—War, it seemed, was a realm fraught with unforeseen circumstances.
As night fell, Ren Du, as was his custom, made his way to the rear of Green Peak Summit to meet the East Bamboo Immortal.
Though the path remained the same as before, traversing it again evoked a markedly different state of mind.
While he and Director Ji had fought to a mutual injury today, Ren Du understood full well that Director Ji was a highly accomplished disciple of Shanhai Pavilion; tomorrow, his cultivation would likely have recovered considerably.
A profound regret settled in his heart, for despite his arduous diligence and tireless effort, Director Ji had ultimately proven himself to be the more skilled combatant.
Nevertheless, victory and defeat were commonplace for martial artists, and he saw no need to dwell on it. Far more crucial than the outcome itself was the practical significance it carried.
Just as with this journey to East Bamboo, even though he had lost to Director Ji, he had achieved his objective of depleting Director Ji’s cultivation.
Ren Du’s cultivation had been so severely depleted that his steps faltered with each stride. Fenghu and Yunlong, the two elders, had insisted on accompanying him to guard against Polaris Dean seizing an opportunity to strike, but he had firmly refused their offer.
Fenghu and Yunlong were upright individuals, not adept at schemes or stratagems. Ren Du placed absolute trust in them; while their presence would undoubtedly deter Polaris Dean from making any rash moves, he had to consider the objective reality that he was going to meet the East Bamboo Immortal behind Green Peak Summit.
There was no need to bring too many people to meet the East Bamboo Immortal, as it would only cause her to become wary of the Southern Dipper Star. At such a juncture, making an enemy would be an unwise move, yielding no benefits whatsoever.
This was the first time since mastering his martial arts that Ren Du had fought someone to such an extent. While he understood the various symptoms of excessive cultivation depletion, having it happen to him personally left him feeling utterly helpless.
After only a few steps, he would find himself leaning against the mountain rock, preventing an accidental fall. Having traversed merely this short distance, his hands were already caked with dust and grime, yet he paid it no mind. The cleanliness of his hands was inconsequential; what truly mattered was the final martial arts competition tomorrow.
The familiar house, the familiar well, even the stone he had sat on previously—nothing had shifted in the slightest.
Yin Cunxin was meditating behind the East Bamboo Immortal. This was Ren Du’s first time witnessing the master and disciple cultivating together. He recalled the East Bamboo Immortal mentioning yesterday how he had killed Yin Cunxin’s elder brother, and a thought involuntarily surfaced: ‘The East Bamboo Immortal truly trusts her disciple completely! The girl is right behind her; if she wished to avenge her brother’s death, the East Bamboo Immortal would have nowhere to hide.’
However, given Yin Cunxin’s strength, it was unlikely she could inflict any real harm upon the East Bamboo Immortal. Perhaps this was precisely why the East Bamboo Immortal could remain so at ease.
“East Bamboo Immortal,” Ren Du began, “let us dispense with pleasantries. As before, I’ve come to ask for a bowl of water.”
Ordinarily, such a short journey would have been effortless for him, yet today, it left him feeling utterly fatigued, more eager than ever for a sip of the mountain well water.
Ren Du drew a bucket of water, scooped out a large bowl, and tilted his head back, draining it in one gulp. The cool water surging down his throat brought immense relief. He was about to pour another bowl when he remembered the East Bamboo Immortal, so he raised his bowl and inquired of her.
“East Bamboo Immortal, would you care for a bowl?”
His words were no different from his previous inquiries, and inwardly, it was merely a polite gesture. After all, the East Bamboo Immortal had shown no inclination to drink water on prior occasions, so there was no need for him to make a fool of himself.
He promptly scooped out another bowl, brought it to his lips, and prepared to drink it all, only for the East Bamboo Immortal to suddenly speak just as he took his first sip.
“Very well.”
Ren Du paused, slightly startled. ‘Why has the East Bamboo Immortal changed her mind today?’ he wondered. Yet, if she wished to drink and he failed to offer, his earlier question would appear disingenuous. Moreover, the well wasn’t his property. He set down the bowl he held, took another, and began to scoop water.
“Mr. Ren,” the East Bamboo Immortal’s voice chimed, “there is still water in that bowl. Why bother drawing more?”
