Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

After a while, Li Xiuchen suddenly let out a long sigh. He didn't understand what was going on. He had inexplicably arrived at this place, inexplicably gained a younger sister, inexplicably had a grandfather who had high expectations of him and entrusted him with important responsibilities, inexplicably possessed a system that seemed to appear out of nowhere and was the best in the world, inexplicably learned the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms that he remembered most vividly, inexplicably obtained some kind of coiled dragon staff, and inexplicably inherited the mantle of someone called a Martial Emperor, becoming his unworthy and ineffective successor...

Too many inexplicable things happened, and suddenly there were many more strange things. These things and events made Li Xiuchen feel a bit overwhelmed. He didn't know how to arrange them one by one, nor how to properly handle the tasks entrusted to him by so many people.

"Ahhhhhhh! Why are you doing this to me! I'm still a baby!" Thinking about it, Li Xiuchen felt increasingly heavy-hearted, his situation increasingly heartbreaking. Overwhelmed with chest tightness, he couldn't help but let out a long howl, his voice carrying far through the empty space. For a moment, the entire space was filled with Li Xiuchen's echo. Hearing these echoes, Li Xiuchen was startled, then his expression twisted as he clutched his stomach, curling up and collapsing to the ground.

"Hahaha, ahahahaha, ahahahahahaha! Hahahahaha, hahaha..." Li Xiuchen clutched his stomach with one hand and slapped his leg violently with the other, the crisp "slap slap slap slap" echoing continuously in the empty room. This continued for a while. Li Xiuchen's movements gradually slowed, and his laughter slowly transformed into helpless sobs.

"Why, why, why me? What the hell did I do wrong to deserve this from God? Am I so damn guilty? Am I so utterly wicked?!" Li Xiuchen's voice gradually grew louder, eventually turning into a furious roar.

"Am I really worth you playing me like this!" Li Xiuchen's emotions were starting to spiral out of control. He jumped up, looking up at the white expanse above him. He didn't know what that thing was, or where he was, but he didn't care about any of that right now. Li Xiuchen pointed at the sky, gritting his teeth and roaring furiously at the white expanse above him.

"Playing with time travel, fucking time travel. Ahahahahahahahahaha. Damn, are you serious? You're so low-class?" Li Xiuchen's body seemed a little weak, swaying as he slowly moved his feet in this huge, white space. At this moment, his eyes seemed incredibly empty and dull, and his movements were incredibly stiff.

"God, what do you want from me?" Li Xiuchen collapsed to the ground with a thud, burying his head between his legs. "I give up, okay? I give up, okay? Stop playing around, I really beg you, stop playing around. I beg you, please, stop playing around, let me go back, I don't want to be here anymore. Please, I'm begging you, please have mercy and let me go!" Li Xiuchen's voice was filled with utter helplessness.

No matter what Li Xiuchen said, only his voice echoed through the empty space. Gradually, Li Xiuchen stopped speaking, curled up into a ball, and quietly collapsed to the ground, staring blankly ahead, his pupils unfocused. Li Xiuchen felt so tired.

The vast space was eerily quiet, so quiet that only Li Xiuchen's faint breathing could be heard. This continued for an unknown amount of time, until a figure gradually emerged from the distance. Li Xiuchen could vaguely make out the figure, blurry and indistinct, unable to distinguish whether it was male or female. Li Xiuchen made no reaction, remaining curled up in a ball, silently slumped on the ground, his eyes staring blankly ahead, his pupils unfocused, appearing lifeless.

Li Xiuchen seemed unwilling to make any unnecessary movements; aside from breathing, he remained motionless. The figure grew larger and larger in Li Xiuchen's eyes. What was initially as small as a fly gradually expanded over time, becoming increasingly clear and no longer as blurry as before. The figure continued to walk.

Gradually, the figure drew closer to Li Xiuchen. Li Xiuchen's unfocused gaze finally sharpened slightly, and he moved his head slightly, raising it to look at the figure approaching him. Upon seeing the person's face clearly, Li Xiuchen was visibly taken aback, but quickly broke into a wry smile, his pale face devoid of any color.

"Fake, fake, fake again. God, if you're going to mess with me, can't you come up with something new? Doing this again and again, what do you take me for? Humph, laughable." Li Xiuchen ignored the person getting closer and closer, turned his head back to the ground, and muttered to himself with a smile.

"Li Xiuchen, don't you feel ashamed?" A voice suddenly came from somewhere. "Li Xiuchen, do you have any shame?" The voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.

