Chapter 728: The Past of the Heavenly Master
The Woodcutter Sage recalled the past, and after a moment, he spoke slowly: "At that time, I was immersed in reform and change, feeling that I could realize grand ambitions and fulfill great aspirations. I had no heart for matters of romance. So even though there were girls who liked me, I had no time to discuss private feelings."
Qin Mu blinked. Yan Kang's Imperial Preceptor was also that kind of person. The reason Yan Kang's Imperial Preceptor hadn't become another Woodcutter was that he had still married his current wife and had children.
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor of the past was absolutely rational, to the point where even his own injury could be used as bait to lure enemies out.
But the current Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor had a bit more humanity about him.
"At that time, I had already noticed that the Farmer had some dissatisfaction with me, and indeed, I truly had no heart for personal emotions. That girl was indeed outstanding, beautiful as well. No matter from which angle you looked at her, she was the best partner. However, the Kai Emperor entrusted me with the heavy responsibility of reform. If I used the authority the Kai Emperor gave me to court a young lady, wouldn't that betray the Kai Emperor's trust?"
The Woodcutter said slowly: "So I said to that girl, Yunxi, I am not the one destined to be your lifelong partner. The Kai Emperor's commission is of great importance. There are too many things in this world waiting for me to change, so I must disappoint your deep affection."
Qin Mu listened intently and laughed: "Teacher, between family and country, one can still have both. Why did you have to refuse her? And after refusing her, how did that offend the Martial Combat Heavenly Master?"
"Her name was Yan Yunxi, a woman, a very charming woman."
The Woodcutter was clearly recalling that woman of such outstanding and ethereal quality. He stared blankly in a daze, showing rare tenderness, and said softly: "She was also very intelligent, very talented. That she could look favorably upon me made me happy inside, but I respected her more than I loved her. She also asked me, Tian Ge, whether Zhuo Cha, who had feelings of admiration for her, was someone worth entrusting her life to. Zhuo Cha was the Farmer. I smiled and said to her..."
The Woodcutter's expression turned strange: "I said, Zhuo Cha's love for martial arts surpasses his love for you. His true love is martial arts; his feelings for you are but a momentary infatuation. Zhuo Cha is not someone worth entrusting yourself to. I spoke as a friend, analyzing Zhuo Cha's character, and my judgment was quite accurate. Presumably, those words later reached Zhuo Cha's ears, which is why he always looked at me with displeasure."
Qin Mu said: "Teacher indeed deserves a beating... That's not what I meant!"
He held his head—just now, the Woodcutter had rapped him hard on the skull, and it was stinging hot.
The Woodcutter continued: "Later, Yan Yunxi never married. She even changed her name and dressed in men's clothing. I asked her why. She said she had seen the two most outstanding men in the world—one with unmatched wisdom and a heart for all under heaven, the other with peerless martial valor and an unshakable Dao heart. After seeing these two men, she could no longer look favorably upon any other man. So she changed her name and disguised herself as a man, saying she would not change back into women's clothing until she met a man who surpassed us."
He stared blankly for a moment, then shook his head with a smile: "She never changed back. Although Zhuo Cha had seen her many times and their friendship was good, he never recognized her."
Qin Mu exclaimed: "The Martial Combat Heavenly Master is an existence who cultivated through martial arts to reach the Imperial Throne realm. How could he fail to recognize Yan Yunxi disguised as a man?"
The Woodcutter laughed: "Yan Yunxi's skills were extremely high, and she was clever and mischievous. If she didn't want him to recognize her, he wouldn't. Besides, the Farmer's head is full of muscles—what kind of keen eyesight could he have? Yan Yunxi even beat him many times, and he still couldn't recognize her. Instead, he was completely obedient to her, while giving me cold looks and harsh glares."
"Beat the Martial Combat Heavenly Master many times?"
Qin Mu's eyes were filled with confusion: "This Sister Yan Yunxi..."
The Woodcutter scolded: "Call her Martial Uncle! Don't call her sister!"
Qin Mu stammered: "Teacher, you just said that Martial Uncle Yunxi changed her name. What name did she change it to? There aren't many people capable of beating the Martial Combat Heavenly Master into submission. I did hear the Martial Combat Heavenly Master mention one person who once had him completely under control. But that person wasn't called Yunxi—she was called Zixi."
