Chapter 00290: The Normalcy of the Mortal Realm
# The Normalcy of the Mortal Realm
Chapter 290
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 290: The Normalcy of the Mortal Realm
After listening, Wen Daolun nodded.
Tongkao then went to Qingxiang and took several puffs before reluctantly returning to the wooden house at the bottom of the sea.
Wen Daolun said with a serious expression, “No wonder you didn’t feel anything. She simply cannot enter your Sea of Consciousness.”
“Why is that?”
“The Sea of Consciousness in a person has some innate defenses to repel outside intrusions. My Tongkao may look young, but in reality, her yin age exceeds three hundred years. It is easy for her to infiltrate another’s Sea of Consciousness.” There was curiosity in Wen Daolun's eyes. “But she told me that the outer layer of your Sea of Consciousness is completely a maze. She took several wrong turns and almost couldn’t find her way out.”
“A maze?” This answer was beyond He Lingchuan’s expectations. “She can’t force her way in?”
“Do you want her to force her way in?” Wen Daolun laughed. “What if she disturbs your Sea of Consciousness? You might end up becoming a fool.”
Then how to explain the last time when the Celestial God intruded? He Lingchuan truly felt overwhelmed and exhausted afterward, wanting nothing more than to lie down and sleep for three days and nights.
But he was certain he hadn’t become foolish.
At least he hoped so.
Could this mean he was quite durable?
“Tongkao also mentioned that this layer of barriers is very tough, and with her skills, she still couldn’t break through. Moreover, she vaguely sensed that if she tried to use force, the consequences could be severe.” Wen Daolun leaned back. “What techniques have you practiced?”
He Lingchuan listed them one by one, and Wen Daolun promptly said, “Given your age and cultivation level, that couldn’t possibly be a barrier you created on your own. The one behind the scenes doesn't want to expose your true fate. So—”
“Your blessings are profound, but may also be a manufactured facade.” He exhaled lightly. “This situation where body and soul have separate fates is truly rare.”
“The fate of the body and the soul… is different?” He Lingchuan felt a strange chill run down his back, as this was exactly his current predicament!
“A person’s fortune is limited. One cannot always walk the path of good luck. The backlash must be borne by your fate, which is referred to as ‘external accumulation leading to internal destruction,’ or ‘external blessings bring internal misfortune!’” Wen Daolun elaborated thoughtfully. “Day by day, stacking blessings into misfortunes will eventually lead to an explosion—this is called ‘the inability to enjoy one’s blessings!’”
He Lingchuan stroked his chin and asked, “If Tongkao couldn’t break into my Sea of Consciousness, how can you say that I face such external blessings and internal misfortunes just based on inference?”
“Isn’t there a couplet to consider?” Wen Daolun chuckled, “Of course, the most important thing is, you are not an exception. This situation is rare, but I’ve seen it once before.”
He Lingchuan blurted out, “Who?”
Wen Daolun shook his head. “It has nothing to do with you.”
He didn’t elaborate, and no one could force him to.
He Lingchuan felt frustrated, sighed, “If there is calamity, you must at least tell me how to alleviate it, right?”
“After the calamity of heaven and earth, fate is not only defined by the heavens but can also be grasped in your own hands.”
He Lingchuan immediately recalled the old turtle’s words: “There is no such ending called predestined fate.” But what he needed now was a solution, a solution!
“Then let’s see: think of a character, and I’ll help you break it down.” Wen Daolun moved things off the low table and placed a cup of water in front of He Lingchuan. “Just the first character you can think of, don’t think too deeply!”
He wanted He Lingchuan to subconsciously find the first character for himself to analyze.
Since Wen Daolun said so, He Lingchuan didn’t think much, dipped his finger in the water, and held it in the air for just a moment before dropping it onto the wooden table, forming a few strokes.
That character was—
Courage!
He Lingchuan really didn’t think much, just wrote from the heart.
If he truly faced calamity, he thought this might be the character he needed most.
Wen Daolun stroked his beard and praised, “A promising youth. Are you a patrol guard or have you already joined the Great Wind Army?”
“Patrol guard,” He Lingchuan said earnestly, “I’m working hard to join the Great Wind Army.”
“Good, good.” Wen Daolun extended his hand and also wrote the character “勇” (Courage) on the low table. “This is your ‘courage’ character, and if you remove the ‘力’ (strength) from the bottom, it becomes ‘甬’ (Yong). This character has two meanings: one is the handle of a large bell, meaning that others must go through you to ring the bell, whether by hanging it or hitting it; the second is a restricted pathway with high walls on both sides that can only be traversed by you for the easiest route.”
Upon hearing this, He Lingchuan muttered, “Making a wedding gown for others?”
Didn’t this correspond with the old turtle’s couplet?
“‘甬’ can also add a ‘立人’ (man standing) beside it, becoming ‘俑’ (yong), which means figurine.” There just happened to be a clay boy figurine on the shelf behind Wen Daolun.
He turned and picked it up, placing it on the low table.
The boy figurine was not very exquisite, dressed either in red or green.
He Lingchuan looked at the exaggerated and hypocritical smile on its face and instinctively shuddered.
“The meaning of the figurine, I needn’t explain, right?”
Sun Fuqing said softly from the side, “A fine ‘body is like a cage.’”
“But the premise of both of these characters is that the ‘力’ in your ‘勇’ is taken away.” Wen Daolun said softly, “This ‘力’ character may just be your opportunity.”
Only powerful strength is the sole way to change one’s fate.
This principle seems to apply in any world.
