Painting of the Nine Immortals

Chapter 6: Fragments of the Sixth Samsara

Translator: /Tatienne Editor: Tennesh/Rundi

These days, there was a rumor going around the Ling Clan.

The Clan leader’s little sister and the bright pearl in everyone’s palm, Ling Tian Xiang, has fallen in love with Ling Xian. She has even sworn to never marry unless the groom was him.

In the beginning, the rumor spread within a small circle. The first reaction from many people was disbelief. What? The number one goddess from the City of Qing was interested in the number one handicap of the Ling Clan? How did feelings even develop between two people who have never had any interactions? It must have been a story fabricated out of thin air!

Within an hour, the rumor spread further and further, and became more realistic each time the tale was retold. Some people even claimed they saw Lady Ling pacing around wearing a man’s white robe. This observation made people suspicious. Before long, most people from the Ling Clan started to believe the rumor.

Ling Xian was somewhat famous within the collateral family due to his inability to practice Taoism. People have laughed at him for years. Therefore, when the Ling apprentices, who were also secret admirers of Lady Ling heard about the rumor, they were dumbfounded and angry. They all swore to find Ling Xian, the handicap, and teach him a lesson.

The actual words Ling Tian Xiang said were, “find the person named Ling Xian. He is outstanding. Definitely fetch him for me.” But of course, this message was interpreted in many different ways and were passed on in many different versions. And of course, the version people chose to believe was the ridiculous version with the most non-sense.

When the rumor circled back to Ling Tian Xiang, she didn’t know if she should cry or laugh. She felt 70 percent anger, and 30 percent embarrassment.

Right now, she was sitting in her bedroom, tenderly stroking the long white robe. She recalled the moment when Ling Xian swung the sword. She blushed as a giggle escaped her lips.

“Lady Ling, I have found information on Ling Xian,” her servant Bi He announced softly.

Ling Tian Xiang snapped back into reality. She took the files and studied them, her brows lifted in confusion, “Bi He, are you sure you found the right person? How could he be born without the ability to practice Taoism?”

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“I am certain this is the right person, Lady Ling. In the entire Ling Clan, there is only one person with his name,” Bi He answered.

A person who was born disabled can awaken the Inner Eyes?

Ling Tian Xiang laughed. It seems like the entire Ling Clan has been tricked by this young boy. No wonder he made her swear not to tell anyone about his Inner Eyes. He seemed comfortable with being low key, and he didn’t want people to know he was actually a genius.

Now that she thinks about it, he should have called her aunt.

Ling Tian Xian cupped her cheek with her hand, she didn’t know what she was thinking or what to think.

“Lady…” staring at Ling Tian Xiang’s amorous expression, Bi He bit her lips.

“Say what you want to say, don’t stutter,” Ling Tian Xiang frowned.

“Lady, even though the Ling Clan does not inhibit marriage within the clan, as long as it’s not between direct relatives,… But between an aunt and a nephew… No matter how distant the blood relation, it’s not allowed,” Bi He disclosed her worry.

“This isn’t something for you to think about,” Ling Tian Xiang was a bit annoyed, though she didn’t know why. She gestured for Bi He to leave.

Gazing at the blooming peach blossoms outside her window, the beauty sighed. A sound filled with complex emotions and meanings.

……

The male lead from the rumor was hiding inside a mountain cave. He sat in the lotus position, his breath steady and thoughts scarce. He was absorbing the spirits from the heaven and the earth.

The side effects of unleashing the Eyes of Execution was starting to kick in. After his qi fell by three levels, he became extremely weak. Even a shift of his fingers took all of his strength.

However, the positive benefits the eyes brought him were also very obvious. He now had a general idea of the power of the eyes, and from that last use, he also noticed his own weaknesses. He had little training, no knowledge regarding any techniques, and he only won the battle so cleanly because of the natural power of the Inner Eyes.

Because of all that, Ling Xian formed a new plan. He needed to train his qi, fast. Then he must find a few techniques to master before he exercises his battlefield awareness and gain some experience. He needed to organically grow in order to not overly rely on the Inner Eyes. After all, he had no plans to show off the Eyes of Execution to anyone. To him, it was too dangerous.

If people found out he had the fourth-ranked Eye of Execution, then the entire City of Qing… No, the entire Qin Dynasty would craze over him. The pro was that numerous successful cultivators would beg for him to consider them as his new Master and he would have all the resources he needed to become strong and to become a hero in the Qin Dynasty.

On the other hand, the consequences of announcing his Inner Eyes outweighed the pros. Ling Xian has heard more than once about the story of how those with Inner Eyes had their eyes gouged out by those who want them for themselves. Many people have taken those eyes and transplanted them onto their own bodies or their apprentices’ bodies. Because, even if the ability of the Inner Eyes acquired is not meant for battles, they were still more powerful than any technique a monk could train for. Not to mention what Ling Xian had were the majestic Eyes of Execution.

He was not willing to risk it.

After a long time, Ling Xian opened his eyes. A bright ray of light flashed across his eyes and then immediately dimmed to nothing.

“Whew, I finally recovered a little mana. Time to check out my war trophies,” Ling Xian’s lips curved up as he took out the dead brothers’ pouches, ready to raid.

