Taoist Master Xuanhuang

"Third brother, your eldest sister has been in seclusion for many years, so she hasn't been paying much attention to you. You don't blame your eldest sister, do you?"

After the Holy Mother of Tushan asked the Dream Eater to sit down, she spoke gently, unlike the fierce tigress she appeared to be outside.

"No, no. Elder sister, your cultivation is important. Besides, I'm not a child anymore. I can take care of myself now. I've been doing well these past few years, and I'm generally satisfied with my cultivation."

"I'm not afraid of my older sister getting angry with me, I'm just afraid of her being so gentle with me," the dream-eating tapir said nervously.

"You should be satisfied, after all, you've already reached the point where someone is recruiting you," said the Holy Mother of Tushan.

"This, this?" The Baku didn't know what to say.

He knew he couldn't hide the fact that he had been recruited, but so much time had passed and his older sister acted as if nothing had happened, never contacting him privately.

I thought my older sister wouldn't ask anymore, but she still came.

"I was blinded by greed back then, but I've long since seen through it all and understand now," the Dream Eater said awkwardly.

“You really need to understand, you can’t be confused anymore, you know? I’m not afraid of you leaving the spirit beasts, it’s only a matter of time. The Four Superpowers can split up, and so can we, we can’t escape it… What makes me angry is that you actually want to be a subordinate? As one of the three spirit beasts of the master, do you think I’m going to lower myself like this?”

This is what angered the Holy Mother of Tushan.

She's a half-formed cultivator at the Gate of Dreams, a complete idiot. If she doesn't understand, she doesn't understand. No one will get angry with her. It's not worth keeping quiet. Getting angry with an idiot makes you an idiot too.

But you are a spirit beast. Although you are not as intelligent as humans, you should be able to identify yourself, right?
It's utterly absurd for someone who is directly subordinate to one of the lords to become the subordinate of another lord who is directly subordinate to another.

"Huh? This!" Only then did the Baku realize that there was such a connection.

"Sigh!" The Holy Mother of Tushan was speechless.

The young men are all confused, and the third one doesn't seem to be much worse. The intelligence of spirit beasts is truly a big problem.

There are advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that there is no division. In such a large spirit beast system, none of them thought of becoming the king, because they believed that there were three kings.

Call them naive or foolish, but that's undeniably one of their advantages.

He is easy to manage; once you subdue him, he will obey your every command and be utterly loyal.

They have few human thoughts and no genes for thinking "why should kings and nobles be born?", which is very conducive to unity and stability.

But there are even more downsides. Not being quick-witted is a major drawback that's quite unpleasant.

Just like the dream-eating tapir.

I was genuinely interested in becoming a subordinate cultivator, but I didn't succeed because the Dream Gate approached the Sweeper Monk first, and then me, so I felt like I wasn't being valued.

Then, a little wisdom told me that this was not good, and that although I, the Third King, had disappeared, I was still the Third King no matter what.

I never imagined that I was one of the master's three great spirit beasts, and that I had recognized him as my master.

Of course, it's not his fault. Back then, Xuanhuang often went into seclusion and left Xuanmao to teach him. Later, when the Holy Mother of Tushan came, she went to the Dream Realm after only a few days of teaching.

In the dream world, the Dream Gate helped him more than the spirit beasts themselves.

There's a reason he's so close to the Dream Gate.

"Haven't you noticed that your cultivation has been slowing down lately? The gap between you and your second brother is widening?" Tu Shan Shengmu suddenly asked.

"Huh?" The Dream Eater was taken aback again.

He could feel it; it was indeed getting slower and slower. Before, he and his second brother, Xuanmao, were spiraling upwards. Although there was always a gap between them, that gap remained constant.

This has been the case for so many years.

But in the last twenty years or so, my second brother has indeed become much better than me.

His pitiful intelligence wasn't without thought; he did consider it, but he didn't consider the real reason, instead assuming it was something else entirely.

For example, because of my restlessness over the years, I have made it difficult to make progress. After all, I almost betrayed my country, so I feel uneasy, which has led to a slowdown in my cultivation.

Or perhaps, although Master Shi Meng said he didn't care about my choices, he didn't really have high hopes for me, which is why my progress slowed down as a result.

Or...

He thought about it a lot; it's not that he hadn't thought about it.

"Big sister, I understand now. Because I almost betrayed them, the spirit beasts' luck no longer favors me. This is my punishment," the Dream Eater said, suddenly realizing.

Now I understand, that's the reason.

"Fool!" the Holy Mother of Tushan roared.

I'm about to cry from my brother's stupidity; he still doesn't realize how important this is.

