Please call me Huanxian

Chapter 372 Making something out of nothing
"Junior Sister Lan... Dean Lan, please stay for a moment!"

He Shutang, who was flying over in a hurry, was about ten miles away. He saw Lan Ying'er flying north with a young and slim woman following behind her, and hurriedly called out.

Lan Ying'er stopped in the air, her aura was not noticeable and her expression was as cold as usual.

Several elders who had been kind to her in the past all died in the cruel battlefield of the dark world over the past century. Although she had made great progress in practicing the Wuxin Sword, there were only four or five people in the sect who could talk to her.

She looked at everything indifferently as if she didn't care.

He Shutang flew closer. He was currently the second person in the sect after Junior Sister Lan. He was stuck in the late fourth floor for more than twenty years without making any progress. He did not like to be in charge, so he passed the position of sect leader to his fellow Junior Brother He, and only held the empty title of Left Protector so that he could live a free and easy life.

"Junior Sister Lan, if the descendants of the He family have offended you, I will apologize to you. Please don't hurt the friendship between us fellow disciples."

He Shutang bowed and apologized. He and Yin Quan had similar interests and were as close as brothers in the past. He would always think of them and sigh every time he drank with others. He didn't want to have any estrangement with the seemingly unkind Lan Ying'er.

Look at your dead brothers, retreat when you should, and give in when you should.

He also didn't like Zhu Zongshan, who was hated by everyone.

What bullshit fairness and justice! In fact, it is cold-blooded and rigid, and he uses his brothers' lives to gain credit.

Lan Ying'er returned the greeting and said, "Brother He, you don't have to apologize. He Ming'an, a descendant of the He family, did not offend me. He slandered a fellow junior sister for stealing his crystal stone, saying that it was given by you, Brother He. I have already dealt with the deputy head of the Shouju Hall who was unable to distinguish right from wrong and favored the evil. For the rest of the story, please investigate it thoroughly and restore the innocent reputation of this junior fellow sister. Please!"

She simply explained the whole story.

She just wanted some quiet time, and because of her cultivation of the Wuxin Sword, she didn't want to interact much with others.

But she had a clear mind for swordsmanship, and she watched from a distance without letting any sand in the sand stand in her way.

Xu Yaoling saluted to the He family's ancestor in fear. The incident had become more serious than she had imagined. She was worried about how it would end. How could a small cultivator like her who had no power or backing survive in the sect in the future?

After ten years of practicing Taoism in the sect, she went from being ignorant to learning the ways of the world and how to read people's expressions. She experienced many things and came to know that the sect was made up of many small factions and forces.

The other two uncles of the Xu family were not outstanding in their cultivation and were not doing well in their lives.

Grandmaster Lan happened to encounter an injustice, and out of impartiality he helped her to settle it. Even if he had to give face to Grandmaster Taizu, it would be impossible for him to take care of her for the rest of her life.

He Shutang knew Junior Sister Lan's personality and knew she would not lie to him.

As long as he didn't offend Junior Sister Lan, he would be relieved and he would investigate the subsequent matters thoroughly.

He Shutang said kindly to the pale-faced young woman, "What's your name? Don't worry. No descendants of the He family will dare to retaliate against you. Neither will other families. I will greet the clan leader."

It is true that he has a carefree personality. He also practiced his way up from a low-level disciple to a high position, and he knows the ins and outs of the sect.

What if there is a playboy who is blind and listens to the instigation of the villain, and then embarrasses the young cultivator in front of him, wouldn't that be an embarrassment to Junior Sister Lan?
"Disciple Xu Yaoling, pays respects to Patriarch He."

Xu Yaoling calmed himself, bowed again, and gave his name.

He Shutang's heart skipped a beat, he stretched out his hand to support her, smiled a little bit, and said, "Okay, I understand. Junior Sister Lan, take care. I'll go to Shouju Hall first, and I'll give you an explanation later."

In his heart, he had already cursed that little bastard named He Mingan.

There are many disciples with the surname Xu in the sect, but there is only one named "Xu Yaoling". Of course he will pay attention to the three cultivators of the Xu family. He also wants to wait for some time before meeting Xu Yaoling, who has good qualifications, and accept him as a direct disciple of "Honghu Peak". He is worried that meeting him too early will stunt his growth and be detrimental to his cultivation and mind.

Back then, when he was in the Dark Realm, he survived hundreds of battles and advanced to the Fourth Floor, thus gaining great say in the sect. He deliberately sent back messages from the Dark Realm, asking the sect to send people to Shipan Village, Qingshi Town, 350 miles away, to assess the children every ten years. What he said was the oral decree.

He is a righteous man who is good at dealing with people. This move is also for the sake of the sect.

