Chapter 17: A Chaos of Affairs, Trouble Caused by One's Own Folly

Jiang Sheng possessed an excellent temperament and rare innate talent; throughout his cultivation journey, he had never encountered a single bottleneck.

This was precisely why Jiang Sheng preferred tranquility and wished to remain undisturbed by external matters.

As long as there were no outside interferences and he could continue his cultivation this way, accumulating perfection at the late stage of Foundation Establishment and subsequently opening his Purple Mansion by channeling the Great Dragon of his spine would be nothing more than a natural progression.

Furthermore, Jiang Sheng’s personality was inherently somewhat detached; his heart knew neither sorrow nor joy, and he viewed the mortal world with indifference, which made him even more fond of a life of solitary cultivation.

Unfortunately, the Daoist Sect Elder had also seen through Jiang Sheng's temperament. The Elder informed him that if he did not undergo the tempering of the mortal world and instead focused solely on bitter cultivation without experiencing the seven emotions and six desires or witnessing the various aspects of human life, even the most profound state of "transcending emotion" would ultimately fail to reach perfection.

Should a flaw appear in one's mental state, starting from the Purple Mansion, it would become easy to encounter inner demons in every subsequent major realm.

Whether it was Golden Core, Nascent Soul, or Spirit Severing, it would inevitably be extremely dangerous, making one prone to losing their true self and becoming a puppet of an inner demon or a madman.

Therefore, the Elder required Jiang Sheng to gain much experience within the mortal world.

However, throughout his journey, his preference for quietude led Jiang Sheng to establish his cultivation site deep within the mountains of Qingping Mountain, intending to continue his secluded practice and ignore worldly affairs.

Regrettably, days of quiet cultivation were always difficult to maintain.

Jiang Sheng felt that upon entering the world, various mundane troubles had rushed in, disturbing his peace and making it difficult to find tranquility.

Just as he finished completing one cycle of his cultivation, a sparrow landed in front of him, hopping and chirping as if it were telling him something.

Listening to the sparrow's tale, Jiang Sheng waited for it to finish before taking a grey medicinal pill from his sleeve, scraping off some crumbs with his fingernail to feed to the bird.

The sparrow pecked joyfully at the crumbs, appearing very spirited.

Jiang Sheng, however, let out a sigh: "Why is it so difficult to maintain quiet cultivation? Perhaps this was exactly what the Elder intended when he told me to enter the world for experience."

As he spoke, Jiang Sheng looked toward Tian Ming'an, who was still working hard at sweeping the snow, and called out softly

"Stop worrying about the falling snow. A guest is arriving; go to the entrance to wait."

"Daoist Jiang, I have come uninvited. I apologize for the disturbance."

Zhang Qingyun bowed with a smile, then glanced at Tian Ming'an waiting nearby: "As expected of a celestial being, the Daoist knew I was coming and even specifically sent a disciple to greet me at the gate."

Jiang Sheng’s expression remained indifferent: "The 'disciple' the County Magistrate refers to is mistaken. He is merely a playful child who came to the temple to help out."

Tian Ming'an kept his eyes lowered, acting as if he were not the one being spoken of.

Zhang Qingyun was truly surprised; for a youth of such young age to possess such an unperturbed temperament, he was indeed a fine talent.

Even if he could not pursue cultivation in the future, he would surely achieve great things in officialdom.

Since they were in the front hall, Zhang Qingyun respectfully offered incense to the portrait before bowing to Jiang Sheng.

"The Daoist lives in seclusion in the mountains, indifferent to worldly affairs. Such leisure is truly enviable."

"Speaking of which, this uninvited visit makes me an ill guest. I have disturbed your quiet cultivation, and my heart is uneasy."

Jiang Sheng remained calm, sitting cross-legged on his prayer mat without sorrow or joy: "If the County Magistrate truly feels guilty, why bother coming up the mountain?"

