I Failed to Reform the Protagonist [Transmigration] - Chapter 5

Pei Jing pondered the phrase “Returning to Simplicity” for a long time but still couldn’t figure it out. Since his Master wasn’t currently in Yunxiao, the only person left he could ask was Chen Xu.

After resting for a night at Tianqian Peak, Pei Jing headed straight for Wenqing Peak, where Chen Xu resided.

Many peach trees were planted on Wenqing Peak, and in this season, they were blooming so vibrantly they seemed to be on fire.

When he entered the hall, Chen Xu had just finished instructing the ten new disciples on the sect rules.

As the ten disciples filed out, they bumped into the hurried Pei Jing at the entrance of the hall.

Dressed in white with a jade crown on his dark hair and a sword at his hip, his temperament was as cool as frost and snow.

For a moment, the crowd stood in a daze, unable to hide their excitement. They raised their voices and called out, “Senior Brother Pei!”

Only when they shouted did Pei Jing notice them. He gave a slight nod but didn’t say much.

The ten disciples were visibly thrilled and wanted to speak a few more words with the person they admired. However, hindered by Chen Xu’s dark gaze behind them, they could only leave dejectedly.

Pei Jing’s mind wasn’t on them. He spoke directly to Chen Xu: “I have something to ask you.”

Chen Xu was holding a stack of books. all the Yunxiao rules he had just read to the Inner Peak disciples. The more he thought about Pei Jing placing Chu Junyu in the Outer Peaks, the angrier he became, so he didn’t have a pleasant look on his face.

He replied coldly, “I don’t know!”

Pei Jing knew his temper and asked directly, “What does ‘Returning to Simplicity’ mean?”

Chen Xu paused. “What?”

Pei Jing repeated, “Returning to Simplicity. It’s an idiom Master threw at me yesterday, telling me to gain some enlightenment from it.”

Chen Xu was speechless. “The Sect Leader told you to gain enlightenment; what use is finding me?”

Pei Jing said, “He said I need enlightenment because my ‘seven emotions and six desires’ haven’t blossomed yet. I figured you know quite a bit about passion and desire, so I came to ask you.”

Chen Xu exploded: “…What do you mean by that!”

Pei Jing realized his phrasing was a bit off and quickly corrected himself: “I meant that you are very knowledgeable and well-traveled.”

Only then did Chen Xu calm down. After a moment of thought, he frowned and said, “Aren’t you focusing on the wrong thing?”

Pei Jing shook his head decisively. “Absolutely not. Those were the only four words he left behind. Master said that one stage of the Yunxiao Sword Art is ‘Common People,’ which is related to the seven emotions and six desires. I’ve practiced until now without encountering any inner demons, so I probably won’t pass that stage when I reach it. I can’t rush my breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage right now, so I can only put some effort into this.”

Chen Xu came up with a terrible idea: “Aren’t the seven emotions and six desires just about love and romance? Why don’t you go find a Daoist companion?”

Pei Jing knew he was full of it and feigned concern: “Perish the thought. If I found a companion, it would cause a stir in the cultivation world; the female cultivators across the land would start fighting each other.”

Chen Xu sneered, “Heh.” After thinking it over, he added, “You won’t get an answer from me. Why not ask at the Heaven Pavilion inside the Scripture Library? Someone powerful there might know.”

Pei Jing’s expression turned a bit strange. “Alright then. Come with me.”

Chen Xu rolled his eyes. “Can’t you go by yourself?”

Despite saying that, he had already placed the stack of books on the desk and picked up his sword.

Pei Jing walked out with him and said, “If I could go, why would I bring you? That old man in front of the library won’t let me in. I can only sneak in behind you.”

“What did you do to him?”

Pei Jing gestured vaguely. “Not much. Isn’t there a rule in the Heaven Pavilion that questions and answers must be done via divine sense? One day after practicing my sword, I had nothing to do, so I stayed there all day and answered every question I could. I used the brush and ink nearby to write directly, and I accidentally knocked over the ink bottle and stained the floor. Even after I cleaned it up, the old man found out. He was so angry he chased me across half the mountain, swearing he’d hit me every time he saw me. I wouldn’t dare walk in openly in front of him now.”

Chen Xu laughed unkindly and gave a fair assessment: “You brought it on yourself.”

