Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 160 Calm and Serene, Enlightenment Amidst the Stars

After a fresh rain in the mountains, the air is filled with the fragrance of earth.

In the State of Wei, two young men were resting in a dilapidated temple beside an official road.

A sudden downpour interrupted their journey, forcing them to stop and seek shelter from the rain.

Before long, several more people rushed in.

The rain in July and August is heavy and comes very fast.

Seeing the lightning and thunder in the sky, the group that came later cursed angrily, and in no time they were soaked to the bone.

When they came in, they were surprised to see the two young men by the fire.

One of the men, with shifty eyes, saw the girl by the fire and his eyes lit up. He strode towards them.

Just then, another boy by the fire suddenly raised his head and looked at the other boy. The other boy raised his eyebrows slightly and his eyes flickered with an uncertain light.

In the desolate, dilapidated temple, a buzzing sound suddenly came, and then a wooden sword on the back of the boy was drawn from its sheath in mid-air, making a sharp turn and hovering in front of the newcomer.

"You have ten breaths to leave here, or you will face the consequences."

The voice was still somewhat immature, yet it carried a sense of authority.

The shifty-eyed man paused abruptly when he saw the wooden sword in front of him, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He seemed not to have expected that the young man in front of him was actually a master.

He quickly waved his hand and said, "Young hero, don't panic, don't panic. We just came to borrow a light. The rain outside is pouring down, and our clothes are all soaked."

"Seven breaths."

The boy didn't respond at all; his calm gaze remained unwavering as he uttered two words.

Upon hearing this, the newcomer's expression changed. He seemed not to have expected the other party to be so unyielding, and a fierce glint flashed deep in his small eyes.

He then glanced behind him instinctively and saw that the men were all laughing. He felt embarrassed and ashamed. In all his years of wandering the world, this was the first time he had been ignored by a young punk.

The newcomer frowned, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, and he coldly shouted, "Boy, don't push your luck. Just because you've learned a few tricks doesn't mean you can show off in front of me."

Upon hearing this, the boy shook his head and sighed softly.

"Giving you ten breaths would be superfluous."

The next moment, with a whoosh, the wooden sword trembled and turned into a bolt of lightning, instantly disappearing from everyone's sight. Seeing this, the newcomer felt a jolt of fear. Could it be that he was wrong?

However, before the man could react, a sword beam swept across his neck, and his head flew into the air.

The battle was too sudden, it would be an exaggeration to say it happened in the blink of an eye. In the martial arts world, there is no such thing as fighting before words are even finished.

The boy then looked at the group of people at the door. They were still in a daze. When they saw the man's head fall to the ground, they were about to say something when they all reached for their necks. Then everything went black and several heads rolled to the ground.

The girl sitting by the fire looked up, a hint of suspicion in her cool gaze. Although she didn't look to see what was happening in the temple, she already guessed.

What puzzled her was that the young man in front of her was not the kind of person who would kill innocent people indiscriminately, so why did he suddenly turn on these people?
Sensing the girl's gaze, the boy seemed too lazy to explain. He reached out and grabbed at the air, and several bottles and jars fell out of the shifty-eyed man's arms.

Several small bottles still had labels on them. The girl glanced at these things, then her face darkened, and a chilling murderous intent flashed in her eyes.

Without another word, the young man flicked his sleeves, generating a burst of energy that swept the shifty-eyed man and his companions out the door.

"How did you notice it, senior brother?"

After a while, the girl asked softly, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

The young man thought for a moment and then said, “Several books in the Xinzhai (a Buddhist temple) record that a person’s appearance is closely related to his mind. A ruthless person often gives the impression of being sinister and evil, while a compassionate person usually has a kind face. The saying ‘appearance reflects the heart and circumstances change with the mind’ means this.”

"Furthermore, this person came straight to us as soon as he entered. This is quite different from ordinary travelers. If it were an ordinary person, they would not make a fuss if they saw someone in the temple, and would more likely choose a corner to wait quietly."

"Something is definitely amiss. This person's actions, coupled with the nonchalant attitude of those behind them, suggest that this is something they've done before."

At this point, the boy looked towards the gate again. The rain had brought many people here, and besides these few, there seemed to be several others gathering in this place.

