Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

"Now one of you is presiding over the Wen family's affairs, while the other is wandering and struggling. Why does time have to be like this? Tell me, if only our family were an ordinary family, we wouldn't have to care about what's happening in the martial world, or about its daily changes. We could have run a small business and lived a peaceful life. Wouldn't that have been wonderful?" As he spoke, a tear welled up in the old patriarch's eye.

"But things didn't go as planned. My Wen family has such a high status in the martial arts world. In other people's eyes, we are so glorious. But what happened? The family fell apart. Originally, we were brothers born of the same mother, but in the end, we had to fight each other. We should have been a harmonious family, sitting together to eat tea and chat. But that day will never come." At this point, the old patriarch paused and took a deep breath.

"Wenlong, Long'er, do you know, I feel like I've lived such a failed life. First, your brother was expelled from the Wen family—ha, expelled, but it wasn't just that he didn't want to stay in the Wen family anymore, he ran away on his own. Then there was that catastrophe ten years ago, the Wen family suffered heavy losses, and its status in the martial arts world plummeted. And then, look, your third uncle ran away too, taking Wen Chong with him. They didn't want to stay in the Wen family anymore..."

"Tell me, is my Wen family really that terrible? Why do they all want to run away? Why don't they want to stay and live a good life in my Wen family?" As he said this, the old family head shed a tear and shook his head with a gloomy expression.

"Grandpa..." Seeing the old patriarch so heartbroken, Wenlong didn't know what to say to comfort his grandfather, who seemed to have aged decades in an instant.

"Tell me, I'm already so old, and you're all so old too. Why can't I enjoy the happiness of family life, the feeling of being surrounded by children and grandchildren like ordinary families? I know our family is large and powerful, with many businesses and great influence in the martial arts world, but, but, I'm just a person, just an old man." The old patriarch became more and more agitated as he spoke.

“I know I am the head of the family, I know I have great responsibilities, I know there are many people in the Wen family, and many people rely on the Wen family for their livelihood, but I really want to rest. Long’er, do you know, Grandpa also wants to rest.” The old patriarch looked at Wen Long in front of him and held his hand tightly.

"Grandpa has fought his whole life. When he was young, he fought with his brothers; when he got older, he fought with those who opposed the Wen family; and as the head of the family, he fought with all the other major sects in the martial arts world. He's fought his whole life, his whole life! I've even forgotten the carefree feeling of my childhood. Sometimes, Grandpa really wants to abandon this whole mess, hide away in some remote mountain forest, and live a free and happy life. But I don't dare. Our ancestors worked so hard for so many years to build up such a huge fortune for the Wen family. Grandpa can't afford to mess it up, can't afford to let it fall into his hands. Otherwise, when Grandpa goes to the underworld, how can I face my ancestors?" As he spoke, the old patriarch's mood became increasingly depressed, and his expression grew more and more disappointed.

In Wen Long's eyes, his grandfather, once a dignified and upright figure, the youngest and most promising head of the Wen family, was now a hunched-over old man with a wrinkled face and a somber expression. Looking at his grandfather, Wen Long felt a surge of emotions. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately gave up, only able to sigh inwardly. He knew exactly how many sacrifices this old man, who had been so powerful and influential for most of his life as the head of the Wen family, had made.

Wenlong should never have known these things, but during that catastrophe ten years ago, he learned many things. That night, many people grew up in an instant, and many were changed. That night made many people successful, and many were destroyed.

"Grandpa, don't overthink it. What's meant to happen will happen. If we just get through this life, we can be reborn into a better family in the next life and enjoy life properly. Grandpa, don't worry too much, take care of your health." After a long while, Wenlong forced himself to smile and comfort the old man in front of him. He knew that his smile must look ugly and forced.

"Haha, hahaha, silly child." Hearing Wenlong's feigned maturity in comforting him, the old patriarch raised his head. After seeing Wenlong's smile, which was more like a grimace, the old patriarch seemed amused and couldn't help but laugh. His eyes were full of doting and affection, and even his words became much gentler.