Hearing someone call his name, Li Xiuchen's smile suddenly froze, and his face gradually turned cold. He tilted his head back, but he didn't reply. He just quietly watched the figure walking towards him step by step with firm steps.

"Li Xiuchen, does that mean you can't even overcome such a small difficulty in this space?" As if anticipating that Li Xiuchen wouldn't answer, the cold voice ignored Li Xiuchen's indifferent attitude, paused slightly, and then continued.

"What I am... is none of your business." After a long while, Li Xiuchen finally replied, but his voice was so low that it seemed as if he was talking to himself.

"What's wrong? You don't even dare to speak loudly anymore?" The mysterious voice remained cold. "Where did your imposing manner go? Did you feed it to the dogs?"

"Ah! No!" The cold voice paused noticeably after speaking, as if it had realized some fatal flaw, taking a brief moment to process what it was saying. Although the pause was short, Li Xiuchen quickly located the source of the voice. "Your stupid, bullshit attitude wouldn't even be fit for a dog, would it? What do you think? Am I right or wrong?" A hint of mockery crept into the cold voice.

For some reason, after the figure appeared in the empty space, Li Xiuchen felt a strange, inexplicable feeling. It was somewhat familiar, yet also strange, creating a sense of distance. Li Xiuchen frowned slightly but said nothing; he didn't know who the other person was. He could only wait quietly for the mysterious figure to reveal its true form and appearance. Li Xiuchen listened to the other person speak without uttering a word.

He waited silently, waiting for the mysterious figure to get closer. He felt he had a pretty good idea who it was, but for some reason, something about it felt very strange if it was that person. Li Xiuchen couldn't quite put his finger on it. The mysterious figure approached Li Xiuchen step by step, and Li Xiuchen's heart pounded faster and faster. A moment later, Li Xiuchen could clearly see the mysterious figure's silhouette.

"Emperor Wu!" Li Xiuchen exclaimed in surprise. He was about to get up and pay his respects to his so-called master when he discovered that, without his knowledge, his body had been uncontrollably pressed to the ground by a force, rendering him unable to move.

"Emperor Wu, what are you doing!" Li Xiuchen's expression suddenly turned tense as he loudly questioned the Emperor Wu, who was drawing ever closer. But Emperor Wu didn't answer, continuing to walk forward on his own, his eyes, hidden behind a veil, revealing a chilling, almost deathly aura. Li Xiuchen struggled, watching Emperor Wu approach step by step, a cold feeling inexplicably creeping into his heart.

Time ticked by, and the cold sweat on Li Xiuchen's forehead steadily increased. His expression grew increasingly tense, and his eyes became more and more panicked. Finally, the Martial Emperor stopped less than five meters away from Li Xiuchen. He stood still for a moment, then reached behind his head and gently removed his veil. Li Xiuchen stared wide-eyed at the revelation of the Martial Emperor's true face, his eyes widening in utter shock.

"I am not the Martial Emperor. I'm sorry to disappoint you." The mysterious figure removed his veil and said coldly as he looked at Li Xiuchen lying on the ground.

Li Xiuchen regained his senses and temporarily put aside his immense shock, looking at the mysterious figure in front of him who was extremely similar to the Martial Emperor in both physique and spirit.

"Then who are you, and why..."

"Why do I look so much like Emperor Wu, don't I?" Li Xiuchen was interrupted by the mysterious figure in front of him before he could finish speaking. "Are you that curious about who I am?" The mysterious figure seemed to find it somewhat amusing.

"No, I just..." Before Li Xiuchen could finish speaking, he was interrupted again by the mysterious figure. This time, the mysterious figure did not say another word to Li Xiuchen, but suddenly rushed straight towards the trapped Li Xiuchen.

Chapter 1208 Reappearance

The woman in black robes widened her eyes instantly as if she had remembered something. Even Sha'ang's expression was filled with shock and disbelief; she simply couldn't believe her own judgment, nor did she want to. In her view, it was utterly impossible. A mouthful of blood spurted from the woman's mouth, and she slumped her head helplessly.

"Senior sister, senior sister, you must hold on!" Weiwei ran wildly, her battle qi constantly draining away. Gradually, Weiwei's breathing became more and more rapid, and her movements became slower and slower, but Weiwei kept silently praying for her senior sister.

"You'll be alright, senior sister, you'll be alright, don't worry, senior sister, I'll go back to the academy right away and ask the dean and the others to come and rescue you, don't worry. You absolutely can't be hurt, senior sister, you absolutely can't be hurt." Weiwei's thoughts became more and more chaotic, and her eyes slowly filled with tears without her realizing it. "Senior sister, hang in there."

