Free Web NovelThe moon quietly climbed onto the branches, its bright white light spilling over the Zhenwu Mountain Scenic Area.
The Shui Shu Beast carried Lu Yibei at lightning speed, crossing mountain ridges, leaping over ravines, darting through dense forests, traversing more than half of the scenic area, and finally stopping deep within a mountain hollow.
"Thanks, Elder Sister!"
Lu Yibei thanked the Shui Shu Beast, flipped off its back, steadied himself, and surveyed his surroundings by the moonlight, quickly discovering something unusual.
A small path paved with stones wound forward from his feet, disappearing into the woods. At the end of the path, the outline of a building, partially hidden by green plants, was faintly visible.
Lu Yibei thought, "Something's not right!"
Could it be a small Daoist temple mooching off the incense offerings?
Where did Elder Sister bring me?
After muttering a few complaints, for safety, Lu Yibei silently activated Lingtai Pure Karma. freēwēbnovel.com
With a clanking sound, heavy armor encased his entire body. Feeling sufficiently secure, he then took a step forward and continued along the path.
Following the overgrown path, the building obscured by green plants soon became clear in his sight. It was indeed a small Daoist temple that appeared to have been abandoned for a long time.
The small Daoist temple was located in the center of a small basin within a mountain hollow.
It was early summer, and shrubs and weeds grew wildly in the small basin. The surrounding trees, untended for a long time, had thick, twisted branches. Old tree roots broke through the soil, covered in moss.
The entire Daoist temple was built using materials found on site, stacked with the gray-black rocks common throughout Zhenwu Mountain. It was simple and haphazard. Half of the roof had collapsed, and most of the tiles were gone, leaving only a few broken tiles stubbornly clinging to the main beam. The broken windows looked like several dark, vacant eyes.
The entire small Daoist temple exuded an aura of decay, simplicity, and eeriness.
In the open space in front of the small Daoist temple, four graves stood. The tombstones of two of them lay on the ground, covered in vines and moss. As Lu Yibei approached, nocturnal creatures lurking in the darkness were startled and scattered with strange cries.
Logically, if it were usual, upon seeing such a scene, even without detecting Spiritual Energy fluctuations, Lu Yibei would have long since fled without looking back.
He was good at creating trouble, which didn't mean he liked trouble.
Although it wasn't far from the large Da Chunyang Palace, the combination of desolate mountains, wild graves, and a dilapidated Daoist temple screamed danger no matter how he thought about it.
However, standing before this dilapidated small Daoist temple today, looking at the ruins, Lu Yibei felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
The twisted trees seemed kind, and the pale moonlight filtering through the branches was also gentle.
That feeling was like standing before the grave of a loved one, feeling no fear at all, and even having a faint sense that a loved one was watching him from the shadows.
Lu Yibei looked back at the Shui Shu Beast waiting quietly at the other end of the path.
The Shui Shu Beast showed no abnormality, even raising its head to signal him to continue forward.
Lu Yibei frowned slightly, withdrew his gaze, took a deep breath, put down the materials and items needed for the Directional Soul Summoning Spell, and bravely stepped forward.
Should I go take a look then?
Elder Sister might try to get me, but she wouldn't harm me, right? Lu Yibei thought.
Since gaining the ability to predict thoughts and this armor like an iron barrel, his courage had grown. He even dared to approach a dilapidated Daoist temple in the middle of nowhere like this.
Arriving at the open space in front of the small Daoist temple, Lu Yibei stopped before the four wild graves.
He reached out and brushed away the dirt from one tombstone, clearing away the intertwined dead vines. On the severely weathered tombstone, epitaphs seemed to have been carved, but most were blurred and illegible. Only a few words could still be made out.
"Is 'Honored Master' the only thing written? Uh, why isn't there even a birth or death year?" Lu Yibei muttered, looking at the tombstone in confusion. There was nothing else recognizable on this tombstone.
Lu Yibei moved forward a bit, cleared another tombstone, and examined it carefully. This time, he made a startling discovery on the tombstone.
In the center of that tombstone, the words "Honored Master" were still the only ones written, but at the very bottom, it clearly stated, "Erected by the unworthy disciple Qingji in the autumn of the Year of Yi Mao."
