When I Mistook My Arch-Rival for My Dao Companion - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The thing that Fu Guzhou and Wenren Qian had their eyes on was quite interesting. To say it was useless to them would be wrong, otherwise, the two of them wouldn’t still be hunkered down here; but to say it was useful, it was a bit unclear who should get it.

It was because in this ghost-qi-permeated place, something had actually been nurtured that possessed both the power of the wind attribute and the fire attribute.

This item was named the Wind-Fire Infant-Washing Grass. Generally, it grows in places with dense subterranean fire and on cliffs that are frequently swept by strong winds. This particular Wind-Fire Infant-Washing Grass, however, was exceptionally unique; not only was it growing on a small earthen slope, but judging by its years, it was likely older than several pre-amnesia Fu Guzhous added together.

“An eight-thousand-year Wind-Fire Infant-Washing Grass.”

Wenren Qian gave a definitive answer.

Very good, Fu Guzhou felt even more tempted now.

What did eight thousand years represent? This age could essentially outlast nearly ninety-nine percent of cultivators.

Now, such a plant that had lived for eight thousand years was right before Fu Guzhou’s eyes, yet he could only look at it with longing.

The reason was simple: setting aside the fact that their cultivation was suppressed, the fact that this grass had lived here for eight thousand years perfectly well meant it couldn’t possibly be allowed to be taken by them so easily.

“How does the Demon Sovereign view this object?”

“An eight-thousand-year Wind-Fire Infant-Washing Grass is just so-so if placed in the Demon Realm, but this one, grown in a place where ghost-qi gathers, is indeed somewhat extraordinary.”

“How is it different?” Fu Guzhou asked via a quiet transmission.

Wenren Qian, in a rare good mood, explained to him, “Wind-Fire Infant-Washing Grass usually has red veins and azure leaves. When it grows to maturity, it produces a few red seeds as small as grains of sand. But the seeds of this one are not so much red as they are blood-black. It looks like a minor difference, but this small distinction alone is enough to incite cultivators of the Venerable realm to fight over it.”

Fu Guzhou understood only vaguely, but the one thing he was clear on was that this thing was currently very sought after.

And wasn’t it just so? So many powerful fellows were surrounding this one stalk of grass, yet none had been seen able to pluck it.

“So the Demon Sovereign wants it too?”

“In a way. This thing is quite interesting. The Yin energy here is dense; since there is subterranean fire capable of nurturing Wind-Fire Infant-Washing Grass, it only goes to show that there is likely a Spirit Fire Earth Essence present here. Spirit Fire Earth Essence is probably something that no fire-system cultivator can refuse.”

Fu Guzhou understood. Wenren Qian only had a bit of interest in the grass itself; what he truly wanted was the Spirit Fire Earth Essence that could nourish the Wind-Fire Infant-Washing Grass.

However, since there were so many things coveting it on the surface, could there be any fewer underground?

“Not easy to manage.”

“Wasn’t the Immortal Venerable quite confident just now? How can you be timid because of this minor difficulty?”

“That may be so, but a person’s value lies in having self-knowledge. I am very clear about my own strength.”

Wenren Qian looked at Fu Guzhou with surprise, somewhat unexpected that this fellow, whose memory was stuck as a seventeen-year-old youth, didn’t have the arrogance most common to that age.

“What is it?” Fu Guzhou touched his face, feeling a bit self-conscious.

He wanted to say to his Dao companion with full confidence, “Leave it to me, no problem,” but he knew his own situation best. In his memory, his cultivation was only at the late stage of Foundation Establishment or the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. He knew exactly what strength he had at this level. His Master often said to do things according to one’s strength; he really found it hard to say such life-risking words. He still valued his life quite a bit.

“I just feel that the Immortal Venerable is truly unique. At seventeen, the Immortal Venerable should have been a genius of heaven’s gift, yet you don’t have a single bit of the arrogance that geniuses usually possess.”

“Huh?” Fu Guzhou was dazed, and his expression became somewhat embarrassed for a moment. “I didn’t work very hard at my cultivation in my early years. Even my Master said I was at most a mediocre talent and needed to work harder.”

Speaking of this, Wenren Qian became a bit interested. “Mediocore in what way?”

Fu Guzhou didn’t really want to say, but he couldn’t resist his Dao companion’s interested gaze. “I was already seventeen or eighteen and had only barely reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. I wasn’t even considered among the top tier of my peers. Also, in the Way of the Sword, I could only be considered to have made minor achievements. I couldn’t even compare to Li Chengyuan, who is about my age, in terms of breadth of knowledge.”

After speaking, Fu Guzhou felt quite ashamed. It was because he didn’t study well back then; now he felt too embarrassed to chat with his Dao companion about his past.

Wenren Qian fell silent. He was silent for a long time. Finally, he asked, “Are you serious?”

Fu Guzhou: “?”

Before Wenren Qian could give any reaction, he had already made a gesture of swearing to the heavens: “Absolutely sincere.”

After saying that, he asked again, “Is it really that bad? I should at least be upper-middle, right? Could it be that the ‘mediocre’ my Master spoke of was just to comfort me?”

“No, I just feel that the way your Master taught you was truly unique.”

In Fu Guzhou’s generation, spiritual energy was at its densest point in nearly two thousand years, and there were many excellent disciples in the immortal sects. He had heard of seniors in the sects using suppression as a way to keep disciples from becoming arrogant or impatient, but he didn’t expect the suppression to be this harsh.

