Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

Li Xiuchen was startled when he heard the Holy Buddha say these words.

"Don't think about it. I won't do anything pointless. You can rest assured." The Holy Buddha's attitude was somewhat indifferent, and he also looked down on what Li Xiuchen had gone through.

"But how can you know what I've been through?" Li Xiuchen asked the Holy Buddha tentatively.

"You just experienced a virtual, illusory world. In that world, the person closest to you killed you. I'm guessing it was Weiwei. Then someone talked to you about reincarnation. If I'm not mistaken, it should be me. Then someone came to check on you because they were worried about you. That should be your grandfather. You didn't have many relatives in this world, and that's how they all came together." The Holy Buddha seemed a little helpless, and he was also a little too lazy to mention this matter anymore.

“You missed two.” After hearing what the Holy Buddha said, Li Xiuchen was very surprised and wondered how the Holy Buddha knew these things. However, he still carefully sorted through the information and discovered the things the Holy Buddha had overlooked.

"Ah, yes, yes, your master will come looking for you, along with all sorts of other people, blah blah blah." The Holy Buddha's expression remained unchanged, somewhat casual.

“Holy Buddha,” Li Xiuchen couldn’t help but ask.

"Hmm? What do you want to say?" Although the Holy Buddha felt a little bored, he still tried his best to help Li Xiuchen solve the problem.

"Master... in that illusionary world, will Master... will Master cripple your martial arts?" Li Xiuchen asked hesitantly. Upon hearing Li Xiuchen's question, the Holy Buddha initially intended to simply reply with an "um," but then realized something was amiss.

"Go on, what else did your master do?" The Holy Buddha's expression finally turned serious.

"You remember, right? It was Emperor Wu who passed on his mantle to me." Li Xiuchen asked tentatively, and the Holy Buddha nodded gently. "But, the person in that illusionary world said he wasn't Emperor Wu."

"It's not Emperor Wu!" Saint Buddha's eyes widened instantly, and he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

“Yes, not Emperor Wu. He said his name was Shanren.” Li Xiuchen nodded and continued, “Then he crippled my martial arts and gave me a book to study.”

"He crippled your martial arts, but gave you a book. What exactly is he trying to do?" A sharp, cold glint suddenly flashed in the Holy Buddha's eyes. He seemed to be questioning Li Xiuchen, or perhaps talking to himself. "Go on, continue," the Holy Buddha asked Li Xiuchen after a moment of contemplation.

"He said that all he wanted was Panlong. He was willing to cripple my martial arts and give me books, all for the sake of Panlong inside my body." Li Xiuchen told the Holy Buddha everything in detail. For some reason, he had started to believe in this Holy Buddha again.

"Mountain Man, are you really never going to stop?" The Holy Buddha's tone was a little agitated. "You're still causing trouble. You're really getting a bit arrogant. Mountain Man, haven't you learned your lesson yet? Are you really happy to be expelled?" The Holy Buddha was talking to himself.

"Holy Buddha, Holy Buddha?" Seeing that the Holy Buddha seemed to be losing control of his emotions, Li Xiuchen couldn't help but softly call out the Holy Buddha's name. "Holy Buddha, what's wrong? Do you know that person? Do you know the Mountain Man?" Li Xiuchen asked the Holy Buddha.

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing. Go on, there were two things, but this is only one. Go on." The Holy Buddha vaguely heard Li Xiuchen's call, finally came to his senses, took a deep breath, closed his eyes to calm himself down, and let Li Xiuchen continue.

"Ah, okay." Seeing that the Holy Buddha had come to his senses, Li Xiuchen agreed and continued speaking.

"I also saw a bird..." Li Xiuchen gradually recounted his experience of seeing the bird.

"So you mean that bird didn't do anything, it just stood there watching you, right?" Saint Buddha asked Li Xiuchen again for confirmation. Li Xiuchen raised his head, thought for a moment, and nodded.

"Yes, that's right, he just looked at me like that, without doing anything, but for a moment there was a murderous glint in his eyes, very quickly. So I don't know if it was just my imagination or if it was real." Li Xiuchen was a little helpless, and could only tell the Holy Buddha what he could remember.

"I see. In that case, the appearance of the hermit was inevitable." After listening to Li Xiuchen's words, the Holy Buddha seemed a bit rambling. After muttering to himself for a while, the Holy Buddha suddenly said to Li Xiuchen,

"Quickly! Tianwu City! Go back immediately! Something big is about to happen! We've already missed a lot!"

Hearing the Buddha's tone suddenly become so urgent, Li Xiuchen dared not delay and immediately pushed aside the rocks blocking the cave entrance, rushing towards Tianwu City.