“That wouldn’t be proper! I’ve already drunk from this bowl. To offer it to you, East Bamboo Immortal, would be disrespectful, implying you drink my leftovers. I shall draw a fresh bowl.”
“There’s no need.”
The East Bamboo Immortal’s voice resonated from behind Ren Du, sending a jolt through him. ‘When did she get behind me?’ he inwardly exclaimed. Had his cultivation been at its peak, he would have long since detected her movements. Fortunately, she was not an enemy; if an foe had seized this opportunity to approach from behind, he would already be a corpse on the ground.
The East Bamboo Immortal picked up Ren Du’s half-finished bowl of water and drank from it. Ren Du couldn’t help but feel a pang of admiration. His hands were covered in dust and grime; as he had scooped the water, some of that filth had undoubtedly clung to the bowl. Yet, facing a half-bowl of leftover water with flecks of dirt floating within, she drank it without a flicker of expression. She truly possessed none of the airs one might expect of an ‘immortal’!
A sudden realization dawned upon him; he understood why the East Bamboo Immortal had acted thus. She was testing him. If he had drawn her a fresh bowl, it would have presented an opportunity to poison her, which was why she chose the water he had already drunk. After all, no one would poison themselves. Even if he had, she was mere inches away; even if he produced an antidote and attempted to neutralize the poison, he would never escape her grasp. Her foresight was indeed thorough… but she had misjudged him. He had not poisoned the water at all.
“The East Bamboo Immortal does not trust me, it seems!” Though his cultivation was depleted, Ren Du felt no fear toward her, maintaining a calm and composed gaze as he watched her.
“With a great battle imminent, a little extra caution can do no harm, can it?”
“The East Bamboo Immortal is being overly cautious! With your peerless martial arts, if I am not mistaken, your protective divine skill can not only ward off blades and swords externally but also resist potent poisons internally…”
The East Bamboo Immortal neither confirmed nor denied his words, merely gesturing toward the stone table nearby, indicating they should sit there.
Though his life hung by a thread, contingent on the East Bamboo Immortal’s whim, Ren Du did not perceive his situation as particularly perilous. The East Bamboo Immortal was an intelligent individual; she would not needlessly antagonize the Southern Dipper Star, especially now, with Polaris Dean as her foremost enemy.
“It seems the East Bamboo Immortal has something to tell me!”
The East Bamboo Immortal sat opposite Ren Du across the table, her expression gradually growing solemn as she spoke.
“Mr. Ren, in your opinion, how would you assess Mr. Ji’s martial arts?”
Ren Du’s thoughts spun, and he instantly knew he had guessed correctly. Tomorrow, Director Ji would personally enter the fray. Although the East Bamboo Immortal possessed extraordinary strength, she understood that Director Ji would undoubtedly go all out, making the situation vastly different from their earlier confrontation when she first met Polaris Dean. Her inquiry was merely because he had engaged Director Ji in combat today, and she sought to gain an understanding of her opponent.
“He surpasses me,” Ren Du stated forthrightly, openly admitting the fact of his inferiority.
“The East Bamboo Immortal, with her discerning perception, must have witnessed it today. By the end of my struggle with Director Ji, my cultivation was utterly depleted, and my steps were unsteady. Yet, he still appeared full of vigor, and though his cultivation was greatly expended, comparatively, his strength clearly surpassed mine. As a disciple of Gong Ce of Shanhai Pavilion, he has inherited all of Gong Ce’s formidable skills. While outsiders may praise his master incessantly, his own abilities, I fear, have already surpassed his teacher’s.”
The East Bamboo Immortal regarded Ren Du. Her questioning indeed stemmed from a slight apprehension about tomorrow’s contest. She had personally witnessed Ren Du’s formidable strength; in a true confrontation, even if she could defeat him, she would sustain severe injuries. Considering today’s outcome, Director Ji’s cultivation was even greater than Ren Du’s. Tomorrow, to secure victory, Director Ji would undoubtedly exert his full power, and the intensity of their match would be no less than a battle to the death.
