Chapter 21: Immortal Dream

The entrance to Xuanji Temple remained bustling. People waiting for fortunes fretted over their futures. Xu Xian didn't know if that countryman had managed to cure his family, nor did he know what fate had in store for these people. He only knew that he would see the person they all sought—Yu Xuanji—much sooner than they would. To them, she was an elder; to him, she was the female Taoist standing before him.

The little girl who had led the way yesterday was currently waving to him from a street corner. Following his small guide once more, Xu Xian entered the mysterious and unpredictable Xuanji Temple through a side door.

He had noticed yesterday that this Taoist wanted to speak with him in private.

A romantic encounter? He certainly wouldn't mind, but it was likely just wishful thinking. Still, no man could refuse an invitation from a beauty, even if she was a woman of the cloth—perhaps that fact alone stirred a certain curious desire in a man's heart.

However, Yu Xuanji was not in the main hall. Sun'er led Xu Xian straight through the building toward the backyard. The small courtyard was planted with several pear trees, though their leaves had fallen and their blossoms had withered, hiding their former glory. The lazy afternoon sun of autumn filtered through the bare branches, casting light upon an apricot-yellow figure standing beneath a tree, catching a falling leaf.

Golden sunlight draped over her, a withered brown leaf rested in her hand, and as she looked back with a smile, her beauty was enough to topple kingdoms.

Xu Xian couldn't help but be intoxicated by the scene. Her figure seemed to be more than just a person; together with the withered trees, the languid sunlight, the weathered stone table, and the tea and pastries set upon it, she formed a sensation that was both ethereal and profoundly real.

One couldn't help but sigh: it was already late autumn.

"Life as beautiful as autumn leaves"—perhaps this was a beauty that even the Western poet who sang of "life as beautiful as summer flowers" could not fully comprehend.

Xu Xian’s arrival interrupted Yu Xuanji’s contemplations. She smiled and invited him to sit, then asked bluntly, "Might I ask from whom Young Master Xu learned his Taoist techniques?"

Still as direct as ever, Xu Xian thought. He replied just as candidly, "I learned them from a Taoist I met as a child. I even took him as my master, though I unfortunately never saw him again."

"Do you know that Taoist’s name or title?"

Xu Xian vaguely understood why she had called him a "fellow cultivator" the day before, but he truly didn't know the name of his irresponsible master. He shook his head. "He never mentioned it. He simply tapped my forehead with his finger and gave me a copy of the Tao Te Ching." Xu Xian hadn't intended to be so detailed, but facing Yu Xuanji, he felt a strange sense of kinship that made the words come out involuntarily.

"The Consonance Finger?" Yu Xuanji frowned slightly. She was now even more certain that Xu Xian’s master was a member of her sect, though she knew that while this method of teaching was extremely convenient, it took a significant toll on the teacher. Members of Taoist sects often kept their distance from one another; even if they had a friend or two, they usually practiced in isolation. It was rare for them to become cultivation partners, let alone huddle together like the gangs of the mortal world. Although Yu Xuanji had grown up in the sect, she had traveled the world after achieving success in her arts and hadn't returned for many years. Thus, she didn't know why a senior would use such a method.

After asking for a detailed description of the Taoist's appearance, Yu Xuanji finally smiled. "If I haven't guessed wrongly, you really ought to call me Senior Sister!"

"Senior Sister!?" Although Xu Xian was a bit bewildered, he surprisingly wasn't that shocked. Thinking back to the feeling he got when entering the temple yesterday—that intense contrast between extreme noise and extreme silence—even the aura Yu Xuanji gave off felt incredibly familiar.

"My master is...?"

"Your master is likely a twelfth-generation disciple of the Sea of Constellations, True Person Taiyin." She had actually only met True Person Taiyin once, back when the Sect Master was undergoing a heavenly tribulation during her childhood, and hadn't seen him since.

"Then you are?"

"I am a thirteenth-generation disciple of the Sea of Constellations. My Primary Star is the third star of the Southern Dipper—Tianji—which is why my Taoist title is Tianjizi. I wonder, what is my Junior Brother’s Primary Star?" Yu Xuanji looked puzzled. This was the part she understood least; the power she felt from Xu Xian wasn't Astral Power, but something even more unique.

Xu Xian hadn't had much contact with this sect, so he could only accept her calling him Junior Brother. When asked about his Primary Star, however, he pointed sheepishly toward the sky. "My Primary Star is the Sun Star." He assumed that choosing the Sun Star as a primary anchor was a shortcut or perhaps even a heterodox path—at any rate, it wasn't the orthodox way. Otherwise, why would he be unable to even form a Star Palace?

"What?" Yu Xuanji couldn't help but look shocked. She had practiced in the sect for many years and had seen all sorts of miscellaneous stars, but she had never heard of anyone being able to use the Sun Star as a Primary Star. She finally understood why her own Astral Power felt suppressed by his.

Xu Xian grew even more embarrassed and tried to explain, "I really couldn't resonate with any other stars, so..."

