Chapter Thirty-One: Kong Mo’s Ordeal

Ziyan swallowed hard, emotion flickering across her brows and eyes. She paused briefly, hesitating as she spoke:
“Well... he’s just an ordinary man, living quietly here, nothing more.”
“Do you take me for a fool?” Xu Xing rose to his feet, intoxicated and unsteady, his posture swaying.
“Enough, I won’t pretend anymore. I’ll come clean—I am the head of Mount Shu.” The old man shrugged off Ziyan and walked to Xu Xing’s side.
For a moment, it was as if thunder had struck on a clear day. Xu Xing’s face stiffened, unsure how to respond.
Head of the sect? The head of Mount Shu? Mount Shu—that was a place only those who had reached the Golden Core stage could enter!
If what this old man said was true, then just what level had he attained? Xu Xing stood there in silent shock.
“Do you believe me, young man?” Seeing Xu Xing petrified, the old man walked over and patted his shoulder lightly.
Xu Xing was left questioning everything, unable to discern truth from falsehood. Who was this old man, truly?
Noticing the situation, Ziyan stepped between the two, facing Xu Xing and said,
“I told you, he’s just an ordinary man. Since there’s nothing more, wait here for a while. I’ll bring in the bodies so everyone from the foot of Mount Shu understands the matter and no rumors will spread.”
With that, Ziyan dragged the two corpses from the ground, opened her white fan, and floated along the road ahead. A path stained with blood was being cleared.
Just before she left, she glanced back at Xu Xing. Their eyes met.
Ziyan flashed a captivating dimpled smile and, with a soft thank you, left Xu Xing’s heart burning hot.
“Senior Sister, didn’t you say you’d drink with me? Now that this is settled, when will that be?”
“Next time.”
Xu Xing looked at the sloth nestled in the old man’s arms. The old man stood as sturdy as a tree, the sloth clinging tightly to him. Xu Xing sighed:
“Senior Sister, I’m drunk. The sloth clings to the tree; I too wish I could cling to you like that sloth...”
After Ziyan disappeared, the two men waited there.
The old man’s words and actions left Xu Xing unable to discern whether he truly was the sect leader or just a delusional commoner.
“Hey, old man, didn’t you jump into the sea the other day? How are you here now? I thought for sure you’d...” Xu Xing decided to ask directly.
The old man stood beside Xu Xing, unmoving like a statue.
“Uh... well... about that...”
The old man stammered, which only made Xu Xing suspect even more that he might really be some hidden master.
Xu Xing wondered how one could gauge someone’s cultivation in Shu. He placed his hand on the old man’s back, channeled his spiritual power into him, and tried to sense his level.
To his surprise, the old man’s body was as calm as a dead lake, without the slightest ripple—just like someone who hadn’t even stepped onto the path of cultivation.
Relieved after probing him, Xu Xing thought: if this man truly were a master, his own foolish words and actions just now might have deeply offended someone powerful.

