Chapter 25: Use Me as a Favor

Chapter 25 Pawning Me Off

Chi Yu finished today's cultivation session. To be honest, he was a bit frustrated.

He appeared to be at the Foundation Establishment stage, but his cultivation was actually quite shallow—it had completely come from a forbidden curse backflow, not something he earned through diligent practice. Because of this, his cultivation always felt unstable, and more importantly, he lacked a primary cultivation method.

What he was using now was the cultivation method for outer-circle disciples of the Tianyan Sect. Its low-tier quality wasn't really suited for him. It was something Ling Hezhou had given him for Qi Refining, but now that he had reached Foundation Establishment, it was completely inadequate.

However, cultivation methods weren’t something you could just find anywhere.

Chi Yu knew it was time to venture out. After all, if Long Aotian stayed holed up at home, opportunities wouldn’t just fall from the sky!

So after lunch and washing the dishes, Chi Yu prepared to go out.

Xiaoqiu had been glued to him lately. Seeing him about to leave, Xiaoqiu hurried over and asked, "Where are you going?"

Chi Yu replied, "Just gonna roam around."

After a moment’s thought, he asked, "Do you want to come? Want to come hang out?"

Xiaoqiu pondered for a bit before saying, "Shouldn't we be training at this time? What’s the point of going out to play?"

Chi Yu said, "Let me tell you, that’s not right. You’re a ten-year-old kid first and a cultivator second. Do you know what a ten-year-old kid should be doing?"

Xiaoqiu asked curiously, "What should they be doing?"

Chi Yu declared confidently, "They should be playing in the mud, climbing trees to swipe bird eggs, catching crawdads in the river—there’s always something fun to do. What’s the point of cultivating all day? Cultivators must discern the real from the fake, but you also need to know what’s false and what’s true. It’s like studying Buddhism. Buddhism's about transcending worldly matters, but to transcend the worldly, you must first immerse yourself in it before you can rise above it."

"If a person has no feelings or desires, you could say they’ve reached the Buddha-level. But if a person has no feelings or desires, they’re not human."

"Look at the radical of the word 'Buddha'—it’s 'human.' Buddha comes from humanity, so to become a Buddha, you must first have emotions and desires. You must first be human."

"And humans have emotions and desires. So you can’t just cultivate all the time. You must also immerse yourself in the mortal world. The mortal world is about pure joy. You must learn to experience joy—that’s the first step in studying Zen and Buddhism."

Xiaoqiu stared at him in shock. "Brother Aotian, you’re just six years older than me. How do you know all this?"

Chi Yu lifted his chin proudly, beaming. "How else could I have made it to the Dao Truth Class? That’s the difference between us. But don’t feel bad about yourself. If you tag along with me, you’ll learn a thing or two. Take me as your role model, and you’ll grow into a solid grown-up."

Although Chi Yu’s words were completely opposite to the humility and modesty the royal family always pursued, Xiaoqiu inexplicably didn’t dislike them. Instead, he quite liked Chi Yu’s way of speaking. His eyes sparkling, he said, "I understand. I’ll take you as my role model."

As soon as he finished speaking, a clear voice came from behind them: "Xiaoqiu."

Chi Yu turned around and saw His Highness. His smile didn’t fade. "It’s you, Senior Brother. Good afternoon."

Xiaoqiu ran over. "Your Highness, when did you get here?"

Xie Xiyi glanced at him, his voice cold. "You two were so absorbed in your conversation that you didn’t even notice me standing here for so long."

Chi Yu flattered him sweetly, "That must be because Senior Brother’s cultivation is so profound that you’ve completely masked your presence. Unlike me—I still don’t know how to hide my energy or hold my breath. My footsteps are as heavy as an ox’s. If it were you, Senior Brother, you’d probably detect me from a mile away."

Xie Xiyi showed no expression on his face despite the praise. "Where are you taking him?"

Chi Yu paused. His original intention was just to go out and see if any opportunities would fall into his hands due to his Imperial Aura, and to take Xiaoqiu along for a walk. But with Xie Xiyi’s question, his sense of responsibility suddenly rose. So he said, "I’ll take him to the hills out back to play. There’s a river there. I’ll take him to go shrimping, fishing, and crabbing."

Xie Xiyi commented lightly, "Boring."

Chi Yu looked at him with pity. "You find it boring because you’re no longer a child. You’ve become an adult with no dreams."

