In the pouring rain, a figure in green stood tall among the green trees in the mountains.

The rain was like pouring from the overturned sky, accompanied by deafening thunder, shaking the entire space continuously. Luo Jianqing stood in such a terrifying thunderstorm, silently gazing at the rain. The rain was just like forty-one years ago, with lightning striking incessantly, and the bean-sized raindrops splashing into the Luo River, which stretched for 18,000 miles.

The Luo River remained crystal clear, unaffected by the heavy rain.

Fish and shrimp swam in the water, and the green mountains on both sides twisted and turned, turning into ink-like mountains in the misty rain. The Luo River was too long, and the current was too fast. The cultivator in a green robe stood on the mountaintop, looking far away at the vast Luo River. He saw that the water seemed to have no end, just like the terrifying sky, majestic and awe-inspiring.

In the rain, Luo Jianqing seemed to see a young couple.

Behind them were the sideways glances and hatred of the villagers. They wrapped a small figure in a thick quilt, padded the wooden barrel with countless things, covered it with oilcloth to block the pouring rain, and while crying heartbreakingly, they put the small baby into the wooden barrel and pushed it into the rushing Luo River.

With the baby’s departure, the thunder gradually drifted away.

Wherever the wooden barrel passed, it was always clear. Even the most violent storms became incredibly calm here. The young couple on the bank hugged and cried, and in the end, the young man pulled the pale-faced, tear-streaked woman away, and the crying in the wooden barrel gradually stopped.

Luo Jianqing sighed lightly, and before the familiar white figure appeared, he wiped away the scene with a flick of his sleeve.

Thunder roared in the sky, each one seemed to shatter the mountain peaks, but Luo Jianqing slowly closed his eyes.
Forty-one years ago, the village of Gujia was peaceful. After twelve years of marriage, Gu Qi and his wife finally had their first child. The child was extremely handsome, and they named him Gu Liu, hoping that he would be as resilient and evergreen as a willow tree, which had just sprouted at birth, and that he would have a peaceful and harmonious life.

Gu Liu was gifted and intelligent. At the age of six, he entered the village school and learned to read with a scholar. At the age of twelve, the old scholar was impressed by Gu Liu’s diligence and intelligence, so he wrote a letter of recommendation for Gu Liu to study in the town.

When Gu Liu left that year, Gu Sixteen from the village gave him a box of candy and said in a sweet voice, “You will study, and I will cook.”

The little girl with her hair tied in a high ponytail boldly expressed her love, but Gu Liu suddenly blushed.

Carrying his old and simple luggage, Gu Liu went to town to study. He ranked first in the provincial examination and took the top spot in the metropolitan examination. He was selected as the top scholar by the current emperor and was given the name Fengzhang. Gu Liu returned home in his finery, and when he and his entourage arrived at the village of Gu, they smelled a sweet aroma of rice before they even entered the village.

The accompanying officials asked, “Gu Fengzhang, your hometown has good food.”

Gu Liu was slightly stunned, and before he could answer, he saw a young and beautiful girl running out of a house at the village, with her hands twisted in her pockets, looking very shy but speaking with incredible boldness, “Gu Liu, you have returned from studying, and I can cook now too.”

Gu Liu blushed, and the two were married a year later.

Although he was only a top scholar, Gu Liu had successively overthrown several corrupt officials with high positions and power in the court within ten years. Outside, he was a tough and iron-fisted censor, admonishing the emperor once a year and leaving bloodstains on the floor of the palace. Even the emperor could not do anything to him. Inside, however, he was a gentle and meticulous husband. Although they had never had children, he was extremely considerate of Gu Sixteen from the village.

This couple became well-known throughout the world.

When Gu Liu was forty years old, he entered the cabinet and served as a military supervisor on the battlefield. At the same time, his sixteen-year-old daughter, Gu Shiliu, wept at home all day long.

When Gu Liu turned fifty, he had many grandchildren and a large mansion, but only he and his wife walked hand in hand on their daily strolls.

