“Thank you, County Magistrate. We shall not trouble you any longer.”
Without further words, Lu Qiancha gathered the wooden token marked with the character “天” from the table, gave a slight bow to Magistrate Zhou, and left the county office alongside Shangguan Yunzhu.
The heavy atmosphere that hung over the office seemed to linger as they departed.
Back at the Sect, after passing through the Mountain Gate Grand Array, the two parted ways in perfect understanding.
Shangguan Yunzhu surged into the sky on her sword, transforming into a streak of light as she headed straight for Zaohua Peak, while Lu Qiancha hurried along the familiar mountain path toward the Sect Mission Hall to return the token of faith.
Afterward, he vanished like a gust of wind, racing toward Tianquanfeng.
Near the small courtyard atop the peak, he coincidentally encountered Xuanya Daoist leisurely strolling along a quiet forest trail.
Lu Qiancha immediately reined in his aura, coming to a halt with a respectful bow to the ethereal figure dressed in flowing blue robes. “Disciple Qiancha pays respects to Shifu.”
A gentle breeze stirred Xuanya’s sleeves. She slightly turned her head, her gaze resting on the respectful junior disciple, a faint warm smile gracing her lips as she lightly raised her delicate hand.
“No need for such formalities.”
She stepped closer with a tone tinged with a soft sigh of resignation. “We’ve been master and disciple for many years.”
“When not in public, there’s no need to observe such strict formalities. As long as your intention is sincere, that is enough.”
Lu Qiancha’s lips curled into a sly smile. “Shifu’s leniency is her grace, but my respect is my duty. Proper etiquette… cannot be discarded.”
“Oh?” Xuanya arched an eyebrow, half-amused, half-pretending to scold as she raised her jade-handled whisk. “You little rascal, turning around and lecturing your master?”
“Ah! Shifu is truly wronged by her disciple!”
Lu Qiancha exaggeratedly shrank his neck, playing along with a look of fear of being struck, smiling brightly.
“Even if I had ten times the courage, I wouldn’t dare! I’m just scared of copying scriptures too much. Afraid that if I slack off even a little, I’d disappoint Shifu’s expectations and end up punished with endless writing until the sky falls.”
“I only ask Shifu to have mercy and let me keep these little rules—it makes my heart feel steadier.”
Hearing this, Xuanya flicked the whisk through the air before gently resting it on Lu Qiancha’s shoulder.
She shook her head with a hint of indulgence in her eyes. “You… such a slick one. Just your sharp tongue.”
“Enough, enough. Say whatever you want.”
Xuanya put away the whisk, her gaze settling on Lu Qiancha. Suddenly serious, with a barely perceptible hint of apology, she lowered her voice.
“Speaking of master and disciple… I have often been so absorbed in the Immortal Way that I’ve been neglectful in teaching and caring for you and your senior sister.”
“It’s caused you both no small amount of grievance on the peak. I, as your master, have failed in my responsibilities. Qiancha, Gantang, I owe you both an apology.”
Lu Qiancha’s heart warmed. He immediately bowed again, his tone sincere beyond words. “Shifu’s words humble your disciple.”
“You have always been kind and benevolent to us, answering every question without reserve, sharing all your knowledge! How can there be ‘failures’ in your duties? If there truly were grievances…”
He pursed his lips, flushing with embarrassment.
“That is but my own dullness—trapped in the Qi Refining Stage for over sixty years before reaching Spirit Severing. You’ve exhausted yourself worrying over me. It should be I who apologizes to you.”
“You child…”
Xuanya’s smile broke fully, like ice melting under the spring sun. Looking at this clever and considerate little disciple, a warmth blossomed deep in her heart. She waved her hand with a laugh.
“Enough, enough. I’m free today and have no desire to argue cleverness with you. Tell me—have you encountered any confusion in your cultivation? Now is the time for your master to guide you.”
