After the Great Dao Died

Chen Lingxi pushed open the door. Moonlight was falling on the old locust tree in the courtyard.

Liu Changle stood beneath the tree, his Daoist robes fluttering gently in the night breeze.

He had grown taller, his shoulders and back broader than before.

His gaze was as deep as ever, but it now held a touch more serenity and a little less hostility.

”I thought you were dead.”

Seeing Chen Lingxi, Liu Changle grinned, flashing a mouthful of white teeth.

Chen Lingxi smiled back.

Reunited at last, they were overcome with joy.

Liu Changle spoke first. ”Let’s talk inside.”

His voice was slightly deeper than before, yet still clear and resonant.They went inside and sat at the table. Chen Lingxi lit a lamp, and the flickering candlelight cast their swaying shadows against the wall.

After several months apart, Liu Changle’s aura had grown much steadier.

He sat cross-legged on a rush cushion, his back straight, his breathing long and even.

Chen Lingxi observed him closely and found, to his surprise, that he could no longer quite read Liu Changle’s cultivation.

His aura was perfectly restrained, leaking nothing. He felt like a deep pool of water—placid on the surface, yet surging with hidden currents.

Chen Lingxi didn’t pry; he simply brewed and poured him a cup of tea.

Liu Changle picked up the teacup, took a sip, and spoke without waiting for Chen Lingxi to ask. ”Several months ago, I was saved by a Daoist priest and formally joined Xuanhuo Temple in Yuanjiang Prefecture.”

Xuanhuo Temple.

Those words made Chen Lingxi raise his eyebrows slightly.

He had heard the name before, back when he used Vision Wander on Lin Suri and saw him conversing with that cultivator surnamed Chao.

The cultivator had mentioned that Xuanhuo Temple was among the various factions coveting the Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi.

”That Xuanhuo Temple is a place of immortals,” Liu Changle said, a gleam flashing in his eyes. ”There are true immortals there. Don’t think I’m crazy—I saw it with my own eyes. A Daoist master stood suspended in the air, reached out a hand, and summoned the clouds from the mountain peak right into his palm.”

”Immortal methods,” Chen Lingxi said with a nod, his expression unchanged.

Liu Changle wasn’t surprised by his lack of shock. He simply continued, ”Over these past few months, I cultivated bitterly in the temple and achieved some success.”

He paused, his gaze landing on Chen Lingxi, and said with a triumphant grin, ”So, I came specifically to rescue you.”

Chen Lingxi was slightly taken aback.

Liu Changle said, ”The temple isn’t accepting any more disciples, but we don’t have to go there. If you’re willing, I can break you out of the manor tonight and escort you to Great Zhou.”

As he spoke, he pulled a map from his sleeve and spread it out on the table.

The map was drawn with extreme precision, clearly marking out mountains, rivers, prefectures, and checkpoints.

The territories carved out by Great Li’s nineteen rebel kings were outlined in cinnabar, while Great Zhou’s borders were traced in black ink.

”Rebel kings are rising up all over Great Li now; there are wars everywhere.

”Even though the Emperor of Great Zhou is just as incompetent, the situation there is still relatively stable.

”Yuanjiang Prefecture is far from the Great Zhou border, but if we take the mountain paths and bypass the checkpoints, with my speed I can carry you on my back and reach Great Zhou territory in about twenty days.”

A surge of warmth blossomed in Chen Lingxi’s chest as he listened to Liu Changle’s words.

He had been a bondservant in the Baosu Marquis Residence for over two years and had grown accustomed to the fickleness of human nature. Even someone like Lin Longyue only ever used him.

Only Liu Changle genuinely cared about his well-being.

Suppressing his emotion, he asked, ”Changle, did your masters at Xuanhuo Temple agree to this?”

Liu Changle’s smile stiffened for a fraction of a second before returning to normal.

”Master said that to cultivate the Dao, one must follow their true heart and discard distracting thoughts; only then can one achieve the Dao fruit.” He paused, his gaze fixing on Chen Lingxi, and a very faint trace of emotion flickered through his deep eyes.

He said frankly, ”You know me, Lingxi. I have no ties left in this world. My parents, my brothers, my clansmen—they are all dead. When it comes to attachments... you are the only one left.”

