Chapter 16: Unknowingly Having Developed Feelings

  "Thank you." All the gratitude and excitement are contained in this sincere thank you.

  Being stared at by Bai Hua, Li Mu felt a bit embarrassed for a moment, and his face actually showed a rare blush. In front of this gentle face, it was worth doing anything for her. Being stared at by such deep eyes, everything in the world seemed to be unimportant. My world, only you.

  Li Mu scratched his head and said blankly: "Nothing, this is what I should do."

  His words were also very true.

  The sky was already late, and both of their stomachs were protesting a bit. They went to the Dixian Building together and hastily ate some food before resting separately.

  Facing the same dark night, two people couldn't sleep. In Li Mu's mind, various images of Bai Hua kept emerging, lingering until deep into the night. As for Bai Hua, she who had slept for a thousand years once again found her hope, and her excited heart didn't sleep all night. Until the next day, she was somewhat afraid to face Li Mu, afraid to face this honest person who had been deceived by her.

  For the first time, she felt guilty towards someone she had deceived. This feeling came from deep within her, yet it was as heavy as a thousand pounds, suffocating her.

  She packed her bags early and came to bid farewell to Li Mu.

  "Are you leaving?"

  Just like when she came, she was dressed in men's attire, carrying a bundle on her back and holding a purple sword in her hand. Li Mu was stunned for a moment, and suddenly a strong sense of reluctance surged up in his heart, feeling sour.

  Bai Huan lowered her head, after all, she still had to face him. "Mm." She nodded slightly and looked at him again, saying: "I still have something very important to do..." Originally, she wanted to remind him of a couple of things, but the words reached her lips and were withdrawn. Bai Huan felt only guilt towards him after all. She didn't want this feeling to exist in her heart forever.

  "I'll go with you." Li Mu spoke firmly, at this moment he was willing to abandon everything and leave with the beautiful woman in front of him without any hesitation. He didn't care about fate or gods, all he cared about was the girl in his eyes.

  Bai Huang was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head and said: "You don't have to defy heaven's will for me. If fate permits it, we'll meet again someday."

  Even if there is a chance in the vastness of time, we will never be together forever.

  Looking at the gradually fading back, Li Mu once again felt the feeling of not getting. The Buddha said: There are seven sufferings in life: birth, aging, illness, death, parting from loved ones, unfulfilled desires, and separation from loved ones. When one transcends birth, aging, illness, and death, the remaining three sufferings become even more apparent.

  "Hmm." A long time, turning all complex emotions into a sigh.

  Li Mu, who was influenced by the Taoist Dharma since childhood, is good at adjusting his emotions and embodies the idea of not being happy with external things or sad with internal ones. The Taoist philosophy emphasizes that one should not strive for anything, what belongs to you will naturally come to you. Although Li Mu did not study the Taoist Dharma diligently since childhood, this spirit of having no desires or pursuits has been passed down.

  A person stands on the slope, facing a wisp of sunlight, warm and colorful, and the whole mood is much more relaxed. There is a gentle breeze blowing by, carrying the fresh air of dawn, making people's spirits refreshed.

  Wind! A phrase flashed through Li Mu's mind: The wind originates from the earth and can be transmitted for a thousand miles, it can also be stopped.

  This is the description of wind in Weitian Jing, and also the annotation of Yufeng Shu. After reading Weitian Jing, Li Mu found a most obvious problem, which is also the most essential difference between Weitian Jing's cultivation method and Tongyuan Dao Fa. Tongyuan Dao Fa, like ordinary Xianfa, emphasizes the word "borrow", using the energy of heaven and earth elements to cast spells. While Weitian Jing focuses on the word "control", controlling the elements of heaven and earth to cast spells.

  As mentioned in the Weitian Jing, words such as "Yu", "Kong", "Cao", "Yin", "Huan" and "Jia" are all techniques that control the elements of heaven and earth through incantations. Such as "Yu Feng Shu" (Wind Control Technique), "Cao Lei Shu" (Thunder Control Technique), "Kong Huo Shu" (Fire Control Technique) and "Huan Yu Shu" (Rain Summoning Technique).

