In the Ascension Hall, Season Wuyou stared at the divine beast standing proudly before him, then lowered his head to read the jade talisman in his hand for the fourth time.
This… this was for real!
A direct order from the Grand Master!
This seemingly ordinary jade talisman retained such profound Dao resonance that its very material had undergone a kind of sublimation!
Season Wuyou shouted: “Quick! To arrange a pen for Senior Baize!”
The elders in the hall, Li Changshou standing to the side, and little Ling’e all fell silent.
Baize’s elegant face nearly collapsed into a donkey’s visage.
“Sect Leader,” an elder hurriedly reminded him, “Living quarters—arrange living quarters!”
“Ahem, ahem! Right! Arrange living quarters for Senior Baize!”
Season Wuyou hastily made a Daoist salute, “Senior, please forgive me. My Dao’s heart was too stirred for a moment, I couldn’t contain myself, after all, this is a direct order from the Grand Master.”
The auspicious beast frowned at Li Changshou, recalling what Li Changshou had told him earlier.
[Don’t say much, don’t ask much, just nod.]
Baize slowly nodded, his beautiful form shimmering with rainbow light, leaving the elders somewhat entranced.
Li Changshou spoke from the side: “Sect Leader, Senior Baize enjoys tranquility. Why don’t we find a peak near our Little Qiong Peak as Senior Baize’s residence? Please issue an order not to let anyone disturb Senior’s quiet cultivation.”
“Excellent,” Season Wuyou immediately agreed.
Baize’s gaze moved back and forth between Season Wuyou and Li Changshou. His mouth twitched, seeing through but saying nothing.
The entire process of settling Baize went fairly smoothly.
Within the Door of Ascension, apart from Li Changshou and his junior sister, only Season Wuyou and several elders knew Baize’s origins;
It wasn’t difficult for Baize to conceal himself from the sect’s disciples if he wished.
Season Wuyou first used immortal power to create a barrier around the empty peak next to Little Qiong Peak, letting Baize choose his residence.
Following Li Changshou’s whispered suggestion, Season Wuyou issued a sect leader’s order making Li Changshou fully responsible for overseeing the construction of Baize’s cave dwelling and various formations on this ‘Black Pool Peak,’ with all expenses to be covered by the Hundred Mortal Hall.
The name Black Pool was merely a smokescreen.
After the sect leader and elders left Black Pool Peak, Li Changshou whispered some instructions to Ling’e, who flew back to Little Qiong Peak, leaving only Li Changshou and Baize alone…
Lying beside a pond, Baize, his face showing complete disinterest in life, let out a soft sigh.
Li Changshou pondered inwardly and also sighed in his heart.
In the end, they still couldn’t kill him.
Earlier in True Person Du’e’s cave dwelling, his back-and-forth with the Grand Master in tormenting Baize was only seventy percent jest;
The remaining thirty percent was due to a difference of opinion between Li Changshou and the Grand Master…
Li Changshou could sense that the Grand Master possessed a universal sense of justice.
The Grand Master disliked entangling with karma. Due to his profound cultivation realm and long life, he had seen too much joy and sorrow, too many tragic fates of living beings, thus normally showing indifference toward life and death.
But the Grand Master was by no means cold-hearted.
For instance today, the Grand Master felt Baize hadn’t committed any heinous crimes deserving of death;
Moreover, since Baize intended to submit, with his abilities and reputation as an auspicious beast, joining Human Dao seemed appropriate. Thus, he kept joking while persuading Li Changshou to spare Baize.
The Grand Master could naturally think this way, after all, besides the Sages, he had nothing to fear…
But Li Changshou couldn’t.
Already at the center of the primordial world’s vortex, Li Changshou didn’t want to leave such a huge hidden danger.
Especially after learning that Baize had been secretly observing him for so long, Li Changshou felt most of his trump cards might have already been discovered by Baize!
Not scattering him was truly worrisome.
But Li Changshou didn’t argue with the Grand Master. When their opinions differed, both the Grand Master and Li Changshou took a step back, gradually reaching consensus while pressuring Baize.
Afterward, the brothers acted simultaneously, using their trusted methods to control Baize…
During this process, while Baize appeared to be an innocent victim, he had achieved his original goal—
Joining Human Dao.
The real blow Baize suffered now wasn’t being controlled by the Grand Master and Li Changshou, nor was Li Changshou easily solving the puzzle and finding his hiding place.
