Chapter 119: The Fusion of the Five Elements |
Stroke by stroke, Chu Xun copied the talisman. Its abnormal control requirements made his control over spiritual energy grow increasingly powerful.
However, the Lightning-Avoidance Talisman was simply too high in grade. The slightest error would ruin it completely.
When this sheet of parchment paper was about sixty percent complete, it suddenly burst into flames with a boom.
“Too difficult.”
Chu Xun shook his head and waved a hand, gathering water vapor to extinguish the burning parchment paper.
At that moment, Youyou hopped in from outside and asked, “Master, what are we eating for lunch?”
Chu Xun looked into her bright black eyes and said, “We can’t keep eating radish leaves.”
Youyou gave an “oh.” She only ate vegetarian food.
She especially liked eating the radish leaves in the vegetable patch, causing the field mice to crawl over and squeak nonstop every day, all of them coming to complain.
“Then…”
“Salt can’t be eaten as a meal.”
“Then…”
“The grass by the wall is the rabbits’ nest. Leave them some.”
In the end, Chu Xun went to the vegetable patch and pulled up a few stalks of lettuce.
Youyou did not like cooked food, and lettuce did not need to be peeled. She could simply hold it and gnaw on it.
Crunch.
Crunch.
It was crisp, juicy, and carried a slightly sweet fragrance.
She sat on the stool by the doorway, gnawing on lettuce while leisurely swinging her legs.
The four weasels took turns jumping back and forth across them, having endless fun.
The crows beneath the eaves lowered their heads and watched.
Although Youyou was a transformed monster spirit and far stronger than them in terms of strength, she was naturally kind and timid, so the birds and beasts in the courtyard were not afraid of her.
At some point, Wei Ting walked over, rubbing his eyes.
“What time is it?”
Recently, he had become increasingly prone to drowsiness. Sometimes, he would sleep for an entire day.
This was a characteristic of a remnant soul, and the longer time passed, the more obvious it became.
Until one day, it would completely lose the qualities of a soul and become a muddled scattered soul that knew neither heaven nor earth.
At that point, aside from dissipating into heaven and earth, there would be no other path.
Even reincarnating into the animal path would become impossible.
Youyou got up from the stool and carefully stepped over the weasels to avoid stepping on them.
Then she hopped to Wei Ting’s side and said, “Father, do you want lettuce? It isn’t spicy.”
Wei Ting stroked her head with a doting expression.
“You eat. Father isn’t hungry.”
Chu Xun walked over. Wei Ting’s figure had already become somewhat blurry.
His remnant soul would not be able to hold on much longer.
The woman inside the house also had very little vitality left. The most difficult day to speak of was already very near.
“Want a drink?” Chu Xun asked.
Wei Ting’s eyes lit up slightly.
“A drink.”
Chu Xun brought out Bai Family Old Cellar’s aged wine. This wine was not much worse than Fenggu City’s Evening Moon Listening, which cost ten taels of silver per jar.
Youyou stuffed the lettuce into her mouth in a few quick bites, her cheeks bulging, then ran off and carried over a jar of wine.
There were two bowls on the table. She busily wiped them clean, then poured wine into them.
Chu Xun and Wei Ting sat down. There were no dishes to go with the wine.
Wei Ting reached for the bowl, but his palm passed straight through it.
He froze.
Chu Xun reached out and pushed the wine bowl forward.
“You’re still half asleep, aren’t you? Why are you acting drunk? You can’t even reach the bowl.”
Spiritual energy wrapped around the wine bowl. When Wei Ting reached out again, he could pick it up.
He chuckled.
“I’m old now, and my eyes are blurry. These old bones really aren’t good anymore.
Thinking back to when I escorted goods, no matter how high the mountains or how distant the roads were, I could still walk them. A few hundred meters away…”
As Wei Ting spoke, a trace of confusion and distress appeared on his face.
“What was it a few hundred meters away again?”
The Taiguang and Shuangling were the two souls of heaven and earth.
One governed life, the other wisdom.
However, in the state of a remnant soul, all of this was constantly weakening. Things he could remember before were slowly being forgotten.
Chu Xun raised his wine bowl and clinked it with his.
“Drink first. After drinking, you can slowly think about it.”
Wei Ting raised his bowl as well, took a sip, then began to stare blankly.
This had already become his usual state, nothing strange.
Chu Xun did not disturb him and simply accompanied him at the side.
After a long while, Wei Ting seemed to suddenly come back to himself. He turned to look outside.
“Huh? When did it start raining?”
“Just now,” Chu Xun said.
Wei Ting suddenly smiled and said, “I remember that after drinking with you that day, it also suddenly rained that night. I originally wanted to drink with you again the next day, but you left overnight.”
