Love Travels through Time (My father who traveled through time and space to cultivate immortality came back to pick me up) - Chapter 12
Chapter 12: Master Daochen
When Xiang Haikui had previously chopped down with a knife, she had been as brisk and efficient as a butcher.
But now, holding a needle, her hand trembled slightly.
A young monk beside her asked, “Do you need any assistance, benefactor?”
Xiang Haikui replied, “I’ll manage on my own.”
Having grown up in an orphanage, her needlework was decent.
She took a deep breath, chose a spot, and inserted the needle.
She felt reassured and began stitching, one stitch at a time.
With each stitch, she silently recited a mantra taught by Master Daochen.
Halfway through, the Sanskrit inscriptions on the needle suddenly emitted a golden light.
The characters flew off the needle, swirling around the wound of the small black snake.
Xiang Haikui paused briefly, then continued stitching.
Each stitch became more laborious, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans formed on her forehead.
Using her hair as thread drained her vitality.
Master Daochen hadn’t explained why, but Xiang Haikui speculated.
In Taoism, there’s a concept called “Three Flowers Gather at the Crown,” which suggests that a person’s essence, energy, and spirit are concentrated at the top of the head.
There’s also a folk belief that the human body has three yang fires, one of which is located at the crown.
In any case, the hair at the crown contains vitality and yang energy.
If a person’s essence, energy, and spirit are excessively depleted, they are prone to baldness.
“Whew,” she sighed in relief after finishing the stitching.
She gently touched the snake’s body, now encircled by golden mantras, and examined it carefully.
“Hmm, not bad. At least the patterns align.”
The black hair matched the black snake, and the embroidered belt didn’t look out of place.
Daochen: How is it?
Xiang Haikui: Uh, it’s not moving.
Daochen: It seems to be severely injured.
Daochen: Don’t blame yourself, benefactor. The break probably isn’t the fatal wound. It was already heavily injured.
Just as Xiang Haikui was about to speak, the young monk exclaimed joyfully, “It moved!”
Xiang Haikui quickly withdrew from the jade slip.
Sure enough, the small black snake in the jar curled its body a few times.
Its head raised slightly, as if trying to discern something.
Feeling guilty, Xiang Haikui quickly slapped the lid back on.
“Amitabha,” she muttered.
She had heard that snakes have poor eyesight and hoped it hadn’t seen her clearly.
Xiang Haikui stood up, slung her sword case over her back, and used a net to secure the jar, hanging it from the leather strap of her sword case.
She then set off to find Daochen.
In Silver Sand City, across a desk, Xiang Tianqing was arguing with Meng Xilou: “I understand you’re considering my father, but you clearly have the ability to keep an eye on Lu Xiqiao. Why sacrifice our own people?”
“Senior Brother, if you continue to be so ruthless, I’ll tell my father and have him teach you a lesson!”
“Send someone to bring Lu Xiqiao back now. If nothing happens to him, the Lu family won’t trouble my father!”
Her angry demeanor resembled a feisty little kitten, amusing Meng Xilou.
He didn’t argue, just nodded slowly: “Yes, I was momentarily foolish. I’ll send Wumian to fetch Lu Xiqiao immediately.”
“That’s more like it. Don’t do it again,” Xiang Tianqing glared at him, hands on her hips.
Meng Xilou agreed to all her demands.
Though his face remained stern, the tenderness in his eyes was unmistakable.
He never corrected the useless principles Xiang Heng had taught her.
She could grow up freely; he would handle the rest.
Xiang Tianqing waited at the door until she saw Third Brother Wumian leave to find Lu Xiqiao.
Relieved, she remembered the small black snake and hurried out of the city.
Arriving at the Buddhist cave, she learned from the young monk that Xiang Haikui had already left.
Her mind raced with thoughts.
Xiang Haikui had just entered the Dao and didn’t even have a rank, yet she dared to venture out alone.
Was it really for the snake she had severed?
She and Lu Xiqiao had arrived in Yinsha on the same airship.
They might know each other, perhaps even be friends.
This could solve a major problem for her father.
Anxious, Xiang Tianqing paced outside the Buddhist cave for a while before also leaving.
Before leaving, Xiang Haikui bought a camel beast.
Camel beasts were the most common mode of transportation in Silver Sand, resembling camels but much faster.
Under the midday sun, Xiang Haikui wrapped a blue scarf around her head, leaving only her eyes exposed.
Still, her skin felt dry and painful from the sun.
She took a bamboo tube from her storage ring, drank some spiritual spring water, and then remembered the small black snake.
She opened the jar, pinched the snake’s mouth, and poured some water into it.
As she was about to put it away, the snake suddenly stuck out its tongue and licked the water droplets on her hand.
