Chapter Forty: The Calamity of the Three-Colored Solar Fire

The sky was just beginning to lighten when Liu Ping opened his eyes. Rising from the comfortable, soft couch, he stretched lazily, opened the door, and stepped outside.

Descending the stairs and stepping out of the attic, he was suddenly met with bursts of fragrance drifting through the air. Startled for a moment, he followed the faint scent of rice.

Before long, he circled around to the back of the attic.

There, he found a small pond, with all sorts of vegetables and rice growing nearby, and farther off, some animals were being raised.

Beside the pond stood a small house, wisps of smoke curling from its roof—surely the kitchen.

He walked over in a few quick steps. The door was ajar, so he went straight in.

Inside, a tiny figure was making eight-treasure porridge. She stood atop a stool, gripping a cooking ladle nearly as big as herself, beads of sweat dotting her forehead.

Next to the bubbling porridge, another pot held some small dishes. The stove’s fire blazed vigorously as she reached out her small hands, skillfully stirring the food—clearly, she’d done this many times before.

“Liu Ping, what are you peeking at? Hurry up and help!”

The little girl had already noticed Liu Ping’s arrival and, without the slightest courtesy, barked out his name to command him.

“I’m your grandmaster, you know. How dare you call me by name?” Liu Ping touched his nose helplessly. Ye’er’s temperament was truly cold.

“What grandmaster? I’ve never heard that before… Don’t get ahead of yourself. Are you helping or not?” Ye’er turned her head to ask.

“Of course I’ll help. Let me stir-fry the dishes,” Liu Ping offered, stepping closer.

“Stir-fry? Don’t even think about it. Master and Hua’er will wake up soon. If you mess up, they won’t have anything to eat,” Ye’er retorted bluntly. “Just go wash the bowls and chopsticks.”

“Why isn’t Hua’er helping?” Liu Ping didn’t get upset. He took out the bowls and chopsticks, scooped up some clear water, and washed the already spotless utensils until they gleamed.

“Hua’er is lazy and clumsy. Expecting her to help? I tried before, but she only made things worse, so I told her not to bother anymore,” Ye’er said mercilessly.

“You really have it tough,” Liu Ping sighed.

“It’d be even tougher if she helped.”

“Right, what about Guo’er?” Liu Ping asked.

“Guo’er? She hides at home all day and never comes out. She’s so lazy it’s outrageous. Even less reliable than Hua’er.”

“So she’s a shut-in?”

“Shut-in?” Ye’er blinked, then caught on and giggled. “Yes, that’s exactly it—a shut-in. What a funny word. From now on, I’ll call Guo’er a shut-in.”

Liu Ping broke out in a cold sweat. “It’s not nice to bully her like that. Anyway, I’m done washing. Anything else?”

“No, that’s all…” Ye’er shook her head.

“Then let me stir-fry the dishes; I promise I’ll do it right.” Liu Ping stepped over, peeking into the pot. “Hmm, is there meat in these dishes?”

“I said, I’m doing the cooking. I’m not letting you take over. Of course there’s meat—only monks eat vegetarian,” Ye’er insisted stubbornly.

In this world, priests were not forbidden from eating meat. In fact, even monks could eat clean meat, though in some places, abstaining from animal products was becoming popular, even among Taoist temples. Ye’er was quick to draw a line between herself and those monks.

“Alright… I’ll be off then,” Liu Ping said helplessly.

“Mm… thank you,” Ye’er replied offhandedly, quietly murmuring thanks. But when she turned around and saw Liu Ping already gone, she gritted her teeth and muttered, “That annoying guy! I rarely thank anyone, and he didn’t even listen—he just left!”

Leaving the kitchen, Liu Ping stepped outside. Watching the rising sun, he instinctively began to breathe in rhythm, greedily drawing in the violet aura of heaven and earth.

“There’s a lot of it, but it’s not as pure as in my original world…”

After three breaths, Liu Ping commented quietly, “Still, the aura remains potent after three breaths, and I can keep absorbing it. That’s quite good.”

After a dozen or so breaths, the sun finally cleared the horizon, and the violet aura dissipated.

He exhaled a turbid breath, feeling the feedback from his body, and couldn’t help but murmur, “My body is growing stronger. It must be because of that cup of green tea yesterday.”

After cultivating for a while, he returned to the attic and happened upon Ye’er carrying a large tray.

On the tray were five big bowls of eight-treasure porridge, four side dishes, and a dozen or so steamed buns—it all looked quite heavy.

Liu Ping walked over and took the tray from her hands.

Ye’er paused, surprised. “Who told you to take it?”

Liu Ping replied, “You looked tired, so I took it instinctively. Isn’t it the same if I carry it?”

Ye’er’s heart softened, though her face showed reluctance. “It’s my job. How can it be the same if you take it? Hmph, fine, since you’ve taken it, you carry it. Put it on the table over there—I’m going to fetch water for Master’s morning wash.”

“Alright.” Liu Ping nodded. Watching Ye’er leave, a sudden thought struck him: How wonderful it would be to witness that stunning Senior Sister’s drowsy, just-awakened look, lazily changing her clothes, slowly washing up—so different from her usual self.

He was truly tempted to steal a glance and feast his eyes, but just the thought of his senior’s terrifying cultivation was enough to quash that idea.

He comforted himself with the notion that the drowsy, lazy, unguarded look was merely his imagination. With her level of cultivation, such a state was impossible…

Soon enough, Ye’er, Hua’er, and Drunken Red Dust came downstairs.