He had already forgotten what he had seen while escorting goods, yet he had not forgotten drinking with Chu Xun.
Chu Xun nodded and casually said, “Mr. Pei lent me an umbrella.”
Just as he was about to say more, he saw Wei Ting begin staring blankly again.
Chu Xun sighed inwardly and glanced at Youyou beside him.
This girl had been holding the wine jar and standing beside Wei Ting the whole time.
At this moment, her large eyes were wide open, as if something confused her.
But she did not ask, and Chu Xun could not take the initiative to ask either.
Another ten days passed like this.
Before dawn, Youyou suddenly knocked the door open with her head and shouted at Chu Xun, “Master! My mother! My mother!”
Chu Xun got out of bed and came to the side room.
He saw that the woman’s life flame had already dimmed and was about to go out.
The ghost official from Zhangnan County had already arrived.
But because the crows were staring at him, he did not dare casually step forward.
Wei Ting was still asleep. If the ghost official took the woman’s soul away now, perhaps it could lessen his pain slightly.
But Chu Xun did not do that. Instead, he drew in a strand of spiritual energy and awakened Wei Ting.
Wei Ting rubbed his eyes groggily and asked, “What happened?”
“I’ll send you both off,” Chu Xun said.
Wei Ting gave an “oh,” as if he had not fully understood.
Chu Xun did not let the ghost official come over. When the woman’s soul separated from her body, he infused it with a spiritual light to stabilize her three souls, preventing her from becoming muddled.
The woman’s soul regained clarity. She looked at Youyou beside her, then at the white-haired Wei Ting.
Her face was filled with astonishment, shock, and joy.
Although he had become terribly old, the bond between souls still allowed her to instantly recognize him as the husband she had not seen for more than twenty years.
Wei Ting had wandered in that room for twenty-five full years, thinking he had always been caring for his wife.
Yet he never knew that the woman had never seen him and had believed her husband had been dead for twenty-five years.
One person and one soul had stayed in the same room, yet were separated by yin and yang.
“Let’s go,” Chu Xun said.
The woman could sense his uniqueness and obediently nodded. She went over and held Wei Ting’s arm.
“I thought you had gone first.”
Wei Ting chuckled foolishly, not knowing whether he understood.
Chu Xun stepped forward and walked toward Zhangnan County’s City God Temple.
The souls of Wei Ting and his wife drifted after him under his guidance.
The ghost official had already gone back to report. With Chu Xun here, this matter no longer required him to handle it.
Youyou followed behind, her head drooping.
On the road, they ran into Zhang Bao Di, the grandson of Zhang Erzhu. He was broad and strong, tall and sturdy.
“Uncle Chen.”
Zhang Bao Di was carrying a hoe and had just returned from the fields. He greeted him, then looked toward Youyou.
“Girl, what’s wrong? Did someone bully you? Tell your brother, and I’ll clean him up later!”
Zhang Bao Di paused, then laughed dryly and said, “If it was Uncle Chen, pretend I didn’t say anything.”
He was now the strongest man in the village, with a status somewhat like Stone had back then, having been the leader of the children since young.
He had also learned a few martial tricks from Liao Xingbang. He was loyal and somewhat resembled Li Ermao, who had once been killed with a single slash.
Unlike Li Ermao, he was not fond of gambling. He just loved visiting prostitutes.
He still had not married. Whenever he had a bit of silver, he liked going into the city to find brothel girls.
His parents were furious but had no way to deal with him.
He would not listen when they spoke, and if they beat him, their own hands would hurt.
Youyou raised her head to look at him.
“Master is here.”
Her answers were always a little off like this, and Zhang Bao Di had grown used to it.
He scratched his head in confusion and watched Chu Xun and Youyou leave one after another.
Suddenly, he felt a chill run through his body and could not help rubbing his arms hard.
“What kind of damned weather is this? It’s this cold even under the bright sun.”
Not long after, Chu Xun brought Wei Ting and his wife’s souls to the City God Temple.
When he sent Liao Shouyi away, a great battle had taken place here.
Fortunately, fog had hidden everything. Although common people had heard strange sounds, they had not paid much attention.
At this moment, there were not many people in the temple. The City God walked down from his golden statue and respectfully bowed to Chu Xun.
“Greetings, Exalted Immortal.”
Youyou widened her eyes and looked at the City God, who was covered in yin qi and held a jade tablet of merit.
Yo!
Master really could speak with the City God!
Chu Xun gestured toward Wei Ting and his wife.
“These two are old acquaintances of mine. Make arrangements for them.”