A seventeen-year-old genius at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment was called mediocre, and that heaven-defying level of sword comprehension—having cultivated a Heart Sword at such a young age was only called minor achievements. Moreover, even when comparing breadth of knowledge, he had to compare himself with the young master of the Heavenly Secrets Four-Phases Gate of that time.

Fu Guzhou’s Master was a master of modesty.

“Hmm? You mean my Master basically never praised me? That’s not it. Master also often said I was a genius, just that my heart wasn’t set on practicing the sword.”

“The Immortal Venerable considers this as not practicing seriously?”

“It counts. If I had been a bit more serious and read fewer storybo— no, what I mean is, if I had been less lazy, perhaps I could have successfully formed my core at sixteen.”

“Oh, so the Immortal Venerable also slacks off.” Wenren Qian seemed very interested in this, and even his voice carried a hint of amusement.

“Of course. Practicing the sword and cultivating incessantly from morning to night is actually quite dull. Master and Senior Brother were very busy. Every day I was either swinging my sword or practicing mental methods and various techniques. No matter how interesting a thing is, doing it day after day will become boring.”

Fu Guzhou’s first seventeen years of life were almost entirely about practicing the sword, cultivating, and learning vast amounts of knowledge. If not for his Senior Brother and Master watching him every day, with his unsettled nature, he probably wouldn’t have reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment by seventeen. Fu Guzhou had to admit that in this regard, he couldn’t compare to his friend Xiao Jingyu.

Wenren Qian looked at Fu Guzhou without speaking. Just as Fu Guzhou was about to become self-conscious again, he said in a pained tone, “The children of the immortal sects are truly pitiful.”

Bearing pressure at a young age that they shouldn’t have to bear—unfortunately, during the Changyuan Secret Realm disaster, nearly eighty percent of the descendants painstakingly raised by these immortal and demonic sects were destroyed.

“Well,” Fu Guzhou smiled, a shallow warmth in his eyes, “you can’t say ‘pitiful.’ Everyone is very excellent. Our constant comparisons are mostly for the sake of healthy competition. My sect is also quite good; the only thing not so good is that we’re poor, but fortunately, things are slowly getting better now.”

Fu Guzhou was suddenly sharing so many personal things with his Dao companion. Although he was a bit embarrassed for his less-than-perfect past self to be seen, since the two of them were Dao companions, the other should be able to accept his imperfect side.

In his early years, it was nothing but practicing the sword; Fu Guzhou, who had not yet come into contact with the maliciousness of most people’s hearts, had almost bared all of his background, and what’s more, he did so quite happily.

After learning most of what he wanted to know, Wenren Qian asked again, “I still don’t know which grand master your Master was?”

“My Master’s Daoist name was Daoist Qingchen, but he’s just a crusty old man. Every day he was either urging me to practice the sword or taking me to read ancient texts. Nothing much to say about him.”

Fu Guzhou’s words were full of disdain, but as soon as he mentioned this Master, his eyes lit up.

“Daoist Qingchen? It sounds quite similar to your own title.”

Mentioning this, Fu Guzhou also realized belatedly. Why would he take the same Daoist name as his Master? When he was young, he clearly disliked his Master’s name, thinking it didn’t sound good.

A late-realizing Fu Guzhou looked at Wenren Qian, his eyes slowly turning red. Under what circumstances would he take the same Daoist name as his Master? That would surely be because he wanted to inherit his Master’s mantle. In that case, there was only one possibility: something had happened to his Master.

When he woke up and didn’t see his Master, he had only assumed his Master had gone out wandering, living a free and unfettered life like a wild crane. After all, in earlier years, his Master often said that once he had finished raising him, he would go off to enjoy his own leisure. This was also why Fu Guzhou had never asked about his Master’s situation; it had never occurred to him that his Master might be dead. Faced with this sudden realization, he felt only a sense of bewilderment for a moment.

“Wenren Qian.”

After calling the name, Fu Guzhou said nothing else. But that strained voice alone was enough to give Wenren Qian a headache. If he could have made the former Immortal Venerable Qingchen—who was always cold-faced and truly acted like a flower on a high ridge—show such a pained expression, Wenren Qian would definitely have been able to laugh even in his dreams. But the current Fu Guzhou was too different from the Fu Guzhou in his memory. Seeing him like this so suddenly, Wenren Qian found he couldn’t say any words of cold mockery at all.

Wenren Qian felt irritated because of this. Even the Spirit Fire Earth Essence right before his eyes couldn’t make him feel even a bit more pleased. He frowned, not really wanting to deal with Fu Guzhou.

However, he soon heard another low “Wenren Qian.”

Unlike the previous tone that sounded like he was seeking help from his closest person, this time Wenren Qian heard a hint of fragility in the voice.

Reason told Wenren Qian that this fellow had pierced his chest with a sword and sealed him for a full five hundred years, but another voice was beside him coaxing, “Look, he’s a poor thing, about to cry. Hurry and comfort him.”

Comfort, my foot.

Wenren Qian quickly made a decision. After catching sight of Fu Guzhou’s face eyes red and clearly wanting to cry, but stubbornly holding it back his finishing blow turned into: “Mhm, I’m here.”

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