Zhang Qingyun sighed helplessly: "Daoist, if there were truly another way, why would I brave the snow to climb this mountain?"

"Does Daoist Jiang know that over a dozen homicides have already occurred in the county town, all caused by the machinations of evil cultivators and demonic paths? These evil cultivators are secretly taking lives to practice forbidden arts, throwing Qingshan County into a state of panic..."

Jiang Sheng kept his eyes half-closed, unmoved.

Seeing that Jiang Sheng remained indifferent, Zhang Qingyun continued: "Initially, I thought they were just rogue evil cultivators passing through, but the outbreak of so many murders in such a short time proves this is not the work of just a few. This matter is absolutely related to the demon in the Taiping River!"

"At first, I did not wish to trouble the Daoist again, so I issued a bounty to let the rogue cultivators in the city assist the yamen in solving the cases. Even Fairy Xu Xiao and several Foundation Establishment cultivators in the city have taken action one after another."

As he spoke, Zhang Qingyun struck his thigh in frustration: "Unfortunately, there has been little success. Some rogue cultivators even fell into the traps of those evil cultivators, resulting in several injuries."

"If it weren't for having no other way, I truly would not wish to disturb you. But now, I have no choice but to ask the Daoist to come down the mountain and assist us."

Zhang Qingyun bowed deeply once more.

After a long pause, Jiang Sheng spoke slowly: "County Magistrate, when you sent the Flower Crimson Fruit to invite this poor Daoist to come down the mountain, it was for the demon in the Taiping River, not the evil cultivators in Qingshan County."

"The current situation is caused by you, not by this poor Daoist. Am I mistaken in this?"

Zhang Qingyun nodded, his voice somewhat heavy: "The Daoist is correct. If I had not widely invited the heroes of Qingzhou to assist, I would not have alerted that demon, nor would I have drawn so many evil cultivators and demonic paths to cause havoc."

"But if we do not make it known widely, how could dozens of heroes gather in this tiny Qingshan County? As long as Qingshan County seeks to slay demons, the demon in the river will inevitably cause trouble."

"These disturbances are merely growing pains. Once the demon in the river is eliminated, these evil cultivators will also disperse, and Qingshan County will finally achieve lasting peace."

Jiang Sheng nodded slightly, his eyelids lowered. His jade-like face showed not a hint of emotion, as if he were truly a person carved from stone, devoid of compassion.

Zhang Qingyun spoke with a hint of hope: "Daoist, could you please descend the mountain to eliminate those evil cultivators for the people of Qingshan County?"

Jiang Sheng shook his head, focusing on slowly sipping his tea.

Zhang Qingyun’s expression turned somewhat unwilling: "Can the Daoist truly not show mercy to the innocent people of Qingshan County?"

"Heh."

With a light chuckle, Jiang Sheng finally opened his eyes.

"Have you already forgotten the matter you promised this poor Daoist back then?"

Zhang Qingyun repeatedly said he did not dare.

Jiang Sheng continued: "Fine. If I do not explain the reasoning today, I fear the County Magistrate will not be truly convinced."

As he spoke, Jiang Sheng straightened his body and turned to gaze at the falling snow on the mountains, his expression indifferent and cold.

"Does the County Magistrate truly not understand that the current chaos is merely a method used by the Taiping River demon to test Qingshan County?"

"This poor Daoist could certainly act. Not only me, but even Fellow Daoist Qiao, Fellow Daoist Wen, and Young Master Kongxu could act."

"But once we act, our cultivation levels and methods will all be known to that demon. By then, the demon will be prepared, and what surprise attacks would be left?"

"The reason why several fellow Daoists are not currently in Qingshan County is precisely to hide themselves and plan for later."

Zhang Qingyun was stunned, his mouth agape: "But..."

Jiang Sheng continued: "If the County Magistrate only wishes to resolve the immediate chaos without dealing with the demon in the Taiping River, I can descend the mountain right now. I guarantee that within three to five days, all the monsters and spirits in Qingshan County will be eliminated."