Initially, the East Bamboo Immortal had no trust in Ren Du. However, Yin Cunxin had found a letter in the bamboo grove, entrusted by Director Ji to Zhu Peiqi for Ren Du, which was filled with scathing mockery of the Southern Dipper Star. This clearly indicated a strained relationship, proving they were not allies, at least not at this moment. From then on, she had been observing Ren Du. While her act of drinking the water today was a test, it was also, in a way, an acknowledgment—’If only I could have been this way with Yin Chunhui back then,’ she mused.
Compared to Polaris Dean, her current formidable enemy, the Southern Dipper Star held no explicit hostility towards her. Although she wished to avoid owing any favors to the Southern Dipper Star, their objectives aligned for the time being. Thus, she was willing to engage in discussions with them, but the scope of their interaction would be limited to information that carried no personal obligation. In other words, she would not feel grateful to Ren Du for providing intelligence on Director Ji, nor should Ren Du expect to leverage such information to incur a debt from her on behalf of the Southern Dipper Star.
“Shanhai Pavilion…” the East Bamboo Immortal murmured, falling into a contemplative silence.
“Many years ago, I encountered someone from Shanhai Pavilion here in East Bamboo. Their strength was extraordinary, far surpassing my own, yet they harbored no intention of hostility towards me. They merely sighed to themselves before departing. When I first met Mr. Ji, we had a brief exchange, which I didn’t pay much attention to at the time. Now, however, it occurs to me that Mr. Ji’s internal cultivation is strikingly similar to that person’s, which inevitably brings back old memories.”
Ren Du narrowed his eyes slightly. In a world teeming with experts, it was perfectly normal for someone to exist whom the East Bamboo Immortal could not defeat. However, her assertion that the individual’s internal cultivation was identical to Director Ji’s… based on Ren Du’s understanding of Director Ji’s martial arts, the internal cultivation he practiced was none other than Gong Ce’s ‘Profound Unity Heart Sutra’ of Shanhai Pavilion. This cultivation method, while relatively peaceful, was exceedingly difficult to master. Few would be willing to dedicate such an immense amount of time to cultivating a martial art where the effort and reward were so disproportionate, unless it was to serve as a foundation for mastering various martial arts from across the land.
Director Ji possessed considerable insight into the martial arts of other sects. To advance further on this foundation, the ‘Profound Unity Heart Sutra’ was naturally the prime choice. This cultivation method was no secret within Shanhai Pavilion, with many members practicing it. Thus, attempting to identify the individual the East Bamboo Immortal had encountered would be akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.
“Did the East Bamboo Immortal engage that person in combat?”
“No.”
“Then why does the East Bamboo Immortal disparage herself? Director Ji’s mastery of the Profound Unity Heart Sutra is not necessarily inferior to that person’s. It would be inaccurate to gauge Director Ji, also a member of Shanhai Pavilion, solely by that individual’s strength. Zhu Peiqi, whom you fought previously, also hailed from Shanhai Pavilion, yet his internal cultivation did not surpass yours; his only advantage was his miraculous footwork. Was he not ultimately defeated by your hand?”
The East Bamboo Immortal fell silent. Her sudden recollection of the past was not born of fear for Shanhai Pavilion, but rather because everything that person had displayed back then was simply too inconceivable. The reappearance of that familiar aura in Director Ji had abruptly pulled her thoughts back to that year.
She had not clearly discerned the person’s physique or appearance, only seeing them standing atop a cliff, an aura emanating from their being that suppressed her so completely she could barely move an inch.
The individual had claimed to be a Shanhai Pavilion disciple, then stated that she had erred in her martial arts cultivation and offered to help her abolish her cultivation so she could start anew.
The East Bamboo Immortal clearly remembered refusing the offer with a hostile tone. The person merely sighed to themselves before departing, walking on air as if an immortal, a sight that left her utterly astounded.
Many years later, she found her martial arts cultivation stagnating and realized that she indeed had issues with her practice. However, to protect East Bamboo, she no longer had the opportunity to restart her martial arts training, forced instead to continue cultivating with her existing skills.
Yet, none of these were the true reasons for her vivid memory. It was the sigh that person had uttered before leaving. For some inexplicable reason, those words had forever lingered in her mind, impossible to forget.
—”When will you finally fight for yourself?”