Xiang Haikui quickly placed the bamboo tube near its mouth.
Perhaps it had been pickled for too long and was extremely thirsty.
The snake’s entire head plunged into the tube, gulping down the water.
“Leave some for me, snake boss,” Xiang Haikui muttered.
Don’t ask why a cultivator would fear the desert environment.
Here, a single grain of sand weighed as much as a handful of sand on Earth, and it hurt when it hit your face.
The sun was also more intense.
Just two days could turn a person into jerky.
For example, right now, many sand monkeys surrounded her.
Sand monkeys weren’t very powerful but loved mischief.
They roamed the sand layers, suddenly reaching out to grab the legs of camel beasts and flip them over.
However, the camel beast’s ankles were now equipped with many spikes, like punk-style spiked gauntlets.
The sand monkeys, afraid of being pricked, didn’t dare to act recklessly.
These weren’t the greatest threats in Silver Sand.
The truly terrifying enemies were the dual-form demons.
Near the Yumen Pass in China, there’s a Devil’s City.
Outside Silver Sand, there’s also a Devil’s City, inhabited by shape-shifting dual-form demons.
They usually appeared in human form, possessing immense strength and robust physiques.
In battle, they could transform, like werewolves under a full moon, becoming demonic beasts with multiplied strength.
When Xiang Haikui first heard of them, she was horrified.
After cultivating the Tian Kuang, she realized she could also transform into a dragon in a frenzied state, so it didn’t seem so strange anymore.
She suspected the founder of the Sword Sect might have drawn inspiration from these dual-form demons when creating the Tian Kuang.
Fortunately, she hadn’t encountered any major threats on this journey.
Just as she was feeling relieved, her heart skipped a beat.
This troublemaker stood motionless on a sand dune, likely in trouble.
Xiang Haikui considered whether to go over, knock him out, and take him back to save her father some worry.
Before she could decide, Lu Xiqiao spotted her and shouted excitedly, “Miss! Miss!”
Xiang Haikui urged her camel beast over.
“Miss, please help me!”
Lu Xiqiao didn’t recognize her and couldn’t use his spiritual consciousness to gauge her cultivation level.
But she carried a sword case and dared to venture out alone, so she must be extraordinary.
Xiang Haikui examined his feet, not daring to get too close: “What happened, sir?”
Lu Xiqiao: “I don’t know. When I reached this area, my camel beast suddenly sank, and I fell to the ground. When I tried to stand, my feet seemed glued to the sand. I can’t move.”
Xiang Haikui frowned.
What kind of creature was this?
She hadn’t heard of it.
“Miss, I’m Lu Xiqiao, a direct descendant of the Lu family in the capital. The Lu family controls a third of the resources in the Central Plains’ commerce. If you save me, name your price.” Lu Xiqiao thumped his chest, full of bravado.
Xiang Haikui tossed a spiritual bead toward him.
As soon as it entered Lu Xiqiao’s area, it was instantly pulled to the ground like a magnet.
She didn’t know what creature it was, but it couldn’t be too powerful since the Tian Kuang didn’t react.
It wasn’t worth its attention.
“I can save you, but you must promise to leave the border immediately and return to the capital.”
“No way,” Lu Xiqiao refused.
“I have important business here.”
“Tell me the truth, or I won’t save you.”
“Can you really save me?”
“Yes.”
Xiang Haikui didn’t waste words.
She opened her sword case, drew the Tian Kuang, and pointed it at him, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s you!” Lu Xiqiao remembered.
She was the one who had kicked him on the airship!
He was furious, his chest aching again.
He wanted to curse her, but she had saved him before and was his only hope now.
After some thought, Lu Xiqiao said, “Then you must promise not to tell anyone.”
Xiang Haikui: “Deal.”
Lu Xiqiao: “There’s a cave outside the border that seals a mirage demon. This mirage demon is no ordinary creature. It was the ruler of this desert in ancient times.”
“A major family in the Central Plains got wind of this and hired a formation expert. They’ve been lurking here for years, searching for the seal’s location, planning to release the mirage demon, break Xiang Heng’s defenses at the border, eliminate him as a thorn in their side, and profit from the ensuing chaos.”
Xiang Haikui recalled her dream.
There was indeed such an event.
But the mirage demon was unlucky.
When it emerged, it wanted to wreak havoc and restore its former glory.
However, her father had just gone mad and slaughtered everything at the border, leaving nothing for it.
Robbed of its thunder, it angrily went to confront her father and was promptly crushed.
From start to finish, it made no impact.
Lu Xiqiao waved his hand dismissively: “Meng Xilou knows nothing about formation! Besides, my Lu family obtained this information and hired the formation expert. We would never hire someone like Meng.”
