Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 313 - 307: The Saint Wants to Take the Phoenix as a Disciple【Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets】_1
The sage Laozi saw the Wordless Heavenly Scripture at that moment. He had already believed Sha Chen’s words. Originally, he was half-doubtful because, although Sha Chen’s eyes were well masked, Laozi himself was an old hand, shrewd and experienced. He could tell there were some issues with what Sha Chen had said. But then, seeing Sha Chen produce the Wordless Heavenly Scripture, he ’guessed’ what had happened and chose to believe.
Sha Chen’s eyes flickered somewhat, and there were ripples in his heart, as if he was reluctant to present the Wordless Heavenly Scripture and to honestly explain himself. However, he still had to honestly explain. As expected, now that he had produced the Wordless Heavenly Scripture, everything about Sha Chen seemed normal again. This indicated that Sha Chen had decided to break the pot and spill it all, resolved to come clean.
One should know, Li Er was quite confident in himself; he saw Sha Chen take out the Wordless Heavenly Scripture without any change in expression. Even if there were changes, Sha Chen wouldn’t be able to detect them. That is to say, Sha Chen didn’t know that he was under surveillance, and whether or not he was lying was all under Li Er’s watchful eye. However, Li Er, impressive as he was, did not expect that Sha Chen possessed an even more formidable system. After Li Er trusted Sha Chen, the system immediately judged Sha Chen to have completed his task and then rewarded him. Gaining the reward proved that Sha Chen had completed his task and passed the test smoothly, making it unnecessary to deceive Li Er any longer!
Sha Chen naturally became calm because of this. Yet he didn’t anticipate that Li Er would misunderstand this calmness as resignation, a sign he was ready to come clean.
Holding the Wordless Heavenly Scripture and refusing to let go, Sha Chen said, "The Saint should see what this is, right?"
Li Er nodded and said, "The Wordless Heavenly Scripture."
Sha Chen gave a thumbs-up and said, "The Saint is correct; it indeed is the Wordless Heavenly Scripture. When I first obtained it, I discovered it contained the entire content of the Tao Te Ching, so I directly began Refining it."
"Otherwise, my Cultivation would not have advanced so rapidly. It’s all thanks to the Tao Te Ching. My understanding of various Divine Powers and Cultivation Techniques accelerated because of the Wordless Heavenly Scripture."
Li Er made some deductions and found that the Western Cataclysm was fast approaching. Even he couldn’t fully calculate its arrival. But then, he could probably make an estimate. It made sense that the Wordless Heavenly Scripture was indeed obtained by Sha Chen here. Actually, Sha Chen did indeed acquire the Wordless Heavenly Scripture here, but when exactly he did so remained intriguing. Anyway, Li Er believed. Apart from his deduction that the Wordless Heavenly Scripture truly emerged from the Flowing Sand River, he also deduced that Sha Chen’s swift mastery of various Divine Powers must also be due to the Wordless Heavenly Scripture. With the Wordless Heavenly Scripture, and then encountering disciples of the Three Pure Ones using various Divine Powers, which he visualized and subsequently practiced—this was why Sha Chen managed to cultivate so many Divine Powers. It was all thanks to the Wordless Heavenly Scripture!
Li Er thought, It seems the Wordless Heavenly Scripture is his greatest trump card. Truly a heaven-defying opportunity.
While Li Er was lost in his wild thoughts, Sha Chen carefully put away the Wordless Heavenly Scripture. Then, seeing the change in Li Er’s gaze, he quickly said, "The Saint wouldn’t covet a junior’s Magical Tool, right? If word of that got out, it wouldn’t sound good at all."
Li Er said, "Rest assured, don’t use reverse psychology. I won’t seize your Magical Tool. The Wordless Heavenly Scripture is just that. Although it was passed by my master to Yuan Shi, if anyone were to seize it from you, it would be him."
With a mournful face, Sha Chen said, "Saint, save me! The Wordless Heavenly Scripture is my lifeblood; I cannot give it away."
"When I came here, the Wordless Heavenly Scripture was without an owner. How could it be said to belong to Saint Yuan Shi?"
Li Er laughed softly and said, "I didn’t expect you to have your fears."
Sha Chen responded, "The Saint jests. I have always been timid and cautious, ever vigilant. If not, I wouldn’t have hidden in the Flowing Sand River for over two hundred years."
For a while, Li Er was at a loss for words. And then he said, "The Wordless Heavenly Scripture is indeed a Magical Tool of Yuan Shi. However, you need not worry; everything is predetermined."
"Since he has lost it, it indicates the Wordless Heavenly Scripture was not fated for him. That it has landed in your hands means it’s fated for you; keep it."
Sha Chen probed, "Will Saint Yuan Shi come to seize it back?"
Li Er fell silent this time. If it were anyone else, he truly could give Sha Chen a definite answer. But with Lord Yuan Shi, he really didn’t know how to respond. It wasn’t a lack of understanding of Lord Yuan Shi, but rather too much understanding that made it hard to answer. Because Lord Yuan Shi is such a transcendently proud figure, and also temperamental, not inferior in disposition to the Tongtian Hierarch. And as a Saint, he is rather condescending, often acting on a whim. In the Divine Enthronement war, Lord Yuan Shi struck to kill juniors several times, including Qiongxiao, who was killed by him. But then, there are also times when Lord Yuan Shi values his reputation, especially in front of his own juniors, where he places great importance on status. In the final analysis, Lord Yuan Shi is a Saint who is very concerned about his status and appearance—temperamental and whimsical, but also cares about face. Quite contradictory. But it was indeed Lord Yuan Shi. In fact, if one thinks about it carefully, it’s quite understandable.
