No one could clearly define what the Dao was.
Ancient sages once said, “There is something undifferentiated, born before heaven and earth. Silent and solitary, it stands alone without changing, moves through everything without peril, it can be called the mother of heaven and earth. I do not know its name; I arbitrarily call it Dao.” They also said, “The Dao produces One, One produces Two, Two produces Three, Three produces all things.” They further explained, “The One is Chaos, it is the Taiji, the beginning of the universe, the ‘force.’ One produces Two, manifesting Yin and Yang; Two produces Three, which gives rise to singular Yin, singular Yang, and their union. Once balance is achieved, Three produces all things, evolving all living beings.”
From the sages’ words, the common understanding among people was that the Dao was the fundamental origin of all things, eternal and unchanging. Dao’s rules, in turn, were the natural laws that governed the world, binding everything to follow them. Whether the evolution of life, the rising and setting of the sun, or the birth, aging, sickness, and death of people, nothing could defy the Dao’s laws.
Yet this foundational understanding diverged when cultivators appeared.
In his previous life, Xiao Lingyu had been taught that the heavens were indifferent, treating all things as straw dogs, and cultivation was an act of defiance against the Dao—a view widely held in the cultivation world.
The sages said, “Man follows the Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, Dao follows nature.” Nature meant to follow the Dao, experiencing the normal cycle of life and death. But cultivators, seeking longevity and world-altering power, inherently defied the Dao.
In this life, Old Ghost had completely overturned Xiao Lingyu’s perception from the start: cultivation should follow the Dao, achieving the unity of Dao and self.
Xiao Lingyu once asked Old Ghost, “If cultivation should follow the Dao, and most cultivators have been mistaken, why are there still so many infant-level experts?” Old Ghost merely scoffed, “Infant-level experts? They’re nothing more than doomed beasts waiting to die.” That was the first time Xiao Lingyu heard Old Ghost speak with such disdain about infant-level masters, and the only time—after that, Old Ghost refused to elaborate further.
This time, Xiao Lingyu, by a stroke of fortune, had touched the rules of the Dao. Old Ghost, initially envious and delighted, soon revealed a struggle on his face before finally sighing and regaining his calm.
Immersed in the profound resonance, Xiao Lingyu lost track of time. When he finally opened his eyes, Old Ghost anxiously asked, “Little Yuzi, what did you feel? Any insights?”
Xiao Lingyu was silent for a long moment, then exhaled toward the teacup on the table: “Nothingness.”
The space around the cup twisted, and the cup vanished. Old Ghost’s jaw dropped, and he muttered in disbelief, “Nothingness… it really is nothingness!”
Xiao Lingyu, noticing Old Ghost’s tone, asked, puzzled, “Is there something wrong with nothingness?”
Old Ghost ignored the question and hurriedly pressed, “When you touched the Dao just now, what did it feel like?”
Frowning, Xiao Lingyu replied, “First, I heard a profoundly mysterious resonance. Then I found myself in a realm of nothingness. It felt strange, as if the void around me had substance, something I could touch. I tried to reach out, and as soon as I did, something entered my mind and I awakened.”
Old Ghost was astonished. “Just like that?”
Xiao Lingyu nodded. Old Ghost’s expression became one of puzzlement, as if unable to comprehend.
Xiao Lingyu, unaware of Old Ghost’s thoughts, asked again, “So what’s wrong with nothingness?”
Old Ghost paused, shook his head, and said, “It should have been a problem, but you seem fine.”
Xiao Lingyu was unsatisfied with this vague answer. No matter how he pressed, Old Ghost withdrew into the Nether Spirit Bracelet and refused to speak further.
Sighing, Xiao Lingyu accepted that Old Ghost was the type who, once resolved not to speak, would never be persuaded. At least he could be certain the void posed no harm—otherwise Old Ghost would have warned him.
