Days passed, and a large number of cultivators from the Mohist Ancestral Court arrived at the Snow Region Heavenly Pool, carrying supplies. The nascent form of White City was slowly emerging.
...
Night fell.
A young man in a dark purple long gown, carrying the Xunlu Sword on his back, crossed a stone bridge and entered a tavern on the east side of the town bridge. It was late, and there weren't many patrons. Only an elder in armor, with a sword on his back, was still drinking. He exuded an aura of demonic energy, making no attempt to conceal it. The cultivators in the town had grown accustomed to it, as everyone knew Huang Tingyu was a demon race sword cultivator. Even the young children in the town had heard the tale of the great demon immortal Huang slaying the demon ancestor with his sword a century ago.
"Brother Huang,"
Gu Yanshu plopped down in front of Huang Tingyu, unhooked a wine gourd from his waist, and said with a smile, "Stop drinking that tasteless stuff. Try mine."
"Oh?"
Old Huang pushed his wine bowl forward. He didn't fear Gu Yanshu poisoning him, as a twelfth-realm demon race sword immortal was long immune to all poisons. After taking a gulp, Old Huang narrowed his eyes and chuckled, "Apricot Blossom Wine brewed by Dongcang. Stolen?"
"What do you mean 'stolen'?"
Gu Yanshu laughed, "Sister Dongcang is a very kind person, amiable to everyone. She saw how lonely I, Gu Yanshu, was living alone in the Mountain Summit Villa, so she gave me a jar of Apricot Blossom Wine to ease my loneliness."
"I hope so."
Huang Tingyu grinned, "The Mountain Summit Villa doesn't condone petty theft."
"Indeed, indeed."
Gu Yanshu nodded, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and reached for the peanuts in front of Old Huang.
Old Huang, however, raised his hand to stop him and said with a laugh, "Buy your own if you want to eat. My military pay is limited, and I need to save some pocket money for drinking and finding a wife. I'm not close enough to you, Gu Yanshu, to let you freeload."
Gu Yanshu burst into laughter, "With just this meager silver, you think you can find a wife? Does Brother Huang really think all women in this world are virtuous and accepting?"
Old Huang chuckled.
"Fine!"
Gu Yanshu got up, fetched a few more dishes to go with the wine from the waiter, and placed them on Old Huang's table. He then dipped a finger in wine and drew a line in the middle, saying, "You can eat my dishes freely, Brother Huang. I, Gu Yanshu, will absolutely not touch your dishes. It's the rule of the martial world: clear grievances and debts."
"Clear grievances and debts?"
Huang Tingyu sneered, "If you, you beast, understood clear grievances and debts, you wouldn't have been confined to the Mountain Summit Villa by Lin Zhao."
"You don't understand my state of mind, so I can't be bothered to argue with you."
Gu Yanshu raised his wine bowl, "Today, we drink, not discuss martial world grievances. How about it?"
"Fine."
Thus, the two clinked glasses and drank.
As the night deepened, Old Huang's spirits grew higher, while Gu Yanshu was already quite drunk. After all, he was no longer a twelfth-realm sword immortal who could disperse the effects of alcohol with his sword intent. His current first-realm sword cultivation was not much stronger than an uninitiated wandering swordsman. He looked tipsy, holding his wine pot, and said, "Brother Huang, this meal today is on me, Gu Yanshu!"
"Oh, have you come into money, boy?"
Huang Tingyu grinned, "Did you steal it from the Mountain Master?"
"Absolutely not..."
Gu Yanshu pulled out a storage bag from his waist and poured out a pile of golden money and flying fish coins, laughing, "In the Qin Mountains, sometimes you collect things when you kill people."
"Tsk tsk, dirty money."
Huang Tingyu chuckled, "You don't deserve to treat me to this meal. I'll pay."
"Brother Huang."
Gu Yanshu staggered, clasped his hands on the table, and rested his head on them, reeking of alcohol, looking utterly dejected. "Do you think people like Lin Zhao... truly live without being tired?"
"Hm?"
Huang Tingyu frowned, then sneered, "Of course, he's tired. Lin Zhao strives for a clear conscience in everything he does. Such people naturally live the most tiring lives. Unlike you, Gu Yanshu, the great sword immortal, who just draws his sword and strikes when displeased. The karma you carry is immense. Don't be fooled by your current twelfth realm; you might dissipate in the lightning tribulation of the thirteenth realm. It's not that retribution won't come, it's just not time yet."
"You say so, then let it be not time yet."
Gu Yanshu grinned, "And you, if Lin Zhao doesn't live comfortably, does your Brother Huang live comfortably?"
"What business is it of yours whether I live comfortably or not?"
Huang Tingyu raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "With your petty state of mind, you want to stir up trouble in the Snow Region Heavenly Pool? Save it. It's only because Lin Zhao is Mr. Qin's disciple and has a good temper that he hasn't already cut you down with a single sword. I, Huang Tingyu, have experienced as much hardship as I have wisdom. Unlike you, Gu Yanshu, who feels the world owes you something. I, Huang Tingyu, owe nothing to this world, and if anyone owes me, I will certainly repay it tenfold."
Gu Yanshu's eyes held a hint of ruthlessness. He sneered, "A dignified peak twelfth-realm demon race sword immortal, only one step away from the thirteenth realm, and yet you are content with solitude, willing to be a mere deputy marshal in this paltry Snow Region Heavenly Pool? To put it bluntly, in the human world, as long as you wish it, you, Huang Tingyu, could establish your own sect, become a provincial lord, and the entire Great Shang Dynasty would show you deference. It's far better than bowing and scraping here, being Lin Zhao's lapdog!"
