Meng Qi was surprised by this news. Dharmakaya would be truly immortal as they had gone through the Heavenly Stairs, one step closer to being a Real G.o.d. Any illnesses should have recovered by now. w.a.n.g Siyuan was unwell because the backwash effect of the Heavenly Way got back to him. According to the norm, he would not lose control before the deadline of the fiftieth as long as he was not seeking death.
Moreover, w.a.n.g Siyuan's talent outs.h.i.+ned every ancestor of the w.a.n.g Family who achieved Dharmakaya and was comparable to the Sage of Arithmetic in his younger days. The hidden danger from the Devil Buddha was also removed. There was plenty of time until his deadline. With his profound acc.u.mulation, he should have a bright future; and his breakthrough was highly antic.i.p.ated. How come there was a sudden recurrence?
Surprised by this, Meng Qi first thought was that w.a.n.g Siyuan was setting a trap. However, he could not determine what was the conspiracy and who was it against as there was too little information.
Of course, it was also possible that w.a.n.g Siyuan did something secretly which backfired on him.
Meng Qi nodded in contemplation, and said to Ruan Shuyu, "Grand w.a.n.g Prince was kind to me by enlightening me with his knowledge. I must get to Guangling to find out more about it."
…
Walking into the ancestral home of the w.a.n.g Family from Jiangdong, Meng Qi sensed the trace of time and also the sedimented history. Spots around the house reflected the indestructible heritage of the w.a.n.g family.
"Please come with me, Teacher Su," a sweet looking handmaiden with round face led Meng Qi across the courtyard into w.a.n.g Siyuan's room.
Similar to other aristocrats, the floor was covered with a thick western carpet. Even someone with poor kungfu could walk on it without making a sound. Works of calligraphy and paintings by the ancestors of the w.a.n.g Family occupied the wall. Windows were tightly shut and fumes swirled up, the bronze furnace releasing soothing light fragrance of sandalwood. However, the room was permeating with signs of illness. The heavens and earth were affected as a consequence of the strong person losing control over himself.
Removing the folding screen, a black wooden bed appeared in front of Meng Qi. The handmaiden helped w.a.n.g Siyuan up, leaning his back against the pillow. With the delicate appearance and him being thinned to the bones, it seemed likely that a gust of wind might blow him apart.
"Cough, cough, cough," w.a.n.g Siyuan coughed violently as if his organs were going to be coughed out. It took a long time for him to ease it, "There is no need for you to visit me. I am already a dead man."
Meng Qi chuckled, "This is not the Grand w.a.n.g Prince that I used to know."
"How is the, cough, Grand w.a.n.g Prince you knew?" w.a.n.g Siyuan looked toward him. There was a slight divergence in his pupils, and his gaze was dull and lifeless. He seemed like an ordinary patient awaiting his death.
Meng Qi held his smile and said, "The Great w.a.n.g Prince that I knew would not give up and wait for his death quietly. Instead, he would risk his life setting a life and death stratagem."
w.a.n.g Siyuan struggled in raising the corner of his mouth, "What kind of stratagem do you think I am going to set?"
"If I can guess your plan with these pieces of information, then you are not deemed to be called the Life Master," said Meng Qi stopping in front of the folding screen.
w.a.n.g Siyuan drew a deep breath and said, "Even if I am having a plan, it is still a failure since you guys have already known about it. Previously, all those mighty people also died without resisting. This is our destiny."
For a while, he spoke so fluently that Meng Qi suspected it was the dying flash.
He continued with a faint smile, "Am I supposed to thank you for educating me on the family motto?"
"You?" Meng Qi was taken aback. How did trickster w.a.n.g known about his return to the Middle Ages!?
Which Dharmakaya told him or did the Sage of Arithmetic leave something behind?
Once again, w.a.n.g Siyuan was overcome by a terrible fit of coughing. He even coughed up blood which he spat into a bronze vessel. At ease, he said, "How can I not know Su Meng, the well-known Sword Sage? My ancestors admiration toward Master Su can be known through their story of the Jade Emperor Mountain. Now I, now I understand the relation."
He spoke regardless of the handmaiden next to him, convinced that information would not leak.
Meng Qi could only laugh it off.
w.a.n.g Siyuan did not dwell on this issue. He shut his eyes wearily and said, "Gu Erduo was dead? The Scorpio Axe did not rescue him?"
