Chapter 393: True and False

With a 'snap,' the black piece landed on the board. Li Huowang pondered his opponent's words. "“Pan” as in “Panjie” (intertwined/coiled)? What does that mean?”

As a Xinsu, and having previously witnessed the strange abilities of a Xinzuo, he found it genuinely difficult to imagine what a Xinpan could be.

Gazing at the two ill-placed black pieces on the board, Zhuge Yuan gently shook his head. He then picked up a white piece with his fingernail and placed it down.

“This character 'Pan' signifies that I am destined to be intertwined with the 'Three-Body Old Above' for this entire life, whether I live or die.”

“What is the 'Three-Body Old Above'?” Li Huowang asked as he made his move.

When Zhuge Yuan, with a smile, closed his folding fan and pointed upwards, Li Huowang's heart immediately seized up, and his pupils flickered. He remembered things buried deep in his memory.

“Brother Li, it's not that I'm unwilling to tell you certain things. It's simply that the more you know about some matters, the greater the danger. In this life, it's a rare blessing to remain ignorant.” Zhuge Yuan finished speaking, then picked up a white piece and made another move.

His opponent's actions were self-explanatory. The 'Three-Body Old Above' was clearly the name of a certain Si Ming (Divine Official) in the White Jade Capital. He dared not even utter the name, only substituting it with the ambiguous phrase 'Three-Body Old Above.'

“I understand, I understand,” Li Huowang mumbled, nodding.

For a moment, silence settled over the bamboo building, broken only by the occasional crisp chirping of birds outside the window.

Just as Zhuge Yuan was looking at the riddled chessboard before him with a slight headache, he heard his opponent begin to question him again. “Thank you for your generous help, Brother Zhuge. But if you are not a Xinsu like me, may I ask why you are helping me?”

This question had troubled Li Huowang for a long time, and today he finally managed to ask it.

“Why do you ask?” Zhuge Yuan appeared genuinely surprised. “Though we met by chance, saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda. I simply couldn't stand idly by and watch you lose your life, could I? Besides, if your cultivation were just a little higher, that copper coin mask of yours would be nothing but a mere trinket.”

“It's that simple?” Li Huowang stared at him in disbelief. He had spent so much time pondering this, yet it never occurred to him that the reason for the other's kindness was merely simple good will?

“Then what do you suppose, Brother Li? It's not just you. Even if cultivators from the 'Spirit' or 'Void' generations were in trouble, let alone those of our 'Heart' generation, I would never stand idly by if I could offer assistance.”

“Is he deceiving me? What are his intentions?” This thought uncontrollably sprang into Li Huowang's mind.

However, Li Huowang immediately suppressed the notion. Zhuge Yuan clearly didn't care about his identity as a Xinsu, so what ulterior motives could he possibly have?

Considering his ability to kill Facai, if he truly desired Xinsu, he could easily acquire as many as he pleased. There would be no need for such an elaborate deception towards him; aside from being a Xinsu, his other qualities weren't particularly valuable.

“Brother Li, have you come all the way to Xingdao just to ask me this?” Zhuge Yuan was very surprised.

“No, that's not it at all. I came to you, Brother Zhuge, because I have an important matter I need assistance with,” Li Huowang immediately clarified, then began to slowly recount his discoveries about North Wind.

Despite the other's goodwill, Li Huowang was not one to take undue advantage. He proceeded to propose a win-win solution.

“Brother Zhuge, you don't need to do anything extra. I know that the Zuowang Dao will constantly cause you trouble these days, and North Wind will most likely appear too. I simply need to stay by your side and help you deal with the Zuowang Dao!”

Observing his opponent hold a white piece suspended over the board, hesitating to make a move, Li Huowang pressed on, increasing his offer: “Brother Zhuge, rest assured, even if I manage to shake off the Xinsu's illusions later, I will not simply abandon you. I will definitely wait until your matters are fully settled before departing.”