It was that from the very beginning, he had misjudged Water God’s ambitions…
What happened to become a brilliant ruler and hegemon? How did it end up with having no interest in dominating Heaven and Earth, only seeking personal freedom from troubles?
Where was the grand vision?
Where was the big picture?
And what were these conditions Water God had?
Backed by the strongest Sage, standing within Heaven’s Dao trends, possessing shocking scheming abilities, cultivation increasing at a terrifying pace, and even regularly having intimate interactions with Heaven’s Dao through heavenly tribulation!
With such conditions, not pursuing fame and achievement but instead following the principle of peaceful inaction—wasn’t this making a joke of him, Baize?
To be honest, among those who had survived so many heavenly tribulations, Baize had only seen Water God.
Baize naturally knew this was because the Water God acted with measure. Even when angering the one in the Purple Void Palace, the punishment was merely a light discipline, and it carried the flavor of a master watching his grand disciple, gritting teeth in frustration at their lack of ambition…
Add to that the increasingly harmonious relationship between the three schools because of Water God…
Wasn’t Water God Heaven’s Dao’s predetermined choice for one of the Two Emperors?
Therefore, when Lu Ya sought Baize’s help, seeing no way to escape the karma of the beast tribes, Baize simply took half a step forward.
The strategy he gave Lu Ya was advancing in order to retreat—wasn’t that exactly what he himself was doing?
But…
Having aimed right, settled his heart, gone all in—and lost it all.
Baize had “gotten his wish,” successfully reaching Water God’s side, becoming Human Dao’s cart-pulling unfortunate, probably destined to be watched by Water God’s true form until death. Forget about scheming for Heaven and Earth’s great fortune; from now on, he could truly spend his remaining endless life peacefully, sleeping alongside Heaven and Earth…
Thinking of this, Baize continued sighing softly, slowly closing his eyes.
The path he chose himself—who else could he blame?
Li Changshou seemed to see through Baize’s thoughts and smiled:
“Senior, don’t be disheartened. Human Dao follows peaceful inaction, and neither my Senior Brother nor I will force the Senior to do much. Senior not standing with the beast tribes has already helped us greatly.”
Li Changshou’s thought process shifted very quickly.
[Since we can’t scatter Baize, we can only build up goodwill!]
Baize frowned and said: “There’s no one else here now. Let me ask you one more thing, friend—can you tell me truthfully? Do you have no desire for power?”
Li Changshou smiled, “If I’m not mistaken, Senior cannot investigate places where Heaven’s Dao power is concentrated, right?”
“Correct, I must avoid Heaven’s Dao.”
“No wonder Senior had such misunderstandings,” Li Changshou shook his head slightly, raised his hand to place two rush cushions and a low table beside the pond, then made a welcoming gesture.
Li Changshou said: “Actually, Senior overlooked the simplest principle. Once I say it, Senior will understand the karma here.”
“What principle?”
“If not for my personality, if not for my pursuit of peaceful inaction, how would our Human Dao’s Honored Sage have chosen me?”
Baize froze, then fell silent, before burying his head in his front paws and sighing deeply: “Clever all my life, clever all my life!”
Li Changshou smiled and shook his head, letting Baize brood alone for a while before saying:
“Senior only needs to maintain your true form in front of others. When we meet in private, Senior can do as you please.”
Baize slowly raised his head, his mood notably lighter than before, clearly having temporarily accepted his current identity after discovering his fatal mistake…
Human Dao’s carriage driver.
Baize resumed his middle-aged Daoist form, with a teardrop-shaped red mark added to his forehead, and a streak of his front hair turned silver, giving him a somewhat otherworldly appearance.
Wearing loose white robes, Baize sat across the low table and said with a bitter smile: “What was I seeking?”
“More stability, less turbulence, resolving karma,” Li Changshou paused, then smiled, “Of course, also gaining another shackle. However…”
“What?” Baize asked with a wry smile.
“Isn’t this whole affair’s cause and effect proof of Senior’s heaven-mandated ability to seek fortune and avoid calamity?” Li Changshou clasped his hands and chuckled, “Truly enviable!”
Baize didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He wanted to make some retort but didn’t know where to begin, so he just stared blankly at the pond.
After a while, Baize slowly exhaled, his smile showing more free-spiritedness.