I haven't contacted him for so many years, more than twenty years, just so he could really figure things out. It seems that these twenty years have been wasted; he still hasn't figured it out.

"Isn't that right, big sister?" The dream-eating tapir was confused.

"What do you mean 'right'? Whose person are you...whose spirit beast are you?" asked the Holy Mother of Tushan.

"I am the eldest sister... no, I am the third king of the spirit beasts... no, I am the master's spirit beast!" Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, the Dream Eater shuddered.

Yes, I am the Lord's spirit beast, one of the Lord's only three spirit beasts.

My lord is the Lord of the Way, who can deprive me of my destiny?

As long as I don't betray my lord, who dares to withhold my fortune in this world?

I betrayed my lord?

No, absolutely not, how could I dare to have such a thought... But!
"Forget it, don't overthink it. The master doesn't care about you at all and won't punish you. But... you lowered yourself to become a subordinate of a treasure of the same level. Although you didn't succeed, you were tempted. Being tempted is also wrong, it's also a self-degradation. You even wanted to demote yourself, how could your luck and opportunities not decrease?"

Like a thunderbolt striking the head, deafeningly loud.

The dream-eating tapir realized that it had guessed many reasons, but this was the one it had never thought of.

The eldest sister made it very clear that she was the master's spirit beast, and no one but the master was qualified to demote her.

Even Shi Meng is no match for me. Although Shi Meng is stronger than me, she is still the Lord's subordinate and everything comes from the Lord.

Although I am weak, I am still the Lord's subordinate and of equal rank.

Beings of equal status have no right to decide their own fate.

Only the Lord, or rather, only myself.

Because, just as the eldest sister said, the Lord doesn't care about himself or any of his subordinates, since they are all self-reliant and don't need any care.

I started exercising because I was moved by it.

"Your biggest mistake is this. Even if you rebelled and started your own band of war to become a great king, I would be happy for you. At least my third brother would have grown up. But what are you planning to do? You still say you're not a child anymore? Aren't you ashamed?"

The Holy Mother of Tushan said with a sense of disappointment.

"No, no, that's not it. Eldest sister, I didn't mean to betray the Lord, nor did I betray the spirit beast or you, eldest sister and second brother. I was truly confused at the time, I, I..."

The dream-eating tapir was somewhat flustered, realizing that it had unintentionally done something so dangerous.

"Of course you wouldn't dare betray your master. If you dared, you'd be dead long ago... You know in your heart whether you've betrayed the spirit beast or not, but third brother, be more careful. It's fine to betray your eldest sister, but at least you need to use your brain first. Otherwise, what kind of person are you?"

It's impossible not to feel a little disheartened.

The Holy Mother of Tushan diligently developed spirit beasts, and with her presence, the spirit beast world became a powerful force comparable to the four supreme cultivators.

Without her, the spirit beasts, though not weak, would never have their current status and power.

After working so diligently to strengthen the spirit beasts, it's heartbreaking that the third brother, who should never have betrayed us, actually had thoughts of betrayal. It's heartbreaking, yet it also makes us laugh and cry at the same time.

It wasn't the kind of sadness that was absolute, because my third brother's brain could easily make him laugh.

With such a betrayal, it won't be long before the spirit beasts that followed him in betrayal will come running back on their own. This king is unreliable.

The thought that my second brother also possesses such 'extraordinary talent and wisdom' comes to mind.

The Holy Mother of Tushan didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

I'm crying because I've been stuck with two brothers like this, and I'm laughing because I'm not afraid of them going solo, since those two can't go solo anyway.

It will be a very, very long time before I can go solo.

When the wisdom of spirit beasts fully matures and they become ancient demons, that's what distinguishes them from humans.

Human wisdom can mature in as little as twenty or thirty years, while that of spirit beasts takes at least ten times, or even a hundred times, longer.

Wisdom encompasses many things; a talent for spiritual practice is not the only form of wisdom. It is merely one manifestation of wisdom.

"Big sister, I know you won't believe anything I say now, but if you don't believe my words, don't you believe my brain? With my intelligence, I've already left the realm of being able to stand on my own... I made a mistake in a muddle, a mistake that was almost irreversible. I'm really scared, and I'll never dare to do it again."

This statement contains a touch of wisdom, and may also be considered honesty.

Being honest with yourself is also a kind of wisdom.

"You? Oh!"

The Holy Mother of Tushan didn't want to say anything more, but she didn't deny that her third brother was right.

For a long time, they dared not betray their cause; this lack of wisdom is a fatal flaw.

