Bu Wei

“The eight prefectures and sixteen states in the cultivation world are built with the help of the Eight Trigrams Formation, in addition, the Yin and Yang Two Hearts of Zhongzhou is vibrating at the center. That Ning Buwei, even if the sky’s turned upside down, it won’t make a big difference!” A cultivator in green robe put down a wine cup, “Waiter, another jar of peach blossom wine!”

 

The tavern was bustling with people. Someone heard what he had said and continued the conversation. “Fellow cultivator, this statement is not accurate! The Eight Trigrams Formation was already broken 500 years ago, and Southeast Xun Prefecture and Shenshang, these two states, up to this day, are still devoid of even a blade of grass with spiritual energy completely extinct. It is the masterpiece of the Ning family.”

 

“Damn that Ning family! Some deviant characters!” Someone shouted loudly, “He should be killed completely!”

 

(t/n: deviant-It originally refers to deviating from the propositions and orthodoxy of Confucian classics; now it generally refers to deviating from dominant ideological norms and behavioral norms.)

 

“Five hundred years ago, the Ning family was still the largest clan in the seventeen states. It was the only aristocratic family that dared to compete with the Wu Shi Sect. But now, the Ning family has long since had no one around!” Someone gloated again.

 

A plain-looking man in simple clothes was leaning against the window and looking at the peach blossoms blooming outside, he said puzzled, “Ning Buwei, 500 years ago, was just a child of eleven or twelve years old. When the Xun Prefecture’s spiritual veins were completely exhausted, he was not even aware of the situation yet.”

 

“You!” The cultivator in green robe slapped his long sword on the table and angrily said, “How can you speak for that devil!?”

 

“Fellow cultivator, don’t be angry.” The man smiled and cupped his hand at him, and said kindly, “I just heard it through hearsay.”

 

“Zizhang, don’t cause trouble.” The person next to the cultivator in green robe advised him.

 

The cultivator who was called Zizhang snorted coldly. “In the battle of Xingluo Cliff a year ago, that Ning demon had already died without a complete body. The Ning Clan’s root, this time, has been completely cut. The seventeen states no longer have someone surnamed Ning, we can now live peacefully.”

 

“Speaking of the battle at Xingluo Cliff, it can be said to be extremely brutal. The 120 sects of the Chongzheng Alliance gathered more than 500 disciples, furthermore, His Holiness Nanshu of the Wanhai Sect took charge. Unexpectedly, no one came back alive!” Someone sigh with emotion, “Just how terrifying is Ning Buwei’s cultivation?”

 

“Nanshu is one of the top ten venerables on the Tianji Ranking. His Sixteen Story Zhen Magic Treasure Pagoda can move mountains, fill seas, and shake off all evil spirits and calamities. Ning Buwei, no matter how incredibly powerful he is, he may not make it into the top ten of the Tianji Ranking. Moreover, there are more than five hundred experts at the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages assisting the formation—” the man leaning against the window looking at the flowers asked, “How could he possibly have killed all these people?”

 

“Ning demon’s Suzaku Sword is top of the list in the Divine Weapons Book. It is a treasure passed down from generation to generation in the Ning family. Moreover, that demon especially likes to delve into evil formations and talismans, and his methods are vicious and cunning. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to run rampant in the seventeen states for so many years!”

 

Zizhang sneered then continued, “Below Xingluo Cliff is the dark territory, where there are countless demons and monsters. Who knows what kind of demonic technique the devil used? The major sects in the Chongzheng Alliance hurried to the destroyed the ruins of Xingluo Cliff, but they couldn’t recover even the slightest trace of the lost souls of those five hundred people.”

 

“Hmm.” The man who was admiring the flowers turned to him and said, “That’s how it is.”

 

Probably because he felt that this person was really ignorant and felt remorse for his previous outburst towards him, Zizhang nodded at him and clasped his fists, saying, “Feng Zizhang of Yunzhong Sect in Xiagen Prefecture, Liuzhou. Dare I ask this friend’s name?”

 

The man smiled and returned the salute to him, “Not under any sect or faction, just a wandering cultivator. Yan Lanpei.”

 

Feng Zizhang saw a wooden slip on his table then casually asked, “Fellow Cultivator Yan also came to Zhongzhou to attend the Linjiang Conference?”

 

Yan Lanpei smiled and said, “That’s right. Fellow Cultivator Feng also wants to attend the Linjiang Conference?”

 

Feng Zizhang nodded, “My senior brother and I have taken on a sect mission. There’s this certain herb that has not been discovered yet, thus we came to Linjiang to try our luck.”