Chapter 1214 Reason

"Father, why did we betray the Wen family? Father, why was Shanren expelled from the Wen family? Father, what are we doing? What should we do next? Father, who is Wang Lin? Father, who is the person behind you? Father, aren't you afraid of the Wen family's retaliation?" Wen Chong asked Wen Xiang as he ran, one question after another bursting from his mouth. Wen Xiang's brows furrowed slowly. After a long while, Wen Xiang sighed deeply, gritted his teeth, and as if he had made a decision, turned to look at Wen Chong beside him and softly said one sentence...

"Wenchong, in a couple of days, all of this will be answered."

"You've been hiding all of this from me! How can I trust you?" Wen Chong was furious when he heard Wen Xiang's vague answer. He suddenly stopped and stared at Wen Xiang in front of him, his eyes filled with anger and distrust.

"Father, can I still call you Father?" Seeing Wen Chong stop, Wen Xiang quickly stopped as well. Wen Chong looked into Wen Xiang's eyes, his heart filled with complex emotions. Wen Chong's expression was somewhat complicated. He took a deep breath and continued...

"Father, I am very grateful for your sacrifices and efforts in raising me to adulthood. But, Father, haven't you noticed that you've changed? After that catastrophe ten years ago, you became someone I felt distant from, someone unapproachable. It was also from that time that you seemed to become taciturn. I understood at the time that you were probably heartbroken because of the sacrifices of so many brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts, and couldn't accept such a cruel reality. But, Father," Wen Chong paused, looking at Wen Xiang across from him with a complicated expression,

"But, Father, I really can't believe that your silence back then was a disguise. Don't tell me that you did all this just to cover your tracks and pave the way for your departure from the Wen family."

“Yes, that’s right.” Wenxiang looked at Wenchong across from him, pursed his lips to meet his gaze, and nodded slightly. “Yes, that’s right. The sudden change I made overnight was to cover my tracks and to make plans to eventually break away from the Wen family.”

"But don't you know that if you suddenly undergo a dramatic change, everyone's eyes will be on you?" Wen Chong was somewhat skeptical of Wen Xiang's words, or rather, he dared not believe them.

“But who would go after a cripple?” Wenxiang’s eyes suddenly hardened as he stared intently at Wen Chong.

"What else are you hiding from me? How many things are you not telling me? What are you planning to do next? You're leaving the Wen family. Can you give me a reasonable explanation? And why are you ruining yourself into such a despised and useless person? What is it about this place that's so appealing to you? Is it some kind of paradise on earth that you're willing to give up everything to leave the Wen family?" Wen Chong stared intently at Wen Xiang, his tone growing increasingly forceful and aggressive. After speaking, Wen Chong took a deep breath and waited quietly for his reply.

"I can't tell you exactly what happened. Trust me, there's a reason why all of this happened. I won't hurt you." Wenxiang moved his lips but ultimately gave up his own idea and instead tried to persuade him earnestly.

"Alright, alright, alright, so you're saying you still won't tell me, right?" Wen Chong lowered his head and waved his hand, no longer looking at Wen Xiang opposite him. He smiled, but it seemed very helpless and forced. "I'm already thirty, but I still don't know anything like an idiot. Dad, are you making a fool of me?"

“Wenchong, it’s not that I’m telling you, it’s just that there are some things you shouldn’t know right now…” Wenxiang shook his head bitterly, looking at Wenchong with a complicated expression. He didn’t know what to say. He wanted to explain everything to Wenchong, but he was also conflicted. He was confused and didn’t know if he had done anything wrong. But one thing was certain: he hadn’t expected Wenchong’s attitude to change so drastically, nor did he know that Wang Lin’s sudden appearance would hinder his actions and disrupt the course of events.

“I’m not suited to know, I’m not suited to know, ha.” Wen Chong felt a pang of bitterness in his heart upon hearing Wen Xiang’s words. “Do you know that I’ve worked so hard all my life just to make you feel proud? I’ve done everything you asked me to do, and I’ve completed everything you instructed me to do. And now, when I want to know something, you keep making excuses and won’t tell me. I’m thirty years old, I’m thirty years old! I’m an adult! I have my own standards! If I’m not suited, then tell me what I’m suited to know! What I’m suited to do!” Wen Chong’s emotions seemed to be getting out of control; he simply couldn’t understand what Wen Xiang was thinking.

"I owe you this life, and I'll repay you in the next. Since you won't let me know anything, I'll choose to leave. I've walked the path you paved for me all these years, without ever thinking of rebelling or disobeying you. It was precisely because I knew you wouldn't harm me, and because I knew you wanted me to be better, to not be bullied or suppressed in the Wen family, that I obeyed your arrangements and orders time and time again. But I think it's all over now, it really is over." Wen Chong remained silent for a long time, calming himself down a bit before continuing to speak to Wen Xiang, but his voice sounded weak and much hoarse.

