Chapter 154: The Wuji Pavilion, The Elderly Immortal (Part Two)

Upon hearing this, Nanhua raised his head, stroked his beard, and laughed heartily, his eyes narrowing into slits. When he opened them again, a flash of wisdom suddenly danced within his pupils.

"In my youth, Yu had always heard that the Immortal Nanhua possessed a white beard and hair, jade-green eyes and a childlike complexion, holding a goosefoot staff, clad in a plain robe, as ethereal as a gentle breeze, entirely untainted by worldly aura, and ever elusive like a divine dragon seeing its head but not its tail.

Upon seeing you just now, Yu instinctively thought of that immortal who bestowed the *Taiping Yaoshu* upon the three grand preceptors. Therefore, though Yu dared to address the Elder Immortal by his title, my heart was trembling with utmost apprehension, fearing my conjecture might be off the mark."

Zhang Yu chanted inwardly, finally preparing his excuse: "As for Zhuangzi... Yu knows that he left behind the *Nanhua Jing* for posterity, and since you, Elder Immortal, bear the title of Nanhua, coupled with the fact that both of you must be transcendent seniors of immortal bearing, Yu could only act on intuition not knowing whether I was right or wrong. I sincerely hope the Elder Immortal will not take offense."

"Ah, think nothing of it." The immortal seemed to be in a pleasant mood. "I merely have one thing that puzzles me."

"Please speak, Elder Immortal."

"From my observation of the little friend's physiognomy, you possess no magical power whatsoever, your vital energy and blood are deficient, let alone any notable physical constitution..."

Well,
understood.
I am a weakling.
Please say no more.
"Could it be that this poor Daoist's skills are lacking, failing to perceive the little friend's hidden depth... or does the little friend have some other backing?"

"What?" Zhang Yu was startled by these words.

"The little friend's 'Wuji Pavilion' exhibits the very pinnacle of supreme craftsmanship, sculpted and shaped into a grand edifice resembling a divine treasure, something utterly beyond the capabilities of contemporary mortal manpower.

Yet, what this poor Daoist has witnessed with his own eyes confirms that this indeed is not the work of mortals. In all my years of practicing the Dao, I have never heard of such profound and bizarre phenomena. I hope the little friend can clear up my confusion."

I would bloody well like to know myself!

Zhang Yu's heart suddenly accelerated, beating wildly with panic, though he tried his best to maintain a calm smile on his face. "Actually, regarding this matter, we should view it dialectically... I wonder if the Elder Immortal has ever heard of metaphysics? It is a profound academic discipline, called metaphysics in English, which studies things outside of our science—things without physical form that cannot be proven—"

"Little friend need not pull my leg."

"Er... Very well. Actually... I am a Douzhe. I wonder if the Elder Immortal has ever heard of my tragic experiences?

Once, I was the most dazzling genius in my clan, but afterwards, I inexplicably and rapidly plummeted into good-for-nothing status. To make matters worse, the girl betrothed to me since childhood actually came to call off the marriage! Surely you know, for thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully a young—"

"Your name is Zhang Yu, the sole son of the Lunu Zhang family, and you are betrothed to Zhen Luo, the youngest daughter of the Wuji Zhen family, with a deep affection between the two...

Little friend is a clever person, but forgive this poor Daoist for his dullness, I have no idea what on earth you were just talking about!"

The moment the word "about" left his lips, Nanhua swung the goosefoot staff in his hand. A transparent wooden pestle miraculously materialized out of thin air, crashing straight toward the spot where Zhang Yu was standing.

"Holy cow!" Zhang Yu's skill points were apparently all maxed out in evasion. Executing the *Xiaoyaoyou* footwork, he narrowly dodged the beam of light with mystifying precision.

"Look at your age, why are you taking things so seriously with me!"

"Xiaoyaoyou!? Where did you learn this footwork?"

"Are you a walking encyclopedia?! If I weren't no match for you, I would have silenced you already..." Zhang Yu raged inwardly, raising his head to glare fiercely at the old man. "I created it myself!"

*Whoosh!*

Nanhua swung his goosefoot staff once more, and two beams of light materialized simultaneously on both sides of him.

"That's impossible! This was taught to me by an expert," Zhang Yu blurted out hastily.

