Chapter 56: Ren Dao

For a period of time, Li Weiyi practiced only the "Taiyi Sea Splitter" move every day, seeking to recapture the magnificent aura he felt when fighting Yao Zhengsheng, an aura as if a single sword stroke could cleave the ocean.

Master Guan said that was "Harmony with the Heavenly Dao."

Li Weiyi practiced hundreds of sword strokes daily.

Each stroke was executed with full effort, and he only stopped when his physical strength and spiritual energy were completely depleted. He tried again and again, gaining insights little by little.

After thousands of sword strokes, though he still couldn't achieve "Harmony with the Heavenly Dao" at will, in the following days, he managed to enter that state with one or two strokes each day.

"Just practicing like this is useless," Master Guan had said. "You must fight, you must refine yourself, you must face life-and-death confrontations with masters. Otherwise, it will take you years of effort to succeed."

When Master Guan said this, a mix of emotions welled up within him.

Because when his own master had uttered similar words years ago, the latter part of the statement was, "Otherwise, it will take you decades of effort to succeed." After all, who could believe that Li Weiyi, after only half a month of practice, could already proactively grasp the mysteries of the "Harmony with the Dao" state, even if his success rate was still very low?

In the mornings and evenings, at the transition between day and night, Li Weiyi, Cai Yutong, and Qin Ke followed the senior spiritual entity to cultivate spiritual divine power and perceive spiritual light.

Meanwhile, every other day or so, Li Weiyi would take Zhao Zhizhu to the inn to ask the esteemed senior for help in reshaping his Spring Eye.

Time flew by; twenty-two days had passed since the attack on Divine Dragon Street.

Zhao Zhizhu, wearing a bamboo hat, walked out of the inn. Seeing Li Weiyi waiting in the shade of a tree across the street, he quickly crossed the street to him.

"How was it? Was the eighth spring successfully reshaped?" Li Weiyi asked with a smile.

Zhao Zhizhu pulled Li Weiyi to walk along the river to a secluded spot, only then taking off his bamboo hat. His ancient-looking face was ruddy and full of vitality, his eyes sparkling with uncontrollable excitement.

He clasped his hands together and bowed deeply.

Li Weiyi said, "Don't do that! Now that your eight springs are reshaped and you're back to your peak at the Spring Flow stage, remember to pay me back for the spring fluid. It was ninety-three drops, ninety-three thousand silver coins. I'll round down the change for you, so just ninety thousand coins."

"The spring fluid is one thing," Zhao Zhizhu said. "But that senior was willing to help me reshape my spring eye because of your standing, Brother Li. This re-creation kindness, I fear, can never be repaid in a lifetime."

After stubbornly bowing again, Zhao Zhizhu said, "Don't round down the change. I'll make it a round sum, one hundred thousand silver coins. I'll write an IOU!"

"One hundred thousand coins, you said it," Li Weiyi replied. "I won't be polite about it!"

Zhao Zhizhu, in high spirits, laughed, "Haha, please don't be polite. With my current cultivation, Old Zhao, earning one hundred thousand silver coins shouldn't take me more than a few years."

After they shared a hearty laugh.

Li Weiyi asked Zhao Zhizhu to wait there for a moment, claiming he needed to bid farewell to the senior. He briefly returned to the inn to put the stone coffin into the Evil Camel Bell, then they both headed towards the city gate.

The initial excitement gradually faded from Zhao Zhizhu. He gravely said, "A month is almost up, Brother Li. What are your thoughts? Actually, entering the Daoist academy is a very good path. Almost all Nueve Li Tribe masters have cultivated there for some time."

Half a month ago, the Young Patriarch Cang Li had visited Li Weiyi's residence, informing them that they didn't need to worry about safety for a month. He also invited him, Cai Yutong, and Zhao Meng to join the Cang Li Clan's academy or compete for a spot in the Nueve Li Daoist Academy.

Li Weiyi already had a decision in mind: "Don't worry, in a few days I will personally go to the clan academy to pay my respects and thank Senior Jia Shou. I will make my decision then. By the way, I heard that restoring a Sea of Qi is much more difficult than reshaping a spring eye; it seems to require Blood Crystals."

Zhao Zhizhu didn't even dare to dream of returning to the Five Seas Realm; he was already very content with possessing eight spring cultivation. So, with a relaxed mind, he spoke at length: "The five seas of the Five Seas Realm refer to the five lung lobes within the human body. To open a Sea of Qi, one must repeatedly refine a lung lobe with spiritual energy until it reaches a critical point, at which an inner world ocean is born."

"Back then, all five of my lung lobes were pierced, and all five inner world oceans dried up and withered," Zhao Zhizhu continued. "The Blood Crystals you mentioned can only repair the lung lobes. To re-establish an inner world ocean, you either take a Five Seas Pill and hope for luck, or only a legendary spatial artifact can accomplish it."

Li Weiyi wasn't sure if the Evil Camel Bell counted as a spatial artifact, so he just listened as Zhao Zhizhu continued.

"Five Seas Pills are too difficult to obtain now," Zhao Zhizhu explained. "The Cang Li Tribe itself has a severe shortage; each pill is traded for with numerous coffins from other realms. My situation makes my chances slim, and taking one would likely just be a waste."

"Being able to recover to eight springs, I am already very content," he added. "I won't make things difficult for the Young Patriarch and the Patriarch."

"This is as far as I can go," Zhao Zhizhu said. "But Brother Li, you are different. If you marry Fourth Miss, your future will surely be limitless. With my eight-spring cultivation, Old Zhao here, I should be qualified to guard your gate and drive your carriage, right?"

Li Weiyi chuckled, "If I don't marry her, does that mean my future will be bleak?"

