The Way of Spiritual Journey

Chapter 27, Nalan's Past

Seeing this, Li Lang also picked up the hot tea on the table, took a small sip, and smiled slightly. He knew that Shi Butong was complaining about giving the hundred taels of silver to Rou'er, which had made her lose face.

"Just tell me, and if I'm satisfied, I might give you a surprise tonight!" Li Lang's words were casual and seemingly nonchalant, but his expression exuded confidence that left no room for doubt.

"A surprise?" Shi Butong's eyes lit up, filled with anticipation.

"Hmm. Tell me, if I let you outshine everyone tonight and win the moon for a wonderful night together, how would you thank me?" Li Lang held up his teacup, gently waving it in front of his eyes, as if talking to himself.

"Then, then you are my brother, no, you are my father!" Shi Butong was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant and became so excited that he was incoherent.

"Get lost! I haven't even gotten married yet, where did you come from?" Li Lang was speechless upon hearing this, and could only laugh and curse.

"Hehe. If you can help me make this happen, I, Shi Butong, and my father, the Minister of Personnel, will be eternally grateful." Shi Butong was truly excited. He could sense that this young master from out of town was indeed extraordinary.

Putting aside his generosity in giving away the hundred taels of silver so readily, the eloquent words he uttered unintentionally were something that ordinary young masters could not display.

Shi was excited, but he did not lose his mind. On the contrary, his mind was exceptionally clear, and he explained his origins without leaving a trace in his words.

The son of the Minister of Personnel is definitely someone worth befriending.

Li Lang's heart stirred, but his face remained expressionless, as if he didn't care at all which family's young master Shi Butong was.

Shi Butong, though seemingly a playboy, was extremely intelligent. He accurately captured Li Lang's expression and couldn't help but think to himself, "This man is unfathomable; he's worth befriending!"

"Does the young master know about Miss Mingyue's background?" Shi Butong's words became serious.

"Yes, I've heard a little about it." Li Lang nodded.

"Legend has it that his ancestor, Nalan Hengdao, followed Emperor Taizu in conquering the country, a true minister who served the emperor. Of course, that's not the point. The point is that Nalan Hengdao was initially just a martial artist, but later, through some unknown opportunity, he rose to become a spiritual master, enjoying immense prestige and joining the ranks of the most powerful and noble families." Shi Butong began to recount the origins of the Nalan family.

"So they are descendants of wealthy and noble families," Li Lang realized.

"Alas, the saying goes, 'Spiritual beings bring success, and spiritual beings bring ruin.' The Nalan family only had one generation of spiritual beings, and none of their descendants have opened their spiritual apertures, so the family naturally declined. Until recently, the Nalan family has been in turmoil again, with the emergence of a woman of unparalleled beauty. There are even rumors that she has an ancestral lineage and is very likely to become a spiritual being again."

"Then what is a spiritual being?"

"You know, most people in our world are ordinary. Those who can endure hardship and train can become martial artists, and those with exceptional talent can rise to become the strongest among martial artists. Dayuan is a nation founded on martial arts, and these people are the cornerstone of the country. If they can achieve merit on the battlefield, their future is promising."

Shi Butong continued, "But above martial artists, there are spiritualists, the true chosen ones of heaven. To put it another way, if a martial artist fights an ordinary person, it's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—it's an easy task. But if a spiritualist wants to kill a martial artist, they only need a single thought. That's the difference."

"Are spirit practitioners really that powerful? Is it difficult to become a spirit practitioner?" Li Lang asked again.

"The power of a Spirit Master is beyond doubt, even beyond our imagination. As for how difficult it is, let me put it this way: in the more than three hundred years since the founding of the Great Yuan Dynasty, among the hundreds of millions of people, the number of Spirit Masters recorded in history books is only a few hundred." Shi Butong's words are very vivid, and the difficulty of becoming a Spirit Master is immediately apparent.

"That's a bit difficult. But what does this have to do with Miss Mingyue?" Li Lang asked again.

"Yes, it's a huge deal. A body with spiritual essence can open spiritual apertures, and the person who combines with it has a very high chance of becoming a spiritual being. Thus, they can rise above all living beings. Of course, these are all legends," Shi Butong said vividly.

"I still don't understand. Since the Nalan family was very powerful and were founding heroes, why did their descendants end up here?" Li Lang still had questions.

"Back then, Nalan Hengdao was originally a martial artist. Although he followed Emperor Taizu in conquering the world, his strength was ultimately limited, and he could only linger on the periphery. But almost overnight, he rose to become a Spirit Master, becoming the best in the army and entering the core of the emperor's inner circle. Countless people were so envious that they went crazy. These people used all sorts of means to inquire everywhere, trying to find out the secret of Nalan Hengdao's overnight rise to Spirit Master, but in the end, they found nothing."

Shi Butong picked up his teacup, took a sip to moisten his throat, and continued, "After the founding of the Great Yuan Dynasty, one day the founding emperor went hunting and had a great harvest. When he was feasting his ministers, he was in high spirits and drank a few too much. Taking advantage of his drunkenness, he casually asked with a smile, 'Your divine prowess is something I greatly admire. Could you please explain the secret of your spiritual power?'"

"Note that all the officials here are meritorious officials who followed Emperor Taizu in conquering the country. They are Nalan Hengdao's sworn brothers. At this moment, they all prick up their ears and wait expectantly for Nalan Hengdao's answer."

Shi Butong paused here to catch his breath.

"So how did Nalan Hengdao answer?" Li Lang knew it was time for him to chime in; otherwise, it would be pointless to continue this one-man show.

"Nalan Hengdao did not answer, but only smiled without saying a word. The Emperor Taizu's smile froze on his face, and the banquet ended unhappily. From then on, there was no record of the Emperor Taizu drinking and chatting with Nalan Hengdao again," Shi Butong continued.

"Were there no spiritual beings in Dayuan at that time? Even the founding emperor did not know the method of becoming a spiritual being?" Li Lang asked again.

"Of course there are, but most of these spiritual practitioners live in seclusion. They only care about their own cultivation and don't even pay attention to the change of dynasties. Emperors, in the end, are just ordinary mortals, so they naturally don't know the method of becoming a spiritual being," Shi Butong replied.

"Hmm, it seems that becoming a Spirit Master is indeed a difficult thing." Li Lang nodded, seemingly lost in thought. "Nalan Hengdao was a Spirit Master, yet he refused to reveal the method of becoming a Spirit Master even in the mortal world, before the emperor. Therefore, the decline of his family after his death was inevitable."

"Young master's insight is excellent. As a spirit being, one's methods are indeed superb, but one's lifespan is only slightly longer than that of an ordinary person, and one's protection of the family cannot be maintained for too long."

"So after Nalan Hengdao's death, the Nalan family collapsed overnight, just as it had risen to power. The Nalan clan members, whether guilty or guilty, became objects of contention among various forces, which is truly lamentable." Shi Butong nodded in agreement, feeling a deep sense of sorrow.