The Problematic of the Unproblematic

Chapter 92 written by LigayaCroft edited by Kakashi

  Chapter 91 written by LigayaCroft edited by Kakashi Ye Hua’s Private Council, composed only of some of his most trusted advisers, had been meeting more frequently as of late. This time the new addition was the God of War, looking like his usual infallible self. Today was the first time he had stepped out of Kunlun since he had moved back after waking up. The other elders bowed at Mo Yuan’s entry and congratulated him for fully recovering his health. Then it was off to Kingdom business. The attendees expressed their concerns on whether this year’s annual title awarding ceremony to new immortals at the Thirty-Sixth Heaven’s Qīng Yún Hall should be postponed or not. “If we push through with the event, it will be seen as a greater provocation to the dissidents.” Donghai Shuijin, the Eastern Sea King, pointed out. “But if we don’t, it will also be seen as if we are going soft.” “It is tricky,” Zhong Huai, leader of the Junzi Clan murmured, his eyes darting toward Ye Hua. “Tianjun, ple...

Chapter 90 written by LigayaCroft edited by Kakashi Running away from monsters had been a common occurrence for Wei Xiaolian these past couple of years. Somehow, the Dog Beating Stick always kept them at bay, but once she ventured outside its protective circumference they gathered toward her like ants. Her grandfather had once said it was because of the way her skin strangely smelled like white flowers when she was born that she had her trouble, and it was because of the Dog Beating Stick’s noxious spiritual aroma which helped cover it up that she had her reprieve. Knowing there might be more coming, Wei Xiaolian tried to attract the five Bashe farther away from the town, and deeper into the swampy forest. With only eight daggers and five arrows left, she knew her chances were very slim. But since she could not outrun the serpents, she might as well burn her boats and minimize the fallout. Which was hard to do because the incessant banging reverberated in her head with discordant nois...

  Chapter 89 written by LigayaCroft edited by Kakashi Probably because she had never left on her own without telling anyone before, the sect’s guard was so relaxed that Wei Xiaolian had been able to leave Lijiang unimpeded before noon yesterday. The journey to Yongchang took about two weeks on foot, but with a horse it could be shortened to nine days. So, in a slight deviation from the rules of their sect, Wei Xiaolian took a horse with her and set off. Last night was spent under the stars. While she took all the necessary precautions and tried to remain vigilant, all the excitement of the day caused her to sleep soundly while tied to a fat branch above a tall tree. The following day, Wei Xiaolian was back on the road at sunrise, eager to find a traveler’s station so she could have something heavy and warm for lunch. By now, she was far enough from Lijiang to lose the radial protection of her grandfather’s staff, but instead of getting intimidated, it made her feel more determined....

Chapter 88 written by LigayaCroft edited by Kakashi Having received news from Qing Qiu that for the first time in thousands of years, Zhe Yan showed signs of consciousness, Li stopped by for a visit before he set out with Wei Xiaolian for Yongchang. There was great excitement in his Fourth Uncle’s mansion. Even the peach trees in the front yard that had been planted by Zhe Yan so long ago appeared to be in fuller bloom, filling the air with its tart sweet smell, and no doubt further lifted the mood of everyone who saw them. Li walked into Zhe Yan’s bedchamber to find his Fourth Uncle, Grandfather and Grandmother keeping watch while Mei Lin gave Zhe Yan a pill, followed by a decocted drink. “He is still unconscious?” he asked after doing his greetings to his elders. “He is again, but his fingers moved a while ago, as well as his brows.” His Grandmother, Bai Hongyu, clarified. She took Zhe Yan’s limp right hand from where it lay on the bed to place it on top of her lap. Considering Zhe Y...