"Father, take care of yourself on the road ahead." After saying this, Wen Chong turned around as if to leave, but immediately stopped because he heard something unbelievable.

"Your memories have been reconstructed."

"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.

"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.

"Weiwei, Weiwei. Wake up." In a daze, Weiwei seemed to hear something and slowly opened her eyes. A blinding white light immediately shot into Weiwei's eyes, and Weiwei subconsciously raised her hand to shield her eyes.

"Weiwei, you're awake!" The voice sounded very excited. Weiwei felt a little overwhelmed, but she finally recognized where the voice came from and who it belonged to.

"Senior...Senior Sister, where is this?" Weiwei opened her eyes and looked at the woman in black robes in front of her. Weiwei was a little confused. She didn't know why her senior sister's eyes were still filled with tears and there were faint tear stains on her face. "Senior Sister, what happened? Why are you crying?"

"It's alright, it's alright, it's good that you're awake, it's good that you're awake." The woman in black robes quickly wiped away her tears upon hearing Weiwei's words. "But speaking of which, Weiwei, what happened to you just now?" The woman in black robes couldn't help but ask as Weiwei gradually regained consciousness.

"What just happened to me?" Weiwei was a little confused when she heard the woman in black robes ask her. She couldn't help but ask the woman in black robes beside her.

"You suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground. I kept calling you and calling you, but you wouldn't answer me. I was terrified." The woman in black robes told Weiwei about what had just happened, still unable to hold back her tears.

"I just lost consciousness..." Vivi muttered to herself upon hearing the woman in black robes' words. Vivi still couldn't immediately recall what she had just experienced.

"If you can't remember, that's fine. Don't think about it anymore. It's good that you're alright." The woman in black robes saw that Weiwei was lost in thought because of her words, her eyes glazed over, so she couldn't help but try to comfort her. But Weiwei seemed not to hear her, still staring blankly at the empty space in front of her, somewhat lost in thought.

"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!"

As Vivi was reminiscing, fragmented images kept flashing through her mind. Vivi clutched her head in pain, and the woman in black robes beside her seemed at a loss for what to do.

"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.

"Ah! Ah!! Ahh!!" Weiwei couldn't help but scream. The woman in black robes panicked even more when she saw Weiwei like this. She moved her mouth as if to say something but didn't know what to say, so she could only stand there in a flustered state.

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.

"Senior sister, senior sister, it's alright, senior sister, it's alright." Weiwei said while taking deep breaths, but it was unclear who she was talking to.

"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."

"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.

"Alright, then I'll be right back. You must hold on." Weiwei gave the woman in black a deep look before turning and leaving.

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."

"Your memories have been rearranged." Wenxiang saw Wenchong turn to leave, and after thinking it over carefully, he gritted his teeth and said these words to Wenchong.

"What did you say?" Wen Chong was stunned when he heard what Wen Xiang said to him. He stood there blankly for a long time before turning around and looking at Wen Xiang in disbelief.

"My memories? Reconstructed?" Wen Chong turned around and looked at Wen Xiang in front of him, his face full of shock. He really couldn't imagine it, and he couldn't accept this fact. In that instant, he suddenly felt that Wen Xiang's words were right, and Wen Xiang's concerns were not without reason. He really couldn't accept this fact, and he really couldn't imagine what kind of mood, expression, action, and behavior he should use to accept this fact.

"I...I..." Suddenly, Wen Chong seemed flustered, feeling helpless and a deep sense of powerlessness arose in his heart and mind. His eyes were very unsteady, and he didn't know how to continue speaking. Wen Xiang was heartbroken to see this change in Wen Chong. He sighed inwardly, knowing that this would be hard for anyone to accept.

"Who...who reassembled my memories? And why did they reassemble my memories? Do you know any of this?" Wen Chong's voice suddenly became much softer. He was a little panicked, his voice trembling uncontrollably. He didn't want to look at this thing directly, but he desperately wanted to know what the truth was. He knew that no matter what, he would eventually have to accept this fact, but he wanted to be proactive rather than passively accept this thing that made him feel uncertain and extremely anxious.

Upon hearing Wen Chong's question, Wen Xiang sighed inwardly again. He knew that this matter was definitely unavoidable. If he didn't explain the situation to him today, things would only get more and more chaotic. He also feared that this incident would leave a shadow in Wen Chong's heart, becoming an obstacle to his future development, a lingering hurdle that he couldn't avoid.

"This matter was personally organized and arranged by your grandfather, the old patriarch..." Wenxiang looked deeply at Wenchong in front of him, and after a short silence, he finally told him the whole story.