Pei Jing was indifferent. “If you ask me, why must we use divine sense? Is the ink and brush in the Heaven Pavilion just for show? Pedantic!”

Chen Xu said, “Save those words for Elder Lou.”

Pei Jing replied, “Forget it.”

Elder Lou of the Scripture Library was famously rigid and serious in Yunxiao. He kept a dark face all day, shrouding himself in a black coat. One glare from him could make a demon wail; his face practically screamed “vicious.” Combined with his unfathomable cultivation and ancient seniority, few in the sect dared to provoke him. Pei Jing had even been ordered by his Master to cause less trouble there.

He’d have to be crazy to run into that spearhead.

The Scripture Library was a hundred feet tall, nestled among lush greenery. Chen Xu was forced by Pei Jing to exchange pleasantries with Elder Lou. He trudged over and squeezed out a smile that looked worse than crying. Elder Lou and he stared at each other in awkward silence. Chen Xu had never dealt with such a cringeworthy scene and cursed Pei Jing to high heaven in his heart, but he had to follow through. He stiffly said, “Elder Lou, I wish to ask you something.”

Elder Lou was not a charitable elder and particularly hated being disturbed. His gaunt hand pressed down on a page, looking impatient enough to strike.

Pei Jing seized the opportunity, hugging the wall and keeping his face in the shadows. While Elder Lou was distracted, he slipped upstairs in a flash.

Seeing this, Chen Xu quickly said, “Actually, it’s nothing. Please continue, Elder.” Under Elder Lou’s icy gaze, he also ran upstairs.

Pei Jing was laughing his head off at the top. “Look at how cowardly you are.”

Chen Xu glared at him fiercely.

Pei Jing pushed him forward toward the Heaven Pavilion. “Hurry up, don’t let him find us.”

The Heaven Pavilion was on the top floor of the library. Only cultivators at the Golden Core stage or above could enter. Once they closed the door and turned around, they saw thousands of scrolls of rice paper hanging straight down.

The vast expanse of scrolls floated in all directions, rotating slowly in a specific pattern.

When Pei Jing first saw the scene inside the Heaven Pavilion, he was deeply shocked.

His Master had explained that the Heaven Pavilion was a place for divine sense communication between cultivators. Every sect and family in the cultivation world had one for the purpose of teaching and resolving doubts. Questions and answers were casual, and occasionally, reclusive experts would lurk there.

It was only after seeing it with his own eyes that Pei Jing realized—isn’t this just like a cultivation version of Quora or Reddit?

In the center of the Heaven Pavilion was a single table, a desk, and a mat—elegant and simple. On the table were paper, ink, and a brush.

Pei Jing hissed at the sight, walked over, and picked up the brush. “Why is this still here? If you can’t write or draw with it, why keep it?”

Chen Xu was terrified. He stood by the window, constantly checking Elder Lou’s movements below, urging, “Stop worrying about that! Just write and let’s go.”

Pei Jing sat cross-legged on the floor, his robes spread neatly around him. With the brush in his hand and his upright posture, he looked quite refined amidst the floating scrolls, but his casual way of speaking immediately ruined the aura: “What’s the rush? It’s not like he can charge up here and eat us. We finally made it here; don’t you want to learn something?”

Chen Xu barked, “Learn my ass.” However, his actions always contradicted his words. After making sure Elder Lou was absorbed in his book, he walked over to Pei Jing with a grumpy expression.

Pei Jing shifted slightly to make room for him and began grinding the ink stick.

In the Heaven Pavilion, the scrolls rotated one by one.

The Golden Core disciples of various sects made up a large portion of the users. They were mostly young and spirited. In a place like the Heaven Pavilion, free from the supervision of elders, some asked serious questions about alchemy or secret realms, but many more asked random gossip. For instance, a scroll floating before them contained a question posted by a bored cultivator.

“Guess who is most likely to take first place in the next Heaven-Asking Trials?”

Pei Jing put down the brush and tapped the air, freezing that scroll. He laughed, “This is interesting.” Chen Xu frowned and read along from top to bottom.

Below the question, various styles of handwriting sprawled across the paper.

— I bet one spirit stone it’s still Pei Yuzhi. I saw the final trial with my own eyes last time; Pei Yuzhi defeated Feng Jin in three moves. He is the best in the world, no lie, trust me!

