my efforts in to advise his majesty, but I’ve also done a lot of good for the cultivators of Dali nonetheless. One has to pay something in order to get something. Like I’ve said earlier, I lacked your spirit and I have never considered the notion of the great path knowing no boundaries before. However, I’m nonetheless only able to do what I can to help change what I can.”
“I understand, teacher.” Ye Futian nodded lightly and sighed deep down again. He had no problem telling that the imperial advisor was telling the truth. If one were to consider take his stance into consideration, one would have realized that if Dali was not strong enough, the Emperor Xia’s Realm, The Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm or some other realms would have taken Emperor Li’s Realm by force.
“If you want to see change as well, then you’d have to first stand at the highest point at the place you wish to see changes being made. It’s been said that Donghuang the Great and Emperor Ye Qing dreamt of changing the world as well, and that was what drove them to stand at the top of the world.” A tinge of respect was seen in his eyes as he continued, “There would always be some great beings around in the world which would inspire respect and awe. My abilities and character are limited and I do not have what it takes to become someone like that, but I do hope that you all would be someone of such caliber.”
“Teacher, you’re great enough as far as Dali is concerned,” Yan Yuan added.
“It isn’t something you could determine on your own. Ask Wang Zhong what he think about that,” The imperial advisor said in a self-depreciating tone and took a look at Wang Zhong. Yan Yuan did not ask, as it was obvious that he would not have been able to get any answers anyway.
Ye Futian seemed to have learned more about the imperial advisor and came to respect him a little bit more deep down.
It was possibly Emperor Xia’s Realm that had known too little about the imperial advisor of Dali instead.
The imperial advisor had not been wrong with what he said. He was not Donghuang the Great or Emperor Ye Qing. His abilities were limited and he was only able to affect Emperor Li’s Realm.
“Teacher, I’d like to ask a rather bold question. Why have you decided to seek the path?” Ye Futian asked.
The imperial advisor was rather startled as he looked at Ye Futian. That was the first time someone asked him why he sought the path.
He had always been the one asking the question instead.
“If I were to tell you that I have never considered the question, would you believe me?” The imperial advisor looked at Ye Futian and said.
Ye Futian was dumbfounded and rather surprised.
However, the imperial advisor simply smiled. “Any one of you here has more spirit than I did. I once have been training because I felt like doing so, and I have never thought why I sought the path. When calamities strike one day, you’d quickly find that you don’t have the right to choose. As such, when you said that you want to see the right to choose even if one were to choose not to be a cultivator, I said that you have set your standards too high. Even if you were to be cultivator, there are lots of times when you are still robbed of that right, being utterly hopeless in the face of it all.”
“At present, my wishes are too, simple ones—to allow Feixue to live a simple life, teach a few students of my own, establish a Dali Academy that could provide a good environment for cultivation for the later generations, so to enable Dali Dynasty to live long and prosper. As for anything greater than all that, I dare not ask.”
Ye Futian looked at the imperial advisor feeling rather frightened. That could not have been further from the impression he had about the imperial advisor of Dali.
The imperial advisor he knew was one would have dedicated his entire being into service to Dali Dynasty; a great figure who would have poured his heart and soul into taking other realms.
Yet, the imperial advisor who was right before his eyes was someone who could not have been more peaceful and tranquil.
“Doesn’t match what you know, I take it? People are used to talking down to others from a pedestal. In truth however, regardless of the height one stands at, one would have still been just a person,” the imperial advisor of Dali said.
“Haven’t you thought of bringing change to more realms?” Ye Futian asked.
“If you’ve experienced realm wars firsthand, you wouldn’t be having such thoughts. Unless I become able to have control over other realms without going through realm wars, it is something that I would never, ever, think about,” the imperial advisor looked at Ye Futian and said.
The realm wars that the imperial advisor spoke about were naturally large scale ones. Ye Futian once heard that there were Three Thousand Realms of the Great Path, and some realms were devoid of life altogether, with the realm wars being brutal enough that they brought about total annihilations of realms. It was truly something harrowing.
The Battle of the Empty Realm was actually one that was fought at a small scale.
On the other hand, the imperial advisor claimed that he had experienced true realm wars.
As for wanting to affect other realms without going through the path of realm wars, one would have been able to train to the highest plane there was. For instance, if he alone were to be able to take down Emperor Li, that would not have needed for any realm wars.
From the looks of things, the imperial advisor was actually someone who opposed realm wars.
The group chatted without a care in the event and Ye Futian came to learn more about the imperial advisor and his other students.
After they were done, the imperial advisor said to Lu Chuan, “Lu Chuan, send Feixue to her sleep.”
“Sleep?” Ye Futian looked puzzled.
“Feixue needed to be in her sleep often due to her cultivation. She is actually far older than you are, and the reason why she looks so young, is because she spends most of her time sleeping,” the imperial advisor explained.
Ye Futian was somewhat shaken. You’re talking about suspended animation then?
He finally knew what the family gathering earlier was far—Feixue rose from her sleep.
He turned his eyes at Feixue, at the clean, beautiful face of hers. Fate had not been kind to her, and yet, that calm and warm smile looked as tranquil as it could have been.
The imperial advisor said that he hoped that Feixue would be able to live a simple life.
He said so because even that alone proved to be a luxury.
“Sure.” Lu Chuan nodded slightly and rose. Feixue, who was by his side, rose as well and was getting ready to leave.
“I’ll go as well,” Ye Futian said. He rose and walked with Lu Chuan and Feixue, leaving where they had the gathering.
All three of them walked and Ye Futian asked, “Brother, what happened to Feixue?”
“I don’t know myself. It has always been so ever since I came to study under the imperial advisor.” Lu Chuan shook his head and sighed.
“It’s alright, Seventh Swordsman. I’ve gotten used to it.” Feixue faced where Ye Futian was and said, “I’d be able to stay young always. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“How long would you need to sleep?” Ye Futian asked.
“There is no certain pattern to it. I spend most of my time sleeping.” Feixue then added with a smile, “No need to be sad for me.”
“I’m not.” Ye Futian denied.
“So you don’t want to admit it again eh?” Feixue said with a faint smile, “My father said that your mind of the sword was pure. Somehow, I find that your emotions are always in turmoil, always easily moved to sadness. Shouldn’t your training in the way of the sword make your state of mind as strong as bedrock?”
Ye Futian wanted to explain, but Lu Chuan took a good look at him and said, “Feixue is capable of sensing emotions of others.”
“…”
Ye Futian was astonished as he looked at Feixue. If that turned out to be the case, if he had been harboring resentment and vengeance, Feixue would have been able to sense them as well.
“I’ve been able to sense all of your emotions throughout the event.” Feixue smiled brilliantly. She placed her hand on her chest and mystical light emanated from her. Ye Futian felt a mystical feeling that he was unable to quite place.
It seemed that some peculiar powers shrouded his body.
The quiet World Tree within his Life Palace rustled all of a sudden and unleashed mystical light. It seemed as if the tree was affected by the power within Feixue and reacted.