Seeing his grandfather smile, Wenlong felt much more relaxed and smiled back at the old man. The old patriarch looked at his grandson, who had grown into a young man, and couldn't help but stand up and affectionately pat his head. But at the same time, he sighed deeply, as if he had remembered something.

"Grandpa, what's wrong? Why are you sighing again?" Wenlong couldn't help but ask when he saw the old patriarch let out a long sigh.

"No, Grandpa is fine. Grandpa just... just thought of Wenchong." The old patriarch's eyes were filled with disappointment as he withdrew his hand and sat back down in his seat. "Thinking about it, it seems like it's been a long time since Grandpa spoke to Wenchong. Now, it looks like we won't be able to talk to each other anymore. I wonder how Wenchong is doing now, with that scoundrel of a father. Sigh... you've all suffered so much." As he spoke, the old patriarch sighed again.

"Grandpa, it's alright. I think Wenchong will be able to take good care of himself." Wenlong composed himself after hearing the old patriarch's words and gently comforted him from the side.

"Tell me, did Grandpa do the right thing this time?" After a long period of reflection, the old patriarch suddenly asked Wenlong, who was sitting to the side.

"Huh? Ah..." Wen Long didn't react for a moment, clearly stunned by the old patriarch's question, but he quickly recovered and began to answer. "Grandpa, there's really nothing wrong with that. My third uncle has already sent a letter stating that he wants to sever ties with the Wen family. Even if you cover this up and don't tell anyone else in the Wen family, it will eventually come to light. Even if you are the patriarch and have the final say in the entire Wen family, if a few elders find something to hold against you, I think things will be very difficult to resolve in the end."

"So, Grandpa, by revealing this matter from the beginning and informing everyone, you suppressed the unstable factors that had already emerged in the Wen family. This way, they couldn't find any fault with you, and things would be much easier to handle. Even if they eventually caught Third Uncle, I think the whole situation would be easier to manage. Especially since Wen Chong doesn't know anything about the whole thing, it would be even easier to resolve." Wen Long thought for a moment and calmly answered the question raised by the old patriarch.

"Hmm." After Wenlong finished speaking, the old patriarch nodded lightly.

"So what are you planning to do next?" The old patriarch pondered for a moment, then looked at Wen Long, who had a serious expression on his face, and asked in a deep voice.

"Next, I'm thinking of doing this..." Wenlong looked deeply at his grandfather in front of him, took a deep breath, and told the old man his plan.

Chapter 1212 Discovery

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."

"Senior sister... Senior sister... Why..." Weiwei couldn't believe what she was seeing. She couldn't believe that the black-robed woman who had led her into the academy, helped her find a suitable teacher, instructed her in cultivation techniques, and helped her grow day by day, and who had long regarded her as her own younger sister, would do such a cruel thing to her.

"Weiwei, this is a trap, this is a trap!" The woman in black robes looked at Weiwei, who was staring in disbelief, her eyes already brimming with tears, her voice trembling. "It's all fake, it's all fake, it's all fake." Suddenly, the woman in black robes seemed to come alive, her eyes filled with panic as she looked at her hands, which were now stained with Weiwei's blood. Her eyes revealed endless terror as she screamed like a madwoman, tears streaming down her face.

"This is fake, it's all fake..." The woman in black robes' voice grew softer and softer, and her emotions became increasingly unstable.

"Senior sister, senior sister," Weiwei, who had witnessed everything, felt a pang of unease at the change in the woman in black. "Senior sister, it's alright, it's alright, senior sister, it's all over, it's alright..." Weiwei couldn't care less about anything else now, and forced herself to endure the pain as she gently comforted the woman in black who was on the verge of losing her mind.

Looking at the woman in black robes, Weiwei felt a surge of emotions. If she hadn't told the woman in black robes that Li Xiuchen was here, she wouldn't have encountered this situation. If they weren't here, their fighting spirits would still be functioning normally, and their injuries would be better, less difficult to treat, and they wouldn't have ended up in this predicament.

