“No, senior sister, what are we going to do after this?” 

Hua Se turned around and caught up with Liuli’s pace, with a simple and honest look on her face. 

“Keep following them. As the saying goes, a good man is afraid of a woman’s persistence.” 

Liuli answered absentmindedly, but she had an idea in her heart. 

She had been guarding at the foot of this mountain for half a month, and finally waited for two demigods. The higher the realm, the faster the improvement during dual cultivation. 

Ji Changfeng was gentle and polite, but he treated everyone equally. She had seen many young women in the town send him food. Zhu Nanshi seemed difficult to approach, but in fact he had a firm will. Once this kind of iron bump opened his heart, it would be a never-ending story. 

A cold and aloof face suddenly appeared in Liuli’s mind. 

She had a successful case. 

“That’s not right, senior sister. I remember that the saying should be ‘a good woman is afraid of a man’s persistence’?” 

Hua Se vaguely felt something was wrong and interrupted Liuli’s thoughts. 

“Where did you read that?” 

“In a storybook.” 

“In the future, read less of these storybooks!” 

“Oh…” 

— 

Xian Jue followed the two towards the Wuji Sect’s station in the village. The pedestrians they met on the road greeted them, and from time to time they encountered villagers sending chickens, ducks, and wild game. The two couldn’t refuse and accepted a handful of the most common wild vegetables. 

The Wuji Sect had an excellent reputation in the human world for subduing demons and eliminating evil, and saving lives and healing the wounded. 

Wherever a sect was stationed, there was always peace and prosperity. 

During the hundred years of his experience in the mortal world, Xian Jue had also been stationed in a village. That was one of the few times in his long life that he experienced the warmth of the human world. 

For a long time, he thought that being bound by human emotions was foolish and unworthy. Attaining the Great Dao and severing emotions and desires should be the destination of all things. 

Until one year, there was a heavy rain during the autumn harvest. He and his fellow disciples went to the fields to help the villagers with the harvest. After a day of hard work, he sat with the old people of the village under a large mulberry tree to enjoy the cool air. 

He learned from the old man to roll up his trouser legs and step barefoot on the damp red soil, relaxing his whole body. The villagers around him told homely stories in rhyming dialects, cicadas chirped in his ears, and the autumn wind brushed his face. 

For the first time, he felt the peace and tranquility of being with someone. 

Love and affection are indeed beautiful things in the human world. 

It’s just that human life is too short. 

During the ten years of staying in the village, he witnessed too many births and deaths of villagers. 

Five hundred years ago, just after leaving Wuji Mountain, he casually saved a child who almost fell off a cliff. To thank him for his kindness, the child fetched water for him every day until the day he returned to the mountain. 

Xian Jue saw that he had wisdom and persuaded him to go up the mountain to practice together. 

But he refused on the grounds that he had an elderly mother and an ignorant child at home. 

Xian Jue told him that cultivation could lead to longevity and avoid the suffering of reincarnation. But he laughed and said that if there were no relatives, what would there be to miss in this world? 

Xian Jue didn’t understand, and didn’t want to understand. 

People seem to be constantly repeating the joy of birth, the happiness of reunion, the sadness of separation, and the pain of death. 

Driven by emotions, they fall into one endless cycle after another, struggling and fighting endlessly in reincarnation. 

When they arrived at the inn, a round-faced, bright-eyed Wuji Sect disciple greeted them with a loud voice. 

“Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, you’re back. The luggage for going to Luohe Town has been packed and we can set off at any time.” 

Sometimes meeting old friends is so unexpected. Xian Jue recognized at a glance that the person in front of him was the boy he had saved five hundred years ago, who had fetched water for him. 

“Yes.” 

Zhu Nanshi’s eyebrows relaxed slightly, and he nodded slightly, introducing the visitor to him, “This is Uncle Xian Jue. We need to clean up a room for him later. This is Gu Yu, a disciple of the Wuji Sect.” 

“Uncle is above, please accept the respect of this junior.” 

Gu Yu was very respectful and saluted. 

Xian Jue nodded, made a “please” gesture, and turned to ask Zhu Nanshi. 

“Are you going to Luohe Town?” 

Zhu Nanshi frowned and hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth. 

“Changfeng and I were ordered to go down the mountain this time. It is said that there are demons causing trouble in Luohe Town, which is forty miles away from here. The local leader sent a letter to our sect several months ago, but the disciples who were sent there have disappeared without a trace. That’s why we were sent there to investigate.” 

Xian Jue’s expression was solemn. 

Zhu Nanshi and Ji Changfeng had both reached the demigod realm. To be sent at the same time could only mean that the realm of this demon was not to be underestimated. 

Ji Changfeng saw the other party’s hesitation and said, “If Uncle has nothing to do, can you help us?” 

The test in it was self-evident. After all, anyone would have concerns about an uncle who suddenly appeared out of thin air. Whether he was a friend or foe, they would know after a test. 

“Okay.” 

Xian Jue’s expression was indifferent. 

Speaking of which, he had a lot of connections with Luohe Town. The village where he stayed back then was located north of Luohe Town. 

Then he thought of the debt of love he had not repaid. It was not impossible to look for her after this matter was resolved. 

Afterwards, Xian Jue followed Gu Yu alone to the prepared room. 

The Wuji Sect was frugal, and the five-story inn used for lodging was built of the most common pine wood. 

Although the material was simple, there were many thoughts. 

Carved flowers on the doorposts, embedded beasts on the handrails, potted plants, porcelain, and wood carvings were everywhere. Every brick, tile, grass, and tree here was completed by the Wuji Sect disciples themselves. 

The levels of each person were different, and the quality of the finished products was naturally uneven. 