With a distant look in his eyes, Baize spoke slowly:
“After ancient times, I thought this life would be empty and hollow, only endless searching and seeking, finally finding an uninhabited place to rest in peace, accompanying Heaven and Earth. It was only after seeing you and today’s Heaven Court that I recalled the difficulties of assisting the Former Emperor in establishing the ancient Heaven Court and strengthening the Sacred Race. My Dao’s heart grew wistful again. Never expected to invest my heart’s spirit wrongly in the end.”
Li Changshou smiled, “How could I have any interest in controlling the fate of countless beings?”
Baize said, “Standing at the peak above all beings, watching Heaven and Earth’s rise and fall—wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
“Living beings are not like this shallow grass, nor like these fish without spiritual wisdom. They each have their thoughts, pursuits, needs, doubts, and joys. They are born to travel a journey through Heaven and Earth, not to worship the figure at the peak above all beings. The desire for power is merely personal—why beautify it with words like ‘heroic spirit,’ ‘extraordinary,’ ‘sovereign,’ and ‘supreme’? In the end, it’s just stronger beings using weaker beings to gain mental and physical satisfaction.”
Li Changshou took out a wine jar and two jade cups from his sleeve, pouring one for Baize.
“Senior should know what I’m saying. Senior could half-hide during the beast tribes’ peak—such simple principles shouldn’t be unclear to you.”
Baize looked at the wine in his cup, smiled faintly while shaking his head, and sighed:
“Indeed, it’s all past clouds and smoke. Never expected that the principles I only understood when the Beast Court fell, a friend has seen so clearly after cultivating for just a few hundred years. Desire for power is merely personal desire, beings are born into the world just to travel a journey through Heaven and Earth. Losing to you wasn’t without reason…”
Li Changshou smiled, his eyes full of sincerity, and said: “Winning against Senior was pure luck, probably just the blessing brought by my junior sister.”
“Then,” Baize held his wine cup, letting it brush lightly past his lips, his handsome and refined face showing a slight smile, “do you dare say you have no desire for power?”
“Relatively speaking, it should be quite low,” Li Changshou smiled, “I have no interest in ruling others. Comparatively, I prefer tranquility. Rather, Senior, you take pleasure in assisting brilliant rulers. Could it be that you’re also driven by desire for power, but lacking the courage to bear the karma of all beings, so you seek fulfillment and a sense of existence by helping one being climb to the peak above all?”
Baize froze, carefully savoring Li Changshou’s words, and slowly nodded.
“I do indeed take pleasure in this, but it’s not that I lack the courage to bear the karma of all beings—rather, I feel I’m not cut from that cloth. If I could assist another brilliant ruler to ascend to that position, then retire after achieving success, leaving my name Baize in Heaven and Earth… Truly! Ah, now I can only think about such things, hahaha!”
Baize laughed loudly twice, his laughter full of lingering regret. As he threw back his head to drain his cup, there was still a glimmer of light in his eyes.
Li Changshou smiled, “Would Senior be willing to serve today’s Heaven Court?”
“No,” Baize slowly shook his head, “With friend there in today’s Heaven Court, there’s no place for me to stand.”
“Heaven has day and night, the Dao divides into Yin and Yang… Never mind, it’s not the time to speak of these things.”
Li Changshou suddenly cut off his own words, deliberately leaving something unsaid.
Just then, Ling’e flew in from outside the mountain, carrying a tray with several dishes…
Shortly after, Ling’e set down the dishes, said “Please enjoy,” winked at her Senior Brother, and floated away on a cloud.
Baize perked up, looking at the exquisite dishes before him. He first sniffed lightly, then without waiting for Li Changshou’s invitation, picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the jade white cabbage, chewing slowly before praising:
“Though the taste isn’t perfect, the color incomplete, and the fragrance too strong, it contains Junior Sister’s earnest heart for Senior Brother—precious indeed, precious indeed, haha!”
Li Changshou smiled, “Senior also enjoys fine food?”
“When I was drifting aimlessly through life, my only pleasure was making fine dishes, sharing them with others or tasting them alone,” Baize turned his head to look around, “This place is crude. Once I build my dwelling, I’ll demonstrate my skills for a friend.”
“Wait a moment, Senior. Since you’re an expert in this field, I must show my skills as well.”
With that, Li Changshou sent out two paper servants to quickly set up a stove and cooking platform.
