"Cough—"
Gu Chengming, who had just been sipping his tea, promptly choked on it.
So this Zhouli of yours had feudal propriety baked right into it, did it?
He had originally assumed that the so-called "rites" and "order" this cultivation method espoused referred to the natural laws governing heaven and earth — or, at worst, some vague moral code along the lines of "respect your elders and honour your teachers."
And instead he got... women aren't allowed at the head of the table?
"What's wrong?"
Yu Wenqiu, sitting across from him, was startled by the sudden commotion. She had just picked up a glistening piece of fish, hadn't even gotten it to her mouth yet, when she saw Gu Chengming coughing and fussing with a handkerchief to dab at the water stains on his robe. She raised an eyebrow and teased:
"You haven't even had any wine. How are you already drunk?"
"Elder, forgive me — this disciple's mind wandered," Gu Chengming said hastily, grasping for any excuse.
"Wandered?"
Yu Wenqiu quirked an eyebrow, but didn't press the matter.
She picked up the piece of fish again, slipped it into her mouth, chewed slowly, and then narrowed her eyes in contented satisfaction:
"How does anyone's mind wander when the food is this good?"
"All right, all right — stop thinking about whatever nonsense and just enjoy the meal."
Gu Chengming suppressed the turmoil in his chest and was just about to respond when his vision blurred, and that familiar semi-transparent window popped up again.
[Piercing Insight activated.]
Three options appeared clearly before Gu Chengming's eyes:
[Option 1: Slam the table, loudly demand that Elder Yu immediately vacate the head seat and go squat in the corner to eat.]
[Option 2: Attempt a high-intensity philosophical debate with the Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method, arguing the case for "why Elder Yu is entitled to the head seat."]
[Option 3: Keep your head down and eat.]
Gu Chengming stared at the three options and couldn't help smacking himself on the forehead.
Did he really need the system to give him multiple-choice prompts for this?
At the same moment, the Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method's muttering drifted over.
[Heaven and earth have their proper order; yin and yang have their proper distinction. Yang is primary, yin is supplementary; man is heaven, woman is earth. This is the great righteousness of the cosmos, the eternal moral foundation of ten thousand generations!]
[Even if this woman's cultivation runs deep, she belongs to the yin. How can she presume to usurp the yang seat? This is not merely a question of seating arrangement — this is a disruption of the cosmic order! If it is not corrected, how can one rectify the heart? How can one make the will sincere?]
Gu Chengming's head ached, though nothing showed on his face.
He continued eating, conducting the argument inside his own mind through telepathic communication.
"Rites are grounded in principle; order is grounded in virtue. The hierarchy of rank should not be judged by the surface distinction of yin and yang alone — one must look deeper, to the benevolence and virtue within. Would you not agree, Senior?"
[That is not without reason. And yet, the distinction between yin and yang is fixed…]
Without waiting for the Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method to finish, Gu Chengming pressed forward:
"In your esteemed view, what constitutes benevolence and virtue?"
Sure enough, the Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method took the bait and answered:
[To nurture all things with gentleness — that is benevolence. To discern right from wrong and follow the Way of Heaven — that is virtue.]
Seeing that the Zhouli had stepped into the trap, Gu Chengming pressed his advantage at once:
"Precisely so. Senior, you have looked only at her outward form as a woman, and forgotten the fundamental truth of her status and virtue."
"First: she is an administrative elder of our Wenjian Sect, and I am a disciple of the Wenjian Sect — she is therefore my teacher. In the world of cultivation, seniority belongs to the accomplished. A teacher is as a parent. As one who stands in the place of a parent, what could possibly be wrong with her occupying the head seat?"
"Second: on the matter of benevolence."
Without waiting for a response, Gu Chengming continued:
"As my teacher, Elder Yu has repeatedly looked out for me — bestowing elixirs, ensuring my protection. Is such deep and generous grace not the very embodiment of benevolence? If, over a trivial dispute about seating, I were to drive an elder to the lower seat, would that not make me a scoundrel who forgets every kindness he has received?"