When Gu Liu turned sixty, he became a prime minister and wielded great power in the cabinet. His stern demeanor struck fear into corrupt officials in the court, causing them to tremble and worry.

When Gu Liu turned seventy, a new emperor ascended to the throne. Under the orders of the inept new emperor, the loyal and honorable old prime minister was executed, causing the capital city to mourn for three days.

Gu Shiliu had long since turned gray by this time. One day, she held her husband’s ashes and buried them by herself. She sat in front of the tombstone for three days and suddenly left. When she returned, she held a small lunchbox full of shiny and sticky sweet rice. “You know how to read… I know how to cook,” she said. After eating every last bite of the rice, Gu Shiliu slammed her head into the tombstone, causing it to crack and blood to flow. She died on the spot.

Everything was frozen in time, like a painting.

Forty-one years ago, Gu Qi and his wife gave birth to a child in the village of Gujia. That year, the willow trees did not sprout, as they had all withered due to a severe drought. As a result, the couple named their child Gu Yuan, hoping that their future days would be better and that the child would thrive.

Gu Yuan was mischievous from a young age and disliked reading, causing his parents much worry.

This time, the 16th-ranked girl from Gujia Village died in her mother’s womb. Gu Yuan followed his parents to visit the distant cousin who had just lost her child. He hid behind the crowd, still playing with the toy made of bamboo.

Seven-year-old Gu Yuan was incredibly strong, and his parents allowed him to learn some moves from the retired veteran in the village.

At the age of twelve, Gu Yuan was called up to join the army. Before leaving, he still playfully took several pieces of candy and no one in the village came to see him off except his parents. Only a few little girls who saw his handsome face were smitten, but were ordered by their parents to leave: “That Gujia A’Yuan is just a pretty boy with no future. He’ll die on the battlefield sooner or later.”

Gu Yuan stopped chewing on his candy and stared at the back of his aunt who said these words.

At the age of thirteen, Gu Yuan went to the battlefield for the first time. He performed remarkably in the war and was promoted to captain at the age of seventeen. He saved the life of a general in a major battle and was highly valued by him. The general continued to promote him.

Finally, when Gu Yuan was twenty years old, their army defeated the enemy and returned in triumph. Gu Yuan fought bravely and was personally commended by the emperor at the victory banquet. However, Gu Yuan did not like such occasions and went to the small garden to sober up. Suddenly, he saw a brave woman wielding a long sword.

The woman was practicing her swordsmanship and suddenly saw Gu Yuan. She shouted, “You shameless person, who allowed you to come in?”

Gu Yuan had a rogue demeanor and smiled, “Is there a sign outside this courtyard that only allows such little girls like you to come in and not heroes like me?”

The woman sneered, “You’re still a hero?”

Gu Yuan raised his head, “Chosen by the emperor.”

The woman’s eyes flashed with a hint of light as she raised her sword and sneered, “Great hero, dare you face me, a mere woman, in a swordfight!”

“I fear nothing!” replied the man.

The two engaged in a fierce battle in the courtyard, but eventually, the woman was defeated and caught by Gu Yuan’s wrist. She struggled for a while before sighing in resignation, “You, a military ruffian, are just as my father described – all brawn and no refinement.”

Three years later, Gu Yuan married the general’s only daughter, Ying Niang. Their wedding was blessed by the emperor himself and they had a blissful life together. They had a chubby son the following year, and three more sons over the next five years. However, when Ying Niang refused to have any more children after ten years of marriage, Gu Yuan had to accept it and instead focused on teaching their six sons martial arts.

At the age of thirty, Gu Yuan’s father-in-law died in battle. Gu Yuan was then promoted and given a spear to lead his troops into battle. He returned with an enemy’s head as a trophy for his weeping wife, whom he comforted with tenderness.

When he turned fifty, Gu Yuan held great power and influence in court, with all six of his sons skilled in battle. However, at the age of sixty, the emperor, who was now old and paranoid, summoned him to the palace under false pretenses and poisoned him with a cup of wine.

Gu Yuan laughed and looked up at the sky, asking, “Can this old general know what he did wrong?”