The City God had long known his purpose. Over the years, Chu Xun had sent quite a few people through the “back door” into the human path.
But seeing that although Wei Ting’s qi and spirits had scattered, his remnant soul was so weak, he could not help saying, “This person’s two souls of heaven and earth are too weak. If he enters the human path, he may easily die young.”
His soul power was innately insufficient, so dying young after birth would be normal.
Chu Xun frowned and asked, “Is there a way to make up for it?”
“No,” the City God shook his head.
The three souls and seven spirits were built through the cultivation of one lifetime. If one was a low-intelligence wild boar in this life, after one normal reincarnation, the soul and spirits could be completed under the heavenly order.
But if one was human, one would need to experience reincarnation several times.
After all, the three souls and seven spirits of humans were far superior to those of animals.
So even if Wei Ting reincarnated as a human this time, he would not recover in one lifetime.
Living as a foolish person and dying young would instead be even more pitiful.
Moreover, if he reincarnated from Zhangnan County today, no one knew where he would go in his next life.
Perhaps he would still be in Jing Kingdom. Perhaps he would be tens of thousands of li away.
Chu Xun sighed. He wanted to help Wei Ting, but he was powerless.
He could only say to the woman, “He has wandered by your side all these years, causing his two souls of heaven and earth to become too weak. Now, even if he reincarnates into the human path, he will die young. What do you think…”
The woman sensed the aura of the underworld deities from the City God and felt an instinctive fear in her heart.
But upon learning that her husband’s remnant soul had stayed beside her for more than twenty years without her ever seeing him, grief filled her heart. She immediately knelt on the ground.
“If my husband has no fate to reincarnate as a human, I beg the Exalted Immortal to grant us this wish, so that we husband and wife may live and die together.”
“Even if you do not reincarnate into the human path, you may not necessarily meet him again. Even if you do meet, you will not know each other’s identities,” Chu Xun said.
The woman was melancholy and did not know how to respond.
She turned to look at Youyou and asked, “Then she…”
Youyou jumped over and supported her.
“Mother, Master said I still have a long, long time to live.”
A trace of relief appeared in the woman’s eyes. She stroked Youyou’s head and said, “You’ve worked hard all these years.”
Youyou lifted her eyelids and looked at her palm, her ears twitching slightly twice.
Wei Ting was now muddled and could no longer make any decisions.
In the end, Chu Xun made the decision. The woman would enter the human path, while Wei Ting would enter the animal path.
Once his soul was replenished in the future, he would still have the chance to reincarnate as a human again.
The animal path had just opened. Under the City God’s guidance, Wei Ting blankly walked toward reincarnation.
When he reached it, he suddenly turned back and looked at his wife.
“I’m leaving.”
The woman froze. Just as she was about to speak, Wei Ting had already stepped into reincarnation.
After more than twenty years of wandering, his final farewell was simple.
The depth of feeling made one sigh with emotion.
When the tiger hour arrived, the human path opened, and it was time for the woman to leave as well.
Before entering reincarnation, she thanked Chu Xun, then finally looked at Youyou standing beside him.
“You must learn to be stronger. Don’t let others bully you.”
The woman paused, her tone carrying some reminiscence.
“Youyou was always careless and carefree. She was always the one bullying others. She was very brave.”
After saying this, she stepped forward and entered reincarnation.
Youyou stared with her big black eyes, looking at the path of reincarnation, then at Chu Xun.
Chu Xun understood in his heart that the woman had probably known long ago that the one accompanying her was not her biological daughter.
But Youyou was obedient and kind, and she truly needed someone to care for her, so she had never exposed it.
Only at the final moment before reincarnation did she say those words.
Youyou tugged at Chu Xun’s sleeve, seeming somewhat confused.
“Master, I’m not brave.”
She still had not understood what the woman’s words meant.
After all, although she had lived in the human world for more than twenty years, she had rarely interacted with outsiders, and no one had taught her about human relationships and worldly affairs.
Everything had to be understood by herself.
Chu Xun looked at her and asked, “Aren’t you sad?”
Youyou became even more confused.
“What is sad?”
“It means seeing them leave, knowing you’ll never see them again, and feeling uncomfortable inside,” Chu Xun explained.
Youyou thought for a moment, then lowered her head and said, “I don’t know.”
In the world of monsters, there was no such emotion.
All birth, aging, sickness, and death were natural and proper.
What sadness was, she still could not understand.
Chu Xun did not say more. After greeting the City God, he left.
When they returned to the village, Youyou hopped into the house.
It was as if sending Wei Ting and his wife away truly had no effect on her.
Seeing the wine bowl Wei Ting had used still on the table, she curiously leaned closer.
