A Guide to Self-Rescue in the Cultivation World - Chapter 28

Zhou Shan Yuan’s voice was quiet, yet it decisively cut her off.

With that, he took the lead, turning and slowly walking down the secluded path. His robes were wide, making him look like a celestial being from behind.

Zhou Suyao stood frozen for a moment before finally regaining her senses. She bit her lower lip, then quickened her steps and quietly followed him.

The bamboo clouds rustled, and the two figures slowly blended into the green expanse of the world. Time seemed to stretch indefinitely.

Zhou Suyao trailed Zhou Shan Yuan by half a step, her eyes fixed on his back. His figure was slender and tall. His wide robe gently swayed with his steps, untouched by a single speck of dust from the mortal world.

Yet, Zhou Suyao had no leisure to appreciate the scenic beauty. Her mind constantly replayed Third Senior Brother’s words, as well as Eldest Senior Brother’s distraught shout and warm embrace in the Imperial City dungeon that day.

“What kind of person are you, truly?”

Zhou Suyao’s heart was a chaotic mess.

“Is the spiritual energy circulation still smooth?”

Zhou Shan Yuan, walking ahead, suddenly spoke, his voice steady, as if asking a casual question.

Zhou Suyao paused for a moment before realizing he was speaking to her. She quickly focused her mind, carefully sensed the spiritual energy within her body, and then slowly said, “It’s… decent, I think. Master’s medicine is very effective; the damage to my meridians is mostly healed. But it’s still not entirely smooth. Master said it still needs time to recuperate.”

“Mm,” Zhou Shan Yuan acknowledged. Without turning around, he said, “Your injury was severe. You must not rush your recovery now. For the next few days, your cultivation should focus on nourishment and unblocking, not on speed or immediate results.”

“Yes, Eldest Senior Brother. I’ll remember that,” Zhou Suyao replied softly.

Another long stretch of silence followed, but it felt less suffocatingly heavy than before. The gloom in Zhou Suyao’s heart was somewhat cleared by Eldest Senior Brother’s few words of concern. She quickened her pace and walked alongside him. Their steps weren’t fast; they truly seemed to be taking a stroll, enjoying the scenery deep within the bamboo forest above the clouds.

Unknowingly, the winding path led to the foot of the mountain. The clouds and mist thinned out, and a humble village built against the mountainside suddenly appeared before them.

It was approaching dusk. Smoke curled from the chimneys in the mountain village, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard. Farmers bent low in the fields, seemingly engaged in their last labor of the day, weeding with bent backs. Their bronze skin was rough and lined, and the fine sweat on their foreheads all spoke of the hardship of labor.

This vibrant, grounded scene of human life was a stark contrast to the ethereal tranquility of the spiritual cultivation ground on the mountain.

An old man, white-haired and with a halting gait, passed right in front of Zhou Suyao, carrying a heavy plow. She almost instinctively condensed a tiny wisp of spiritual energy from her fingertip, wanting to help steady the heavy plow, to ease the old man’s burden, if only slightly.

“You must not.”

Zhou Shan Yuan’s voice suddenly rang out, carrying an unmistakable authority. His hand gently pressed on Zhou Suyao’s wrist, forcefully suppressing the wisp of spiritual energy she was about to manifest.

Zhou Suyao was confused and turned to look at him in astonishment.

“The Human Dao has its own law of operation. Sowing in spring and harvesting in autumn, reaping comfort through sweat, this is the ‘Dao’ of the Human Path. The power of the Spiritual Dao is an overreach for them. If you carry his plow for him today, tomorrow you might have to use magic to ripen their grain, and the day after, use magic to drive away pests… Your action today, while seemingly helpful, disrupts their way of life and balance. Over time, it will not bring blessings but will breed laziness and greed, leading to disaster.”

His tone was even, as if stating a truth that was beyond question for him.