He laughed again and reached out his hand to Xiaoqiu. "But we’re different. We’re both underage. We’re still children! Children are allowed to be innocent! Come on, Xiaoqiu, big brother will take you shrimp fishing!"

Xiaoqiu looked at Xie Xiyi, then at Chi Yu. In the end, he boldly placed his hand in Chi Yu’s, apologizing verbally, "Your Highness, I’ll be back in a bit."

Though he said that, it was clear he wouldn’t be returning anytime soon.

Xie Xiyi lowered his gaze, said nothing more, and turned to walk in the opposite direction.

He was required to go to the Anuttara Buddhist School once every seven days to listen to sutras.

There were many Buddhist schools in Zizai Zhou, but the Anuttara Buddhist School lived up to its name—it was truly the supreme school of enlightenment in Zizai Zhou, and thus had extremely high expectations of him.

Xie Xiyi had no desire to be this Bodhisattva and scoffed at Chan Master Ruoku’s prediction.

But everyone believed Ruo Ku because he had cultivated the wisdom of life and death, could see the turning of karmic retribution, and had declared with certainty that Xie Xiyi would tread over mountains of corpses and seas of blood to establish a supreme realm of demons—an earthly hell.

And so, with just one sentence, his future had been decided.

Xie Xiyi soul-searched and found no such interest. Having received an emperor’s education since childhood, he had only ever intended to be a relatively outstanding human emperor. He had no obsession with immortality or becoming immortal.

Given the prophecy, Xie Xiyi found it strange that he could still sit here listening to sutras.

Well, since he couldn’t be emperor anymore, he might as well lay low here.

Xie Xiyi made no effort to hide his slack attitude in this regard.

However, that dragon did have some insight. Perhaps he should be the one to become the Bodhisattva.

Thinking this, Xie Xiyi’s golden eyes flickered thoughtfully.

*

Chi Yu had no idea what Xie Xiyi was thinking. He took Xiaoqiu for a walk in the back mountain of the Zen School and found a straight wooden stick. His eyes lit up as he picked it up, exclaiming in delight, "Whoa! Xiaoqiu, look! So straight! So long!"

Xiaoqiu examined it. "It is quite long, but it doesn’t have much spiritual energy. It’s not from a Bodhi tree either, so it has no boost for enlightenment. It’s useless."

Chi Yu: "…"

Sometimes I really dislike you cultivator types.

Chi Yu said earnestly, "Look again carefully. Don’t you feel just happy seeing it? Such a long! Such a straight! wooden stick!"

Xiaoqiu took the stick from Chi Yu’s hand, thinking there must be some Zen thing hidden within. He tried to feel it with his heart… and indeed, he felt a sense of comfort. After all, it was so long and so straight.

So the principles of Buddhism and Zen were right beside him, and he had never noticed. It seemed his mind was still too dull.

Chi Yu had no idea what he was thinking. After walking a few more steps, he found another straight wooden stick. He picked it up happily and waved it around.

The sunlight was bright, the light flickered through trees, and a gentle breeze was blowing. Chi Yu’s purely joyful, beautiful face and lively vibe left a deep impression on Xiaoqiu. Even many, many years later, he would still remember this scene.

Chi Yu brought Xiaoqiu to the river, took out a fishing line, dug into the soil to find an earthworm, cut it in half, threw one half back into the soil, and cut the other half again to make a fishing pole and bait for Xiaoqiu.

After finishing, he tossed the bait into the water and said to Xiaoqiu, "Based on my experience, we'll get a bite within a few minutes."

Xiaoqiu nodded seriously and did as Chi Yu did.

But after a while, nothing happened.

Chi Yu scratched his head, said, less sure. "Well, actually, it’s normal for them to bite within ten minutes."

Ten minutes later, Chi Yu: "…Maybe the water here is too shallow. The fish can see us. Let’s try over there where the water is deeper."

They changed spots and waited another half hour. Xiaoqiu asked Chi Yu, "Brother, are we meditating? But standing around meditating doesn’t seem very effective."

Chi Yu: "..."

That's some sharp sarcasm.

And Xiaoqiu said it with such a serious tone.

Chi Yu stubbornly replied, "I get it now. The fish here just don’t like earthworm meat. Hah, what can you do with these finicky little creatures? In that case, I’ll have to bring out my ace up my sleeve."

Chi Yu took out the uneaten Spirit Beast meat from his Spatial Ring, hooked it, and cast the line back into the river.

