The distance from Qingmu Lake to the Enlightenment Chamber atop Xuanshui Peak was not insignificant. Qingxuan's temper flared quickly but faded just as fast. By the time they descended Qingmu Peak, her irritation had mostly subsided. Instead, she began to feel a twinge of guilt for snapping at Qingyun without cause. Unable to fully let go of her pride, her expression softened slightly, though her face remained cool.
She reached into her robe and pulled out a length of silk ribbon, handing one end to Qingyun with an impassive look. "Hold this."
Qingyun wasn't sure what his Senior Sister intended, but he guessed she found their pace too slow and wanted to hasten their journey. Obediently, he grasped the ribbon.
The moment his hand closed around it, his body lurched forward, nearly tumbling as a sudden force yanked him off balance. Instinctively, he tightened his grip, and when he came to his senses, he was floating in the air. His body felt weightless, pulled upward by Qingxuan as she soared higher.
The ribbon wound around Qingxuan's form, though her right hand remained free of its coils—seemingly left bare on purpose for Qingyun. The tail end rested firmly in his grasp.
As the scenery below grew distant, Qingyun swallowed hard, his legs trembling. "S-S-Senior Sister, s-slow down," he stammered.
Qingxuan acted as if she hadn't heard, cupping her hand to her mouth and shouting, "Junior Brother, the wind's too strong up here—Senior Sister can't hear you!"
Qingyun's face stiffened. He tried to shout louder, but the landscape blurred past as their speed surged. "Senior—ahh!" His cry was cut short as a gust filled his mouth, twisting his expression and forcing his eyes shut.
Ahead, Qingxuan's robes fluttered like a celestial maiden's, and despite her composed facade, a smirk tugged at her lips, her eyes brimming with mischief.
With her deliberate acceleration, they reached Xuanshui Peak in moments. Still unsatisfied, Qingxuan dragged the now-disoriented Qingyun around the peak in swift loops before finally setting him down.
The instant his feet touched the ground, Qingyun doubled over, dry-heaving. Fortunately, he hadn't eaten, so only sour bile rose. Wiping his mouth, he fought the discomfort in his throat and stomach, bowing to Qingxuan. "Senior Sister, could you… warn me next time before we fly?"
Struggling to suppress a laugh, Qingxuan's eyes darted playfully as she pivoted the conversation—lest Qingyun's pitiful look stir more guilt. "Junior Brother, this is the Cloud-Soaring Technique. I've taught you how to observe yuan and let it resonate with the rhythms of all things. But have you considered what happens if you still the yuan instead?"
Qingyun's curiosity sparked instantly. "What happens?"
Qingxuan's form drifted upward gently, a smile lighting her face. "This."
"You can fly?" Qingyun gaped. Was flying really that simple?
"Yes, but this is just the basics of the Cloud-Soaring Technique. Outside the sect, even I wouldn't dare fly so freely," she added, piquing his interest further.
"Why not, Senior Sister? Are there strong enemies in the sky?" Qingyun asked, recalling their Master's quest for the "Void Roc Wings."
Qingxuan shook her head slightly. "Not entirely. In perilous regions, yes, fierce foes or Immortals lurk in the air, and flying recklessly with insufficient strength invites danger. But in ordinary places, it's not just that."
Seeing his puzzled look, she elaborated. "Think about it, Junior Brother. When we cultivate, we let our yuan vibrate with the laws of our techniques. If we still those laws completely, aside from enabling flight, doesn't that seem risky?"
Realization dawned on Qingyun, and he clapped his fist to his palm. "I see!"
Recalling something Chixiao once said, he pressed further. "Then why did Master say to avoid straying from the path when encountering Immortals?"
Qingxuan smiled. "That's advice for novice cultivators like me. If I met an Immortal and veered off the path, I'd be easy prey. Staying near the path offers protection from the lingering Dao power of the trailblazers who carved it. Of course, that depends on the Immortal's strength."
Qingyun nodded, understanding. Qingxuan gestured toward the nearby Enlightenment Pavilion. "Come on. Master arranged this rare chance at the Enlightenment Chamber—don't waste it."
Leading him inside, Qingyun noticed the pavilion stood unguarded. "Senior Sister, is this like the Scripture Pavilion—open to all?"
From an angle he couldn't see, Qingxuan shot him a sidelong glance, her lips twitching. "The Enlightenment Pavilion's been cleared by Master. And no, the Scripture Pavilion isn't free-for-all either. Didn't you meet Uncle-Master Xuanheng when you first went there?"
"U-Uncle-Master?" Qingyun's jaw dropped.