"Third — and most importantly — on the matter of virtue, or what one might call the grace of being recognised and guided. Do you know, Senior, how I came to find the Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method?"
[The Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method hesitated: naturally, you found it yourself in the Scripture Library.]
"Not so!"
Gu Chengming shook his head, shifting the feeling behind his telepathic communication:
"The Scripture Library holds texts as vast as the sea and the smoke. Daos left to gather dust number in the tens of thousands. Senior, your aspirations are lofty — and yet you have been curled in a dark corner for decades. Has anyone so much as glanced your way?"
"It was Elder Yu!"
"It was she who, among ten thousand volumes, possessed the discerning eye to see your worth — who argued against all objections and recommended you to me. It was she who told me that only the Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method could bring unity to the myriad forces within me and help me walk the path to the Dao."
"For a teacher who has shown such great grace, such great virtue, such great benevolence, and such great righteousness — are you truly saying that simply because she is a woman, she should be stripped of the right to sit at the head of the table?"
Gu Chengming's argument built layer upon layer, striking directly at the Zhouli's soft underbelly with the twin pillars Confucian tradition held most sacred: grace and righteousness.
Inside his sea of consciousness, there was dead silence.
The Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method was still for a long moment, as though weighing Gu Chengming's words.
Meanwhile, out in the real world:
Yu Wenqiu was eating with great enthusiasm. She picked up a pair of chopsticks of steamed jade bamboo shoots, placed them in her mouth, and the crisp, refreshing flavour drew an involuntary sound of approval from her:
"These bamboo shoots are excellent. So tender."
Finally, after a long and weighty silence:
[The Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method let out a long sigh.]
[It had no choice but to concede — your words carry reason.]
[Rites, though they have fixed forms, must also change with the times and adapt to circumstances.]
[Since this woman has granted you the grace of transmitting the Dao, and has granted me the virtue of being reborn into purpose — she is no longer merely a woman. She is a teacher worthy of respect.]
[In the face of great righteousness, the minor matter of keeping men and women in their separate places may, for now, be set aside.]
[The Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method acknowledges your understanding of "benevolence" and "virtue."]
[Favorability +3]
[Current Favorability: 8 / Stranger]
Then, four characters in brilliant golden light slowly rose in Gu Chengming's sea of consciousness, carrying with them the gravity and formal permission of deep deliberation:
[Permitted to Sit at the Table]
Good grief. Did those four words really need special effects?
...
He had found another reliable path through the favourability grind — so why wasn't he even a little bit happy about it.
Just as Gu Chengming sat there staring blankly at his teacup, eyes drifting into the middle distance, Yu Wenqiu across from him misread his silence entirely.
This elder, normally so languid and carefree, quietly set down her chopsticks and cast a slightly guilty glance at the plate of Red-Braised Crimson-Scale Fish on the table — a dish that was now noticeably more than half gone.
— How was it that little Gu seemed so distracted?
Yu Wenqiu muttered to herself inwardly.
She looked down at the mountain of fish bones piled in front of her, then looked at Gu Chengming's bowl and chopsticks, which he had barely touched. A faint warmth crept into her cheeks.
Had she eaten too much?
She had long since passed the stage of needing mortal food — but the spirit cuisine at Zuixian Tower really was something else, and today her mood had been good, so she had let herself indulge a little without thinking.
To lose her composure like this in front of a junior — even she, who never usually cared about such things, felt her face couldn't quite hold up under scrutiny at this moment.
"Ahem."
Yu Wenqiu gave a light cough and swiftly reined in her gleeful-devouring expression, reassembling her air of dignified elderhood.
She straightened her back, smoothed down her slightly rumpled sleeve, then picked up the serving chopsticks, selected the plumpest piece of the fish belly, and set it into Gu Chengming's bowl.
"Stop sitting there in a daze. Crimson-scale fish picks up a fishy smell when it goes cold — eat it while it's hot."
Gu Chengming came back to himself. He looked at the piece of fish that had appeared in his bowl, gathered his scattered thoughts, and smiled.