Another half hour passed.

Xiaoqiu said, "Brother, I think I’ve had another realization."

"..." Chi Yu asked, "What did you realize?"

"Looking back, I see the body as suffering, only now do I know the mind was unawakened. Suddenly entering the gate of sweet dew, it feels like a cool, refreshing joy. [1] Brother, my heart is very peaceful now. I am enlightened," Xiaoqiu said.

Chi Yu: "..."

Xiaoqiu, that’s just called getting skunked.

Don’t make getting skunked sound so profound, geez!

Chi Yu scratched his head, reeled in the line, and said to Xiaoqiu, "Seems like luck isn’t with us today. Let’s come back tomorrow. I’ll chum the waters then fish."

Xiaoqiu nodded vigorously. "I really learned a lot today. Thank you, brother."

Chi Yu: *Awkward butt-scratching.jpg*

Though they didn’t catch any fish, Chi Yu took Xiaoqiu to play in the back mountain for a while, gathering many mushrooms to make soup for dinner.

On their way back, they ran into Xie Xiyi again. Chi Yu greeted him with a smile as usual. "Hello, Senior Brother."

Xie Xiyi replied, "Hello."

After a pause, the corners of his lips curled up. "The fish and shrimp in the back mountain are bathed in lingering Buddhist chants. They’re vegetarian."

Chi Yu had a sudden realization. "So that’s it!! No wonder we didn’t catch any."

He looked down at Xiaoqiu. "In that case, I’ll take you out fishing next time."

Xiaoqiu nodded. "Okay!"

Seeing that Chi Yu wasn’t upset and had naturally moved on to making new plans, Xie Xiyi paused slightly before smoothly changing the subject. "Since you’re staying here, if you need anything, you can tell me. After all, I am your senior brother."

Xiaoqiu looked at him in shock.

Chi Yu was also a bit surprised. This didn’t sound like something Xie Xiyi would say.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. Could it be that this Future Bodhisattva had also been won over by his Imperial Aura?

This kind of inexplicable goodwill wasn’t a first. Hadn’t Phantom Lightning also come to him on its own?

Ah, just a regular occurrence. No need to stand on ceremony. So Chi Yu cheerfully said to Xie Xiyi, "Senior Brother, I’m lacking a cultivation method suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage. It should be decent quality, not too shabby, or it might affect my foundation. Please, Senior Brother, I’m begging you."

As he spoke, he pressed his palms together in a sincere, pleading gesture, his beautifully curved eyes blinking like autumn lake ripples stirred by fallen leaves.

Though he looked pitiable and adorable, to Xie Xiyi, it was all laid bare like Buddhist truth, and he remained unmoved.

Still, Xie Xiyi couldn’t help but laugh at his bold, unapologetic attitude, a faint trace of mockery in his tone. "Cultivation methods are secret teachings of each sect, not to be shared. If I give you one, what do I get in return?"

Chi Yu beamed, brimming with confidence. "You’ll get my gratitude."

Perhaps feeling a bit guilty, Chi Yu thought for a moment and confidently added, "You’ll also gain the friendship of a Long Aotian. From now on, we’ll be the closest of friends. When one achieves enlightenment, even their pets ascend to heaven!"

Xie Xiyi: "..."

His throat felt slightly itchy, a strange sensation stuck between swallowing and spitting.

—

In the end, Chi Yu did get the Foundation Establishment cultivation method he desperately needed.

Now convinced that this Future Bodhisattva was his golden finger, Chi Yu treated Xie Xiyi even better and enthusiastically painted a rosy picture for him. "Starting today, I declare us friends. Don’t hesitate to call on me for anything."

After a moment’s thought, he leaned closer to Xie Xiyi and whispered, "Actually, I think you shouldn’t defect. Being a Bodhisattva is pretty good." He paused, then added, "You’re a good person with a bright future ahead. Don’t do anything rash."

Xie Xiyi glanced at him. "Since you care so much, why not follow the saying ‘If I don’t go to hell, who will?’ and take my place as the Bodhisattva."

Chi Yu laughed. "Me, a Bodhisattva? Hahaha, my mom wouldn’t allow it."

Xie Xiyi could tell he genuinely had no such intention.

He found it curious. Though Buddhist sects had strict rules, they weren’t lacking in cultivation resources. The Bodhisattva was nurtured with the sect’s greatest treasures, and ascension to the immortal realm was a foregone conclusion once one took the role.

