Chapter 62: The Paths of Others, the Flames of Others

Lu Chenyuan heard Shangguan Chuci’s remark about “no longer regarding Chuci as an outsider,” and felt as though he had heard these words somewhere before, but for the moment could not recall where. He shook his head, casting the thought aside, and recounted everything he had just experienced—

The strange circumstances within his sea of consciousness, how he had witnessed the three realms of moon, star, and solitary island; how he had glimpsed the demon’s heartfire through the pupil in the darkness, imprisoned within a cage of flesh and blood; and how, in the illusion, he had seen the demon’s life unfold. He described it all to Shangguan Chuci.

Shangguan Chuci listened with rapt attention. When she heard that the moon, star, and solitary island would shift in radiance and form according to his closeness or distance to others in his heart, her eyes suddenly lit up. She exclaimed,

“Wait… are you saying that within your sea of consciousness, whether it’s that waning moon, my solitary star, or even the withered island transformed from that sinister puppet, their brilliance or forms change on their own depending on the depth of your relationship with each of us?”

Lu Chenyuan saw how seriously she regarded the matter and nodded solemnly, “It appears so.”

Shangguan Chuci was momentarily stunned, then murmured to herself,

“To transform the closeness and grievances of human relationships into celestial bodies and vengeful souls, each corresponding precisely—doesn’t this resemble a kind of ‘affinity system’ that measures the sentiments of the heart?”

“Affinity system? What is that?” Lu Chenyuan heard this peculiar term but showed no surprise, as if whatever she spoke was the most natural thing in the world. After all these days spent with her, he had grown accustomed to her endless stream of odd expressions.

Shangguan Chuci did not answer. She gently closed her white jade folding fan, tapping its ribs against her palm, her bright eyes fixed on him as if she wished to see through him entirely.

“My guess was correct, his sea of consciousness is indeed quite mysterious. But… turning the bond of master and disciple into a moon, friendship into a star, that’s understandable, yet for the puppet’s venomous resentment to claim a place as well—this is truly beyond belief…”

Her scrutiny made Lu Chenyuan feel a bit embarrassed, prompting him to ask,

“Have you thought of something, Young Lord Chuci, that you look at me so intently?”

Shangguan Chuci smiled and said,

“It’s just that you seem so upright and honest, yet who knew the secrets you carry are more numerous than the books in my study. Wait a moment, let me sort through this.”

Her mind was sharp, and she knew that probing the “affinity system” was merely a side matter; the urgent business was a far greater mystery.

---

“Brother Lu,”

Shangguan Chuci’s expression grew serious as she asked,

“You’re saying that after you devoured Wei Zhuo’s heartfire, a foundation of ink-painted mountains appeared in your own sea of consciousness, along with that ink-fire?”

“That’s right.”

“Can you sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth at this moment?”

“Spiritual energy?”

Lu Chenyuan knew that sensing spiritual energy was a mark of a cultivator and shook his head, “I cannot.”

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Chuci extended her slender finger. Though frail, she summoned a breath of true power, kindling a strange flame at her fingertip that shimmered with iridescent light.

“Focus your mind,” she said. “Try to sink your spirit into your dantian, to seek out that ink-fire. If you find it, attempt to draw a thread of its power along your meridians to flow onto my fingertip.”

Lu Chenyuan followed her instructions. After a while, sweat appeared on his brow and he looked confused.

“Did you find the ink-fire?” asked Shangguan Chuci.

Lu Chenyuan replied, “I found it, but it won’t obey me; I can’t draw out any power from it.”

“No need for further guidance; the fact that you can locate the sea of consciousness and the heartfire on your own is already exceptional. As for failing to draw it forth, that’s no surprise—you need the power of true essence to command the heartfire.”

“If you can see it but not use it, it means you possess not a trace of spiritual energy.”

Shangguan Chuci withdrew the heartfire, pondering,

“How strange. Your situation is like someone who’s never studied arithmetic yet solves the most intricate Nine Palaces diagram. Clearly, you’ve skipped the stage of ‘hearing the Dao’ and directly gained the foundation of ‘establishing the heart’ and the heartfire of ‘commanding the fire.’”

“But this foundation is borrowed, the heartfire is borrowed, and you possess no spiritual energy—can you truly be considered a cultivator?”

She paused, then asked, “In the future, will you follow the demon’s ink-painted path, or forge your own and start anew?”

---

Lu Chenyuan felt his heart in turmoil and asked, “In your view, Young Lord Chuci, is this a blessing or a curse?”

Shangguan Chuci deliberated for a moment before replying,

“If it were anyone else, I would say it’s a calamity. The path taken by force, with unstable foundations and rampant inner demons, is never the right way. But you are different. You are not an ordinary person; I suspect your journey will be unlike any other.”

Lu Chenyuan’s mind wandered to what his master had said: “Never return to see me again.” What he feared most was that his master would think his heart had changed and he had chosen another teacher. Uneasy, he hurriedly asked,

“Will others notice anything unusual about me, if they don’t know the truth?”

Shangguan Chuci shook her head, “Of course not. Your aura is no different from any ordinary person. Even now, were you to tell me outright, I would not discern a thing.”

Lu Chenyuan breathed a long sigh of relief at her words.

Shangguan Chuci, seeing his reaction, grew even more curious. Her eyes sparkled, and a mischievous smile played at her lips.

“Brother Lu, aren’t you curious?”

“Curious about what?” he asked.

Shangguan Chuci smiled slightly, a smile that to the young man seemed both mysterious and strangely beguiling.

“Since you have inherited the demon’s foundation and heartfire, do you also possess his uncanny abilities—drawing people from paintings, summoning soldiers from ink?”

Her words tempted Lu Chenyuan, and knowing now that no one could easily see through him, he felt a surge of excitement. Yet, as if recalling something, he frowned and said,

“I am indeed curious, but perhaps you’ve forgotten—I possess no spiritual energy at all. How could I use such abilities? Moreover, I don’t even know how they are supposed to be used.”

Shangguan Chuci merely smiled, her eyes glinting with cunning.

“That’s where you’re mistaken, Brother Lu. After all, every path is made by those who walk it.”

“There’s a saying from my hometown: ‘As long as your mind doesn’t falter, there are always more solutions than difficulties.’ Since you already have this opportunity, why not try it together with me?”