Chapter 119: Bowing to Heaven and Earth, The Fruit Ripens

Sworn brothers?

Zhenyuanzi, upon hearing these words, felt the look of concern on his face freeze. He lifted his gaze toward Hongyun, and it was only after a long moment that he collected himself and burst into hearty laughter.

"You and I are both figures who have established our own lineages and ancestral foundations. Every thought we harbor and every word we speak already resonates with the hidden machinations of heaven. Since you, Brother Hongyun, have proposed this, how could I possibly refuse? As for the timing..."

Hongyun felt a sense of clarity descend upon his mind, his heart filled with an intuitive joy. "What need is there for a specific date? There is no time like the present!"

"No time like the present?" Zhenyuanzi’s eyes brightened slightly as he clapped his hands in approval. "Excellent, truly excellent! If that is the case, I shall go and bathe and burn incense at once. Let us meet in three days' time!"

Hongyun understood the decorum the other was observing and nodded slightly. "That is only right. Do not mind me, Brother; go, go!"

Watching his companion depart, Hongyun shifted his focus and entered his own Luo Cave Heaven. Outside his thatched cottage, he solemnly bathed and burned incense. Once he had finished his preparations, he donned his Xuanyuan Red Cloud Daoist robe. He used his self-refined Galaxy Jade Sash to cover his eyes and, with great care, pinned his hair up into a proper Daoist crown. With a wave of his hand, his Hidden Spirit Veil transformed into a long ribbon, which he tied to his Nine-Nine Scattering Soul Gourd before slinging it across his waist.

From his personal treasures, he selected several spiritual artifacts to adorn himself. After offering three more sticks of incense with the utmost gravity, he stepped out of the cave heaven.

The moment he emerged, the entire Wuzhuang Temple had undergone a transformation, becoming a place rich with the essence of the Dao. His first sight was of Zhenyuanzi, who sat at a table, eyes closed in meditation.

As the master of this estate, Zhenyuanzi had his two attendants, Qingfeng and Mingyue, ready to assist with the arrangements. Sensing Hongyun’s presence, he opened his eyes, a glint of appreciation appearing in them.

"Red robes, jade sash, and a precious gourd—what a dashing Daluo Immortal!"

He praised him with a smile, then shook his head lightly. "Brother Hongyun, though we are among the earliest fellow practitioners in the Primordial World, I must admit your state of mind is something I cannot match."

Hongyuan looked at Zhenyuanzi, who was dressed in his signature purple-gold crown, carefree crane-patterned cloak, and straw sandals, holding a horsetail whisk while the Great Dao flowed around him, and shook his head slightly.

"That is where you are wrong. If I could keep my heart as still as water, I would surely be more diligent in my cultivation."

...

The two chatted idly, enjoying each other's company until the incense had burned to ash. Then, they looked at each other and smiled.

"After you, Brother—"

Both spoke at once, yet neither moved until Hongyun mentioned the auspicious timing. Only then did they rise and head together to the main hall of Wuzhuang Temple.

Hongyun looked at Zhenyuanzi beside him, and for no reason, a thought occurred to him: the two of them had not established a clear order of seniority. However, it no longer seemed to matter.

Once they entered the main hall, they each offered three sticks of incense. Looking at the offerings, Hongyun suddenly had a realization. The incense on Zhenyuanzi’s side had burned faster.

It is said that offering incense to heaven and earth bestows grace and merit. Regardless of their cultivation levels, Hongyun felt he had fallen slightly short. As for their origins—Hongyun was a cloud born at the dawn of the Primordial World, while Zhenyuanzi was a primordial divine spirit—there was little point in debating such things.

Still... was this considered bowing to heaven and earth?

"If we go by this, Brother Zhenyuanzi, I suppose I should call you 'Elder Brother'."

"Elder Brother? That sounds a bit stiff. Why not just call me 'Brother Daoist'?" Zhenyuanzi looked at the incense offerings before him and chuckled. "We are both Daluo Immortals; naturally, we can perceive the will of heaven. But that said, your past kindness toward the Primordial World, saving so many living beings in your travels, has earned you the title of 'Good Old Man.' Yet, who would have thought—the cycle of slaughter can be altered, but fate is hard to defy. Saving them for a moment is, in a way, defying the will of heaven. It would be better to let nature take its course."

Hongyun understood that these words came from the bottom of his companion's heart. He was no longer the original Hongyun, and he understood the folly of his past actions well enough. He simply shook his head, choosing not to dwell on it.

"I have my own plans for such matters. If before I acted purely on impulse, now I deliberate before I move. I am well aware that while the affairs of heaven can be challenged, they cannot be reversed. But let us leave that aside. With those two little ones watching, we should finish our business."

"That suits me well. Since we are to be sworn brothers, why dwell on such vexing matters? We shall not invite the Daluo Immortals, nor the immortals from beyond. You and I shall swear our brotherhood, with only 'Heaven and Earth' as our witness!"

With those words, Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun stood solemn, holding their incense, and bowed three times. Then, they bowed to each other and placed their incense into the burner.

In that instant, the incense in the hall burned rapidly, turning into vast, ethereal clouds. The characters for "Heaven" and "Earth" on the scroll glowed brightly, and auspicious signs surged toward the sky, turning from illusion into reality.

Both possessed immense fortune and merit in the Primordial World. This act triggered countless changes, beginning from the earth veins of the Eastern Continent and connecting across the vast Primordial lands.

Zhenyuanzi, unperturbed, waved his Daoist robe, and the visions were suppressed. Then, the two shared a cup of wine.

"Brother Zhenyuanzi!"

"Haha, well met, younger brother Hongyun!"

Seeing the joy in his companion's expression, Hongyun laughed heartily. He was just about to say something when he saw the two little attendants, Qingfeng and Mingyue, come scurrying in.

"Greetings, Master Hongyun!"

They bowed to Hongyun first, then spoke, breathless and full of excitement: "Master, our Ginseng Fruit tree has borne fruit early! The fragrance is filling the entire Wuzhuang Temple; it must be fully ripe!"

"Oh?" Zhenyuanzi calculated the cause with a flick of his fingers and smiled again. "The tree is quite sensible; I didn't expect it to try and curry favor with me. It seems it absorbed all the auspicious energy from our ceremony. Since the fruit has ripened early, there is no need for me to say more. Qingfeng, Mingyue, take the vessel and tell the tree I said so—ask for ten fruits to be brought here. And... for my three or four disciples, and you two little gluttons, take one each to taste. Oh, and one more thing: from now on, do not address my younger brother as you did before. We are now sworn brothers. If you treat him as a stranger, I shall have you counting leaves all day."

Qingfeng and Mingyue blinked, their hearts overflowing with joy. Looking around and seeing Hongyun’s gentle smile, the two little attendants knelt and kowtowed:

"Greetings, Second Master! May your fortune be as vast as the heavens!"