ATEG Chapter 81.2

At that time, she hadn’t truly exerted force, just playing. Her long beak stopped as soon as it touched the silver fish’s dorsal fin.

The silver fish, startled, suddenly turned ethereal and swam aside with a flick of its tail. Looking back, it spat out a jet of water. That water stream contained sword intent, flying like a bolt of silk. Bai Hong couldn’t dodge in time and got some feathers wet.

The fish concealed a sword. Since then, Bai Hong’s hunting spirit was aroused. Her naturally long beak was like a sword, and she loved combat, so she followed the ancient demon cultivation path. Seeing the silver fish was also skilled with the sword, she often came to play with it.

During play, she pondered the question Li Chi had given her.

“When wind doesn’t move… what is it?” She’d also asked Ding Qin this question. Though Ding Qin was young, she was Li Chi’s divine messenger and should be able to understand some of Li Chi’s intentions.

“When wind doesn’t move…” Ding Qin also couldn’t figure it out. “When wind doesn’t move, it’s gone.”

Bai Hong couldn’t help but sigh.

She vaguely felt that if she understood this question, it would greatly benefit her cultivation. But how could such questions be easily understood? Everyone knew enlightenment could lead to breakthrough, but if enlightenment were so easy, who would still arduously cultivate day and night or turn outward seeking improvement? They might as well just sit in stone caves pondering riddles.

Unable to understand this question, she’d be stuck at the Jiuqu River banks. Though she could just leave—those mortals weren’t her responsibility originally. She’d only stayed because she passed through and saw people’s suffering, moved by momentary compassion. But after caring for them for so many years, watching mortals change generations and villages develop, how could she have no feelings?

When Bai Hong was troubled, she seemed listless, not putting her heart into crossing swords with the pond’s silver fish.

The silver fish loved the sword and, dissatisfied, spat out another water stream containing sword intent. Bai Hong listlessly waved a wing, and wind scattered the water stream.

Her cultivation far exceeded the silver fish’s, she just never used techniques beyond the sword when crossing swords with it. Now she had no mood, and the silver fish had no other options. Huffing indignantly with a tail flick, it swam down the waterway to the mountain base.

Bai Hong was troubled when a clear breeze suddenly rushed over, with faint whistling sounds within. Bai Hong suddenly froze. She cultivated the wind Dao and was most sensitive to this. This wasn’t an ordinary mountain breeze—this wind seemed to contain ten thousand different states of wind’s operation: gale sweeping sand and dust, warm gentle breeze nurturing life, fierce killing cold wind, high wind bearing wings in the Nine Heavens… As if since ancient times, winds that had blown for ten thousand years all lodged their spiritual essence in this one wind. Within the wind sounds was Dao essence, making the surrounding spiritual essence lively.

Bai Hong was instantly captivated by this wind. This was an opportunity.

The huge red-crowned crane stood by the pond, head raised and wings spread, standing on one leg. Every feather swayed slightly in the wind, sensing everything within it. Bai Hong was comprehending all she gained from this wind. But how long could one wind last? Just one breath, and this wind dispersed, the Dao essence within dissipating and becoming hard to grasp.

Bai Hong couldn’t help feeling disappointed. “The wind scattered.”

The door suddenly opened. Li Chi had abruptly appeared beside her, reaching out to tap her head. “The wind scattered—what remains?”

Bai Hong’s head hurt as she stared blankly at Li Chi. “Huh?”

Li Chi helplessly shook his head.

A trace of spiritual light flashed through Bai Hong’s mind. She seemed to have just had a chance to comprehend something, but unfortunately the moment had passed. Now trying desperately to grasp that trace of spiritual light, only some indescribable feelings remained.

What was missed was missed. Wait for next time.

“You no longer need to stay at the Jiuqu River banks. Watch Jin Liushan—if he comprehends, you can entrust those protected lands to him.” Li Chi’s gaze fell on the mountain base.

Bai Hong cultivated the wind Dao, experiencing wind’s Dao essence while traveling everywhere. She’d already stayed at the Jiuqu River banks for over a thousand years. This should have been a good time for her to comprehend another layer, but her sense of responsibility was too heavy, worrying about the many villages along the Jiuqu River. Now that the great calamity had arisen, she worried even more about the consequences for mortal beings losing divine protection. This worry was too heavy and had already blocked her thoughts. As the calamity developed, this worry would only become more severe. Better to let her leave and change paths.

At the mountain base.

Jin Liushan had already walked through every piece of land under his protection.

At the start, his heart was full of anxiety. Walk through again—what was the point? With his consciousness, he could scan everything in a moment. Why waste time walking step by step?

Every moment the great calamity grew more severe. The sense of urgency in Jin Liushan’s heart grew more pressing. He had to find a way to save himself before the calamity churned to a level he couldn’t bear. He felt time wasn’t enough, wishing every second could be as long as a quarter hour so he’d have more time to prepare.