Cultivators who came to study in Zizai Zhou weren’t without such ambitions. It’s just that the Luo Po Zen School, under the Anuttara Buddhist School, had already designated him as the Bodhisattva, which was why the cultivators from the four great meditation halls of Suffering, Accumulation, Cessation, and Path remained so docile.

But this dragon didn’t want it. For the first time, Xie Xiyi looked at him properly, feeling they might share some common ground. "Why not?"

Chi Yu touched his recently overgrown, shaggy bangs that lightly covered his eyebrows, looking quite pleased with them. "Bodhisattvas have to shave their heads and take vows. It’d just reduce my handsomeness for no reason."

Xie Xiyi: "..."

Just a vulgar dragon. No need to say more.

—

That evening, Chi Yu looked over the cultivation method he’d gotten from the Crown Prince and immediately found many parts he couldn’t understand.

He put down the jade slip and couldn’t help rubbing his temples.

Chi Yu thought of Ling Hezhou. The probability of arriving in the cultivation world and immediately finding a patient teacher who carefully broke down every concept to guide him into cultivation was already low.

This was also why, despite having a mission log to steal the villain's luck and then kill him, he firmly believed he was Long Aotian.

Ling Hezhou, Phantom Lightning, traveling back in time—all made Chi Yu feel like an invisible hand was pushing things along.

But it definitely wasn’t the power of the "Divine Path" novel or the system—with that dumb AI of a system, he didn’t even want to think about it now.

He suddenly remembered that Ling Hezhou hadn’t just mentioned Future Bodhisattva; the gossip about Future Bodhisattva’s defection had been brought up in relation to another matter.

Ling Hezhou said that five hundred years ago, there was also a Long Aotian in Zizai Zhou.

Chi Yu: "..."

Alright, no doubt about it. It’s me.

People without Imperial Aura usually don’t choose names like that.

Another piece of information is that Ling Hezhou's father was friends with Long Aotian and even set up a memorial tablet for him.

Is he dead?

No, he's really hard to kill. He still has a dozen-plus lives left, so dying once is no biggie.

Then he must have gone back in time.

According to the novels he's read, when the protagonist goes back in time, it's usually on a mission. Only after completing this mission can they get back to their normal timeline.

So what is his mission?

Chi Yu isn't dumb. To be honest, at his age, he's at his mental peak. Moreover, Chi Yu has great grades and has always been at the top of his class.

Often, he simply doesn't want to overthink stuff to avoid extra worries. He hopes to truly be like his name suggests, staying happy and carefree forever.

But if he really thinks about it, he can come up with many weird things.

Like that invisible force...

Better not to overthink it. Once he starts, what seemed like a simple mission suddenly becomes way more complicated.

Still, to kill the bad guy, he needs some basic power.

Chi Yu has never killed anyone, but that's future him's problem. He doesn't worry about things that haven't happened yet. Doing what he can right now is what matters.

Chi Yu picked up the cultivation manual again and stood up, asking Xiaoqiu, "Can you take me to your prince? I'd like to ask him to explain this cultivation manual to me."

Xiaoqiu agreed right away, "Of course I can."

He answered quickly but then realized it might not be cool and quickly corrected himself, "Wait, I need to check with His Highness first. Please wait here."

With that, Xiaoqiu grabbed a lantern and went to Xie Xiyi's palace.

At this hour, his prince was inevitably fussing with his guqin.

The guqin had been taken apart and put back together, with new strings replaced, yet his prince remained unsatisfied, staring at the instrument spaced out.

Sometimes Xiaoqiu thought his prince was working too hard like this, but mentioning it once was fine—bringing it up too often would earn him a knock on the head.

So he stopped saying anything.

Xiaoqiu called out softly, "Your Highness."

Xie Xiyi glanced at him, "What is it?"

Xiaoqiu said, "Well... Brother Aotian can't understand the cultivation manual you gave him. He said he wants to ask for your guidance. Are you free now?"

Xie Xiyi was surprised, "It's just a Foundation Establishment cultivation manual, and he can't understand it?"

Xiaoqiu also found it strange. Chi Yu was so smart and had reached Foundation Establishment at sixteen—if not a genius, he was certainly not far from it.

Their prince had reached Golden Core at eighteen only because of the Great Xia Royal Family's unique cultivation method.

The royal family's biggest secret was that they had no spirit roots at all.

