Although the waves continued crashing for a while, they eventually had to calm down. The aftershocks drifted towards the center of the river and gradually disappeared.
Hu Yun didnāt truly escape back to the city at this time. For one, being on the shore gave Hu Yun some sense of security. Second, he felt that, although the Old Turtle was angry, the fierce waves just now hadnāt targeted him or the black carp.
The red fox now felt very guilty. He more or less understood that what Ji Yuan had said on the platform on Niu Kui Mountain had been absolutely extraordinary, but he really didnāt remember much of it. He could only recall the general idea of the subsequent conversation between Mr. Ji and Lu Shan Jun.
āDonāt be angry. Iāll see if I can ask Mr. Ji again next time, and then come back and tell you!ā
Hu Yunās words made the Old Turtle even more sullen, but at least he had calmed down a lot. He shook his head and looked at the red fox, his voice dripping emotion.
āThe Dharma is not passed on lightly. Things can only be done once, and never repeated. No matter how benevolent Mr. Ji is, you will get no results if you ask him again. If you have reached a certain level of cultivation and have follow-up questions about the teachings, there is a chance that you might be able to go back and askā¦ā
The Old Turtle lowered his head down to the river and sighed. He had now calmed down.
āActually, itās not too bad that itās like this. If you had really told me what was said on that platform, it could be considered as me stealing someone elseās skills, which is a big taboo. Youā¦ā
The Old Turtle only looked up when he had reached this point in his speech, and the rest of his words were stuck in his throat: he suddenly found that there was a person standing behind the red fox.
The visitor had a slender figure with loose hair. He wore no hat nor belt, only a black jade hairpin to hold up his hair. He had a plain face with no beard, showing his age. His gray eyes were slightly open. One hand was held beside his back, while the other hand hung at his side. He was dressed in a white robe that faintly glowed in the moonlight.
He just stood there calmly, and as the breeze blew by, dust and leaves flew past.
Feeling the Old Turtleās gaze, Hu Yun also turned his head carefully and saw Ji Yuan standing behind him.
āMr. Ji! When did youā¦ get hereā¦ā
The red fox was not half embarrassed and half obviously relieved. The surprise in the first half of his speech faded away to a weaker second half.
However, Ji Yuan ignored him and looked at the old turtle on the river.
The Old Turtle was stunned for a moment. With a jolt, he came to his senses and hurriedly paddled closer to the shore. With the crashing of water, he slowly climbed onto the bank step by step.
Then the giant turtle pushed up with his front legs, lifting his body onto its back feet and using its tail as a stabilizer, while his front feet were raised high in front of him to either side, as if he were bowing.
āThe Old Turtle Wu Chong
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greets Mr. Ji!ā
The Old Turtle was far more nervous than Hu Yun. He didnāt know when this person in front of him had arrived. Perhaps he was already here when he had asked Hu Yun about the sermon atop the platform. When he had this thought, the old turtleās heart stuttered in fear.
Ji Yuan nodded, and politely returned the Old Turtleās greeting.
āMy name is Ji Yuan. You have heard some stories about me, so I wonāt introduce myself further.ā
Ji Yuan looked at the Old Turtle. Since it was impossible for a turtleās back to bend, he naturally couldnāt bend over to bow, so he tried his best to pull his neck down as far as possible.
This scene looked very funny, but no one present, from Ji Yuan to Hu Yun to the big black carp in the river, could laugh. Had it been a day ago, perhaps Hu Yun would have laughed out loud, but now he didnāt feel like he could.
The Old Turtle waited until Ji Yuan had accepted his greeting before slowly putting his feet back down. He made very little noise landing upon the ground, fearing that a loud noise would offend the other party. Then he stood there quietly, not daring to speak, waiting for the man in front of him to speak first.
The big black carp had already swum to the shore, blowing bubbles from time to time in the water. Hu Yun nervously looked at Ji Yuan and then at the Old Turtle. After hesitating for a moment, he opened his mouth to break the deadlock.
āMr. Ji, you can see how difficult it is for this Old Turtle to cultivate, how aboutā¦ā
In the past, Hu Yun might have directly asked if he could talk about what had been said on the platform that night, but now he didnāt dare to do so, particularly since he had completely forgotten āXiaoyao Youā was was afraid of being rebuked by Mr. Ji.