The emperor sighed, “General Gu, it is precisely because you have done nothing wrong that it is the greatest mistake.”

Gu Yuan drank the poisoned wine in one gulp, smashed the bowl, and left hurriedly. He rode his horse to the general’s mansion, but the poison had already taken effect. The horse seemed to have a spirit and carried its owner’s body home.

When Lady Ying, with hair turning white, rushed out of the mansion, she saw a heroic figure with iron willpower, sitting straight on the horse, dressed in armor, staring at his home with round eyes in the cool moonlight.

Lady Ying trembled, and her six sons knelt on the ground, swearing to avenge their father.

Lady Ying said, “Your father had an honorable life and lived up to heaven and earth. The late emperor appointed him as a hero of the empire. How can he be implicated by you?”

“Mother!”

“Carry your father into my room. I have many things to say to him.”

That night, the general’s mansion didn’t sleep. The old lady sat by the bed, holding her husband’s hand, and softly said, “Actually, I knew it was you when I saw you. Father said he found a very talented person, a natural born general who is very smart and good at fighting. He hoped I could marry him, but I disliked him very much.”

“You wanted me to marry him, so I did? I, Lady Ying, am also a well-known figure in the capital. How could I follow the orders of my parents and matchmaker like an ordinary girl?”

“That day, when you appeared in the courtyard, you were also dressed in such white armor.”

“You grabbed my hand, and my heart was pounding, beating very fast.”

“You scoundrel, you wanted to die a hero, but you already became a hero, what about me… you’re just a scoundrel.”

…

The voice of the old lady kept ringing out. When dawn approached, she suddenly drew her sword and went to the courtyard to start dancing with her sword. She was still as heroic as before, and time seemed to flow backwards. It was as if she had returned to over forty years ago when she danced with her sword under the moonlight, and that man secretly watched her. They quarreled for a while, but in the end, they found that they were a match for each other.

When the sword fell to the ground, the General’s mansion finally hung up white cloth.

The old lady and the old General died on the same day, really not asking for the same life, but seeking to die together.

Six Generals rebelled together, but in the end, they were suppressed by the Emperor who was already prepared, and their whole family was executed.

Many years later, the once glorious General’s mansion of the Empire was already deserted, and no one remembered that there was once a poor boy who became a great hero of the Empire step by step.

Forty-one years ago, the willow trees in Gu’s village sprouted again, but Gu Qi and his wife named their child Gu Zhen. He eventually went into business and lost all his fortune, even his elderly wife hanged herself, leaving only a foolish son.

Forty-one years ago again, this time he was named Gu Cheng. He was a hardworking man and good at farming. Finally, he married Gu Sixteen and they spent a happy life together.

…

Forty-one years before the ninth event, Gu Seven and his wife named their child Gu Niansheng.

Gu Niansheng was extremely talented and handsome. When he was seven years old, a celestial came to Gujia’s village to take disciples. The white-robed and cold celestial looked at him and asked softly, “What is your name?”

Gu Niansheng murmured, “My name is Gu Niansheng.”

The celestial asked, “Why Niansheng?”

Gu Niansheng shook his head blankly, “I don’t know.”

The celestial waved his sleeve indifferently and said, “My name is Xuan Lingzi. You will follow me to Mount Taihua, and I will take you as my disciple.”

With his parents’ guidance, Gu Niansheng bowed in confusion. Before leaving, his parents held him and urged him to study well. Gu Niansheng asked, “Dad, Mom, can I still come back to see you in the future?”

His parents did not answer, but Xuan Lingzi behind them said, “To seek the Tao and become an immortal, one must cut off worldly ties. You have severed the bond with your parents here, and from now on, you will wander the world alone and seek the path of immortality.”
Gu Niansheng said, “No! Why would I not want my parents? I want my parents!”

Xuan Lingzi looked at him and said, “Then do you want to become an immortal?”

Gu Niansheng slowly calmed down his angry expression and looked up at the aloof figure flying in the sky. Suddenly, he smiled and said, “Master, I want to become an immortal, but I will never become a heartless and loveless person. In this life, I will not sever the bond with my parents, nor will I sever the bond with my master. If only heartless people can become immortals, then why did you come all the way to Luo River to take me away and become my master?”

