Chapter 40: To Whom Does the Milky Way Belong?

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Night fell swiftly. Ruoxi and Shen Lian were now atop the medical clinic, summer having arrived. The sky was strewn with stars, and faintly, a river could be seen, shimmering indistinctly.

Shen Lian’s gaze rested upon that river. According to the Taoist scripture, that river was called the “Celestial River.”

In a previous era, a certain Immortal of Longevity by chance entered the Celestial River and comprehended a sword technique known as the “Celestial River Sword Art.” He established a Taoist sect, which once boasted five Immortals of Longevity simultaneously, flourishing for a time. Yet, for unknown reasons, internal strife tore the sect apart, and this once-mighty immortal school, rivaling the Four Great Taoist Sects, fell into decline. It was unclear whether any legacy remained.

As for the foundational sword technique—the Celestial River Sword Art—it was never passed down again. Notably, it ranked even above Chen Jianmei’s “Invisible Sword Technique,” for the original Celestial River Patriarch used it to transcend the mundane world, becoming one of the few great achievers in this realm.

Ruoxi said, “Brother, I want to hear a story.”

“What would you like to hear today?” Shen Lian replied softly.

“I want to know how that river in the sky came to be.” Ruoxi pointed upward, biting the finger of her other hand.

Shen Lian smiled faintly and began, “Very well. Once upon a time, there was a boy named Li, a herdsman whose parents died early. People called him Little Li. He raised an old ox left to him by his parents.

He had an older brother and a sister-in-law, but the sister-in-law disliked Little Li and often denied him enough food, making him sleep beside the ox.

Eventually, she drove both Little Li and the old ox out of the house. Not wanting to sell the ox, he said to it, ‘Brother Ox, I can't bear to sell you. I'm afraid someone will slaughter you for meat. Go on ahead.’”

Here Shen Lian paused. Little Ruoxi didn’t mind how the story of the Celestial River involved an ox and hurriedly asked, “Brother, if the ox left, what happened to the boy? His brother and sister-in-law abandoned him.” Secretly, she was a bit worried herself—what if her own brother someday had a sister-in-law who disliked her and drove her away?

“Just then, the old ox suddenly spoke, saying, ‘If you can’t bear to leave me, I won’t abandon you either.’ The boy was naturally astonished, but having relied on the ox all his life, he was unafraid that it might be a demon.

The old ox was indeed a powerful demon. It taught Li the path of cultivation, helping him become like an immortal. But soon after, a deity came and captured the ox.

By then, Li had learned to fly and chased after the ox and deity. Seeing him close behind, the deity casually drew a line in the sky, creating the Celestial River. The river was wide with no visible opposite shore. Li flew for an unknown length of time until he grew too weak and fell into the river.” Shen Lian recounted slowly.

“And then? Did the boy who fell into the river survive?” Little Ruoxi asked anxiously, fully engrossed in the tale.

Shen Lian said, “He wasn’t drowned. A red carp saved him. The carp was actually a fairy in disguise. Later, he married the fairy and came down to the mortal world.”

“But what about Brother Ox? Didn’t the boy try to rescue it? Did the deity eat it? Do deities eat meat?” Ruoxi worried.

“He lived happily with the fairy and naturally forgot about the ox, which was still waiting for him above the Nine Heavens,” Shen Lian patted her small shoulder.

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“And what was the ending?”

Shen Lian smiled. “I don’t know the ending. Maybe the ox is still waiting for him to come rescue it. Who can say?”

His story was half-truth, half-fiction. The Celestial River truly had been created by a Taoist master, but the parts about the ox and the fairy were fabrications.

“Brother, I have something else to say,” Ruoxi said seriously.

“What is it?” Shen Lian asked patiently. Children’s questions were always strange, but he was always tolerant.

“Brother, please don’t get a sister-in-law, okay? When I grow up, I’ll be your bride. That way, no one will ever drive Ruoxi away.” She looked pitiful, her star-bright eyes glistening with tears.

Shen Lian pinched her tiny nose and said, “You’re just a little one with a petty mind. Tomorrow you’ll copy your calligraphy more times.”

Ruoxi clutched his garment, insisting, “Brother, you promise me.”

“All right, I promise no one will drive you away,” Shen Lian replied without much concern.

Such childish nonsense was not to be taken seriously. Besides, he was devoted to seeking the Dao and had never thought of courting a girl. In fact, counting his past and present lives, he had lived many years, and an ordinary man would have long since experienced many romances, yet his first love remained unbroken.

Ruoxi was satisfied with his reply, especially the key point that no one could drive her away. Whether or not she became his bride was secondary.

Sleepiness overtook her, and she fell asleep in Shen Lian’s arms.

The night breeze was gentle and cool as water.

The sound of blades came drifting on the cool wind from afar—quick and sharp.

Shen Lian no longer needed sleep and was too lazy to meditate and cultivate qi. Since it was all a waste of time, he decided to watch the unfolding scene instead.

Even while holding a little girl, he moved as lightly as a swallow and was perfectly steady, not disturbing the sleeping Ruoxi.

Beneath the night sky, a lone figure almost melted into the moonlight, moving up and down several times before reaching another street.

This street was usually sparsely populated, and at night it was more like a dead end.

Five men in black were chasing a youth.

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The youth had five wounds—two on his back, three on his right hand.

Now he held a long sword in his left hand, seemingly making a final desperate stand.

He wore white robes, his expression stern and cold.

One of the men in black said, “Kid, hand over the ‘Flowing Water Sword Technique’ manual, and we’ll leave you a whole corpse.”

“Never.” The youth spat out the two words through clenched teeth.

Another man said, “Boss, stop wasting words. Subdue him first, then search him.”

All five men wielded blades, masters of rapid strikes, slowly closing in, appearing flawless in their assault.

The youth was like a trapped beast in a cage.

The tense atmosphere silently dispersed.

Suddenly, the youth charged forward. The five men froze in surprise, fearing that if they struck recklessly, they might kill him before getting the manual.

In that hesitation, the youth rolled to the ground, then flicked his sword upward, thrusting forward.

His thrust seemed ordinary, but two men collided directly with the sword’s tip.

Both were struck in vital acupoints of the mid-dantian, essential human spots. Once struck, their bodies went limp.

The youth followed with several more sword strikes, plain in style and lacking subtlety, yet the men in black seemed bewitched, falling one by one as if sliced effortlessly like vegetables.

ps. Thanks to Drunken Eye Thousand Peaks for the 1888 reward, SOS group members for 588 rewards, Tianma Di for 588, Floating Pagoda Twice Life for 588, Abro for 588, Exchange Post for 588, as well as Xiao N, Silent Stories, and Lei Luo Tian Tian for their generous support.