”We were both official bondservants, close as brothers! Now that I am free, you are still trapped in this residence. You are my distracting thought.” His voice deepened, though every word was perfectly clear. ”Once you leave safely, I will probably be able to attain my Dao fruit.”

Chen Lingxi fell silent.

Liu Changle had spoken with absolute candor.

There was no melodrama, no choking back tears, and barely any emotional fluctuation.

He was simply stating a fact in a straightforward manner.

He might as well have been discussing today’s weather or whether it would rain tomorrow.

Yet it was exactly this candor that made the warmth in Chen Lingxi’s chest grow even stronger.

He stayed silent for a moment before reaching out. Silver Marrow blood qi flowed through him as he gently patted Liu Changle’s shoulder.

”Changle, I have secrets too.”

He had intended to reveal his blood qi to let Liu Changle know he wasn’t just a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

But the instant Chen Lingxi touched Liu Changle’s shoulder...

The Divine Chamber deep in his mind suddenly shuddered!

It was as if something had just shaken it awake from a deep slumber.

The line of golden, tadpole-like text flickered violently, the numbers jumping like crazy.

The essence replenishment progress of the Perceiving Clear Divine Ability skyrocketed from its original twenty-five percent.

Thirty percent, fifty percent... seventy percent...

Until it finally settled at seventy-four percent!

Chen Lingxi’s hand froze in midair, his pupils contracting slightly.

He was all too familiar with this kind of shift in the replenishment progress.

Back in Liujie Alley, when he touched that impossibly thick willow tree, the Perceiving Clear Divine Ability’s progress had leapt from 4.3 percent to fifty-two percent.

That willow tree was highly likely to be a Cauldron Vessel fragment or some other extraordinary object.

Now, with just a light pat on Liu Changle’s shoulder, the progress had shot from twenty-five to seventy-four percent.

It had nearly tripled.

Emotions churned inside Chen Lingxi, but his face betrayed nothing as he simply pulled his hand back.

Just what is Liu Changle’s background?

He pondered silently.

Suddenly, Chen Lingxi remembered something Liu Changle had told him a long time ago.

Back then, they were both in the servants’ quarters. Liu Changle had curled up on his broken bed, his eyes deep, and said to him...

”Lingxi, I’ve been dreaming a lot lately. I dream of a great river suspended above my head. It arches like a white rainbow piercing the sun, its mists spanning the heavens. When it flows, it feels like silver mountains collapsing and snowy peaks crumbling. It surges grandly like a million celestial soldiers marching swiftly in silence, roaring fiercely as if the earth’s axis were overturning and the very fabric of the world were quaking.”

At the time, Chen Lingxi had just assumed Liu Changle had been cooped up in the servants’ quarters for too long and was having fanciful dreams.

He hadn’t thought much of it.

But recalling those words now, a chill ran through his heart.

Such a magnificent dream, such boundless imagery...

Chen Lingxi suppressed his shock and suspicion.

Meanwhile, Liu Changle seemed completely oblivious to Chen Lingxi’s momentary lapse. Instead, he had sensed the thick, robust blood qi transmitted through Chen Lingxi’s pat.

He stood up abruptly, looking Chen Lingxi up and down in surprise.

It took several full breaths before he offered a genuine smile. ”You brat. To think that after just a few months apart, you’ve already cultivated blood qi, and your cultivation is already extraordinary. It’s practically divine speed.”

As he spoke, the smile in his eyes grew even wider.

”Then I don’t need to worry about you anymore.”

He sounded incredibly relieved.

But this relief did not last long.

A cold gleam gradually crept into Liu Changle’s deep eyes.

He said, ”Since both of us have found our own fortunate encounters, we won’t leave.”

”This Great Li Dynasty is on the verge of falling apart. Emperor Daye is incompetent and cruel, tyrannizing the people, while that venomous woman, Imperial Consort Chun, frames loyal officials using her Mirror-Listening Technique.

”Rebel kings like Xiao Changlv and Wu Mohe are glaring like hungry tigers. This world is going to fall into chaos sooner or later.”

He paced a few steps across the room, the hem of his Daoist robe brushing the bluestone floor.