Xiang Haikui was stunned: “Your Lu family did this?”
Lu Xiqiao: “Yes!”
Xiang Haikui didn’t believe him: “You’re lying. How could you reveal such a family scandal?”
Lu Xiqiao glared at her: “Do you think I wanted to?
You said you’d only save me if I told the truth!”
“Then why are you here?”
“I also know formation. I came to reinforce the seal.”
Lu Xiqiao showed off his storage bracelet, hinting that he had a secret tool that would surely succeed.
“I tried to persuade my father, but he wouldn’t listen and called me an idiot. So, I decided to do it myself and show him what I’m capable of.”
Xiang Haikui gave him a thumbs-up.
Suddenly, this troublemaker seemed a bit endearing.
“Close your eyes,” she said.
“Alright!”
He quickly complied.
Xiang Haikui raised her arm, and the dragon coiled around the Tian Kuang sword seemed to come alive, writhing.
A surge of power traveled from her sword-wielding hand, up her arm, and through her body.
This was her first time using “Madness.”
Since the Tian Kuang had just leveled up, her madness was minimal.
She didn’t transform into a dragon; not even dragon horns appeared on her forehead.
Only her face took on a smoky makeup look.
After leaping from the camel beast, she flipped in the air.
As the strange sand beneath Lu Xiqiao tried to suck her in, she plunged the Tian Kuang sword into the sand with great force!
The sand surface rippled like waves, then a powerful force surged from below, erupting like a volcano and propelling both her and Lu Xiqiao into the air.
In her frenzied state, Xiang Haikui weighed several tons, so she didn’t fly far before landing.
Lu Xiqiao, however, soared high into the sky!
When he fell, he was already foaming at the mouth and unconscious.
After the frenzy, Xiang Haikui entered a state of calm.
Regardless of what creature lay beneath the sand, she picked up Lu Xiqiao, threw him onto the camel, and quickly left.
An hour later, Xiang Haikui saw a cluster of yellowish-brown castles rising from the vast desert—the tribe she was seeking.
“Halt!”
Dozens of people appeared on the castle walls, aiming glowing spiritual bows at her.
Xiang Haikui stopped immediately: “I’m from Silver Sand, here to—”
Before she could finish, a voice interrupted: “Amitabha, she is my guest.”
The people on the walls immediately lowered their bows and clasped their fists: “Our apologies, honored guest of the master. Please enter!”
Inside the castle, Xiang Haikui spotted a group of burly men standing beside a “white lotus.”
No words could adequately describe his purity, clarity, and beauty.
Even looking at him felt like a desecration.
Xiang Haikui took a deep breath, approached, and clasped her hands together: “Master, I apologize for the trouble.”
Daochen first looked at Lu Xiqiao on the camel: “This benefactor—”
“Oh, he’s fine.”
At least he was a sixth-rank cultivator; a fall wouldn’t hurt him.
Xiang Haikui handed the jar in the net to Daochen: “Master, please take a look at him first.”
Daochen took the jar, opened the lid, and examined the small black snake.
His eyes showed a hint of compassion: “I will do my best.”
Hearing this, the situation didn’t seem good.
Xiang Haikui thanked him anyway.
She waited outside while Daochen carried the jar into the meditation room.
Sitting cross-legged on a cushion, Daochen placed the jar in front of him.
Looking at the small creature wearing the “black silk belt,” his lips curled into a strange smile: “Yin Changli, it’s really you! You’ve come to this!”
This grudge was something else.
Back when Daochen wasn’t a monk, he had painstakingly sought out the legendary Yin Changli, willing to trade everything he owned for guidance to become the world’s strongest swordsman.
Yin Changli proposed a condition: serve him as a slave for a hundred years.
Daochen agreed.
He worked tirelessly, serving without complaint.
After a hundred years, Yin Changli gifted him a divine sword, claiming it was the strongest in the world.
Knowing Yin Changli’s capabilities, Daochen was overjoyed and began training with it.
But as he trained, he realized the sword couldn’t harm anyone.
Instead, it had a water trough in its realm.
Every time he saved someone and earned their gratitude, the water level in the trough would rise slightly.
He went to confront Yin Changli.
Yin Changli sat calmly on his throne, smiling elegantly, and said: “You wanted to learn the world’s strongest sword. This sword is perfect for you.
Because this sword is called ‘Tian Ren.’
(T/N: Tian Kuang is Heavenly Madness, Tian Bao is Heavenly Treasure, Tian Ren is Heavenly Benevolence.)
Benevolence is invincible.
If it’s invincible, isn’t it the strongest sword in the world?”
Daochen was so angry he went bald on the spot.
Damn this invincible benevolence!