The Woodcutter said nothing, looking toward the door.
Outside the door, the old ox quickly withdrew his ear, puffing and blowing on his water pipe with a gurgling sound, but the fire had long gone out.
The Dragon Qilin immediately lay flat on the ground pretending to sleep, snoring like thunder.
The Woodcutter stood up, draped his clothes over himself, and said: "I think my injuries are mostly healed. I can slowly regulate them with the Creation Art; there won't be any lingering problems."
Qin Mu quickly asked: "Is Heavenly Master Zixi the same person as Martial Uncle Yan Yunxi?"
The Woodcutter didn't answer, walking out as he said: "This time, Zhuo Cha will definitely come out of seclusion. Once Zhuo Cha comes out, there will be much more room to maneuver. You plan to go with Hu Bugui to see Xu Shenghua? Then Zhuo Cha might go with you to meet Xu Shenghua. I have matters to attend to—I'll be on my way first."
Qin Mu followed him, saying: "I also plan to rendezvous with Sister Di Yueyue and see how she and Heavenly King Tian Shu are reforming Fengdu."
The Woodcutter shook his head: "Reforming Fengdu cannot be completed in a short time. And if she wants to find Tian Shu, she most likely won't be able to. That fellow must be hiding in the largest and finest wine shop in Yan Kang, drinking."
Qin Mu's eyes lit up, and he laughed: "Then he must be in the imperial palace's wine cellar."
"I'll find a way to notify Di Yueyue and have her go find Tian Shu."
The Woodcutter walked out the door, glanced at the old ox who was still frantically puffing on his water pipe with gurgling sounds, and said flatly: "The fire's out."
The old ox hastily lit it, and a thick plume of smoke burst out, choking the ox until smoke came out of both his eyes and nose, tears streaming down his old face.
"Say what should be said, and don't say what shouldn't be said."
The Woodcutter said: "I may not be able to do anything to you, but the second-ranked Heavenly Master killing you would be very simple."
The old ox quickly nodded and said with an ingratiating smile: "Rest assured, Great Heavenly Master. I understand everything."
The Woodcutter then came before the Dragon Qilin, who was pretending to sleep, and said: "If you talk too much, it's very easy to end up on a platter, placed on the table."
The Dragon Qilin scrambled up with a gurgling sound, lowering his head and smiling apologetically: "My mouth is the most reliable! I've never leaked any of the Sect Master's embarrassing stories!"
Qin Mu hesitated for a moment, stroking the few small whiskers on his chin: "Fat Dragon knows many of my embarrassing stories? Hmm, this fellow cannot be kept... How would he taste best cooked?"
The Woodcutter found the old farmer and took his leave. The old farmer didn't bother much with him, squinting his eyes and dozing off. The Woodcutter had no choice but to leave.
The old farmer snorted and spat a heavy glob of phlegm at his retreating back.
Qin Mu's expression turned strange. These two Heavenly Masters were both tens of thousands of years old, yet they still acted like children.
Before long, Hu Bugui came out of the Dou Niu Realm carrying a small bundle on his back, dressed in simple travel clothes, looking sharp and capable.
The villagers moved the great mountain back again, using some means to seal the Dou Niu Realm. Qin Mu looked around but couldn't find any trace of spatial sealing, and couldn't help but marvel.
From his experience in the Dou Niu Realm, the Dou Niu Realm was completely isolated from the Great Wasteland. During the nights of the Great Wasteland, darkness couldn't invade the Dou Niu Realm. In other words, the Dou Niu Realm wasn't in this world at all.
Moreover, Hu Bugui and the other martial artists of the Dou Niu Realm had said that when they came of age, they would go to the Demon Realm to fight against powerful Demon Realm experts as training.
This indicated that the Dou Niu Realm was likely very far from the Great Wasteland—perhaps even unimaginably distant.
"Imperial Throne realm experts truly possess boundless divine abilities."
Qin Mu glanced at the old farmer. The old farmer led the old ox over and said to the villagers: "This time, I'll go out for a stroll, accompany them to meet this fellow called Xu Shenghua, and see if he has real skill. If he does, then I'll go take a walk around Yan Kang. If Xu Shenghua has no skill, then if you encounter the Woodcutter again, capture him. I'll kill him with one punch and come back to seclusion."
