Chapter 1846: Borrow

The Forget-Worry Building of Past and Present was exceptionally quiet.

Ba Zun’an dipped his fingertip in tea and sketched a simple portrait on the table.

It was a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows, large eyes, long flowing hair past his back, and a widow’s peak.

Xu Xiaoshou stared at the widow's peak for a long time, not speaking.

On the tea table, besides the teacups in front of each of the four people, there were no other miscellaneous items, only the three items he had pushed away earlier that Kong Yuhen had not accepted:

The Apricot Realm Jade Talisman, the command token, and the Time Ancestor Shadow Staff.

Mei Siren’s fan began to flutter more rapidly.

When the whooshing sound of the wind became piercing, he suddenly stopped, then his movements became gentle and unhurried again.

Anxious air permeated the quiet atmosphere.

Ba Zun’an wiped his palm across the table, and the faint tea stains spread, quickly evaporating naturally.

Xu Xiaoshou smiled and looked at Kong Yuhen again:

“Brother Yuhen, you have many faces, don’t you?”

Kong Yuhen naturally saw Ba Zun’an’s subtle movements and understood Xu Xiaoshou’s meaning. He calmly said:

“Humans have many faces; I may or may not be myself.”

“I may or may not be myself”… The last time I heard this, it was from Gui Zu. Is it a coincidence?

Xu Xiaoshou felt like he had been bugged. Perhaps the problem lay with the Time Ancestor Shadow Staff?

He didn’t think much of it and continued his previous question:

“Even if a person has many faces, usually only one can be shown at any given time.”

“The last time I saw you, this time I saw you, even a moment ago, and a moment from now… what I see always seems different?”

He looked at Ba Zun’an, not hiding their previous subtle interactions, and voluntarily said:

“I noticed something was off, so I asked Ba Zun’an to draw you as he saw you, and it was indeed very different from what I saw.”

“With so many versions of you, which one is the real you?”

Xu Xiaoshou smiled faintly, his mind replaying the indifferent gaze of Kong Yuhen he had seen in the Dead Sea.

At that time, he had thought their friendly relationship was over.

Unexpectedly, upon meeting again this time, Kong Yuhen seemed to have forgotten what happened before, acting as gently as he did during their meeting on Void Island.

—Is it the same person?

Kong Yuhen looked at the burly bearded man, the clean-shaven youth, and the jade-faced scholar’s face that Xu Xiaoshou had also sketched on his table and hadn't erased. He chuckled lightly:

“Does it matter?”

“It matters,” Xu Xiaoshou said emphatically.

Kong Yuhen shook his head: “Then my answer is, I don’t know why. Perhaps the state of mind is different, and observing me makes me not myself.”

“Not myself?”

“Yes, not myself,” Kong Yuhen pondered, “When one fears, everyone appears as wolves and tigers; when one is fond, everyone is friendly; when one is suspicious, everyone seems sinister.”

Xu Xiaoshou listened with narrowed eyes, unconsciously leaning back.

The small wooden stool had no backrest, so he had to cross his arms, his eyes slightly lowered, his posture alert, as if sitting on pins and needles.

At this moment, he realized that Kong Yuhen had indeed changed from his memory—only after his “Way of Intent” had transcended into “Dao Manifestation” did he notice that every time he saw Kong Yuhen, there were either subtle or significant changes in his appearance and physique.

This time, Kong Yuhen had transformed from a clean-shaven, effeminate man into a high-ranking individual with deep-set eyes and a prominent nose bridge as he spoke.

He looked unfathomable, like Dao Qiongcang’s twin brother from a different father and mother—not alike in appearance, but similar in feeling.

Kong Yuhen sipped his tea, placed two fingers against his left cheek, and tilted his head, smiling as he looked:

“The thousand faces of myself depend on how you perceive me.”

This remark was truly thought-provoking!

Mei Siren pondered for a moment, not yet realizing he had pulled out the wrong paper fan. While rapidly fanning his “Entering the Stage,” he slowly spoke in a deep voice:

“I once heard…”

Xu Xiaoshou took a sharp breath, feeling a headache: “Teacher, the Forget-Worry Building of Past and Present isn’t that grand. There’s no need to be so pedantic, is there?”

Mei Siren choked, then turned and glared at his disobedient disciple.

