Chapter 241 — Where Fate Comes, There Is Cause and Effect; With a Wave of the Sleeve, No Spectator Remains

His gaze swept over the expressions of the one human and two demons. Lu Liangsheng slightly furrowed his fine brows, his fingertip tapping lightly against the tabletop again and again. It seemed they had all come looking for him. They were certainly giving him plenty of face.

After a moment, he withdrew his gaze, having more or less pieced together the whole matter.

“So, Fellow Daoist Yan, you got into a dispute with that thousand-year-old tree demon at Lanruo Temple?”

“That demon abducted five scholars. Zuo Zhengyang, who had dealings with Fellow Daoist Lu in the past, is there holding it back.”

Upon hearing Yan Chixia’s words, Lu Liangsheng’s brow twitched slightly. He couldn’t help looking toward him, completely disregarding the red and white foxes outside the pavilion.

There was a hint of surprise in his voice.

“Zuo Qianwei is there as well? It seems that what I said back then actually turned out to be right.”

Having said that, his gaze shifted toward the two demons outside. Spiritual power gathered in his eyes and swept over their bodies. The hand resting on the table moved down to his knee, and his expression darkened.

“Back then, outside the Mountain God Temple, I became acquainted with the two of you. Later, in He Valley County, I heard you luring scholars who were sitting for the imperial examinations away and refining their Yang Essence…”

His clear and tranquil voice slowly carried forth.

The red and white fox demons prostrating themselves beneath the pavilion steps felt the radiance of his Dharma power circling above their heads, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably. The white fox tried to speak, but just as its long snout opened, it was suddenly forced shut by spiritual power.

“Wuwuwu…”

The fox let out a mournful cry, shaking its head incessantly. Beside it, the red fox hurriedly imitated a human and clasped its forepaws together, bowing and kowtowing toward Lu Liangsheng, who sat calmly within the pavilion.

“As for the matter of Yang Essence, more than a dozen scholars died, didn’t they? Originally, I thought that since the two of you had escaped, it would be fine as long as we didn’t encounter each other. I didn’t expect to encounter you again at Lanruo Temple. Truly, there is cause and effect in fate.”

“You two demons are shrouded in baleful qi. I suppose that while you were at Lanruo Temple, you also harmed quite a few people’s lives?”

Lu Liangsheng moved. The palm resting on his knee reached into his broad sleeve. When he withdrew it, there was a gourd the size of a thumb in his palm. Beside him, Yan Chixia curiously glanced at it.

“Art of Shrinking Objects.”

The thumb-sized gourd in the scholar’s palm rapidly enlarged, returning to its original size.

“White Fox…”

When he pulled out the stopper, the white fox demon outside the pavilion heard the scholar’s voice coming from inside. She raised her head and answered with a whimper.

“Wu?”

The next moment, the pitch-black mouth of the gourd seemed like a gigantic maw, enveloping her. Before she could react, in Yan Chixia’s line of sight, she was pulled into the gourd like a sheet of paper.

Outside the pavilion, the red fox demon, who had been bowing and kowtowing, began shedding tears in streams, her kowtowing becoming even faster.

“Refreshing! A cultivator should indeed slay demons and exterminate evil like this!”

Seeing that one of the two demons had entered Lu Liangsheng’s magic treasure, Yan Chixia immediately flicked a small sword from the wooden case, sending it shooting toward the red fox outside the pavilion.

Clang!

The black shadow flying through the air suddenly veered off course and was pinned into one of the pavilion’s vermilion-red pillars. Yan Chixia rose from the stone bench and looked to the side. “Fellow Daoist Lu, what is the meaning of this?”

Lu Liangsheng lowered his broad sleeve, placed the Purple-Gold Gourd on the table, then lowered his sleeve again and stood up.

“Fellow Daoist, please remain calm. This demon has some connection with me.”

Earlier, when the Dharma light swept over her, he had finally understood why he had felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with this fox demon. Back when he was in He Liang Prefecture, the demon core his Master had used was this demon’s.

He calmly told Yan Chixia the circumstances behind it. The latter’s thick brows relaxed, and he sat back down on the stone bench. “If she had died outside without us knowing the circumstances, then so be it. But Fellow Daoist Lu knows about it now, and has therefore indirectly received a debt of gratitude from her. That would damage the cause and effect of the Heavenly Dao.”

Lu Liangsheng did not answer, only nodding. After considering it for a while, he stood up and walked outside the pavilion, reaching out to stroke the head of the red fox, who lay on the ground, not daring to move.

