Before them appeared a figure no taller than three feet. The child had short hair tied in small pigtails, and wore only a red bellyband. His face was round like polished silver, his skin smooth and jade-like, yet an eerie chill radiated subtly from him. His eyes were large and round, but utterly lifeless.
The child spoke, saying, “Surprised, aren’t you?”
His voice was hoarse and aged, completely at odds with his youthful, innocent appearance, creating an unsettling contrast.
Mei Qing furrowed his brow, but before he could speak, Liu Liu had already shouted loudly, “What are you… a ghost! A ghost!”
He had only shouted twice before his voice abruptly cut off. With a “thud,” he collapsed to the ground, having fainted in terror.
The child sneered coldly, “This fellow is truly useless. If he weren’t potentially useful later on, I would have erased him already.” He then turned his gaze back to Mei Qing. “Well then, I’ve revealed myself. Do you find my appearance surprising?”
Mei Qing hesitated slightly and replied, “Just who exactly are you? This… this isn’t really your true form, is it?”
The child sighed deeply, slowly leaning against the stone wall with a look of weary detachment. “So many years have passed, and now at last we’ve reached this day. I can’t help but feel nostalgic. Indeed, this body is only temporary—a vessel I borrowed. My original form was destroyed long ago, and I have been trapped here for over a hundred years. You may have heard our name before. Once, we founded our own sect, known as the Xuan Sect. And I was its leader—Zhang Liusun!”
“Zhang Liusun!” Although Mei Qing had suspected the child was someone extraordinary, hearing that name still startled him greatly. “But you… you were supposed to be… long dead!”
“Dead, you say?” The child smiled faintly, a strangely aged expression on his otherwise innocent face, making him appear even more bizarre. “The world believes I failed my ascension and was reduced to ashes. They never imagined I’d be trapped in this cursed place, unable to escape.”
Mei Qing was speechless. As he stared at the child before him, though the tale seemed utterly incredible, he felt deep down that every word was true.
Suddenly, memories surged back—visions he had seen when first touching the Seven-Star Inkstone. The child’s manner and voice now seemed to match perfectly with the person who had destroyed the Shenxiao Sect. A chill ran through him.
“Want to know the whole story?” Zhang Liusun said calmly. “Actually, you should remember it already… I don’t know what went wrong, but you never inherited the legacy I left behind. You’ve practiced the techniques haphazardly, even losing your memories. So, let me tell you again—perhaps it will jog your memory.”
Mei Qing opened his mouth as if to speak, but finally said nothing, only sitting down slowly and letting out a long sigh.
Zhang Liusun was about to speak when he suddenly frowned delicately. “Those people outside are quite formidable. In such a short time, they’ve already dealt with everyone at the outer cave. Hmm, one of them is from the Celestial Master Sect—his cultivation is quite impressive. I suppose those techniques you learned from the Celestial Masters were taught to you by him?”
Mei Qing gave a stiff response, saying, “Didn’t you say we are one and the same? If you know my thoughts, why bother asking me?”
Zhang Liusun paused, then shook his head. “I can indeed perceive seven or eight parts of what you are thinking right now. But as for your deeply buried memories, unless you choose to open them, I cannot forcefully pry into them. There are great implications involved, and you will understand in time.”
Seeing Mei Qing’s skeptical expression, Zhang Liusun simply turned away and continued, “It is indeed strange. Across two lifetimes, you and I have remained entangled with the Celestial Masters. In my time, I was originally a branch disciple of theirs. Thus, the foundation of my path could only be laid within that sect.”
“In those days, the Celestial Masters were nowhere near as prosperous as they later became. Hmph! Back then, the Three Masters founded the sect and laid the foundation, but their descendants were unworthy. Within just a few generations, they nearly lost their entire lineage. Although a remnant survived on Dragon-Tiger Mountain, they were overshadowed by the Shangqing and Lingbao sects. It was only through the support of the foreign rulers during their conquest of the Central Plains that the Celestial Masters regained their former glory. Truly, a shame to face our ancestors!” Zhang Liusun’s voice brimmed with bitterness and resentment, which greatly surprised Mei Qing.
Sensing Mei Qing’s surprise, Zhang Liusun sneered, “What’s so surprising? Don’t you feel the same? We are one and the same, after all. You must harbor the very same thoughts about the Celestial Masters sect. Tell me, what do you think of my actions back then—were they justified or not?”
Mei Qing’s heart was in turmoil. Ever since he had learned of Zhang Liusun’s deeds, his feelings toward this elder had been complex. On one hand, he admired his fearless and independent spirit; on the other, he detested his ruthless and merciless nature.