"At that time, I will not be involved in the matter of slaying the demon in the Taiping River."

"With that, is the County Magistrate willing?"

Zhang Qingyun wanted to continue persuading him, but Jiang Sheng had already raised his hand to dismiss him: "You wish to deal with the current evil cultivators while also planning to slay the demon in the Taiping River later. You want to claim all the benefits for yourself; where in this world is such logic found?"

"This poor Daoist needs to remain in the temple to cultivate and nurture his sword. Please, Magistrate, return."

Zhang Qingyun finally swallowed his words, rising awkwardly: "Then I shall take my leave. I have disturbed your quiet cultivation, it is truly..."

Before he could finish, Zhang Qingyun could not help but depart in a hurried, embarrassed manner.

Jiang Sheng glanced at the departing Zhang Qingyun and refilled his tea: "After waiting outside for so long, can he still hold up?"

Standing outside the door, Tian Ming'an shuddered and quickly replied: "Reporting to the Daoist, this boy is fine."

"Drink a cup of tea to warm your body and go back to your work." As Jiang Sheng spoke, he stood up and returned to the front hall to continue his cultivation.

Tian Ming'an looked at Jiang Sheng's receding figure, then at the cup of tea on the table in the room, and quickly entered to drink the hot tea in one gulp.

As the hot tea entered his stomach, a wave of warmth spread from his abdomen to his entire body, and his hands and feet, which had been nearly numb from the cold, regained their temperature.

The sensation of hunger in his stomach also vanished, and he even felt a faint aura lingering in his lower abdomen, though the sensation disappeared a moment later.

Even so, Tian Ming'an was extremely excited. He hurriedly bowed toward the front hall and then continued sweeping the snow.

Having returned to the front hall, Jiang Sheng looked at the tall portrait of the Founder of the Penglai Sect. After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke: "Am I wrong?"

"But what does the life or death of others have to do with me?"

Despite saying this, Jiang Sheng could not forget that he was actually just an ordinary living being who had been abandoned in a river while still an infant, nearly drowning.

It was an inner disciple of the Daoist Sect who had accidentally discovered him while traveling.

That inner disciple was already quite old at the time. Seeing Jiang Sheng struggling in the water, he felt compassion and brought him back to Penglai, raising him to adulthood.

These memories were etched clearly in Jiang Sheng's mind. Since childhood, he had followed that old man, watching him cultivate, practice techniques, and realize the Dao.

When Jiang Sheng was eight years old, he formally joined Penglai.

After four years of literacy and six years of Qi Refinement, ten years of time finally led to Heaven-Way Foundation Establishment. Many elders within the sect recognized his talent, considering him a future core disciple.

Everything was because that old man possessed a kind heart; otherwise, there would be no Jiang Sheng today.

Moreover, even after bringing him back to the sect, the old man had not neglected him but had cared for him meticulously, teaching him through words and actions, hoping Jiang Sheng could be like him.

Unfortunately, Jiang Sheng was born with a cold temperament and ultimately could not achieve the same level of compassion for all living things as that old man.

In Jiang Sheng's perception, the sect was undoubtedly paramount. The senior and junior brothers and sisters within the sect were his only family; as long as it did not involve Penglai, he did not care whether outsiders lived or died.

The complex emotions in his heart were severed in an instant.

Squinting at the mountains covered in white snow outside the temple, Jiang Sheng murmured: "Watching the flowers bloom and fall in the courtyard, letting the clouds roll and unroll in the sky."

"What does the chaos of evil cultivators have to do with this poor Daoist?"

"It is just a pity that most in this world are troubled by their own trivialities and cannot sever their ties to the mortal world."

"A pity, truly a pity."

As he spoke, Jiang Sheng turned back to sit cross-legged before the Founder's portrait to continue his cultivation, his eyes half-closed and his gaze once again undisturbed by any ripples.