Didn’t you two say the Forget-Worry Building of Past and Present was the Time Ancestor’s divine court? This Kong Yuhen is so mysterious; he doesn't seem easy to deal with.

It was his first time here, so he had no experience, but he still changed his words:

“This old man once heard a legend about the Ancestral Bodhi Tree, ‘Under the Bodhi tree, I have a thousand faces; nine cycles of reincarnation lead to enlightenment.’ ”

“The saying ‘a person has a thousand faces’ is not a good thing in the Spirit Refinement World. If enlightenment is achieved, one cultivates the true self by observing the thousand faces; if enlightenment fails…”

He hesitated for a moment. Under the gaze of the three, especially Kong Yuhen, he calmed his mind, found himself back in the classroom, and earnestly instructed:

“Is it possible that your Dao cultivation has gone awry, leading to a disarray of self?”

Xu Xiaoshou looked astonished.

He thought that Mr. Siren could enter the Forget-Worry Building of Past and Present because of him and Ba Zun’an, as he couldn’t enter before.

But clearly, he and Ba Zun’an didn’t have such great influence.

Did Kong Yuhen bring him in because Mr. Siren had reached this stage, and Kong Yuhen had something to ask of him?

As expected, as soon as Mei Siren finished speaking.

In front of the tea table, the jade-faced scholar Kong Yuhen nodded his chin, glanced over, then respectfully offered a cup of tea, speaking very politely:

“Elder sir, your experience is profound. May I ask the deeper meaning of your words?”

If these words had come from Xu Xiaoshou, Mei Siren’s first reaction would have been that this kid was subtly praising to criticize, finding a way to insult him!

But at this moment, he truly saw deference, eagerness for knowledge, and seriousness in Kong Yuhen’s eyes.

He looked at Xu Xiaoshou.

Xu Xiaoshou’s eyes were full of encouragement.

What is all this? Why are you encouraging me? I am your teacher… Mei Siren’s inner voice faltered, almost wanting to remain silent, but after taking a deep breath, he still chose to enlighten Kong Yuhen:

“My shallow understanding is merely a humble opinion, not to be taken seriously.”

“However, in the myriad forms of the mortal world, across the four seas, this old man cannot see everything, but he has seen one or two tenths, and encountered many people like you.”

Pausing, Mei Siren’s eyes showed more thought, and he carefully chose his words: “Perhaps in terms of cultivation realm, they are far less profound than you, but these people all have a prominent… characteristic.”

Characteristic?

More like a flaw?

Xu Xiaoshou automatically corrected Mr. Siren’s choice of words, his gaze darting between Kong and Mei.

“May I ask, what characteristic?” Kong Yuhen’s desire for knowledge was sincere.

“Self-imprisonment.”

Mei Siren stated firmly.

Autism? Self-entrapment? Self-restriction?

Xu Xiaoshou pondered, looking at Kong Yuhen, feeling that his teacher’s words were somewhat apt.

This guy indeed had a touch of autism: solitary, stubborn, living in his own world, with his own principles of conduct.

But the condition shouldn’t be that severe; he could talk to others and even spread anxiety.

The Forget-Worry Building of Past and Present, where everything can be forgotten—but sorrow arises from within, and cannot be cut off, not even for the building master.

“May I ask, what is the meaning of self-imprisonment?” Kong Yuhen asked again.

Mei Siren shook his head this time.

He didn’t quite understand Kong Yuhen, but he had sensed this feeling from their first meeting and chose to voice it.

He couldn't give a precise answer, after all, he was just a sword instructor, not an old physician.

He looked at Xu Xiaoshou: “This student of mine once said something quite enlightening, which might also apply to you.”

“What words?”

“Transcending Dao Manifestation is easy; discerning the true self is difficult.”

At these words, Xu Xiaoshou felt as if a veil had been lifted, suddenly realizing the source of the persistent gloom surrounding Kong Yuhen.

This guy was in a state of “being lost”!

According to what Ba Zun’an had once said, there was a Kong Yuhen in each generation.

Then he might have experienced more than nine cycles of reincarnation; he could have gone through ten thousand.

Could it be that because of ten thousand cycles of reincarnation, Kong Yuhen wanted to cultivate some kind of outcome, but ultimately forgot even the goals of some of the Kong Yuhen of each generation?

“Mixed, dross, confused…”

Xu Xiaoshou was currently experiencing the myriad forms of the mortal world; he understood.

