The Zen Valley was located not far from the City of Chaos, only several thousand miles away. It happened to be on the border of the Feng Dynasty and the Qi Dynasty as well.
Once, bandits and thefts ran wild in the neighborhood. There was a huge mountain range called the Zen Mountain which housed many a lodes and mines. The bandits and thefts were lured by the place. The place was on the border of two dynasties which had always been in opposing positions. Neither side governed the place.
It went on like this until…
Three thousand years ago, there came an old man. After he came, all the bandits and thefts began to behave because those who didn’t died.
The old man was in a very advanced age when he arrived. People thought he was on the verge of dying. One of his leg seemed to be shorter. Therefore, he needed to crutch when he walked.
The old man was powerful, surprisingly powerful. He fought against all the powerful warriors in the Zen Mountain all by himself and was able to kill one with every move.
Later on, the old man established residence in a beautiful valley. It had been three thousand years since then. The old man remained in a low profile and never once did make trouble. On the other hand, he never ate insult. All those that had offended him died, including… two Semi-God Realm warriors of the Qi Family and the Feng Family.
Nobody knew where the old man was from or the reason that he never left the Zen Valley he lived in. Nobody could tell when he was going to die.
For three thousand years, the old man never walked outside, or at least nobody had seen him doing so. Therefore, apart from the major families, the others of the Central Imperial Universe didn’t even know the presence of this man.
The old man’s name was not known. People called him after the Zen Mountain. What was more, with one shorter leg, it was appropriate to call him the Crippled Zen Master.
…
One day, two special guests came to the foot of the Zen Mountain. It was the Qi Family and Feng Family progenitors.
They were old as well. One of them was three thousand years old, and the other more than two thousand years. They had once come to visit the Crippled Zen Master before, so they had established some sort of friendship.
The two stopped flying after they arrived at the Zen Mountain. They went in on foot but they could still travel fast.
There were people in the mountain. They sensed the coming of the two but none showed up. In the depth of the mountain, there was a serene valley. The two visitors stopped. Guards were here to protect the valley, two cyan-robed men.
The two progenitor warriors didn’t act arrogantly even though it was just two guards. The Qi Family progenitor stroke his long beard and said, “Please tell your lord that Qi Donghai and Feng Wanhu are here to meet him.”
The two guards nodded indifferently in acknowledgement. One of them said, “Wait here.”
The man went into the valley. The two most powerful warriors of the Central Imperial Universe waited outside as they were told. It was an hour later when that middle-aged guard walked out and said, “Our young lady says you may go in now.”
“Young lady?”
The two progenitor warriors were taken aback. The Crippled Zen Master had always been alone. When did he have offspring? They looked at each other. Something seemed to have come to their mind. They nodded and went in side by side.
The valley was a spacious one. They were welcomed by a bamboo forest first. It was a large forest. They couldn’t see the end of it and there was a meandering stream hidden amongst the bamboos.
Traveling along the stone path, they found a sea of flowers in front of them after the time for one incense stick to burn. In the middle of the flowers located a small pond. Several cabins and a pavilion could be seen by the pond.
The two visitors walked past the sea of flowers along the stone path and arrived by the pond where they saw a stunning lady.
She was about 18 or 19. She wore a snow-white dress and combed her hair into a beautiful bun. Her dress danced in the wind and her face was pretty as if she came from a painting. She was in the pavilion playing the Chinese zither. Her fingering was graceful and her music could carry people away. The pavilion was among the flowers. Viewed from the distance, the flowers and the lady accentuated each other’s beauty.
The two progenitors noticed the young lady’s eyes. They couldn’t help but feel sorry that the pretty eyes had no life in them.
Such a shame. This stunning lady was blind!
Yes…
If Lu Li were here, he would have recognized the Chinese zither-playing lady. She was Yin Qingsi, the blind girl he saved in the Purgatory of Primordial Chaos.
When the two progenitors walked to the pavilion, Yin Qingsi just finished the song. She smiled, stood up and said, “It is an honor to meet with you. Please take a seat. I will have tea served.”
“How kind of you!”
The two progenitors thanked her and sat down. Qi Family progenitor suddenly remembered something. He cleared his throat and said, “Dear, I heard that some of the brats in my family have offended you? I will see that they are punished for displeasing you.”
“Ha~”
Yin Qingsi smiled and said, “That is very nice of you. But it is okay for us young people to be like this sometimes. My forefather has already told me that he will not call to account the young that kills me, if that really happens.”
The two progenitors had been cultivating over the years so they were not well-informed with this trivial matter. The Qi Family progenitor felt a burden off from his shoulder after hearing Yin Qingsi’s words.
A young man came and served three cups of tea. But the two progenitors were in no mood to enjoy tea. After a sip, Feng Family progenitor asked, “Dear, where is your forefather? We have some matter we’d like to pick his brain for.”
Yin Qingsi sipped some tea. She then said with a smile, “You want my forefather to help you get the Wicked Bead, right?”
“What?”
The two progenitors was surprised. Feng Family progenitor asked with a frown, “How did you know?”
Yin Qingsi lowered her head and smiled. She answered in a soft voice, “A scholar does not step outside his gate, yet he knows the happenings under the sun. Actually, I know more than you do. For example, that young man named Lu Li, I have more information about him than you do.”
“But…”
The two progenitors found them in shock. They looked at each other, and the Qi Family progenitor posed his question, “That Lu Li really has strong connections?”
Yin Qingsi smiled but didn’t clarify with any explanation. She just murmured, “He is a very impressive, as well as a very interesting man.”
After this exclamation, Yin Qingsi looked up and said seriously, “Forefather hasn’t come out for three years. So… your trip here is for nothing. He will not meet you, and he will not help you for sure. You know him. He will not be be involved in any matter unless we are offended. Have you seen him engage in any conflicts of the Central Imperial Universe over the past three thousand years?”
“What?”
The two progenitors had prepared a long speech but it was unnecessary now. They were not willing to give up, so the Qi Family progenitor sighed and said, “He has been living in the Central Imperial Universe for three thousand years. He must have established emotion to this place. Is he really okay to see lives getting destroyed?”
“Hmm!”
Yin Qingsi shook her head and smiled, “Do you think it is going to be difficult for my forefather to conquer the Central Imperial Universe considering his abilities? Why do you think he has stayed within the Zen Mountain for three thousand years? To him, people of the Central Imperial Universe are no different from the animals living in the Zen Mountain. He will not cast a second look even if all people are dead. Go back now. That is… what forefather wants.”
With that said, Yin Qingsi left. When she walked out from the sea of flowers, she suddenly turned back and said, “I have a piece of advice for you. It is fate that dictates the ownership of Relics. If you force it when the fate is not on your side, not only won’t you get it, you will see endless disasters.”
Yin Qingsi went into a cabin. Even though the two progenitors knew the Crippled Zen Master must be in one of the cabins, they didn’t have the courage to disturb him. They left, disappointed.
Before they came, they felt melancholy as they could not make up their mind. They were even more so now. They felt more discourage to take actions.
They could not determine whether Yin Qing’s advice came from herself or the Crippled Zen Master.