Ah, is this Qingji the Qingji I know? Could this be
the small Daoist temple where the Ancestor grew up? Lu Yibei's heart skipped a beat. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Previously, when leaving for Da Chunyang Palace, Qingji had asked Lu Yibei for help to sweep the graves of his several cheap masters and offer simple prayers, even thoughtfully attaching a map.
However, the mountains around Zhenwu Mountain were vast and majestic, with complex terrain. Coupled with Qingji's drawing skills, which didn't resemble those of a carbon-based life form, the map offered no guidance and even added a decoding step, implicitly increasing the difficulty.
Lu Yibei simply couldn't find the location of the small Daoist temple. He had asked Zhang Huainan and Hua Sang, but they were also clueless.
Unexpectedly, just before leaving, he was brought here by Elder Sister through a strange twist of fate.
Lu Yibei looked towards the ruins ahead. As he took a step, his eyes suddenly felt a slight warmth without warning. It was as if something had melted, and the things before him twisted and deformed.
Along with a moment of blurred vision, he seemed to have a hallucination, catching a glimpse of the past.
Light and shadow shifted, and snow seemed to be falling in the sky.
Amidst the falling snow, a tall, thin old Daoist priest wearing a tattered cotton-padded jacket and blind in one eye, seemingly carefully wrapped something in his arms, ran along the stone path, shouting loudly all the way.
"Senior Brother, Junior Brother, come out, quickly, come out, see what I brought back."
"Is it food? Is it food?" A light cry came from the Daoist temple. A short, fat old Daoist priest with one ear missing rushed out. Seeing what the tall old Daoist priest held in his arms, his face changed.
"Blessings to the Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable, Senior Brother, although we're almost starving, it's not to the extent..."
"What's wrong? Shouting so early in the morning?" A burly old Daoist priest with one arm missing walked out and asked.
"Grand Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother wants to eat a child!"
"Ah?" The burly old Daoist priest was stunned.
"What nonsense!" The tall, thin old Daoist priest pointed at the short, fat old Daoist priest's nose and cursed, "I saw the child abandoned by the roadside, almost frozen to death, and couldn't bear it, so I brought him back! Who said anything about eating?"
Hearing this, the burly old Daoist priest frowned and said, "If you're not eating him, are you planning to raise him?"
Hearing this, the short, fat old Daoist priest glanced at the half-frozen infant and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Improper, improper. We're almost starving ourselves. Raising another one, isn't this adding insult to injury?"
"But Grand Senior Brother, we can't just watch him die, can we?" The tall, thin old Daoist priest asked. The burly old Daoist priest's expression immediately became conflicted.
"Then, then let's send him to Da Chunyang Palace!" The short, fat old Daoist priest shouted stubbornly, "Anyway, they're a big family with a big business. Raising another child is like playing, isn't it?"
At this moment, a kind-faced old Daoist priest with a limp walked out, looked at the infant in the tall, thin old Daoist priest's arms, then smiled and cupped his hands towards the burly old Daoist priest, "Grand Senior Brother, we finally escaped from that ghostly place with great difficulty. If the inheritance is broken, wouldn't it be a pity? Why not..."
"Why not, leave this child here? Let him continue the incense offerings of our Daoist temple."
The burly old Daoist priest pondered for a moment, looked at the infant in the tall, thin old Daoist priest's arms, and nodded, "Alright, let's keep him."
The limping old Daoist priest thought for a moment and asked, "What name should we give him? We can't let him be like us, a person without a name or surname, can we?"
Hearing this, the burly old Daoist priest thought for a moment, looked up, and saw that the snow had stopped at some point. The mountains were covered in silver, glistening faintly in the sunlight, like a dream.
"How about calling him Qingji?"
"The snow stops, the fog dissipates, the weather is clear, Qingji? Good name! I hope he can become someone who dispels the haze and returns a bright and clear world to the world—"
The sound by his ear, like being blown away by the wind, gradually faded and became blurred. The scene before his eyes, like a reflection in water being disturbed, rippled and dissipated.
Immediately after, as if the hands of time were sped up by an invisible hand, the scene before him became clear again and began to change rapidly, with light and shadow in disarray.
Spring passed and autumn came, cold and heat cycled, flowers bloomed and withered in front of the small Daoist temple, cycling several times.
The infant who had almost frozen to death on the mountain path grew rapidly under the meticulous care and earnest teachings of his four masters, quickly growing into a child running around.
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During this period, the care given by the four old Daoist priests to Qingji could be described as meticulous.