The first response was aggressive and full of provocative energy. Other sects voiced their doubts and mockery.

— Three moves? Are you kidding me? Was I dreaming during the final, or are you living in a dream?

— The person above must be a Yunxiao disciple. Aren’t you afraid of spraining your tongue with such big talk? It was clearly Pei Yuzhi’s good luck; he won by a hair against the Phoenix Emperor. Shut up if you don’t know anything. Who knows who will be number one next time.

Peacekeepers began to appear.

— What’s there to argue about? I’d say any of the five geniuses from the last ranking could win. I bet on Fairy Fusang of Yingzhou. No reason other than she’s the only female cultivator and she’s beautiful enough.

A Buddhist disciple joined the fray.

— Is no one guessing my Buddhist Sect’s Master Wu Sheng? Word is the Master just broke through to the Initial Lotus Realm; his power has surged! Reaching the top is just around the corner.

Then the Yunxiao disciples started talking nonsense.

— How ignorant. Don’t you know my Senior Brother Pei just came out of seclusion and has already broken through to the Nascent Soul stage?

— I can testify. On the day of the sect selection, Senior Brother Pei flew over Yunxiao on his sword. I was lucky enough to see him. His complexion and demeanor were nothing like a Golden Core cultivator; his aura was close to that of a Nascent Soul powerhouse. Senior Brother Pei is amazing!

Pei Jing was amused to the point of anger: “…I broke through to Nascent Soul? How come I didn’t know?”

These Yunxiao disciples were probably taking advantage of the anonymity of divine sense to make up such wild lies. How embarrassing.

Chen Xu saw it too and glanced at him. He couldn’t see any of the “complexion or demeanor” of a Nascent Soul cultivator on Pei Jing. Looking at Pei Jing’s current slouching posture, he could easily believe he was just a wealthy, idle man from the mortal world.

The question eventually devolved. Some made grand vows, while others were just trolling.

— Talents emerge in every generation. It’s not impossible for a new person with potential to appear and completely replace the ‘Five Heroes’ of the trials.

— I agree with the fellow Daoist above. Please remember the name Xu Haoran. Next year he will defeat the old five and take the top spot. Don’t ask me why; confidence.

— I, Ye Batian, shall also leave my name on the ranking.

— Stop arguing. Last night I observed the stars and calculated that neither of your names is on the list.

— That’s just your lack of skill.

…

— I am Xu Haoran, and I have no confidence in the ranking. To the little brat above who used my name to embarrass me, don’t let me find you.

Pei Jing burst out laughing.

Laughter aside, he did notice some useful information—for example, Ji Wuduan could now refine corpses, Wu Sheng broke the Initial Lotus Realm, Yu Qinglian had a fortuitous encounter in the Fenghua secret realm, and Feng Jin had awakened some ancestral memories.

Of the Five Heroes, the other four had all gained something in recent years. Only he was stuck at the Great Circle of the Golden Core stage, unable to break through no matter what.

But Pei Jing was still confident. The top spot in the next trials would still be his.

Chen Xu poured cold water on him: “Everyone is progressing while you’re standing still. How are you going to fight them?”

Pei Jing was indifferent: “Even if I stand still for a hundred years, they still won’t catch up to me. Back at Jingtian Academy, I could take on all four of them by myself; it’s even more true now.”

Chen Xu’s face darkened as he remembered those chaotic days: “…You actually have the nerve to bring those things up.”

Jingtian Academy was where the top powerhouses of the cultivation world gathered.

A thousand years ago, the Heavenly Ladder collapsed, cutting off contact with the Upper Realm. Since then, no one could ascend. To repair the ladder, the powerhouses of the Soul Transformation stage built Jingtian Academy.

Led by Pei Jing’s Grandmaster—the previous Yunxiao Sect Leader—they spent hundreds of years repairing the ladder step by step with spiritual energy.

However, the repair process was too boring. Considering that there would be no successors once they ascended, the powerhouses decided to bring the outstanding disciples of their sects there for guidance. Thus, Jingtian Academy also became a school of sorts.

Six people from Yunxiao went back then, and the one who flourished the most was probably Pei Jing.

The world wouldn’t know that the “Five Heroes” had actually known each other since they were young.

