Chapter 70: The Art of Empty Vessel, Bereft of Self |
“Could it be that there has never been a single Sage capable of integrating the strengths of all schools into one?” Li Shun asked in astonishment.
Lao Wei let out a faint chuckle and shook his head. He was just about to answer when something seemed to cross his mind. The smile on his face gradually faded.
As though he had fallen into distant memories, his gaze slowly turned murky.
After a long while, he finally cast an almost imperceptible glance toward the heavens above and spoke in a low, distant tone:
“If there truly exists someone in this world most likely to encompass all schools, then it could only be the Qian Emperor. Unfortunately…”
His voice stopped abruptly there.
“Does Senior know what realm the Sages of the Hundred Schools stand in?” Li Shun pressed further.
“The Hundred Schools are not such that every school possesses a Sage. A true Sage can stir the boundless might of heaven and earth with every gesture. The world reverently refers to such beings as those of the ‘Heaven-Earth Realm.’”
“Sages of this world were already exceedingly rare to begin with. After the Four Sages entered the capital and vanished without a trace, those worthy of being called Sage became even fewer.”
“You may leave now. This old man has spoken far too much today. I’m tired.”
Li Shun could only bow and withdraw.
Yet just as he was about to step out of the small courtyard, he suddenly spoke again:
“Forgive this junior’s boldness, but may I ask Senior’s honored name?”
Lao Wei did not conceal it, replying calmly:
“This old man is Wei Wuqi.”
“Wei Wuqi…” Li Shun silently repeated the name within his heart.
Yet in the very next instant, Wei Wuqi’s cold, ghostly voice drifted over:
“When there is no need, do not repeatedly recite another person’s name in your heart. This old man values his peace and hates being disturbed.”
Li Shun’s heart instantly jolted with alarm.
The meaning behind those words was unmistakable. If someone repeatedly chanted his name within their mind, Wei Wuqi could actually sense it across empty space!
“Lao Wei doesn’t seem like the sort who jokes. What realm has he reached to possess such a terrifying ability? Creation? Heaven-Earth?”
“He could even detect the time reversal of Threefold Self-Reflection, meaning he should stand above the Creation Realm. But if he truly is a Heaven-Earth Realm expert, why would he remain within this Imperial Mausoleum? And for several thousand years at that?” Countless questions arose within Li Shun’s mind.
Unfortunately, Wei Wuqi gave him no further chance to seek answers.
As the somewhat weathered wooden door silently shut tight behind him, the order for him to leave had already been made clear.
Heavy with thoughts, Li Shun returned to his own courtyard, reorganizing the chaotic events of recent days within his mind.
“The second reflection is about to end. I need to make preparations in advance.”
“Jiang Chongguang, Shentu Xin, the Heavenly Being Codex…”
“In the end, my cultivation is still far too weak. There is simply no flawless method to break this deadlock. I can only ensure my own safety while trying to seize as many benefits as possible.”
June 17th.
Li Shun closed his doors to visitors and remained within the courtyard without taking a single step outside, quietly preparing for the arrival of the final reflection.
As the day neared its end, that incomparably familiar and profoundly reassuring mysterious fluctuation surged through his heart like a rising tide.
“I Examine Myself Thrice Each Day.”
The vast, resonant voice echoed between heaven and earth, reversing everything once more.
And this time…
It would become the irrevocable reality.
“We’ve finally been waiting for your arrival!”
Beneath the cold moonlight, the voice of Deputy Town Magistrate Zheng Zhi drifted faintly from the stone steps of the mountain path.
Li Shun gazed into the silent Dongshan Town in the distance and drew a deep breath.
“This operation must be handled with the utmost caution. Not a single mistake can be allowed.”
Everything proceeded step by step according to plan.
After entering the town, they subdued the riot incited by Li Qing without shedding a drop of blood. Once the two brothers reunited and acknowledged one another, Li Shun once again found Xiao Yuan’s clay effigie and paid his respects in silence.
Afterward, guided by Li Qing, Li Shun was brought before Wei Wuqi once more.
