Chapter Twenty-Nine: Patriarch Dongyan

Shangshui Commandery, the Dongyan Mountains.

This was the lair of the Dongyan clan, strictly forbidden to outsiders. Yet now, in the azure sky, a massive warship flew majestically into the Dongyan Mountains.

"We're back." Jiulian gazed at the familiar mountain range from afar—this was her homeland.

"Xiaoyun, let's go. We'll see the Patriarch." said the Immortal Beiqu.

Jiulian obediently followed.

Suddenly, clouds materialized out of thin air. Immortal Beiqu, carrying Jiulian, rode the clouds and flew directly toward the forbidden grounds of the Dongyan Mountains.

"Will the Patriarch really stop me?" Jiulian thought silently. As a child, the Patriarch had doted on her, and she had always admired him most, obeying his every word.

Whoosh.

They flew through one forbidden area after another of the Dongyan clan. The guards there saw Immortal Beiqu and Jiulian but none tried to stop them.

After flying for a while, they arrived at a quiet, ordinary valley.

A river flowed through the valley. Beside it sat a plainly dressed man in blue, leisurely fishing.

"Patriarch." Immortal Beiqu descended and said respectfully.

Jiulian looked at the man in blue, admiration in her eyes, and whispered, "Patriarch."

"Beiqu, withdraw. Xiaoyun, stay." The man in blue continued fishing without turning his head.

"Yes." Immortal Beiqu withdrew respectfully.

Only the man in blue and Jiulian remained in the valley. Jiulian was very familiar with this valley, for she had spent her childhood here. It was thanks to the Patriarch's support that she had been designated the next leader without any dispute.

"Xiaoyun." The man in blue turned to look at her. His face bore a faint smile that inspired warmth. Sitting there fishing, he seemed like an ordinary mortal, exuding no aura of a powerful cultivator. Yet all the immortals of the Dongyan clan were reverent before him, not daring the slightest offense.

"Patriarch." Jiulian suddenly became a bit nervous.

"I heard you've chosen a Dao companion," the man in blue said with a smile. "Named Ji Ning?"

"Yes." Jiulian nodded.

"Forget about him for now." the man in blue instructed.

Jiulian grew anxious: "Patriarch, you made me the next leader of the tribe. Can I not even choose my own Dao companion? I know our Dongyan clan needs to grow stronger, and my Dao companion should ideally be from the Grand Xia royal clan or a direct descendant of some feudal lord clan. But even if I chose a prince of Grand Xia as my Dao companion, the help to our clan would be limited. Do you really have to force me?"

"You think I would force you?" The man in blue looked at her.

Jiulian was taken aback.

"Even a prince of Grand Xia as your Dao companion would bring limited benefit to our clan. Would I force you for that?" The man in blue shook his head. "Jiulian, you are too young."

"But Patriarch, you told me to forget about Junior Apprentice Brother Ji Ning..." Jiulian grew anxious.

"Do you understand what a Dao companion is?" the man in blue suddenly said.

Jiulian hesitated.

Dao companion?

"Isn't a Dao companion someone who supports each other on the bumpy path of immortality, together for a thousand years, ten thousand years, even eternity, never abandoning each other?" Jiulian said softly.

The man in blue sighed: "Anyone can say that. But true Dao companions who support each other without forsaking one another are exceedingly rare. In my life, I've seen too many betrayals among Dao companions, killings, abandonments... far too many. Nothing in this world is certain."

Jiulian was stunned.

"You are too young," the man in blue shook his head. "And Ji Ning is too young. Are you two certain... that you truly understand what a Dao companion means? Do you understand what a Dao companion entails?"

"A Dao companion is someone for whom you can die!"

"A Dao companion is someone for whom you would slay immortals and buddhas, even if they stand in your way, to retrieve your Dao companion."

"A Dao companion is someone who, even after endless eons since their death, you still cannot forget, as if they still live by your side."

"A Dao companion... is the other half of your life! Without them, your life is no longer complete."

The man in blue looked at Jiulian, his eyes filled with endless vicissitudes. "Are you certain you can die for him? Are you certain you have the courage to slay immortals and buddhas for him?"

Jiulian opened her mouth.

Die for him?

Fight against the countless immortals and buddhas for him?

"If you are sure you can do so without hesitation, then I will not stop you—I will only support you," the man in blue sighed. "But I can see from your eyes that you are hesitating, wavering..."

"If you cannot regard him as the other half of your life, if you lack the courage to die for him and to fight the countless immortals and buddhas for him, then why seek a Dao companion?"

"Without such resolve, there is no need to choose a Dao companion."

"Immortal cultivation... is a path against heaven."

"One can walk alone."

"Or one can walk with a Dao companion. This is a difficult and bumpy road. If you choose a Dao companion, you must choose one who will live and die with you. You can die for him, and he can die for you. Otherwise... it is better to walk alone."

The man in blue looked at Jiulian. "Jiulian, what do you think?"

"I, I..." Jiulian was completely bewildered.

Was I wrong?

"You are still too young, and Ji Ning is even younger. You have experienced too little! You have not yet reached the time to choose a Dao companion, because your hearts are not firm enough. It is merely a hazy attachment to each other." The man in blue shook his head. "Such hazy attachments will not last."

"I will not forcibly stop you and Ji Ning." the man in blue said.

A glimmer of joy appeared in Jiulian's eyes.

"But you need patience. Wait until the day you become a Primal Daoist. If you still feel that Ji Ning should be your Dao companion, then go to him. For now, you must endure." the man in blue said.

"Wait until I become a Primal Daoist?" Jiulian was taken aback. "How long will that take?"

"Precisely because it is long enough, you will see more clearly by then. I have spoiled you too much; your Dao-heart training is truly mediocre. Go to the 'Ten Thousand Lotus Cave.' I will set up a formation. You may only leave when you can exit the Ten Thousand Lotus Cave." the man in blue instructed.

Jiulian said urgently: "Ten Thousand Lotus Cave? How can I break the formation you set up, Patriarch?"

"It is merely an illusion formation that reflects your Dao-heart." The man in blue shook his head. "No more words. Go."

"I want to send word to Ji Ning." Jiulian knew she could not refuse, and quickly said.

"Go." the man in blue said indifferently.

Jiulian immediately mounted her lotus treasure and swiftly departed, arranging for someone to notify Ji Ning.

The man in blue watched Jiulian leave and gently shook his head: "So naive. But 'Ruyin,' she really looks so much like you... How long has it been? I still remember us fighting side by side in the 'Heavenly Light Great World.' That battle, no matter how long, I cannot forget. Cannot forget..."

Then he silently resumed fishing. His hook attracted countless fish swimming around, but the hook was straight—it could never catch a fish.