He then continued, "I wouldn't normally bother with someone like that, but since they don't know what's good for them, it's best to resolve this trouble as soon as possible."

Hearing the boy's explanation, the girl nodded thoughtfully.

This was her third time venturing into the martial world, so she was no longer a newcomer. She knew the saying that in the martial world, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. With such underhanded tactics from her opponent, it was easy to fall into their trap if she wasn't careful.

For such people, a swift and decisive approach is undoubtedly an excellent way to deal with them.

With the discovery of these five headless corpses, most of the people who came in to take shelter from the rain were shocked. Some even turned around and left without daring to linger. The remaining people who came in also became cautious and extremely careful, not daring to disturb the two little ones by the fire.

As a result, the temple became much quieter.

However, most people who are active at night are not good people. If it weren't for the five corpses serving as a deterrent, there would probably have been a lot more trouble tonight. So, it's hard to say whether this act of killing the chicken to scare the monkey was right or wrong.

Summer rain comes quickly and goes quickly; by the time dawn breaks, the rain has already stopped.

There were many puddles on the official road outside the dilapidated temple, and frogs were croaking in the ditches along the roadside, which showed that the rain last night was indeed quite heavy.

Seeing that the rain had stopped, the young man didn't say much. He then got up and left the dilapidated temple with the girl beside him. Before leaving, he casually threw down a ball of fire, which then turned into a raging fire and burned on the corpses.

Watching the boy's departing figure, the expressions of the few people who were still in the dilapidated temple changed.

When they first arrived last night, they sensed something was wrong, but the two young men were too calm, so they didn't think about it. But now, the boy's behavior made them feel a little scared.

If it were nighttime, and they had other thoughts, they would probably have followed in the footsteps of those five.

"They are the Five Rats of Liyang"

A man in the corner leaned against the wall, looking at the five corpses burned by the flames at the doorway, and the five heads with their eyes wide open in death, and sighed softly.

Upon hearing this name, most of the others also showed a complex expression.

These five men were notorious bandits operating in the area, but they were extremely cautious in their actions, and coupled with their acquired strength, they had never been captured by the authorities and remained at large.

I never expected to die here today, or more accurately, at the hands of that boy. Truly, life is unpredictable.

Who were those two people who just left?

Most people present felt a sense of suspicion. When did Wei Kingdom produce such a young expert who could subdue the Five Rats so effortlessly? "To be able to deal with them so easily, one must at least be a Xiantian Realm expert. These two are probably not simple people."

After a while, the man who had spoken earlier sighed softly and soon left the dilapidated temple.

The other people who had taken shelter from the rain in the dilapidated temple also left one after another. However, as they left, most of them would glance at the five corpses engulfed in flames and then shake their heads and sigh.

People often ask, "What is Jianghu?"

That's the answer: you're living with your life hanging by a thread, never knowing when you'll die or what will happen next. That's the life of a江湖 (jianghu, a world of martial arts and chivalry).

On the other side, Xiu Yuan led Xiao Meng along the official road in another direction. The two moved very fast, and before noon, they arrived at a dilapidated village.

Looking at the overgrown village before them, the two fell silent once more. Time had left its most complete evidence here; cobwebs and moss gave this once-inhabited place a desolate air.

The relentless sculptor of time erased all traces of people's past lives in less than two or three years.

At the entrance of the village, a stone tablet lies crookedly on the ground, the two characters carved on it already somewhat blurred by the erosion of wind and rain.

Xiaomeng walked over slowly and gently traced the two words with her hand.

The Chen family—that's what those two words mean.

When she faced this familiar village again, the girl's emotions were overwhelming and she experienced intense fluctuations.

In Taoism, the word "letting go" is often mentioned on the path of cultivation.

However, for those who have not yet attained enlightenment, the fastest way to "let go" is actually to repay kindness with kindness and revenge with revenge. Once their thoughts are clear, they will naturally let go.

This is exactly the situation for the girl in front of me, which is why I came to Chenjia Village.

Xiu Yuan stood to the side without saying a word, simply standing there quietly. Having already experienced this, the young man knew in his heart that what this girl needed most at this moment was companionship.