Zhao Zhizhu had merely made a jest and didn't press the matter further. "Should we go find Yao Zhengsheng, capture him, and take him to see the Young Patriarch or Senior Jia Shou?"

Evidently, after recovering his eight springs, Zhao Zhizhu's confidence had also largely returned.

Li Weiyi's smile faded. "Yao Zhengsheng is merely a blade. If we apprehend him, will that truly bring down Yang Yun? Don't forget the relationship between the Cang Li Tribe and the Yang Clan. Yang Yun is a direct descendant of the Yang Clan, a prodigy of the Eight Springs. What do we count for in the Cang Li Tribe?"

Zhao Zhizhu fell silent for a moment, then quietly said, "Yang Yun covets Fourth Miss, and he covets the artifact in your hands, Brother Li, and he nearly killed us. I'll make some plans; we'll try a covert assassination."

Li Weiyi was startled, not expecting Old Zhao to suddenly become so resolute. He quickly said, "Don't act recklessly. The Yang Clan is backed by the Sui Sect. Let alone those old fellows, just provoking Yang Qingxi would be enough to give us a hard time."

It was already April, and the weather was growing warmer.

Pedestrians on the streets were dressed much more lightly.

The two walked out of the city gate, crossed a wooden bridge several dozen feet long, and followed the flagstone path along the moatside back home.

The flagstone path was fifty feet wide, and on the other side stretched an endless suburban area. The long stone steps under the eaves were filled with ragged children, all wearing straw sandals.

They were all approximately five or six years old, their faces sallow and bodies emaciated. They looked like they had traveled a long distance, their feet chafed, and their faces covered in a thick layer of dust.

There were nearly a hundred of them, seemingly resting there temporarily.

As Li Weiyi walked on, he observed these children. Under the eaves opposite, pairs of round eyes stared back at him and Zhao Zhizhu.

"Why are there so many children?" Li Weiyi found it abnormal.

Zhao Zhizhu, accustomed to such sights, calmly said, "Look closely; almost all of them are twins."

Li Weiyi indeed noticed this. There were always two children whose appearances were strikingly similar, with only a very few individuals alone.

Why was the proportion of twins so high?

It was too strange!

Zhao Zhizhu said, "They are 'Rice People'—'rice' as in the grain."

"What does that mean?" Li Weiyi was very confused.

Zhao Zhizhu said, "Have you heard of Benevolent Rice?"

Li Weiyi shook his head.

"Benevolent Rice is also called Human Rice."

"Benevolent Rice originally came from the depths of the Netherworld," Zhao Zhizhu continued, "serving as sustenance for certain mysterious entities in the world of the dead, and only later spread to the world of the living."

"From a single rice stalk, several, or even a dozen, fetuses can grow, always in even numbers. Those growing on either side of the rice stalk appear remarkably similar, like twins."

"I heard that in the outer prefectures, various factions began large-scale cultivation of Benevolent Rice a long time ago."

"Firstly, they select gifted individuals from them and train them as assassins," Zhao Zhizhu explained. "Secondly, they can achieve a massive surge in labor force in a short time. Thirdly... people are simply a resource and a commodity. Trading 'Rice People' doesn't cause many disputes, and no one stands up for them."

"I've even heard that some brutal rebel armies use Rice People to feed their exotic beast mounts."

"Here in Li Prefecture, several old patriarchs of the Nueve Li Tribe strongly opposed cultivating Benevolent Rice at the time," he continued, "believing it to be inhumane. They also believed that over time, an increase in the proportion of Rice People would lead to uncontrollable turmoil."

"But as far as I know, some within the clan are still secretly cultivating it in the Longshan Mountain Range."

While Li Weiyi marvelled at this, his heart grew heavy. The existence of Rice People would undoubtedly trigger many humanitarian issues. Looking again at the children sitting by the roadside, he couldn't help but feel sympathy and pity.

They had no parents.

With no parents, who in this world would truly care for them?

Not to mention whether they were happy or not, it was likely no one even cared if they lived or died.

"Ah Yin, you must wear your shoes properly, or your feet will get chafed. Bear with it a little longer; we'll be there soon..."

A woman in white Buddhist lay robes knelt on the ground, tying a straw sandal strap for a young 'Rice Person' girl. Her voice was both pleasant and gentle, like a wisp of summer breeze, unforgettable once heard.

After tying it, she stood up.

She had a very tall and slender figure.

Though her lay robes were loose, it was evident that her arms and legs were long.

On her right wrist was a string of red prayer beads, so red they seemed formed from congealed blood. The white-robed laywoman noticed Li Weiyi's gaze, turned her face, and nodded to him with a smile, softly uttering a Buddhist chant: "Amitābha!"

Li Weiyi clearly heard the Buddhist chant. He was momentarily stunned, and then a storm brewed in his heart.

This wasn't Earth!

Did this world also have Amitābha?

Amitābha, also known as "Buddha of Immeasurable Light," was the revered teacher of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss in myths and legends.

Having finally encountered a genuine Buddhist practitioner, Li Weiyi was considering whether to approach and ask a few questions, when the woman walked over to him first.

The white-robed laywoman was in her twenties, her skin sallow, her appearance average, and her cheekbones slightly prominent.

After respectfully clasping her hands and bowing, she spoke in her pleasant and gentle tone: "Benefactor, one can see you possess a compassionate heart, with soft light of mercy in your eyes. May this poor nun be so bold as to ask for a bowl of vegetarian rice?"

Although Li Weiyi valued money highly, a bowl of vegetarian rice was hardly worth mentioning. After returning her bow, he said, "No need for just one bowl! Bring all the children along; I sense they are starving."