Landing in front of the gate of Shouju Hall, He Shutang looked back at the two figures flying north out of the sect, and he seemed to be thinking about something.

The other two fellow disciples from the fourth floor who were drinking with him flew to Shouju Hall. One of them was the nominal head of Shouju Hall. When they saw the blood spilled in the hall, the deputy head Hu fell to the ground dead with his eyes open, and the descendant of the He family He Mingan covered in blood, seriously injured and unable to get up, they couldn't help but get angry.

"Brother He, Supervisor Lan has overstepped his authority and overreached..."

"Junior Brother Bai, please be careful with your words. The dean's responsibility is to manage the sect master, the various halls, and the disciples' chores. It is a blessing for the sect that Junior Sister Lan has taken action to exercise her authority. We must not make comments behind her back."

He Shutang gave a stern warning and then walked into the hall.

The sect's ethos needs to be rectified from top to bottom.

……

Lan Ying'er carried Xu Yaoling and flew to the west of Bailin Valley, overlooking the heavy fog and the turbulent and ever-changing scene below.

She observed silently. She didn't know what kind of magical power Junior Sister Xu was practicing. Even though she was miles away, her sword heart was as calm as water and rose and fell with the changes in the fog. It was truly amazing.

On the contrary, Xu Yaoling, who was in the early stage of Qi consolidation, was not affected. Due to his lack of skill, he could not experience the mystery of the power of heaven and earth.

Lan Ying'er immersed herself in the mindless sword state, but was still disturbed by the aura of the valley below.

The mist suddenly dispersed, and a middle-aged man in a green robe, Xu Yuanchang, appeared. The Guantian Stone in his hand had long been consumed and shattered into powder and scattered on the ground. He came forward in one step, clasped his fists and saluted, saying with a smile: "Congratulations to Senior Sister Lan for breaking through the sword realm and advancing to the fifth floor. Please go to the valley to talk."

Lan Ying'er withdrew from the Heartless Sword Realm. Her cold expression was like melting ice and snow. A hint of a smile appeared on her face. She replied, "When did you come back? You didn't even tell me. Shuanglin Valley has been abandoned for a long time. In my free time, I lived next door to you, planted some vegetables, and asked you for advice on how to cultivate your mind."

Xu Yaoling bowed and did not dare to speak casually.

She could tell that Grandmaster Lan and Grandmaster Taizu had a special relationship, and the intimacy in their conversation was natural.

Xu Yuanchang raised his hand to let Xu Yaoling stand up, and said with a smile: "I am also bored, so I went back to the retreat to relax."

Looking around the valley below, which had become unrecognizable, all the trees were at least ten feet tall, lush and green, and full of vitality. The ground was covered with weeds, which made the mountain path and stone terraces invisible. They were taller than people, and the tree pavilions were covered with leaves and vines.

"Sister, please wait a moment. I will clear a place for us to have tea." Xu Yuanchang ordered his invisible avatar to tidy up the area around the tree pavilion immediately.

In just a short while, the extra branches and trunks growing horizontally from the pavilion were trimmed, swept and wiped clean, and a path was built nearby.

The grass is fragrant and the summer flowers are gorgeous.

Xu Yuanchang asked Lan Ying'er to sit on the chair under the tree opposite, took out the copper kettle and spiritual tea leaves, and asked Xu Yaoling to fetch mountain spring water from the valley below to make tea. He chatted with his senior sister about family matters and discussed and exchanged their experiences in cultivation.

Lan Ying'er did not mention the injustice Xu Yaoling suffered. There was no need for her to gossip about it.

After chatting for a while, he turned to ask for advice: "I practice Wuxin Sword. It's only been six years since I started practicing, so I should have made great progress. But for some reason, I don't have the desire to practice sword. I'm in a state of... laziness and aimlessness. Last winter, I went back to Wang Jianfeng to ask Senior Sister Yu for advice. She said that she had never practiced Wuxin Sword, and that I might be stuck in a bottleneck in the heart of swordsmanship, and it would take a long time to get through it. She asked me to ask you for advice, saying that you have unique insights on solving doubts and enlightening the mind."

Xu Yuanchang looked at his senior sister who had regained her calmness and asked thoughtfully, "How many levels of swordsmanship have you reached in practicing Wuxin Sword?"

He once heard Lao Li say that if a sword cultivator's pursuit is too pure, his sword heart and cultivation must advance hand in hand. If there is an imbalance, he will easily fall into a bottleneck without knowing it, and be at a loss as to what to do.

Not only does it delay spiritual practice, it also greatly tempers one's character.

Xu Yaoling, who had fetched fresh spring water, lit a stove and brewed tea in a corner under the tree pavilion. Seeing that the two old ancestors were talking about profound and secret topics without avoiding her, she stared at the copper pot in silence, her eyes watching her nose and her nose watching her heart.