"Thank you, Elder."
The two of them ate their spirit food and chatted idly about recent news from the sect, and the atmosphere gradually became easy and pleasant.
"Come to think of it, things have been remarkably peaceful in the sect lately."
Yu Wenqiu rested her cheek on one hand and said, "The Outer Gate probably went too long without producing a genius. Now that one's finally appeared, it seems the elders can breathe again."
Hearing this, something stirred in Gu Chengming's mind, and he seized the opportunity to ask:
"Though this disciple has been in the sect for a few years now, I have always moved in the Outer Gate's circles and remain largely ignorant of many internal matters — such as the Guizang Gate."
"I have heard it called the premier gate of our Wenjian Sect, yet in all my time here, I have rarely seen Guizang Gate disciples come and go. Would you know the reason?"
At the mention of "Guizang Gate," the hand holding Yu Wenqiu's wine cup paused almost imperceptibly.
"The Guizang Gate, is it…"
Yu Wenqiu set down her wine cup and let out a slow breath:
"Since you've asked, I'll tell you what I know. It's not exactly a secret inside the inner gate anyway — you'd hear it sooner or later."
"As you said, the Guizang Gate is the uncontested premier gate of the Wenjian Sect. And that distinction wasn't built on sheer numbers — it was carved out through genuine, bone-hard combat power."
She extended one finger and drew a slow circle on the tabletop:
"Our Wenjian Sect encompasses Daoning, Huiyuan, Qingfeng, Sword-Washing, and other gates, with disciples numbering in the tens of thousands. But the Guizang Gate — counting every last one of them — does not exceed fifty people."
The entire premier gate of the great Wenjian Sect, and fewer than fifty members?
"Unbelievable, isn't it?"
Yu Wenqiu caught his expression of astonishment and gave a soft laugh. "And what's more, the disciples inside Guizang Gate enjoy enormous privileges — the whole place runs on the principle of shameless favouritism."
"To give you the simplest example: you know that our Wenjian Sect — indeed, all the major immortal sects of the Nine Provinces — maintain ties with the Great Qian Dynasty, yes?"
Gu Chengming nodded. He had read about this in the Records of Daqian Miscellany.
"When inner gate disciples of the various sects reach a sufficient level of cultivation, they are typically sent down the mountain to undertake field experience. And the primary destination for that experience is the Great Qian Dynasty."
As she said this, Yu Wenqiu explained further:
"It is both a tacit agreement and an exchange of interests between sects and dynasty. The sects dispatch disciples to serve as officials at court, to slay demons and monsters and keep the peace, while also using the dynasty's dragon-qi and resources to temper themselves. The dynasty, in return, draws on the sects' power to consolidate its rule and overawe the realm."
"But Guizang Gate disciples are exempt from all that."
"Within the sect, the Guizang Gate also receives the highest resource allocation. Even a disciple who has just entered the gate is treated at a level comparable to the core true-inheritor disciples of every other gate."
Listening to all this, a melody immediately started playing in Gu Chengming's head:
— Stumbled into a place too grand for me~
"So you see…"
Yu Wenqiu concluded in a tone of heartfelt earnestness: "The Guizang Gate is basically devoid of normal people. If you ever run into one in the future, keep as much distance as you possibly can, and under no circumstances try to reason with them."
Gu Chengming understood — and then suddenly realised that he still had no idea what gate Elder Yu actually belonged to. He asked somewhat offhandedly:
"Speaking of which, Elder Yu — which gate are you from?"
The moment the question was out, the air in the private dining room seemed to freeze for an instant.
Yu Wenqiu's chopsticks halted mid-air.
She hemmed and hawed for a good while, her gaze wandering all over the place, before finally setting her chopsticks down entirely, raising her wine cup to cover her face, taking a large deliberate gulp, and then mumbling out three very indistinct syllables:
"…Guizang Gate."