Zhou Suyao frowned. She felt Eldest Senior Brother’s words made some sense, but she still couldn’t fully agree. She couldn’t help but question him: “I only wanted to help him, to slightly lessen the burden of his labor. Will it really lead to such severe consequences?”

“Naturally,” Eldest Senior Brother slowly nodded. “There is ultimately a wall between the Human Dao and the Spiritual Dao. It must not be easily crossed.”

A Simple Act of Defiance

Just then, the old man by the field ridge, who had just set down his plow, seemed to notice the two figures who were so out of place in the village. Especially Zhou Suyao, who, though simply dressed, had a delicate appearance and ethereal temperament, and was taller than the average woman. The old man squinted for a long time, then suddenly stood up, staggering slightly, and walked towards them.

Seeing this, Zhou Suyao and Zhou Shan Yuan both slowed their steps.

The old man reached them, his cloudy eyes carefully examining Zhou Suyao. A look of deep nostalgia spread across his face, and his yellowish eyes filled with tears. He murmured, “She looks… she really looks like her…”

Hearing this, Zhou Shan Yuan raised an eyebrow and subtly stepped forward, shielding Zhou Suyao behind him.

But the old man seemed oblivious. His hoarse voice, thick with a local accent and a hint of a choke, said, “Girl… please don’t mind an old man’s suddenness, but… if my daughter, who died young, had lived to this day, she would certainly be as pretty and delicate as you.”

Zhou Suyao didn’t know how to respond, so she simply took the old man’s hand and said, “Elder…”

The old man suddenly seemed to recall something and quickly turned, walking toward his own simple mud-brick house. Before long, he came back carrying a heavy wooden box covered in old cloth, followed by an elderly woman carrying two bundles of cabbage still fresh with dew.

“Girl, please take this,” he insisted, pushing the wooden box into Zhou Suyao’s arms. “Don’t despise it! This is honey we made ourselves, and these cabbages were just picked this morning.”

The elderly woman smiled and nodded at his side, though Zhou Suyao noticed she lacked a tongue and couldn’t speak.

Feeling flustered, Zhou Suyao accepted the box of honey, looking at the two bundles of fresh cabbage. She said helplessly, “Elder… Madam, winter is coming soon. You should keep these for yourselves. We really can’t…”

“Don’t say another word! Take them!” The old man’s tone was firm, even carrying a slight, scolding tone that brooked no refusal. He said, “Seeing you is like seeing my stubborn daughter… It’s a small token, not worth much money, but you look so thin, girl. Your life must be hard. Please take them and eat!”

Hearing his words, Zhou Suyao felt she shouldn’t refuse any longer and instinctively looked at Zhou Shan Yuan.

Zhou Shan Yuan stood quietly to the side. Seeing the scene, his face remained largely expressionless, but the icy aura around him seemed to soften slightly. He gave Zhou Suyao a nearly imperceptible nod.

Only then did Zhou Suyao accept the two heavy bundles of cabbage from the old man. In her heart, a complex emotion flowed through her meridians like a warm current.

This was no magical elixir, but the purest, heaviest goodwill from two old people.

Holding the box of honey and the cabbages, she turned to look at Zhou Shan Yuan.

His earlier statement about the “wall between the Spiritual Dao and the Human Dao” prompted her to raise an eyebrow slightly, a flash of mischief in her eyes.

It was as if she was saying: “See? The goodwill of the Human Dao is so simple. What need is there for spiritual power to earn it?”

Zhou Shan Yuan felt her gaze. A fleeting hint of helplessness crossed his calm eyes. But in the end, he simply shook his head subtly, as if with resignation, or perhaps a faint sign of approval.

In the setting sun, the elderly woman, who had no tongue, pointed to the roof. The old man looked at her indulgently and smiled, “Alright, I’ll remove a few tiles tonight so you can see the stars… It’s just that it’s been raining for the past few days.”