  Although the means of casting a spell and the art of cultivating immortality are different, the effects they exhibit are exactly the same. Therefore, even if the Buddha or an immortal were to ascend, it would be very difficult to distinguish from external appearances whether someone's magical powers are being controlled or borrowed.

  Faced with a set of cultivation methods that were completely different from what he had learned before, Li Mu couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. Switching from borrowing to controlling was like suddenly being asked to switch languages and communicate with someone else, leaving him at a loss for words.

  Fortunately, Li Mu was not unfamiliar with the seven elements of nature, and some simple spells were easy to learn. After a few days of contemplation, the Wind Control Technique had made some small progress. With himself as the guide, with incantations as the medium, he could control the wind elements around him at will. It was like the Flight Technique controlling the auspicious clouds, except that the auspicious clouds were borrowed, while this wind was controlled through subjugation.

  Things borrowed must always be returned, but slaves can serve themselves for life. Good borrowing and good returning make it easy to borrow again. On the other hand, slavery is likely to give rise to rebellion, and if the strength is not enough and the slavery is excessive, it is easy to counterattack.

  Li Mu flew carefully in the air, his hands stretched out to keep his body balanced as much as possible. Every time he flew a short distance, he had to stop and adjust himself, his speed was so slow that it was no different from an old woman in her seventies walking with a cane.

  Just as he was getting a feel for it, it would mysteriously disappear. After several attempts, Li Mu discovered that the sealed spells within his body were interfering with Wei Tianjing's cultivation. Each time he cast a spell, he had to avoid the immortal techniques he had previously cultivated in order to succeed smoothly.

  The sun was setting, and Li Mu lay on the surface of the sea with his hands behind his head and one leg resting on his knee, looking very relaxed. As the waves rose and fell, he bobbed up and down with them. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was some fisherman playing in the water, but as they drew closer, they would see that although Li Mu was lying on the surface of the sea, not a single drop of water had touched his body. He was practicing the Water Controlling Technique, which was exactly what it sounded like - controlling the water to keep himself from sinking or getting wet.

  After these few days of practice, he was basically able to dodge the Xianfa and release some simple spells.

  Just as he was drifting along with the waves, two more heads suddenly popped out of the sea and swam up to him.

  The shrimp nodded its antennae and greeted Li Mu: "Young Master Li, the Dragon King invites you to visit the Dragon Palace."

  Li Mu sat up, floating on the water's surface, staring at the two shrimp and muttering to himself: "Dragon King?" Since Bai Hua left and he focused on Wei Tianjing, it had been half a month since he last went to the Dragon Palace. Li Mu had long forgotten the lie he told Gui Chengxiang when he snuck a peek at the Dinghai Divine Needle. The Dragon King had just returned and, upon hearing from Gui Chengxiang that Li Mu could cure his daughter's illness, hastily sent someone to invite him.

  "Are you back?" Li Mu asked.

  "Not yet."

  "What did the Dragon King ask me to do?" Li Mu looked at the two shrimp in confusion.

  Shrimp soldier Yi replied: "This little people don't know, but looking at the Dragon King's appearance seems to be in a hurry, please ask the young master and us to go together, don't let the little people have trouble."

  The shrimp soldiers in the Dragon Palace all looked alike, and Li Mu didn't know if he had seen these two shrimp before. Since the Dragon King had invited him, it wouldn't hurt to go along with them. Following the two shrimp to the Dragon Palace, the Dragon King and Guan Xiang were already waiting in the grand hall. Upon seeing Guan Xiang, Li Mu suddenly remembered that he had stolen his token. But instead of feeling guilty, Li Mu's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a hint of a smile. This wasn't the first time he had done something sneaky, and Li Mu knew how to put himself above suspicion.

