102 Lightning Tribulation

◎Have you seen me in your dreams before? ◎

"As you probably know, I left Huaizhou a map and asked her to eliminate the seven demons depicted on it. The day the seven demons are all destroyed will be the day her merits are fulfilled."

Therefore, Zhang Yan said all she wanted to say, but Ying Jianhua instantly understood the implied meaning in her words.

"The last demon...is me?"

He clutched his chest, feeling the tremor in his heart through the fabric. Ever since merging with the demon core left by his mother, he had clearly felt changes in his body, never imagining that the price of these changes would be so high.

He suddenly remembered that it was because of the strange noise that he had swallowed the demon core without hesitation, just to obtain the so-called "Shennong blood" to save Lu Ping.

Gu Zhang glanced at him and said indifferently, "I just brought this step forward. Even without my interference, you would have taken your mother's demon core anyway."

"Ahead of schedule? Why do you want to bring it up earlier?" he asked.

"Because I am dying, and with death comes the dissipation of the soul." Gu Zhang made no attempt to conceal her impending demise, completely disregarding the fact that she was facing an enemy. This also proves, from another perspective, that she was not lying.

Upon hearing this, Ying Jianhua was shocked, never expecting that even immortals could die.

Gu Zhang slowly said, "Do you think that immortals can rewrite and start over again without any scruples? Birth, aging, sickness and death are ironclad laws, and I am already going against the will of Heaven."

“I don’t have much magic left, and I may not be able to see the cause of her death again, so I can’t stop it. So now the only thing I can do is let Huaizhou kill you.”

This was the third time Gu Zhang had said she wanted to kill him, but this time, her murderous intent had diminished considerably.

He looked up blankly, muttering, "If I die, she can live forever and eventually ascend to the upper realm, right?"

Zhang nodded: "Yes. But on the condition that she must kill you with her own hands."

After saying this, she looked out at the dark night and added, "There will be a lightning tribulation on Huaizhou in three days."

In one of his lifetimes, Du Zhijin died from a lightning strike.

Ying Jianhua understood the implied meaning of Gu Zhang's words almost immediately. But he didn't expect everything to happen so suddenly; from the time he learned the truth to the time they were separated by death, only three days had passed.

His mind was a jumbled mess, but he still managed to answer: "...I understand. I will settle this within three days."

She nodded, said nothing more, and vanished into the painting in a flash.

Before long, Du Zhijin, covered in sweat, rushed over. Seeing him kneeling on the ground with bloodstains on his face, he hurriedly asked, "Who hurt you?"

He shook his head, too exhausted to utter a single word, and could only lean weakly against her, as if all his strength had been drained away: "Hug me."

Du Zhijin wanted to ask why, but feeling the slight coolness on her shoulder, she silently raised her hand and hugged him tightly.

"It's alright, Amo... I'm back, I'm here."

Tears silently streamed down his or her clothes. He raised his arm to hug her back, his Adam's apple bobbing, the words stuck in his throat, turning into an even tighter embrace.

Du Zhijin could feel Ying Jianhua trembling, like branches and leaves shivering in the cold wind, so he hugged him even tighter. Until their heartbeats became chaotic, and they couldn't tell whose was pounding on whose chest.

She vaguely realized that Amo must have gone through something terrible while she was away. But she couldn't bear to ask any further, so she could only gently pat his back and tell him again and again, "I'm here."

After a long while, Ying Jianhua's vibrant emotions finally dissipated with his tears. He seemed to suddenly realize that his appearance was disheveled, and hurriedly pushed her away from his embrace, then hastily covered his face with both hands to prevent her from seeing. Du Zhijin, intending to ease the atmosphere, deliberately leaned closer and said, "Don't cover it up, a beauty's tears have a unique charm. I've never seen you cry before."

She paused, then added, "Nighttimes don't count."

He was momentarily surprised by her startling words, but after recovering, he disregarded his composure and glared at her fiercely.

Seeing that he was no longer immersed in his previous sadness, Du Zhijin breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that he hadn't been glared at for nothing.

"Let's go back," she said, taking his hand.

He lowered his eyelashes slightly and responded very softly.

————

Du Zhijin was surprised to find that Amo was very clingy today.

Not only did they stop going out to collect folk songs and read books, but they also followed her everywhere, as if afraid she would get lost.

On one hand, she was happy that her Daoist partner was getting closer to her, but on the other hand, she couldn't help but wonder if he had found out.

They discovered that her tribulation was imminent.

To be fair, the lightning tribulation posed little threat to Du Zhijin. She had successfully overcome the previous ones, and although her master was not there to protect her this time, her strength had increased, and she was fully capable of taking care of herself.

She didn't choose to tell Ying Jianhua because she was afraid he would worry, but then she thought that he was the kind of person who could run off to slay the dragon without saying a word. If she kept it from him, who knows what might happen.

After weighing the options, she chose to be honest.

After lunch, the air was fresh and the mood was relaxed. The peach blossoms outside the window were in full bloom, and the sky was bright and clear. It was a perfect time for heartfelt conversation.

Du Zhijin then turned his head slightly, his lips brushing against the hair of the person next to him: "Amo, I have something to tell you."

Upon hearing this, he froze for a moment, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

Could it be that she knew...?