Chapter 87 written by LigayaCroft edited by Kakashi A month later and they were all fully-settled in a fairly-sized mansion in the north section of Lijiang on the other side of the bridge that connected the residential area to the marketplace, with a legitimate tea trading business as a front. The men and women who had traveled with the Weis assumed roles of storekeepers, housekeepers and servants in Li’s household. Wei Qiang posed as his grandfather, and Wei Xiaolian as his cousin. His past knowledge of growing teas had come in very handy, and differentiated him from the rest of the sellers on Tea Street. The teas he ended up selecting for reselling from the caravans were only a few, and even with the same tea variety from the same suppliers, he only selected the best of the stock. The teas they sold were thus both limited in variety and supply. Within the next month, he had built up quite a reputation and demand— first with the first class citizens of the town, then the working clas...

Chapter 86 written by LigayaCroft edited by Kakashi “Xiaolian, your manners are becoming more uncouth each day.” The old man reprimanded, hitting the back of Suiren’s incarnation’s thighs with his walking stick. “It is only because you have no spirit energy in you that you didn’t notice that this man is a cultivator—“ “If he’s a cultivator, why did he fight so badly? I could have peeled him like an apple and killed him several times.” Even though she had just talked about how to best kill him next by throwing him down the gorge or peeling him like an apple, her voice still sounded like the most beautiful melody to Li’s ears. “Oh, why is he crying?” “Xiaolian, maybe you’ve given him a fright,” answered another male voice. “You should really try to be more ladylike sometimes.” The old man shuffled toward Li, assisted by his stick. Li knew that this was just for show. The old man’s cultivation level was already very high, probably the highest he had seen from any mortal he had met in all ...

Chapter 85 written by LigayaCroft edited by Kakashi Lijiang turned out to have a distinct charm to it compared to the other mortal cities that Li had been to. Mei Lin had mentioned earlier that its residents barely comprised half of the populace, as most of the people one would run into in Lijiang were tourists from the northern states or merchants stopping by as they set off to trade with countries to the south and west. As an economic hotspot, its government officials did not lack money to build and refine its infrastructure. All of its roads were made of cobblestones, where mules and yaks in caravans loaded with burlap sacks of tea, salt and silks traveled through nonstop. Water passed through the entire city, and was made more scenic by a well thought of arrangement of bridges, winding roads and waterways. Lastly, the city thrived with the majestic Yulong Mountain as its backdrop, which added to the awe-factor that tourists came from afar to experience, especially during the summ...

Chapter 84 written by LigayaCroft edited by Kakashi Li returned to Kunlun, his Shifu’s question still weighing heavily on his mind. His head ached with the gravity of his situation, of the choice he had to make, and what to tell his own Father soon. He took out the blue and black gecko that he had picked up from Hùndùn from his sleeve. The animal blinked at him with two wide eyes before snuggling in his palm. Li felt relieved that like the other living things that he had brought back with him from Hùndùn, this one made it intact as well. Tucking the animal back inside his sleeve pocket, Li walked out of the cave. He had barely taken a few steps when his Father and Uncle suddenly appeared before him. Even after a long time of not seeing the twins together, beholding his Father and Uncle shoulder to shoulder never failed to make Li feel like he was that young kid again— back when he felt startled each time he saw his Father’s twin without his Father, and confused whenever he saw them t...

  Chapter 83 written by LigayaCroft edited by Kakashi Meditation while in Hùndùn brought with it a deeper power than when done in the Created World. There, Li could feel more connected to the nascent energy that permeated all living beings. Because of this, he healed at a faster rate there than he would have elsewhere. Thus, after being well enough to stand after the skirmish in Kunlun, Li requested to borrow his Uncle’s meditation cave and went to Hùndùn. This time, he found Nüwa in a world within a dreamscape that looked much like what Kunlun could have looked like when it was new. Its wood, the stone, all gleamed. The pools in front of the worship hall were already there but they had water lilies in them. There were still trees where in present time there were several buildings as an extension to house the Sanctuary’s disciples and servants. Nüwa sat on a woven mat underneath a tree, one arm perched against an arm rest as she read a scroll. Li went straight toward her, and with ...