The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 238, Chapter 158: Shattered Jade and Broken Ice (5k)

These words greatly surprised Wang Pingzhang:
"Nephew, didn't you say that we can't return to the capital now?"

He had originally been eager to send his nephew back to the capital as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen troubles, but the other party had previously said that the capital was now a place of turbulent undercurrents and not a place for peaceful people, and advised him not to rush into making arrangements.

The elegantly dressed young man sighed deeply:

"Nowhere is right now, so I can only choose a place that's passable."

In today's world, if you really want to count, there were originally many places he could go, but after he exposed his true colors in Qingzhou and incurred the Buddha's wrath, he changed his mind.

If he wants to preserve the ancestral hall, he only has two options.

One is in the southwest, and the other is Kyoto.

Now that the Taoist priest is in the southwest, isn't the capital city the only option left?

Wang Pingzhang seemed to understand but not quite, but he didn't ask any more questions. After a moment's thought, he suddenly reached out and grabbed the other person's wrist, his tone urgent and solemn:
“Nephew, tell your uncle the truth—in the capital, shouldn’t it be best to stay far away from mortals like your uncle?”

His original intention was to go back with the general to receive the reward, but now it seems he can't go.

At first, when his nephew told him that the capital was not a safe place, he took it as a common dispute between aristocratic families and the imperial family and didn't pay much attention to it. But these days, as he pondered it carefully, he gradually began to discern something unusual—the danger his nephew spoke of did not seem to come from the mundane court?
The elegantly dressed young man nodded slightly, then grasped Wang Pingzhang's wrist and said:

"Uncle, you may not know this, but the reason I must leave the Southwest is because of the nature of my lineage; it is truly inconvenient for me to become entangled in the karma of this place. But for you, Uncle..."

At this point, the elegantly dressed young man gestured for Wang Pingzhang to come closer and whispered in his ear:

"You'd better try to stay in the Southwest. Don't think about anything else. Just hold onto your current position and live a peaceful life. That's all you should do if you encounter trouble that ordinary people can't solve."

"You and the water god of Yishui Lake have some connection, and he is a kind and honest person. You can go and find him."

Before Wang Pingzhang could press for more details, the elegantly dressed young man added:
"But if even the water god of Yishui Lake can't do it, then don't worry. Although that water god is only a minor god, and his cultivation and knowledge are far from being of the highest caliber, his appointment was made with the grace of the emperor! Since that's the case, if he can't handle something, someone else who can will step in!"

In the past, even his ancestor would have rarely seen someone who could be officially recognized by that seal.

But this little god of Yishui Lake had a stroke of good luck, actually encountering a figure like the Taoist master.

Because of this, many people with ulterior motives will inevitably flock to that minor god's territory. If anything goes wrong, someone will naturally step in to smooth things over, both openly and secretly.

This is something that doesn't require much talent to see, since it has never changed throughout history!
Wang Pingzhang nodded quickly, feeling relieved that he had listened to his nephew and taken on the job.

Otherwise, they might not even have a way to offer sacrifices to the gods even if they bring pig's head meat in the future.

After speaking, the elegantly dressed young man gave Wang Pingzhang a lot of extra instructions, so detailed that it made the uncle and nephew seem like the roles were reversed.

By the time they finished giving their confessions, it was already late at night.

After glancing at the sky, the elegantly dressed young man sighed:
"Uncle, I've said everything I needed to say. Whether things turn out well or not depends entirely on how much you remember!"

"Don't worry, my dear nephew, your uncle will certainly keep it in mind."

Seeing Wang Pingzhang's seriousness, the elegantly dressed young man nodded and said:

"Uncle, I'll take my leave now!"

Wang Pingzhang was startled:
"It's late, my dear nephew, are you leaving already? Why not wait until tomorrow?"

The elegantly dressed young man continued to wave his hand:

"To be honest, I should have left after Uncle finished giving instructions to the senior. Now that I've already been delayed for too long, I can't delay any longer. I'll take my leave!"

After saying that, he got up to leave, just as he was holding his head and grimacing.

Wang Pingzhang was still worried and said:
"Nephew, I'll arrange for some men to escort you all the way!"

Without the emperor's order, the army certainly cannot move, but no one can find fault with assigning a dozen personal guards.