Jiyuan looked sideways at the red fox.
āDo you want to help him? You Master Fox Immortal Hu Yun, are so capable, why donāt you help this old turtle yourself?ā
Hu Yun didnāt dare to speak anymore. Although he was ignorant before, he had still never dared to make random requests in front of Mr. Ji. This time he spoke up, particularly under such tense circumstances, one could only conclude that he felt indeed felt a bit sorry for the old turtle.
After Ji Yuan finished speaking, he continued to look at the Old Turtle. With his supernatural eyes wide open, the Old Turtleās aura was clearly visible in his vision. The water Qi in his body was more abundant than before, particularly in the Old Turtleās back, which actually held some hidden Gong hexagram patterns
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of the path of divination.
āItās true that it is not easy for you to practice, but over the years, your obsessions have grown more and more severe. You have relied on your own spiritual powers, spent countless efforts, and wasted hundreds of years, but in the end, all your plans have failed. Your spiritual power has grown, but your practice has stagnated. You have committed fewer evil acts and taken fewer lives, but you are still full of resentment. Your spiritual platform has ruined your character. It is quite lamentable!ā
Having said this, Ji Yuan thought of some things he had asked Bai Qi before, and asked the old turtle another question.
āHow are you doing with the the training technique the white flood dragon gave you?ā
The Old Turtle was uneasy when he heard Ji Yuanās initial judgment, but now he was even more shocked at this question. Mr. Ji also knew about this matter?
But since he was asked, he naturally did not dare to lie.
āTo reply to Mr. Ji, I have been diligently practicing the refining techniques given to me by Master River God. I have not dared to slack off in the past six years. I have occasionally felt a burning sensation in my bones and muscles, but nothing elseā¦ā
As an old turtle with a long lifespan, he naturally did not lack patience. Although the effect of this cultivation method was not satisfactory, there was still hope. The one thing he was afraid of was that, although there might be hope, he wouldnāt be able to achieve success before his lifespan ended.
Ji Yuan looked up and down at the giant turtle again, observing the changes in its aura. During this entire process, the Old Turtle glanced carefully at Ji Yuanās eyes. He obviously did not make eye-contact with those calm, pale eyes, but he nonetheless had the feeling that they could see through everything.
Ji Yuan took a closer look at the Old Turtle a few times, then realized that Hu Yun, the Old Turtle, and the big black carp all seemed a little nervous. Suddenly, he smiled. His smile was like a gust of wind that instantly dissipated most of the pressure.
āOld Turtle Wu Chong, you have helped many mortals over the years. It seems that you want them to help you in return after they have achieved success. So why canāt they help you immediately? The evil energy in your body has something to do with this, right?ā
Hearing this, the old turtleās expression fell slightly, but he did not avoid answering.
āFortune-telling is easy, but itās difficult to predict peopleās hearts. I am just an old turtle who is good at divining. I cannot overturn seas or turn stones into gold. My spiritual power has limits, and there are boundaries to supernatural powers. However, the desires in peopleās hearts are boundless. I, an old turtle, have always had bad luck. I often trust the wrong people. It seems as though I was dealt a good hand, but as time goes by, I often suffer bad consequences and karma. Alasā¦ā
The Old Turtle sighed and continued.
āNow I have given up this approach.ā
The Old Turtle was particularly sensitive to the good and bad fortune of people and monsters. Especially after meeting Hu Yun, he had a much deeper sense of this, and he himself was often the one with bad luck.
Ji Yuan looked thoughtful for a long time, before he smiled and said.
āHaha, how about this? Whenever Huiyuan Academy is closed, a scholar surnamed Yin will come here to read to this big black carp. If you donāt mind the scholarās young age and little knowledge, you can also sit in on the lecture. How about it?ā
There was a flash of ecstasy in the Old Turtleās eyes, and not a single thought of rejection or disgust whatsoever.
He knew very well that this was definitely a rare opportunity, and one that might be even greater than he imagined. This was definitely the legendary āImmortal Guidance.ā
āMy luck is changing!ā
The Old Turtle couldnāt suppress his joy at the thought.