Yu Xuanji waved her hand with sudden, immense resolve. "Say no more, Junior Brother. Your Senior Sister may be untalented, but I have practiced for many years. I must lead you back to the righteous path. Why don't you resign from the academy and practice here with me?"

Xu Xian’s mind went into a tailspin. What was going on? A beautiful Taoist was suddenly asking him to give up everything and live with her—and what was that fanatical look in her eyes?

"Am I not practicing right now? I don't necessarily have to go to the deep mountains and old forests! Besides, Senior Sister, aren't you right here in Hangzhou?"

Yu Xuanji said solemnly, "That is different. Although the Sea of Constellations encourages worldly cultivation to experience the hearts of mortals, one must remain an observer. If one truly falls into the entanglements of the red dust, their cultivation will surely stagnate or even regress. You haven't been practicing long, Junior Brother, so you might not feel it yet, but the day will come when you hit a bottleneck you cannot break."

Xu Xian fell into thought. Indeed, he had been too naive. On the path of life, no one can walk every road. Once a choice is made, there is no room for regret.

At that moment, Yu Xuanji handed Xu Xian an osmanthus cake and smiled. "Don't you like the pastries I make? You can eat them every day from now on!" Unlike her usual pure and distant smile that resembled mountain mist, her smile now carried a hint of the mundane world, almost like a temptation.

Xu Xian took it dazed and gave a silly laugh. "That sounds great!" Sun'er, hiding nearby, cried out in her heart: Here it comes, here it comes! Master’s ultimate move! This Martial Uncle is doomed.

Sun'er was all too familiar with that gaze, which was full of both temptation and a powerful threat.

Xu Xian suddenly snapped back to his senses. "I can't!" He suddenly remembered the most important task of his current life. He had to wait by the West Lake for Lady Bai’s arrival. How could he shut himself away in a tiny Taoist temple with another woman to cultivate? Ahem, dual cultivation might be worth considering, but he knew that was impossible.

"Junior Brother, do you still have attachments to the red dust? Your only sister is already married. As the world says, a woman follows her husband; she no longer needs her younger brother to worry for her."

Xu Xian was surprised. "How do you know that?"

Yu Xuanji said proudly, "The mysteries of the profound are beyond your current understanding." In truth, she was also uncertain. She could only calculate Xu Xian's social connections and a portion of his "past." As for what he would do in the future or how he would turn out, she could find no trace at all.

Xu Xian lowered his head to drink tea, avoiding his Senior Sister’s burning gaze. "That's not it."

"Could it be the Young Master Pan who came with you? Although he is peerlessly beautiful, you don't look like someone with the cut sleeve habit!"

The tea went into Xu Xian’s mouth and successfully staged an escape through his nose. "Cough, cough, cough!" He finally knew the meaning of karma. Yu Xuanji gently patted his back, and Xu Xian immediately felt his discomfort vanish.

Xu Xian said with righteous indignation, "It’s not that I don't 'look like' it; I absolutely am not! Please don't misunderstand—I still like women like you."

Yu Xuanji didn't mind his words. Instead of sitting back down, she paced back and forth and asked, "Then what is it? Is it that you cannot let go of scholarly honor or wealth?"

Xu Xian replied, "My personality isn't suited for becoming an official or making a fortune. Having enough to eat and wear is plenty."

"Then is it that you cannot let go of grudges or romantic sentiments?"

"I'm so young, what grudges could I have? And romantic sentiments are out of the question!"

Yu Xuanji finally stopped pacing and turned to ask, "Then what is it?" If not for love or desire, was there anything else in the world he couldn't let go of?

Xu Xian frowned, at a loss for how to explain his thoughts. He managed a weak explanation: "I like drinking wine and eating meat."

Yu Xuanji took it as a matter of course. "Only ordinary monks and priests abstain from meat and wine. Among those on the true path to immortality, there is no shortage of heavy drinkers. And my favorite thing to eat is fish!"

Xu Xian grumbled inwardly: Your surname is Yu; it wouldn't be because you like eating fish, would it? It’s a good thing you don’t like beef or pork, or "Ox-nose" Xuanji or "Pig" Xuanji would really spoil the mood.

Xu Xian stood up and copied Yu Xuanji, pacing back and forth. Since moments ago, he had been wondering: why did I refuse so decisively? Becoming an immortal or a god, living forever—these should be the most primal instincts of any living being. Was it for Lady Bai? Even Lady Bai had persisted on this path for a thousand years before meeting Xu Xian.

Refusing the temptation of immortality for a "My Lady" who was still lost in the mists of the future felt like a poor excuse even to Xu Xian. Furthermore, being free and unrestrained without having to give up meat or wine—everything Yu Xuanji said was more enticing than any pyramid scheme from his past life.

Xu Xian thought and thought, then suddenly stopped by the table. He picked up an osmanthus cake, took a small bite, and chewed and swallowed it slowly.

A smile of relief suddenly appeared on Xu Xian’s face. "It’s not that I can’t let go. It’s that I’m afraid!"