He Lingchuan dipped his finger in the water and wrote the character ‘力’ (strength) on the table.
After looking at it for a while, he cleared his throat and said, “Then the ‘甬’ character can also add the bottom part ‘走’ (to walk) and the three dots of water, yielding ‘通’ (to communicate) and ‘涌’ (to surge).”
As his strength grows, will there be other means of avoiding calamity before he becomes strong enough?
Wen Daolun retorted, “What do you think?”
“Could these two characters be combined?” He Lingchuan mused, “Do you mean for me to walk away at the sight of water?”
“Perhaps.” Wen Daolun chuckled. “I said, after the calamity of heaven, the numbers of fate are no longer precise, your destiny…”
“Predestined yet undecided.” He Lingchuan even answered back. “I understand now.”
This time, in seeking answers, he felt he had understood, yet not completely.
It seemed that both the old turtle and Wen Daolun enjoyed being enigmatic, perhaps even they only partially understood or maybe such matters cannot be clearly explained.
Wen Daolun stopped speaking at that point.
Unbeknownst to where, he pulled out a compact chessboard and turned to Sun Fuqing, “Miss Sun, shall we have a game of chess?”
Sun Fuqing readily replied, “Sure! What will you wager this time, Mr. Wen?”
Wen Daolun nearly choked, and after a long pause, he said, “Last time was just careless.”
Sun Fuqing remained unmoving: “If you lose, you must come to the Shuming Academy to teach five classes.”
“Two classes.” Wen Daolun shook his head. “I don’t have that much time.”
The two bargained and finally settled for three classes.
Of course, if Sun Fuqing lost, she would not need to pay anything.
What sort of status did Wen Daolun have to demand a stake from a younger generation?
He Lingchuan had no love for playing chess, forcing himself to watch for a moment before feeling drowsy.
When Sun Fuqing tugged at his sleeve, the carriage also returned to Longpan City: “We have arrived.”
He Lingchuan immediately woke up. “Did Mr. Wen lose again?”
Wen Daolun’s beard was bristling, but he did not deny it.
Indeed, he had lost again, and even more miserably than the last time.
“You’re so young, your chess skills are really…” He sighed. “It reminds me of someone.”
He Lingchuan asked, “Who?”
“The beloved daughter of Lord Zhong.” After Wen Daolun finished speaking, he got out of the carriage and stood on the ground, stretching.
In fact, a personal guard had already reported along the way that the monster below the God Descending Platform had escaped and was not captured.
He Lingchuan simply told Wen Daolun the strange things regarding the old woman, and then said, “I have no evidence, just speculating randomly, providing it for Mr. Wen’s consideration.”
Wen Daolun listened intently without interrupting, nodding after he heard it all, “This information is useful, thank you.”
Alas, another meeting was about to begin, and Wen Daolun hurried back.
A large group of people followed him out as well.
The cold wind in the south gate plaza made Sun Fuqing wrap her outerwear tightly.
Having just stepped down from the spring-like warmth of the carriage, she felt a bit out of place.
He Lingchuan noticed this and said, “Shall we go home?”
After speaking, he himself was slightly taken aback.
Yet, this sentence had no issues; their homes were side by side.
Sun Fuqing seemed unaware, nodding vigorously, “Mm-mm!”
Just as they were about to climb onto their hired carriage, Sun Fuqing suddenly asked him, “I noticed your expression has been off all day. Did something happen?”
He Lingchuan instinctively replied, “Nothing.” This girl was too perceptive; he thought he had concealed it well.
Sun Fuqing immediately halted, looking at him sideways: “Speak about it. Suffering alone in Longpan City is not a wise way to go.”
He finally sighed, “I just lost a comrade… a good comrade.”
Mao Tao had sacrificed himself, and he hadn’t even had time to burn a few joss papers for this loyal subordinate.
Moreover, apart from himself, it seemed no one cared about this matter or this person.
From the moment he was buried beneath the yellow earth, that name had been blown away with the wind.
Sun Fuqing gently pressed on his wrist, the warmth of her palm seeped through, “The world is unpredictable; life and death are normal.”
She did not ask which comrade it was; in Longpan City, parting life and death were the norms.
He Lingchuan nodded; what else could he think?
She asked again, “Did you release the lotus lantern?”
“What?” He didn’t understand.
“Follow me.”
Sun Fuqing pulled him to a narrow street beside the plaza, where a few households had their doors open, making it unclear if they were shops or residences.
These street-side residences had the geographic advantage, easily setting up stalls at their courtyard doors to conduct business.
Sun Fuqing selected one and walked over, saying, “I want to buy an ice lantern.”
This shop appeared to sell sundries.
Upon hearing her request, the shopkeeper turned and walked into the yard, and before long, he returned with a bundle of ice lanterns tied with straw ropes.
The ice lanterns were shaped like blooming lotus flower bases, about the size of a bowl, exquisitely carved, even with patterns etched onto the petals.
Inside the lotus core was a small candle, only a third the length of a pinky finger.
Sun Fuqing paid for it, lifting the lantern as she walked outside: “The lanterns made by this shopkeeper are of the best craft.”
Just outside was the plaza, home to a lake whose waters had not frozen; He Lingchuan could see plump fish lazily swimming.
Sun Fuqing handed him the ice lantern, “As long as you place it in the lake, the hot springs below will push it out.”
The sun had set, and dusk was quickly descending.
He Lingchuan took a fire starter and lit the candle, murmuring a few phrases while gently placing the lantern into the water.
(End of this chapter)