But in reality? Even if time extended several times over, he still wouldn’t know what to do. He could only watch time slip away bit by bit in anxiety, then at the final moment, be forced to choose a path he’d long understood but was unwilling to walk.

Yet Jin Liushan still suppressed his nature and walked step by step through these lands. Then, he gradually felt something different.

Jin Liushan didn’t know when this change began, but gradually, he no longer felt restless. The earth was beneath his feet, solidly supporting his every step. This wasn’t the abundant information obtained from scanning with consciousness, but what he truly experienced himself.

The soil was either loose and moist or firm and fine. Dense or sparse green grew upon the earth, fine tough roots extended beneath it. Worms burrowed through the soil, countless small beasts walked upon the earth like him. The earth supported their feet, like it supported him, supported every green thing.

He felt the earth’s nurturing of life.

Then he walked to the furthest place of his territory, and from there, changed direction and began walking back.

He felt the accumulated fallen leaves. Beneath the leaves lay stiff summer insects. They had already died, gradually merging with the earth.

He felt the earth’s embrace of death.

So he suddenly felt pulsing, like a heartbeat rising and falling. He seemed confused, seemed dazed, seeming to have completely forgotten everything around him. Only feeling that pulse after pulse, he walked forward, and before he knew it, had returned to Liquan Village.

The able-bodied worked in the fields, children played at the field edges. A young child with hair tied in tufts accidentally tripped on a field ridge but didn’t cry. Instead, as if discovering something, she pressed close to the ground listening. After a while, she shouted excitedly to the young man in the field. “Third Brother, Third Brother! I hear the earth beating! One beat after another!”

The young man straightened up to look at her, adjusting his bamboo hat, smiling. “That’s not the earth beating—that’s your heartbeat! Tongdou, get up and dust yourself off! Otherwise Mother will scold you when we get back!”

The earth beating, that’s your heartbeat… earth, heartbeat… earth, heartbeat…

Something exploded thunderously in Jin Liushan’s mind.

A silver fish swam downstream, leaping in the lake, carrying the aura of underground water veins from the mountain. Water veins like blood, earth veins have hearts.

……

“Gather the faith of all beings to achieve divine position—this is to be a deity of all beings. Unite with one place of heaven and earth to achieve divine position—this is to be a deity of heaven and earth.”

Li Chi stood in Li Manor’s courtyard, speaking leisurely, his gaze falling distantly on the mountain base.

His voice rang in Jin Liushan’s ears as he suddenly comprehended.

So that was it. He’d only seen many minor deities seeking divine path collecting faith, only seen the Shuigu Earth God accepting incense offerings, so he thought this was his path too.

But earth gods could accept incense offerings, yet that didn’t mean incense should be the priority. He’d long contemplated, but always focused on incense offerings. Even the first time waiting by the lake for the deity, hoping to shelter under the deity’s seat, he spoke of incense offerings, wanting to entrust incense to the deity, forgetting that earth gods were deities of the land.

Above ground and below, life and death cycling, yet the earth bore and embraced all heavily, unchanging with life and death.

He heard it—that was the earth veins’ heartbeat, and it should also be his heartbeat.

The Divine Court’s seal suddenly manifested, quietly falling into Jin Liushan’s divine position. That divine position that had always been about to condense but remained uncertain suddenly solidified into a sturdy, heavy divine position with the quality of yellow jade.

……

Li Chi smiled at Bai Hong. “If he’s willing to take on the lands along the Jiuqu River, you can leave.”

Jin Liushan’s accumulation was deep. Now that he’d achieved earth god status, his ability was sufficient to protect more places. Earth gods protected the earth, and the earth also protected earth gods. Protecting a piece of land would no longer be a drain for him, but cultivation itself.

As Bai Hong rejoiced, Li Chi continued, “There’s one more matter I must ask your help with.”

“Please speak,” said Bai Hong in high spirits.

“Take Ding Qin with you,” Li Chi said.

Ding Qin’s head snapped up. “High God?”

Li Chi looked down at her, his penetrating gaze seeming to see through everything, his smile warm. “It’s good to leave here and travel around. You now have the power to protect yourself, but the great calamity is churning and heaven and earth are more chaotic. You’re still young, and since you have this connection with Bai Hong, traveling together is very good.”

Bai Hong had already agreed. Reluctance arose in Ding Qin’s heart. This place… was like her home. She had no more family. After her parents left, she’d never lived with anyone in such close intimacy for so long. But she knew that her staying here… was meaningless.

The more she loved this place, the more she wanted to make it better, the more she should leave to gain the growth that would let her protect this place in the future.

“However, before that, we must receive a guest,” Li Chi’s gaze looked distantly toward Shuigu Town.

……

By the Shuigu Well, water vapor rose into mist, shrouding the entire bamboo grove.