With a "whoosh," a bamboo arrow appeared out of nowhere, swiftly piercing through the dense forest and heading straight for Weiwei, who was running at full speed. But to Weiwei, the arrow seemed to appear and disappear intermittently. Weiwei had no time to think; she took a deep breath and quickened her pace. She dared not stop; she knew clearly that if she stopped, the life of her seriously injured senior sister, who held high hopes for her, would be in grave danger. She dared not stop; she could only run.

As expected, the bamboo arrow, with its bizarre trajectory, quickly pierced through Weiwei's body. Losing her footing, Weiwei used the arrow's momentum to lunge forward, crashing heavily to the ground. Immediately afterward, a mouthful of blood spurted from her mouth with a "pfft." Her lungs finally got a rest; she gasped for air and coughed violently.

"Who's there!" Weiwei shouted out loud, as this was the first time she had faced this situation alone. But after a while, it remained quiet all around her, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Weiwei had no time to wait, nor to prolong the wait for that person to appear. She struggled to her feet, wanting to resume her journey back to the hospital. After a short while, Weiwei, clutching her pierced stomach, struggled to her feet. But before she could take another step, another bamboo arrow appeared out of nowhere and pierced her knee with a "whoosh!" Weiwei collapsed to her knees with a thud, large beads of cold sweat rolling down her face.

Weiwei kept taking deep breaths, growling and gritting her teeth as she propped herself up. She shakily lifted her leg, which had been pierced by an arrow, only to be struck by another bamboo arrow in the blink of an eye. This arrow pierced Weiwei's other leg, and tears streamed down her face from the pain.

But before Weiwei could move again, several more bamboo arrows shot towards her, who was lying on the ground, piercing through her arms and pinning her to the ground.

"Senior sister, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Weiwei had considered using her battle qi to seal her wounds, but now she finally understood why the woman in black robes had told her to leave and not to come closer. Tears streamed down Weiwei's face, and her eyes gradually became unfocused and lost their light.

All around Vivi was deathly silent, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

"Weiwei, how much further?" The woman in black robes couldn't help but turn back and ask after running with Weiwei for a long time.

"Senior Sister!" Weiwei didn't answer his question immediately. Instead, she lowered her head and thought for a moment. Suddenly, her eyes changed, and she shouted urgently, "Senior Sister, leave! Leave quickly!"

"Weiwei, you..." The woman in black robes was very surprised to hear Weiwei say this. Before she could finish speaking, her pupils suddenly dilated more than twice their normal size. The woman in black robes stared wide-eyed, her face filled with disbelief.

"Senior sister, senior sister!" Weiwei cried out in despair as she looked at the woman in black robes.

The woman in black robes slowly lowered her head. A sword had pierced her body sometime during the night, its protruding tip glistening with crimson blood. Drops of blood dripped slowly from the sword's tip, forming a small crater on the ground. Each drop of blood that fell into the crater grew larger, and the woman's life force dwindled. She tried to circulate her internal battle qi to stop the wound from widening and to seal her blood vessels, but everything proved extremely difficult.

A trickle of blood flowed from the black-robed woman's mouth. Her face grew increasingly pale as she looked up at Weiwei before her. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out; only more and more blood continued to gush forth. Weiwei wanted to help the black-robed woman, but the woman shook her head with difficulty, stopping Weiwei. She could feel that Weiwei couldn't possibly withstand the sharpness of the sword. The sword remained silently embedded in the black-robed woman's chest. No one appeared, no one spoke a word, not even a sound was made.

After an unknown amount of time, the sword's power finally began to dissipate, turning it into an extremely ordinary weapon. Normally, such a weapon would be incredibly difficult to even approach the black-robed woman, let alone pierce her body. But now, this utterly ordinary thin sword filled the black-robed woman with a sense of desolation.

The residual force of the sword embedded in the black-robed woman's chest finally dissipated, and the woman instantly lost her balance, collapsing to her knees with a thud. Seeing this, Weiwei rushed forward and embraced her breathingless senior sister. Looking at the black-robed woman's pale face and blood-soaked clothes, Weiwei broke down in tears once more.

Suddenly, Weiwei froze, something popping into her mind, and her expression became a little strange. But Weiwei shook her head and banished the thought from her mind.

Looking at her pale-faced senior sister, Weiwei's rationality vanished instantly, and she hugged her senior sister tightly.