Even more so, the world wouldn’t know that when Pei Jing was little, he managed to offend all four of the others by himself. Usually, the number one in the trials is a beloved figure; for Pei Jing to be loathed by everyone was quite a rarity.

Pei Jing swiped his finger through the air, and soon the scrolls began to rotate again. The questions remaining in the Heaven Pavilion were those from the last two years that hadn’t found a satisfactory answer. His eyes landed on a scroll, and he raised an eyebrow, letting out a soft “Huh.”

The person’s question was very blunt.

— “One sword frosts the Wuwang Peak—what exactly does that feel like?”

Pei Jing said, “I answered a lot of questions in the Heaven Pavilion last time, and I remember one of them was this—I can’t believe an identical one has appeared.”

Chen Xu frowned. “…What does he mean by that question?”

Pei Jing tapped the table, smiling lazily. “I guess what he really wants to ask is: what does it feel like to be the number one in the world?”

Since the question was so vague and grand, the answers below were mostly teasing.

— Simple. I’ll tell you in a hundred years.

— Why not go to Yunxiao and ask Pei Yuzhi directly?

— It’s probably the feeling of one person with one sword slaughtering a whole peak, with the fine snow of the heavens as witness. In terms of strength, I still admire Pei Yuzhi. But the heavens are fair; he has the strength and I have the looks neither of us loses out.

The comments immediately went off track.

— That good-looking? Ten spirit stones for the sect and Daoist title of the person above.

— Tsk tsk. On the list of handsome men created by the female cultivators of my sect, Pei Yuzhi is number one. May I ask the fellow Daoist above for your name so we can open our eyes?

— Hee hee, interesting. I’m Yao Qianqian from Taoyuan Mountain, Fenghua Island, Yingzhou. Fellow Daoist, do come and visit; maybe we’ll become Daoist companions. Of course, if you’re ugly, don’t blame me if my whip doesn’t show mercy.

Pei Jing couldn’t help but laugh.

There were many female cultivators on the overseas island of Yingzhou, and they were famous for being spicy.

He thought of Yu Qinglian; in terms of being spicy, she was a top-tier example. Yet a group of male cultivators who didn’t know her true face still worshipped her as a goddess.

In Pei Jing’s memory, she was just a glutton who couldn’t keep her mouth shut and had no sense of reality. She was more narcissistic than him. When she was little, she was as round as a ball but claimed to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Back then, Pei Jing had been tricked by her once; she played a dirty trick and complained to his Grandmaster, causing him to face a wall in reflection for ten whole days. How could Pei Jing pass up a chance to roast her? He laughed so hard he doubled over: “Give it a rest. Your legs are as thick as my waist. If I ever feel like cross-dressing as a girl, your title as the most beautiful woman will have to change hands.”

Yu Qinglian still remembered that sentence to this day. He was impressed by her grudge.

Chen Xu realized something: “What kind of questions were you answering back then? Were they all about yourself?”

Pei Jing: “Ooh, smart. You figured it out.”

Chen Xu: “…You’re so bored.”

Pei Jing took it as a matter of course: “If I weren’t bored, why would I come to the Heaven Pavilion?”

Chen Xu became curious: “Then how did you answer back then?”

“This ‘One sword frosts the Wuwang Peak’? I thought it was fun, so I just said whatever. I basically said: ‘No special feeling, just that my head felt a bit cold.’ I wasn’t lying; it’s true. I didn’t expect it to snow. After I finished killing everyone and walked out, it was all snow—white everywhere, almost blinding me. I wasn’t wearing much then, so of course it was cold.”

Chen Xu: “…”

Pei Jing’s ink was almost ready. He picked up the brush he had put down, brushed his sleeve, and dipped it in the ink with a fluid motion.

He said, “Since I answered that one, I might as well answer this one too.”

Chen Xu watched his movements and reminded him, “The Heaven Pavilion rules say use divine sense. Did you forget again?”

Pei Jing sneered, “What kind of rule is that? Every other sect uses brushes; only Elder Lou makes a big deal out of it. I feel that writing with a brush is the only way to show the elegance of my calligraphy.”

Chen Xu: “No wonder Elder Lou chased you down.”

Pei Jing grabbed the bottom of a scroll and pulled it down from the air. He pressed one hand on a corner of the rice paper and held the brush with a suspended wrist. His dark hair spilled over the desk like water. His side profile was handsome and refined, looking like an elegant young noble. His writing was fluid and full of natural character.