Especially regarding his treatment of the Celestial Masters sect—Mei Qing found it hard to judge. On one hand, the sect had treated him unjustly, yet it was still his origin. Thus, his decision to leave and establish his own sect could be seen as an act of betrayal. Yet, he also elevated the Celestial Masters to become the dominant sect in the Jiangnan region, achieving a status no other sect had ever reached, an immortal feat. However, this also caused the Celestial Masters to become the target of hatred from other cultivation sects, leaving behind great dangers. Whether his actions were right or wrong was truly difficult to judge.
As for his personal cultivation, having been mistreated in his youth, he refused to follow the Celestial Masters’ techniques. For this reason, he destroyed the Shenxiao Sect and founded his own school. Though his defiance was admirable, his destruction of another sect and theft of their secrets had earned him countless enemies. Whether one should admire or condemn him was no simple matter.
Zhang Liusun snorted, “Your hesitation is a grave mistake. You resent the sect for treating you unfairly, yet hesitate to destroy another sect out of compassion. But have you considered this: the sect never regarded you as a true heir, so withholding their teachings was only natural. If I had no techniques to learn, then taking them by force was only fair. If the Shenxiao Sect couldn’t protect their own sect, yet still dared to challenge me, then their destruction was inevitable. As for the Celestial Masters becoming the target of hatred after rising to power—what a joke! Who in the world that dares to stand out is not hated? If you fear this, then you might as well do nothing at all. For cultivators, the most important thing is the heart. Do what you must, follow your nature. Cultivation itself is defying Heaven—how much more so in other matters? If you’re afraid, you might as well not live at all!”
Though Mei Qing found Zhang Liusun’s words compelling, he couldn’t fully agree. Once, Zhang Shisan had taught that the most important quality for a cultivator was “duty and propriety.” Now, Zhang Liusun claimed that the most important quality was “freedom and spontaneity.”
Yet Mei Qing found himself disagreeing with both views. “Duty and propriety” seemed overly conservative, while “freedom and spontaneity” seemed excessively reckless.
Zhang Liusun naturally sensed Mei Qing’s thoughts, but he also knew that a few words alone could not change a person’s heart. Therefore, he did not press further, but continued, “Right or wrong, let’s not dwell on that now. Whether it is fate or not, we shall see. But your cultivation… it is in a sorry state. Tell me, how exactly have you been cultivating? How could you have lost all your memories?”
Mei Qing shook his head. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand. People say you failed your ascension and were utterly destroyed. How could you end up like this? And what do you mean when you say I am you?”
Zhang Liusun chuckled. “Fine, since you asked, I’ll explain everything. In this life, you must have had some strange experiences, right? Now, are you starting to believe me a little?”
Mei Qing hesitated, knowing that though he had spoken defiantly, he had already been somewhat convinced by this ancient leader of the Xuan Sect. In truth, ever since he had encountered the Seven-Star Inkstone, he had suspected that he might share some connection with Zhang Liusun. But Zhang’s words were too shocking, so he had refused to believe them.
Zhang Liusun, as if reading Mei Qing’s thoughts clearly, merely chuckled and said no more, but began recounting the past.
“In truth, you should know that what makes a person is not their physical body, but their Yuan Shen—the Primordial Spirit. While ordinary people speak of souls and spirits as something mysterious, to cultivators like us, they are simply the dwelling place of the Yuan Shen.”
He paused, as if recalling old memories, before continuing slowly, “The reason I say you are me is because your Yuan Shen was not born naturally, nor did you inherit it from your parents. Rather, it was split from my own consciousness. More precisely, I divided my spirit into two halves. One half is me now, and the other half is you. Do you understand?”
Mei Qing was startled. He couldn’t help but recall his own confused and hazy past, and now he realized that his origins might indeed be shrouded in mystery.
“I did this out of necessity. At the time of my ascension, my cultivation alone should have been enough to withstand the tribulation lightning. Especially since this place was once an ancient sacred mountain, which I could use to my advantage. But just before the ascension, I glimpsed a thread of heavenly fate—so I deliberately abandoned my physical body and remained in the mortal world.”
As Zhang Liusun spoke, Mei Qing’s heart was in turmoil. According to this account, there was no reason for Zhang Liusun to lie. But what exactly was that “thread of heavenly fate” he had seen?
Zhang Liusun smiled faintly but did not answer the question. Instead, he continued, “You wouldn’t understand even if I told you now. At that time, I realized that ascension itself was not the ultimate goal. Cultivation must be solid and pure. Rushing into immortality without a firm foundation could bring disaster instead of fortune. That’s why I chose to remain behind. I preferred to take the time to build a strong foundation, even if it meant delaying my ascension by centuries—it would benefit me greatly in the long run.”
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