"Senior sister, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let you bring me to this dark forest. Senior sister, I'm so sorry." Weiwei was incoherent at this moment. "Senior sister, I'll take you back to the academy right away. Senior sister, hang in there, I'll use my internal energy to seal your wounds first. Senior sister, it's okay, senior sister, it's okay, you'll be alright, don't worry." Weiwei kept saying these words to encourage her senior sister, who was on the verge of lifelessness. At this moment, she didn't know if she was encouraging her senior sister in her arms to keep going, or if she was encouraging herself.

"Wei...Weiwei, don't cry. It's alright, your senior sister is alright. You need to go back to the academy quickly; you can't stay in this forest any longer. Weiwei, be good, don't cry, don't cry. Cough, cough, cough." The woman in black robes in Weiwei's arms slowly raised her hand, trembling as she wiped away Weiwei's tears, which were already swollen from crying. Her injuries made speaking extremely difficult. "It's alright, Weiwei, your senior sister is alright, don't worry. Go back and tell the dean; the dean and the others will naturally come. Your senior sister will pull through."

Upon hearing the black-robed woman's words, Weiwei's senses visibly returned. She wiped away her tears and smiled at the heavily injured black-robed woman in her arms. She knew that if she didn't hurry, her senior sister might really leave her.

"Okay, senior sister. I'll go back to the academy to find the dean right away. Senior sister, you must hold on!" Weiwei carried the woman in black robes and placed her next to a tree. Just as she was about to let her senior sister lean against the tree trunk to rest, she saw the sword stuck in the woman's chest. Not knowing the power of the sword, she dared not make any rash moves.

"Senior sister, this..." Weiwei looked anxiously at her senior sister.

"It's alright, just leave it there, it'll be fine. I've already sealed my wound with my battle qi, don't worry." The woman in black robes paused, then forced a smile as she spoke to the anxious Weiwei. "You should go now, I'm fine, don't worry, I'll hold on until you come to find me."

"Okay, then I'll be right back. You must hold on." Weiwei nodded worriedly, gritted her teeth, turned away from the heavily injured woman in black robes, and was about to run quickly out of the forest.

"Hey!" the woman in black robes suddenly called out.

"Huh?" Hearing the call, Weiwei turned around blankly and looked at her senior sister who was leaning against the tree trunk.

"Weiwei, you..." The woman in black robes leaning against the tree trunk paused for a while before speaking softly, "Come here for a moment."

Weiwei was taken aback. She didn't know what was wrong with her senior sister. Shouldn't Weiwei be rushing back to the academy to find the dean to treat her? Weiwei didn't understand what her senior sister wanted to do, but out of respect and trust, despite her doubts and confusion, Weiwei still stepped forward and knelt down beside the woman in black robes.

"Senior sister, is there anything else you want to say?" Weiwei asked her senior sister, who was pale and looked like she was suffering from neurasthenia, with a puzzled expression.

"Weiwei, we've been together for a year. Do you hate me?" The woman in black struggled to raise her hand and took Weiwei's hand in her own. She looked quietly at Weiwei, who was filled with confusion, and said, "If I hadn't taken you away from Li Xiuchen back then, you would have been an ordinary girl, but you would have been happy and content. There wouldn't have been so many problems or so many worries. So, I want to ask you, do you hate me?"

"Senior sister, I don't hate you. Don't say anymore, be careful not to reopen your wound." Weiwei shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears. "If senior sister hadn't brought me out back then, how could Weiwei have met so many people? How could Weiwei have made so many friends? If senior sister hadn't brought me out back then, Weiwei wouldn't have learned so many skills. Senior sister, don't think like that, I don't hate you, please don't think like that, senior sister. Just wait for me peacefully, okay? I'll go back right away and call the dean and the others to come and save you, okay, senior sister?"

Hearing Weiwei's words, a faint smile gradually appeared on the woman in black robes as she quietly looked at Weiwei. After a while, the woman in black robes suddenly raised her arms with difficulty. "Come here, Weiwei. I want to hug you."

Weiwei was taken aback, wondering what the woman in black robes was up to. Although she was stunned for a moment, she still obediently leaned forward and carefully hugged her seriously injured senior sister, afraid that she might accidentally worsen the woman's injuries.

"Weiwei, do you really not hate me?" The woman in black robes held Weiwei, whose body seemed a little cold, and gently stroked Weiwei's back before tentatively asking Weiwei, who was leaning on her shoulder, again.

"Senior sister, I never intended to hate you, so don't worry," Weiwei replied softly to the woman in black robes.

"Senior sister, you have no idea how much I want to thank you. If it weren't for you, if you hadn't taken me out of that place, Xiu Chen would have been able to use his battle qi. I also know that his ambition is definitely not to simply stay there and live a mundane life. When Xiu Chen reaches a bottleneck in his cultivation, or reaches a certain level, if he were to travel with an ordinary person like me, it would definitely cause a lot of inconvenience. If that affected his mind, wouldn't I become a sinner?"

