Chapter 45: Deep Conversations in the Quiet Night, Meeting an Old Friend in a Strange Land

The darkest time of the day is also the time closest to light. (Gu Long)
……
“Young Master Liu, it’s so late—still awake?” Li Ling gently sat down by the stone table. This was a courtyard-style room arranged by Li Ling for Liu Yi and the others.
Liu Yi waved his folding fan and said, “Yeah, aren’t you awake too?”
Li Ling smiled and asked, “At such late hours, if Young Master Liu isn’t sleeping, are you thinking of someone?”
Suddenly, Liu Yi remembered something and asked urgently, “Ling, you gave ‘Blazing Sun’ to the Great Sword King. What will you use from now on?”
Li Ling poured himself a cup of tea and looked at the bright moon in the sky. “Why should I use a sword?”
Liu Yi was stunned by Li Ling’s words and replied blankly, “You’re a swordsman—of course you need a sword.”
Li Ling smiled and said, “From today onward, Li Ling is no longer a swordsman and doesn’t need to use a sword. Today’s Li Ling is just an ordinary person.”
Liu Yi asked, “So… you want to be an ordinary person?”
Li Ling nodded. “Tomorrow, when my master emerges from seclusion, I’ll explain my decision to leave this troubled martial world. Perhaps I’ll become a folk doctor or an astrologer, living a simple life.”
Liu Yi nodded and continued, “Then won’t you regret it? Giving up all your achievements so easily?”
Li Ling smiled. “Actually, I’ve always thought of myself as someone uninterested in fame and wealth. But after these twenty years of seclusion, I realized I was wrong—completely wrong. For a hundred years, I’ve lived under the influence of fame and wealth. Giving it up now means saving myself a way out. Would that be regrettable?”
Liu Yi waved his fan and laughed. “Haha, Ling, I think neither the martial world nor being a swordsman suits you. From what you say, it seems you’d be best as a monk.”
Li Ling smiled. “My master has always said I’m tied to worldly affairs and not fit for Buddhism, so he can only take me as a lay disciple.”
Liu Yi was surprised. “Isn’t Buddhism open to everyone? Even demons and monsters can be accepted, yet they won’t take you in. Haha, it seems you’re even more terrifying than them.”
Li Ling smiled but said nothing.
Liu Yi continued, “The master will emerge from seclusion tomorrow, right?”
Li Ling nodded. “Yes.”
Liu Yi said, “If the master can liberate the souls trapped in the ‘Cosmic Mirror’ tomorrow, I think we should leave the mountain first.”
Li Ling asked, “Why such haste?”
Liu Yi shook his head. “It’s not that urgent. When we arrived, we saw a town called Luoxue about a hundred miles below Emei Mountain. We don’t want to disturb the tranquility of the Buddhist monastery, so we’ll stay there temporarily.”
Li Ling smiled. “How could it disturb them?”
Liu Yi laughed. “Not to mention disturbing them… eating porridge three times a day has made our stomachs sour. We just want to treat ourselves to something else.”
Li Ling laughed heartily. “Food and drink pass through the body. I, Li Ling, have lived for a hundred years yet have never eaten anything but porridge.”
Liu Yi smiled. “If you’re interested, we can eat and drink together.”