"Is that so?"
Huang Tingyu smiled faintly, rose, and placed his hand on the back of Gu Yanshu's head, pressing him down hard. With a muffled thud, the entire table was crushed. Huang Tingyu then stepped on Gu Yanshu's head, suppressing the urge to stomp his head into pulp, and sneered, "You are not a fish, how can you know the joy of fish? You, Gu Yanshu, a vindictive beast, will never understand my state of mind, let alone Lin Zhao's."
Saying this, Huang Tingyu strode away.
As Gu Yanshu got up in disarray, Huang Tingyu's voice came from outside, "Compensate the tavern for the table. If you overstep even slightly, Lin Zhao might spare you, but I won't."
The waiter trembled.
"It's alright, it's alright..."
Gu Yanshu chuckled, wiped the dirt from his face, and placed a piece of loose silver on the counter. His eyes were fixed on the waiter as he said, "Take it, take it. I'm not an unreasonable person."
As he walked out of the shop, the waiter was already sweating profusely, having never experienced such despair and terror. The young man's smile felt like a nightmare.
...
Gu Yanshu, crestfallen, crossed the stone bridge and returned to the Mountain Summit Villa.
On an old tree behind the stone bridge, Lin Zhao sat quietly on a branch. Beside him, Huang Tingyu descended gracefully and said with a smile, "How much longer will this test of one's state of mind continue? I'm truly losing patience. I really wanted to cut off his head just now!"
"Give him a little more time."
Lin Zhao frowned and asked, "Old Huang, what do you think about inherent goodness versus inherent evil?"
"Hmph~~"
Old Huang sat down with a plop and said, "Lin Zhao, actually, when I grew up in the ancestral land of the demon realm, I didn't know about good and evil in the world. I was just a wild dog on the grasslands, hunting rabbits, mice, and the like when I was hungry. I lived in constant fear, having to guard against stronger beasts. To fill my stomach, I ate the grass-eating rabbits. Do you call that inherent goodness or evil? And when the lion wanted to eat me, Huang Tingyu, was that inherent goodness or evil?"
Lin Zhao fell silent.
Old Huang gave a self-deprecating laugh, "The demon realm is a wild land, without so many complexities. It's all about survival. It's only in your human world, with the rise of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, that people started explaining good and evil."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao sat up, his eyes looking in the direction of Gu Yanshu's retreating figure. "According to Taoism, good and evil should not be interfered with; one should let nature take its course. Gu Yanshu bearing the Xunlu Sword out of the mountains to seek revenge is a common affair. If he killed someone, and someone sought revenge, striking down Gu Yanshu would be justifiable. I am inherently part of this karma. He killed my fellow disciple and close friend Liu Xingshu, and my fellow disciple, the Confucian sword cultivator Xiao Cong. By rights, killing Gu Yanshu would be permissible for me. But if I kill Gu Yanshu, I would no longer be detached and without action, but would be interfering myself."
"What about Buddhist principles?" Huang Tingyu asked with a smile.
Lin Zhao smiled and said, "The Buddha says there is no good or evil in the world; they are equal. One should repay evil with good. When encountering an evil person, it is also your own karmic debt. Because karma is interconnected, that evil person might be here for revenge. If the evil person wants to kill you, every cause has an effect. Perhaps you harmed them in a past life, so one should advise the evil person to put down their butcher knife and become a Buddha."
"Amitabha."
Huang Tingyu joined his palms, his mind clear. But as he opened his eyes, they were filled with ferocity. He grinned and said, "To hell with becoming a Buddha! If someone has committed countless evil deeds, I'd rather send them to see the Buddha with a single sword."
Lin Zhao burst into laughter, "The Confucian principles are even simpler: repay resentment with straightforwardness, and repay kindness with virtue. Confucianism inherently emphasizes abandoning evil and promoting good, and there's the saying that a gentleman is not a tool. If one truly cannot persuade them, then one must resort to thunderous means."
Old Huang narrowed his eyes and chuckled, "So, this is why you keep giving Gu Yanshu chances to live?"
"More or less."
Lin Zhao frowned. "Because my own state of mind is still somewhat hesitant. Gu Yanshu's temperament is violent, but there are reasons for it. He consistently believes that the world owes the Xunlu Sword. If I kill him with a single sword, it would be like denying him a chance to speak. Now... this is Gu Yanshu's chance to speak to this world. If he doesn't cherish it, then I can't be polite. It doesn't matter if this karma falls upon me alone."
"Mm."
Old Huang yawned, "I'm going back to sleep. You should go back early too. Liu Liying has probably warmed the bed for you. Go back and embrace the fan-wielding goddess, and live a celestial life."
Lin Zhao rolled his eyes dramatically, "Get lost!"
"Hahaha~~~"
Huang Tingyu waved his hand and laughed, "Scholars, truly boring. What about a gentleman's caution in solitude, or not deceiving oneself in secret rooms? You make yourself so indecisive. If it were me, Old Huang, I'd already have Liu Liying, Dongcang, Su Zhi, and Yu Wanning in one bed. And I'd casually ask Chu Yu if she'd like to join. Female martial artists' fists might be rough, but other places should be fine."
"Get lost!"
Lin Zhao kicked Huang Tingyu's backside. Huang Tingyu seized the opportunity and flew away on his sword, leaving behind peals of laughter in the wind.
Lin Zhao once again looked in the direction of the Mountain Summit Villa, his resolve firming up.
If Mr. Qin were here, he probably wouldn't have tolerated Gu Yanshu for so long.