Chu Xun saw that she seemed eager to try and asked, “Never drunk before?”
“No.” Youyou said somewhat embarrassedly, “Father said I was too young and wasn’t allowed to drink.”
Chu Xun poured Wei Ting’s bowl onto the ground. Wine drunk by a remnant soul would have no taste if drunk again.
“If you want to drink, you can taste it,” Chu Xun said.
Youyou’s eyes lit up slightly. She picked up the wine jar and poured just a tiny bit.
She lifted it to her nose and sniffed, then brought it to her mouth and drank it in one gulp.
Then her eyes widened, and she jumped several feet into the air, shouting, “Yo! Spicy, spicy, spicy, spicy, spicy, spicy, spicy!”
As she shouted, tears streamed down from the spiciness.
The four weasels ran in from outside and gathered around her to watch.
Youyou crouched down and looked at them with tearful eyes.
“It really is spicy.”
It was so spicy that once her tears started flowing, they would not stop.
Wei Ting and his wife had left, but Youyou did not leave.
From then on, the solitary Chu Xun had another girl by his side, one who always liked to hop when she walked, timid and afraid of spice.
Her name was Wei Youyou.
She was a monster spirit.
Spring came again.
Chu Xun’s divine office manifested, and he left Zhangnan County carrying a sword.
When he returned, two more county authorities were in his hands.
At this point, all ten counties under Mingxiu Prefecture had fallen into his hands.
After that were the three cities, and finally the prefectural city itself.
Chu Xun did not act rashly.
The underworld deities of the cities were more powerful than county-level ones, and they were now extremely vigilant.
At the slightest disturbance, they would immediately gather together.
Either he did not fight at all, or if he fought, he had to wipe them out in one stroke without giving them any chance to turn things around.
Most importantly, Zhang Jingheng was old.
The merit of this old Chancellor was no less than Tang Shijun’s.
When he reached the end of his natural lifespan, the capital City God would definitely act.
Before that, Chu Xun needed to conserve his strength and could not act recklessly.
In the blink of an eye, it was the twelfth year of Changning.
The Wu Kingdom had temporarily given up attacking the southwest and instead began besieging the southwestern region controlled by Ma Huaian.
This pair of former allies had ultimately reached opposition.
In truth, this was only natural. The Wu Kingdom wanted to annex Jing Kingdom, so how could it possibly abandon the southwestern mountains and forests?
It was just that with Jing Kingdom’s border army watching from the side, the Wu Kingdom did not dare attack too fiercely, lest someone else reap the benefits.
As for Mobei, invasions continued constantly, but there had not been a large-scale attack. No one knew what they were planning.
The Wusun Kingdom to the east had no movement. They were shrouded in heavy fog all year round, and aside from merchant caravans entering and leaving, outsiders almost never went there.
Under Emperor Changning’s governance, Jing Kingdom had grown increasingly prosperous over the years.
Aside from minor border frictions, it could roughly be called an era of peace and prosperity.
At this moment, in the imperial court, Emperor Changning sat upon the dragon throne.
He was in his forties and not particularly old.
He had created a new prosperous age for Jing Kingdom, and the ambitions in his heart expanded with it.
At today’s court session, he proposed something that many people had not expected.
Counterattack Mobei in one decisive push, wipe out the Mobei horse tribes that kept invading the border, and then take the opportunity to attack Yue Kingdom.
At that time, Jing Kingdom’s territory would at least double!
This idea shocked everyone.
The civil and military officials almost unanimously opposed it.
They had only had peace for a few years, and now there would be war again?
Emperor Changning’s meaning was very clear. There was no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days.
Instead of letting the Mobei horse tribes invade once every twenty or thirty years, it would be better to directly incorporate them into Jing Kingdom’s territory.
Among the officials, only some young and radical military officers supported it.
No one expected that Chancellor Zhang Jingheng, who had always valued the livelihood of the people, would step forward.
He was already very old and had even been specially granted a chair during court sessions.
Now, he rose trembling and said, “His Majesty is correct. Since ancient times, there has never been a reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days.
Now that the Wu Kingdom is busy fighting the rebel Ma Huaian over the southwestern forests, we truly should seize this opportunity and take Mobei in one stroke.
This is His Majesty’s intention, and also the late founding emperor’s wish.”
Zhang Jingheng’s prestige in court was already unmatched.
Now that he had voiced his support, what else could the others say?
They only felt puzzled. This monarch and minister had always placed great importance on the people’s livelihood. Why would they suddenly want war?
After the court session ended, the officials dispersed.
Emperor Changning descended from the dragon throne and personally supported Zhang Jingheng.