“I still owe you a debt for saving my life. However, you and your elder sister cultivated into demons and became fond of taking human lives, committing too many sins. I cannot simply let you go like this. Therefore, I shall punish you to perform labor here for a hundred years. After a hundred years, if your demonic nature has changed and you devote yourself to cultivating the Dao, I will set you free. Are you willing to accept this?”

How could the red fox demon dare refuse? Her elder sister had been sucked into that gourd, and her life was most likely in danger. If she refused, she would naturally suffer the same fate. She hurriedly kowtowed several more times.

“Sir, your great kindness and virtue—I, your servant, accept.”

Over there, Lu Liangsheng took out his writing brush and drew once in the air. Dharma light appeared, forming four white ropes around the red fox’s four limbs.

“The white ropes shall serve as shackles. So long as they do not fall away, you shall not be able to leave Qixia Mountain for even a single day. You will perform labor here for the villagers, guide travelers who lose their way in the mountains, and rescue villagers who fall and encounter fierce beasts. Consider it repayment for the evil debt you incurred back then.”

The surrounding scenery gradually faded away. The bright moon and starry sky, along with the solitary cliffside pavilion, turned into specks of light and scattered away.

As the glow of the setting sun came over, Yan Chixia’s vision gradually came back together. By then, he was already standing in the open area from before. Around him, there was the white-haired old man humming a tune, the sword-bearing young man with a leaf between his lips sitting with his eyes closed as though pondering something, and the old donkey leisurely swishing its tail.

Only one of the two fox demons remained—the red one, with white ropes tied around all four paws.

“Fellow Daoist Lu…”

As though suddenly awakening from a dream, Yan Chixia hurriedly turned around. He saw Lu Liangsheng holding a book, just as if he had only just returned from outside the village. The scholar cupped his hands, then waved his sleeve toward the fox demon before the old donkey’s hooves.

“You may go.”

“Zizi…”

The red fox let out a low cry. Just as she had in the illusion, she clasped her paws together and bowed several times. Only then did she drag her fluffy long tail toward the village entrance, looking back every few steps.

Her fox cries mournfully rang out as she quickened her pace and rushed into the fields outside the village.

Everyone watched for a while. Lu Liangsheng called Li Sui’an over. The latter hurriedly spat out the blade of grass he had been chewing and stood respectfully in place, holding the green sword his Master had bestowed upon him.

“Master.”

“Go call Yuwen Tuo and Qu Yuanfeng back. We are going on a long journey. You three will accompany your Master and gain some experience along the way.”

After giving this instruction, Lu Liangsheng invited Yan Chixia beside him and walked toward the fenced courtyard in the village. Yan Chixia was also a straightforward and forthright man, and he extended his hand in a gesture of invitation.

“Please!”

Over there, after hearing his Master’s instructions, Li Sui’an waited until the two had left before grinning broadly, showing his teeth. He excitedly stamped his feet several times in place. Behind the stall, Wang Banxia gazed toward the setting sun with his aged eyes and stroked his beard.

“Junior Brother, go on ahead. Your Senior Brother’s eyes are inconvenient, so I won’t go.”

Li Sui’an gestured toward him, then took off running toward the outskirts of the village. With a light tap of his foot, he traced a path through the rosy glow before drifting onto a rock on the cliffside beside the mountain path.

“Second Senior Brother! Fourth Junior Brother! Master has emerged from seclusion!!”

His shout, carried by spiritual power, echoed through the mountains. A flock of birds was startled into flight, bursting from the forest and circling densely beneath the rosy glow.

Amid the chirping of the birds, fallen leaves fluttered down through the forest. They brushed across the shoulders of the person sitting cross-legged upon the green rock. The instant they touched the cloth, flames suddenly burst forth with a boom.

The dry leaves quickly burned away completely, turning into a pile of ash. As the wind passed through the forest, the ash scattered and dispersed into the air.

Yuwen Tuo opened his eyes. In his brown-blue eyes, flashes of lightning flickered. Hearing the shout echoing from outside, he stood up from the rock. Around the spot where he had been sitting cross-legged was nothing but the ashes of burned branches and fallen leaves.

“Master is going to take us on a long journey!”

The voice echoed through the forest. He walked through the woods and came to the edge of the cliff, looking toward Lu Family Village beneath the rosy glow. His robes fluttered loudly in the wind.

Yuwen Tuo clenched his fists. Three years. He could finally go and see the outside world.

His spiritual power circulated, and his figure shot into the sky with a whoosh, leaving several afterimages behind. He traced a high arc through the air before descending in the direction of the village.