Everything around them suddenly stopped, and even Xuan Lingzi’s figure stopped.

Gu Niansheng slowly walked up into the sky, and his figure slowly transformed into Luo Jianqing.

Nine illusions, each one grinding away at his will.

The Heavenly Dao said: All the worldly affairs are suffering, why bother with them? You should get rid of them!

Luo Jianqing reached out and touched Xuan Lingzi’s face, revealing a helpless and doting smile as he softly said, “You came to Gujia Family Village for me, to change the fate of my parents, just to make me sever my worldly ties. Wu Yin, oh Wu Yin, did you really want me to sever my worldly ties? Did you really want me to become a heartless and loveless person? But then, you also coughed up blood for me. Wu Yin, who am I in your heart?”

His fingers gently caressed Xuan Lingzi’s face.

Luo Jianqing lowered his head slowly and kissed those lips. In his fantasy, everything was false, but at this moment, he felt as though he had really kissed those lips. They were soft, gentle, and full of the deep affection belonging to Xuan Lingzi. Even though he was finally sealed on the YuXiao Peak, he had never severed his worldly ties, just like his master wanted.
At the next moment! All illusions turned into nothingness!

A mighty power surged from Luo Jianqing’s body, and the power of nothingness turned into a long whip, lashing out at the surrounding space. Under the whip’s strikes, the space twisted and transformed as if it had been tampered with. The angry roar of the sky sounded, and lightning seemed to want to strike down, but it remained in the thunderclouds and never came down.

“Chaos is born without black and white, and who can distinguish right from wrong?”

“They say that only by being heartless can one become immortal, and only by being selfless can one ask for the Tao.”

“What is the Tao? What is immortality?”

“My fate is not controlled by the heavens, and in this life, I want the destiny of my parents, and I also want the destiny of my teacher and disciple.”

“The Third Trial in the Nine Seizures of Heaven Record is to seize right from wrong and distinguish right from wrong!”

Boom!

The fierce spiritual power suddenly spread out, sweeping across the entire Gujia family village and rushing into the surging Luo River.

Although the power seemed fierce, it gently stroked all things in the world, harming nothing and taking nothing. It simply observed all things quietly, as if constantly learning. The ultimate goal of its learning seemed to be to figure out what is right and what is wrong!
Who is right and who is wrong? Who can truly say for sure!

Standing in the pouring rain, Luo Jianqing looked up at the sky without fear. Suddenly, the rain stopped but the dark clouds remained.

Something that had disappeared from his body before slowly reappeared. This entanglement had lasted a lifetime for Luo Jianqing , born to parents who gave him flesh and blood, how could he forget this love? Even if it was hate, it belonged to Luo Jianqing ! Even if it was resentment, it should be up to Luo Jianqing to decide whether to let it go or cut it off!

Luo Jianqing stood in front of this grave for forty-one days, as if he had fulfilled forty-one years of friendship. However, when he turned and left, he was still the son of Gu Qi and Gu Xiao’er. They had supported him for three years, and even though they had abandoned him in the Lu River back then, they had also saved him from it now. They had lost forty years of kinship, but Luo Jianqing ‘s parents had taken care of him for forty days while he was in a coma.

Back in his thatched hut, Luo Jianqing took out the silver from under his bed and divided it among every household in the village, even sending some to his former brother-in-law in the neighboring village. The honest man didn’t understand what was going on, and Luo Jianqing left after giving him the silver.

Before leaving Gujia Village, a beautiful girl ran towards Luo Jianqing without reservation. She had tears in her eyes and a bright red flower in her hand, which she stuffed into Luo Jianqing ‘s arms as she wiped her tears.

Luo Jianqing looked down at her and smiled. “You’re also number sixteen in Gujia Village?”

Gu Shiliu was taken aback and murmured, “I’m the only girl who’s ranked sixteen in Gujia Village.”

Luo Jianqing chuckled lightly, his mood seemed to have become clearer.