Lan Ying'er replied, "There are five levels in total, namely, seeing, heart, nothingness, forgetfulness, and spirit. I have currently reached the swordless realm. This realm is too profound, and no one can ask for advice."

Xu Yuanchang silently recited in his heart, "see sword, heart sword, no sword, forget sword". As for the last level of the Divine Sword Realm, it was too far away and had no reference value. However, the Swordless Realm that Senior Sister Lan faced and the inner illusion technique "Nothingness" that he comprehended seemed to have something in common.

"Sister, I will demonstrate a magical power using Dao Bone Illusion Heart. Please watch and see for yourself."

Upon hearing this, Lan Ying'er immediately realized that the junior brother sitting opposite her was not real. But when she looked more closely, he was actually sitting there. She couldn't tell the difference between real and fake.

Then she saw countless figures of fellow disciples appearing in the valley, among which was one as majestic as a mountain, and it turned out to be a Dharmakāya with supernatural powers.

The next moment, all the figures disappeared, including the figure sitting opposite.

"A senior once told me that 'something' comes out of 'nothing'. If you want to comprehend a certain state, you can start from its opposite. The higher the state, the more you need to comprehend the 'something' opposite to 'nothing'. A Taoist senior once said, 'If the sky had feelings, it would also grow old. The Tao is ruthless but has feelings.' This is the truth."

Xu Yuanchang's voice came faintly.

Lan Ying'er frowned and pondered for more than a quarter of an hour. She was a very smart person and understood the meaning of her junior brother's advice.

He stood up and bowed to the empty chair opposite him.

"Thank you for your help, Junior Brother. I think I have found the crux of the sword realm. From now on, I will try to work on the 'existence' aspect and try to understand the meaning of the non-sword from the existence of the sword."

"You don't have to be polite, Senior Sister. It's beneficial for both of us to communicate with each other."

Xu Yuanchang appeared on the other side and returned the greeting, then said to the corner: "Yao Ling, is your tea not ready yet?"

He captured the momentary inspiration and used the Sky-viewing Stone to enter into a state of meditation. With the Tao as his foundation and illusion as his mind, after an unknown amount of time, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds to the middle stage of the sixth floor, and he also comprehended the wonders of the Dharma.

My understanding of "creating something out of nothing" becomes more and more profound.

Xu Yaoling seemed to have just woken up from a dream. She quickly took the teapot from the stove which had been turned off long ago, poured tea and water, and extended her hand to invite him.

Lan Ying'er looked relaxed and raised her glass to show respect. No wonder Senior Sister Yu was full of praise for Junior Brother Xu. His ability to solve problems was indeed unique. His magical powers were probably not inferior to those of the mysterious Mr. Mu.

The two drank tea and chatted.

Xu Yuanchang tilted his head to look towards the south and said with a smile, "What wind brought Old He here as well?"

Soon, a black dot appeared in the sky, and then He Shutang's loud voice rang out: "Brother Yuanchang, you are so mean. You have been hiding quietly in Bailin Valley to practice meditation without saying a word, for fear that your brother would come after you for money?"

Chief Xu Yuan stood up, clasped his fists, and laughed to greet him. He then exchanged greetings and invited Lao He to take a seat.

He Shutang did not sit down, but apologized to Xu Yaoling who poured him tea, "I am the unworthy descendant of the He family, He Mingan. Please forgive me for the offense. I have abolished the cultivation of He Mingan and another female disciple who instigated the bad deeds. I have handed them over to the Punishment Hall to be tied to the pillar for ten days and then beheaded."

Xu Yaoling said "I dare not, I dare not" repeatedly.

He Shutang then sat down and told Xu Yuanchang about the evil deeds done by his descendants.

He didn't want to offend this brother whom he had befriended when they were both in humble circumstances.

Xu Yuanchang waved his hand and said with a smile: "It's too heavy. Brother He is being polite. Let them handle the matters between the younger generations. Just treat it as a training exercise."

"Family traditions should be strictly enforced and not neglected. It was my fault for neglecting my discipline that led to the emergence of a scoundrel and a playboy in my family. I am so ashamed!"

When they were talking excitedly, two figures flew over from the horizon, and voices were heard from a long distance away.

"Hey, you guys are eating delicious food and drinking spicy drinks, but you don't even wait for me."

"Haha, Shengtian is here."

He Shutang stood up and waved, saying, "You are the only one missing. Take out the good wine you have stored with you, and let's drink to our heart's content."

He was a wine lover and was very friendly with Xu Shengtian.

Xu Shengtian let Xueli go and play by herself. After he sat down, he said in a voice transmission: "Third Uncle, I found the whereabouts of Xuan Jieqing's old turtle. Let's kill him."

……

(End of this chapter)