  Obviously, the tortoise prime minister did not suspect Li Mu and did not tell the dragon king about losing his token. Seeing the dragon king walking down from the crystal throne, he hastily pulled Li Mu's hand and said: "Li Gongzi, I heard that you can cure my fourth daughter's illness. If it is true, this king will be eternally grateful."

  "Hmm—" Li Mu hesitated for a moment, then said: "I've followed my master for many years and have some understanding of medicine. I can try to help. If it's not successful, I hope the Dragon King won't blame me."

  "Ah, ah," the Dragon King's face lit up with joy, and he hastily ordered the mountain delicacies and seafood to be served, along with fine wines and excellent brews. After they finished their meal, the Dragon King reminded him, "Li Gongzi, my daughter's strange habits have been going on for decades, avoiding people, even I and her mother can hardly see her once a year. When she falls ill, she doesn't recognize anyone..."

  The dragon king had just finished speaking, when a sharp cry echoed through the entire Dragon Palace, making one's hair stand on end. The source of the sound was precisely where Ao Bing was located. The dragon king and Guan Xiang's faces changed drastically, and the dragon king transformed into a clear shadow that disappeared from the scene.

  "Fourth Princess is ill again, young master, come with me quickly."

  Li Mu had already guessed roughly, where he could still keep up with Guī Chéng's pace, and had long since recited the Water Summoning Spell to follow the water and go. The speed was so fast that it was only slightly slower than the Dragon King.

  Arriving at the Longgong Pianyuan, all that could be seen was a golden dragon with a huge mouth full of blood and a massive tail that swished back and forth, instantly sweeping away the surrounding houses. At the tip of the dragon's sharp teeth, surprisingly, was a fish-headed human figure being bitten. Li Mu also recognized him as the Carp Team Leader of the Dragon Palace Guard, but didn't know why he had enraged Ao Ning, and now seemed about to become his next meal. At this moment, he could only rely on his cultivation to barely hold on.

  "Ning Er, I am your father king, stop quickly." The Dragon King looked at the golden dragon with a heartache, but he didn't care about the carp captain who was on the verge of death. But no matter how he shouted, the golden dragon ignored him and continued to shout and roar desperately.

  As she turned around, she found a familiar figure standing beside her father, with those sincere eyes looking at her with concern. At this moment, time seemed to have stopped flowing, and the originally furious Golden Dragon was stunned.

  Li Mu walked slowly over, his head still raised, looking at her.

  The Dragon King was about to stop her, knowing that his enraged daughter wouldn't even recognize him and would attack. But upon seeing Li Mu, she suddenly became calm. The Dragon King looked at Li Mu in astonishment, as if he didn't dare believe his own eyes.

  "I've finally seen you." Li Mu said with a hint of sarcasm, stopping not far in front of her. Compared to this giant dragon, Li Mu was no different from an ant. No one doubted that if the golden dragon just slightly lifted its buttocks, it could crush Li Mu flat.

  The golden dragon stopped and gazed at him quietly. Big eyes stared at small eyes. For a moment, no one spoke, even the crucian carp on the verge of death stopped struggling.

  Ao Guang looked at this miraculous scene, his eyes shining with tears. Guan Ning and the other guards arrived late, standing stupidly beside Long Wang, unsure of what to do.

  "Do I have to keep talking to you like this?" Li Mu's mouth corners slightly raised, with a hint of playful curve, yet an irresistible charm.

  This charm comes from confidence.

  The golden dragon's body trembled slightly, colorful lights swirling around it, and in an instant, it transformed back into a human form - a beautiful young girl with an enchanting appearance that was beyond compare. Her eyes were filled with panic and distress, which I couldn't help but feel sorry for. The carp team leader regained his life, falling from mid-air, but the heavily injured him no longer had the ability to control his falling speed. Just as he was about to crash heavily onto the ground, a gentle force suddenly pulled him back, slowly placing him on the ground - it was the Dragon King who saved him.

  The Dragon King Ao Guang withdrew his hand and said to the turtle prime minister beside him, "Take him away for treatment." After the guards took away the carp team leader, Ao Guang also quietly turned around and left, leaving more space for them.