Chapter Thirty-One: Cultivation Has Always Been Difficult

"Master Lian, please don't joke around. Old Master Xu has plenty of mansions in the city, why would he come to our inn to stay? And charging a thousand taels of silver per person per day? He'd have to be mad," muttered Uncle Wu. Shen Lian was admirable in many ways, but his temperament was too indolent, and he enjoyed making light of things.

"Rest assured, he'll definitely come tomorrow. I'm tired; I'll head back to my room. And make sure no one disturbs me," Shen Lian waved his hand and walked upstairs.

He resided in Room Number One, but had whimsically renamed it the "Presidential Suite" to indulge his own mischievous taste.

He pushed open the window. The moon rose in the east, wandering among the constellations.

Shen Lian sat cross-legged on the somewhat firm bed.

He slowly closed his eyelids, his heart serene and untroubled.

The heavens are not truly high; the human heart rises higher.

The ancients said: within the chest lies the peril of mountains and rivers, in the heart the profundity of city walls.

Because the human heart cannot be measured, infinite possibilities arise.

When he closed his eyes, all was pitch black before him, as if drifting in a starless, moonless void, unable to discern direction, feeling no passage of time.

Shen Lian's senses gradually faded—the noise of cicadas and insects, the rustling wind and grass—all grew faint, then vanished altogether.

Because his heart was free of distractions, desire was replaced by strength.

The moonlight poured down like spilled mercury, flooding the room without cost, casting the shadow of Shen Lian's body.

His mind stirred; the moonlight seemed collected by a vessel.

It gathered ceaselessly.

At first, a silvery-white orb congealed, absorbing moonlight, turning pale yellow.

The orb shrank, becoming pea-sized, and drifted toward a bronze lamp. Passing over the wick, in an instant, the room was flooded with light.

The lamp was crafted in the shape of a wild goose standing, turning back with a fish in its beak. The goose's neck connected to the lamp body, the fish's body linked with the goose's neck, and the hollow belly formed a passage.

Water filled the belly, so the lamp's oil smoke would flow along the goose's neck into the water, keeping the room free of smoke and the air naturally fresh and clean.

This lamp was not a product of this world, but Shen Lian's own imitation of the "Han Dynasty Wild Goose-Fish Bronze Lamp."

Uncle Wu found the lamp ingenious, but could not fathom its subtlety.

Shen Lian suddenly opened his eyes; the bead of light vanished. His gaze was clear and bright, as if filled with stars.

The lamp's smoke circulated back into the water, polluting nothing outside—this was Zen.

It was Shen Lian's way to keep himself vigilant.

Now that his spirit had extended outward, he could condense moonlight, create flame, and kindle a lamp—not powerful, but deeply meaningful.

For this was no longer martial arts, but magic.

Shen Lian mused: If this were in the web novels he used to read, he'd be considered a magic apprentice, able to cast a miniature version of the level-one fireball spell.

At this thought, he couldn't help but smile.

Because he had also cultivated the Divine Foot Sutra, he was both martial and magical.

A breeze stirred, fluttering the lamp's flame and Shen Lian's robes. The wind brushed his face; he rose, gazing at the bright moon.

No matter how many spells or divine arts, he wished only to be like that moon—eternal, unchanged.

******

Spring passed and autumn came; time flew by.

Shen Lian's body had grown to fifteen years old, delicate and refined, as pure as jade and smoke. Whenever he went out, the city's maidens would gather to catch a glimpse.

If Shen Lian had remained as frail as before, he would surely have gained the reputation of "killing with a glance."

Xu Hong, cowardly by nature, rushed to stay at Shen Lian's "Between Worlds Inn" the day after Shen Lian left, even at a sky-high price, fearing the two demon prodigies would return for revenge.

No outsider knew what madness had possessed Xu Hong; only a few in the Xu family understood, but kept silent under his warning.

Only Shen Lian's maternal aunt, Lady Xu, heard the whole story from Xu Hong. Thus, with every festival, she treated Shen Lian ever better, even with a touch of reverence, astonishing the servants who had grown used to her harshness. They marveled that Young Master Shen Lian, though seemingly ordinary, possessed remarkable skill.

After more than half a year, with no further news of the other two Five Blessings Spirits, Xu Hong finally returned to his own home.

Yet Xu Hong's odd antics stirred curiosity in the city. Shen Lian's occasional inventions and clever devices, such as the wild goose-fish bronze lamp, gained recognition for their benefit, and the reputation of "Between Worlds Inn" soared.

Even as room rates climbed, nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of passing merchants and curious local scholars.

This was beyond Uncle Wu's expectations—from the initial bleakness to the current prosperity, he now faced the sweet troubles of success. Shen Lian had promised him a half percent share of the monthly profits, which had become quite substantial for him.

Only Shen Lian remained indifferent, seeing wealth as trivial.

By day, he trained in martial arts and breathing; by night, he cultivated his spirit, pursuing pure refinement.

Though living amid the mundane world, he was undisturbed.

The Divine Foot Sutra was easy to begin, but reaching its heights was exceptionally difficult. Even the talent of the man in green robes required thirty years and a brush with life and death to break through the last two vital meridians.

Even though Shen Lian's spirit was strong, allowing longer practice without fatigue and precise control over his inner energy, he had only just opened the remaining meridians, unable to break through the last two.

Moreover, for half a year, no matter how diligently he cultivated the "Supreme Purity Spiritual Treasure Lock-Heart True Explanation," his soul had not grown stronger, able only to wander as a shade at dusk, in cloudy weather, or at night.

If he ventured out by day, the sun's true fire was scorching, and if he left his body, he could not last long under the blazing light.

Qingzhou lay in the northwest; though not as bitterly cold as the desert, its winters were harsh.

Snow had fallen for three days, blanketing the city and countryside in white.

Even with fires burning in the inn, the cold could not be banished.

Shen Lian lingered in the main hall downstairs. Having hit a bottleneck in his cultivation, he focused only on his daily practice, refusing to dwell on the matter, lest he develop obsession.

This was a lesson from earlier days, when impatience drove him to force progress in the "Supreme Purity Spiritual Treasure Lock-Heart True Explanation," seeking a breakthrough. His mind grew restless, more so than when he first encountered the Five-Pass Evil Gods.

Had it not been for that day when Uncle Wu reported the monthly accounts, provoking Shen Lian's irritation and fury, frightening Uncle Wu into fainting and awakening Shen Lian to his own change in temperament, he might have remained addicted to cultivation, and even if he avoided going mad, he would likely tread the same extreme path as the man in green robes.

Thus, Shen Lian grew ever more vigilant. He believed his predecessor lacked guidance and experience, cultivating alone in deep mountains, which led to disaster. He had warned himself not to follow in those footsteps.

Yet he had become arrogant, thinking that reading countless immortal novels and receiving a few pointers from Ling Chongxiao would suffice for solitary cultivation and the pursuit of immortality.

If he had not caught himself before falling deep into delusion, not only would the quest for the Dao have failed, even survival would have become difficult.

A cold wind, sharp as a blade, slipped through the cracks of the tightly closed door, accompanied by a muffled knocking.

ps: Thanks to Futuo Liangsheng, Ka Kaimu, Specialist in Betraying Teammates, and Longke, Mina, Book Friend 160210090646530, Book Friend 160212014700036, and Tears Fish Weaving Dance for their generous rewards.