"…"
Gu Chengming looked at Yu Wenqiu's languid, laidback posture. He looked at the half-visible storybook poking out of her sleeve. He recalled her remarks about Guizang Gate just moments ago. Something in his chest became thoroughly complicated.
Elder Yu, the image you project and the image of the sword-obsessed fanatics you described in Guizang Gate seem… not entirely compatible.
Seeing his expression, Yu Wenqiu had something of a "well, the jig is up" moment.
She let out a sigh and gave a helpless shrug. "It's not really my fault… Actually, I was originally from Daoning Gate."
"Daoning Gate?" Gu Chengming was even more surprised.
Yu Wenqiu nodded, a flash of memory crossing her eyes.
"Back then, I entered through the arts and techniques path and was selected into Daoning Gate. But… well, you can imagine what Daoning Gate is like — full of female cultivators, endless rules and formalities, an atmosphere that was utterly suffocating. And the elders there loved nothing better than lecturing you; they'd hand out copying-the-sect-rules punishments at the drop of a hat."
She curled her lip. "I have always despised nothing more than pointless hassle, and I can't stand that kind of empty, performative propriety. I spent three years there. Nearly suffocated to death."
"What happened then?" Gu Chengming pressed.
Yu Wenqiu gave a sly laugh, her tone carrying a note of pride:
"Then I figured out that Guizang Gate had few people and plenty of rules too, but one thing going for it — if you were strong enough, nobody bothered you."
"So I switched to the sword path, and at one of the sect's grand tournaments, I gave one of Guizang Gate's inner disciples a thorough beating."
Gu Chengming: "…"
Quite the career transition strategy.
"After that, the senior grand elder of Guizang Gate took a liking to me and poached me straight out of Daoning Gate."
Yu Wenqiu shrugged. "After going to Guizang Gate, sure, the senior brothers and sisters there were a bit dull, but the peace and quiet was worth it. Nobody cared what time I woke up. Nobody cared what books I read. As long as I passed the monthly assessment, the rest of my time was mine to waste however I pleased."
"Over time… well, ahem. This is what I became."
Gu Chengming's perception of Elder Yu underwent a significant revision.
Switching from arts cultivation to sword cultivation purely out of a desire to slack off — and then defeating a true-inheritor disciple in the process. That talent really was something else.
By this point in the conversation, the food and wine were nearly finished.
Yu Wenqiu seemed to feel she had talked a little too much today. She reined in her casual manner slightly and shifted to a more serious tone:
"All right, enough idle talk — let's get to business."
She looked at Gu Chengming, a new seriousness entering her gaze:
"I can see your cultivation method has been settled, and your realm has reached the eighth layer of the first realm with a solid foundation. Which means… it's about time to start preparing for the Inner Gate Assessment."
"Inner Gate Assessment?"
Gu Chengming was mildly startled.
He remembered Ren Wencai mentioning this before, but there had always been something nagging at him.
"Elder, I recall the sect has a rule that all those entering the inner gate must first break through to the second realm."
"I have been fortunate enough to reach the eighth layer of the first realm, but the second realm is still a ways off. Wouldn't entering the assessment at this stage be rushing things somewhat?"
Yu Wenqiu waved her hand dismissively and explained:
"This so-called Inner Gate Assessment is not about testing talent or combat power — it's about examining your character and disposition."
"Inner gate disciples are the backbone that the Wenjian Sect will rely on in years to come, and the very foundation of the sect's legacy. So, before entering the inner gate, one must pass through a trial of the heart and will. As long as your background is clean and you harbour no ill intentions toward the sect, the assessment is nothing more than a formality — just going through the motions."
"Your character is good, and with Senior Brother Ren vouching for you, this assessment should be a sure thing for you."
"However…"
She paused, then added one more line:
"Even though it's mostly ceremonial, don't let your guard down. The one who presides over the assessment is usually that black-faced judge from the Enforcement Hall — that fellow loves nothing more than picking nits. When the time comes, watch what you say and do, and be careful not to give anyone a handle to use against you."
Gu Chengming understood.
