Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 53 The Mystery of Kun
Below the slope was a steep cliff. Jiang Mingzhe never expected that someone would suddenly appear, and he instinctively let out a cry of surprise.

The poor man was clumsily climbing with all his might when he suddenly heard a shout from above. Startled, he lost his grip and slid down.

Jiang Mingzhe was startled again, thinking, "Oh no! I didn't kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me. With such steep cliffs and rapids, how could he possibly survive if he fell in?"

He quickly leaned to one side, supporting himself with his hands and feet, and carefully descended the slope, thinking that he would leave the rest to fate and do his best, hoping that if the other person could still be saved, he could at least give him a hand.

He went down to the end of the slope, peered down, and was taken aback.

About ten feet below him, a rock protruded from the cliff face, about the size of a double bed. A young man fell on it, struggling to get up despite the sharp edges.

The man was wearing a royal blue robe, which appeared to be of very high quality, but it was dirty and tattered.

He was quite handsome, and even though he fell and grimaced, you could still tell he had a good-looking and refined appearance.

Jiang Mingzhe's heart skipped a beat. This person looked to be around nineteen or twenty years old. With this age, appearance, and attire, could he be Duan Yu?
Could it be that my intervention altered the storyline, preventing Duan Yu from having his extraordinary encounter?

Jiang Mingzhe couldn't make a judgment for a moment, so he casually shifted the blame: "Brother, are you alright? Are you practicing your mountain climbing skills in this desolate wilderness? You almost scared me to death."

The man lay on his back on the rock, a wry smile on his face. “Brother, you were just startled. I was so frightened that I fell off the cliff. If I hadn’t been lucky, you would be collecting my corpse by now.”

After saying that, he turned to look at the river below and shook his head, saying, "I'm wrong. In such rapids, once someone falls in, there's no need to trouble you with collecting their body."

Jiang Mingzhe laughed and thought to himself that this guy had a good temper. Even after being smashed to pieces, he still had the mind to joke. His magnanimity was truly extraordinary.

He clasped his hands and said, "Brother, you are so magnanimous, it is truly admirable. I am Jiang Mingzhe. I was chased by villains and fled here. I am sorry for frightening you."

The man muttered, "That's more like it. Isn't it better when everyone is discussing things politely and respectfully? Is it really that fun to fight and kill each other?"

He shook his head, lay there, clasped his hands, and said, "Ignorance is no excuse. Besides, it wasn't you who scared me; we scared each other. I am Duan Yu, and I share the same fate as you. We were both chased by villains and fell off a cliff. Fortunately, we survived."

It really is Duan Yu!
Jiang Mingzhe was overjoyed. He was eager to find the Blessed Land of Langhuan, but the Wuliang Mountains before him were vast and desolate, with countless dangerous peaks. Where should he even begin? Now that he had met the protagonist, and borrowed his luck, wouldn't his chances be much greater?

Then his smile grew even more amiable: "Brother, you survived falling off the cliff, which means you are destined for good fortune. Congratulations! Wait a moment, I'll pull you up right away."

He took a step forward, and several small pebbles tumbled down, nearly hitting Duan Yu's face.

Duan Yu suddenly propped himself up, quickly fiddled with the stones, and said, "Hey, this is the Zhen hexagram, the first nine. Zhen comes with a whistling sound, then laughter and chatter follow. Auspicious."

He looked up and laughed, "Brother, this divination perfectly reflects our situation. Brother, do you understand the I Ching?"

Jiang Mingzhe shook his head: "I know about the I Ching. I've heard it's profound and complex. How could I, a mere mortal, possibly understand it?"

Duan Yu said, “Although it is profound and extensive, it can be approached step by step. In fact, with careful study, it is not so difficult to understand. For example, the hexagram at this moment says: ‘Thunder comes with a trembling roar, fear brings good fortune. Laughter and cheerful words indicate that there will be a course of action later.’ So how should this be interpreted? It means that when faced with the power of thunder, one should know fear; when blessed by thunder, one should be measured afterward, and to see things through to the end. This means that when we face changes, we should know fear, fear leads to caution, and caution brings good fortune, just as Xunzi said: ‘Respect the beginning and be cautious to the end, and be consistent from beginning to end. This is the way of the gentleman and the essence of propriety and righteousness.’” He didn't care whether Jiang Mingzhe understood or not, and kept talking and talking while fiddling with the small stones. Suddenly he exclaimed with delight, "Ah, that's it! Nine in the fourth place, Zhen Sui Ni, the image says: Zhen Sui Ni, Wei Guang Ye. Sui means falling, Ni means something stuck or drowning, Wei Guang means the darkness of Kan and the confusion of Kun... Does this mean we fall from a high place, fall into darkness, and are confused because of Kun?"