"What, no one told you?" Qingxuan asked, surprised. "We're the Qing generation, our Masters are the Chi generation—didn't it occur to you the Xuan generation is above them?"
Stunned, Qingyun realized she was right. He'd just never thought about it.
Guiding him through the hall to a top-floor Enlightenment Chamber, Qingyun spotted vines curling around some doors, each centered with a blooming white epiphyllum. "Senior Sister, what's that?"
Qingxuan followed his gaze. "Those are rooms where disciples are meditating. When you enter, vines will grow along the doorframe, and an epiphyllum will bloom to show it's occupied."
Qingyun nodded, impressed. "How thoughtful."
Inside their chamber, Qingxuan knew Master had placed the Kunwu Stone. She cautioned, "This time, I'll join you to guide you toward the Dao sounds. Normally, only one disciple enters—unless with a mentor. Understood?"
"Understood," Qingyun replied.
After shutting the door, Qingxuan pointed to the room's lone cushion. "Sit there."
Once Qingyun settled, she approached a low table bearing only an incense burner. Retrieving the Kunwu Stone from it, she explained, "This is the Enlightenment Incense Burner. The burner itself isn't special—it's the incense that matters. Light it, place an object on the table, and the incense reveals its rhythms. Meditate, observe your yuan, and mimic those patterns."
"But Senior Sister, I…" Qingyun hesitated. He couldn't even meditate to observe yuan—how could he grasp the Dao sounds?
"I don't know either," Qingxuan cut in. "But Master brought you here for a reason. We'll find out."
Taking a deep breath, Qingyun relented. "Alright."
Qingxuan smiled reassuringly. "If it doesn't work, don't be discouraged. I've never heard of a disciple who can't meditate succeeding at this."
Qingyun nodded, his face tense.
"Here we go," Qingxuan said, lighting an incense stick from her robe and setting it in the burner. She placed the Kunwu Stone on the table, then sat beside Qingyun on a cushion from her sleeve.
Just as she opened her mouth to ask if he felt anything, something unexpected happened.
Qingyun's expression twisted oddly as he stared at himself. "Senior Sister, I… I think I'm getting stronger."
Startled, Qingxuan seized his wrist, entering meditation to observe his yuan. Time slowed to a crawl. She sensed every yuan in his body vibrating spontaneously, aligned to a single rhythm—the exact pattern of the Kunwu Stone's Dao sounds emanating from the incense.
"This… this is…" Shocked, Qingxuan withdrew, releasing his wrist.
Qingyun, now drenched in sweat and flushed, grimaced. "Senior Sister, I feel awful. My body's burning—like a force I can't control…"
Before he could finish, his head lolled, and he slumped unconscious.
Qingxuan caught him instinctively. His skin blazed, radiating heat, and beneath it surged a terrifying power, roiling like a hidden tide beneath a calm sea.
Panicked by the sudden turn, she traced it to the source. Gently laying him down, she rushed to the burner, extinguished the incense, and pocketed both it and the Kunwu Stone.
Returning to Qingyun, she lifted him again. His body cooled slowly, his yuan stabilized, and the fearsome energy vanished as if it had never been.
Relieved as his condition improved, Qingxuan pulled out her communication mirror and sent an urgent message to Chi Yan.
Chi Yan, seemingly waiting, appeared instantly. "Xuan'er, what's wrong?" The chamber's anti-scrying wards kept her from peeking—though she could break them, it'd cause trouble, and Chi Song's nagging was the last thing she needed.
Tears welled in Qingxuan's eyes as she blurted, "Master, something's happened to Qingyun!"
"What did you say?!"
Footnotes Cloud-Soaring Technique: A basic flight method in Taoist cultivation, achieved by stilling one's yuan to defy gravity. Yuan: The fundamental energy units of a cultivator's body, manipulated through meditation and technique. Dao Sounds: Audible rhythms of the Dao, revealed by objects like the Kunwu Stone, aiding enlightenment.
原始中文文本
從青木湖到玄水峰上的悟道室有一段不短的距離.青璇的脾氣來得快,去得也快,等下了青木峰,脾氣也去了大半.反倒開始對自己剛才無故向青雲發脾氣,感到有些內疚.一時拉不下面子的青璇臉色稍霽,卻仍然冷著一張臉.
她從懷裡拿出一段絲織彩帶,將一頭遞向青雲,面無表情地說道:「握著.」
青雲不知道師姐想做什麼,但也猜到對方似乎覺得這樣步行太慢,想加快趕路速度,於是他聽話地握住彩帶.
就在他剛伸手接過彩帶剎那,身形一個趔趄,被一股力道扯得差點跌倒,他下意識地握緊彩帶,回過神來時,發現自己已經飄在空中,全身像是失去了重量,被前方青璇拉著向更高處飛去.