Lu Qiancha had been about to shake his head and say “No,” but a flash of the little pink rabbit in his Sea of Consciousness suddenly came to mind.
His heart tightened slightly. He lifted his gaze, expression growing serious. “Disciple does have a question—about the ‘Heart Demon’. I ask Shifu to enlighten me.”
“Heart Demon? You’ve encountered a Heart Demon?”
Xuanya’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
“Disciple only overheard a senior speak of it, saying the Heart Demon can confuse the mind and cause one’s nature to change drastically. I wish to prepare myself before it happens, and so want to learn how to guard against it.”
Seeing her master’s surprised expression, Lu Qiancha dared not admit she had truly encountered the Heart Demon.
Xuanya studied her quietly for a moment, finding no sign of deceit in her calm demeanor. She relaxed slightly and pondered before speaking. “I see.”
She paused briefly, collecting her thoughts. Her voice flowed like a clear spring. “Do you know where the Heart Demon actually originates?”
“Disciple is ignorant and asks Shifu to instruct.”
Lu Qiancha held her breath, listening intently.
“The Heart Demon, at its core, is a collection of impurities accumulated in the lake of the heart.”
Xuanya’s voice carried the clarity of one who comprehends Daoist principles.
“For ordinary cultivators, even with countless stray thoughts, it is like a calm pool with gentle ripples—not enough to form a great problem, certainly not a ‘demon’.”
“However,” she shifted tone, becoming solemn, “once you reach the Void Refinement Stage and begin to grasp the mysteries of the laws of Heaven and Earth… the water in this lake deepens.”
“At that time, a stray obsession, a rebellious desire against the Dao, or an unresolved karmic cause—any such stubborn residue can take root. These then become the seeds of the ‘demon’.”
Xuanya paused and looked at the earnest Lu Qiancha before continuing, “At this point, the demon seeds are merely a tangled, indescribable dust of distracting thoughts.”
“They might appear during your meditation, disturbing your mind and making it difficult for the weak-willed to enter a state of calm, even causing irritability. But they remain insignificant dust, without form.”
“But when the cultivator breaks through and enters the Unity Stage, their grasp of the laws intensifies, and the power of the laws scours the heart.”
“The dust of stray thoughts absorbs this immense law power… and then has the chance to turn from void to substance, condensing into a demon!”
Xuanya’s tone grew grave. “This is the Grand Tribulation of the Demonic Heart that all Unity Stage cultivators must face!”
“It arises from within, born from the cultivator’s own obsessions, directly challenging the heart and Dao. It is exceedingly dangerous!”
Though Lu Qiancha’s expression remained neutral, her mind was racing.
She glanced at Xuanya, confirming she was not joking.
Then she secretly surveyed the little pink rabbit in her Sea of Consciousness…
Where was the promised “indescribable dust of stray thoughts”? Where was the “formless, immaterial” description?!
What exactly was that little thing?
“Shifu,” Lu Qiancha carefully suppressed the storm raging inside and asked cautiously, “do you mean… only upon reaching the Unity Stage will the ‘Heart Demon’ truly manifest… and begin to torment the cultivator?”
“Exactly.”
Xuanya nodded firmly.
“The impurities in Void Refinement are not yet formed. It is only when breaking through to Unity, when the heart and laws are violently disturbed, that the demonic thoughts take shape and cause havoc.”
Lu Qiancha silently sensed the steady spiritual light flowing in her dantian, the early Void Refinement realm.
Then, as if refusing to accept fate, she glanced again at Chabao struggling to cultivate in her Sea of Consciousness…
Finally, a crystal-clear thought surfaced in her heart: This absolutely, definitely, definitely cannot be some ‘indescribable stray thought’!!!
Lu Qiancha felt a sudden ache in her teeth. The path of cultivation was already fraught with countless difficulties and thorns.
Now, as if the heavens themselves conspired against her, a Heart Demon was placed right here in her Void Refinement Stage to add to her troubles.