So it was something like a background check… As long as he wasn't some undercover agent from a demonic sect, or hadn't done anything truly monstrous, this checkpoint was basically a freebie.
"Thank you for the guidance, Elder. This disciple understands."
Yu Wenqiu nodded. The matter had been conveyed, the meal was finished — by rights, they should be wrapping up.
But she made no move to rise. Instead she sat where she was, her fingers idly rubbing at her sleeve cuff, a faint hesitation crossing her expression.
Gu Chengming found this odd. "Elder? Is there something else you wish to say?"
"That is…"
Yu Wenqiu's eyes drifted. She coughed once — as though steeling herself to some decision — and then slowly, in no particular hurry, produced a thick bundle from her sleeve.
The bundle was wrapped in blue cloth, perfectly square, and judging by its thickness, it had to be at least several hundred pages.
"This is for you."
"What is this?"
Good grief, how thick is this thing?
"I always felt somewhat guilty about taking your storybooks."
Yu Wenqiu said, words coming out at speed:
"As the saying goes, it is improper to receive without giving in return. In my spare time, I have put together some stories of my own. Most of them are based on your storybook — with certain… extensions and elaborations."
"I wrote them out of pure boredom anyway, and it seemed a waste to throw them away, so I thought I'd pass them along for you to read — consider it a gift in return."
Having gotten those words out, she seemed to shed some great burden, and let out a long, slow breath.
Gu Chengming took the bundle. What met his eyes was a stack of neat pages of fine paper, covered edge to edge in meticulous, elegant small-script characters.
His own storybook had only come to around two hundred thousand characters all told — and this elder had apparently written several hundred thousand words of fan fiction. How much time had that taken?
Had she basically funnelled every minute of goofing off on the job into writing this?
Gu Chengming was suddenly rather moved.
"Elder Yu…"
Gu Chengming looked up, meeting her eyes with a sincere gaze. "This gift is far too precious."
Seeing that he showed no sign of laughing — that on the contrary he wore a perfectly solemn expression — the small flicker of embarrassment in Yu Wenqiu's heart died down considerably.
She gave a light hmph and waved her hand with an air of studied nonchalance:
"Precious, nothing — it was just a whim. Take it home and have a look; if you don't think much of it, it'll do just as well for lighting a fire."
"Certainly not!"
Gu Chengming tucked the manuscript safely into his robe.
The two exchanged a few more courteous pleasantries, then parted ways at the entrance of the restaurant.
On the walk home, Gu Chengming couldn't contain his curiosity. He fished out the sheaf of manuscript pages as he walked, holding them up toward the lamplight from the roadside lanterns and skimming rapidly through.
The entire several-hundred-thousand-word work revolved almost entirely around the Master. Not only had Yu Wenqiu filled in every gap that Gu Chengming had left blank, she had even opened up several entirely new romantic storylines of her own invention.
Gu Chengming nodded with satisfaction.
So it seemed Elder Yu had taken quite a liking to the Master character.
After bidding farewell to Yu Wenqiu, Gu Chengming walked back through the evening dark to his own small courtyard.
The moment he stepped inside, whatever faint traces of wine smell he had picked up at the Hidden Sword Pavilion were swept away by the night breeze.
He latched the courtyard gate, stowed the thick fan-fiction manuscript carefully deep inside his storage pouch, and then exhaled a long, slow breath before pouring himself a cup of cool tea.
While the Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method's temperament had turned out to be rather different from what he'd expected, as a cultivation method it suited him perfectly.
And though it held quite a bias against female cultivators, toward cultivation methods themselves it was remarkably tolerant — it rarely offered its own opinions.
And when it did, those opinions tended to be positive.
For instance…
[The Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method sighs with appreciation: the Huiyuan Sword Art is, to be frank, a thoroughly fine cultivation method for someone in your position — every bit the obedient, virtuous type.]
Gu Chengming's vision went black the moment he read that line.
A cultivation method with the "three obediences and four virtues"? Good grief!