“Chancellor, you are advanced in age. You must pay more attention to your health.”
Zhang Jingheng looked at him.
“What did the imperial physicians say?”
A bitter smile appeared on Emperor Changning’s face.
“At most two or three years.”
Perhaps due to overwork from state affairs, Emperor Changning had vomited blood some days ago.
After the imperial physicians examined him, they determined that he had exhausted too much heart-blood. This illness had no medicine that could cure it.
Unless he abdicated now and carefully nourished his health, perhaps he could live a few more days.
But Jing Kingdom had finally begun to flourish. How could Emperor Changning abdicate at this time?
The crown prince was a benevolent ruler. But the problem was that he was too benevolent.
The sudden proposal to campaign against Mobei today came from this.
Emperor Changning knew the crown prince’s nature. After his death, when this benevolent ruler faced the combined pressure of Mobei and the Wu Kingdom, he might not have the heart to let soldiers die on the battlefield.
Once a major war erupted, such a personality would absolutely not be good for Jing Kingdom.
As for the other princes, they were even less suitable for great responsibility.
Emperor Changning could not help sighing. He had clearly taught them with great care, so why could he not produce a worthy one?
So before he died, he had to establish a foundation of stability for Jing Kingdom.
Taking Mobei, and even Yue Kingdom farther beyond, was the most important part of that!
With those two territories, Jing Kingdom would be relatively powerful among the surrounding nations.
Even the Wu Kingdom might not dare invade easily again.
Zhang Jingheng knew this matter, so he spared no effort in supporting it at court.
Zhang Jingheng sighed.
“What a pity Duke Wei has passed away. He began his career in the Mobei military camp back then. If he were still here, we would have a greater chance in this war.
But Your Majesty can rest assured. For this battle, this old minister will do everything possible regarding grain, supplies, troops, and horses!”
Emperor Changning smiled and nodded.
“With you here, I naturally feel at ease.
Let us, monarch and minister, join hands and fight for a better future for the people of Jing Kingdom!
If this battle is won, Jing Kingdom will have no war for a hundred years!”
Pinecone Village.
Chu Xun put down the brush in his hand and looked at the freshly completed Lightning-Avoidance Talisman, nodding in satisfaction.
After several years of practice, he could now draw two Lightning-Avoidance Talismans per year.
The main reason was that, with the support of the Wood Movement Art, the parchment paper was much more useful than what was sold on the market and could withstand the impact of spiritual energy.
As a result, his imitation Lightning-Avoidance Talismans had accumulated to four.
Drawing talismans required long periods of concentration, and Chu Xun was indeed somewhat tired.
After placing the Lightning-Avoidance Talisman into a nearby cabinet, he walked out of the room.
In the courtyard, the little girl with horn-shaped braids was crouching beside the vegetable patch, staring at several field mice holding radish leaves.
“Just one.”
“Squeak!”
“I haven’t eaten any in so long.”
“Squeak, squeak!”
“I’ll treat you to salt, all right?”
“Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak!”
Chu Xun found it amusing as he listened. Wei Youyou loved eating radish leaves and also loved eating salt.
Sometimes, when she was hungry, she would take the salt jar, scoop a spoonful into her mouth, and eat it with relish.
Because she thought it was delicious, she also made the field mice eat it. The little creatures were almost salted to death on the spot.
“Don’t argue with them. Come, I’ll take you out for a walk,” Chu Xun said.
Only then did Wei Youyou stand up and walk toward Chu Xun. After only a few steps, she turned back and asked pitifully, “Not even half?”
Her appearance was far too pitiful. She was clearly a transformed monster spirit, much stronger than the birds and beasts in the courtyard.
Yet for the sake of one radish leaf, she discussed back and forth with the field mice.
Perhaps the field mice also felt somewhat guilty. They silently let go with their little paws.
Wei Youyou immediately beamed and jumped over. Carefully measuring it, she pinched the radish leaf in half from the middle.
Then she put it in her mouth and chewed in tiny bites, her eyes smiling like crescent moons.
As she ate, she asked, “Master, where are we going?”
“To find a place with few people.”
“A place with few people? What for?”
“To make progress.”
Wei Youyou did not really understand what he meant, but she still obediently followed beside him.
The villagers they met along the way all greeted them warmly.
Now, Chu Xun’s identity in the village was close to fifty years old, making him an elder.
Most of the villagers were younger than him.
Some called him Brother Chen, some called him Uncle Chen, and some called him Grandpa Chu.
The one who received the most attention was naturally Wei Youyou.
After living in the village for several years, she had become the most popular “child” in the entire village.
Everyone knew she liked eating vegetarian food, especially fresh, clean grass roots, fruits, and such.
