Chapter 25 - An Inn

"Why, you could not have possibly heard of this poem?" Ling Chongxiao asked after seeing the expression on Shen Lian’s face.

"I think so, I did. Was it by a Daoist with the surname, Wang?"

"That I am not sure. I recalled the Founding Master mentioned that he saw a tiny row of words at the end of the poem, it says, "my old friend Saffron had left, but his words shall remain, my heart would be like that of Jizi", but the person who left the words signed off as "Li".

The Founding Master thought, the poem was left by someone named "Saffron", but the person who signed off as "Li" was an old friend of Saffron. As for Jizi, the Founding Master had no idea what was it about.

The Founding Master was straightening out his confusion when he picked up a hint of blood from the scent of plum blossoms. When he turned to look, his limbs immediately weakened in fear. A tiger was right behind of him.

The dragons dwell amidst the clouds, whilst the tigers dwell amidst the wind. The corner of the tiger’s big eyes was upturned, and there were white stripes on its forehead.

After staring at the Founding Master, the tiger leaped for him.

The Founding Master took a few steps back in fear. What happened then left him in shock. The tiger did not land on top of him but was held in mid-air by an invisible rope.

"Who are you, and why have you come?" A child with a crisp voice queried.

The Founding Master saw the tiger being lowered onto the other side, and a young female child was sitting on its back. The girl had her hair tied, and was holding onto a jade green flute.

The girl looked around six to seven of age, and her skin was clear. Her exposed wrist could be akin to the frost and the snow, and she looked like the moon shining brightly on a quiet night. The way she spoke was the same as an a.d.u.l.t, and she held a flute in her hand.

"Were you the one who was playing the flute?" The Founding Master asked curiously.

"Ah, so you are one of the normal humans who have stumbled into the mountains by mistake. I shall deal with you later."

Out of a sudden, ten red lines started closing in from the northwestern sky.

"Li Qingshui, I must send you back into the karmic cycle today." The person who was amidst the red lines spoke lowly.

The girl was staring at the red lines, and she took a glance at the Founding Master. A black cloud emerged underneath the tiger she was sitting on, and it flew towards the red lines.

Thunders were roaring in the northwestern sky, and rays of five colors crisscrossed with numerous red lines.

It was not until the sun was about to rise that the commotion ceased.

There was a stone house in the plum forest that the Founding Master was in. He waited till sunrise, yet the girl was nowhere to be found. However, he found a scroll of painting, three books of scripture, and a wooden fish in the stone house.

The girl did not return. The Founding Master left the stone house with the items he found. He did not walk towards the north-west, but he walked towards the south-east direction instead. He did not know how big the mountain was, the Founding Master walked for ten over days before he managed to get back to the sea on the south-east. He carefully practiced the martial exercises on the beach. When he had reached a certain level of attainment, he made a wooden raft and went back to the mainland.

"Now you finally know where the Shenzu Scripture came from," Ling Chongxiao said with a smile.

"The Shenzu Scripture was one of the secret texts that he found? And the wooden fish is the one that you are carrying?" Shen Lian queried softly.

"Good guess. Among the three scriptures, one was called Mingyu martial art, and one was called Shenzu Scripture". Both of them have their similarities, but Mingyu martial art was scarier. Both require the cultivator to have great potential. The only difference is that the stronger Mingyu martial art is actually incomplete. The man in green always thought the Master to favor me more, but actually, the Master knew him too well. He was aggressive and extreme. If he were to practice Mingyu martial art, he would do himself more harm than good. This was why the Master passed the perfected and completed Shenzu Scripture to him instead.

In terms of potential, it is undeniable that I have greater potential than him. The Master hoped that I could complete this Kung Fu, and pass it on to the future apprentices.

Throughout these years, I did learn something. With this Kung Fu, I managed to attain what the Daoist called "taming the white tiger", and I could preserve my youth. However, to complete this masterpiece is beyond my capabilities.

I have wasted a lot of my time for this, which is why I do not plan to pass the Mingyu Scripture on to you, for fear of wasting your time.

Also, my experience tells me that although the Mingyu Scripture is profound, it shares a similar origin with the Shenzu Scripture. Both are of authentic Xuanmen.

If you managed to cultivate the Shenzu Scripture to the highest level, you will benefit greatly, and the path of immortality will not be far."

After hearing everything from Ling Chongxiao, Shen Lian remembered the Shenzu Scripture actually appeared in one of Jin Yong’s novels. On the other hand, there was another book titled "The Daoist Drifting in the Wuxia World". The main protagonist created a version of Kung Fu named Shenzu Scripture.

Even though he loved the novel, he only managed to read three volumes of it.

He wanted to read the novel when the completed volumes of the novel were published, but it would seem that he would not have the chance to do so.

He wondered if there was a connection between all these. But how could the plot of a novel reconcile with his current predicament? That would be too hard to believe.

Novels are, after all, works of fiction. His journey to the foreign realm was the reality.

"Could the third scripture be, the Deity Vanquishing Sword Scripture?"

Shen Lian spoke slowly.

"Indeed. The Deity Vanquishing Sword is strong, and it is beyond the likes of martial arts found in Jianghu. If anything, it is more similar to Celestial arts. However, from the Founding Master onwards, everyone who has practiced it died an unnatural death. This is why the apprentices are prohibited from practicing it. When the man in green passed it on to you, he probably did not want this swordcraft masterpiece to be lost. Though he probably was brewing something evil, and did not pass it on out of goodwill."

Ling Chongxiao snickered and thought, in this world, he was the one who knew the man in green best. However, after the incident with the man in green, Ling Chongxiao could not be bothered to restore his sect. Since the meeting with Shen Lian was a fated one, he might as well pass the Kung Fu on to him, just so that the martial arts of his sect would not be lost.

"Destiny does not scare me, traditions do not bind me," Shen Lian replied. Those who practiced Deity Vanquishing Sword died unnaturally due to the deficiency in their spirit. Their over-reliance on the skill, when faced with strong enemies, caused irreversible damages to their spirit. What good would recovery do when they kept dealing damage to their spirit, to the point where they got more and more extreme? In the end, they either destroy the world or destroy themselves.

The reason why the man in green was so extreme was probably due to his character, but the Deity Vanquishing Sword was likely to have something to do with it.

Cultivation must be for the sake of self-protection. He must not indulge in killing and winning. If he were to cultivate, he must first cultivate his heart. If he could not even control his heart and let his heart do whatever it wanted, that would not be the right way of immortality.

For three nights, Ling Chongxiao explained to Shen Lian everything about cultivation.

In the end, he left without bidding farewell to Shen Lian. A letter was all that he left behind, and he did not tell Shen Lian where he could find him.

It was the morning of the reopening of Shen Lian’s inn. There was no grand ceremony.

The name "Tongfu Inn" was changed to "An Inn".

On the right door pillar, it said: "Cultured guests frequent here".

The pillar on the left said, "Unrefined guests are always welcome."