After a while, Xiaomeng left the stone tablet and slowly walked into the village, but at this moment, her steps seemed quite heavy.

The houses have been ravaged by time, and some are in terrible condition. Many of the old doors collapse at the slightest touch.

Memories can be beautiful or cruel, just like a person's life, where light and darkness intertwine, and joys and sorrows coexist.

It was a small village, and by the time the girl had completely walked through it, the moon was already high in the sky.

Xiu Yuan followed by him, neither urging him nor speaking. Looking back on the years and the changes in the world, he saw it as a form of cultivation.

As soon as they stepped out of the village, Xiu Yuan seemed to sense something. He flashed behind the girl and picked her up in his arms.

Perhaps it was the sight of the object that reminded her of the person, causing her to become exhausted. As soon as she left, this girl, who was not usually talkative, could no longer hold on, her legs gave way, and she fainted.

Xiu Yuan could understand this situation, just like Yan Lingji, who was once hypnotized by Bai Yifei and fell into her childhood nightmares without realizing it, almost being tricked into revealing the secret of the treasure.

At that moment, a sentence came to mind.

"Happy people use their childhood to heal their whole lives, while unhappy people spend their whole lives healing their childhood."

For him, the tragedy in Sanyang Village didn't actually have that much of an impact, since the person who experienced it wasn't him, or rather, it wasn't the person he remembered.

But for the girl in his arms, she had indeed personally experienced that nightmare.

Compared to others, he was quite lucky.

After a long while, as if sensing something, Xiu Yuan gently lowered his head and saw two lines of clear tears streaming down the cheeks of the girl who seemed to still be asleep.

No one starts out without hope for the world; rather, it is only after experiencing many things that one is forced to succumb to reality.

If I hadn't appeared, the outcome for this girl might have been predetermined long ago.

"It will pass, everything will pass."

The young man murmured a few words, not loudly, but the girl seemed to notice, and her tightly furrowed brows relaxed.

The dirty little hands instinctively gripped the boy's clothes, as if they had grasped a lifeline.

Sensing this situation, the boy smiled warmly, perhaps things would eventually change.

He remembered that a highly virtuous Buddhist monk had once said something like this.

"An umbrella can shield you from the rain in the sky, but it can't shield you from the rain in your heart. So let's cleanse our souls. There will always be sunshine after the rain and calm skies."

The sky was exceptionally bright tonight. Although the moon was still absent, the stars twinkled brilliantly.

At some point, the girl opened her eyes, a faint, fresh scent of grass and trees lingering around her nose. This scent was extremely unique; in her memory, it could only be found on that boy.

She gradually became aware of her situation, but this time, she remained silent. The boy's embrace seemed to possess a magical power, capable of soothing the wounds of the heart and allowing the soul to find peace.

So, not long after, the girl fell into a deep sleep again.

Just then, Xiu Yuan's gaze was drawn to the stars in the sky.

In his meditation retreat, he had paid attention to some of the Taoist studies on constellations, such as the four major constellations of the East, North, West and South. Among them, the constellations of Horn, Neck, Root, Room, Heart, Tail and Winnowing Basket are also known as the Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon, which also correspond to the great secret hidden in this space-time.

Of course, besides these, there is also a saying about the Big Dipper, whose seven stars correspond to Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, Tian Quan, Yu Heng, Kai Yang, and Yao Guang. These seven stars contain profound mysteries, and if one can understand their secrets, one will naturally benefit immensely.

The next instant, the young man's aura changed, and he directly stepped into the sublime state of oneness with heaven and man.

Within its dantian and purple palace, there are dazzling starlight displays, transforming into a sky full of stars.

On Mount Taiyi, the site of the Taoist Tianzong sect, Bei Mingzi, who was observing the stars, suddenly frowned and looked eastward with some disbelief.

"Who is it that can comprehend the Dao of the Zhou Tian Stars?"

At the same time, almost all the masters among the hundred schools who had reached the Grandmaster level felt this strange phenomenon.

In an instant, almost everyone who could see this strange phenomenon looked eastward, towards that mysterious unknown.

One person observes the stars, while all living beings in the world observe people.

(End of this chapter)