If Bai Kai gave Lu Yibei the feeling of a "male mother," then the four old Daoist priests and Qingji gave Lu Yibei the feeling that the Ancestor had four "male mothers."
This wasn't that strange 'male mother' type, but rather a feeling of being gentle, considerate, and meticulous like a mother. Lu Yibei suddenly missed Shui Ge a little.
Of course, he didn't miss his gentleness, just simply missed Shui Ge himself. And then, the child in his sight finally grew into a handsome young man.
Just then, the speed of the scene changes gradually slowed down, and Lu Yibei heard a fierce quarrel...
"Evil disciple! Look at what you've done!" The burly old Daoist pointed at Qingji's nose and scolded, "How many times have I told you not to cause trouble at Da Chunyang Palace? Why won't you listen?"
"Now look, you injured over a dozen of their disciples, and two might be permanently disabled. They've come complaining right to our doorstep, demanding we hand you over. What are we going to do?"
"Go, go, go! Come with me to Da Chunyang Palace to apologize."
Struggling free from the old Daoist's outstretched hand, Qingji slightly lifted his chin, snorting coldly, "Hmph! It was clearly those Da Chunyang Palace disciples who ganged up to beat me, but they ended up getting a beating instead. They were killing with bloodshot eyes and deadly moves, I only injured them to defend myself!"
"They are in the wrong, why should I apologize to them?"
"You're still arguing?" The burly old Daoist roared, "This time wasn't your fault, but what about the past? If it weren't for your past actions, why would they gang up on you?"
"I..." Qingji avoided the burly old Daoist's gaze with a hint of guilt, muttering, "Anyway, I won't apologize to those guys."
"Grand Senior Brother, Qingji didn't do it on purpose either. Besides, if you don't teach your children..." The tall, thin old Daoist interrupted.
The burly old Daoist glared at the tall, thin old Daoist, cutting him off, "Do you think we're not at fault? If it weren't for us spoiling this evil disciple too much, how could he have become this ghost-like state?"
"Second Master, please stop talking. Grand Master just has this bad temper, he's afraid of Da Chunyang Palace." Qingji said to the tall, thin old Daoist, "I'll take responsibility for my own actions."
"At worst, I'll go down the mountain. The world is big, where can't I go?"
Anyway, I've long wanted to go down the mountain and see."
The burly old Daoist's lips trembled with anger, pointing at Qingji, "You, your wings have hardened, haven't they? Fine, go! If you leave, don't come back!" "If I don't come back, I don't come back! I wouldn't want to stay in this wretched place anyway!" Qingji said poutingly, turning and running towards the outside of the small Daoist temple.
Thus, in the autumn of his eighteenth year, Qingji left Zhenwu Mountain and didn't return for a very, very long time. From that day on, the burly old Daoist would sit by the door of the small Daoist temple every day, from dawn till dusk.
At first, disciples from Da Chunyang Palace would still come aggressively to demand an explanation.
Later, the people demanding explanations became messengers, occasionally bringing a few pieces of news about Qingji. They said he had cleared the urban legend from the 'Dead Man's Hill' a hundred miles away, which was notorious and terrifying.
They said he nearly lost his life protecting an ancient temple.
They said in Hua City, he finally met a little cook. They said he went to Miao Xinjiang and climbed Kunlun.
Qingji traveled further and further, and the time intervals between receiving information also grew longer and longer.
In the end, the disciple from Da Chunyang Palace who brought the news also stopped coming, but the burly old Daoist still sat in front of the small Daoist temple. It was unclear if he was still waiting for Qingji to return or if it had become a habit.
Until one day...
The autumn wind swept away the fallen leaves, and the entire Zhenwu Mountain exuded a sense of desolation.
The tall, thin Elder carried two plump yellow croaker fish and walked along the stone path, passing by the burly old Daoist.
The burly old Daoist glanced at the yellow croaker fish in his hand and subconsciously said, "Second Brother, steam these fish, okay? Qingji loves to eat them." As soon as these words were spoken, the tall, thin old Daoist carrying the fish, the short, fat old Daoist chopping wood, and the lame old Daoist washing clothes all froze in place.
After a long silence, the lame old Daoist finally said, "Grand Senior Brother, Qingji left almost ten years ago. He probably won't come back."
The burly old Daoist stared blankly at the path in front of the small Daoist temple, covered in fallen leaves, deep in thought. After a long while, he finally responded with a long, drawn-out "Oh."