But then, thinking it over — given the Huiyuan Sword Art's established personality, it actually did seem to fit rather neatly into the Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method's idea of a "good woman."
The following morning, as dawn mist still hung in the air.
"Knock, knock."
Gu Chengming was performing his breathing exercises in the courtyard when he heard the familiar sound of knocking. He got to his feet and opened the courtyard gate.
Standing outside was a face he hadn't seen in quite some time — Jiang Lu.
"Senior Brother Gu."
Jiang Lu, on seeing Gu Chengming, broke into a warm and genuine smile and bowed respectfully:
"Junior Brother has come to call — I hope I haven't disturbed Senior Brother's cultivation?"
"Not at all — come in, come in."
Gu Chengming stepped aside to let him through the gate, and as his gaze swept over Jiang Lu, his eyes brightened at once.
"It seems Junior Brother has turned misfortune into fortune. Your injuries have clearly healed well, and your cultivation seems to have advanced considerably too?"
Jiang Lu made no attempt to hide it, and answered frankly:
"Thanks to Senior Brother's good fortune, during the days I spent recovering I read the notes Senior Brother gave me over and over again. Perhaps because my body couldn't move, my mind was actually clearer than usual."
The two of them sat down at the stone table, and Jiang Lu accepted the cup of tea Gu Chengming poured for him, his voice carrying a note of gratitude:
"After I recovered, the bottleneck at the seventh layer of the first realm dissolved on its own. Yesterday I entered closed cultivation and made a push at it — and managed, by luck, to break through to the eighth layer of the first realm."
Among Outer Gate disciples, the eighth layer of the first realm was already peak combat power.
His natural gifts weren't especially outstanding, so reaching this point at his age was genuinely no small achievement.
Gu Chengming offered his heartfelt congratulations.
Hearing this, Jiang Lu scratched his head a little sheepishly — but then his expression turned serious, and he spoke earnestly:
"Senior Brother — now I at least have some ability to protect myself. I know Senior Brother's talents are exceptional, and my paltry level of cultivation probably won't be of much real help. But from here on, if there's any running around or odd-job work to be done, Senior Brother need only say the word — Junior Brother will do it without a second thought."
These were words from the bottom of his heart.
In the moment he had broken through, he hadn't felt much of the "I've finally caught up to Senior Brother" satisfaction he might have expected. Instead, he had perceived more clearly than ever the true size of the gap between himself and Gu Chengming.
Gu Chengming had challenged Li Mozi — a cultivator at the eighth layer of the first realm — while himself standing at only the sixth layer. What order of natural talent did that take?
Even though he himself had now broken through to the eighth layer, if he were pitted against that day's Li Mozi, he very much doubted he would win.
All he wanted to convey to Gu Chengming was this: he hadn't fallen hopelessly behind. He was still someone useful.
Gu Chengming looked at Jiang Lu's sincere eyes and felt a small warmth in his chest.
"Since Junior Brother has put it like that, I certainly won't stand on ceremony." Gu Chengming said, teasing him lightly.
"Please, Senior Brother, don't hold back at all!"
Jiang Lu laughed, and then seemed to remember something.
"Oh, right, Senior Brother — that day you…"
Jiang Lu's sentence had barely begun when it abruptly stalled.
Because he had sensed it — the realm fluctuations involuntarily radiating from Gu Chengming's body.
Eighth layer of the first realm?!
Had it really only been half a month?
Jiang Lu let out a slow breath.
He had arrived with a measure of the competitive spirit natural to young men, thinking that after this experience of breaking down only to rebuild stronger, perhaps he might manage to narrow even slightly that daunting distance between them — to at least be able to see the other man's back, even if he still couldn't close the gap entirely. Even that much would have been an enormous encouragement.
But reality, as it so often is, proved crueller than imagination. It was only now, in this moment, that he truly understood — his so-called "progress" was nothing but a firefly measured against a blazing moon, a mote of dust beside a mountain peak, when set against the other person's talent.
That kind of gap was not something one lucky breakthrough could ever erase.