Drunken Red Dust looked at Liu Ping, stunned for a moment before she came to her senses. “Ah!”

Liu Ping noticed her dazed expression and asked, “What’s wrong, Senior Sister?”

Drunken Red Dust smiled, “I just didn’t register it was you. Usually, I only dine with these little ones.”

“I see…” Liu Ping thought to himself that she was adorably absent-minded. Then he glanced around and asked, “Where’s Guo’er?”

Drunken Red Dust answered, “She’s still sleeping. She should be down soon.”

Just then, Hua’er stood at the stairs and shouted upward, “Guo’er! If you don’t come down now, there’ll be nothing left for you to eat!”

“How improper,” Drunken Red Dust scolded, frowning at Hua’er’s shouting.

Hua’er retorted, “Isn’t this how we always do it? Just because Grandmaster’s here, should I start acting all reserved? That would go against my true nature, Master. That won’t do.”

Hearing her spirited reply, Liu Ping smiled. “It’s not about going against your nature, but about basic manners. If everyone did as they pleased all the time, what would set us apart from wild beasts? True nature must be tempered by rules.”

Hua’er frowned. “But is that still genuine if it’s restricted?”

Liu Ping nodded. “Not entirely, but what is true nature? In the beginning, people are driven by all sorts of desires—coveting wealth, gorging on food, pursuing immortality at any cost, or giving in to lust regardless of the consequences. These are human instincts, born from need. Should we always follow them?”

Hua’er replied, “Should we always resist them, then? Isn’t that wrong, too?”

Liu Ping nodded again. “Of course it’s not right. That’s why the sages established the path—they recognized this and taught us to refine our nature, to set it as our standard, and in time, to cultivate a new, civilized heart.”

Hua’er thought it over. “Grandmaster, that does make sense. Master said something similar once, but you put it more clearly.”

Listening to Liu Ping, Drunken Red Dust nodded secretly. His clarity of mind was rare and precious, no wonder he was admitted through the four great gates.

Liu Ping laughed, “How could I compare to your master?” Then he began eating the eight-treasure porridge, which was sweet and fragrant. Before long, he’d finished, while Ye’er, Hua’er, and Drunken Red Dust were only halfway through.

At that moment, Guo’er came downstairs—wrapped entirely in her quilt, which trailed behind her like a cloak.

Liu Ping was dumbfounded. How lazy could this girl be? She couldn’t even bother to change clothes, coming down wrapped in her bedding? That was a bit much.

Drunken Red Dust was even more exasperated. “Guo’er, what are you doing? Didn’t I tell you to get dressed before coming down?”

Guo’er mumbled timidly, “But… it’s so much trouble.”

Drunken Red Dust’s face hardened. “Trouble or not, you still have to get dressed.”

Watching this little drama, Liu Ping felt as if he were seeing a mother scolding her daughter—strict yet full of warmth. Only this mother was far too beautiful, and the daughter far too adorable. If only he could be the father…

He shook his head vigorously. What was he daydreaming about?

Though he tried to dismiss the thought, somewhere deep down he still felt a glimmer of hope. Hadn’t his master told him, ‘If fate allows you to meet her by chance in the mortal world, perhaps you could become Dao companions’?

“But it still feels so far beyond reach,” Liu Ping muttered, feeling his own insignificance more keenly than ever. If only he were stronger, he wouldn’t feel this way.

With that thought, he told his senior sister he was going to face his tribulation.

Stepping outside, he felt the sunlight and moved a little further away. After downing the Azure Essence Elixir, his spirit slowly left his body.

From this new perspective, he watched himself gradually detach from his physical form.

It was a strange sensation, but soon, his spirit fully separated from his body.

The sunlight within this small world sensed his spirit and instantly transformed into sunfire, pouring down in torrents.

The Tribulation of Sunfire!

This sunfire targeted only the spirit, not the body.

Looking around, all he could see was golden flame—boundless, vast, and awe-inspiring. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Magnificent! The whole world is aflame!”

Just then, the sunfire, like a raging sea, crashed over him.

“Aah!”

His spirit was instantly ignited, burning furiously, causing him to cry out in pain.

But he quickly stifled the scream.

Still, his spirit continued to burn, rapidly diminishing.

Yet at the same time, it grew purer, gradually adapting to the sunfire.

Before long, as he was about to pass through, Liu Ping sensed something amiss.

“What’s going on? It hurts, but it’s bearable… Passing this Sunfire Tribulation seems too easy… Something’s not right.”

Just then, the golden flames didn’t recede but instead transformed into blue fire.

The flames intensified, and his spirit was severely damaged, beginning to collapse. He quickly gathered his spirit and steadied himself.

“What’s happening?! Why has it turned blue? Damn, this pain is ten times worse than before!” Liu Ping was shocked, suddenly recalling something. “Wait! Isn’t this the legendary dual-colored Sunfire Tribulation?!”

All across the sky, blue flames raged, burning his spirit. Soon, something even more terrifying happened.

The blue flames transformed again—this time into purple fire!

“The three-colored Sunfire Tribulation! Impossible!”

The agony surged like a tidal wave. He could no longer hold back his cries as pain overwhelmed him.

Crackling! His spirit began to collapse and shatter at an alarming rate!

“Damn it! I have to endure!” Liu Ping fought desperately to hold his spirit together, but the pain was unbearable, and the world of purple fire was unimaginably powerful!

His spirit was instantly torn apart, burning to the brink of annihilation.

At that moment, a surge of azure light swept in, instantly restoring his shattered spirit.

It was the power of the Azure Essence Elixir.