Weiwei paused for a moment, sensing that the black-robed woman's aura hadn't weakened, before adding a final sentence. "Don't worry, Senior Sister, I definitely won't be a burden to you or Xiu Chen. I'll take good care of myself. So, Senior Sister, you must take good care of yourself too. Listen to me, I'll go call the Dean for you. Please wait a moment and don't overthink things, okay?"

"Weiwei, I'm sorry," the woman in black robes said suddenly after Weiwei finished speaking.

"Huh?" Weiwei was a little confused; she didn't know what the woman in the black robe was talking about.

"Thud!" A sharp dagger pierced Weiwei's back. Weiwei's eyes widened as she stared intently at her senior sister in front of her.

"Weiwei, I'm sorry."

Chapter 1209 The Hermit

"Why do I look so much like Emperor Wu, don't I?" Li Xiuchen was interrupted by the mysterious figure in front of him before he could finish speaking. "Are you that curious about who I am?" The mysterious figure seemed to find it somewhat amusing.

"No, I just..." Before Li Xiuchen could finish speaking, he was interrupted again by the mysterious figure. This time, the mysterious figure did not say another word to Li Xiuchen, but suddenly rushed straight towards the trapped Li Xiuchen.

Seeing the mysterious figure suddenly rush towards him, Li Xiuchen's eyes widened instantly, revealing boundless fear and anxiety. Li Xiuchen struggled desperately, his body twisting and turning, trying to break free from the control of this unknown force.

"Ah!!!!!" Li Xiuchen struggled to break free, but he couldn't keep up with the speed at which the mysterious figure pounced on him. Li Xiuchen watched helplessly as the mysterious figure's palm slowly grew larger in front of him, like a slow-motion replay.

As expected, the mysterious figure's hand slammed heavily onto Li Xiuchen's shoulder, and a mouthful of blood instantly spurted from Li Xiuchen's mouth.

"Cough, cough, cough cough." Li Xiuchen coughed violently, as if he was choking on the blood he had spat out. In just a short while, Li Xiuchen's face began to turn purple from the strain.

Seeing this, the mysterious figure struck Li Xiuchen's back heavily with another palm strike, causing Li Xiuchen to cough up a thick clot of blood. Instantly, Li Xiuchen's breathing became much easier, and he greedily inhaled the fresh air. After a while, Li Xiuchen finally recovered, raising his head to glare fiercely at the mysterious figure before him who bore a striking resemblance to the Martial Emperor. His eyes were filled with a complex mix of emotions: doubt, gratitude, and disgust.

If Li Xiuchen were experiencing a complex mix of emotions right now, yet remaining remarkably reserved, he might simply sigh deeply. If he had felt this way back then, he would have already enrolled in an art school, endured four years of hard work, graduated, and, leveraging his father's connections and influence, smoothly entered the entertainment industry. With his talent and a few years of dedicated effort, he might have become another Tony Leung in China, another Anthony Hopkins in Hollywood. Unfortunately, in both worlds, the striking similarity lies in the fact that neither world offers "what ifs," and neither can be relived.

"What exactly do you want?" Li Xiuchen shook his head, dismissing the other unrealistic thoughts in his mind, and asked in a low voice, frowning as he looked at the mysterious figure in front of him.

"Heh, do you really think your so-called Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms are that powerful?" To Li Xiuchen's surprise, the mysterious figure, who had expected to ignore him, still spoke. Li Xiuchen was taken aback by the mysterious figure's words, but quickly a hint of anger flashed in his eyes, a feeling he couldn't even explain. He didn't know why he was angry at these words, nor why he had such a strong emotional reaction.

"Do you know?" The mysterious figure stopped what he was doing, raised his head, and looked at the furious Li Xiuchen, speaking calmly. His eyes were devoid of any emotion; he simply stared at him silently.

"You may think this Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms is invincible, but do you know what it represents on this continent?" The mysterious figure paused for a moment, then continued, "It represents trash. Trash so trash that even a rogue immortal wouldn't want to touch it."

“So you should know the one thing I want to say most,” Li Xiuchen’s eyes did not waver, “Who are you, what are you doing here, and what do you want to do to me?”

"Hahaha, what do you think?" For some reason, the mysterious figure suddenly found Li Xiuchen in front of him extremely funny and asked him mockingly. "You think someone like you, trash, who only reached your current Dou Wang level through the help of others, is worth me doing anything about?"