And yet, strangely enough, the bitterness passed quickly.
Once he let go of that unrealistic obsession, Jiang Lu actually felt the weight lift from his shoulders.
Gu Chengming had taken it all in without a word, and simply, quietly, refilled the other man's cup of tea.
The two chatted idly for a while longer.
Jiang Lu had taken his knock, but he adjusted quickly, and before long was asking Gu Chengming about the finer points of cultivation at the eighth layer of the first realm.
Gu Chengming held nothing back, drawing on the unifying principles of the Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method to offer him a good deal of practical, sound advice.
Only when the sun had tilted well past the midpoint of the sky did Jiang Lu finally rise to take his leave, clearly still reluctant to go.
...
Some days later.
Deep in the rear mountains of Huiyuan Gate, shrouded in cloud and mist.
It had been several days since he had entered the cultivation method, and though the various forces within his body had never quite been in outright conflict, they had always carried something of a "each doing its own thing" quality. Now, under the unifying orchestration of this Confucian cultivation method, they moved together like officials at court, each fulfilling their proper duty — and his eighth-layer-first-realm cultivation had grown ever more rounded and deep.
Now that he had taken his first steps and seen genuine results, both sentiment and reason dictated that he go and report the good news to the one who had pointed him down this path.
But this time, Gu Chengming knew perfectly well: this visit to Ren Wencai was a fundamentally different affair from the meal he had taken Yu Wenqiu to at Zuixian Tower.
Elder Yu was laid-back by nature, and that dinner had felt more like a casual meal between friends — informality was fine. But Ren Wencai was the Grand Elder of a whole gate, and had shown him the grace of guidance and protection; this "thank-you banquet" had to be conducted properly and openly, with all due ceremony.
Gu Chengming made a point of changing into a fresh new sect robe, binding his hair neatly, setting his crown straight, and hanging the Tinglang Sword at his waist.
He first went to the Hall of Merit and Discipline, where he invited Elder Liu Enchuan, and then together they proceeded to the main peak to pay their respects to Ren Wencai.
Gu Chengming had originally intended to invite only these two — after all, they were practically family.
But when he arrived outside Ren Wencai's cave dwelling and stated his purpose, the Grand Elder stroked his beard and laughed:
"If it's a celebration and a thank-you feast combined, won't it be awfully quiet with so few people?"
With that, Ren Wencai sent out a message talisman, and before long a streak of cyan light descended in front of the dwelling.
The newcomer had a lean, composed face and an unhurried manner — it was Elder Zhao Wuji of Qingfeng Gate.
Something clicked in Gu Chengming's mind, and in an instant he understood Elder Ren's true intention.
This had nothing to do with worrying about a quiet dinner. The man clearly wanted a suitably impressive audience to show off in front of.
Zhao Wuji, for his part, had arrived inwardly grinding his teeth, half a mind to turn right back around.
Damn this scheming old bastard — hadn't the talisman said he was inviting him over to try some freshly arrived spirit tea?
The banquet was set in the "Yunhai Pavilion," a venue the sect reserved for entertaining distinguished guests.
It could not be booked with spirit stones alone — elder status was required — and although Gu Chengming was nominally the host, he was in truth leveraging Ren Wencai's standing to secure the booking.
The private room was suffused with drifting cloud-patterns, and beyond the window lay a roiling sea of clouds and lush green peaks stretching into the distance — the scenery was magnificent.
After several rounds of wine, with many dishes having come and gone, the atmosphere had grown warm and convivial.
Ren Wencai set down his wine cup and, with apparent nonchalance, glanced briefly at Gu Chengming before turning his smiling gaze toward Zhao Wuji:
"Brother Zhao, take a good look at Chengming here — what do you make of his bearing these past few days?"
Zhao Wuji, thus prompted, turned his gaze to Gu Chengming.
He could see at a glance that Gu Chengming's aura was reserved and well-contained, and that as his spiritual energy circulated there was a hidden rhythm of centered, balanced evenness — clearly his foundation had grown more solid still.