The matter of memory reconstruction involved many people and a wide range of stakeholders. It began ten years after the catastrophe that occurred, and those whose memories were being reconstructed included members of various martial arts sects, powerful families, and even members of the royal family. Memory reconstruction was a method devised by the Wen family to manage or suppress the catastrophe.

Although Wenxiang didn't know exactly how the whole thing was done, he knew very well that the memory reconstruction was not as peaceful as it seemed on the surface. Because he was from the Wen family, Wenxiang had many deep questions and misunderstandings about this matter. Moreover, he found that the matter was full of loopholes when it was first implemented, and it did not seem to be a perfect, complete plan with specific theories or methods.

However, due to Wenxiang's special status, although he noticed so many problems, he said nothing, pretending not to know and letting the matter slide without mentioning it to anyone. He knew that if even he could observe and analyze the flaws, his father, the old patriarch of the Wen family, and the elders of the Wen family would surely see them too. After all, this was an event orchestrated by the Wen family; if the entire affair was riddled with loopholes, it would undoubtedly be a catastrophic disaster for the Wen family, which had already survived a catastrophe.

While the catastrophe ten years ago was brutal, many gangs, sects, prestigious families, and even royalty did their best to help the Wen family, supporting them for a considerable period. This kindness alone deserves a deep repayment from the Wen family. Therefore, if the memory reconstruction project, spearheaded by the Wen family, suffers significant setbacks due to negligence, carelessness, or numerous flaws, the Wen family will truly find it difficult to maintain its foothold in the martial arts world.

The reason for saying this is twofold. Firstly, if this matter goes wrong due to visible problems, it will pose a significant and visible threat to the lives of all those involved in the experiment. Secondly, the participants are all of high rank in their respective sects, noble families, royal families, and so on. They represent a status that is difficult to replace or a crucial force that is difficult to cultivate. Therefore, if their safety is seriously threatened, it will inevitably cause a great blow to the forces they represent.

Moreover, even if the Wen family could exonerate themselves by citing issues such as immature technology, those powerful families that had lost significant influence would not let the matter rest. Although a liability waiver had been signed beforehand, everyone knew how little power a piece of paper could truly have.

The main reason Wenxiang started to take this matter seriously was that the Wen family, under pressure, also needed to send someone to conduct the experiment. Wen Chong became a sacrifice in this power struggle within the Wen family, chosen as their representative by the patriarch. When this first happened, Wenxiang was indifferent and didn't think much of it. He knew that being born into such a family meant he would inevitably be used as a pawn one day.

However, it wasn't until the old patriarch personally came to his door that Wenxiang truly realized the seriousness of the matter. He hadn't expected the old patriarch to actually do that.

At that time, Wen Chong was on a mission and was unaware of the whole incident. In fact, apart from the actual controllers and their confidants of various sects, powerful families, royal families, and other forces, only the personnel involved in the experiment and a portion of the Wen family knew about it.

At that time, Wenxiang never imagined that disaster would be so close to him, and he really couldn't understand why the old patriarch would choose Wenchong for the experiment. As far as he knew, the leaders of the various forces had not specified who from the Wen family would be chosen for the experiment. In other words, apart from not sending insignificant people, they would not interfere with whoever the Wen family sent, because they knew that the younger generation of the Wen family had been almost completely wiped out after the great calamity.

This is what Wenxiang finds most incomprehensible. He knows that as a member of the Wen family, he has a responsibility to sacrifice for the family, not to mention an experiment, even his own life would be expected, because it is their responsibility as a member of a wealthy family, and more importantly, it is an outcome they cannot escape. But Wenxiang did not know that the old patriarch would remove one of the two remaining powerful representatives of the Wen family with a single move, which he found extremely unbelievable.

When the patriarch personally visited, Wenxiang asked him why he had chosen his grandson to participate in this risky experiment. The patriarch berated Wenxiang, saying he lacked selflessness, didn't understand the true future of the Wen family, and didn't consider the family's future development, only thinking of his own selfish desires and so-called final family happiness. The patriarch said a lot, and Wenxiang listened attentively. But contrary to the patriarch's expectations, Wenxiang's doubts about the matter deepened.

In Wenxiang's memory, the old patriarch would never mention words like dedication or seeking the future in conversation. Although the old patriarch was strict, he was not the stubborn old man that people usually imagined. In the past, he would treat all scholars equally, regardless of who they were or what mistakes they had made. But now, Wenxiang had a vague feeling that everything had gone astray and was heading in a direction that was completely contrary to what was originally intended. Although Wenxiang did not quite understand what had happened, he was also a little confused about where things had gone wrong.