He personally returned to Little Qiong Peak to select two precious rare spirit beasts and catch two plump spirit fish, bringing them back to Black Pool Peak.
Sometimes, to bring people closer, a shared interest is enough.
Baize initiated a challenge, wanting to compete in culinary skills with Li Changshou.
Li Changshou explained all the conditions before nodding in agreement. They would judge each other’s cooking, displaying their skills beside this mountain pond.
Baize, having immersed himself in culinary arts for many years, surpassed Li Changshou in every aspect, each dish extremely exquisite.
But Li Changshou won through variety and mastery of rare flavors in the primordial world. In the end, with thinly sliced raw fish, newly prepared horseradish, and the statement “high-end ingredients often need only simple cooking,” he amazed Baize.
They then exchanged cups and drank until slightly tipsy, seeming to have completely lost their hostility.
Since Baize was currently under Li Changshou’s control, he dared not be too proud, and let Li Changshou call him directly by name, agreeing to continue discussing culinary arts in the future.
Li Changshou thought for a moment and gave Baize the title of ‘Sir.’
Thus, amid repeated calls of ‘Sir,’ Baize gradually lost himself, actually developing a sense of closeness to Li Changshou…
But today, Li Changshou hadn’t planned to completely build up goodwill.
When they were talking happily, Li Changshou organized his thoughts and deliberately pierced one of Baize’s wounds…
“Sir Baize, in our contest this time, though I won thanks to my junior sister’s blessing, it was also related to Sir Baize being trapped by his actions.”
Baize frowned, “How was I trapped by my actions?”
Li Changshou pulled his right sleeve with his left hand, pouring warmed wine into Baize’s cup. Speaking as if discussing trivial matters, he smiled and said:
“The Dao’s momentum is hard to calm, Heaven’s numbers hard to determine, beings’ hearts hard to settle. In the past atop Mount Buzhou, Sir made pacts with various beast deities to create the Sacred Race, gaining Heaven’s Dao’s great momentum, standing equal with the Shamanic Tribe to contend for Heaven and Earth, assisting the Beast Emperor and being established as Beast Marshal, enjoying the reverence of the entire Beast Court. Later, as the Beast Court gradually declined, Sir cherished his reputation, and bravely retreated from the swift current to become a free spirit. Though escaping the karma of the Great War between Shamans and Beasts, you didn’t escape the karma of the beast tribes. This time when Lu Ya sought Senior’s help, Sir gave him the strategy of gathering beasts to challenge Heaven without hesitation, sacrificing the beast tribes to benefit the Heaven Court, Lu Ya, and Sir himself. In your previous words to me, you mentioned the difference between Sacred Race and beast tribes; Sir considers himself part of the noble Sacred Race, showing much disdain for the fierce beast tribes, but Sir forgot that Sacred Race and beast tribes are just two names. You are all one tribe. Sir should have stood from the beast tribes’ position, yet pushed them to the edge of life and death without hesitation—isn’t this going against fate? How could you win?”
Li Changshou sighed softly, raised his wine cup, and continued:
“In today’s world where humans are the protagonists, Sir’s actions might seem correct to outsiders, who would even praise Sir for righteousness. But Sir Baize… Since you became this gardener, enjoying the pleasure of cultivating flowers and watching them bloom, you must endure the desolation of flowers withering and falling to mud—this is the way of gain and loss, also the way of Heaven and Earth’s balance. I’m not asking Sir Baize to assist the beast tribes again; currently, Sir is under my control, and I am opposed to the beast tribes. But I, Li Changshou, don’t want to become the next beast tribe, the next Beast Emperor in Sir’s eyes. Therefore, I don’t seek Sir’s calculations, plans, or other abilities. Even when the Grand Master wanted to spare Sir’s life, I never gave up my killing intent toward Sir. Sir is not a being worthy of admiration, nor a talent I cherish. Not coming in times of glory, nor leaving in times of decline—only this can be called a gentleman of the primordial world. Sir, at this time, is not yet worthy.”
With that, Li Changshou drained his cup and slowly stood up.
Baize frowned deeply, staring blankly at the cups and plates on the low table before him, not even knowing when Li Changshou left.
When Baize came to his senses, there was only Li Changshou’s voice…
“I will come to drink with Sir Baize again in three days. I hope Sir will then have some rebuttal to my words today. After all, kindred spirits are hard to find.”
[First Method of Building Goodwill: Strike at the Heart]