Chapter 249: Sorrow

Hearing Lu Liangsheng’s words, the Daoist’s face turned pale. He pressed his Daoist hat back into place, then followed him down the wooden steps, gesturing incessantly.

“You’re putting this Daoist over a fire!”

“I’m not going, not going. Before the lightning even strikes down, I’ll already have been struck down by the other side!”

“Unless there is absolute certainty!”

The wooden steps continuously groaned beneath their feet. Lu Liangsheng carried the tree demon over to the mat beside the extinguished fire, covered her with a thin blanket, and swept his gaze over the three disciples reading over there.

Only when the latter hurriedly lowered their heads did he continue speaking:

“It’s not like it will be now. You’ll still need some time to reach the Golden Core stage.”

The Daoist slightly opened his mouth, walked down the stairs, looked around, and pointed at himself.

“Does it have to be this Daoist?”

Yan Chixia also followed him down. As if understanding the meaning behind Lu Liangsheng’s words, he placed the wooden chest in the corner and patted the dust from his light-red robe.

“Tribulation lightning is not something cultivators can easily touch. If it is someone else undergoing their tribulation, they will even become tainted by the karma. That Sacred Flame Exalted Venerable is an evil and heterodox cultivator, far from a saint, and is even more concerned with preserving himself. Upon seeing heavenly lightning, he will certainly flee far away.”

Lu Liangsheng nodded in agreement with his words. For now, they were only settling the plan; if they truly wanted to go over, it would still take some time. Outside, the sky had turned red, and the setting sun shone over.

They raised a bonfire and added a small pot to cook their food. With five more scholars, the millet they had brought from home was no longer enough after two days. The Daoist and Yan Chixia went outside and hunted some game to add to it, which was finally enough for the dozen or so people in their group to have one meal.

After dinner was prepared, everyone gathered together. There were not enough bowls and chopsticks, so using leaves and branches instead was just as good. When traveling outside, eating in the open air and sleeping under the open sky was something they were all accustomed to, and there was nothing shameful about it.

The food was ready and placed on the ground. In the blink of an eye, the afterimages of chopsticks flashed up and down several times, and the dishes containing meat were instantly emptied, still swaying in place. The five scholars were also famished, piling slices of meat and vegetables into their bowls and shoveling them into their mouths in great mouthfuls.

“You’re all too fast.”

The Daoist held his bowl, his chopsticks suspended in midair, yet to fall. Staring at the plate that had only a few vegetable leaves left, he swept his gaze over everyone burying their heads in their rice. He hurriedly swept the millet rice from his bowl onto the plate, then poured all the remaining oil and juices from the meat dish onto the plate, mixing it together with the rice.

“How could I not say that after this, this Daoist will be entering the tiger’s den, yet you won’t even leave me a little!”

The tips of his chopsticks tapped against the bottom of the plate. After eating a few mouthfuls, the greasy meat finally reached his stomach, and only then did he feel somewhat comfortable.

After dinner, the sky had also turned completely dark. The five scholars still needed to recuperate, so they went beside the fire to doze. Lu Liangsheng invited the Daoist and Yan Chixia to the temple’s second floor again to discuss the details, while also sending Sun Yingxian some magic power so that he could hasten the triggering of his tribulation lightning.

After a while, the Toad Daoist, coiled beside the fire, opened one eye and saw the Daoist come down from upstairs with his face flushed red and drenched in sweat. Two different kinds of magic power converged within his body, and the heat steaming from him was something an ordinary person could hardly endure. Fortunately, Sun Yingxian was a cultivator, and his constitution could withstand it.

The firelight swayed inside the temple. Amid the faint snores of the five people, the Daoist opened his robe and continuously shook it to disperse the steaming heat. Leaning against the wall, he asked weakly:

“This Daoist knows that you have never been impatient. Why are you so eager to deal with the Fire Prayer Cult this time? Is it really to prevent them from continuing to do evil?”

The Toad Daoist bared his teeth in a grin, his single eye glancing toward the scholar nearby.

“He’s simply a hopelessly good person.”

The firelight reflected red upon his handsome face. After remaining silent for a moment, Lu Liangsheng fed a dry branch into the fire. Within the firelight, the corners of his mouth curved into a faint smile.

“Not entirely.”