"Who?"

"Cao Cao! As the saying goes, 'Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives,' his prowess is evident for all to see."

"How is it I have never heard such a phrase..." Nanhua stroked his beard, finally lowering his goosefoot staff.

One could hardly blame him for never hearing it, as the phrase simply did not exist at this point in time.

In history, this classic line—"Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives"—would not appear until a few years later, when Li Jue and Guo Si joined forces to hunt down the young emperor.

At that time, the young emperor was driven to a desperate plight, and someone suggested he seek help from Cao Cao, arguing that his merit in pacifying the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans qualified him to rescue the imperial carriage. The young emperor hurriedly wrote a letter imploring Cao Cao to send reinforcements, but before the messenger could depart, the coalition forces had already arrived. Just at that moment, Cao Cao's general, Xiahou Dun, acting on Cao Cao's orders, led an army to protect the emperor, successfully routing the coalition forces of Li and Guo. Following this, Cao Cao was bestowed with official titles and thus secured the "Son of Heaven," the crucial element in his grand strategic pursuit of commanding the feudal lords.

And our young emperor, as a result, jokingly remarked, "Speak of Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrives."

Be that as it may, Nanhua pressed no further. Perhaps seeing Zhang Yu execute the *Xiaoyaoyou* footwork stayed his hand, murmuring only, "I shall seek out that Cao Cao another day," before dropping the matter. He then gazed fixedly at the pavilion—now named the Wuji Pavilion—his eyes remaining unmoving for a long time.

Zhang Yu dared not utter a single word, following Nanhua's gaze to stare at the Wuji Pavilion as well, though his mind was running wild with random thoughts.

Ever since his time-travel, he had indeed witnessed quite a few formidable commanders. Fierce generals like Yan Liang and Wen Chou possessed supreme martial arts, not to mention Wang Yue and the non-human Lu Bu; beyond that, how much stronger could anyone else be compared to Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun?

Yet, a spellcaster of the ranged variety... this was truly his first time encountering one. Talent of this sort was relatively scarce in the late Han dynasty. Excluding the Three Immortals of the late Han, the only other practitioner he knew of was the renowned Grand Preceptor Zhang Jue, which showed just how precious mages were in this era.

And the man before him was the master of that very Grand Preceptor; he ought to count as the Grand-Grand Preceptor, at the very least... That pestle strike earlier was merely meant to warn him, otherwise, if the old man had cast a spell casually, wouldn't his own combat power have been captured without a fight?

After a long silence, Nanhua finally spoke:

"Human life is like a mayfly; how can one possibly know everything in this world... So be it. This is the little friend's fortuitous encounter, and it also shows that the little friend is blessed with profound fortune. This poor Daoist will press the matter no further, except..."

"Except for what?"

"Except that Nanhua Valley is this poor Daoist's secluded abode, and yet it is now occupied by your Wuji Pavilion. This, I fear, is somewhat improper."

No wonder!

No wonder a place like this earthly paradise had no visitors; it was because such a divine being was concealed here.

Zhang Yu pinched his chin and tentatively asked, "What does the Elder Immortal mean?"

"I see that your Wuji Pavilion is magnificent indeed. How about choosing one of its levels for this poor Daoist's use, in exchange for your uninvited intrusion into my Nanhua Valley? What do you say?"

"Naturally, I have no objections. But I wonder which level the Elder Immortal has set his sights upon among these three tiers?"

"Three tiers? Tsk tsk, how did a mortal like you manage to learn this poor Daoist's *Xiaoyaoyou*? Such aptitude falls far short of my disciple's; it is truly difficult for you to inherit my mantle."

"I didn't want to learn it anyway. With the system in hand, what can't I get? What's so great about being a little Daoist priest?" Zhang Yu continued to vent his thoughts inwardly.

"Your Wuji Pavilion has three tiers at the summit and six tiers within the mountain, taking nine as the number of ultimate extremity. Yet, the brilliance of this pavilion lies in the fact that there is yet another level beneath this mountain!"

Old Immortal Nanhua stroked his long beard with a look of smug satisfaction. "It serves as the foundation of nine, transcending the ultimate extremity. Only thus does it live up to the name 'Wuji' (Boundless/Infinite)."