Chapter 181 - 0131 Midnight Tryst

The bright moon hung in the sky, a young man standing by the shore.

A woman in a blue dress held a long pole standing on the small boat.

"Senior Sister Shi, what do you think of cultivation?"

"You’re asking me?" Shi Qingjun raised the pole, noticing the unusual expression on Xu Chang’an’s face, she said, "Let me think..."

——

What is cultivation?

Simply put, it’s the Tao.

When you’re weak, the path is extremely clear and you can follow it all the way from the Qi Refining Realm to the Open Source Realm to the Mingxin Realm... without any confusion.

But when your strength becomes formidable, the path ahead becomes complicated, and finding the correct path is more difficult than plucking the moon from the Ninth Heaven, or fishing a needle from the Star Sea.

Therefore, for Shi Qingjun, the world holds countless mysteries; even the immortals dare not claim to understand the entirety of the world, let alone the mere Qiankun Realm in today’s ruined path to the heavens where one has to explore on their own.

What’s called Qiankun is as insignificant as an ant in front of the Celestial Tribulation, or even those who can face the Celestial Tribulation and ascend against the heavens.

The stronger a person’s power, the more they feel their ignorance and insignificance.

Hence, Shi Qingjun was the first in the Chaoyun Sect to accept the idea of "immortal reincarnation." Others... even Xu Chang’an’s respected teacher did not truly regard him as an immortal reincarnation, still harbored doubts, merely impressed by his extraordinary talent.

Perhaps this precisely proves one thing.

The broader one’s view, the more one feels ignorant and naive.

Shi Qingjun was awakened by a Heart Tribulation inflicted by Xu Chang’an, and her interest in all things gradually returned, which is why she was here late at night rowing a boat as if seeking a new path like worldly experiences for introspection.

If it weren’t for the looming threat of strong enemies, she might have transferred all her cultivation to others and begun anew, searching for a new path.

Therefore, Shi Qingjun could not explain her view of cultivation to Xu Chang’an.

"I don’t know what cultivation is." Shi Qingjun paused for a moment, realizing that if someone as perceptive as Xu Chang’an needed to ponder such issues... it should be part of his worldly experience for introspection.

She continued, "Junior Brother, if I understood, I would not have coughed up blood earlier, losing a tenth of my cultivation in vain."

Xu Chang’an, hearing this, thought that made sense.

Shi Qingjun was injured in the Illusion Realm within her Inner Realm, and her Mental Realm cultivation was insufficient.

As a senior sister, asking her for guidance certainly wouldn’t be as insightful as those seniors like his teacher.

"I was just casually asking, Senior Sister, don’t mind it," Xu Chang’an coughed lightly, casually said, "What brings Senior Sister to Celestial Bright Peak? Isn’t the lake at Muyu Peak more lively?"

"Did you not already guess that I’m not a disciple of Muyu Peak?" Shi Qingjun shook her head. "Moreover, I’m not accustomed to crowded places, and..."

Shi Qingjun looked at Xu Chang’an.

"And?"

"It’s nothing." Shi Qingjun couldn’t say that she came to Celestial Bright Peak because of the immortal reincarnation.

After thinking for a moment, she felt that since Xu Chang’an asked about cultivation, she couldn’t remain completely silent.

"Junior Brother, ’Wu,’ used to mean stopping fighting, and cultivation is similar... therefore, in the Chaoyun Sect, there are people who cultivate to become useful, which is the meaning of cultivation."

"I know." Xu Chang’an nodded, that was one aspect.

There’s another more common one.

Shi Qingjun continued, "Some cultivate to become stronger, to pursue power."

Xu Chang’an’s reason for cultivating was precisely for this.

Demon Race, natural disasters, human peril.

In this place filled with the Demon Race, whether one can cultivate or enter the Immortal Sect, the meaning of it cannot be explained in mere words.

