Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 353 This Time It's for Real

Is there really no hope at all?

"Lotus Lantern, please help me!"

"I really miss my mother!"

“I know she is suffering in another place, but there is nothing I can do about it.”

“Mother, I’m timid, I’m afraid of trouble, I’m useless.”

"Mother, I'm so scared, Lotus Lantern... can you help me?"

The young Chenxiang held the Lotus Lantern in his hands, tears streaming down his face. He had just learned his true identity from the Fourth Princess of the Dragon Palace, and went to ask his uncle Yang Jian for help in releasing his mother, but was refused. He was told that he would face a terrifying enemy and bear immense pressure.

For the first time in sixteen years, the cynical Chenxiang truly felt what 'powerlessness' meant.

The Lotus Lantern emitted a hazy spiritual light, and within the light and shadow, a figure dressed in a Taoist robe could be vaguely reflected.

Just as Chenxiang was puzzled, the figure actually walked out of the light and shadow, holding a small glass bottle in his hand. The lamp oil flowing in the bottle like liquid gold was very similar to the solid wick in the Lotus Lantern in Chenxiang's hand.

"Who are you?" Chenxiang hugged the Lotus Lantern tightly, looking at the Taoist priest who had suddenly appeared with a wary expression.

The Taoist looked at the lamp oil in his hand, then at the agarwood in front of him, and felt as if he had been tricked.

"Don't be afraid, I am Qiu Chuji, and I am not a bad person." Qiu Chuji tried his best to make his expression kind, but unfortunately... he has never been a very approachable person, and even when he smiled, it was hard for people to let their guard down.

Of course, a serious expression in one's eyes is enough to gain trust. Although Chenxiang was wary at this moment, he did not wave the Lotus Lantern around randomly and instead gave Qiu Chuji a good beating.

"Qiu Chuji? Which deity is he?" Although Chenxiang was not very knowledgeable, the few deities he knew were all quite distinguished.

Which route?

"If we really want to be precise, I should be the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Ancestor under the Antarctic Longevity Emperor!" Qiu Chuji said, while at the same time he vaguely felt a sense of being spied on. This was all thanks to his cultivation of the Yang God. In terms of the primordial spirit, he had a great advantage over ordinary immortals. Otherwise, he would not have been able to detect the slightest bit of the spying.

"So, you're a very powerful immortal?" Chenxiang asked happily.

"I guess... I guess so!" Qiu Chuji wasn't good at assessing his own level. Compared to the myriad worlds, he was definitely a nobody, but if you were to compare him to a single mythological world, as long as it wasn't the closest to the primordial world, he should be considered quite strong.

"Can you help me rescue my mother?" Chenxiang asked excitedly.

Although he had already received a negative answer from his uncle, the Taoist priest in front of him was "summoned" by the Lotus Lantern, so perhaps he had the ability.

Chenxiang did not explain who his mother was or what had happened to her.

He believed that Qiu Chuji knew.

Of course, Qiu Chuji did know.

An unspoken understanding was reached without their knowledge.

"That's easy! That's easy!"

"I have three strategies here: superior, middle, and inferior. Which one would you like to hear, young brother?" Qiu Chuji already knew who was observing him in secret. There was no one else but the cold-faced but warm-hearted God of Justice.

"Let's start with the best strategy!" Chenxiang said excitedly.

He hadn't expected that there would be so many ways to rescue his mother.

"Do you know how many more years your mother has to serve in prison?" Qiu Chuji asked Chenxiang.

Chenxiang shook his head, then scratched the back of his head, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Five hundred? Or a thousand years? Anyway, my uncle said that my mother will be imprisoned for a long time."

"It's not that long. For those with high cultivation, five hundred or a thousand years can pass in the time it takes to take a nap!"

"If you miss your mother so much, why don't you just have your uncle lock your whole family up?"

“The whole family is locked up together, just like a closed-door cultivation. When they are released after serving their sentences, everyone’s cultivation will have greatly improved. It’s legally acceptable, and they can also enjoy family happiness… How perfect!” Qiu Chuji said.

"Ah, this...!" Chenxiang was immediately stunned.

If Mom won't come out, I'll go in, right?

Can you do this?

Although...but...it seems to make some sense.

"No! No! Let alone a thousand years, even five hundred years is too long. I simply can't endure it." Chenxiang still has a relatively clear understanding of himself. He can only float away after he has a certain level of cultivation and thinks he has mastered his divine skills.

