Bearing the blue sky

Chapter 270 Skill Approaching the Dao

But Li Wancai felt that this was not the time to be timid and hesitant.

With so many people watching now, how will he face everyone later?

"Leave a way out for others, so you can meet again in the future."

Li Wancai's voice turned cold, carrying a hint of threat.

Zhu Ge didn't reply, but just looked at him calmly.

That gaze didn't seem to be looking at a person, but rather at a tree or a stone by the roadside, devoid of any emotion.

However, seeing this, Li Wancai felt even more uncertain.

He roamed Lijiang for twenty years and had seen all sorts of people.

There are people who are richer than him, people who are more powerful than him, and people who are more accomplished than him.

But no one ever looked at him like that.

It wasn't disdain, nor anger, but a complete indifference, as if Li Wancai was utterly insignificant in the other party's eyes.

He was weighing his options.

This young man comes from Honghe Prefecture. What kind of outstanding people can come from such a wild and uncivilized place as Honghe Prefecture?

But what if—what if?

Just then, a voice came from outside the crowd, gentle as jade, yet carrying an undeniable authority: "Li Wancai, the day of your family's destruction is today—"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young man dressed in a moon-white robe walking out from outside the crowd.

He wore a white jade pendant at his waist, walked with ease, had a gentle face, and his black hair was tied up with a jade crown. He looked as if he had stepped out of a painting.

It was the Lord of Lijiang and Bai Yu.

"He—He City Lord—" Li Wancai's face turned deathly pale instantly, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

Bai Yu walked up to Zhu Ge, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "Mr. Zhu, I'm so sorry that you were frightened on my turf."

Zhu Ge returned the greeting: "You're too kind, City Lord."

The onlookers around were in an uproar.

"Should we call him 'sir' instead of 'city lord'?"

"Just who is that young man?"

"A song of blessing—a song of blessing—could it be the same song that created the new Confucian doctrine?"

"My God, why would such an important person come to a small place like ours?"

The murmurs rose and fell, and Li Wancai's legs began to tremble.

He Baiyu turned to look at him, her eyes turning cold: "You commit suicide. All your direct descendants will be given poisoned wine, while those from collateral branches may live."

Li Wancai trembled upon hearing this.

The onlookers fell silent, not daring to speak loudly.

"Father!" The young man exclaimed in surprise.

He hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise, but now he immediately knelt down.

The young man knew he had offended a powerful figure!

"I... this matter started because of me, and I'm here to settle it—" The young man trembled as he drew the dagger from his waist and pointed it at his chest.

But the next moment, with a flick of Bai Yu's sleeve, both the young man and Li Wancai were sent flying backward, crashing into the wall of a house in the distance, and then falling to the ground, dead without a trace.

"They had no eyes to recognize Mount Tai, and deserved to die." He Baiyu said indifferently, "This kind of rat has been hiding for too long, but today it will finally be eliminated."

"Was the truth really that well hidden all along?" Zhu Ge remained calm inside, but outwardly bowed and said, "Thank you, City Lord He."

He waved to Bai Yu: "Mr. Zhu is one of the most outstanding talents in the world. He defeated the Great Immortal Hongmi with only the second realm cultivation. Li Wancai is a person who is used to cheating and swindling. If he were not still useful, I would have gotten rid of him long ago."

"Since we have offended Brother Zhu today, he deserves to die."

Indeed, a person's reputation precedes them.

Zhu Ge sighed inwardly, then looked at the stall owner selling Dongba paintings.

The stall owner handed the packaged scrolls to Zhu Ge. There were fifteen scrolls in total, including landscapes, figures, and Dongba runes: "Young Master Zhu, these are all gifts from me to you."

The stall owner knelt on the ground, trembling all over.

Seeing this, Zhu Ge couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

He put the paintings into his sleeve one by one, and then glanced at the stall owner: "Boss, did you paint all these scrolls by yourself?"

'

Bai Yu noticed Zhu Ge's interest in the paintings, a strange glint in her eyes.

But upon closer inspection, he found the paintings to be ordinary and lacking any spiritual power; they were merely common paintings.

"Yes, all of them." The stall owner nodded, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes: "My ancestors were Dongba priests, and they passed down some painting techniques and runes. Unfortunately, I am not very talented, and no matter how much I paint, I can never reach the level of my ancestors."

"These paintings are very good." Zhu Ge shook her head: "You must have been painting for many years, right?"

The stall owner was slightly taken aback, then nodded.

Zhu Ge seemed to be deep in thought, then turned and left without saying anything more.

Bai Yu followed beside him, while Liu Jianjian followed behind, jingling the silver bracelet on her wrist.

"Mr. Zhu, you say there's power involved?" As a being of the third realm, He Baiyu clearly knew what "power" meant.

Zhu Ge pondered for a moment and said, "I suspect this might be what is known as skill approaching the Dao."

"When an ordinary person hones a skill to its highest level, even without formal training, their work may contain the rudiments of 'potential.'"

"Some of those Dongba paintings have already come close to this level."

"Skill approaching the Dao?" Bai Yu nodded thoughtfully. "Sir, your insight is indeed remarkable."

"Brother He, would you like to come back to the inn with me to meditate and gain some insight?" Zhu Ge asked with a smile.

"I won't bother." Bai Yu shook her head: "I merely sensed that Mr. Zhu was being disturbed by a villain, so I came to clear away this trouble."

"Thank you for your trouble." Zhu Ge nodded slightly, admitting that doing this with Bai Yu had indeed saved him some trouble.

Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake.

Sometimes, the local snake king can save the powerful dragon a lot of time.

"In that case, I'll take my leave." Zhu Ge was eager to get back and study the material.

"Farewell." He bowed to Bai Yu. "For anything you need, please just call my name, Mr. Zhu."

After saying that, he took to the air and flew away.

Zhu Ge didn't delay and let Liu Jianjian and the others go shopping on their own.

He returned to the inn and unfolded the Dongba paintings one by one, examining them carefully.

The painting "Tiger Roaring in the Snowy Mountain" hangs in the very center, depicting a white tiger standing atop a snowy mountain, roaring towards the sky.

Although the "momentum" was very faint, it was definitely there. The tiger's ferocity, the snow's starkness, and the mountain's towering height blended together to create a unique artistic conception.

"Skill is close to the Way," Zhu Ge murmured to himself.

He thought of the art masters from his past life.

For example, Van Gogh's "Starry Night", Monet's "Water Lilies", Qi Baishi's shrimp, Xu Beihong's horses, and so on.

The reason why those works have been passed down through the ages is not only because they are so realistic, but because they contain the emotions, thoughts and soul of the creators.

Perhaps that is the "momentum"?

Ordinary people without cultivation can reach the threshold of "Dao" by spending a lifetime honing a skill. However, cultivators, who possess abilities and lifespans far exceeding those of ordinary people, are often blinded by power and forget the essence of cultivation.

"Cultivation is not just about cultivating strength, but also about cultivating the mind," Zhu Ge thought to himself.

He put away the painting, sat cross-legged by the window, and gazed at the distant Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, as if he had gained some insight.

His "momentum" must be martial arts, right?

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