Weiwei felt an overwhelming sense of guilt towards her senior sister and the black-robed woman before her, whose expression was contorted in pain. But seeing her senior sister's life force dwindling, Weiwei didn't know what to do. If she were still healthy, she could help delay her senior sister's injuries, then quickly return to the academy to find the principal and ask him to come and help her. But all of that depended on Weiwei's own health not being seriously injured. Now, not only was the black-robed woman severely injured, but Weiwei was also critically wounded. Weiwei's life force was gradually fading, her breath growing weaker and weaker; she was almost unable to support her body...

"Xiuchen, where are you? Are you doing well? I'm sorry, I might not see you again, I'm so sorry..." Weiwei collapsed weakly beside the woman in black robes, her pupils becoming increasingly unfocused, but she smiled, as if she saw her grandfather, and as if she saw Li Xiuchen waving at her.

"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!"

Just then, as if she had discovered something, Weiwei quietly watched all of this unfold, her eyes filled with disbelief. She felt as if she had seen it all before.

"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.

"Then blood will trickle from the corner of my senior sister's mouth..."

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.

Seeing a scene exactly as she remembered, Weiwei began to feel a little scared.

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.

"Why... does all of this feel so familiar?" Vivi's subconscious kept asking herself.

"Haha, that's right. Looks like you do have some brains. What's wrong, don't want to do it?" Shanren smiled as he looked at Li Xiuchen in front of him. "So you're going to refuse me."

“Yes, that’s right, I refuse.” Li Xiuchen pondered for a moment, then nodded firmly, placed the book at the mountain man’s feet, and said nothing more. The mountain man quietly looked at Li Xiuchen, gently shook his head, opened his mouth as if to say something, then squatted down, cupped Li Xiuchen’s face in his hands, and…

"I am Emperor Wu."

"Impossible...impossible..." Li Xiuchen's eyes instantly filled with disbelief, his face displaying an expression of utter disbelief. He truly couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You can't be the Martial Emperor. The Martial Emperor is dead. He died after handing Panlong over to me. You are not the Martial Emperor!" Li Xiuchen pushed away the mysterious man's hands that were cupping his face.

"I told you, you'd better not know who I am, but you wouldn't listen." The mountain man shrugged helplessly, shook his head slightly, and spoke softly to Li Xiuchen. "What I meant was that you should just be a naive fool who doesn't need to understand too much. But why are you so mischievous, so troublesome... Ah! No! Troublesome." The mountain man stood up, no longer looking at Li Xiuchen, talking to himself as if he were talking to himself.

"Emperor Wu, he is indeed dead. But I am also Emperor Wu." The mountain man suddenly turned around, looked at Li Xiuchen in front of him, and found him somewhat amusing.

Li Xiuchen didn't speak further, simply staring silently at the mountain man before him. He didn't know how to process this information. His mind was somewhat hazy; he couldn't clearly distinguish whether the world before him was real or unreal, or even whether the mountain man in front of him truly existed. He didn't know what to do—accept or resist. Li Xiuchen was unsure.

"Kid, be smart and be a good fertilizer. What's wrong with that?" The mountain man looked at Li Xiuchen with disdain.

"What's wrong with being an obedient nurturing pot, having books to take, a master to guide you, an endless bright future, and the chance to become a great hero admired by the world?" The mountain man's expression was as if he was sorting out Li Xiuchen's already chaotic thoughts, clarifying his ideas little by little.

Li Xiuchen remained silent, still quietly watching the mountain man before him extend olive branches and continue speaking. Gradually, Li Xiuchen detached himself from the situation. Although a thoughtful expression appeared in his eyes and on his face, he remained aloof, observing everything from a high vantage point like a spectator.

He didn't know what his current state was like, what his current predicament meant, what his next step should be, or whether the world he was in was real. He suddenly felt that there were too many things he didn't know, so many that he didn't know how to sort out his thoughts, so many that he didn't know how to distinguish between truth and falsehood. Li Xiuchen was lost in confusion. Although he looked at everything happening before him like a god, his eyes seemed out of place and unusually empty.