The busy figures of the farmers continued to move through the fields. A young boy, released from school, quickly ran towards his father, his long braid swinging behind his head. He quickly reached a muscular middle-aged man: “Dad! Dad! The teacher praised me today! I got first place in reciting again!”

By the river not far away, a girl in plain clothes was washing clothes and singing. Her melodious voice attracted the boys on the opposite bank. One boy, his face flushing, was shoved by his friends and waved at her, only to be met with laughter and a gentle scolding from the girl next to the washer: “What a rascal!”

A boundless human world.

The ten thousand sounds of nature.

Zhou Suyao thrust the box of honey and the cabbages into Zhou Shan Yuan’s arms, her spiritual energy instantly surging.

Zhou Shan Yuan seemed unprepared for this. He instinctively caught the box of honey and the two bundles of cabbage that did not match his aura at all, and his body stiffened slightly.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhou Suyao flew over the field. She formed a seal with her hands, and spiritual energy surged around her. She didn’t unleash any world-shaking great magic; instead, she emitted a gentle, pale-green sheen from her fingertips, forming a simple defensive spiritual array. This array wouldn’t ripen the grain or change anything, but it would protect the crops from pests and common wind and rain for a period of time.

Having completed this, she lightly landed back on the ground.

Zhou Shan Yuan still held the two bundles of cabbage that had been thrust into his hands, but the expression on his face had returned to its usual calm. He looked at Zhou Suyao. A faint ripple of emotion seemed to cross his eyes, but in the end, he merely shook his head softly, as if helpless, yet also acknowledging her act.

“Let’s go.”

He turned, his voice betraying no emotion.

Zhou Suyao’s mood, however, had lifted considerably. She quickly caught up to him, and the two began to walk back up the mountain path.

But out of Zhou Shan Yuan’s sight, she clasped her hands behind her back. A beautiful, tiny flower condensed rapidly on her fingertip and, carried by the breeze, gently dissolved and settled in the elderly woman’s throat.

As the sun set, the elderly woman sat in the courtyard with the local dog obediently resting on her lap. The old man carried a ladder up to the roof and began removing tiles.

She looked up at the old man helping her on the roof, and words of concern burst from her throat:

“Old man, you must be careful!”

On the roof, the old man froze for a moment, then he spun around abruptly, his eyes instantly turning red: “Old wife… could you… say that again…”

“Old man… You old fool! Be careful!”

As the two walked some distance, and the distant village was once again swallowed by layers of bamboo forest, Zhou Shan Yuan suddenly seemed to recall something. Without turning his head, he spoke plainly, as if mentioning a trivial matter:

“Oh, the Disciple Assessment will restart at the beginning of next month. This time… It’s the assessment organized by the Rao Tian Dao.”

Zhou Suyao’s steps abruptly halted. She looked up at his back in surprise.

Oh, right, the Disciple Assessment.

After the series of events, stumbling into the Underworld, the life-and-death struggle in the Imperial City, and her slow recovery from severe injury, she had nearly forgotten about the most important assessment among the spiritual cultivation sects.

“Your injury should be fine by then.”

Eldest Senior Brother’s voice reached her, still clear.

Zhou Suyao stared at his tall, straight back. The satisfaction and lightness that had just surged within her from helping the villagers were instantly replaced by new emotions.

The Disciple Assessment meant she would once again.

“But, you don’t need to worry. This time, the assessment will no longer use illusions for testing. Instead, it will be a confrontation in the form of a Sword Debate. For you, it should be quite manageable.”

Eldest Senior Brother paused, and his tone suddenly became playful: “After all, how could Little Suyao, who constantly runs to the back mountain to ‘slay demons and eliminate evil’ with Second and Third Senior Brother for fun, be afraid?”

“Eldest Senior Brother!”

The sun was setting. The bamboo forest was painted gold by the light. The two teased and playfully jostled each other as they walked up the mountain, as if all the doubts and challenges had never occurred.

Yet, as the moon rose, the path ahead seemed to grow uncertain once more.