He suddenly turned around, a cluster of fire dancing silently in his eyes.

”We will take our revenge together!”

His tone was absolute. ”Emperor Daye is a fool. Sooner or later, I will overturn his throne. When the time comes, I’ll be the emperor, and you will be my prime minister!”

Chen Lingxi laughed at that and shook his head. ”You certainly have grand ambitions.”

Liu Changle laughed along with him. ”My master interpreted my dream. He said I have the bearing of an emperor.”

His eyes darted over. ”Lingxi, you’ve read books on dream interpretation as well. Why don’t you interpret that surging river dream for me?”

Chen Lingxi thought back for a moment and said, ”A river suspended overhead, manifesting a white rainbow piercing the sun—that is indeed an emperor’s dream. In ancient times, before the former king of Zhou launched his uprising at the Yao River, he dreamed of a great river hanging in the sky.

”After the founding emperor of Great Li picked up the turtle shell, he too dreamed of the Heavenly River pouring backward.

”In later generations, these dreams were all interpreted as omens of a sovereign.”

Chen Lingxi looked at Liu Changle, his expression shifting slightly. ”But your dream is different from those imperial dreams.

”An emperor’s river dream usually involves the river bursting its banks and floods drowning the world, symbolizing the washing away of the old era and the establishment of a nation through martial might.”

”But in your dream, the long river arched like a white rainbow piercing the sun, its mists spanning the heavens. When it flowed, it felt like silver mountains collapsing and snowy peaks crumbling. It surged grandly like a million celestial soldiers, roaring fiercely as if the earth’s axis were overturning.”

He paused and repeated, ”A white rainbow piercing the sun, yet the water vapor did not overflow into a disaster. The river surged, yet it did not drown all living things. A million celestial soldiers marched swiftly in silence, yet no sounds of slaughter could be heard.

”This doesn’t sound like an emperor’s dream.” He looked up at Liu Changle. ”It sounds more like a dream of attaining the Dao through water.”

Liu Changle stared blankly for a moment.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly broke into a grin, his laughter ringing clear and bright.

”Attaining the Dao through water? Whether it’s an emperor’s dream or attaining the Dao, it’s a good dream either way.” He waved his hand dismissively. ”Who knows, maybe I was a river in my past life?”

Chen Lingxi shook his head slightly.

Having been apart for so long, the two of them sat close and talked at length, reminiscing about the many things that had happened in the servants’ quarters.

The candle flame flickered, pulling their shadows long and short.

Before they knew it, midnight had passed.

The sound of the night watchman’s clapper drifted in from outside the window; the third watch had arrived.

Liu Changle stood up and smoothed out his Daoist robe. ”It’s getting late. I should head back.”

He walked to the door, then turned back to look at Chen Lingxi. ”I’ll come see you again in a few days.”

Chen Lingxi stood up as well, suddenly recalling something.

He knew far more about the bizarre and extraordinary aspects of this world than Liu Changle did.

Those otherworldly cultivators, those Cauldron Vessel fragments, and the undercurrents hidden across the major and minor worlds.

Xuanhuo Temple... he mused silently.

Liu Changle was at Xuanhuo Temple. Even though he had achieved some success in his cultivation, he might not know what was really hiding there.

After all, a master willing to pass down Daoist methods might not necessarily be treating him with true sincerity.

An immortal capable of walking on air and summoning clouds with the wave of a hand might not be a benevolent figure, either.

In this world, there was no such thing as a fortunate encounter dropping from the sky for nothing.

Chen Lingxi walked over to Liu Changle and said in a low voice, ”Changle, you need to be careful. You can’t even completely trust Xuanhuo Temple.”

Liu Changle was stunned at first, but then he chuckled.

His laugh wasn’t loud, but it carried a hint of cunning as he winked at Chen Lingxi.

”Don’t worry.” He lowered his voice, his tone laced with undisguised shrewdness.

”After suffering such massive upheavals, neither of us are those ignorant boys we used to be.” He patted Chen Lingxi’s shoulder. ”I know what to trust and what not to trust.”

Chen Lingxi looked into his eyes. His deep pupils reflected the dancing candlelight, bright and composed.

He nodded and said nothing more.