Just like the paintings hanging in the corridor, next to a very artistic Longshan Snow Plum picture, there was a Jiangshui Shushi picture with stiff and rough lines. 

In the Snow Plum picture, red plums spread out branches from the edge of the cliff, the snow covered the plum blossoms without collapsing, the branches were strong, and the pretty plums were lifelike. In the distance were lush mountains, with intense color rendering, and there was also a simple thatched cottage on the edge of the cliff, hidden in the dark. 

The poem on the painting, the title of the poem was two vigorous characters, like dragons flying and phoenixes dancing – Seeking Plum. 

The poem was written in small regular script, although it could be seen that it was written by one person, it was also much restrained – Always said that the road ahead is beautiful, but I have searched thousands of mountains without finding it. Suddenly, a dark fragrance came one night, and I remembered that the lean immortal opened in front of the door. 

Lean immortal, another name for plum, also refers to a thin and bony immortal. 

The meaning of the poem is not difficult to understand, it is nothing more than cherishing the person in front of you. 

Seeing Xian Jue stop to watch, Gu Yu hurriedly stepped forward to introduce, “This Seeking Plum picture is the work of Senior Brother Ji. He is very good at calligraphy and painting. Before entering the mountain, he was a well-known painter.” 

Xian Jue nodded slightly, which did look like Ji Changfeng’s work. 

He moved his gaze to the other Jiangshui Shushi picture. The ink-colored river was flowing endlessly, and in the distance was a dark area, with edges and corners, like mountains and houses. In the near distance were two dark brown large stones. 

The lines were rough and messy, the colors were strangely dark and dull, giving people a depressing sense of discomfort. It could be seen that the painter had no painting skills. 

The scene in the painting was a little familiar. His heart sank and he asked who the painting was by. 

“This one.” 

Gu Yu’s mouth was smiling, “It was made by Senior Brother Zhu after he woke up from a dream one day, saying it was a dream that had troubled him for many years.” 

Xian Jue couldn’t help but raise his eyes. 

“Uncle, you’re laughing. Senior Brother Zhu doesn’t know how to write or paint. He only left this one picture in so many years. Although he looks dull, he has a great sense of justice and treats the disciples in the sect equally. He is very righteous. Everyone respects him, so they took the liberty of leaving it.” 

Finally, Gu Yu added meaningfully, “Since it is decorating our own courtyard, the quality of the writing and painting is not so important.” 

“Uncle, this way please.” 

Gu Yu led him to the room. 

Xian Jue’s room was on the fourth floor. After turning past the long corridor with paintings in the hall, there was a long staircase. The two went up the stairs one after the other. 

For cultivators, flying was a trivial matter, but the Wuji Sect had always had rules that, except for cultivation and training, they had to do everything themselves and not abuse their spells. 

As the two stepped up the stairs, there were also two disciples on the floor above stepping up the stairs, and there were faint whispers. 

“It is said that the master’s retreat this time is to ascend, and I don’t know who will be the master of this sect in the future?” 

“Does that still need to be asked? Naturally, it’s Senior Brother Zhu. After all, he is the senior brother.” 

“But I heard that Senior Brother Zhu is the eldest grandson of Yujian Villa, and he will have to go back to inherit the family business sooner or later. I think Senior Brother Ji is more likely.” 

“That’s not necessarily true. The master’s preference for Senior Brother Zhu is obvious to all, and the disciples in the sect admire Senior Brother Zhu. Maybe Senior Brother Zhu will be devoted to the Tao, and attain enlightenment and ascend like the master.” 

“Speaking of which, isn’t Senior Brother Ji good to you?” 

“……” 

Wherever there are people, there is Jianghu, even in the Wuji Sect, which is dedicated to asking questions. 

Hearing the infighting in the sect by chance, Gu Yu felt a little embarrassed. He hurriedly raised his voice to start a topic, and talked about the local customs of Luohe Town, which he would go to tomorrow, as if he knew them well. 

“I heard that Uncle is going to Luohe Town tomorrow. The most famous thing there is the September golden osmanthus. A layer of autumn rain, a layer of coolness, a layer of coolness with the fragrance of osmanthus. The autumn in Luohe Town seems to be soaked in the fragrance of osmanthus. Every breath is refreshing. Moreover, after the beginning of autumn, there is a lantern market every three days. There is no curfew. Standing on the highest Luohe Ancient Pagoda in Luohe Town, you can enjoy the flowing lights of the lantern market all night…” 

“Were you born in Luohe Town?” 

Xian Jue asked, the corners of his lips slightly raised. 

“It should be. There was a severe drought in Luohe Town fifty-two years ago. I was picked up by the master on the day of Guyu. I should have been unable to be raised by my family.” 

Gu Yu’s tone was relaxed, as if he was talking about an ordinary little thing. Most of the people who have cultivated Taoism since childhood, unless they are particularly gifted, have nowhere to go. 

“But fortunately, the master saw that I had some wisdom and took me into the mountain to practice.” 

Xian Jue’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and in a trance he recalled the boy who had flatly refused to go up the mountain to practice five hundred years ago. He was still the same as the man in front of him, but there was more light in his eyes. 

“Thank you, Daoist Meng, for your kindness. All beings are suffering, and I deeply understand it, and I also understand that attaining enlightenment and becoming an immortal is the lifelong pursuit of many capable people and strangers. But I was born in the fields, and my vision is narrow. I can only see this one-third of an acre in front of me. Guarding the life of a family of seven, I feel that this world is worth it.” 

The boy had a smile on his lips, and his eyes were peaceful and gentle, “If there are no relatives in this world, what would I miss even if I lived forever?”