彩帶懸在青璇身上纏繞著,除了她的右手,上面並沒有被彩帶纏繞,似乎是刻意留給青雲,那段彩帶的尾端,正握在青雲手上.
看著腳底下的景色越來越遠,青雲忍不住嚥了一口唾沫,頓時感到一陣雙腳發軟.
「師師師姐,慢,慢點.」他語氣結巴地道.
青璇像是沒聽見他說什麼,將手放在嘴邊,朝他大聲喊道:「師弟,天上風大,師姐聽不到!」
青雲臉色一僵,想要加大音量,卻感到四周景物飛逝,飛行速度驟然加快.
「師──啊──」青雲驚恐地張嘴,想要大喊,卻瞬間被強風灌滿,頓時面容扭曲,雙眼都睜不開.
此時此刻,前方衣袂飄飄,飛行間宛若天女的青璇,卻忍不住嘴角勾起,連眼眸深處都盈滿了笑意.
在青璇這樣刻意的提速下,兩人片刻便來到了玄水峰.
只是青璇似乎尚未滿足,又拉著已經分不清東南西北的青雲,在玄水峰上加速繞了幾圈,這才讓他腳踏實地.
一落地,青雲便忍不住彎腰乾嘔了起來.幸好,尚未用膳,此時吐出來的都是酸水.
抹了抹嘴角,青雲強忍嘴裡和胃裡的不適,朝青璇拱手問道:「師姐,您下次飛行之前,能不能先提醒提醒師弟⋯⋯」
青璇強忍笑意,眼珠子咕溜溜地一轉,決定轉移話題,否則青雲這一臉苦哈哈的樣子,讓她都忍不住有些愧疚.
「師弟,這是騰雲駕霧之術.之前師姐都教你,該怎麼觀元,並讓元跟隨萬物規律而震動.但師弟有沒有想過,如果讓元靜止不動,會發生什麼事?」青璇問道.
青雲馬上來了興趣.他好奇地跟著問:「會發生什麼事?」
只見青璇的身軀忽然輕輕飄起,笑意盈然地說:「便會如此.」
「會飛?」青雲驚訝,原來飛行竟然這麼簡單?
「是,但這只是初步的騰雲駕霧手段.不過,除了在觀內,否則即使是師姐,也不敢隨意在外飛行呢.」青璇末尾那句話,馬上引起青雲的興趣.
「師姐,這是為什麼?是因為空中有強敵?」青雲反應很快,馬上想起師父前去取的「空鵬翅」.
青璇卻微微搖頭,說道:「不完全是這樣.在某些凶險之地,確實是因為空中有兇悍的強敵和仙,如果實力不足,貿然飛行容易引來危險.但在一般地域,卻不單只是因為如此.」
看見青雲露出疑惑的神色,青璇解釋道:「師弟你想想,我們修道時,都需要讓元隨法訣震動,那麼讓法訣完全靜止,除了能夠飛行以外,是不是很危險?」
青雲恍然大悟,握拳擊掌道:「原來如此.」
突然想起赤霄曾說過的一段話,青雲又詢問道:「那麼師姐,為何師父曾說過,遇到仙盡量不要離開道路呢?」
青璇笑道:「那是針對修行尚淺的道修而言,譬如師姐這樣的道修,如果遇到仙,貿然離道,便容易會受到狩獵.而待在道旁,遇到危險時,便能夠受到當初開道道士留下的道力護持.不過,這自然也視乎仙的實力.」
青雲頷首表示明白.青璇指著不遠處的悟道閣,向他招手道:「走,師父特地安排的悟道閣機會不多,師弟可得好好把握.」
領著青雲走進悟道閣,青雲看見悟道閣無人看守,忍不住問道:「師姐,這邊也和藏書閣一樣,隨意進入嗎?」
青璇在青雲看不見的角度橫了他一眼,嘴角一撇,忍不住說道:「悟道閣是剛好被師父清場了,而藏書閣,那也不是隨意進入的地方.師弟第一次進藏書閣時,想必已經見過玄珩師叔祖了?」
「師,師叔祖?」青雲驚愕地張大嘴.
「咦,沒人和你說過嗎?」青璇訝異地問,又說道:「我們是青字輩,師父們是赤字輩,師弟難道沒想過玄字輩是更上一輩?」
青雲愕然,但轉念一想,青璇所說確實在理,只是青雲心思不在上面,沒往那處去想而已.