It was as if he was reluctant to swallow it, but ultimately had to. And then.
He slowly got up, put away his chair, and walked into the small Daoist temple, never to come out again. That year, in winter, heavy snow sealed the mountain.
The vast expanse of snow covering the mountains was just like the year the four old Daoists from this small Daoist temple found that baby, who was almost frozen to death, by the roadside—
Many years later, it was also autumn.
Qingji, who was about to marry Lu Yanzhi, finally returned here, wishing to invite his four Masters to attend his wedding. However, what he found were nameless graves without even gravestones.
"Four Masters, look, I have now become the one who dispels the dark clouds and restores peace and order to the world. Truly..." Qingji knelt before the four nameless gravestones, murmuring for a long time.
However, no one responded to him anymore.
Only the wind blowing through the leaves in the forest rustled, so quiet it was irritating. Finally, countless thoughts condensed into a choked sigh.
"Ah—!"
The lingering sigh of Qingji in his ears hadn't faded, and Lu Yibei couldn't help but sigh along.
Having already lost his father, and with many things he wanted to do but didn't have time to do with him, he could somewhat empathize with Qingji's feelings at that moment.
""
Were Ancestor and his Masters all stubborn like oxen?
Why were they all so stubborn? One side said they wouldn't come back and didn't, while the other side didn't say they would go look for them. They were the people closest to each other, was it really that hard to admit they were wrong? Lu Yibei thought.
When he was a child, he also had the experience of arguing with his Old Dad, saying harsh words, and running away from home. He was very quick to admit his mistake and soften up. He didn't have Qingji's ability and courage to roam the world with just himself and a sword once he left home. He only had twelve yuan and fifty cents, took a bus, and headed towards the city's edge.
However, he hadn't even left Hua City, hadn't even overcome the hurdle of his first dinner, when he was utterly defeated by the outside world and fled back home dejectedly.
Only after arriving home did he realize that his Old Dad hadn't looked for him at all. What made him even more depressed was that his Old Dad hadn't even realized he had run away from home.
If it weren't for how delicious the food was that night, in a mix of shame and anger, he would have probably slammed his head against the load-bearing pillar of the old house to let his Old Dad taste the pain of losing a loved one.
Thinking back now, everything Old Dad made that day was his favorite food, and it was especially lavish.
Judging from the content recorded in the photo album his Old Mom left behind, which he saw in the God Kingdom Prototype not long ago, Shui Ge almost followed him the entire time he ran away from home that time.
However, perhaps because he was mistaken for some suspicious person by the God Kingdom Prototype, Lu Yibei's record of running away from home that time, across two full pages and over ten photos, were all scenes of Shui Ge acting suspiciously and looking lewd.
"Ah—!"
Lu Yibei sighed again. He had been a little resentful of Qingji's sword strike that cut through time, but after coming to this small Daoist temple, he had no thoughts about that sword strike at all.
Some say: While parents are alive, life still has a source; when parents are gone, life is only a journey home. The four Masters were Qingji's source, Lu Yanzhi was Qingji's journey home.
Perhaps, precisely because both the source and the journey home were gone, living alone in this world, unable to control himself, stubbornly wanting to defy time, wanting to salvage things, Qingji was able to unleash that sword strike?
Thinking of this, the figure of Chatterbox Girl suddenly appeared in Lu Yibei's mind [N O V E L I G H T] for some reason. Could she also be...
Lu Yibei shook his head, shaking the figure of Chatterbox Girl out of his mind and interrupting his thoughts.
Immediately after, he took two steps forward, silently chanted, performed a Spell, carefully restored the two damaged gravestones, then stood still, examined them carefully for a moment, shook his head with some regret, and walked towards the ruins of the small Daoist temple.
The damaged gravestones were repaired, but the text inscribed on them could not be restored.
After repairing the gravestones, Lu Yibei sighed silently, looked ahead, and walked towards the dilapidated small Daoist temple.
He wanted to see the place where his Ancestor lived, and maybe find some treasure by chance?
The things of the four Ancestors aren't they the things of the Ancestor? And the things of the Ancestor, aren't they my things? Saying'since ancient times' isn't excessive, is it?
Even if he only found useless things, it would be better than leaving them abandoned in this wilderness. Taking them back would also be a family heirloom, very meaningful. Lu Yibei thought.
