The Forbidden Path to Immortality

Chapter 285

Bisu replied, “It’s the third quarter of the Ox hour now (approx. 2:45 AM). In about two hours and a half, near the end of the Tiger hour, the Star River will drift into this area. It’ll also be my watch, so getting in won’t be a problem.”

The end of the Tiger hour… Li Xun frowned slightly in thought. That precise timing he'd just gotten lined up perfectly with the clues he’d gathered earlier that day, letting him piece together a clearer picture of how the Star River was moving.

The deeper Li Xun dug, the clearer it became why the Star River was counted among the Six Great Forbidden Lands... it wasn’t for nothing. The endless possibilities born from the shifting the celestial stars were far more than he could hope to crack in a short time. No way in hell.

Which meant he could not afford to make a move on Bisu lightly.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Bisu hesitated, then added, “As for that matter…”

He was clearly talking to the palace attendant, but his eyes were fixed on Li Xun, his tone hesitant and cagey. Li Xun sneered to himself. He said nothing, simply lifted his gaze up toward the sky and left the problem for the Attendant to deal with.

Seeing Li Xun behave this way, Bisu actually felt a bit of relief. He then looked to the Palace Attendant.

“Sect Master Gu’s meaning is simple,” the beautiful woman said calmly. “Better to have one less problem than one more.”

Bisu’s face twisted. He pulled it together quick enough, but Li Xun caught it out of the corner of his eye: that flicker of panic in the guy's gaze, mixed with resentment and indignation.

And yet the Palace Attendant’s lovely eyes flicked over, settling on Li Xun. On a face that rarely showed emotion, a small smile appeared.

“Today, you're teaming up with Spirit Bamboo on this, so it's up to the two of you to hash it out. The most important thing is to know your limits and not bite off more than you can chew.”

With that gentle nudge, her intention was obvious. Bisu saw it clearly, but he had no choice except to go along with it.

He looked at Li Xun as well. Although he was a generation senior to Li Xun, there was no missing that hint of pleading look in his eyes.

Li Xun had already gotten the full scoop from the Palace Attendant earlier, so he knew exactly what was up. Still, he played it cool, putting on just the right amount of puzzled confusion on his face, leaning in to whisper a few fake questions in her ear like he was clueless, before finally acting all "oh, now I get it."

His gaze swept over Bisu, taking in every trace of tension on his face. Li Xun sighed inwardly, but only after a moment of apparent thought did a smile finally appear.

“So that’s how it is. Immortal Master Bisu must have misunderstood Sect Master Gu’s intentions. Tonight, the sect master ordered me to slip into the Star River not to come and go unnoticed, but to deliberately stir up trouble.

“So whether it’s entering the Star River, rescuing Ming Ji, or that other matter involving Immortal Master Bisu, everything has to be built around this 'trouble.' That is what ‘better one less problem than one more’ really means.”

Bisu was no fool. And his expression brightened at once like a storm cloud blowing over. He clapped his hands in praise. “Brilliant. No matter how many variables arise, they all count as a single 'incident.' Bundle everything together, and we cut down on loose ends. That makes things far safer. But... do you have any concrete plan in mind?”

Li Xun glanced at the Palace Attendant, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. “The overall plan for tonight is, of course, under Madam Palace’s direction. As for what actually needs to be done inside the Star River, only someone like you, Immortal Master, who is thoroughly familiar with sect affairs, can handle that. As for me, I can only follow behind and offer what little help I can.”

He said it all modest-like, but Bisu had been around for centuries; there was no way he missed the sly edge in those words. He jumped on it quick, forcing a laugh: "Please drop the 'Immortal Master' stuff. You've made one hell of a name for yourself these past years, and you're a Sect Master Gu's right-hand man. Let's just talk as equals, yeah?

“Given all that, Madam and my fellow friend should at least have a sense of what’s going on within our sect. While we have some time, let me give you the broad picture, and then we can talk it through together. Does that sound all right?”

“That'd be perfect,” Palace Attendant replied, picking up the thread of the conversation. She nodded. “Spirit Bamboo just arrived from far away and doesn’t know much about the situation yet. You might as well start from the beginning and lay it all out clearly.”

Bisu answered with a smile. He was smooth in dealing with people. He spoke clearly, and before long he had explained the whole sequence of events in a way that was easy to follow.

The first half was more or less what Li Xun already knew. One of Ming Ji’s clansmen had gotten into a dispute with a fellow disciple. The argument escalated into a fight, and in the end he was killed, struck down with lethal poison. That incident prompted Ming Ji to come demanding justice.

Ming Ji was truly formidable. Right under Old Man Tian Yuan’s nose, she cut the killer in two with a single sword strike, wiping out both body and soul and paying blood with blood.

That left Old Man Tian Yuan in an awkward position. He was famously protective of his own and could not simply let it go, yet he was also wary of the Mingxin Sword Sect and did not dare to kill outright. In the end, relying on his overwhelming cultivation and drawing on the power of the Star River, he suppressed Ming Ji on the Gathering Stars Platform, declaring that she would be imprisoned for a thousand years and endure the torment of crushing stellar forces.

“It all comes down to favoritism and who’s close to whom, that kind of thing. It’s nothing out of the ordinary in a sect like ours. No one expected it to end up provoking Ming Ji of all people, that troublemaker!”

Bisu was one of Old Man Tian Yuan’s personally taught disciples, fourth among them. Though he'd already thrown in his lot with Gu Yin, his sympathies still lay with the Xingji Sword Sect. When he brought up Ming Ji, he watched his words a bit out of respect for Li Xun's status, but he couldn't quite keep the mocking edge out of his voice.