If that were the case, Xu Xing would regret his actions to his very core.
But now, it seemed, the old man truly was just one among the common masses. There was no need for any particular ceremony, and Xu Xing’s manner became much more casual.
“I told you, I’m just a useless old man. Believe me now?” the old man sighed.
“It’s fine. As long as I’m around, you’re safe. By the way, what’s your name? Seems fate brought us together; I’m sure we’ll meet again,” Xu Xing said, stroking his chin.
“My name is Kong Mo, but you can just call me Old Kong,” the old man replied, stroking his white beard at an unhurried pace.
Yet there was still one thing Xu Xing couldn’t let go of.
He was very curious about why Kong Mo had jumped into the sea, and even more so, how he’d survived unharmed.
The sea was home to monstrous demons and mighty sea beasts—how could they have spared him?
It was all too strange. Did he have someone powerful looking out for him? There had to be more to the story.
“What happened to you that day? You looked like you’d left the world behind, no attachments left on earth, but now you seem just fine.”
Xu Xing offered Kong Mo a drink, urging him to take a sip.
“That day, I was just muddle-headed. My loved ones had all gone before me, leaving me alone to sigh at the vastness of the sea. I was heartsick. As for who saved me, it must have been a great master. He rescued me and imparted a great many insights, so I’m much more optimistic now.”
Kong Mo drank deeply, feeling content and at ease.
“Don’t ever think like that again. If you’re ever troubled, just take a stroll through the streets and alleys; there’s always a surprise waiting.”
“You mean... to find a nemesis for a centipede?”
“...Maybe, roughly, yes.”
The spring breeze passes only the carefree.
Listening to Kong Mo, Xu Xing still felt something was off about him, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
“By the way, what insights did that great master impart, to make you so open-minded now?”
“It was a secret manual about immortality! Who hasn’t dreamed of living forever? The wine is good tonight and I’m in the mood, so I’ll tell you—but you mustn’t tell a soul.”
Xu Xing shivered—immortality? Cultivating for eternal life?
Gliding across lotus leaves, cleansing the sword’s bones, riding the wind and shaping the soul—who was not tempted by immortality? Too many had perished on that path.
“Don’t worry, I’d never share something so good.”
Xu Xing slung an arm around Kong Mo’s neck. Maybe it was the wine, but despite the gap in their ages, they seemed like brothers now.
“If you want to grow stronger, appreciate more beauties, wander the world, and break free from mundane ties. If you want to live long, smoke opium, drink strong wine, eat fatty meat, see through the world’s illusions—only then can you live with a long and steady heart.”
“Don’t go telling others; this is the wisdom I’ve gathered over a lifetime.”
“......”

After hearing this, Xu Xing was dumbfounded, at a loss for words. He snatched back the wine from Kong Mo’s hand and took three big gulps, blurting out,
“Are we on the shore, or in the river?”
“We’re definitely not in the river,” Kong Mo replied, snatching the wine jar back and drinking.
“Hear yourself—you know that makes no sense. Don’t go misleading people.” Xu Xing retorted irritably.
Perhaps it was the wine talking that made the old man speak such nonsense. After listening to Kong Mo’s wild and irreverent words, Xu Xing felt a deep disdain for him.
But after calming down to think it over, he realized there wasn’t anything truly wrong with it.
To live is to live freely, to stand apart from the world’s troubles.
Kong Mo watched Xu Xing fall silent in thought. He paced lightly, clapped his hands, making a sharp sound that startled Xu Xing out of his reverie. Xu Xing looked up, and Kong Mo said:
“Hey, let me teach you a few tricks to living with ease.”
“Listen—whale oil lamps aren’t just for lighting. They can also be used for moaning.”
“............................”
After that, Xu Xing was even more convinced that the old man was just a scoundrel—how could he possibly be the sect leader? At most, he was just an ordinary man with a few tricks up his sleeve!
Kong Mo handed the wine jar to Xu Xing, inviting him to drink. Xu Xing lifted the jar, saluted the bright moon, invited the breeze, called on his ancestors, and drank deeply under the moonlight.
Xu Xing became thoroughly drunk—something that never happened on ordinary days. Perhaps the moon was particularly bright, the wind especially mellow.
The two of them talked about all sorts of things, opening their hearts completely. Xu Xing even confessed his most embarrassing childhood secret:
How, as a boy, he and Xu Hai had once spied on the neighbor’s aunt while she bathed.
For a while, they were both delighted, like soulmates meeting at last.
Xu Xing learned that Kong Mo had once farmed at the foot of Mount Shu. Later, when beasts invaded, Shu sent troops to quell the chaos.
Back then, war raged all around. Since it was so close to Mount Shu, many people simply moved here.
The years flew by like arrows. In a blink, his wife was buried on Mount Shu, his children lost to the world, leaving him the only one here.
Yet he was resilient, always looking forward, until a few days ago when despair overtook him, and he tried to end it all—only to be saved by a master.
That night, Kong Mo woke from a nightmare, stepped out to listen to the wind, and so ended up here.
At that moment, a gentle voice sounded, stirring the soul.