Li Ling shook his head and said, “I still have some things to discuss with my master. I also need to stay inside the temple for a while. If fate allows, whether in ten years or a hundred years, I think we’ll have the chance to drink together.”
Liu Yi nodded, then suddenly remembered something and added, “By the way, I have a friend—tall, strong, and robust. He’ll come from the capital to look for us. If we leave, please tell him that we’re in Luoxue Town, a hundred miles below Emei Mountain.”
Li Ling nodded. “Don’t worry. As long as he comes, I’ll definitely pass on the message.”
Liu Yi clasped his fists in gratitude. Looking at the sky, he continued, “It seems quite late. I’ll go to bed first. You should rest early too.”
Li Ling nodded without saying anything. Liu Yi turned and walked toward the side room.
Li Ling took a sip of tea, glanced at the bright moon in the sky, and murmured, “What is worldly fate? Where exactly is it?”
The night was quiet, and a brief night passed like that…
Liu Yi stretched and got up. When he pushed open the door, he saw that Shui’er and the Great Sword King had already gotten up and were drinking porridge at the stone table.
The most eye-catching figure was, of course, the Great Sword King. His hair stood upright, and he carried Li Ling’s “Scorching Sun” sword wrapped in cloth. There was also a large sword beside him. Those who didn’t know him would surely think he was a weapons dealer.
Liu Yi washed his face in the nearby pool and stepped forward, saying, “Good morning. You two got up really early today.”
Shui’er smiled and said, “It’s not that we got up early. It’s you who woke up late. Look, the sun is already high in the sky.”
Liu Yi took some porridge and started eating, saying, “It seems I overslept.”
The Great Sword King didn’t mention that. Instead, he changed the subject and said, “This porridge makes me want to vomit. How can people in the Buddhist sect drink it for decades, even centuries? I really don’t know what they’re made of.”
While the Great Sword King was complaining, Li Ling appeared out of nowhere and said with a smile, “What, not used to the food here? But it doesn’t matter. You can go down the mountain around noon.”
Shui’er put down her chopsticks and asked, “Has the master emerged from seclusion?”
Li Ling nodded and smiled. “The master has emerged. He said to see only Liu Yi, young master Liu. He asked Miss Shui’er to give ‘Qiankun Mirror’ to young master Liu so they can go see the master together.”
Shui’er nodded and said, “Okay.” Then she took out the mirror and handed it to Liu Yi.
The Great Sword King asked in confusion, “Why only Liu Yi? Does the master have any issues with us?”
Li Ling looked at the Great Sword King with a smile, shook his head helplessly, and turned to Liu Yi, saying, “Young master Liu, please follow me.”
Liu Yi followed Li Ling for about fifteen minutes. They passed by the hall from yesterday but didn’t head toward those halls. Instead, they went to a small meditation room next to the hall and stopped there.
Li Ling bowed and said, “Master, young master Liu has arrived.”
An old but kind voice came from inside the door, “You may go. Please let young master Liu in.”
Li Ling replied, “Yes, master.” Then he said to Liu Yi, “The master wants you to come in. I’ll be leaving now.” With that, he turned and left.

Liu Yi suddenly felt very nervous. Although it was a small meditation room, it seemed more imposing than a grand hall. What did this legendary high monk in Buddhism actually look like?
With doubts in mind, Liu Yi gently pushed the door open, stepped inside slowly, and closed the door behind him…
“You’ve come. I’ve been waiting for you for twenty years,” a voice came from the right.
Liu Yi looked to the right and saw yellow silk all around, moving as if in a breeze. On the mat lay a monk with his back to him, wearing an ordinary robe.
Liu Yi asked, “Are you Master Juegui?”
The monk replied softly yet kindly, “It is, and it is not. It is not, and it is.”
Liu Yi pressed on, “Did Master just say you’ve been waiting for me? For twenty years?”
The monk answered, “That’s right. Lord Liu, clouds follow the wind, and time follows the water. In the blink of an eye, twenty years have passed. I wonder how you’ve been.”
Liu Yi was puzzled. Was this monk crazy? Why was he speaking in incomprehensible words? Liu Yi said, “I don’t know what Master is talking about. I really can’t understand.”
The monk shook his head and said softly, “Meng Po’s soup is always the best liberation.” Though his voice was faint, Liu Yi heard it—perhaps because he had practiced the internal alchemy techniques taught by the Wolf King these days, enhancing his abilities.
The monk continued, “Young Master Liu, come sit over here. Lend me your ‘Qiankun Mirror’ for a moment.”
Liu Yi slowly walked over and sat down on the mat. The monk also turned around… Then he stopped. In that instant, Liu Yi felt the monk in front of him was extremely familiar and kind—maybe he had seen him somewhere, but couldn’t remember.
The monk had eyebrows a foot long, white beard reaching his chest, a plump face that appeared kind and approachable, eyes full of vitality, and a robust build. He was dressed only in an ordinary robe.
Liu Yi’s gaze fixed on the old monk’s face. What kind of face was this? So familiar? Where had he seen it? Not in a dream, not in reality. Then where did this feeling come from?