“And Ming Ji really had rotten luck. Right before she came knocking, a ‘Stabilizing Star Stone’ went missing from the Gathering Stars Platform. That threw the primordial qi inside the Star River out of balance, so the Sect Master simply locked her into the Stabilizing Star position to take its place and channel the stellar power instead. After all this time, she’s been in a really miserable state.”

Li Xun frowned slightly. “A Stabilizing Star Stone?”

“Exactly. A Stabilizing Star Stone is a crucial component for drawing in the power of the heavens. There are 366 of them on the Gathering Stars Platform, which generate the Three Thousand Scattered Stars Formation. The formation breathes astral energy in and out to maintain the operation of the Star River.

“But a few months ago, a fat fellow named Ji Bucuo from the Four-Empty Thousand Treasures Pavilion showed up. He claimed he was here for some routine business with the sect, but who would have guessed he’d take the opportunity to steal one of the Stabilizing Star Stones? Heh. Word is, that guy has recently risen to become the pavilion master of the Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Go figure.”

Li Xun’s expression at that moment was about as strange as strange could get.

The Palace Attendant shot him a puzzled look, but clearly didn’t want to stir up more trouble. Frowning, she asked, “Ming Ji is locked in the Stabilizing Star Stone position. What does that mean for our plan?”

Bisu frowned as well. “If you’re asking about the impact, then the problem is this. There’s no way to free Ming Ji quietly. Everything is connected. The moment the Stabilizing Star Stone position is disturbed, the entire flow of the Star River is affected. There’s no hiding something like that.”

“Then how did Ji Bucuo manage it?” Li Xun asked.

That question hit the nail on the head. Bisu nodded at him. “Back then, Ji Bucuo found a piece of obsidian crystal of extremely high purity and used a sleight-of-hand substitution to replace the Stabilizing Star Stone. Obsidian crystal is one of the main materials used to make Stabilizing Star Stones in the first place, and it can absorb stellar power. Because of that, nothing seemed out of place for nearly an hour. By the time we realized something was wrong, that bastard was already long gone.”

After a pause, he added, “In truth, Ji Bucuo was using the Stabilizing Star Stone as part of the trial to inherit the position of pavilion master. The obsidian crystal he used as a substitute wasn’t really worth any less than a Fixed Star itself. You could easily use it to make another Stabilizing Star Stone. That’s also why the sect didn’t dig any deeper into the matter.”

Li Xun gave a slight nod. Finally, he understood what Yun Xing had meant by those words that day. Ji the Fatty’s slippery, scheming nature was plain to see.

While he was still thinking it over, he suddenly sensed something off nearby. He looked up and realized that both the Palace Attendant and Bisu were watching him closely. He froze for a second, then immediately guessed what was on their minds. Smiling, he said, “That kind of trick can’t be pulled a second time.

“Besides, with my level of cultivation, being able to slip into the outskirts of the Star River, gather some information, and get back out safely is already no small feat. If I went as far as freeing Ming Ji, it would actually be a step too far. And anyway, Immortal Master Bisu… is on duty tonight. If things got out of hand, he’d end up taking the blame as well.”

Bisu relaxed at once. Whatever he was really thinking, he still gave Li Xun a grateful nod.

The Attendant took in the silent exchange between the two of them and sneered inwardly. At the same time, she tried to steer the conversation. “So, Daoist Spirit Bamboo, what you’re suggesting is just to patrol the perimeter…”

Li Xun shook his head with an easy smile. “No, that won’t do either.” He smoothly played off her lead. “If we do it that way, it won’t draw enough attention from either side. And it would be hard to pull Bisu’s situation into it as well. In my view, if we want everything to line up properly and connect seamlessly, there are a few things that have to be handled just right.

The Palace Attendant said nothing, but Bisu was clearly stirred. “Daoist Spirit Bamboo,” he said, very politely, “you sound like you already have a solid plan. I’d very much like to hear it.”

Li Xun gave a small smile and did not demur. “All right. I’ll lay it out, and Madam Palace and you can discuss the details together.

“First, when I enter the Star River, the place where my presence is exposed can’t be too shallow, but it can’t be too deep either. It has to hurt without causing real damage. We need to attract enough attention, but not provoke your sect into flying into a rage. Otherwise, there won’t even be time to maneuver or catch our breath before we’re crushed to dust.”

Bisu nodded repeatedly. “That won’t be a problem. I already have a few locations in mind that fit this requirement perfectly.”

“Second, if we’re going to tie everything together, then we need to stir up every target involved. The commotion has to be big enough to alert my own sect. At the very least to kick up trouble and get both sides grinding against each other. At the same time, the person you’re plotting against, Immortal Master Bisu, also needs to be drawn in. Only then can we take advantage of the chaos.

“With that in mind, the key point becomes my escape route after my presence is exposed. That single path is what will tie all sides together, and planning it in detail will have to fall to you, Immortal Master Bisu.”

The logic was sound, and Bisu could only nod in agreement.

Li Xun went on, “The final point is also the most critical. When it comes time to act, your hands will be tied by your position, Immortal Master Bisu, and my own cultivation is still limited. I won’t be able to carry it through on my own. If we want this to succeed, we’ll need Madam Palace’s help behind the scenes. The trouble is that the Star River’s movements are complex and constantly shifting, which makes coordination between inside and outside extremely difficult. On this point, Immortal Master Bisu...”

Bisu laughed. “That won’t be a problem. The flow of the Star River may be complicated, but its directional changes correspond to the rotation of the celestial constellations. There are established patterns to follow. Madam can track the Star River’s orientation by the time of day, and as for the exact location, as long as we settle on a single method of communication, there will be no issue at all.”

Li Xun gave an “Oh,” then smiled. “Excellent.”

His gaze met Madam Palace’s. Both of them understood that Bisu had already stepped halfway through the gates of hell.