“Is Brother Zhuge perhaps questioning my capabilities? While I cannot compare to you in every aspect, I am highly proficient in various secret arts of the Aojing Sect. Even the most challenging 'Scarab Ascent' ritual has been performed three times by me. Such a supreme secret art could overwhelm even a semi-immortal!”

Noticing Li Huowang's tone growing increasingly frantic, Zhuge Yuan quickly extended a hand, signaling him to pause. “Brother Li, don't worry. I haven't said I disagree. It's just that there are a few points you need to consider. Firstly, Brother Li, you propose to help me confront adversaries, but do you know what I intend to do next?”

Li Huowang was taken aback by the question, but quickly recalled something. He looked up and asked, “Is the matter of you taking the Xinzuo from the Buddha Bone Temple still unresolved?”

Taking a Xinzuo from the Bureau of Celestial Supervision without apparent cause surely implies a serious matter. And considering Zhuge Yuan's strength, if it has remained unresolved for so many months, it must indeed be a substantial undertaking.

Zhuge Yuan looked up at a landscape painting behind Li Huowang, specifically at a dried corpse lying on a dirt path halfway up the mountain. “Alas,” he sighed, “though I can slay Facai, as long as any of the 'Heart' generation live, life is arduous. We are all burdened with karma that is not our own. It's truly difficult for us all.”

“My journey this time will certainly be fraught with difficulties, and the Zuowang Dao will constantly interfere. Brother Li, if you come along, it will be a near-fatal undertaking. Is such a path truly worth it for you?”

“Worth it!” Li Huowang replied emphatically, without even asking what the other party intended to do next. “As long as it can completely free me from those illusions and that confusion, anything is worth it!”

Zhuge Yuan picked up his somewhat cool tea and took another sip. “Very well. Now, for the second point: North Wind is indeed a Xinsu and can even overcome illusions. But is his method truly suitable for you? Remember, he belongs to the Zuowang Dao.”

“Perhaps his method, like the previous person's, involves completely deceiving himself? Or perhaps it's some unacceptable, evil cultivation technique? Do you intend to practice that as well, Brother Li?”

Li Huowang's face turned grim at this question. He picked up the now cold tea and poured it into his mouth, stating with great reluctance, “But what other choice do I have now? Regardless of what method North Wind used, I must investigate it.”

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yuan became pensive. “Not necessarily. A long time ago, I did come across a method in a book.”

“What method?” Li Huowang's pupils constricted, and his heart rate quickened.

“Ultimately, your Xinsu illusions stem from an inability to control the surplus Innate Qi within your body. If the cultivation method described in that book can genuinely control this Innate Qi, then the illusions might well vanish.”

“You've seen such a cultivation method?” Li Huowang asked impatiently.

“I only saw it once in a book, and I've largely forgotten the details, but I'm quite sure it exists.”

“Why is that?”

“Because of the unusual behavior of the Zuowang Dao. I used to wonder why they always seemed to enjoy tormenting and playing tricks on Xinsu. Taunting a Xinsu always took precedence over other matters; they never treated Xinpan or Xinzuo that way.”

“I used to wonder if the Zuowang Dao held a personal vendetta against every Xinsu. Later, I realized that if the cultivation method described in that book is true, it would directly counteract the Zuowang Dao's own cultivation practices. This also explains why they would so vehemently torment and detest Xinsu.”

“A cultivation method that counters the Zuowang Dao? Does the Zuowang Dao even have a cultivation method?”

“Of course. All the absurd things they do are attempts to replace the real with the false. No matter how the myriad things in the world change, they never deviate from their core principles. There are those who cultivate ghosts, the Dao, evil, or oneness. Simply put, the Zuowang Dao cultivates falsehood.”

“Wait, if they cultivate falseness, and the Xinsu's cultivation method counters them, then what does a Xinsu cultivate?”

Zhuge Yuan offered no reply. He simply placed a white piece. Li Huowang instinctively glanced at the board, where his scattered black pieces now formed the character '真' (zhen), meaning 'true' or 'real.'

“True Cultivation?”