These storage pouches were the most basic instruments in the Taoism community. They were cheap, easy to get, and everyone had at least one. A small room could fit inside the pouch, so it was usually protected by a spell. However, once the owner of the pouch dies, the spell that banned thieves is lifted. This saved Ling Xian some time.

He first ripped open the short man’s pouch and found only ten stones and a few potions. Nothing else valuable.

“So poor. Hopefully the tall guy’s pouch is worth my time,” Ling Xian said disappointedly. When he opened the next pouch, his eyes brightened.

Inside the pouch there was five cubic meters of space. A pile of 500-600 stones that were emitting rich spiritual energy sat there. More importantly, there was a red fan. The rivet of the fan was black, and three characters, Fan of Fire, were carved onto the guard of the fan. On the fan leaf, giant flames were sewed onto it, making it appear mystique and ancient.

A spiritual instrument!

Only the monks who passed fundamental training can use this type of offensive weapon.

“What a good find. I cannot believe I acquired my own instrument when I’m still in the qi-training stage,” Ling Xian was very pleased. He examined the fan in detail and the more he looked at it, the more he liked it.

In the entire Taoism community, spiritual instruments were a highly popular attacking method. To have an instrument that was both powerful and suitable for the user was the dream of every monk. Ling Xian was not an exception. Before he even started on the path of Taoism, he was most jealous of those who could use their instruments to call for wind and call for rain whenever they wanted. In his books, those were the truly successful monks.

“It’s a shame that with my level of training I cannot use this Fan of Fire. I wonder how strong it is,” Ling Xian said pitifully. He continued to look through the man’s pouch and discovered that in the pile of stones, a palm-sized fragment of something was hidden. The material of the fragment appeared very special; gold but not gold, metal but not metal. It looked like the remains of an ordinary spiritual instrument, but it was emitting six different types of light, and was flowing with mysteriousness and desolation.

“This feeling…” Liao Cang Qiong’s illusory body began to appear. He stared at the fragment in Ling Xian’s hand, paused, realized something and spoke in shock, “a fragment from The Wheel of the Sixth Samsara, you are one lucky fella!”

“Master you have awoken?!” Ling Xian said in surprise.

“I have recovered a little. No need to continue my deep sleep,” Liao Cang Qiong grinned, “but you, you acquired a fragment of The Wheel of the Sixth Samsara, that is such good luck.”

“The Wheel of the Sixth Samsara? This fragment?” Ling Xian looked at the colorful fragment in his hand.

“Yes, even though that is only one piece of it, if you can collect all of them and rebuild the entire wheel, then it will become a divine instrument. It possess the power to set one of the strong rules between heaven and earth. You must treasure it,” Liao Cang Qiong said seriously.

“Then… how many pieces are there in total?” Ling Xian asked sounding ambitious. To set a rule between the heaven and the earth… if he could get his hands on it, then who would dare be his opponent?

“According to records, the wheel was broken in the last century. There was no clear record of how many pieces, but I suspect there are no more than 100. Because nobody can break the Wheel of the Sixth Samsara to more than a hundred pieces,” Liao Cang Qiong gave a number that made Ling Xian speechless.

“A hundred pieces…” he laughed bitterly.

“Don’t be discouraged. When you become an Immortal, you will have a view of the entire world, like it’s your backyard. Moreover, though the wheel is broken, each piece has spiritual remains. If the pieces are near each other, they will call out to each other,” Liao Cang Qiong comforted.

“If that’s the case then there is a possibility,” Ling Xian became hopeful.

“To have even acquired this one piece has proven your luck and your fate. Back in the years, Master I have thought about collecting the pieces to complete the wheel. But sadly, I just didn’t have the luck. Even after I surpassed the First Realm with alchemy, I never found a piece,” Liao Cang Qiong exclaimed.

“Master… This piece was not mine to begin with. It was a monk’s. He was planning on killing me but ended up being killed instead. I acquired his pouch, and found this fragment as a result,” Ling Xian touched his nose and chuckled.

Liao Cang Qiong paused, then laughed while holding his belly, “that’s why I smelled a hint of blood on your body! Don’t mind that. In the Taoism community, it’s a survival of the fittest. Though he had the ability to get a fragment of the wheel, he didn’t have the ability to keep it, and you snatched it as a result. That is fate.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s stolen, snatched, or found. What’s in your hands is yours. If what’s yours gets stolen, then blame yourself or blame the cruelness of the world. If you blame yourself, you will become more motivated and transfer your anger into training. However, if you choose to blame the world, you will have no will to improve yourself. As result, you will waste your life.”

Liang Xian’s heart felt heavy. He was silent for a long time before he said sincerely, “yes Master. I, the Apprentice, understand.”

Liao Cang Qiong smiled mysteriously, “Master I went into a deep sleep in haste last time. I forgot to give you a gift. Now, as your Master, I will gift you with three things; with each thing being a treasure that countless monks go crazy over.”

“Three gifts?”

Ling Xian was full of hope and excitement. To be gifted by the legendary alchemist, these presents must be rare and extraordinary.