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."

"Stop! Stop! Stop now!" Watching everything unfold before her eyes, Weiwei's thoughts slowly began to clear. The events playing out in her mind kept replaying. "No, no." Weiwei's expression was somewhat blank. She tried desperately to recall what had happened next, but for some reason, her head began to ache. The more she tried to think, the more intense the pain became. Weiwei clutched her head in agony.

Li Xiuchen's eyes narrowed further as he recalled what had happened before. He realized that everything that had happened before had an ending.

“The environment I’ve been in since I entered this cave has been constantly changing. First, Weiwei came to find me and then killed me, then the Holy Buddha, then my grandfather, and now the so-called Martial Emperor. It all seems like a pre-arranged plot. But there’s one thing that remains unchanged, while everything else changes.” Li Xiuchen muttered to himself, as if he had understood something.

"No matter what, my senior sister and I will die. We're both in an endless cycle of reincarnation, endlessly reincarnating, endlessly repeating the same cycle." Weiwei seemed to understand something, and her eyes became much more resolute.

"It's all fake. It's all an illusion." Without prior agreement, Li Xiuchen and Weiwei uttered their answer. The entire world was collapsing, and piles of white bones flashed before their eyes.

Chapter 1213 The Dark Forest

“The environment I’ve been in since I entered this cave has been constantly changing. First, Weiwei came to find me and then killed me, then the Holy Buddha, then my grandfather, and now the so-called Martial Emperor. It all seems like a pre-arranged plot. But there’s one thing that remains unchanged, while everything else changes.” Li Xiuchen muttered to himself, as if he had understood something.

"No matter what, my senior sister and I will die. We're both in an endless cycle of reincarnation, endlessly reincarnating, endlessly repeating the same cycle." Weiwei seemed to understand something, and her eyes became much more resolute.

"It's all fake. It's all an illusion." Without prior agreement, Li Xiuchen and Weiwei uttered their answer. The entire world was collapsing, and piles of white bones flashed before their eyes. Abysses appeared one after another, and endless wailing souls rushed towards them, howling mournfully, but just before touching them, they inexplicably veered away. In an instant, the world before them was desolate.

Li Xiuchen and Weiwei gritted their teeth as they watched what was happening before them. They knew that what they were seeing now was the reality; piles of bones and bottomless abysses were the most basic components of this world. At the same time, Li Xiuchen and Weiwei felt the long-lost signs of their battle qi circulating within their bodies. The desolate and dark world grew ever deeper, yet Li Xiuchen and Weiwei's vision grew ever brighter. The signs of their battle qi circulating within their bodies became more and more obvious, and the speed of its circulation increased. They could both faintly sense the changes in their battle qi, which became increasingly dense, larger, and more solid.

"Xiuchen, Xiuchen, are you there?" In his dazed state, Li Xiuchen heard a voice urgently calling his name. Li Xiuchen was startled, but quickly came to his senses.

"Holy Buddha! Holy Buddha! I am here!" After experiencing so much, Li Xiuchen felt very fulfilled and happy to hear his familiar voice again.

"What's wrong, Xiu Chen, Xiu Chen, are you alright?" The voice rang out again. Although Li Xiu Chen was happy to hear the voice of the Holy Buddha, after such a long experience, he still looked around warily. After a long time, when Li Xiu Chen could no longer sense any other energy fluctuations around him, he finally lowered his guard and slowly sat down on the ground against the cave wall.

"Holy Buddha, you finally spoke! I was wondering what was wrong with you; I kept calling you but there was no response." Li Xiuchen smiled sincerely and rubbed his face as he replied.

"What? I didn't hear anything? That can't be right." Saint Buddha suddenly exclaimed upon hearing Li Xiuchen's words, "You were the one who called me and then suddenly fell into a deep sleep, okay? I called you for a long time, and you ignored me." Saint Buddha seemed a little aggrieved.

