“Some matters under heaven are meant to be done, others are not. Some actions are righteous, others unrighteous. What should be done, must be done; what should not be done, must not be attempted. To fail to act when one should, or to insist on acting when one should not—that is to go against the natural order. And those who go against the order have never, since ancient times, met with a good end.”
Old Mei’s voice was as unremarkable as his person, yet upon careful reflection, it carried an unfathomable depth. He looked at Zhou Taihe and spoke calmly, “Some wagers, if lost, can be made again. But other wagers, once lost, mean you have lost utterly, with no chance whatsoever to start over.”
“Are you saying I will lose?”
Zhou Taihe seemed both indignant and faintly furious as he retorted, “What if I tell you I am certain to win!”
Old Mei shook his head. “You cannot win.”
“How do you know I cannot win? Do you think you people can stop me? I, Zhou Taihe, fear none of you!”
“Whether we stop you or not is of little importance to you. What matters is what you yourself fear!”
Fear? Zhou Taihe seemed to realize something, a flicker of panic in his heart. He stared fixedly at Old Mei and said in a grave voice, “Are you trying to intimidate me?”
“Your heart is already filled with dread. Why would an old man like me need to frighten you further?”
Had these words come from anyone else, Zhou Taihe would have paid them no mind. But they came from Old Mei, a recluse master profoundly skilled in unorthodox and esoteric arts.
“This old man once observed the celestial phenomena at night. The Monarch will return ere long. Or perhaps it should be said… the Monarch has already returned!”
No one expected Old Mei to suddenly utter such a statement. Not only were Zhou Taihe and his Chixiao People taken aback, even Heishui and Hei Fo, who had come with Old Mei, were visibly shocked.
Zhou Taihe could not tell if Old Mei was trying to scare him. Likewise, Heishui and Hei Fo were also suspicious, wondering if Old Mei was deliberately intimidating Zhou Taihe, for he had never spoken of this before.
The hundred or so Chixiao People under Zhou Taihe had already felt their danger mounting with the arrival of Hei Fo and Heishui. Now, hearing Old Mei say the Monarch would return soon, or had even already returned, filled their hearts with even greater alarm.
They were not alone in this; Zhou Taihe was no exception. He drew a deep breath, as if suppressing the dread within, and asked, “Are you saying that person in Yanluo… is the Monarch?”
Old Mei shook his head. “I do not know. But does it matter? Even if the so-called Monarch in Yanluo is not the true one, the genuine Monarch will return ere long. Believe it or not, as you will.”
Zhou Taihe truly did not know whether to believe it. But he was already like an arrow fitted to the bowstring—it must be released. Once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back. Today, no matter what, he would take this gamble, betting on whether that person in Yanluo was the Monarch. As for everyone else, he paid them no heed.
“This old man said earlier: some wagers, if lost, can be made again. But other wagers, once lost, mean you have lost utterly, with no chance whatsoever to start over.”
Old Mei repeated his earlier words. For Zhou Taihe, who had not fully understood before, hearing them again now made him realize that Old Mei had long seen through his heart. Although he had always known Old Mei was proficient in unorthodox arts, he had never imagined they could be so uncanny.
Suppressing the panic in his heart, he asked, “Old Mei, what is the meaning of telling me all this today? To persuade me to turn back? Let me tell you, I, Zhou Taihe, having set foot on this path, will not turn back. Even if the true Monarch were to descend today, I would not fear him. At worst, it means death—what is there to fear!”
“This old man will not persuade you to turn back. You will not turn back. If we speak of today, you will certainly not die, but you will absolutely not live either.”
Certainly not die? But absolutely not live either? What did that mean? Zhou Taihe did not understand, only staring fixedly at Old Mei.
Old Mei shook his head, as if he no longer wished to speak further, and sighed. “Take care of yourself.”
“Since that is the case, then all of you take care as well!”
Zhou Taihe snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, turned, and headed up the mountain toward the mausoleum grounds.
After Zhou Taihe departed, Hei Fo immediately inquired, “Old Mei, were the words you spoke just now true or false? Were you frightening Zhou Taihe? Or…” Heishui also widened his eyes and asked, “Old Mei, was what you said true?”
The others—Yu Heng, Feng Xu, and the rest—were no exception, each looking excited, eagerly awaiting Old Mei’s answer to resolve the doubts in their hearts.
“If we say it is true, it is true. If we say it is false, it is also false…” Heishui and Hei Fo exchanged a glance, neither understanding the meaning of Old Mei’s words.
At that moment, a trembling voice came: “Old Mei… you said just now the Monarch… the Monarch has truly returned? Is it… is it true?”
Everyone looked over to see a white-haired, weathered, and aged old man hobbling toward them, leaning on a cane.
The old man was none other than Senior Huang Yuan.
At the sight of Huang Yuan, both Hei Fo and Heishui stiffened, then, not daring to delay, immediately stepped forward to pay their respects.
Huang Yuan was a veteran of the Chixiao Sect. Not only had he shown favor and promoted Zhou Taihe, he had done the same for Hei Fo and Heishui. Even most of the Chixiao People like Yu Heng and Feng Xu had been personally nurtured by Senior Huang Yuan back in the day. To them, Huang Yuan was absolutely a senior worthy of respect.
Ever since learning that Senior Huang Yuan had been hidden away by Zhou Taihe in the Juexin Branch, Hei Fo had wanted to bring Huang Yuan back to properly care for the old man. However, Huang Yuan had refused, for the senior remained at the Juexin Branch solely to persuade Zhou Taihe and the other Chixiao People to turn back.
Unfortunately, to this day, he had not persuaded a single one.
Because of this, his heart had long grown cold and disheartened.
Heishui had not seen Senior Huang Yuan for a very, very long time. Now, seeing Huang Yuan’s aged appearance, his eyes immediately reddened, his heart filled with remorse, silently cursing himself for wasting all these years chasing after a fraud.
Seeing Heishui and the other Chixiao People, Huang Yuan was also visibly moved, as if transported back to the days in the Chixiao Sect, and for a moment, he was deeply emotional.
Ever since the Monarch buried the Chixiao Sect back then and was annihilated by the judgment of the Immortal Dao, they had rarely met. Calculating carefully, it had been two or three hundred years. Seeing that Heishui, Scar-face Kui, and the other Chixiao People had all matured considerably compared to the past, Huang Yuan felt quite gratified.
Under ordinary circumstances, he would certainly share drinks and hearty conversation with Heishui, Scar-face Kui, and the others, drinking to their heart’s content, even though he did not care for alcohol.
But today, especially now, he wanted even more to know whether Old Mei’s words just now were true.
“This matter is complicated to explain. It cannot be clarified in a short while.”
“What do you mean? Old Mei, were you just deliberately frightening Zhou Taihe?”
“Not at all. My claim of observing celestial phenomena was false. But saying the Monarch will certainly return was not to frighten Zhou Taihe. It is true.”
Old Mei’s words instantly plunged the entire scene into utter silence, as if time itself had frozen.