“Immortal Sovereign, the person has arrived.”
Outside the door, Hu Qing’s voice drifted in. Zhongyi’s brush paused slightly. He only stopped after writing the final word, “Quiet” (Jìng). Lifting his eyes, he spoke warmly, “Enter.”
Instantly, the tightly closed door was pushed open. An unmaskable aura of hostile energy/shāqì entered it was Huo Ling, who had returned not long ago.
“Master.”
He bowed his head in salutation, respectful as always.
However, Zhongyi only gave him a glance before withdrawing his gaze. He reached out to add some water to the inkstone, took an ink stick, and began to grind it finely, asking meanwhile, “How is the situation at the foot of the mountain?”
“The Demon Race is rampant. There has been a trend of counter-attacks recently. The various immortal sects are already experiencing a shortage of manpower.”
This was why he and Yu Heng had been gone for half a month. They had fought hard to suppress the surge, but it was not a permanent solution.
Zhongyi was aware of this as well. Hearing it, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh. His movements stopped, and he said in a somewhat dazed manner:
“It seems that seal won’t hold for much longer.”
He was speaking, naturally, of the seal he had personally set a hundred years ago specifically to shut away the entire Demon Race.
Now, with the passage of time and the heavy damage sustained back then, it was already dilapidated like something fluttering in the wind, liable to shatter completely at any moment. At that time, the Demon Race would have no more scruples and would invade the human realm at will.
This was a tragedy that no one wanted to see, unless a better method of suppression could be found before then. Thinking this, Zhongyi raised his head and shifted his gaze to the person before him.
Huo Ling was preoccupied; Zhongyi had noticed this from the start. He usually didn’t like to meddle in his disciples’ private affairs, so he hadn’t paid much attention. But not paying attention didn’t mean letting things slide.
Thinking thus, Zhongyi looked at him twice more before saying, “You have something on your mind.”
The question came unexpectedly. Huo Ling, who had been lost in thought, reacted immediately. He raised his eyes to meet the other’s gaze and felt as if he had nowhere to hide.
However, he quickly steadied himself, lowered his head, and simply said, “This disciple has nothing.”
He was trying to hide something.
Zhongyi only looked at him for a long time before saying, “Wumian.”
He called his name, his expression unchanged, yet it felt as if he had said much. “I watched you grow up with my own eyes.”
Indeed, from a swaddled infant to toddling steps, and now to a Golden Core cultivator even though they spent more time apart than together, he had watched him grow. How could he not know what his disciple was thinking?
Huo Ling knew this as well. Confronted with Zhongyi’s question, he was momentarily speechless and didn’t dare look up.
Seeing him like this, a myriad of worries rose in Zhongyi’s heart, and he found himself speaking more than usual.
“Since you grew up, every time others mention you to me, it is always with words of praise saying you are steady in character and unruffled by events, a standout even among your peers.”
He said this, yet he didn’t feel gratified. Looking at Huo Ling, who now had the appearance of a man, he felt more worried. “However, only I, your Master, know that you are impetuous in nature especially regarding those you care about; you become uncontrolled and easily angered.”
And this was a great taboo for a cultivator.
Seeing his disciple sinking deeper and deeper, he finally couldn’t help but offer a reminder. “I told you long ago: what is yours is yours, and what is not yours is not yours. If you try to force it, the only thing you will ultimately damage is yourself.”
It was rare for Zhongyi to be this open. He only hoped his disciple would clear his head after hearing this, which would be of great benefit to his future cultivation. However, what he never expected was that instead of clearing his head, the person before him became even more intense.
Huo Ling’s expression was pained, and the shāqì between his brows increased. He looked up at his Master with a mix of resentment and helplessness, only smiling bitterly: “But Master, I cannot do it!”
That obsession had long since formed into a bone-deep fixation; how could it be easily severed? The only thing he could do was to possess step by step only then could he maintain a moment of clarity.
This left Zhongyi speechless. After a long while, he stopped mentioning the previous matter and said instead, “Looking at your countenance, your hostile energy is hard to dispel. Stay here today and transcribe the Heart Sutra a hundred times. When you are clear-headed, leave with Hu Qing.”
As he spoke, he stood up. After giving him one last look, he walked out of the room without looking back.
Huo Ling did not resist, nor did he say much. He accepted it frankly. He bowed toward Zhongyi’s retreating back and said in a low voice, “Yes.”
He didn’t look up again until the figure had completely vanished from sight. He took the seat where Zhongyi had just sat. The brush and ink were ready. He picked up the brush, and the first word he wrote happened to be “Quiet.”
……
The sun set and the sun rose. By the time Huo Ling stopped his brush, it was already the next day. The papers piled beside him were far more than a hundred copies.
Fortunately, the shāqì on him had vanished, and his mind had become clear. Thus, he returned to his usual cold and stoic self.
However, he was in no hurry to leave. He pondered for a while longer. It wasn’t until the sun began to set again that he slowly stood up and walked out.
The sky gradually turned dim. By the time Huo Ling realized it, he had unconsciously walked to Yu Heng’s bamboo house.
At such an hour, he hadn’t intended to disturb him. But after hesitating repeatedly, he stepped forward and lightly knocked on the door.
“Junior Brother, are you resting?”
He was met with a long silence. Huo Ling frowned and called out again, but it was just like before, silent, and silent again.
At this point, Huo Ling sensed something was wrong. He pushed the door open, only to find the room already empty.
His expression changed slightly. The residual aura in the room indicated the owner had been gone for a long time, and mixed within it were a few faint traces of an outsider’s aura.