Xiaoqiu didn't either, though outwardly, they all pretended to have them.

Because of this special cultivation method, fast progress was normal.

His older brothers had all reached Foundation Establishment by eighteen or nineteen.

Xiaoqiu snapped out of his thoughts and asked for Chi Yu, "Your Highness, please teach him."

Xie Xiyi shot back, "Do I look free to you?"

Xiaoqiu got on his knees, hugged Xie Xiyi's leg, and said with tearing up, "Cousin, please, just teach him."

Xie Xiyi: "..."

Xie Xiyi laughed, "You're on his side after just a few meals? If you're so easily bought with food, why did you even come to Zizai Zhou with me?"

Xiaoqiu said, "Cousin, he's been so good to me. It's rare for him to ask for help, and I want to help him."

Xie Xiyi said coldly, "Using me to score points—only you could come up with that."

"..." Xiaoqiu fell silent, bummed out.

After a stalemate, Xie Xiyi finally gave in, "The floor is cold. Get up."

Xiaoqiu looked up at him.

Xie Xiyi said irritably, "Fine, I agree. Go call him over."

Only then did Xiaoqiu happily jump up. As he was about to leave, a family feeling came over him, and he said caringly to Xie Xiyi, "Cousin, you should really replace this guqin. It's broken. It's not a magic treasure, just an ordinary object. Things break - that's just how it is—don't cling to it."

Xie Xiyi glanced at him, "Stop babbling. Go do your job."

Xiaoqiu took off.

He went to tell Chi Yu that Xie Xiyi had agreed, not mentioning how long he had pleaded. Seeing Chi Yu head over happily, he felt pleased too.

Somehow, he had grown to like him so much.

Coming to Zizai Zhou was the right decision, Xiaoqiu thought to himself.

—

When Chi Yu arrived at Xie Xiyi's palace, though it was luxurious and solemn, he didn't make a fuss—he had enough experience to take it in stride.

He didn't look around aimlessly after entering but went straight to where Xie Xiyi was.

"Senior Brother, it's really great that you can help explain this to me," Chi Yu said with the demeanor of someone asking for a favor, a slight smile on his face, eyelids slightly lowered and gently narrowed, looking very well-behaved. "I've read this cultivation manual several times but still can't understand it, so I thought I'd trouble you to teach me."

Since he was visiting, Chi Yu didn't come empty-handed. He brought a basket of spirit fruits, observing proper etiquette.

This made Xie Xiyi glance at him again.

He found this person full of contradictions.

But he had no interest in others' secrets, so he simply motioned for him to sit down and began teaching.

Chi Yu listened attentively, occasionally taking notes on paper with a mechanical pencil.

Xie Xiyi explained things quite clearly, and Chi Yu grasped a lot. After an hour, he finally understood the cultivation manual.

Chi Yu let out a sigh of relief and said happily, "Thank you, Senior Brother. You explained it very clearly, and I mostly understand it now."

Based on his current knowledge, he could tell that Xie Xiyi had given him a very good cultivation manual.

Although he claimed he could earn someone's gratitude and friendship, he was merely joking; Chi Yu certainly didn't believe that kindness shown to him was something he deserved.

However, if Chi Yu wished to return the favor, he needed something to offer in exchange.

At the moment, aside from money, he had absolutely nothing (x).

As for money—the Crown Prince certainly didn't lack that.

So Chi Yu mentally set the matter aside. Just as he was about to take his leave with a smile, his gaze fell upon the guqin beside Xie Xiyi, and he said, surprised, "Senior brother, do you play the guqin?"

Xie Xiyi replied indifferently, "Music theory is a required subject."

"Oh." A sudden idea struck Chi Yu. "Then do you enjoy music?"

Xie Xiyi: "No."

Chi Yu: "Oh."

He sighed with remorse, "I happen to possess quite a few rare, ancient musical scores—pieces that have been lost to time. Had you shown interest, dear senior brother, I would have gladly offered them to you. What a shame."

Never-before-seen, ancient musical scores?

Xie Xiyi: "..."

That odd sensation—the tickle in his throat, something he couldn’t swallow nor spit out—surfaced again.

His lips twitched as he said, "That truly is a pity."

Author's note:

By nightfall, Xiao Yi tossed and turned: Never-before-seen, ancient musical scores... never-before-seen, ancient musical scores...

He sat up, so agitated he almost wanted to slap himself.

[1] Quotes from ancient poetry.