 

“I wonder if it would be convenient to reveal what kind of herb it is?” Yan Lanpei said, “I have some knowledge in medicine, perhaps I can help you find it.”

 

Feng Zizhang’s eyes lit up, but the cultivator next to him tugged his sleeve under the table and said with a smile: “Thank you, Fellow Cultivator Yan, for your kindness. This herb is not difficult to find either, therefore we won’t bother you anymore.”

 

Yan Lanpei nodded, not caring either, and continued to lean against the window to look at the peach blossoms.

 

Most of the people who come and go in the tavern were cultivators, but there were also mortals mixed in. The sound of the clinking of wine cups, and conversation, whispers, and lively shouts of the waiters were all intertwined. The air was mixed with the aroma of wine and foods, and the greasy and delicious smell permeated from the doors and windows of the tavern all the way to the street.

 

This was the most spacious street in Linjiang City in Zhongzhou. The street paved with bluestone slabs was crowded with an endless stream of horses and carriages. Countless tavern banners and tea shop curtains were swaying in the wind. Taverns, shops, clothing shops and grain depots were scattered on one side of the street, and on the other side was the Endless River that crosses Zhongzhou. Along the river, an endless row of peach trees was planted, stretching as far as the eye could see.

 

Different from the turbid and surging rivers in Xinzhou, this section of the Endless River in Zhongzhou was wide and calm, with clear waters. Awning boats and cargo ships on the river surface come and go endlessly and winding passageways have been built on the side of the street for pedestrians to rest. Many vendors shuttled back and forth carrying poles with loads on it, or found an open space outside the passageway to set up stalls, lazily leaning against the trees and waiting for people to come and pick.

 

“These peach blossoms have been cast with a minor longevity technique by the cultivators of Four Seasons Hall, making them bloom so vigorously all year round.” Feng Zizhang mentioned it casually when he saw that he had been looking at the peach trees.

 

“Four Seasons Hall?” Yan Lanpei was a little confused.

 

“Fellow cultivator, unexpectedly don’t know the Four Seasons Hall?” Feng Zizhang was a little surprised. He suddenly thought that the other party was really just a wandering cultivator with no sect, and assumed that he may be cultivating in some remote mountains and forests before, so he explained to him. “There are many disciples in the Four Seasons Hall. There are not only cultivators, but they also accept many mortal children. Like this restaurant and many shops on the street, they are all the property of Four Seasons Hall. Fellow Cultivator Yan will naturally understand it if you go around more.”

 

Yan Lanpei suddenly realized, “So it’s like this.”

 

His gaze remained fixated on the peach blossom, as if the flower held an extraordinary beauty in his eyes. Feng Zizhang, who was talkative by nature, said, “At first glance, it looks quite beautiful. It’s like this all year round. No matter how beautiful it is, one will still get tired watching it.”

 

Yan Lanpei nodded thoughtfully, “Such is the case. Everything in the world has its own growth pattern, so why force it.”

 

Feng Zizhang was stunned for a moment, then immediately smiled and said, “What Fellow Cultivator Yan said is reasonable.”

 

After Feng Zizhang finished drinking a jar of wine, exchanged cups with his senior brother, and was about to leave, only to find out that the person at the window had disappeared.

 

“Don’t get too involved with wandering cultivators.” His senior brother warned him.

 

Feng Zizhang nodded and walked out of the tavern with a few others, when he heard a burst of exclamations from around him.

 

He followed everyone’s gaze, only to see that the peach blossoms in full bloom along the Endless River as far as the eye could see, had withered in an instant, and the sky was filled with pink petals drifting through the chilling autumn breeze, covering the entire city.

 

Feng Zizhang stood at the entrance of the tavern. As if sensing something, he turned his head to look, but only saw a tall figure from behind. Taking a closer look, the figure had already disappeared into the endless stream of carriages, horses, and the bustling crowd.

 

“Zizhang, what are you looking at?” His senior brother pushed him.

 

Feng Zizhang suddenly came back to his senses and said in a daze, “It’s nothing.”

 

“It’s time to go, the Linjiang Conference is about to begin.”

 

Feng Zizhang looked back unresigned, but found that he could no longer remember the appearance of the man just now.

 

Most likely, the other party used some kind of cover-up, and what he saw in the tavern just now was not his true appearance.

 

Feng Zizhang felt regretful, but soon stopped thinking about it. People on the path of cultivation must avoid getting entangled too deeply. If fate allows, they could always meet again.

 

The fallen flowers drifted out of Linjiang City with the flowing water and headed west.

 

Ning Buwei squatted by the river and twisted a piece of peach blossom petals, handed it to the mouth of the child who was placed on the stone next to him, and asked, “Want to eat?”