The Shuigu Earth God sensed this change but paid no mind. This was Huai River Lord’s spell. Over the past two thousand four hundred-plus years, the Lord often did this—when not wanting to be disturbed, he would conceal with water mist. There was nothing worth noting.

In the mist, a steady, solid figure suddenly leapt from the well. His appearance was dignified, wearing dark yellow robes, divine light shining in his eyes, his surroundings carrying the heavy, solid aura of earth.

He stepped forward in the mist, his form suddenly vanishing. After some time, the water mist in the bamboo grove dispersed. Everything seemed no different from usual.

……

Li Manor.

The main gate was already open. The man in dark yellow robes stepped before the gate. Li Chi stood inside, already waiting.

“Congratulations, fellow daoist.”

Meng Huai laughed heartily, stepping through the gate. His voice carried both the satisfaction of leaving the well and heavy, dignified authority. “I must also thank fellow daoist.”

Old Turtle looked at this suddenly appearing man in yellow robes with surprise and doubt. He vaguely felt this person’s aura had some similarities to Huai River Lord, yet he was different from Huai River Lord in every way. Though appearances could be changed through spells, the cultivated Dao essence wouldn’t change, would it? The Lord cultivated the water Dao, but this person carried earth’s heavy aura.

Meng Huai looked at the old turtle and asked, “Do you still remember who attacked Huai River Lord’s manor?”

The old turtle looked at him hesitantly and nodded.

“Come with me,” Meng Huai said.

Old Turtle didn’t move, his gaze turning to Li Chi.

Li Chi smiled. “Go. This is an old friend of the Huai River Lord.”

Old Turtle’s vigilance dissipated as he respectfully asked, “May I ask senior’s name?”

Meng Huai choked slightly. He really hadn’t thought of a name for his avatar, nor did he intend to directly reveal his avatar to the old turtle.

“This fellow daoist’s surname is Yu…” Li Chi said slowly from the side.

Meng Huai glanced at Li Chi without refuting. He couldn’t use his original surname as his avatar’s name, or the old turtle would certainly become suspicious. Directly borrowing Yu Jian’s surname would work.

“I am Yu Gu,” Meng Huai said.

“Those cultivators who attacked the Huai River Lord’s mansion have long since scattered and left. What do you want to find them for…” The old turtle was continuing to ask when he suddenly saw that Senior Yu Gu seemed impatient. After nodding to High God Li Chi, he directly reached out to grab him.

Before the old turtle could finish speaking or resist, he was grabbed and stepped forward. After one step, he was ten thousand miles away.

Between Yu Gu’s brows was the unbridled wildness of escaping his predicament, only his upturned mouth corners revealed ice-cold intent.

Find them for what?

Though Li Chi had said those cultivators were already deep in calamity and would certainly receive karmic retribution, they had harmed his water troops. How could he, as the Huai River Lord, not retaliate?

He could let it go while still trapped in the well, but now that he was out…

Since ancient times, water gods were fierce. Since ancient times, water gods protected their own.

……

Li Chi waved his sleeve and closed the main gate, smiling. “Good, the guest has departed.”

Little Loach stared blankly at where the old turtle had disappeared, stammering, “Grandpa Turtle…”

“Don’t worry. With fellow daoist Yu Gu, he’ll be fine,” Li Chi smiled.

He held a fine thread between his fingers—a Seven Emotion Trigger obtained from Huai River Lord, representing “Joy.”

Li Chi raised his sleeve and took out the qin. Of the seven emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, desire—only hate and desire strings remained missing. But he didn’t plan to wait until all Seven Emotion Triggers were gathered before taking action.

The Shuigu Earth God had once given him gifts to thank him for resolving the Dream-Eating Tapir matter. Among them was a bundle of fine, tough spider silk obtained from the Shuigu Earth God’s guardian deity, the spider demon Qiaolu Gong who’d achieved cultivation. These two remaining empty strings could temporarily be replaced with spider silk.

In the room, the Wind Rock avatar rose with the qin on his back. Suddenly wind arose, his form transforming into wind. When he appeared again, he was already at the mountain base.

Li Manor, Liquan Village.

This body’s name—let it be Li Quan.

He looked distantly toward Liang Kingdom’s direction.

Since he awoke on Li Manor’s altar, a karmic thread had been uniquely connected to him, pointing distantly southwest. This was because he emerged through Li Manor’s altar, thus connecting a karmic thread with the Li clan’s descendants.

Since that altar was connected to him, it must bear his name from before his memory loss. Future generations of Li might not know, but the Li clan’s descendants might.

Besides this, this journey had another purpose.

The mastermind was hiding the false Xuanqing Sect in Liang.

Destroying the Xuanqing Sect, stealing skin and swapping bones, severely wounding Xuanniao, fierce poison consuming souls…

He was also willing to protect his own.