領著青雲穿過大堂,來到位於頂層的一間悟道室外.途中,青雲看見有幾間悟道室的門板上纏繞著藤蔓,門板正中則是一朵綻開的白色曇花.他忍不住問道:「師姐,那是?」
青璇順著他手指看去,明瞭地說:「那是有弟子正在悟道的房間,等師弟進入悟道室後,門縫處也會長出藤蔓,中央也會綻放曇花,表示此間已有弟子使用.」
聞言,青雲點點頭,讚嘆道:「真是周到.」
青璇推開悟道室,她知道師父已經將昆吾石放在裡面.她向青雲提醒道:「這次因為要引導師弟感受道音,所以師姐會一同進入.平時悟道室除了師長以外,只能單獨進入,師弟可明白了?」
「師弟明白了.」青雲點頭答道.
進入悟道室後,青璇轉身將悟道室門關起,然後又走到室內唯一的蒲團旁,指著蒲團朝青雲道:「過來坐下.」
等青雲老老實實地入座後,青璇走向悟道室內另外一樣物事.那是一張矮桌,上面僅有一座香爐.
青璇從香爐裡拿出昆吾石,然後開始向青雲說明:「此為悟道香爐,香爐本身並無太多功用.主要是悟道香,點燃後將想要聆聽道音的物事放在桌上.悟道香便會將規律展現,只要入定觀元,便能效仿其規律.」
「師姐,可是我⋯⋯」青雲欲言又止,他目前連入定觀元都做不到,又如何能夠看見道音的規律?
「師姐也不知.但師父既然讓我帶你來此,必然有其想法,只要一試便知.」青璇打斷了他的話,如是說道.
深吸了一口氣,青雲也只能這樣說:「師弟知道了.」
青璇展顏一笑,安撫他道:「若是未能成功,師弟也別氣餒.畢竟師姐也未曾聽聞過,還不能夠入定觀元的弟子,能夠成功聆聽道音.」
青雲點點頭,臉色依舊有些嚴峻.
「那麼,師姐就開始了.」青璇不再多說,從懷中掏出一柱悟道香,將其點燃後插入香爐,並將昆吾石靜置於桌面.做完這些事情後,她便來到青雲身側,由懷裡拿出一面蒲團,坐在一旁.
正當青璇想開口詢問青雲是否有所感受時,出乎她意料的事情發生了.
青雲面色古怪地看向自己身體,他語氣猶豫地說:「師姐,我,我好像在逐漸變得強壯.」
青璇大驚,連忙一把扣向青雲脈門,瞬間入定觀元.
入定後,青璇的時間感在一瞬間慢到極致,青璇由觀元狀態察覺,構成青雲身體的所有元,正在自動自發地震動,且它們竟然同時處在一個規律上進行震動,而這個規律,赫然與悟道香傳遞來的昆吾石道音相同.
「這,這是⋯⋯」從未見過這個狀況,青璇嚇得退出觀元狀態,也放開了青雲的手腕.
此時,青雲卻皺著眉頭,渾身大汗淋漓,漲紅著臉說道:「師姐,我好難受.全身都在發熱,好像有一股強大的力量在體內,我卻無法控制它.這,這種感覺⋯⋯」
話未說完,青雲突然頭一歪,身體一軟,暈了過去.
青璇下意識伸手抱住他,觸手所及卻發現青雲的身體燙得嚇人,整個人都泛著熱氣,體內還隱隱有一股強悍到讓她驚懼的力量,在看似平靜的海面下暗潮洶湧.
被這突如其來的變故嚇得不知所措,青璇想起這一切的源頭,連忙輕柔地將青雲身軀放下,起身跑到悟道香爐旁,伸手將悟道香掐息,並將悟道香與昆吾石收入懷中.
做完上述之事,青璇迅速回到青雲身側,並再次伸手抱起青雲靜置在地的身體,這下終於感覺到青雲軀體開始緩慢地降溫,元的躁動也恢復平穩,那股恐怖的力量更是直接消逝不見,彷彿剛才就不曾出現過一般.
發覺青雲的狀態開始好轉,青璇終於吁了一口氣.她立刻從懷中掏出傳訊鏡,朝赤煙發去傳訊要求.
赤煙似乎一直在等著,青璇才剛發出要求,師父的嬌小身影便直接出現在鏡面上.
「璇兒,怎麼了?」悟道室內本身就有防窺探禁制,因此赤煙也不會隨意窺探.雖然她並不是無法突破禁制,卻容易引發一系列的問題,如果到時候又讓赤松跑來對她嘮叨,赤煙可受不了.
青璇卻是急得差點要哭了出來,一見師父出現,她立刻緊張地朝赤煙說道:「師父,青雲出事了!」
「妳說什麼!」