However, the elegantly dressed young man remained tight-lipped about this matter:
"No, no, I don't want to have any connection with the Southwest anymore. Uncle, just bring me my donkey."

Seeing his words, Wang Pingzhang could no longer persuade him and could only nod and go out to make arrangements.

Before long, Wang Pingzhang and the elegantly dressed young man bid each other farewell in front of the camp.

"Uncle, Kyoto is really not a good place to go, so please don't come!"

After leaving those words, the elegantly dressed young man rode his increasingly sleek and shiny donkey happily toward the capital.

Looking at the gloomy sky in the distance, he couldn't help but feel a turmoil in his mind:

Buddhist monks love mountains, Taoist priests love water. Kyoto, though considered extremely inauspicious, is neither mountainous nor watery.

Having previously avoided the Buddha by relying on the southwest, he can now obviously avoid the Taoist by relying on the capital!

So, I'm not wrong!
The more he thought about it, the more relaxed he felt, and he couldn't help but hum softly as he rode his donkey.

For some reason, he suddenly felt a tightness around his neck, as if something was binding it.

I touched it, but there was nothing there.

'How strange!'

After muttering something to himself, he continued towards Kyoto.
-
Under the old willow tree, the old man was carefully studying the sealed document that Du Yuan had left him.

He looked at it from left to right, but couldn't see anything special about the paper. He only felt that its weight was unusual—much heavier than ordinary paper, but not as heavy as cast iron or hardwood, and there was no trace of spiritual light emanating from it.

Just then, the old man suddenly felt a jolt in his heart, as if something had gently touched him. He subconsciously looked up to his side.

In the hazy moonlight, a few feet in front of him stood a woman dressed in a plain white robe, her clothes fluttering slightly in the night breeze, exuding an indescribable aloofness and otherworldly grace.

Before he could even get a good look at the woman's face, an indescribable sense of oppression suddenly gripped the old man's mind.

It was a kind of instinctive awe that made him unable to resist in the slightest. He subconsciously bowed down and didn't even dare to peek at her.

But the next moment, that seemingly innate pressure vanished abruptly. In its place was a clear, cold sound, like shattered jade striking ice, which fell directly into his ears:

"You know him?"

The old man didn't mention who "he" was, but he knew perfectly well that the person this woman was asking about must be the immortal who had enlightened him!

He hesitated for a moment, not daring to conceal anything, and replied respectfully:
"If you are referring to that immortal master from before, then I do indeed know him. In the past, I had accumulated some good deeds by chance, and the immortal master once saved me; it was because of this connection that I was fortunate enough to be remembered by the immortal master and received some meager blessings. Even my appointment as the Water God is entirely due to this blessing!"

"I see. Then what about the things in this lake?"

His tone remained cold and clear, making the old man, who was the water god, feel as if he were about to be frozen.

He instinctively shrank his neck, not daring to be negligent, and quickly replied:
"This man is the villain who caused my previous misfortune. The immortal has decreed that he be punished by eating silt and swallowing mud here day and night, so as to atone for the evil he has committed with his mouth and redeem himself from his past sins!"

The woman did not speak again, but simply nodded slightly.

Then he turned and left.

The old man was left standing there, completely bewildered.

But who would have thought that not long after the woman in white disappeared into the night, a figure flashed before the old man's eyes.

A portly, wealthy man appeared out of nowhere, quickly approaching him with a warm smile and bowing respectfully.

"Oh, fellow Daoist, how have you been lately?"

The old man was even more puzzled: a fairy with an aura of intimidation had just left, and now this stranger had appeared. He really couldn't figure out what was going on.

He dared not be negligent, and cautiously returned the greeting with a cupped hand, his tone carrying a hint of doubt:

"Things have been relatively peaceful lately, but may I ask who you are? And are you and that fairy from earlier perhaps old acquaintances?"

The first half of his sentence was fine, but as soon as the second half was uttered, the smile on the wealthy man's face vanished instantly, his tone tightened, and he hurriedly waved his hands, saying:

"Hey, fellow Daoist, you can't say such things! That person's status is so esteemed, how could someone like me be qualified to know her? I came today hoping to establish a good relationship with you, so we can look after each other in the future!" He was joking! That person's background is so great, how could someone like him possibly associate with her?

