Chapter 95: As Things Are Born, So Too Do They Die

“In Great Qian, if you wish to cultivate smoothly, you still need a guide from an established lineage.”

“For you, the Confucian Spring and Autumn Brush lineage is indeed a good choice.”

“Dong Chunqiu may be somewhat pedantic, but he is worthy of the title of Great Scholar. As for those disciples of his... heh, heh...”

Elder Wei lowered his head and resumed polishing the branch in his hand with his fingers.

Li Shun did not know whether it was merely his imagination, but perhaps because Elder Wei handled it every day, the branch was beginning to look less and less like a piece of wood and more and more like a sword.

Even when it remained motionless and no cold gleam shone from its edge, the feeling persisted.

“This junior understands.”

Li Shun nodded thoughtfully.

A long while passed.

“Why are you still standing there?”

Seeing that Li Shun remained in the courtyard, Wei Wuqi raised his head and glanced at him.

“This junior still has doubts in his heart, but I am uncertain whether I should ask them. That is why I have been hesitating here.”

Looking at Li Shun's deliberately restrained expression, Wei Wuqi shook his head slightly.

“Speak.”

“Why have you shown me such favor, Senior?”

“Whether it was the Empty Vessel, Bereft of Self technique, the Regicide Sword Art, or the various divine abilities, you have taught them all without reservation. Whenever I ask a question, you almost always answer it.”

“Why am I receiving such special treatment?”

“Is it because of Li Qing? Or because I possess the Threefold Self-Reflection divine ability?”

Li Shun looked directly at Wei Wuqi with sincere eyes and finally voiced the question that had lingered in his heart.

Wei Wuqi's gaze turned distant.

“You truly wish to know?”

Li Shun nodded.

“In that case, there is no harm in telling you.”

“The reason this old man has been so generous is because...”

“On you, I sensed traces left behind by his gaze.”

“Perhaps it was only a passing glance, leaving behind an extremely faint mark. At first, I thought I was mistaken. Later, however, I confirmed it.”

Wei Wuqi spoke unhurriedly.

“His gaze? Whose?”

For a brief instant, confusion flashed through Li Shun's mind.

But realization struck him almost immediately.

His heart trembled violently.

His throat tightened.

Cold sweat formed on his forehead.

The "he" in Wei Wuqi's words could only be one person.

The Qian Emperor.

There were traces of the Emperor's gaze on him?

When had that happened?

A chill surged through Li Shun's body.

Observing the changes in Li Shun's expression, Wei Wuqi chuckled.

“You see? This is exactly why I did not want to tell you. You're frightening yourself.”

“There is no need to be this afraid.”

Raising his head toward the sky, Wei Wuqi slowly said, “Mu Wujiu may no longer possess the ability to see all and know all, but Great Qian is still his Great Qian.”

“Like a heavenly shepherd surveying the world, when something causes a sufficiently large disturbance beneath the heavens, it is only natural that it might attract his attention.”

“For one thing, he may not care.”

“And for another...”

“Even if you worry, it is useless.”

“Rather than worrying about such things, you would do better to focus on your cultivation.”

“If one day he truly takes an interest in you and summons you before him with a single imperial decree...”

“At the very least, you'll have some ability to resist.”

Seemingly entertained by the imagined scene, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Wei Wuqi's lips.

However, seeing that Li Shun still had not fully recovered, he thought for a moment before continuing.

“Do you know why Mu Wujiu lost his ability to behold everything?”

Li Shun voiced the conclusion he had previously reached.

“Perhaps it was because of the Four Sages' assault on the capital. Although he suppressed them all, he suffered grievous injuries himself and has yet to recover.”

“There is some truth to that.”

“But the more important reason is...”

Wei Wuqi suddenly recited a string of obscure and difficult words.

“Heaven and Earth are equally low; mountains and marshes are level. The sun, upon reaching its zenith, is already setting. All things, at the moment of birth, are already dying. The greatest has no exterior; the smallest has no interior.”

“The Sage of the School of Names used this divine ability to distort his perception.”

“A life-sacrificing strike from a Sage is not so easily erased.”

“Though he is no longer blind, the world he sees is destined to be fundamentally different from what ordinary people perceive.”

Wei Wuqi's voice was cold.

“Very few people know of this matter. Do not spread it around.”

“Otherwise, if it brings disaster upon your head, I will not save you.”

He added the warning almost casually.

Li Shun naturally nodded in agreement.

Yet inwardly, he was still digesting those cryptic words.

‘Heaven and Earth are equally low, and lofty mountains are as level as the deepest marshes. The instant the sun reaches its highest point, it is already descending; the moment all things are born, they are already dying. The greatest thing has no outside, while the smallest thing has no inside...’

Absurd.

Contradictory.

And yet somehow profound.

‘So this is the divine ability of the School of Names?’

‘The Qian Emperor's vision has been twisted and transformed by it...’

A weight lifted from Li Shun's heart.

“All right.”

“You brat have many strengths, but your courage is far too lacking. You're always overthinking things.”

“Hurry up and get out of here.”

Seeing that Li Shun had finally shaken off his fear, Wei Wuqi sighed helplessly and issued his dismissal.

Li Shun cupped his hands in farewell and returned home.

Outside his door, he once again encountered Fang Xun.

This time, however, Fang Xun did not immediately push his way inside.

Instead, he simply stood opposite Li Shun.

After a long silence, he let out a deep sigh.

“Li Shun, why must it be this way?”

“You were once my disciple. You were also from Dongshan Town...”

Fang Xun answered frankly.

“When one errs, one should not fear correction.”

“I have visited your door six times already. At most, I have endured a few mocking remarks from others.”

“If it means bringing you back into the lineage, then everything is worth it.”

Li Shun opened his mouth.

Yet no words came out.

He looked at Fang Xun as though seeing him anew for the first time.

His expression shifted repeatedly, as though fierce conflict raged within him.

In the end, he pushed open the door and invited Fang Xun inside.

“Please.”

For some reason, the residents of Dongshan Town who had been secretly eavesdropping all felt a sense of relief wash over them.

“Li Shun finally forgave his master.”

“A good thing, a good thing indeed! Otherwise, who knows how many more times Commander Fang would have come?”

“Fang Xun... honestly, I don't even know how to judge that man anymore.”

Amid the discussions, the matter finally came to an end with Li Shun rejoining the Spring and Autumn Brush lineage.

To the people of Dongshan Town, it was little more than a topic of conversation after meals.

It had not truly affected their lives.

At the same time, however, the atmosphere hanging over Dongshan Town grew increasingly grim.

An Imperial Censorate representing the united will of the Left and Right Chancellors had arrived from the Sacred Capital to investigate the earth-shattering case of the Imperial Mausoleum's sealed earth being breached.

Unlike the previous visit by Zhao Cheng and the Black-Robed Envoys, which had been little more than a formality, this time the entire Imperial Mausoleum Commandery was thrown into upheaval.

Every official in Dongshan Town, from the Town Garrison Commander down to the lowest constable, was suspended from duty pending investigation and subjected to far stricter interrogations.

As for Li Shun, the key figure who had entered the sealed earth and returned alive, he naturally became the center of the storm.

Although no one dared to torture him due to the Mu Family Blood Seal he carried, they nevertheless confined him within the Dongshan government offices and restricted his freedom of movement.

At that moment, Li Shun sat quietly across from the Imperial Censorate.

This was already their third confrontation in just a few short days.

“I have already said everything there is to say.”

“The breach of the Imperial Mausoleum's sealed earth has nothing to do with me.”

Li Shun repeated calmly.