Unlike Hu Yun, that ungrateful fox, the old turtle seized every opportunity and couldnāt help but stand up again and bow repeatedly.
āThank you Mr. Ji for your guidance, thank you Mr. Ji for your guidance!ā
āIām not giving you this without anything in return.ā
Ji Yuanās words only made the Old Turtle pause for a moment, but he still continued thanking him profusely, and promised that he would do whatever he wanted within his power.
āThereās no need to go through fire and water.
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As the years go by, choose some of the stories of the people you have helped that have left a deep impression on you, recall them carefully, and recount them for me whenever you have the time.ā
Ji Yuan said with a smile. He walked slowly towards the river, looking at the big black carp that had been leaning against the riverbank in the water.
When the black carp saw Ji Yuan walking to the waterās edge to look at it, it quickly waved its fins and blew bubbles from its mouth, as if to greet Ji Yuan.
āBo boā¦ Boā¦ā
Unfortunately, no matter how long its fins were, they could not touch each other, so it was impossible for it to perform a formal greeting or bow.
āAlthough you, big black carp, have not yet refined your horizontal bone, I found you pleasing to the eye when I saw you those years ago. I believe you do not yet have a name, so why donāt you call yourself Luo Biqing
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from now on!ā
Ji Yuan didnāt know whether the big black carp was male or female,
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and he hadnāt done any research on determining the gender of fish. Some animalsā genders could be distinguished by their yin and yang energies; aquatic creatures were mostly yin-dominated,
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so even if there were differences between males and females, there were no other big black carps for Ji Yuan to compare to.
The name Luo Biqing could be both male and female. If one day in the future the big black carp cultivated to the point of achieving human transformation, it could be used either way.
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āSplashā¦ Splashā¦ā
The big black carp spun happily several times in the water by the shore, continuously popping bubbles from its mouth.
After listening to what the Old Turtle said before, the big black carp knew that being named by a master like Ji Yuan must mean that its fate was not ordinary.
Now the Old Turtle also became enthusiastic, and he looked to Ji Yuan with a pair of huge eyes full of expectation. Even Hu Yun could read the words āplease give me a nameā from that strong gaze.
Ji Yuan was also somewhat speechless. His pair of calm eyes looked on at the Old Turtle in indifference.
āWhy, donāt you already have a name?ā
The Old Turtle was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly became dejected.
āI doā¦ā
The Old Turtle cursed himself thousands of times in his heart. Why did he give himself a name? Why did he pretend to be a common scholar? Would he have died without a name? Either way, everyone had called him āOld Turtleā for so many years, so it didnāt make any difference whether he already had a name.
āAhā¦ donāt be envious, you should be content! ā
Ji Yuan shook his head and looked towards the river. There was a huge winding white shadow lurking at the bottom of the water. He bowed with cupped hands in its direction, then strolled back towards the pier.
Hu Yun hesitated for a moment then hurried to follow. The Old Turtle and the big black carp knew that it was not suitable for them to follow him as well, so they did not move.
T/n: Happy 200 chapters!!! š
ä¹ (wÅ«): black, å“ (chĆ³ng): high/esteemed/sublime, he named himself Esteemed Black-backed Turtle
The specific patterns mentioned are 巩宫 (gĒnggÅng), which seems to mayyyybe indicate the 61st hexagram āCenter Returningā or āinner truth,ā or could also relate to a water god.
i.e. go to extremes/suffer extreme hardship
ē½ (luĆ³): to collect/to gather, ē¢§ (bƬ): jade/blue, é (qÄ«ng): black/blue/green/young ā> most likely Gathering Black Jade
Because Chinese is a non-pronoun language, I have been defaulting unknowingly to the male pronouns. I will be using āit/itsā from now on for the carp. Sorry about the confusion.
Women have more Yin (connection with the moon) and men have more Yang, but if you remember, water is the most Yin element there is, so you canāt use this method
T/n: !!! heck yes, I want the carp to cultivate into a non-binary friend please. Imagine a shiny non-binary carp mermaid š