With that assurance, Xiao Lingyu settled into the sensation of the void. Yet he suddenly felt a wet stickiness around his thighs. Glancing down, he found Zhu Yurun sprawled across his legs, eyes half-closed, mouth agape, utterly entranced. A damp patch beneath him suggested liquid had dripped. Xiao Lingyu’s face darkened. He grabbed Zhu Yurun, shook him, and gestured for him to look at the source.
Dazed, Zhu Yurun blinked and exclaimed, “It wasn’t me!”
“Pfft!” Even Old Ghost, frozen in statue form, was jolted out of his position.
Xiao Lingyu’s scowl deepened. Zhu Yurun’s words implied he might be responsible. He had first assumed it was just drool, but the puddle looked far too suspicious. Could drool really produce so much?
Realizing his mistake, Zhu Yurun raised his front hooves to cover his mouth, looking apologetic, tail wagging happily. Xiao Lingyu, recalling how frantic Zhu Yurun had been when he was invaded by a heart demon, sighed and let him fall to the ground. Then he added, “Three days’ worth of snacks are deducted, and no touching the spirit plants in the space.”
Though Zhu Yurun knew Xiao Lingyu wouldn’t truly punish him, he still muttered to Old Ghost, “What’s gotten into Little Monster? Suddenly being gentle makes me uncomfortable.”
Old Ghost glanced at him disdainfully. “You’re just a masochist!”
Ignoring their chatter, Xiao Lingyu threw a dozen cleansing spells over himself but still felt uneasy. The puddle’s true nature gnawed at him—drool or something else?
Increasingly flustered, Xiao Lingyu pointed at the culprit and declared, “Another three days of snacks deducted.”
Zhu Yurun, rather than protesting, merely muttered to himself, “So this gentle thing before was an illusion… this is the real Little Monster!”
Old Ghost, speechless, suggested, “Little Yuzi, why not just take a bath?”
Xiao Lingyu hesitated. “What if Big Senior Brother comes back?”
Old Ghost rolled his eyes. “Are you a female cultivator? Why would that matter?”
Xiao Lingyu reconsidered. “We’re both men; what’s to worry about? Besides, Senior Brother might not return so soon.”
Resolved, Xiao Lingyu lifted the restrictions Chu Mingwei had placed, signaled for water to be brought, and began his bath.
At the same time, Chu Mingwei, in the southwest of the city, sensed the removal of the restriction. Worried, he summoned his Qinglin Sword and raced back to the Immortal Traces Residence.
Why would Little Junior Brother remove the restriction? Was there an attack, or did someone familiar arrive? Perhaps Meng Fan and the others had come by?
Chu Mingwei did not expect that upon reaching the residence, he would witness his little junior brother about to bathe, completely naked.
For a long moment, their eyes met. Xiao Lingyu quickly waved his hand, sending clothes from the bed over his shoulders, and said calmly, “Big Senior Brother?”
Chu Mingwei snapped out of his daze, realizing what he had been staring at. He chased away the lingering image from his mind, recalling why he had rushed back.
Xiao Lingyu recounted the situation briefly, omitting the Dao and void, focusing on Zhu Yurun’s misbehavior. Chu Mingwei could only laugh at his junior’s antics, the earlier awkwardness evaporating.
Relieved that Little Junior Brother was safe, Chu Mingwei arranged another room for himself. They would rest in the city tonight and continue toward Wucheng tomorrow.
That night, despite his usually stable mind, Chu Mingwei struggled to enter meditation. His junior’s image kept replaying in his thoughts. He finally gave up and tossed, turning until he fell asleep.
The next morning, upon waking, Chu Mingwei flushed red, then felt guilt and regret. Recalling last night’s dream, he despised himself. Little Junior Brother was precious to him, yet he had indulged in inappropriate thoughts. The fear of his junior discovering this, and the resulting contempt, caused him unprecedented anxiety.
By the time they departed for Wucheng, Chu Mingwei had regained his composure. Little Junior Brother was his most important person; he resolved never to entertain such thoughts again. Thinking of the concern in his junior’s eyes that morning, he felt deep remorse and silently reinforced his resolve.