The thirteen-floored Buddhist pagoda was very tall. Though, it was nothing to Shen Lian.
Within a few breaths, he walked up with Young Ruoxi – he actually went up, step by step.
His breath combined with that of Young Ruoxi, an adult and a child, to a certain extent had become one.
The space at the top of the pagoda was really small, and the windows were all left open. As Shen Lian appeared at the top of the pagoda, he was welcomed by a cold gaze.
The Empress was dressed in dragon robe and wore a crown on her head. She was facing the north, and a scene of endless mountains and rivers was behind of her.
Xiangji Temple was situated at the peak of a tall mountain, and the pagoda of the Xiangji Temple that they were at, it was the peak of the peak. It was a place where one could touch the sky and the clouds.
“Shen Lian, you are Shen Lian.” The Empress’ voice sounded as though it came from the Mount Buzhou in Chinese mythology; it was cold and harsh, sending its listener into bouts of fear.
Shen Lian was fearless and did not shy away from the Empress’ gaze. His gaze was akin to that of an ocean and could contain everything in it. With that, he absolved the coldness in the Empress’ gaze.
“Your Majesty, did you think that I’m not Shen Lian, or did you mean to see a different Shen Lian?” He held Young Ruoxi’s hand, and a gentle breeze lifted the strand of hair on the side of his ear, and Shen Lian looked like an immortal celestial. As for Ruoxi, with her lips pursed, she was sizing the Empress up – the scary Empress from the legend.
“Are you the Shen Lian from the Shen family of the State of Qing, or the Shen Lian who sought to seek the truth and to attain enlightenment from the celestial schools beyond the seas?” The Empress was emanating a great sense of pressure, and Shen Lian had never seen the overwhelming vibe that she was exerting from any other person.
Some people were not strong because of their impressive mana or their impeccable supernatural powers, but they were strong for the mere fact that they were, and they were born to rule.
Ruoxi felt fear rising up in her. She was very sensitive, and she could feel that the woman in front of her was like a tiger. No, maybe fiercer than a tiger.
She didn’t know that it was called the Qi of a King, the Qi of a mighty ruler.
Every move and every word of the might ruler was harsh as thunder and authoritative. It was like the gentle spring wind that turned into rain, nourishing the masses.
Shen Lian was unaffected. “Your Majesty, which one do you wish that I was?” He replied calmly.
The massive pressure emanated by the Empress was imposed unto Shen Lian. “All member of the Shen family of the State of Qing are rebels, and should all be beheaded. However, if you are one of the Celestials beyond the seas, I will be courteous and build you a Daoist temple, and to include your name in the Dao register,” she said.
The purpose of her little speech was clear, Shen Lian would either lose his life or his freedom.
If he were to choose the former, he would lose both his life and freedom; if the latter, he would at least have his life.
However, Shen Lian did not have to choose.
“Both of the Shen Lian Your Majesty was talking about were me. There was never two Shen Lians to begin with, there was only one “me”,” Shen Lian replied casually. His glance swept past the Empress, and fell onto the group of white clouds.
“Empress, you are very fierce,” said Ruoxi out of a sudden.
“Young girl, are you not afraid of death at all? How dare you talk to me like that?” The Empress looked at Ruoxi and laughed slightly.
“Empress, can you live forever? Can you make me live forever?” Ruoxi raised her head and asked.
“Of course I can’t live forever, I can’t make you live forever too,” the Empress replied in shock.
“Since we are all going to die, why should I be afraid of dying?” Ruoxi queried.
“For the fact that you recognized this, you are more worthy of being a Zhao than anyone else in Shendu City. Why is it that they could not understand something that even a little girl could understand?” Said the Empress. She did not want subordinates who sucked up to her. Her ambition was not something that could be understood by those unscrupulous people.
If the Empress knew about Shen Lian’s background, she would also know about Ruoxi’s background. However, she did not seem to be particularly bothered by Ruoxi’s identity.
In fact, all these did not matter to her. Once, she killed a subordinate. However, she had the guts to still use the granddaughter of said subordinate as her lady-in-waiting.
“Children are not afraid of death because they do not know about all the things worth living for in this world. Even though everyone will die sooner or later, but who doesn’t want to live for a bit more? To be able to do something that one wants to do, that is human nature,” Shen Lian replied.
“Human nature indeed, however, I’m beyond just any human, and I want to achieve deeds beyond normalcy. It would seem that human nature does not apply to me.” The Empress stared hard at Shen Lian.
Shen Lian’s gaze cleared up, it was as though a green flame was lighted up in each of his eyes.
The pea-sized flame shone without a break.
Despite that the Empress’ gaze was similar to that of snow and gust, it could not extinguish this flame.
According to the legends and mythology, when the sky was black and the earth was yellow, the universe was a vast and dark whole, it was said that there were three flames that shone through the past and the future, and they transcended time and space.
One at the Tai Shang Daoist Master’s Bajing Palace;
Another at the Yuanshi Tianzun’s Yuxu Palace;
There was also one at the Vulture Peak, where the ancient Dipamkara Buddha dwelled.
The light was a physical item, but it was also nothingness.
The Great Adept could light up a flame not only for himself but to show the path to others too.
This thought was the reason why there was an endless stream of cultivators in this world.
Shen Lian’s act of sharing his understanding of Dao to his fellow Qing Xuan disciples without bias was in accordance with this thought.
Of course, his flame was not as bright as those three other flames. However, it still managed to bring some light into the long and dark path of cultivation.
The coldness in the Empress’ gaze was melted, and the heavenly wind blew in, caressing the ends of her hair. Despite being of considerable age, her skin was still like that of ice and snow, as though she was still a young lady.
“”The plum blossoms thrive in the wintery forest, not mingling with the plums and peaches to be reduced to secular.” Shen Lian, I know you are good at writing poems, can you leave a poem here today?” She sighed and said.
She did not come to look for trouble with Shen Lian. All she wanted to meet this person. Her true enemy was still hiding her trump card and was ready to fight her to death.
The fight on the great Way was never-ending.
Shen Lian was not on such terms with her yet.
“Why not,” Shen Lian replied.
Shen Lian was not particularly poetic, but all literature was made in heaven and fell into the hands of those who happened to chance upon it. He did not know how to write, but he knew how to plagiarise.
“Not knowing the whereabouts of Xiangji Temple, so I went up several miles among the cloudy peaks.
All passages were blocked by gigantic ancient trees, whence did the bell chime come in the deep mountain.
The springs sounded choked by the tall boulders, the setting sun cooled off the dark forest of pines.
In the early evening, the bend of the clear water pool, seemed to be a place to meditate and to restrain oneself from wishful thinking.”
The poem, “Passing by Xiangji Temple” was engraved by Shen Lian with the strength of his finger onto the stone wall of the pagoda. Both the penmanship and the poem were remarkable.
Even the Empress could not find fault with it. Shen Lian and Ruoxi descended from the pagoda.
The Empress did not stay the pagoda to appreciate the poem. What was to come will come.
She was waiting for it.