Some villagers even prepared them in advance at home. When they saw Wei Youyou, they would take them out and wave at her.
“Youyou, come here! Look what tasty thing I brought for you!”
Wei Youyou hopped over.
“Yo! Thorn berries!”
It was a type of shrub covered in thorns, somewhat like brambles, that produced greenish fruits.
After fully ripening, they turned yellow-brown.
They had a strange taste when eaten, like tree leaves but not bitter.
After only a few more steps, another villager waved and shouted, “Youyou, come here. Want a pear?”
“Youyou, freshly bought sweet dates. Try some.”
Before long, Wei Youyou was holding a pile of things.
She lowered her head and struggled over which one to eat first.
Chu Xun said nothing, simply smiling faintly as he walked out of the village with her.
Zhang Bao Di, who was swinging a hoe in the fields, had very obvious muscles.
Seeing Chu Xun and Wei Youyou, he stopped and shouted, “Uncle Chen, Youyou girl.”
Wei Youyou ran over and asked with a smile, “Brother Dabao, do you have sweet dates?”
Zhang Bao Di unceremoniously took a sweet pear from her arms, rubbed it twice on his clothes, and started gnawing on it.
“Pears are better. Fragrant, sweet, and thirst-quenching.”
Wei Youyou stared at him with round eyes. That was the one she had planned to save for last because she could not bear to eat it!
She returned to Chu Xun’s side with a bitter little face.
“Brother Dabao ate my pear.”
Chu Xun laughed.
“It’s fine.”
“I wanted to eat it too…”
“You’ll have one later.”
The tall and small figures walked along the fields.
Zhang Bao Di finished the pear in a few bites and casually tossed it away.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and was about to pick up his hoe again when he suddenly felt that something had appeared beside him.
Turning his head, he could not help being stunned.
At some point, flowers had bloomed one after another on the field ridge.
Zhang Bao Di stared in surprise. There had clearly been none just now.
Chu Xun and Wei Youyou had already walked far away.
After leaving Pinecone Village, they headed south.
Wei Youyou did not care where he was going. Following him was enough.
As for the flowers continuously blooming along the road behind them, she occasionally picked one curiously and put it in her mouth to taste.
“Yo! Delicious!”
In this way, they walked one hundred and eighty li.
The mountain he had once seen, as well as the village at the foot of the mountain, appeared before them.
The old and the young entered the village. Many villagers looked at them curiously.
Only when they reached the place closest to the mountain foot did Chu Xun see the blacksmith shop from his memory.
Compared to thirty years ago, the blacksmith shop had not changed much. Only the house had been rebuilt.
In front of the house, a boy wearing split-crotch pants held a long, thin stick and ran back and forth laughing happily, no one knowing what he was so pleased about.
A thickly built man was chopping firewood with an axe.
A woman stood nearby, stacking the split firewood into a pile in the courtyard.
The boy happened to run over holding the wooden stick and nearly crashed into Wei Youyou.
The two stared at each other with wide eyes. Wei Youyou hesitated, then handed over the unfinished thorn berries in her hand.
“Want some?”
The boy did not recognize them at all. Curious, he took a few and placed them in his mouth.
After chewing only a few times, he burst into tears.
“So nasty!”
He cried and ran back, leaving Wei Youyou somewhat at a loss.
They were clearly delicious!
The couple in the courtyard looked over when they heard the sound.
The woman hugged the boy, while the man frowned slightly.
Chu Xun walked over, looked at him, and asked, “You don’t recognize me?”
The man naturally could not recognize him. Thirty years had passed, and Chu Xun’s appearance had changed somewhat.
Together with the beard he had grown, he looked even more different from before.
But the man felt he looked familiar, yet could not recognize him, so he asked, “You are?”
Chu Xun smiled and said, “I once learned to forge a sword here.”
The man froze. Then, as if remembering something, surprise appeared on his face.
“It’s you!”
That young man who had entered the mountain carrying a sword had never been forgotten even now.
“Chun’er, hurry and call Father! Quickly!” the man instructed, while coming over. He subconsciously wanted to reach out, but appeared somewhat awkward.
When Chu Xun first met Cheng Congyi thirty years ago, he had only been seventeen or eighteen.
He had been carefree and straightforward, unlike now, much more mature and steady.
He chuckled and scratched his head.
“I really didn’t expect you to come back. My father has talked about you for so many years. During New Year last year, he even took out the twenty taels of silver you left behind to show off.
He said that silver is our family’s heirloom.”
As Cheng Congyi spoke, he looked at Wei Youyou and asked, “Is this your daughter or granddaughter?”