Liu Changle walked to the base of the wall. With a light tap of his toes against the ground, his body shot upward. He floated lightly over the courtyard wall and vanished into the night.

Chen Lingxi stood in the courtyard for a long time, staring in the direction Liu Changle had disappeared.

After a long while, he sensed the Divine Chamber once again.

[Thorough Awakening Replenishment Progress: 74.2%]

It seems the Thorough Awakening replenishment isn’t limited to just Cauldron Vessels.

Chen Lingxi pondered silently.

It wasn’t just the Cauldron Vessel fragments, wasn’t just that mysterious willow tree, and wasn’t just Liu Changle.

Perhaps there were many other things and people in this world that could cause the Perceiving Clear Divine Ability’s replenishment progress to skyrocket.

It was just that he hadn’t come into contact with them before, so he had no way of knowing.

A simple touch is all it takes to know if something is extraordinary.

He looked up at the cold moon in the night sky, and a sudden thought popped into his head.

Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Chen Lingxi went looking for Liu Que.

Liu Que, the steward of the West Courtyard, still had the appearance of a scholar, with a pale, beardless face and gentle features.

Chen Lingxi explained his purpose for coming.

He needed to go into the city to buy some flowers and plants for flower arranging, and casually mentioned that he wanted to pick up some blood qi pills for his cultivation along the way.

Hearing this, Liu Que didn’t ask any further questions. He just nodded, instructed him to return early, and handed over a token for the side gate.

Chen Lingxi took the token, thanked him, walked through the covered corridor, and left the Marquis Residence through the side gate.

The long streets of Yuanjiang Prefecture were bustling with activity.

Steaming white flatbreads cooked on the stoves of breakfast stalls, vegetable vendors hollered at the top of their lungs, and peddlers with shoulder poles wandered through the streets and alleys shaking rattle-drums.

Chen Lingxi walked among the crowd, the Concealed Edge Method circulating within his body, tightly sealing off his aura.

He stepped into an empty alley and emerged as a dashing young master dressed in elegant clothes.

As he walked, he calculated inwardly.

The Divine Chamber is incredibly mystical. A single touch can reveal whether an object is extraordinary.

So why don’t I go browse through the major antique markets in the city?

Although Yuanjiang Prefecture couldn’t compare to the prosperity of the capital, it was still one of the most prominent prefectures in Jingji Province.

Wealthy merchants gathered here, government officials were numerous, and antique shops, pawnshops, and jade stores were scattered all over the city.

If his luck was good, he might be able to find one or two extraordinary items that had been buried in obscurity.

His mind made up, he didn’t delay any longer. He followed the long street all the way east, heading toward the largest market in the city.

Treasure Gathering Market in the east of the city was the largest antique market in Yuanjiang Prefecture.

Shops lined the market in row upon row, selling porcelain, calligraphy, paintings, jade, and bronzeware. The variety of antiques was a feast for the eyes.

Chen Lingxi started from the very first shop and went through them one by one.

From the Chen hour to the Wu hour, and from the Wu hour to the Shen hour.

The sun slid from the eastern rooftops to directly overhead, and then shifted over to the west.

Chen Lingxi walked all over Treasure Gathering Market, then visited the antique street in the west, the pawnshops in the north, and the general stores in the south.

There were six markets in Yuanjiang Prefecture, both large and small. He had practically visited every place in the city where antiques could be found.

He touched no fewer than three hundred items over an entire day before finally gaining something in an old market.

As the sun set in the west, Chen Lingxi changed his clothes and returned to the West Courtyard of the Baosu Marquis Residence.

Inside his room, Chen Lingxi was gripping a stone in his hand.

The stone was shaped like a throwing knife. Held in his palm, it was freezing to the touch, as if he were gripping a block of ice.

Its surface was perfectly smooth, as if it had been washed by river currents for millions of years until all its sharp edges were worn away.

This stone looks like an unsharpened throwing knife.

He had bought this stone for two liang of silver because, out of over three hundred antiques, curios, jades, stones, and paintings, this was the only one that caused a reaction in his replenishment progress.

The replenishment progress rose by 21%, reaching 95%.

This is enough to prove that this stone shaped like a throwing knife is absolutely no ordinary object.