Chen Xu leaned in to see the answer he wrote and looked away, unable to bear it: “I bet no one will believe the man himself answered this.”

Pei Jing said, “That’s why the people of the world are so ignorant. They can’t tell right from wrong or truth from lies.”

Chen Xu: “…”

This incredibly bored cultivator who asked the random question probably never imagined that the person himself would personally answer it. Although the answer looked like it came from a fool—

— Thanks for the invite. Nothing special, just that my head felt a bit cold. The snow was quite heavy; I suggest anyone trying to imitate me should wear more clothes.

…He was actually quite thoughtful.

Chen Xu thought to himself: It’s not that your head was cold; it’s that your head is as hard as iron.

Now that he had plenty of ink, Pei Jing remembered the purpose of this trip. He pulled over a piece of rice paper and wrote down his own question.

While playful questions were the majority in the Heaven Pavilion, everyone was a Golden Core cultivator. Each had their own path, and different perspectives would lead to different conclusions. Moreover, there were many hidden experts who would occasionally browse the place.

— How does one ‘Return to Simplicity’?

After he finished, he set the brush down, infused the paper with spiritual energy, and let it float into the air. It mixed with the other scrolls, rotating together, spreading to the Heaven Pavilions of various sects to gather wisdom.

“Let’s wait a few days and check back,” Pei Jing just finished saying when his gaze swept across the area and he froze. He blinked in disbelief. “No way, an answer already?”

Below his question, a layer of gray handwriting appeared. The person must have used divine sense, as the words appeared bit by bit.

— It depends on what kind of ‘Returning to Simplicity’ it is. If you’ve encountered an inner demon, then use poison to fight poison and cure it from the source. If it’s because you lack experience and can’t grasp the Dao, then enter the mortal world.

Pei Jing was stunned. He pulled his scroll back down, grabbed the brush, and wrote scribbled: May I ask how to enter the mortal world?

The person was still there. The gray handwriting slowly wrote:

— You don’t necessarily have to wash away your memories to enter the human realm. In the myriad worlds, anywhere there are people, there is the ‘red dust’ of the mortal world.

Pei Jing was instantly filled with respect. This person had successfully intimidated him. Looking at the tone, they were either a Golden Core brat talking nonsense to act cool, or a truly transcendent expert. Pei Jing leaned toward the latter. However, the words were so cryptic he couldn’t quite wrap his head around them.

He wanted to ask more. Another line of thin gray text appeared.

— Young man, ‘entering the mortal world’ is something you must realize for yourself. Stop asking; I cannot help you.

Fine then. Pei Jing silently withdrew his brush.

Chen Xu asked, “What does he mean?”

Pei Jing knitted his brows. “I don’t know. But since he mentioned entering the mortal world, I have a bit of an idea now.”

Having gained a lead, Pei Jing was satisfied with his trip. He didn’t sit any longer and stood up to leave. However, because his mind was occupied with the idea of entering the mortal world, he didn’t watch his step and stepped on a scroll that was long enough to trail on the floor. The scroll slipped, and the inkstone sitting on it flipped over with a loud thud.

The scene was so familiar—it was exactly the same as when he knocked over the ink last time! Even the movements were nearly identical.

Pei Jing cursed under his breath. Chen Xu was also startled.

Pei Jing hurriedly said, “Quick, quick, quick, clean this up!”

But it was too late. Elder Lou was an elder, after all; his ears twitched as he noticed the sound of the inkstone breaking. And it came from the direction of the Heaven Pavilion. Who else but Pei Jing would dare do such a bastard thing right under his nose!

Instantly, fire rose in his heart. He slammed his book shut, and his black robes flew into the air as he soared upstairs, roaring: “PEI YUZHI!”

Crap. Hearing the roar, Pei Jing said to Chen Xu, “I’m bailing first. Good luck to you.”

Drawing on his vast experience in running away, he slipped out the window like he was greased. He escaped just a split second before Elder Lou sealed the windows and doors.

Left alone, Chen Xu was so angry he nearly spat blood. His face contorted as he punched the wall and yelled, “Pei Yuzhi, you come back here!”

But Pei Yuzhi was already far away.