As Xu Chang’an asked about the meaning of cultivation, Shi Qingjun naturally thought of immortals; she was not an immortal and didn’t know the "Tao" in an immortal’s eyes, however... ancient texts did record events before the ascension of immortals.

So, Shi Qingjun looked deeply at Xu Chang’an before saying, "Junior Brother, what do you think of... demons."

"Demons?" Xu Chang’an shook his head. "That depends on whether it’s a demon-slaying task or something else."

Xiaohua on Muyu Peak was a demon.

Xu Chang’an felt that compared to race, the "good and evil" standing from one’s own perspective had more significance.

"Records show that from the First Year of the Calendar, demons were not allowed to exist for ten thousand years, before the Daoist Master resolved calamities at San Yuan Wu La down the mountain, and thereafter during Ascension Era, Sword Immortals wielding Celestial Mirror slew twelve hundred miles of evil." Shi Qingjun said, "According to the books, the Demon Race is our enemy, every ascended immortal has driven out demons, enough to reveal the irreparable nature and inherent wickedness of demons, definitely not those who habituate kindness."

Xu Chang’an quickly understood what Shi Qingjun wanted to convey.

Undoubtedly, in ordinary people’s eyes, immortality is the endpoint of cultivation, thus allowing reasoning to push back the significance of demon eradication based on the actions of those at this endpoint.

"So, the Human Race cultivates to eliminate demons?" Xu Chang’an blinked.

If that was the meaning of cultivation, then for him it truly held no meaning.

"I don’t know." Shi Qingjun responded, "But throughout history, every Human Race immortal has eradicated demons, conversely... demon immortals also kill humans, these should all have meaning."

Any recorded immortal has eradicated demons without exception.

Therefore...

Shi Qingjun felt if Xu Chang’an truly was an immortal reincarnation, then before his ascension, he certainly would have massively slain the Demon Race.

The frequency of blinking increased significantly.

Shi Qingjun thought of Xu Chang’an’s closeness with the Li Hua cat, saying, "Junior Brother... really doesn’t dislike demonic creatures."

"Senior Sister means Xiaohua? I like it very much." Xu Chang’an said.

"These words coming from Junior Brother sound rather strange." Shi Qingjun blinked.

An immortal liking demons.

It’s hard not to find it strange.

"Really?" Xu Chang’an felt that he indeed couldn’t converse effectively with the typical Immortal Sect, as they always speak in grand terms which leave him feeling disconnected.

"Rowing a boat is quite interesting." Shi Qingjun suddenly smiled, "The flowers Junior Brother recommended are also interesting, this might also be a form of cultivation."

"As long as Senior Sister likes it." Xu Chang’an shook his head, he had bought a bottle of spiritual liquid cheaply and owed Shi Qingjun a favor.

"So, cultivation might be very simple." Shi Qingjun pushed the small boat, gently flicked her pole, and drifted away.

Her voice carried across the lake.

"Cultivation is doing what you believe is right."

——

This was the most irrefutable answer she could think of.

Who knows why Xu Chang’an reincarnated? So, no one can provide him an answer, to avoid interfering with his worldly cultivation and concluding badly, thus throwing the question back to Xu Chang’an was fitting.

"Doing... what I believe is right." Xu Chang’an paused, watching Shi Qingjun’s small boat sail away, his lips curled into a smile.

How coincidental.

All he’s been doing is what he believes is right.

Everything is for cultivation.

Was this like... being awakened from a dream with a single remark?

Yun Qian liked desserts, thus to her, eating desserts was more important than cultivation; eating desserts for Yun Qian was doing what was right.

Yet.

Within Miss Yun’s heart, there were things that surpassed desserts.

He turned his head and saw Yun Qian in a nightgown standing under the tree, looking from afar, her gaze shifting from Shi Qingjun drifting away towards him.

——

Night, the moon bright and breeze gentle.

Wife sound asleep.

Husband ventured out.

Meeting a maiden by the lakeside.

——

Yun Qian wondered if this could be the... rendezvous mentioned in the books?