“Neither.” Chu Xun shook his head. “The daughter of an old acquaintance.”
Wei Youyou jumped forward, raised the thorn berries in her hand, and asked, “Want some?”
Cheng Congyi looked at the thorn berries, thinking of how his son had just cried and shouted that they were terrible, and politely declined.
Wei Youyou looked somewhat regretful.
“They really aren’t nasty.”
Inside the house, Cheng Shan, now in his sixties, was trembling as his daughter-in-law helped him walk out.
Compared to many years ago, he now looked much thinner and weaker.
His hair was completely white, no longer resembling that sturdy blacksmith from before.
Seeing Chu Xun, Cheng Shan opened his eyes wide.
“Quick, quick, help me over!”
He hurried over. When he reached Chu Xun, he was extremely excited.
No one understood better than him how powerful that young man from back then truly was.
He had thought he would never have the chance to meet him again in this lifetime. Who could have expected that after a serious illness, they would actually meet once more?
Chu Xun used his qi-gazing ability and saw that Cheng Shan had very little vitality remaining. At most, he could support himself for another year or half a year.
He sighed inwardly and asked, “You were ill?”
“I’m old. It’s only right to get sick a little,” Cheng Shan said, not caring at all.
He glanced at Wei Youyou and asked the same question, “Is this your daughter or granddaughter?”
Wei Youyou jumped over and answered on her own, “Neither. I am the daughter of Master’s old acquaintance.”
She raised the thorn berries in her hand.
“Want some?”
The boy hiding behind the woman poked out half his head and shouted, “Nasty!”
Wei Youyou turned to look at him and pouted.
“Not nasty!”
“So nasty I cried!”
Wei Youyou lowered her head and stopped arguing.
At that moment, a thin, wrinkled hand appeared before her.
It took a thorn berry from her palm.
Wei Youyou raised her head and watched as Cheng Shan placed the thorn berry in his mouth.
After chewing a few times, he smiled and said, “Not nasty.”
She immediately beamed.
Cheng Shan then looked toward Chu Xun and asked, “You didn’t come this time to forge another sword, did you?”
“No.” Chu Xun shook his head. “I found a very good billet and have already been forging it.”
“Then?”
“I wanted to find a place with few people. As I walked, I ended up here,” Chu Xun said.
Cheng Shan nodded. A remarkable person naturally had his own reasons for doing things. There was no need to ask too much.
“I need to go into the mountain,” Chu Xun said.
“Will you come back?” Cheng Shan asked.
Chu Xun nodded.
“I’ll return this way.”
Cheng Shan’s wrinkles piled together as he smiled.
“Then I’ll have my family prepare some food.”
“Good.”
Watching Chu Xun and Wei Youyou enter the mountain, the woman finally could not help asking curiously, “Father, is he the extraordinary person you mentioned?”
Cheng Shan nodded.
“We won’t do anything else today. Hurry and buy some good wine and dishes!”
No one knew better than him how powerful the other party was. A ferocious beast that several second-rank martial artists together could not deal with had been solved by that young man alone with one sword.
Decades had passed. This person would only be even more powerful now.
How powerful? He did not know, but it was certainly a level beyond his imagination.
For his family to host such a person was a tremendous honor.
At this time, Chu Xun and Wei Youyou had already entered the mountain.
As they walked up the mountain, Wei Youyou clearly became much more cheerful.
She had not returned to the mountain forest for twenty or thirty years, so everything she saw now felt wonderful.
Here she picked a blade of grass and placed it in her mouth. There she broke off a piece of bark. When she encountered wild beasts in the forest, she would also jump over and examine them.
After all, she was a transformed monster spirit. Even without any intention to harm them, the birds and beasts in the forest could instinctively sense her ability.
All of them were suppressed until their four legs faced the sky, lying on the ground and not daring to move.
Before long, they arrived at the valley where the old bat had once been killed.
Without the astral wind blowing through it, the vegetation in the valley had grown lush, almost covering the entrance.
Chu Xun looked at the place with nostalgia. His first time killing a monster spirit had still given him some sense of accomplishment.
Inside the valley, Chu Xun sensed a faint unusual aura.
The vines automatically swept aside, allowing him to enter without obstruction.
After entering the valley’s interior, Chu Xun saw the shallow pool.
In the water, a grass carp nearly five chi long was happily swishing its tail.
Chu Xun looked somewhat surprised. He had noticed before that a grass carp had fallen into the pool.
He had not expected it to still be here after so many years.
That faint unusual aura came from the grass carp.
Clearly, this fish was showing signs of evolving toward a monster spirit.
Wei Youyou curiously jumped over, crouched by the pool, and stared at the grass carp.