Lord Yuan Shi’s temperament was somewhat similar to that of the Tongtian Hierarch, though he did not quite match up to the latter. In terms of disposition, he was rather like the Two Western Saints; they are despicable, while he is shameless and impulsive. It could be said that Lord Yuan Shi was a combination of the Tongtian Hierarch and the Two Western Saints, with a somewhat contradictory yet reasonable personality. After all, among the Three Pure Ones, Lord Yuan Shi was inferior to the highest but superior to the lowest. Such a capricious person, yet still a Saint—even Li Er could not be sure about his actions.
Upon seeing this, Sha Chen became incredibly tense. He hurriedly asked, "Does the Saint think that Saint Yuan Shi will come to take back the Wordless Heavenly Scripture?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
Li Er was silent for a while, then said, "Actually, you don’t need to worry too much. Even if he comes to take back the Wordless Heavenly Scripture, just give it to him. Without confrontation or contest, there should be no threat to your life."
"Even if he seizes your Wordless Heavenly Scripture, he might still compensate you with something."
Sha Chen realized, so there is still a possibility that Lord Yuan Shi might come to snatch the Wordless Heavenly Scripture! As for not contesting or struggling, dare he even try it!? Unless he steps into the Saint Realm, if Lord Yuan Shi came then, he would dare to contest! But then, becoming a Saint is supremely difficult; even with a system, he didn’t have much confidence in becoming one! Right now, that was just the direction he was developing towards.
Sha Chen thought to himself, If I really encounter Lord Yuan Shi coming to seize the scripture, aside from handing it over, I have no other choice. Although I feel stifled in my heart, indeed, I have no alternative.
Li Er said, "Well, since you have obtained the Tao Te Ching, then consider it your good fortune. And you needn’t worry about what Yuan Shi will do. He lost the Wordless Heavenly Scripture but replicated the Tao Te Ching; I still need to settle accounts with him for that."
Upon hearing this, Sha Chen felt a surge of joy and eagerly said, "The Saint is going to find Saint Yuan Shi to settle accounts? Then there must be a fight to the death."
Li Er immediately rapped Sha Chen on the head, causing him to grimace in pain. Considering how terrifyingly strong Sha Chen’s body was, being easily brought to a headache by Li Er gave some idea of how dreadful a Saint can be.
Li Er humphed and said, "The Three Pure Ones are all family. I’m going to settle accounts with him only through bickering. You still think I’d fight him to the death? Then I wouldn’t have any time to come after you to settle accounts, would I?"
Sha Chen, his thoughts read clearly, showed not the slightest embarrassment. And through their interaction, he found that Li Er wasn’t much like Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad, and that he didn’t particularly enjoy bullying others. He was rather reasonable, after all. Of course, Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad was reasonable at first too, but after his offer of apprenticeship was refused, he became enraged and tormented Sha Chen for three months.
Li Er also wanted apprentices, aiming to take the Phoenix sisters as disciples, and Sha Chen had half-reluctantly agreed. So, Li Er had no reason to torment Sha Chen. Even strictly speaking, Sha Chen was the Phoenix sisters’ father, placing him on par with Li Er. Before the sisters formally became his disciples, if Li Er caused Sha Chen too much trouble, he might jeopardize his chance to teach them. Li Er knew how to weigh situations.
「In the following days.」
Li Er stayed around, while the Phoenix sisters refused to cultivate because they didn’t want their Cultivation to reach that of a Daluo Golden Immortal. As long as their Cultivation did not break through, according to the agreement, they didn’t have to leave the Flowing Sand River; they didn’t have to go with a strange old man!
Sha Chen had spent quite some time before he was able to barely persuade them. But strictly speaking, what Sha Chen did these past days was not so much persuading as telling them that he was their father and he wouldn’t bear to let them leave. He was also instilling in them the idea that the Flowing Sand River would always be their home. No matter how close outsiders might become or how comfortable it might be outside, the Flowing Sand River and Sha Chen would always be their haven. If they made it big outside or found opportunities, they should never forget the Flowing Sand River.
They were quite obedient and gradually came to understand that resistance was futile. And what Sha Chen said was reasonable: the Flowing Sand River would always be their home, and Sha Chen would always be their father. Sha Chen had nurtured them and accompanied them through the most crucial decades of their youth, an indelible mark. In the sorrow and joy of parting, promises often sink deeper into the heart. Sha Chen’s time these days with the sisters grew more profound than ever, ensuring they would always remember him. Even if they traveled far away, they would always know that the Flowing Sand River was their home and Sha Chen was the most important person in their lives!
Even so, Sha Chen pointedly spoke ill of Li Er, saying that although he was a Saint interested in them, as their father, it was natural to be reluctant, but disagreeing would mean death for the entire family. The sisters naturally declared they would die with Sha Chen, live and die together; they didn’t care, just so long as they weren’t separated. But then, Sha Chen naturally said that it didn’t matter if he died, but he would not want the sisters to die. His words moved the sisters deeply once again, while Li Er, upon hearing of it later, ended up giving Sha Chen a beating.
「That day.」
Sha Chen finally managed to settle the Phoenix sisters to rest, and then he found time to cook a meal for Li Er. But then, Li Er gave him a beating and said, "You’re quite the people-person, making me out to be the villain while you take all the credit for being the good guy."
"Now, in their eyes, I’m the unforgivably wicked one, while you are their glorious and noble father. Teacher of Heaven and Earth—you’re the father, you’re heaven and earth, and I’m the teacher, so I’m last on the list?"
Li Er patted the back of Sha Chen’s head and said, "I’m only interested in their talent and some connection to their forebears, which is why I want to cultivate them. You, on the other hand, make it look like I’ve kidnapped them and won’t give them back. Isn’t that too calculative!?"