At the same time, on another mountain where wolves were plentiful, Qu Yuanfeng, carrying firewood on his back and holding several small flags, walked while confronting several wolves. He waved the Wind Flag, and it seemed as though wind had sprung beneath his feet. In the blink of an eye, he crossed over the pack blocking his path.

The lead wolf turned its head. Its arched body bared its fangs before it suddenly pounced, biting toward the burly and powerfully built woodcutter.

Qu Yuanfeng unfurled the Earth Flag in his hand. The wolf’s attacking fangs clamped onto his wrist, yet could not even break through his skin and flesh. Instead, the lead wolf was forcibly dragged several zhang away.

“Today, I won’t play with you anymore. Third Senior Brother said Master has emerged from seclusion, so I have to go pay my respects.”

He shook his wrist, flinging the wolf into the distance, then turned and strode forward, covering two or three zhang in a few steps.

When he reached the village entrance, Yuwen Tuo and Li Sui’an were already waiting there. After exchanging greetings, the three of them, together with their Eldest Senior Brother, the fortune-teller at the stall, hurried toward the small fenced courtyard at home.

The courtyard, already bearing traces of wind and rain, stood there. Li Jinhua came out from the rear courtyard with a broom in hand and kicked the clucking old hen.

“After raising you for so many years, you lay fewer and fewer eggs. You’re not even as useful as that toad across from you. At least he can still help catch insects in the vegetable garden. I’ll stew you tomorrow!”

The Toad Daoist, lying beside the vegetable garden, looked at the scolding woman, the corner of his mouth twitching.

“I really thank you for the praise…”

Under the old tree in the courtyard, Yan Chixia sat before the stone table, holding a cup of tea somewhat awkwardly. When Lu Liangsheng came out of the house carrying a bookshelf, he hurriedly put down his teacup, stood up, and cupped his hands.

“Fellow Daoist Lu, there’s no need to eat. Let’s hurry and set off.”

“Alright, but wait a moment first.”

Lu Liangsheng placed the bookshelf in the courtyard and whistled. The old donkey came excitedly running over to its master, braying and jumping up and down. This earned it a smack on the forehead from Li Jinhua.

“What are you jumping around for? I just had the paving stones laid. If you break them, I’ll beat you!”

The woman hung a bundle around the donkey’s neck, then glanced at the Toad Daoist on the ground and reminded her son.

“Eat sparingly on the road.”

“Got it, Mother. Go on with your work.” Lu Liangsheng placed the bookshelf on the old donkey’s hindquarters, picked up his Master from the ground, and placed him atop the old donkey’s head. “Wait for me with this Fellow Daoist Yan by the mountain road.”

He found the incense and candles, then instructed the three disciples who had returned to go find Sun Yingxian, who had gone into the mountains to cultivate.

He waved his sleeve and walked toward the fields outside the village beneath the rosy glow. Following the moss-covered stone path, with the rustling of fallen leaves beneath his feet, he arrived before the temple bearing the words ‘Honglian Goddess’. He lit the incense and candles and placed them in the incense burner.

The setting sun left its final trace of red upon the mountaintop.

Lu Liangsheng entered the temple and quietly looked at the painted statue on the altar, its long sleeves spread out.

“I’ll be going on a long journey to Lanruo Temple, I may return in a few days, or perhaps… In any case, I won’t be gone for too long. Cultivate well here. There’s no need to worry.”

From within the painted clay statue came a faint woman’s voice.

“Go without worry, Lu Lang. Honglian already possesses a little divine power and can protect Lu Family Village.”

The two exchanged a few tender words. Before long, the setting sun disappeared behind the mountain, and darkness swept over the edge of the light.

Lu Liangsheng stood up and said his farewell before walking out of the temple and arriving at the mountain road.

The old donkey chewed on green grass and sneezed. Inside the swaying bookshelf, the Toad Daoist held a tobacco pipe between his teeth and skillfully tied a rope around himself. Yan Chixia sat on a stone beside the road, wiping the wooden case he carried.

The three disciples, their bags and provisions strapped to their backs, gathered together and excitedly whispered among themselves. When they saw their Master approaching, they hurriedly stood straight.

They shouted in unison, “Master!”

“Did you call Daoist Sun?”

“He said he’ll be here shortly.”

“Mm. Then let’s go first.”

Lu Liangsheng took hold of the reins. The old donkey followed behind, the bell hanging beneath its neck ringing clearly along the mountain road.

Ding-ding-dang-dang…