He could still hold onto his true self because those insights were too shallow for him.

But after experiencing the lives of high-level beings like the Ten Honored Ones, the Dragon Ancestor, and the Phoenix, he also needed a certain amount of time to calm himself down.

Otherwise, what he gained would be like the three words above—not essence, but all dross.

Experiencing the myriad forms of the mortal world can cultivate the mind.

But the mind cultivated in this way would certainly not be an innocent child’s mind.

Rather, it would be another kind of high-level mind, one that seeks to emerge from the mud unblemished, yet might not necessarily reach such a realm.

Could Kong Yuhen be stuck at this last step, neither achieving the high nor settling for the low?

“I am enlightened…”

Across the tea table, Kong Yuhen was similarly thoughtful.

He lowered his head, contemplating something, for a long time. When he finally came back to himself, he had a helpless expression.

“Perhaps?”

His tone was uncertain: “But discerning myself is difficult, truly difficult. I don't know where I came from, why I am here; I only vaguely remember a general direction of where I need to go.”

Mei Siren was not a physician, but he was very skilled at guiding students onto the right path.

He didn't overly “give” information, but rather captured the details in Kong Yuhen’s words, giving him enough space to think, before speaking again, patiently guiding him:

“Eight or nine out of ten things in life don’t go as planned. If you seek the Dao three times, to achieve one is already a great blessing. Yet, I don’t know where you are heading?”

Kong Yuhen didn’t directly answer at first, but seriously looked at this “Entering the Stage” for a moment, deeply remembering him:

“Elder sir, if you have free time in the future, I will invite you to the building again.”

No, please…

Mei Siren’s fan-waving motion stiffened.

This time, with Xu Xiaoshou and Ba Zun’an sitting beside him, he knew no accidents would happen; those two wouldn't let him get into trouble.

But if they met alone, there would be many more things to worry about!

“Good,” Mei Siren smiled, calm and collected.

Kong Yuhen then looked back at Xu and Ba, stating his “destination” with a serious expression:

“The Time Realm, it is what I desire.”

This serious tone made Xu Xiaoshou sit up straight, and he heard the decisive, pressure-inducing, burly man speak again:

“I invited you all to the building this time mainly because I have a request: I would like to borrow a gate from the two of you.”

Xu and Ba exchanged glances, looking at each other.

Xu Xiaoshou remembered that on Fushang’s side, previously, Dan Sheng Lu Shiyu had briefly discussed “gates” while communicating with Bing Sheng Tie Dazui.

In the City of Living Buddhas, there was the Tower of Nothingness, and at its summit, there might be a gate called the Gate of Nothingness.

The Six Ancient Gates were categorized into: Time and Space, Samsara, Guiding, Dao Laws, Sub-Plane, and Nothingness.

However, he didn't know what these Six Gates were for, or what would happen if they were all gathered.

But the Tower of Nothingness that Tie Dazui mentioned, and how no one could enter it except that jade-faced scholar…

Xu Xiaoshou heard it and knew it was Kong Yuhen, who was searching for gates.

Excellent, he found us!

No, he found you!

Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow. He knew that among the Six Ancient Gates, there was a familiar Sub-Plane Gate, which was on Old Eight, from Void Island.

Ba Zun’an didn’t give it, but instead asked: “Are the Six Ancient Gates related to the Time Realm?”

“Perhaps.”

Kong Yuhen gave an ambiguous answer.

Ba Zun’an seemed dissatisfied with this: “That gate, I might not have it.” He said it emphatically.

Old Eight, you are truly tough!

At crucial moments, one must rely on Old Eight… This made Xu Xiaoshou recall this guy’s audacious remark in the Heavenly Ancestor’s Divine Court on Void Island: “A hundred generations have not produced a talent like me, and ten thousand years will not bring forth another master.”

Clearly, without revealing something, Old Eight would never give him the Sub-Plane Gate.

Kong Yuhen smiled helplessly and could only take the initiative to explain to the three:

“Actually, I also don't know what the Time Realm is, or if the Time Realm can trace back to the Thirty-three Heavens of the Heavenly Realm. I only know that I must, and should, take this step.”

“And the gates, the Six Ancient Gates you mentioned, are among my goals, and I have already collected four.”

