Chapter 68 Water is Virtuous (2/2)

The location they were at was almost at the same height as the sea of clouds.

Shen Lian and Lu Shouyi came down from the back of the snake, and the snake returned to its human form.

”Two senior apprentice-brothers, there are five peaks at Qing Xuan, namely Taiyi, Qingliang, Zifu, Tianyuan, and Yuyang. We were at the main peak, Taiyi. We are now at Qingliang Peak, which is the residence for the lower house disciples,” said Jing Qing.

”Since there is a lower house, I assume that there is an upper house?” Lu Shouyi queried. He had always been straightforward, which was why he did not think twice before posing the question.

”Definitely.” Jing Qing nodded.

”What is the difference between the lower house and the upper house? Could it be that the upper house is better?” Lu seemed to be displeased. He thought that if celestial schools like Qing Xuan were to differentiate between class and social status, it would be really disappointing.

”Those who are in the upper house are considered Qing Xuan disciples too. However, most of them had some form of connection with the cultivators here. Some might be related by blood, some might be the descendants of an old friend. They were accepted into Qing Xuan due to their potential in cultivation. However, if one were to talk about the treatment of both houses, there are not many differences. Previously, one of the senior apprentice-brother had approached the headmaster about this. He questioned why the cultivators were differentiated as 'lower' or 'upper'. The previous headmaster sent him to the bamboo forest, and for seven years, he had been cutting stone bamboos. The previous headmaster remarked that he did not appreciate his blessings and overlooked the worth of being 'lower'.”

Despite being a monster, Jingqing was delicate and fresh. Even in his python form, Shen Lian did not feel the uncomfortable vibe like those that came from the Wutong Gods. There was no unpleasant scent from him either.

”The senior apprentice-brother did not understand, 'a lower status is as good as a higher status', which was why the headmaster thought that he failed to appreciate his blessings,” Shen Lian remarked casually.

Shen Lian thought the previous headmaster probably was thinking of 'regardless of being the upper or lower stream, water is virtuous and carries everything; It closely resembles Daoism.' 'Water' had the qualities of Daoism, as it passed through tens of thousands of creatures without being caught in the web of wealth and fame.

To be fixated on the difference between upper and lower would not be a good thing when cultivation was concerned.

Jing Qing was surprised. ”No one knows for sure what the previous headmaster meant, but someone did bring up something similar,” he said.

Lu Shouyi was curious. He was familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics, but not the Daoist classics. The reason why he pursued Dao was because of an incident that led to an epiphany, and he was determined to learn about Daoism to attain immortality.

As for the phrase, 'water is virtuous' that Shen Lian mentioned, he was not sure what connection it had with the story.

It was even more interesting that someone had said the same thing back then.

”Who would that person be? As the celestials live long, could it be that he is still alive in this world?” Lu Shouyi queried.

”I cannot expose the identity of that person. However, in the long history of the Qing Xuan Sect, he is ranked in the top three. Right now, he is probably at some corner in the world,” Jingqing replied.

Jingqing wore complicated emotions on his childish face as he spoke, and Lu stifled a laugh.

However, Jingqing was a monster. He was probably born earlier than Lu's great great grandfather.

”Putting that person aside, guess who was the person cut the stone bamboos for seven years?” Jingqing smiled.

”Who?” Lu Shouyi asked.

Shen Lian did not ask. He laughed in his heart and guessed that he knew the answer.

”Both of you have met him earlier,” Jingqing smiled and turned into a python. He wagged his tail and brought upon dust and sand.

He leapt into the sky as a ball of cloudy mist and blended into the sea of clouds.

”Brother Shen, who do you think the person was? Could it be the elderly in red or the elderly in gray, or even the headmaster?” Lu Shouyi asked Shen Lian.

”Brother Lu, aren't you tired after all the time we spent on the Wenxin Road? I went through a lot of hardship on the peak, and would like to sink into deep slumber now,” said Shen Lian as he evaded the question.