His words stopped there, and he did not continue. Perhaps, just as his master had said, he really was simply a hopelessly good person. However, there was one more thing: three years ago, he had given part of his lifespan to his master. Calculating his remaining lifespan, at most he had another thirty or forty years. Whether he could continue to advance his cultivation and add to his lifespan afterward was still unknown. If he could finish everything as soon as possible, then with the time remaining, he could devote himself to cultivation, travel through famous mountains and great rivers, and then wait for Honglian to cultivate her Dharma Body.

In the silence, he turned through the Records of Mountains and Seas to pass the time. Perhaps in the future, he could also visit the places recorded in the book and take a look. Perhaps he might even encounter the fierce beasts and divine beasts mentioned in the book.

The next morning, Lanruo Temple became lively.

“Can we not go?”

“Lu Liangsheng, what are you doing—”

“Hey, hey, don’t use the rope!”

After a while, the Daoist’s voice abruptly stopped, leaving only muffled whimpering coming from his mouth. His entire body was bound and thrown onto the ground.

The old donkey, which was not far away, could finally go somewhere else. Excited, it carried the bookshelf on its back and hopped back and forth, kicking its hooves. The Toad Daoist gathered up the seasonings, slung the gourd onto his back, and kicked the old donkey to make it quiet. Only then did he follow the rope and climb up into the partition, where he tied himself securely around the waist.

The figure carrying a broken saber stepped forward, glanced at the Daoist bound on the ground, and nodded toward Lu Liangsheng ahead.

“Let’s do as we discussed before. I, Zuo, will first take these five scholars to the small town below the mountain to settle down and recuperate. I’ll come over afterward!”

“Thank you for your trouble.”

Among the five scholars, Wang Feng, Ma Liu, Zhang Ti, and Zhao Tang all had some ties with them, so they could not simply leave them unattended. Settling them in Ningxia Town below the mountain could also be considered doing what they could.

Lu Liangsheng cupped his hands and returned a salute to Zuo Zhengyang, while Yan Chixia beside him walked off to the side rather casually.

“This Yan need not say more. I’m accustomed to coming and going alone. Ziling Mountain, right? Then on the eleventh of next month, I’ll wait there!”

After saying this, he leaped into the forest in one bound. The tips of his toes touched the branches and leaves, and as the treetops swayed, his figure disappeared into the morning light.

After everyone had left, Lu Liangsheng had the black-robed tree demon transform into the Spirit Root Wood from the first time he had seen her. The latter tilted her head and thought for a moment, then with a sweep of her skirt, rolled up a cloud of black smoke.

A moment later, the black smoke dissipated, and standing in the same spot was a graceful young gentleman, whose appearance was actually somewhat similar to Lu Liangsheng’s.

“I said Spirit Root Wood. Can you turn back?”

Seeing a face eight or nine parts similar to his own was rather eerie. Over there, the tree demon rolled her eyes, her skirt swirling. The next second, her long sleeves embroidered with phoenixes poured out and unfurled, her skirt trailing along the ground, an apricot-colored garment and thin gauze outlining her fair, full skin. Her slender waist turned, her long sleeves swept across her face, her eyelashes trembled slightly, her charming eyes blinked lightly, revealing an alluring charm.

Beside them, the Daoist forgot to shout. His eyes stared blankly at her, and his Adam’s apple made a soft “gulp” as he swallowed.

Lu Liangsheng was both amused and helpless. He waved for her to change back. After gesturing and communicating for a while, the tree demon finally transformed into a half-arm-length piece of Spirit Root Wood.

He placed it behind the bookshelf, then also laid the Daoist across the old donkey’s back. Lu Liangsheng took hold of the reins and, amid the Daoist’s muffled whimpering, led his three disciples across this mountain foothill toward Shangyong County, asking along the way about matters concerning “Ziling Mountain.”

The sunlight stretched southward between the clouds in the sky, while the golden morning sun over the sky of Qixia Mountain hid behind the clouds.

Under the gloomy weather, it seemed as though heavy rain was about to come.

The mountain forests swayed. Among the fields piled with dry grass, the farmers hoisted their hoes and carried water flasks to wash their feet in the small ditch. They put on straw sandals, hummed rustic bawdy tunes, and walked toward the village entrance.

In the fields behind them, a vermilion figure lay prone atop the rice straw. Its fox eyes gazed toward the mountains stretching into the distance, and a trace of sorrow flashed through their depths.