Chapter 138 – Fate

  The afternoon light was soft on Jade Lotus Peak, diffused through the trees that surrounded the pavilion. The smell of flowers and plants filled the air, while the pond beside the pavilion was as smooth as glass and clear as crystal.

  Jun De sat across from Mu Yanyu, with a pot of steaming green tea on the table between them. For the first time, the Vice Sect Master wasn’t wearing her official robes and instead had on a dress of white silk.

  Her black hair was worn loose, and it contrasted greatly with her red lips and white dress. Mu Yanyu was more untroubled and less reserved than normal, something he only saw when it was the two of them alone.

  “You look better than the last time I saw you. I’m glad that you are going to be well.” Jun De said sincerely. This was the first time he had seen her since the Secret Realm, and he had been shocked at how fragile Mu Yanyu appeared.

  As a Core Formation expert, he had always thought of her as invincible and capable of defeating any opponent. To see her so injured had been a shock, and it had made Jun De realize that no matter how high a person’s cultivation reached, there were always risks and dangers in the world around them.

  Mu Yanyu smiled faintly, and it was almost as though the sunlight around them grew stronger in response.

  “My recovery will take time, but I am glad as well.” Mu Yanyu replied.

  Jun De nodded, and his gaze drifted toward the pond below the pavilion. He could see faint ripples on the surface now as the fish beneath the water swam gently.

  “Shen Weifeng said it might take years before your foundation is fully restored. But he also told me that you will come through this ordeal stronger than before.” Jun De said quietly.

  Mu Yanyu’s eyes didn’t leave his face as she let out a sigh and shook her head softly.

  “Years. For a cultivator, that isn’t so long, is it? But it still feels strange to be forced to rest and recover for so long. I am…unaccustomed to being told not to push myself. The Sect Master himself even scolded me for ‘being obstinate’ when I wanted to return to my duties.”

  Jun De allowed himself a small smile.

  “That sounds like you. But I agree with the Sect Master, you need time to rest and recover.”

  Mu Yanyu’s lips curved into a broad smile, and whatever coldness that lingered in her expression melted away.

  “I heard from Elder Wen that you have been spending much of your time in the Alchemy Hall. Refining pills all day long before returning to your residence to the same most of the night.”

  Mu Yanyu looked at him critically.

  “You are too gentle for this world, Jun De. Cultivation requires risk, and few can walk the path to its end. Many cultivators, most in fact, never experience the limits of their lifespan. The Sect may seem safe, but we are affected by Jianghu just as the rogue cultivators outside of our mountain.”

  “What happened to me, and to Lin Yue, couldn’t have been prevented by you. Our safety should not rest on your shoulders.” Mu Yanyu advised.

  “I know, but it is difficult for me to accept that. You, Shen Ruolan, and Lin Yue are all very important to me, Elder Mu.” Jun De replied, and Mu Yanyu smiled.

  “You may call me ‘Yanyu’ when we are alone, Jun De. I believe we have become close enough to not let titles interfere with our relationship.”

  Jun De blinked in surprise, and for a moment, he was unsure if she was teasing him. But the warmth of her expression told him otherwise.

  “Then…thank you, Yanyu.”

  The name felt strange and intimate on his tongue, but Mu Yanyu’s smile deepened, and a soft laugh escaped her lips. She almost seemed to be an entirely different person from the cold and composed Vice Sect Master that she was in public.

  “Good. Never forget that I am always here for you.” Mu Yanyu reminded him, before withdrawing her hand from his. The warmth of her fingers lingered in Jun De’s hand for a moment, and he found himself missing it when it faded.

  Mu Yanyu’s smile lingered for a moment longer before she changed the topic of conversation.

  “While I have been resting and recovering, that does not mean I have been idle. I have spoken to the Sect Master about your constitution and the effects you have on others.” Mu Yanyu stated, and Jun De nearly choked at the implication.

  “You have told the Sect Master about us?” Jun De exclaimed, picturing the middle-aged Nascent Soul Cultivator discussing Jun De’s Dual Cultivation with Mu Yanyu, and his intimacy with Shen Ruolan and Lin Yue.

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  Jun De blushed at the thought, and Mu Yanyu frowned.

  “Of course not. But I have told him enough to assist in our investigation. He consulted with several contacts on the Central Continent, where Dao Bodies appear with more frequency than on our own Southern Continent. We are confident in our assessment.”

  “Which is?” Jun De prodded.

  Mu Yanyu lifted her teacup and took a sip before setting it down once again. Her expression grew serious, and her voice lowered.

  “The Sect Master and I are certain that you possess a Dao Body connected to Fate.”

  Jun De frowned.

  “Fate?”

  “Yes, a constitution connected to Heaven’s Will itself. It is an incredibly rare Dao Body, one that only appears when the balance of the heavens begins to shift. When destiny itself starts to falter.”

  “Those who possess these types of Dao Bodies are like the sun, brilliant and impossible to ignore. The world bends around them, and just as the sun in the sky draws celestial objects into its orbit, so too will people and events be drawn to them. Everything will revolve around them, because the Will of Heaven demands that they be the center of its correction.”

  The pavilion was utterly silent as Jun De absorbed the impact of her words.

  Mu Yanyu’s voice lowered even further, until it was barely a whisper.