This was the first time she had seen such a large fish.
Sensing the aura of a transformed monster spirit on her body, the grass carp was so frightened that it swung its tail and swam away.
Wei Youyou was also startled by the splashing water and jumped up, quickly returning to Chu Xun’s side.
Chu Xun smiled and said, “I am going to advance here. If there are any unusual phenomena, help me conceal them.”
Wei Youyou gave an “oh,” and Chu Xun said no more.
With a thought, the grasses, trees, vines, and moss in the valley began growing wildly.
Wood Movement Art: 99,972 out of 100,000. Limited control over the wood of heaven and earth within one thousand zhang.
Wood Movement Art plus one.
Wood Movement Art plus one.
Wood Movement Art plus one.
…
The number increased at an extremely rapid speed. After so many years, Chu Xun’s Five Elements spell arts were finally about to reach perfection.
He had walked so far precisely because he was worried the fusion of the Five Elements would create an astonishing phenomenon, frightening the villagers and bringing unnecessary trouble.
When the Wood Movement Art number reached 99,999, the valley seemed to suddenly fall silent.
All things beneath heaven and earth seemed to sink into stillness at that moment.
Chu Xun sensed something in his heart. He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
In an instant, five different spiritual lights spread out from within his body.
Green represented wood, clear, moist, and gentle.
Red represented fire, warm but not scorching.
Yellow represented earth, heavy and steady.
White represented metal, cold and pure.
Black represented water, mild and enduring.
Five-colored spiritual light circled around him like five lively ribbons, slowly rising and flowing.
The snakes, insects, mice, ants, birds, and beasts throughout the entire mountain forest—
All fell still at this moment.
They faced the direction of the valley, either lowering their heads or lying flat on the ground, filled with reverence.
“Yo! Master is glowing!”
Wei Youyou widened her eyes, looking at the five-colored spiritual light around Chu Xun. Her eyes were filled with dazzling colors.
Chu Xun only felt his body becoming light and floating, as if he were about to ascend to immortality.
He had cultivated the Five Elements spell arts for many years. In the past, each had moved along its own path without interfering with the others.
Now, however, they began intertwining. Spiritual energy from the mountain forest was continuously drawn over, merging into the spiritual light, as if something was being nurtured.
At the foot of the mountain, Cheng Shan, who was sitting in the courtyard unwilling to return indoors, had been watching the direction of the mountain forest the whole time.
Suddenly, he saw something different.
Clouds began gathering toward the mountain.
From pure white, they gradually transformed into five colors.
Five-colored auspicious clouds gathered, faintly circling above the valley, miraculous beyond words.
Cheng Shan suddenly stood up, just like back then, only even more excited.
Even the villagers in the village noticed it and looked up one after another, their faces full of wonder.
They had never seen clouds this beautiful before.
Inside the valley, the spiritual lights around Chu Xun slowly seeped into one another.
You within me, me within you.
Every strand of spiritual energy became increasingly pure and condensed.
As they fused together, there was not the slightest rejection. Instead, they became perfectly integrated. This was a qualitative transformation from “technique” to “Dao.”
After an unknown length of time, the five spiritual lights finally wove into a single dazzling five-colored Dao-rhyme qi mass.
Faintly, incomparably complex and mysterious patterns appeared upon the qi mass.
With a boom, the five-colored qi mass carried these patterns upward into the sky.
It grew larger and larger, as though it wanted to gather the entire world within it.
Wei Youyou opened her eyes wide and suddenly remembered Chu Xun’s instruction.
Without the slightest hesitation, she trembled slightly and instantly returned to the appearance of an adult woman.
Unlike the little girl with horn-shaped braids, when she regained her beautiful face and slender figure, her gaze also became much steadier.
She lifted her head and looked at the qi mass that was about to break out of the valley and rush beyond the mountain forest.
She slowly bent down, her entire body radiating clear spiritual light.
“Yo-you…”
A strange cry resounded through the mountain forest, clear as jade stones striking together and distant as pine waves echoing through a valley.
The clear spiritual glow suddenly surged. Her beautiful face transformed into the head of a deer covered in snow-white fur. Her slender body shed its plain clothes and became a strong, graceful deer form marked with faint spots.
Her limbs were slim yet straight, and the tips of her hooves glowed with a green, luminous light.
Several strands of silver-white long hair hung from the tip of her tail, gently lifting with the spiritual radiance.
Even the five-colored qi mass could not conceal her spiritual elegance.
The deer cried yo-you, feeding on wild duckweed.
Its voice stirred the forest canopy, its spirit born naturally from the Dao.
[End of Chapter]