"No! No! Even if I were willing, my mother wouldn't agree!" Chenxiang said, understanding her mother very well.

Qiu Chuji also felt that the gaze watching him from the shadows had become much sharper.

Hiding away and locking himself up to be a stay-at-home baby is certainly safe, but Yang Jian doesn't want a well-behaved nephew. He wants to nurture Chen Xiang, bring him to the same level of cultivation as himself, and then surpass him to do what he couldn't do back then.

"Then... tell me the middle strategy?" Qiu Chuji asked with a smile in his eyes.

His so-called three strategies—superior, middle, and inferior—were not without reason. He presented Chenxiang with choices first, and then gradually made him realize that he actually had no other choice.

Unfortunately, the time travel was a bit too early; it wasn't until Yang Jian had almost nurtured Chenxiang to 'mastery' before they arrived to receive the fruits of their labor.

Therefore, Qiu Chuji still had to put in some effort to train him.

However, having worked with both Yang Kang and Yang Guo, Qiu Chuji believed he had gained considerable experience in teaching people.

"Okay... alright!" Chenxiang already sensed that there must be more pitfalls in these three strategies, but he insisted on listening to the whole thing.

"The middle strategy is that you start practicing the Earth Escape Technique now. With my help, you can master it in about ten years. Then, you can sneak into the depths of Mount Hua, break free of the cage, and quietly steal your mother out."

"Of course, if you still have the energy and the talent, you can also cultivate a substitute transformation technique at the same time. Find something that is imbued with your mother's aura, transform it into your mother, and continue serving your sentence in Mount Hua. Meanwhile, you and your mother can live in hiding under assumed names. Although you will live in constant fear of being discovered by the Heavenly Court and having your sentence increased, it is simple and convenient." Qiu Chuji offered the same unreliable middle-ground solution.

However, Chenxiang was somewhat tempted.

He clearly didn't know that Qiu Chuji was just talking nonsense.

Theoretically speaking, any of the five elemental escape techniques, when mastered to the extreme, can have incredible effects. For example, Tu Xingsun's earth escape technique can ignore many restrictions and formations, and is only subject to the restraint of some magical treasures.

But reaching that level is by no means easy.

Even Qiu Chuji himself couldn't do it. If he wanted to teach agarwood, he might be lucky and it would take less than ten years, but it might take thirty or fifty years.

"Is this... really feasible?" "Ten years, isn't that a bit too long?"

"If I practice day and night without stopping, will I be able to speed things up?" Chenxiang asked after a moment of contemplation.

"How much faster?" Qiu Chuji countered.

"How about ten months?" Chenxiang asked.

Qiu Chuji shook his head. Just because Chenxiang cultivated a vast amount of magical power in a short time and could even shatter the Heavenly Laws with the help of the Lotus Lantern and the Mountain-Splitting Axe, doesn't mean he could master the Earth Escape Technique to its peak in a very short time.

Breadth and depth are not the same thing.

Magical power can be rapidly increased through elixirs, elixirs, and the transfer of skills, but the comprehension of a particular spell or supernatural power must be honed little by little by oneself.

Even if someone else imprints their understanding and transmits it directly through their thoughts, they cannot push another person's same technique to its peak through this transmission.

The reason is simple: it's inappropriate!
For example, Qiu Chuji, with his height, weight, and habitual sword techniques and postures, naturally developed a complete set of feelings and insights, which was also most suitable for him.

However, after he gave these imprints to Xu Xuan, the swordsmanship that Xu Xuan felt was based on Qiu Chuji's habits. The summary and experience he gained could certainly save him many years of struggle and effort, but this kind of 'habit' that did not fit him became more and more of a burden as time went on. It was like a bad habit that was hard to change once it was formed.

This is why, in many mythological worlds, the transmission of knowledge between master and disciple, which could be done directly through thought, is still recorded in words and images.

The same thing can be perceived and felt differently depending on where you stand or what you are doing.

There is no truly perfect way to pass on one's legacy.

"Looks like you can't wait ten years either!"

"Then let me hear my worst strategy!" Qiu Chuji quickened his pace. He was a little worried that Yang Jian wouldn't have the patience to rush out and fight him.

It's not that Qiu Chuji was afraid of Yang Jian.

In terms of seniority, he is Yang Jian's uncle-master, so there is no reason for him to be afraid of him.

There's absolutely no need for that!

Everyone involved is a positive character and a disciple of the Taoist Chan Sect. It's rather ugly that they're fighting to the death over a misunderstanding.