But he was also secretly glad that he had rushed over as soon as he heard the news; this move was the right one!
There are countless water gods in the world, and quite a few of them can be properly called supreme gods.

Let alone getting that person's seal on the official document, there are very few people in the world who can even exchange a few words with that person!

The water god of Yishui Lake in front of him was so stupid that he didn't recognize who the other person was, but he still managed to make the other person stop and ask him a question.

What does this mean? It means that this minor deity is truly registered and has a name in that person's heart!
When there's a huge gap in social status, how can one dare to aim straight for a high position without making a fuss and trying to climb the social ladder? The safest way is to start with those "little people" who have been noticed by important figures!
Who knows, we might even be able to use this to build a relationship with that Taoist priest?
Killing two birds with one stone, that's exactly what it means!
So he put his arm around the old man's shoulder and used his silver tongue—a tongue so silver even a prince would admire—to talk the old man until he was completely bewildered and kept praising him. It wasn't until he came to his senses that he realized what was happening.

He was shocked to realize that his small shrine, which had originally occupied only a tiny space, had been replaced by a magnificent yet exquisite temple.

“T-this?”

Before the old man could fully react, the wealthy man shoved a jade pendant into his hand:
"Fellow Daoist, we hit it off immediately. If you ever feel like chatting with someone, just use this to contact me. It's no trouble at all; just transfer a little bit of your magic power!"

After saying that, the pot-bellied rich man disappeared in a flash with a nimbleness beyond his physique.

The old man was left alone, staring blankly at the temple and the jade pendant.

'Why have I been so confused ever since I met the immortal today?'
-
The old man was still in a daze. The owner of the plain white robe had already passed the Temple of Living Type without entering, but had carefully looked around from the outside. He meticulously memorized every scene, object, person, and event.

Before leaving, she looked up at the Dragon Locking Well in front of the temple, her eyes holding a deep meaning that was hard to explain.

This glance terrified the black dragon at the bottom of the well—an invisible pressure crashed down like Mount Tai, causing it to shrink into a ball instantly, its scales standing on end in fear, trembling in the water.

Buddhist chants and Taoist names kept popping into its mouth, its tongue almost tied in knots, but it still couldn't figure out which powerful being had come to the well this time, someone so powerful that it didn't even dare to raise its head.

Afterwards, she followed the scenery Du Yuan had walked through and went to see the Cat and Dog Cave.

It was already late at night. The little monsters, who had been busy all day helping their fellow villagers who were returning home to repair their homes and clean up the ruins, were exhausted and collapsed in their cave.

Even the two little guys who usually guarded the cave entrance and wouldn't let strangers near were fast asleep, their heads tilted against the stone wall.

The woman did not disturb them, but stood quietly at the entrance of the cave, her gaze fixed on the blank stone plaque above the cave, which she examined for a long time.

Then, with a light tap of his fingertip, a wisp of water vapor slowly rose from the ground, gradually gathering into a slender yet long water vein, silently winding around to the bottom of the cat and dog hole.

The water vein is just the right amount, with the right strength. It can nourish the cultivation of the monsters in the cave without being too strong and overpowering. The balance is just right.

After doing all that, she finally walked towards the water village.

The bald man who used to call himself "General Luohan" had already left with his men, and even the dikes that had been built to block the water had been completely demolished.

Now that the great calamity in the southwest has been eradicated, this water fortress has lost its purpose. Keeping it would only block the waterways downstream and jeopardize the livelihoods of the people on both banks.

Today, only a few dilapidated wooden houses remain in the water village, their former outlines still faintly discernible.

The scholar and the two cultivators were still there, but they had already rested.

But as soon as the woman stepped into the water village, the man suddenly opened his eyes, a chill running down his spine, startling him so much that he almost instantly sat up.

After wiping away a cold sweat, he reached out and grabbed his friend who was still meditating. After a brief explanation, the two of them hurried towards the village entrance with trembling scalps, not daring to delay for even the slightest moment.

Upon seeing the figure in plain clothes standing in the moonlight, the two immediately knelt down with a thud, their voices trembling with barely concealed awe, and respectfully bowed:

"We, the two juniors, greet the High God!"

The woman remained noncommittal, only glancing at the scholar through the wooden gate of the water fortress, before asking:
"Why was this person tricked by him?"

The two were startled and quickly explained.