"Breathing long and steady, spirit full and qi complete."
Zhao Wuji gave a slight nod, offering an objective assessment:
"To carry such depth of foundation at the eighth layer of the first realm — that is genuinely rare."
"Naturally." The smile on Ren Wencai's face deepened. He gestured toward Gu Chengming and said with more than a little pride:
"This boy has a stubborn streak — a few days back he decided his current qi-gathering technique was too shallow and went off to the Scripture Library to find himself a superior cultivation method. I told him not to aim too high too fast, but who would have thought he'd go and find that Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method all on his own."
"The Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method?"
Liu Enchuan beside him gave a start of surprise:
"You mean the one derived from the Great Qian Confucian tradition — the one that's notoriously obscure and nearly impossible to enter?"
"The very same."
Ren Wencai nodded, his gaze still drifting — not quite subtly enough — toward Zhao Wuji:
"I also told him this method was difficult to cultivate — that one would need to read broadly in the Confucian classics and come to understand the meaning of rites and order. And then, who would have thought…"
At this point, Ren Wencai deliberately paused, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
Zhao Wuji knew perfectly well that this old schemer was drawing out the suspense, but he couldn't help asking anyway: "What happened?"
"He entered the method within a matter of days."
Ren Wencai set down his teacup and let out a sigh — but though the sound was a sigh, the smug satisfaction leaking from the corners of his eyes and the tips of his eyebrows was impossible to conceal:
"Such comprehension — in all my years, I have rarely seen its equal. Back in the day, when several senior brothers in the inner gate attempted this method, every single one of them took months of painstaking study just to reach the threshold. This child Chengming, though — he gave me a pleasant surprise."
The hand Zhao Wuji had around his wine cup tightened almost imperceptibly.
Entered in a matter of days?
He drew a quiet breath inward. He had his own knowledge of that cultivation method — while it wasn't a top-tier technique, its demands on character and comprehension were extraordinary.
To have entered it in such a short time, and to judge from Gu Chengming's current state — that he had already grasped its essence — such talent…
He looked at Gu Chengming, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not push down the sour feeling rising in his chest.
Such outstanding raw material — how had it ended up in the hands of that old fox Ren Wencai?
"Truly… extraordinarily gifted."
Zhao Wuji drew a deep breath, maintaining an elder's composure on his face as he forced out a small smile:
"Brother Ren has a discerning eye, and Huiyuan Gate has a worthy successor. Congratulations all around."
"Ha ha ha, congratulations to us all." Ren Wencai laughed heartily, raised his cup and called out: "Come — bottoms up."
Zhao Wuji raised his cup in return, tipped his head back, and drained it — and found that the spirit wine, usually so rich and smooth, tasted ever so slightly astringent today.
At that moment, the serving attendants brought out the final grand centrepiece dish:
— Steamed Spirit-Pool Red Carp.
This red carp had been raised in the sect's spirit pool deep in the mountains, nourished by the heaven-and-earth energy of the land, and its flesh was fresh, delicious, and suffused with pure spiritual power.
The fish was roughly two chi in length, presented in a massive white jade platter. Its sides had been scored in an intricate flower-cut pattern, and it was doused with a rich, fragrant broth — steaming hot, its aroma filling the room.
The attendants set the fish platter squarely in the centre of the round table.
And at that same instant, a line of text appeared before him.
[The Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method appears to have just thought of something.]
[It poses a question: of these three people, whose cultivation realm is the highest?]
Gu Chengming was somewhat puzzled. Where had that come from, out of nowhere?
After a moment's thought, he replied through his inner sense, a little uncertainly:
— Elder Ren, most likely.
Simultaneously, a line of large golden characters blazed into brilliance, flooding Gu Chengming's field of vision:
[Point the fish head toward Elder Ren!]
Could it please stop using font special effects?!
[Author's note: This chapter is eight thousand five hundred characters.]
[Illustration: Zhouli Heavenly Harmony Righteous Heart Method character art]
[Also recommending a book by a friend.]
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