"He is indeed a dead man. The Scorpio Axe fled in terror," Meng Qi briefly answered.
w.a.n.g Siyuan did not open his eyes, but showed a faint smile as he said, "The heavens and earth will be your greatest ally when luck is with you. However, when luck is gone even the greatest hero is of no use."
He shook his head as if he was unable to carry on with such a long conversation. A Dharmakaya of Half-Step who could survive without eating or drinking was actually feeling exhausted now, "Stay here for the night... there are still things to discuss with you tomorrow..."
"Fine," Meng Qi did not reject.
"Please lead Teacher Su to the Heavenly Mystery Pavillion, He Xiang," w.a.n.g Siyuan instructed the round face handmaiden.
The handmaiden led Meng Qi out of the room. Approaching the entrance, he heard w.a.n.g Siyuan mocking himself as he said, "I really have no friends. After the return of my disease, you are the only one who visited me apart from those sent by their sect or aristocratic families."
Hiss, Meng Qi took a breath. He did not sound like the usual Grand w.a.n.g Prince. Linked to what he said earlier, a huge conspiracy seemed to be going on.
Could it be that his life was coming to an end, hence, he wanted to do something great?
As Meng Qi was contemplating, he followed the round-faced handmaiden He Xiang across the courtyard. They came to a simple yet ordinary greyish double story building.
"The w.a.n.g Family's main building is closeby, please do not simply walk around, Teacher Su. If you are going out, I will be at your service," He Xiang said smilingly as she opened the door.
The interior was elegant yet not creaky even though it was vacant for a long period. However, it was not vibrant. Meng Qi asked randomly as he was walking upstairs, "When did the leader of the w.a.n.g family become bedridden?"
"About twenty days ago, something went wrong during his practice, causing his old disease to relapse…" He Xiang said as tears welled up in her eyes.
Meng Qi did not further question. As he walked to the second floor, a Waterside Pavilion caught his attention. On his left, cypress trees were surrounding an ancient building, looking strangely majestic yet solemn.
"What is that place?" Meng Qi asked.
He Xiang buried her emotions, and said, "That is the w.a.n.g Family's ancestral hall."
Ancestral hall? Meng Qi gently nodded as he entered the room. He sat down and started to meditate, waiting for the next day.
As the sunset, the night drew in. Meng Qi released his spirit to engulf the surrounding. He sensed the tranquility of the night as there was n.o.body around, but only He Xiang was standing outside.
Dark clouds gathered in the sky. It was already late at night. The night was as dark as ink that could not be smeared off. Meng Qi seemed quiet as he was building connection with the Imprint of Additional Self.
Ahhh!
Suddenly, he heard a loud shriek. So forceful as if he was bearing something extremely awful. Even Meng Qi who owned such a cultivation base could not stop a cold s.h.i.+ver from running down his spine.
He got out of his room with a sudden move. Looking at the unmindful He Xiang, he asked, "What was that sound just now?"
As He Xiang revealed her expression of feeling sorry, "It is my fault for not notifying Teacher Su about the w.a.n.g's family ancestry whereby one who reaches Dharmakaya will let out a horrible shriek when he pa.s.ses away. Rumors say that it is a punishment from heaven. When his soul enters the ancestral hall with some obsession in mind then echoes of shrieks can be heard. However, as time goes by, it will reduce gradually. This place is closer to the ancestral hall, hence it is normal to hear the shrieking sound."
So all the w.a.n.g family's Dharmakaya will let out such a horrid scream when they pa.s.s away? Meng Qi abruptly recalled what the Sage of Arithmetic told him before they parted, "The more you look into the truth, the more you will be caught by it. What you get seems to be glorious with tons of benefits, but at the end of the day you still need to return all of them…"
"Among all these shrieks, the Sage of Arithmetic is not included right?" Meng Qi asked casually.
"Yes! Since the Sage of Arithmetic died somewhere else, only his clothes are put in the ancestral hall," He Xiang answered truthfully.
"The shrieking sound that remains now belongs to which Dharmakaya?" Meng Qi asked randomly.
After a moment of thought, before He Xiang could answer, a loud shriek from the ancestral hall transmitted across the atmosphere again, anciently and weather-worn as if it could pa.s.s through an eternity. It was also mixed with extreme fear. Meng Qi almost got overwhelmed by fear.
"The earliest, the earliest one is our w.a.n.g Family ancestor..." He Xiang answered nervously.