“Recite the Lord’s scriptures more often. Don’t go into seclusion to cultivate for now. Your problem right now is not a problem with cultivation, but a problem with your heart. Once your heart is settled, your insights into cultivation will come,” said the Holy Mother of Tushan.

Those who need guidance and support should still be given attention.

This is one of the difficulties of being the eldest sister or brother; you have to be generous, and sometimes being the eldest means taking a loss.

"Yes, elder sister! Thank you, elder sister!"

The Dream Eater was a bit more low-key and composed, which suggests it had been through a lot of educational experiences.

The Dream Eater carefully left its eldest sister's room.

"Third brother, third brother..."

"Oh, you scared me, second brother!"

"What's wrong with you? You seem distracted?"

"No, no, nothing, I just got a scolding from my older sister."

"Huh? Big sister scolded you? That can't be right. It's understandable for big sister to scold me, but why would she scold you? Big sister always says when she scolds me, 'If only you were as easy to deal with as the third brother.'"

"Really? Big sister is praising me?"

"Hmph, every time I get scolded by my older sister, she always says it's you... What's so good about you? You're just quiet and don't cause trouble, right? Does my older sister really want me to be like you?"

"Oh? Maybe your older sister is worried you'll get into trouble?"

Well, the Dream Eater knew its second brother wasn't mocking it, but for some reason, it felt like he was.

The idea that one should simply stay out of trouble and avoid trouble is wrong.

I just realized that I've gotten myself into a huge mess, a complete and irreversible disaster.

so far so good.

"Why did your older sister call you? Did she tell you some secret? I told you she favors you, but she wouldn't admit it. It's because I've been making rapid progress lately that she's started giving you special treatment. That's not fair."

The second brother, Xuanmao, was very dissatisfied.

"No, no, I really messed up. My older sister is scolding me. She didn't give me any special treatment." The Dream Eater quickly waved its hands.

"(ˉ▽￣～)Tch~~! How could someone as honest as you cause trouble? Besides, what trouble could you possibly cause in the dream world?" Xuanmao expressed his disbelief.

There must be a secret; they're definitely sharing their experience with you without telling me.

"I, this, I... Second brother, please don't ask anymore. Anyway, I really messed up. Eldest sister didn't pass on the secret to me... Yes, I had the idea of ​​becoming a god, and eldest sister gave me a scolding." The Dream Eater said incoherently.

"Huh? You actually had the idea of ​​becoming a god? Are you stupid?" Xuanmao asked in disbelief.

"I...I might really be a little stupid!" The dream-eating tapir was almost crying.

Looking back now, I realize how foolish I was.

How come I didn't think of something that even my second brother knew?

Even the second brother felt foolish for conferring divine positions upon the three supreme gods.

But he wanted to be a subordinate of the Dream Gate at that time.

“Listen to me, Third Brother, don’t do this! We are the Lord’s spirit beasts, the beast gods appointed by the Lord, the guardian gods of the divine cultivators. This status is far more noble than any so-called deification. How could you be so foolish as to become a god? Could it be…”

Xuanmao's mind suddenly lit up, and he said, "Could it be that you've discovered I'm much stronger than you, and feel you can't catch up with me, so you're deeply discouraged and almost ruin your Dao heart? Now you want to take a shortcut to catch up with me? That must be it, haha..."

"Huh? You, you even discovered this, Second Brother? How are you so smart, Second Brother?" The Dream Eater was startled.

I thought my older brother had found out, but it turns out he hadn't.

He didn't want Xuanmao to know because he was afraid of getting beaten up.

The eldest sister can still discipline him, but the second brother, knowing he has betrayed him, will really beat him, and beat him severely.

Moreover, that's secondary.

I'd rather get beaten up myself than not get beaten up myself.

What he feared most was that this would create a rift, and that his second brother would treat him as a non-brother.

This is not what the dream-eating tapir wants, absolutely not.

But keeping it a secret forever won't work. The Dream Eater wants to delay until it has enough wisdom, along with its second brother's wisdom, and can deal with the situation calmly like its eldest sister, before it confesses.

As time goes by and one grows, honesty will be the right thing to do.

The eldest sister probably educated him separately for this reason.

"Not only has my cultivation level increased rapidly, but my wisdom has also increased by leaps and bounds. You've been in the Dream Realm for so long that you don't know it. Your second brother is no longer the same second brother I used to be... But my silly little brother, how come you're still the same silly little brother you used to be!"

Xuanmao said cheerfully.

"I don't know either, Second Brother. Can you share some of your experience with me?"

The Dream Eater decided to sincerely seek guidance.

Although my second brother is a bit careless, he only makes small mistakes and never big ones.

It's worth learning from.

...(End of chapter)