Taking out a white jade hairpin from his space, Luo Jianqing gently inserted it into Gu Shiliu’s hair, making Gu Shiliu’s fingers tremble with happiness. But Luo Jianqing said, “I am not fated to be your lover, but someone once told me that if she liked me, it was her business and had nothing to do with me. So now I just want to tell you that your red thread is not with me, but if you insist on it, I will not forcefully wash away your memory of me.”

Gu Shiliu widened her eyes and said, “You… you really are a fairy!”

Luo Jianqing calmly said, “Sixteen, when you see your lover one day, you will understand that it is not me.”

With those words, Luo Jianqing turned and flew away, leaving the small village where he had lived for over a year.

Behind him, the beautiful Gu Sixteen stared for a whole day before sadly shedding tears and leaving. Many years later, when Gu Sixteen had already married and had grandchildren, she held her grandchild and said with a smile, “Actually, long ago, Grandma did like someone. But it was probably just a liking. If I truly loved someone, I think I would have followed him regardless and never given up after just one day.”

In fact, many causes and effects in the world have already been predetermined in the vastness of the universe. There are no coincidences. Everything just happens as it should.

When Luo Jianqing flew back to Mount Taihua, the young disciples guarding the foot of the mountain were stunned and could not believe what they were seeing. Eventually, one of them shouted, “Senior Brother! It’s Senior Brother! Senior Brother, you’re finally back!”

This good news spread throughout Mount Taihua within half an hour, and countless elders and disciples came out of seclusion to confirm whether Luo Jianqing had really returned. Luo Jianqing thanked them one by one with a smile and then flew towards the Cangshuang Peak to report to his master about his journey.

As Luo Jianqing flew away, an elder exclaimed, “Just now… has Jianqing reached the Nascent Soul stage?!”

“It really is the Nascent Soul stage! The Nascent Soul stage!”
“Oh my god, Senior Brother has only been cultivating for forty-one years and he has already reached the Nascent Soul stage?”

“Master Xuan Ling only formed his Nascent Soul at the age of fifty-six, but Senior Brother is only forty-one, this…this can’t be possible!”

As soon as Luo Jianqing returned to Taihua Mountain, the vermilion birthmark on his eyebrow turned into a golden light and flew towards Yuxiao Peak. Luo Jianqing casually looked in the direction of Yuxiao Peak and gazed at the golden light without saying a word.

After arriving at Cangshuang Peak, Luo Jianqing paid his respects to the Sect Leader.

Hao Xingzi asked him what had happened after he was swallowed by the Ghost Sands, and how he managed to get out of the Flame Valley when the gate was closed. Luo Jianqing honestly answered, only concealing the fact that Mo Qiu was a demonic cultivator.

Hao Xingzi sighed, “That is after all the burial ground of a Heavenly Rank Demon Lord, so it’s natural that there are some peculiarities. Jianqing, hurry back to Yuxiao Peak. During the time you were away, your Master has caused a stir among the Four Sects and Eight Great Families.”

Luo Jianqing suddenly froze and asked, “Sect Leader, may I ask what…what happened?”

Hao Xingzi shook his head gently and said helplessly, “After the Flame Valley opened again, the gate was open for three days in total, but you did not come out. Seeing that the gate was completely closed, your companion, Elder Shan, was immediately dumbfounded. Then it was revealed by some rogue cultivators that you and a person from the Mo family were swallowed by the Ghost Sands inside. Although we all knew that you were still alive since your life lantern had not been extinguished, your Master directly disregarded the face of all the sects and families and beat up all the people from the Broken Soul Sect, the Flying Flower Sect, the Bai family, the Yun family, and the Mo family who came to explain what had happened when they arrived at Taihua Mountain, leaving them all seriously injured!”

As he listened to Hao Xingzi’s words, Luo Jianqing’s body stiffened and he subconsciously asked, “Sect Leader, is Master’s health…not good?”

There was a long silence in the hall. After a long time, Hao Xingzi finally let out a long sigh and said, “Luo Jianqing, do you know how much your Master has sacrificed for you?”