 

The child didn’t understand anything. When he handed it to him, he opened his mouth to nibble on it. After chewing for a while, he burst into tears.

 

Ning Buwei picked up another peach blossom petal from the river, put it in his mouth and chewed it, then spit it out as it was so bitter.

 

He then pinched open the child’s mouth and pulled out the tattered peach blossom. He rinsed his hands in the river, picked up the child, looked at the peach blossom petals filling the river and said angrily, “Which unscrupulous person has nothing to do with his time and scattered flowers into the river for fun?”

 

The child was still crying. Ning Buwei pinched his little mouth and calmly coaxed him, “Don’t cry, wait for your father to recover his cultivation, and he will kill that unscrupulous guy to avenge you.”

 

The child was pinched in the mouth, being unable to breathe, his face turned purple.

 

Ning Buwei let go of his hand mercifully, and stuffed his index finger into his mouth in a familiar way. As expected, the crying stopped.

 

Before Ning Buwei had time to feel proud, a warm and damp sensation came from between his arms. Suddenly, his whole body froze, then he glared murderously at the child in his arms and angrily said, “Why did you pee again!?”

 

The great demon who made the entire seventeen states frightened pointed at a few pieces of clothing lined up on the stone and angrily asked the child in his arms, “You, count how many pieces of clothing have you peed on? I’m already wearing the last piece!”

 

However, his son had no intention of repenting, and looked at him pitifully with two bubble tears in his eyes. Not understanding why he was angry, and grasp his fingers tightly with his little hands, “Ah~”

 

Ning Buwei: “…………”

 

The great demon was angry for a while, and then squatted down by the river and started to wash the clothes soaked by urine. The river was so cold that his hands turned red. It was obviously something that could be solved with a little cleaning technique, but because he had lost all his cultivation, he had to endure the torment.

 

Ning Buwei had never washed clothes with his own hands in his more than five hundred years of life. As a result, within ten days of this little thing’s appearance, he had already washed it eight hundred times. (TL: I checked it multiple times, it’s really 800 times)

 

The demon of heaven and earth had never suffered such a great injustice.

 

After washing his clothes, he laid them to dry on the stone. He sat cross-legged with his upper body bare, put the naked little brat on his lap, pointed at his nose and said viciously, “If you dare pee again, I will castrate you.”

 

The white and tender little feet stepped on his abdominal muscles. The child, who seemingly discovered something interesting,  kicked his two little feet back and forth on his stomach.

 

Ning Buwei grabbed both of his feet with one hand, lifted the child upside down and hung him above the river surface, “You believe I won’t throw you into the river to be fish food?”

 

The child giggled, his little arms swayed in the air, and then sneezed.

 

The autumn wind was still very cold. Ning Buwei frowned, took the child back and put it on his lap, pulled out a piece of cloth that was almost dry and shook it vigorously. It was still a little damp, then with a frown, he put it on his body.

 

After a long while, touching it again, it was now completely dry. He took it off, wrapped the naked child in his clothes and held it in his arms.

 

Ning Buwei sat by the river and looked around. It was still the same dead trees and weeds.

 

This was the ninth day after Ning Buwei woke up. At first he thought he had fallen into the dark territory, but there was the Endless River on the side, and the more he went up, the clearer the river became. It was obvious that he had left Dui Prefecture—The Endless River flowed from east to west, passing through Zhen Prefecture, Zhongzhou and Dui Prefecture. Only the Dui Prefecture section was turbid and bottomless, while the river water in Zhongzhou and Zhen Prefecture was particularly clear.

 

But the seventeen states were vast, even if he still had his cultivation and the guide talisman in his hand, it would still take more than a dozen formations to cross a state, not to mention that he had lost all his cultivation, it might take over a decade just to cross one state.

 

Autumn at present was fine, as the weather was not so cold. He could casually eat some wild fruits and could even occasionally roast a pheasant, but the little kid could only drink blood at the moment. A day or two was fine, but if this continues, the little kid wouldn’t be able to bear it either.

 

The clothes were not enough for him to pee.

 

Thinking about changing diapers, Ning Buwei had a headache. He had to find a town as soon as possible, change clothes and have a good bath. Nowadays, he only felt that his whole body was filled with the smell of the little brat’s urine.

 

Ning Buwei carried the child in his arms, and when he saw him blinking his eyes and looking at him, he raised his eyebrows and said, “Father will give you a name.”

 

“You were born in the autumn rain, why don’t I call you–” Ning Buwei raised the corners of his mouth with ill intentions, “Niao Niao.” (TL: which actually means Pee)