As he spoke, he took off the four black ropes from his neck and spread them flat on the tea table.

Xu Xiaoshou looked, and found that the end of each of the four black ropes was tied with a wooden gate-shaped pendant, but the characters on them were all different, namely:

“Time and Space, Dao Laws, Guiding, Nothingness…”

Muttering softly, Xu Xiaoshou pointed to the Gate of Nothingness: “You obtained it from the City of Living Buddhas, the Tower of Nothingness, at its summit?”

Kong Yuhen nodded.

“What’s its use?”

Kong Yuhen said nothing, picked up the Gate of Nothingness, and Holy Power surged into it.

The wooden gate-shaped pendant emitted a faint light. Soon, a translucent light gate, similar to the Sub-Plane Gate seen on Void Island, but only palm-sized and filled with a sense of nothingness—meaning utterly meaningless—opened on the tea table.

“Please, all three.”

As soon as Kong Yuhen spoke.

The expressions of the three people at the tea table all changed.

But before they could refuse, each felt their surroundings shift. The Forget-Worry Building of Past and Present was gone; they had arrived in another world.

“Nothingness…”

This was a world of nothingness, without sky, without earth, without Dao Laws, without nature.

There was nowhere to stand, nothing to rely on, and even the existence of self…

Xu Xiaoshou observed himself from the outside; he couldn’t see the existence of his spirit, body, and will. He had become a “transparent person.”

Looking inward, he found no internal organs, no spiritual energy or sword intent, no Qi Sea, no Purple Mansion; everything had disappeared.

He looked around, but could not see Ba Zun’an, Mei Siren, or even Kong Yuhen, the three who had accompanied him.

Everyone in this world of nothingness seemed to have become nothing, incredibly fragile.

If someone could appear here, they could probably crush him with a single slap.

But the form of people here was nothingness, all beings were equal, and there was no situation where one could crush another.

Even “struggle” had become “nothingness.”

“Buzz!”

His mental fluctuations disturbed again.

Xu Xiaoshou’s vision blurred, and he returned to the Forget-Worry Building of Past and Present, seeing Ba Zun’an and Mei Siren, each with an unusual reaction as their consciousness returned.

“Nothingness…”

He earnestly pondered these two words: what nothingness yielded.

“This is the Gate of Nothingness. It simply leads to the world of nothingness, with no meaning on its own. Only when supplemented with the other five gates can it perhaps construct a brand new world,” Kong Yuhen said.

Meaning, the Time Realm?

A dull thunder exploded in Xu Xiaoshou’s chest; he was quite shocked.

The concept of the Time Realm was too grand. And to construct a world capable of tracing back to the Thirty-three Heavens of the Heavenly Realm, how could it be achieved by human power?

Kong Yuhen, what on earth are you up to…

“You’ve gotten stronger.”

Ba Zun’an spoke faintly, noticing a detail that everyone else had overlooked. Xu Xiaoshou suddenly jolted awake.

Just now, Kong Yuhen had poured Holy Power into the Gate of Nothingness; he had mastered Holy Power.

And, within his Holy Power, there was a faint aura of time’s vicissitudes, a level that should be no less than Ancestral Source Power. It was…

“Time Ancestor Power?”

Xu Xiaoshou raised his eyebrows, asking in confusion: “Where did you get the Time Ancestor Power?”

The Time Ancestor Shadow Staff that Kong Yuhen gifted contained Time Ancestor Power.

The space and time attributes he used to display also had a similar flavor, but nowhere near as concentrated as now.

He had not only become a Saint, but possibly even a Saint Emperor, and had even obtained Time Ancestor Power. He was one step away from the ultimate threshold.

Next, it should be…

Becoming a God or an Ancestor?!

Kong Yuhen shook his head again: “I don’t know where the Ancestral Source Power came from. I only know that as I walked step by step, after collecting the four gates…”

He reached out, gently squeezed his hand, and muttered: “The power, it surged back…”

Surged back?

Instead of surging out?

Facing Kong Yuhen, Xu Xiaoshou pondered every word carefully. Was he saying that he used to have Time Ancestor Power and now it had merely returned after being lost?

Xu Xiaoshou thoroughly adhered to the principle of asking when confused. He leaned his hands on the tea table, raising his gaze to stare at him:

“Kong Yuhen, you are the Time Ancestor, aren’t you?” (End of chapter)

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