"No, in my memory, I suddenly lost my fighting spirit, and then you didn't answer when I called you. After a while, everything went black, and then... and then..." Li Xiuchen's expression became pained as he said this. He grabbed his hair and pounded his head hard, his expression contorted in pain. "What happened... why does my head suddenly hurt so much, and then... and then... what happened to me? What happened to me? Why can't I remember anything?"

Although Li Xiuchen had a headache, his back suddenly felt cold and damp, and he was sweating profusely. He realized that everything seemed familiar, or rather, he hadn't escaped the scam yet. Li Xiuchen didn't know what to do next.

"Xiu Chen, Xiu Chen, Li Xiu Chen!" The Holy Buddha's voice suddenly sounded a little anxious. "Li Xiu Chen, stop thinking about him, stop thinking about him! For some reason, the magnetic field in this cave we're in is extremely strong. The more you think about something, the more painful it will be for you. Stop thinking about it! Stop it!"

"Magnetic field? What magnetic field?" Li Xiuchen asked the Holy Buddha, gritting his teeth as he endured his headache. He vaguely remembered that the Holy Buddha had not explained the reason for this so-called magnetic field to him during that scam.

The Holy Buddha's voice grew increasingly urgent, "Li Xiuchen, calm your mind, circulate your battle qi, and quickly stabilize yourself!" Seeing Li Xiuchen's increasingly pained expression, the Holy Buddha hurriedly reminded him. After quickly assessing the situation, Li Xiuchen decided to sit down and calm himself. He closed his eyes and circulated his battle qi for a short while. Feeling much better, Li Xiuchen slowly opened his eyes, waiting for the Holy Buddha's explanation.

"There's a strange fragrance in this cave. Don't be surprised, no one can smell it, and you won't see the flower or the source of the fragrance," the Holy Buddha explained with a light laugh when he saw Li Xiuchen's strange expression.

"But what about the magnetic field?" Li Xiuchen felt a little confused.

"This dark forest is actually situated above a very large magnetic field. You might ask, how can such a large forest grow from just a bunch of magnetic blocks? But in reality, this forest was moved here by humans. If you think about it carefully, this forest has been here for over a thousand years." The Holy Buddha couldn't help but sigh; a thousand years had passed just like that.

"You don't need to guess who moved this forest here, nor do you need to guess what that person's purpose was in moving it. Because those who knew about this back then are almost all dead or gone. Otherwise, why do you think I would be in this form?" The Holy Buddha's words were somewhat teasing towards Li Xiuchen.

"You don't need to ask for the specifics. Just know that I won't tell you, and don't even think you can stumble upon some old fox who knows about this. To put it bluntly, in their eyes, you're not worthy to know this. If you really want to know what it is, you can go and find out. Don't worry, no one will stop you." The Holy Buddha's words seemed somewhat indifferent, advising Li Xiuchen not to take these things to heart.

"But what if I really need to know?" After hearing the Holy Buddha's words, Li Xiuchen was a little dazed, but then he asked the Holy Buddha firmly.

"I told you, I won't tell you anything about this. And don't even think about stumbling upon some old fox who knows about it. To put it bluntly, in their eyes, you're not worthy to know. If you really want to know what it is, you can go and find out for yourself. Don't worry, no one will stop you. And no one will be so bored as to care about a nobody." The Holy Buddha's tone sounded somewhat helpless.

"How can I be sure that you are the real Holy Buddha, and that I am not still in the midst of a deception?" Li Xiuchen asked the Holy Buddha with a serious and nervous expression, his hands unconsciously clenching tightly, and cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"Hahaha, the aftereffects are kicking in." Saint Buddha paused for a moment upon hearing Li Xiuchen's words, then laughed heartily, as if he knew the whole story. "It's alright, you don't have to believe it. In this world, there's no such thing as believing or not believing. Do you really think that the person closest to you in this world won't stab you in the back?" Saint Buddha's voice suddenly turned somewhat cold.