The woman listened quietly, and after understanding the whole story, she suddenly remembered that Du Yuan had mentioned wanting to visit the Confucian school. A faint warmth flickered across her usually cool and aloof expression, and she chuckled softly as she smiled slightly.

"He does resemble him somewhat."

The two did not understand the cause and effect, so they could only kneel on the ground and remain silent.

However, the owner of the plain white robe pondered for a moment and then offered them a suggestion:
"If you get stuck, perhaps you could take him to the capital of this imperial court."

The old man was startled; his original intention was to take his apprentice to find his mountain goddess mistress.

But the circumstances were incompatible, and he dared not speak at this moment. Just as he was pondering what to do, he heard a sentence that almost made him faint:
"Your path is as broad as a mountain?"

Upon hearing this, not only him, but even the man who dared to descend into the Locked Dragon Well broke out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, the sound of shattered jade striking ice didn't startle them for long before it slowly resumed:

“There’s no need to be so alarmed.” The woman’s tone softened slightly, with a hint of nonchalance. “I just have never liked that guy. It’s not like I’m going to give you any attitude over something so trivial.”

That was just a casual remark.

However, when the disparity in status is so great, even a careless remark can feel like a boulder falling from a mountain peak. It may seem to fall lightly, but it can cause a great deal of grief.

Therefore, she has never liked to communicate with people. Her subordinates always try to overanalyze her thoughts, and a single sentence can lead to a hundred different interpretations. Even though there is no profound meaning, it can end up causing a lot of trouble that only adds to the annoyance.

But "disliking" doesn't mean "not understanding". She deliberately spoke clearly because she was afraid that the two cultivators would have wild thoughts in private after returning.

If Du Yuan finds out later, she'll start criticizing her.

The two were relieved and were about to express their gratitude when they realized that she had left quietly after she finished speaking.

Then she went to the painted wall and stroked the cliff face from which a dragon had flown out.

She gazed at the cliff face, which was gradually losing its vitality, and pondered for a moment. She felt that this place shouldn't be allowed to slowly become lifeless. With that thought, she raised her finger and gently tapped the cliff face.

Then, a dragon's roar echoed from the sky, and the painted dragon that had disappeared under the sky instantly took shape again amidst the swirling winds and clouds, before crashing headlong into this place.

It reappeared on the cliff face, incredibly lifelike. She also carved a line of delicate characters beside it. The handwriting was elegant as flowing water, yet every stroke revealed a myriad of emotions.

The inscription reads: "In years of disaster, sincerely pray, and rain will come."

Finally, she added a sentence at the end—Du Yuan left.

After doing all this, her eyebrows curved like the moon, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips.

Then she gently tiptoed and spun around in place—her white robes fluttered in the breeze, like a sudden blooming of an epiphyllum, or a drifting cloud.

At this moment, she possessed none of the imposing aura of a powerful being; instead, she exuded the lightness of a young girl.

As the cold winter fades, spring waters naturally flow.

Finally, she went to Hansong Mountain, the first place Du Yuan stayed in the southwest!

After pausing to gaze at the golden furnace that had once produced the "Beggar's Life Pill," she suddenly felt a pang of emotion and turned her gaze abruptly into the distance.

Beyond the layers of mountains, one could see a thick red hemp rope firmly tied to a finely dressed young man riding a donkey at breakneck speed.

At first glance, she whispered with only a hint of curiosity:

"He actually arranged the match himself?"

But in an instant, she frowned, repeating Du Yuan's confusion from that day:
"But why is it tied around your neck?"

Just then, the elegantly dressed young man on the donkey's back was about to pull back the reins to catch his breath when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He hurriedly turned around to look, but there was no one behind him. As he was filled with doubt, his gaze suddenly turned straight towards the direction of Cold Pine Mountain.

"If water transport increases to this level..."

Suddenly realizing a crucial point, his pupils contracted sharply, then his eyes widened, and he gasped in surprise:
"Oh my god!!!"

Immediately afterwards, he raised his hand and slapped the donkey's rump hard, letting the donkey carry him away at breakneck speed.

My heart is filled with endless lamentation:
'Uncle, Uncle, I already said that according to the senior's wishes, I should have left long ago. Now I've gotten myself into trouble again because of you!'

(End of this chapter)