When Wei Wuqi again snapped off that withered branch for Li Shun, he paused ever so slightly.
This momentary hesitation was even more obvious than during the second self-reflection. Even Li Qing, who stood nearby attending them, noticed something unusual, a trace of suspicion flashing through his eyes.
Yet Lao Wei said nothing. He still handed the sword branch over to Li Shun.
That very night, before the black shadow that harvested lifespan descended upon the Imperial Mausoleum.
Li Shun quietly arrived outside Wei Wuqi’s courtyard under the cover of darkness.
“This junior has come as agreed, seeking a method to avoid the tribulation,” he said softly.
The courtyard gates suddenly swung open.
“Came here in response to an agreement…”
Lao Wei was still polishing that slender sword branch. As he repeated those four words under his breath, his movements suddenly came to a halt.
Then, without warning, he tossed the sword branch toward Li Shun.
Li Shun hurriedly caught it.
“What do you feel?” Wei Wuqi asked.
Li Shun examined it for quite some time, yet he could not sense anything unusual about the branch in his hand.
It seemed to be nothing more than an utterly ordinary piece of wood, the kind that could be found anywhere.
Li Shun slowly shook his head.
“What about now…” Wei Wuqi’s tone abruptly changed.
In that split second, Li Shun felt his soul violently tremble. It was as though an invisible and overwhelming force had forcibly stripped him away from the world itself. The myriad phenomena of heaven and earth around him all faded into emptiness, leaving behind only himself and that lifeless branch suspended before his eyes.
The withered bark of the branch showed no visible change whatsoever, yet Li Shun could clearly sense a suffocating, chilling killing intent surging forth from within the dead wood.
This killing intent was completely different from the one he had sensed from the Heavenly Being Codex stone statue.
It was not directed solely at him.
Nor was it “killing” in the conventional sense.
Rather, it resembled an objective law of heaven and earth.
As though Li Shun was fated to die in the first place, and the branch before him merely happened to be the executor of that destiny.
The branch did not move, yet Li Shun had already witnessed his own death.
He even saw the scene of his body being pierced through by it before collapsing helplessly to the ground.
Moments later, agonizing pain truly spread outward from his chest.
“Hah…”
The vision abruptly shattered. Li Shun broke free from the illusion and returned to reality.
It felt as though he had personally experienced death once already. Cold sweat drenched his forehead as he instinctively gasped for breath.
By now, the branch had already returned to Lao Wei’s hand. The old man silently watched Li Shun, seemingly waiting for his answer.
Li Shun continuously replayed the experience in his mind.
From beginning to end, the branch had remained the same branch. Nothing about it had changed.
Yet the killing intent surrounding it had completely vanished, no matter how hard he tried to sense it now.
Li Shun was certain that the sword branch’s killing intent still existed.
Recalling the changes before and after, a thought suddenly dawned upon him.
“Using the appearance of harmlessness to conceal the reality of certain death?”
“Not entirely accurate, but you’ve already touched the threshold.” Wei Wuqi finally stopped being cryptic.
“The method I intend to pass on to you is called [Empty Vessel, Bereft of Self].”
“When a boat crosses a river and an empty vessel drifts into it, even an ill-tempered man would not become angry. Human fury, vigilance, and wariness all arise in response to conscious hostility. But if the other party is merely an objective law, then there is nothing to detect in advance.”
“As for the so-called bereft of self, it means erasing all attachments, such as the desire to live or the intent to kill, and becoming one with the natural flow of heaven and earth. When heaven reclaims the lifespan of others, why would it reclaim its own?” Wei Wuqi calmly explained the profound mysteries of this evasive art.
“However, this method is not without flaws. Once cultivated, it cannot be stopped. In other words…”
“You either never disguise yourself at all, or you maintain the disguise for an entire lifetime. The moment you make a move, all the effort accumulated over countless years of cultivation will be reduced to nothing. You would have to start over from the very beginning.”
“And you… are still willing to learn it?” Wei Wuqi asked.
“This junior is willing.” Li Shun answered without the slightest hesitation.