  “This is both a blessing and a curse. You will attract those who are meant to shape the future alongside you. But because you exist to change fate, it will resist you, and those closest to you will suffer under its weight.”

  Mu Yanyu looked down at her teacup as her fingers brushed against the rim.

  “Those who have a Dao Body tied to fate speak of calamity following in their wake, but whether they are the cause of such upheaval, or they were placed in its path to lessen its impact, is completely unknown.”

  “So, you’re saying that the people around me will be put into danger because of me.” Jun De said slowly, turning the information over in his mind.

  “Or they were always in danger, and you will have saved them. Heaven’s Will cannot be interpreted by mortals, and even cultivators are at a loss to understand it. What we know for sure is that someone with a Dao Body like yours only appears when the world is undergoing a time of great change.”

  “So, I’m meant to cause suffering, or to prevent it. But you can’t tell me which.” Jun De replied.

  Mu Yanyu stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.

  Jun De returned to his residence with his thoughts churning in his mind like a stormy sea. He replayed every word Mu Yanyu had spoken about his Dao Body and the consequences it brought to those around him.

  A sense of responsibility weighed down on him, and he found himself staring at the fish swimming lazily in the pond in his courtyard. They were carefree as they circled the pond in pairs, their gold and silver scales catching the light.

  “I didn’t ask for this. I just wanted to enjoy my new life.” Jun De said softly. Unsurprisingly, the fish didn’t answer, and Jun De let out a sigh as he turned away from the pond and headed toward a room he had designated in his residence for refining pills.

  Elder Wen had given him the recipe for Spirit Gathering Pills, a staple for Qi recovery for cultivators in the Qi Condensation Stage, and he had bought dozens of sets of ingredients before he had left the Alchemy Hall.

  Jun De ground the herbs meticulously, plucked petals from stems and did everything required by the Recipe before his attempt at refining the pill.

  At first, the pills began to form in the furnace, but Jun De’s focus faltered, and they cracked and discoloured. Tossing aside the ruined pills, he tried again, but each batch failed more disastrously than the last.

  The furnace hissed and sputtered, reflecting Jun De’s own turmoil. With a heavy sigh, he ended his attempts and placed his remaining ingredients back in his storage bag.

  Jun De left his residence, following the path down from the Inner Sect to the Outer that was so hard to climb when he first entered the Inner Sect, but had become much easier with time.

  The further he descended, the lighter the Spiritual Energy became. He could sense the difference sharply now after spending so much time in the Inner Sect. The energy in the Outer Sect felt far thinner and would be unable to support his new cultivation.

  When Jun De entered the grounds of the Outer Sect, conversation dulled. Disciples turned to look at him with curiosity and awe. An Inner Sect Disciple choosing to come to the Outer Sect was rare enough, but Jun De’s reputation had long since spread through the Sect.

  Jun De ignored everyone until he reached the residences ringing the Nine-Treasure Pagoda, where a small house with a modest courtyard was wrapped in flowering vines and smelled of herbs and flowers.

  He found Lin Yue kneeling in her garden, removing stubborn weeds that managed to creep into even the best-tended soil. Her hair was tied loosely behind her head, and while she was still pale from her injuries, she looked much healthier than the last time he had seen her.

  When she saw him entering, a warm smile lit up her face.

  “Senior Brother Jun De? You shouldn’t be here at this time of day. If the Outer Sect Disciples see you here, rumours will spread faster than wildfire.” Lin Yue said as she rose to her feet and brushed the soil from her hands.

  Jun De smiled and shook his head.

  “Let them spread. I wanted to see how you were doing.”

  They sat together at a small table that Lin Yue had placed to the side of her courtyard, where the pleasant smell of flowers drifted over from her garden.

  “I just came from Mu Yanyu’s pavilion. She’s recovering well.” Jun De said after a few moments of silence.

  Lin Yue’s eyes softened, and she nodded.

  “That’s good. I’m glad that Elder Mu will be alright. But that isn’t what is bothering you, Jun De.”

  Jun De hesitated for a moment before continuing. He told her everything that Mu Yanyu had said about his constitution and his possible Dao Body.

  “Elder Mu is right. You can’t worry about us all the time. We are strong enough to stand on our own, Jun De.” Lin Yue replied.

  “I know, but it is difficult.” Jun De admitted, and Lin Yue smiled gently before reaching out to hold his hand.

  “I’ve been visiting Mei Lian.”

  Jun De blinked in surprise.

  “Really?”

  Lin Yue nodded before explaining.

  “She’s been confined since the Secret Realm. The Elders have decided that she needs healing, not punishment. She is being supervised, and they have provided her with special training to resolve her inner demons.”

  “She’s healing?” Jun De repeated, and he was glad to hear it. Despite her role in what happened, it was clear that she wasn’t in her right mind. Shen Weifeng had told him about Inner Demons and how they could make you do things you wouldn’t normally do.

  “I think she’s going to be well with enough time.”

  Jun De didn’t reply, and they sat together as the sun set, and the moon slowly rose. Jun De was about to stand up and return to the Inner Sect when Lin Yue stopped him.

  “Stay.”

  As Lin Yue predicted, the rumours flew about the Outer and Inner Sect when Jun De was spotted leaving her residence early the next morning.