The crowd acknowledged, saying: "Rest assured, Heavenly King. We'll stay here guarding the Dou Niu Palace. If we encounter the Great Heavenly Master, we'll seize him."
The old farmer mounted the ox's back. Qin Mu also sat on the Dragon Qilin's back, while Hu Bugui walked on foot.
Qin Mu invited him up, but Hu Bugui shook his head: "I run fast."
Qin Mu looked at the Dragon Qilin. The Dragon Qilin's fur stood on end, and he hurriedly ran with all his might, feeling that he was moving like wind and lightning and would surely leave Hu Bugui in the dust. But when he looked back, he saw the old ox carrying the old farmer still steadily following behind, while Hu Bugui was leaping continuously, his running speed extremely fast, jumping from one mountain peak to another—a sight that made one's eyes pop.
"This fellow's physical body is stronger than mine!"
The Dragon Qilin was startled, feeling waves of cold air coming from behind, and thought to himself: "They don't know where Xu Shenghua is, so they're following me. Otherwise, they would have run ahead of me long ago. But since they're following me, they can't surpass me, so the Sect Master won't do anything to me..."
Qin Mu's primordial spirit left his body and contacted Xu Shenghua, saying to Hu Bugui: "Xu Shenghua has gone to the Western Lands and is currently building the Shang Cang Academy. We can go to the Western Lands to see him."
Hu Bugui's spirits lifted greatly. The old farmer sat on the ox's back, looking utterly composed, and said: "If Xu Shenghua is unworthy of a second glance, then I'll beat the Woodcutter to death."
Qin Mu laughed: "Brother Xu is extraordinarily talented. If it weren't for me, he would be the unparalleled genius of the world. The Martial Combat Heavenly Master will surely be very pleased when he sees him."
The old farmer snorted coldly.
Six or seven days later, they arrived near the Zhen Tian Palace in the Western Lands.
The women of the Zhen Tian Palace were currently engaged in major construction, building palaces. Many halls had already been completed. Xu Shenghua and Jing Yan had received Qin Mu's message and came out to welcome them.
Qin Mu jumped down from the Dragon Qilin's back and looked around. The architecture of the Shang Cang Academy was full of Western Lands flavor—ornate and beautiful, decorated with fresh flowers, with green leaves and blossoms that never fell through the seasons.
"Esteemed couple, this is the Martial Combat Heavenly Master of the Kai Emperor Divine Dynasty, and this is Senior Brother Niu Sanduo."
Qin Mu introduced them: "And this is the Hu Bugui I mentioned to you—the one who cultivated through martial arts to enter the Dao but has no Divine Bridge realm."
Xu Shenghua sized up Hu Bugui, his eyes lighting up, and said: "Brother Hu, would you mind opening up your spirit hides?"
Several loud rumbling sounds came from within Hu Bugui's body. The spirit embryo, five luminaries, six harmonies, seven stars, heavenly human, life and death—all these spirit hides opened one after another. But when it came to the Divine Bridge spirit hide, the entire Divine Bridge spirit hide was completely missing!
He simply had no Divine Bridge spirit hide at all!
Countless runes flew around Xu Shenghua as he calculated the location of Hu Bugui's Divine Bridge spirit hide. After a moment, he shook his head: "Indeed, there is no Divine Bridge spirit hide! Excellent, excellent!"
"I'm going to beat your teacher to death." The old farmer said to Qin Mu.
Xu Shenghua walked around Hu Bugui, excitement gleaming in his eyes, speaking rapidly: "Brother Hu, your foundation is too good! Perfect for testing my method of merging spirit hides! I can't do it myself—I'm a Tyrant Body, but I learned too late, so my previous realm foundations are somewhat unstable. Although I want to merge my spirit hides, my cultivation has some deficiencies. I originally planned to use Brother Qin for the experiment, but your physical body is sturdy and your foundation is excellent—perfect for testing on your body! By the way, are you also a Tyrant Body?"
The old farmer stopped and said to Qin Mu: "If he kills Hu Bugui, I'll beat him to death, then beat you to death."
Qin Mu was also seeing the mad side of Xu Shenghua for the first time, and he felt somewhat uneasy in his heart.