Chapter 277 - 176: Mei Zhaozhao Will Speak Her Mind

Chapter 277: Chapter 176: Mei Zhaozhao Will Speak Her Mind

A boisterous din filled the air, and the aroma of wine permeated the entire Qingcao Sword Sect.

Disciples from many of the Minor Sects were rushing off to another location.

"Hurry up! I heard Xuan Huai Master of the Qingcao Sword Sect is giving a lecture on the Dao. That Master cultivates a Dao related to life force, which is similar to mine. We can’t miss it!"

So they were going to listen to a lecture on the Dao by a Sixth Realm Master from the Qingcao Sword Sect.

As Lu Changyuan watched the group rush past, he was reminded of something from long ago.

The Young Physician, Lu Changyuan, didn’t actually have very good talent. In fact, one could say it was abysmal.

He left Huangqi Town at the age of fifty to begin his search for the Immortal Path. The vast Cultivation Realm was a chaotic mess. He had no foundation and knew no one; the only thing he had going for him was decent luck.

A novice back then, he happened upon a lecture on the Dao by a Fifth Realm Cultivator called the Yellow Lion Immortal.

Both mortals and Cultivators were allowed to listen.

Lu Changyuan went as well.

But halfway through the lecture...

The Yellow Lion Immortal declared, "The Dao means being unscrupulous! Devour humans, devour Demons, and eat your way to the Realm of Eternal Life! Only then can you attain true freedom!"

Though Lu Changyuan had yet to even step onto the Immortal Path back then, he felt that what this high-and-mighty Fifth Realm Cultivator was saying was wrong, so he left in the middle of it.

As he left, he saw many people on the hundreds of cushions before the Buddhist Temple who clearly agreed with the Yellow Lion Immortal’s philosophy.

’What is an Immortal? And what should an Immortal do?’

’Does having Power make one an Immortal?’

Lu Changyuan couldn’t figure it out. He had never practiced Cultivation. Although he could sense the so-called Spiritual Qi, he couldn’t truly break through that barrier.

Not long after, Lu Changyuan learned something of pill refinement. While attempting to craft a Dao Entry Pill, he overheard someone say that in the end, not a single person had walked out of that Buddhist Temple alive.

That Yellow Lion Immortal was a Demon that had taken human form through Transformation. During his lecture, he used a Demon Technique to seal the Buddhist Temple, and then devoured every single person who had come to listen that day.

Whether it was due to his good luck or his rejection of the speaker’s philosophy, Lu Changyuan was the only exception. Not a single other person in the Buddhist Temple survived.

Lu Changyuan said softly, "Those who seek eternal life shall not find it; those who seek the Dao shall not attain it."

He followed his intuition and walked onward.

The Qingcao Sword Sect was hidden beyond the Cloud Sea. From its high towers, one could see clouds churning on all sides. Within a stone forest behind the Sect’s rustic pavilions, Lu Changyuan spotted a man sitting cross-legged on a boulder, deep in Enlightenment.

It was Wang Dayun.

Lightning coursed around his body as he pursued Enlightenment.

’He must have had some kind of insight after the Celestial Dao Grand Competition, so he found a quiet place to pursue Enlightenment on the spot.’

’I wonder what it’s about?’

Lu Changyuan didn’t approach to disturb him. Instead, he carefully observed this man named Wang Dayun. He had an unremarkable face, not the kind that would leave a lasting impression.

The vibrations of Avarice were emanating from this very man.

’I didn’t sense this before. Does this mean that while he was pursuing Enlightenment, something within him resonated with Avarice?’

A long while passed.

By the time the day’s lecture had concluded, disciples of the Qingcao Sword Sect were walking past, discussing the Dao taught by Xuan Huai Master. Only then did Wang Dayun finally open his eyes.

He had gained some new insights on how to use his Thunder Hammer.

He rubbed his head and looked at Lu Changyuan, who was staring intently at him from not far away.

"Um... Fellow Daoist, is there something I can help you with?"

Lu Changyuan narrowed his eyes. The pull of Avarice was gone.

"I hear, Fellow Daoist Wang, that your luck has been very good ever since you began your Cultivation?"

Wang Dayun felt a jolt of fear.

He had been cultivating for many years, ever since the Great Xia National Preceptor guided him onto the Immortal Path. He had faced many perils, but never had he felt like this. The person before him was doing absolutely nothing, yet Wang Dayun felt as if his very life was hanging by a thread.

The young man before him was dressed in a Profound Robe. His looks and bearing were otherworldly, and he wore an extremely gentle smile.

Wang Dayun knew the other party had no hostile intent, but even without any hostility, he could sense the risk of imminent death.

’Why is this happening?’

’Who in the world is he?’

There was no time to think.

Wang Dayun looked at Lu Changyuan’s gentle smile and said, his heart trembling with fear, "No, no, my luck is just decent now and then."

"I heard that you were being hunted, fell into a pit, and still managed to dig up an Ancient Divine Pill?"

"That only happened once."

Lu Changyuan nodded.

’After he entered the Immortal Path, the luckiest he had ever been was merely falling off a cliff with the Sun and Moon Palace Master, picking up a copy of *A Sword from the West*, a copy of *Sixteen Bright Moon Flower Needles*, and Jian Guyang’s memoir.’

’He’d never once had luck like Wang Dayun’s.’

Lu Changyuan thought for a moment, then said, "Fellow Daoist Wang, you appear to be quite advanced in years."

Wang Dayun gave a bitter smile. "To be honest with you, Fellow Daoist, I am forty-nine this year."

Among Cultivators, this was considered extremely young, but here at the Celestial Dao Grand Competition, it was considered quite old.

"Let me treat you to a pot of wine, Brother Wang."

The two of them went to a tavern. Lu Changyuan took out a gourd and tossed it to Wang Dayun.

Wang Dayun’s heart was pounding in terror, not knowing what Lu Changyuan was planning to do.

’I can’t run... I can’t escape!’

In reality, Lu Changyuan hadn’t done anything. He was actually wondering why Wang Dayun looked so terrified.

’Do I look that scary?’

"Fellow Daoist Wang, actually, I have some history with the Great Xia as well. You and I are practically countrymen."

’It wasn’t really a lie. Lu Changyuan had been to the Great Xia before, and since his apprentice’s home was there, it made sense. The apprentice is from the Great Xia, so there’s no issue with his master claiming to be half a Great Xia person, right?’

Wang Dayun was taken aback.

He gave a bitter smile. "So it’s one countryman meeting another, then."