“Okay, go ahead!” Chenxiang nodded.

"Go and find a master! Go and seek the Dharma! Go and seek the fate of immortality! Try every possible method and means to become incredibly powerful in a short time, then wield a divine weapon, split Mount Hua, and rescue your mother!" Qiu Chuji said the method that best suited Yang Jian's wishes.

Of course, it's also the 'dumbest' way.

Of these three methods, this one seems the most difficult and thankless, so it should be considered the worst option.

Upon hearing this, Chenxiang widened his clear, foolish eyes and stared blankly at Qiu Chuji.

"This...this is probably...!"

Looking at the timid Chenxiang, Qiu Chuji understood why Yang Jian had to subject him to so many hardships before truly teaching him.

Before realizing the cruelty of the situation, Chenxiang will always be a child who hasn't grown up. He wants to see his mother, but he is unwilling to put in too much effort and suffer for it.

"What? Having trouble choosing?"

"None of the three solutions I offered suited your taste? What do you want to do then? Find me, or your uncle, to take the blame for you, offend the Heavenly Court, offend the Heavenly Emperor, while you and your parents live happily together, as if nothing ever happened?" Qiu Chuji asked with a smile.

Chenxiang could see the sarcasm in Qiu Chuji's smile.

Behind Qiu Chuji, the hidden gaze was already as sharp as a divine sword.

The judicial deity was clearly displeased with Qiu Chuji's mockery of his nephew, even though Qiu Chuji's words precisely hit the core of the conflict.

"You must know, the Heavenly Laws are not wrong!"

"Your father and mother are the ones who are at fault. Now, everything they... and everything you have suffered is what you deserve!" Qiu Chuji began to insert his own agenda. These words were not only for Chenxiang's ears, but also for Yang Jian's.

After all, to amend the specific provisions of the Heavenly Laws, we still need to persuade Yang Jian.

It's not enough to just convince Chenxiang.

Chenxiang's mind is still unsettled. If we take him to the worlds under his jurisdiction for a while, his values ​​will naturally change.

"Nonsense! My father and mother truly love each other, why can't they be together?"

"It's clearly the Heavenly Laws that are cold-blooded and ruthless!" Chenxiang shouted.

“Yes! They truly love each other, and true love is innocent! But your mother is a goddess, immortal and enjoying eternal bliss. If she hadn’t been captured, when your father and you grew old and died, would she have watched you die, or would she have used her power to help you achieve immortality as well?” Qiu Chuji questioned.

Chenxiang replied, "My mother is a goddess. What's wrong with helping my father and me achieve immortality?"

"Sure! But if every deity were to follow suit, then soon there would be many more 'immortals' in the Three Realms who don't need to cultivate, hone their skills, or accumulate merit, just like you and your father."

"These immortals have not undergone systematic education, have done nothing to repay the heavens and earth, yet they wish to live as long as the heavens. Even a casual action or thought can cause great disasters to the human world, yet they are unaware of it."

"Then what do you think will happen to this world? What will happen to those ordinary and innocent people?" Qiu Chuji's cold question left Chenxiang flustered and at a loss for words.

He is too young and too inexperienced to understand or answer such a complex question.

Yang Jian, hidden in the shadows, was also pondering.

He hated the constraints of the Heavenly Laws; this was a thorn rooted in his heart.

If it weren't for the Heavenly Laws, his mother... the former Heavenly Goddess of War Yao Ji, would not have been trapped under Peach Mountain and later died after being exposed to the sun for ten days.

But the question that Qiu Chuji raised at this moment does indeed exist.

If the Heavenly Rules regarding immortals and gods not having mortal desires are indeed modified, what will happen to the Three Realms if the immortal and god group grows endlessly and without restraint?
"How...how do you know they will definitely do evil?"

"Are all immortals who have achieved great things good?" At this moment, Chenxiang could only stubbornly argue.

"Of course I don't know, but as the group expands, it will inevitably become a mix of good and bad."

“In the past, a great calamity that affected the three realms occurred between heaven and earth. Your uncle was a witness to it and was also a saint in the body during that great battle, becoming the God of War and the God of Justice of the Heavenly Court!”

"At that time, the Jie Sect adhered to the principle of 'education for all,' imparting immortal techniques and arts to all those who were eager to seek the Dao, regardless of their origins or even their good or bad deeds. As a result, ten thousand immortals came to pay homage." Qiu Chuji's voice grew cold as he sensed someone behind him who had already manifested.

(End of this chapter)