Jiang Mingzhe, having finally caught a glimpse of something he understood, couldn't help but interject: "Heaven is Qian, Earth is Kun; Qian represents male, Kun represents female. Does this hexagram mean that we brothers are obsessed with women?"

Duan Yu listened intently as he discussed the I Ching with him, and laughed, "Brother, that's not how it's interpreted. The meaning of the mystery of Kun is... oh!"

He suddenly looked at Jiang Mingzhe with a strange expression and asked, "Brother, if I told you that I have fallen in love with a jade statue, would you think I'm a monster?"

Jiang Mingzhe was shocked. Falling in love with the jade statue meant that this kid had already entered the Blessed Land of Langhuan?
In his memory, the original plot was that Zhong Ling's lightning weasel bit many people from the Shennong Gang and was detained by the Shennong Gang. They sent Duan Yu to Zhong Ling's house to get the antidote. When Duan Yu went to the back mountain, he encountered two disciples of the Wuliang Sword who were having an affair and eloping. He was chased and fell off a cliff.

But now that Zhong Ling is entangled with A Zi, does that mean she still came to the Wuliang Sword Sect and met Duan Yu?
How did Duan Yu end up on this cliff?

Jiang Mingzhe was a little confused. In fact, in the original novel, Duan Yu accidentally opened the Langhuan Paradise at the bottom of the cliff, and the exit was right on this cliff.

Jiang Mingzhe had only read the original novel once, so how could he remember so many details?
However, since he had heard the words "jade statue," it was no longer important whether he remembered them or not. He immediately followed Duan Yu's words and said, "Brother, people are all different. You see, everyone looks different, and their ambitions and hobbies are also different. Some men like men, and some women like women. It's not surprising that you fall in love with the jade statue. Hehe, I suppose that jade statue must be lifelike, like a fairy."

Duan Yu had a deep-seated infatuation with Jiang Mingzhe, and seeing that Jiang Mingzhe did not mock him, he immediately regarded him as a confidant.

Hearing Jiang Mingzhe's detailed account, he was greatly amazed and couldn't help but ask, "Brother, how do you know that the jade statue of the Fairy Sister is so lifelike, like a fairy? Have you seen her yourself?"

Jiang Mingzhe laughed heartily: "My dear brother, look at yourself. I wasn't just spouting nonsense when I said you were handsome and charming. Well, that's fine, after all, there are plenty of people in this world who are all show and no substance..."

Jiang Mingzhe clicked his tongue, his face full of admiration: "But you are no ordinary person. You can explain such a profound classic as the I Ching in a simple and easy-to-understand way. It is evident that your knowledge is as rich as your appearance. You, you..."

A barrage of compliments delighted Duan Yu. Jiang Mingzhe pointed at him and said casually, "Someone as outstanding as you naturally has exceptionally refined taste. How could the jade statue you admire be ordinary? Although I have never had the chance to see it, I can imagine it must be extraordinary."

"Ah!" Duan Yu exclaimed inwardly, thinking: "No wonder I suddenly wanted to come to Wuliang Mountain to watch some boring sword fights. It turns out that there is a destiny in the dark. Not only is there a fairy sister in this mountain, but also this good brother who understands me!"

Duan Yu was born into a wealthy family, and everything he ate and used was of the highest quality. Naturally, he had exceptional taste and was somewhat obsessed with good looks.

Born into a life of luxury, he had few friends of his own generation. Seeing that Jiang Mingzhe was handsome and had a commanding presence, he already had a good impression of him. After a deeper conversation, he felt an even stronger connection with him and immediately recognized him as his confidant and elder brother.

Unable to contain himself, he said, "Brother, what's all this talk about fate? She's the one I love. If you want to meet her, it won't be difficult."

He got up and pointed to the cliff: "Come down here, I'll introduce you to the fairy sister."

Jiang Mingzhe was overjoyed, thinking to himself, "So there's a cave entrance on this cliff? If I hadn't befriended the protagonist, how could I have found such a hidden cave entrance?"

(End of this chapter)