"I will have a tribulation of lightning in two days, and I may not be able to return to Dongliu Mountain. But don't worry, I have experience in dealing with tribulations of lightning. It will take at least one day, three days at most... five days at most. I will definitely come back the same way I went, and I guarantee that not a single hair will be lost."

She swore to the heavens, her expression sincere, truly not taking the tribulation of lightning to heart. But Ying Jianhua's mind was filled with the memory of a past life where she died from a tribulation of lightning.

His eyes welled up again, and he quickly turned his face away, trying to keep his voice steady: "Okay, I believe you, go ahead."

Although he was somewhat surprised that Du Zhijin agreed so quickly, he was still very happy. He left the makeshift rocking chair, picked up the already boiling stove, poured a bowl of medicine, blew on it until it was half-cooled, and handed it to Du Zhijin: "Here, drink your medicine."

He nodded slightly, took the medicine from her hand and drank it all in one gulp, then couldn't help but frown.

This is because they're not used to the bitter taste of medicine yet.

She wanted to laugh, to laugh at a doctor who was afraid of bitter medicine, but looking at his face, which seemed to have become thin overnight, she suddenly couldn't say anything.

The rocking chair was delivered by Mu Xiao during a break from her busy schedule, who said it was Tu Nan's "redemption money." The chair, woven from grass and vines, was large enough for two people to lie down comfortably. Coincidentally, a large peach grove had recently grown on Monkey Mountain, so Du Zhijin simply placed the chair under the trees. The swaying shadows and blossoms created a beautiful scene.

A gentle summer breeze swept through the woods, carrying a sweet fragrance, tinged with the bittersweet scent of grass and trees, lingering on the nose. The shadows of the trees swayed more slowly on the ground, and the cicadas' chirping, filtered by the wind, sounded not noisy, but rather possessed a touch of wild charm. In the distance, the stream was rippling with tiny waves, shimmering with golden light, like water droplets of tender yellow flower petals. As the wind passed, the light flowed along with it, attracting monkeys that came to drink, who kept reaching out to scoop it up.

What a peaceful time. If only it could last forever.

He withdrew his gaze and looked longingly at his lover's eyes and brows.

Unfortunately, companionship is the hardest thing in this world.

Two days passed quickly, and the day of the tribulation was fast approaching. Du Zhijin had chosen a place to undergo the tribulation early on, in a lake at the far east end.

“Lightning is easy to start a fire, and once it starts, it will spread all over the mountains and fields. It’s a little better in the water, as it can weaken the fire somewhat.” Hearing her explanation, Ying Jianhua’s hands didn’t stop, and she continued packing. Du Zhijin looked around and found that there were already three packages, and there was even a tendency for more to come. She quickly said, “That’s enough, that’s enough, Amo.”

She's just going to stay next door for two or three days, and it doesn't matter if she doesn't bring anything, eat, or drink.

But Ying Jianhua clearly didn't think that way. He ignored her calls to stop and only reluctantly stopped when the fourth package was also full.

He instructed, "There are some medicines in here. I have written down the effects and methods for each prescription. You can use them when needed."

"Okay." She nodded repeatedly, thinking that he was being so considerate because he was worried about her getting hurt in the lightning tribulation, and she was even a little pleased.

Amo cares about her a lot.

"It's getting late. I'll leave after I watch you drink your medicine."

Ying Jianhua said, "Okay." Then she slowly finished drinking the medicine.

Du Zhijin wiped away the dark brown medicine residue from his lips, staring at him intently: "Then... I'm leaving."

"Mm." He nodded gently, watching her walk away. Even after she had completely disappeared from his sight, he remained leaning on the railing, gazing into the distance.

The pain in my limbs, bones, and internal organs began to throb due to the effects of the medicine, but it was far less intense than the heartache.

Will she be safe?

She must be safe...

In my distress, a figure suddenly burst in through the window and appeared before me unexpectedly.

Ying Jianhua thought it was the monkeys from Monkey Mountain again, but when the figure got closer, he realized it was Du Zhijin.

She returned, this time holding a blooming peach blossom, which she tucked into his hair.

He whispered, "Remember to think of me, I'll miss you."

Perhaps finding her words too cheesy, she blushed, hurriedly left after speaking, and even tripped as she went over the window.

Look, his lover is clumsy yet pure, open and bright.

How could he bear to let her head towards a doomed end?

Ying Jianhua would rather it be herself who dies.

————

This wasn't the first time Du Zhijin had faced a tribulation of lightning, so she keenly sensed that the wind was different.

The water rippled gently, the tree shadows were calm, and even the monkeys, who usually liked to roam around, were quiet.

wrong.

This is more like an illusion before a sudden thunderstorm.

Although she didn't know why the situation had suddenly changed, she reacted immediately. Four "Sea-Stabilizing Talismans" flew in all directions, embedding themselves firmly into the ground like sharp blades.

This is a talisman made based on Master Jun's "Sea-Stabilizing" technique. Although it is far inferior to Master Jun's own moves, it is sufficient to deal with ordinary demons.

But after the talisman was activated, the scene before her did not change at all. Her expression hardened, she gripped her two swords, held her breath, and waited for an opportunity to strike.

Finally, the dark clouds began to churn, and the lake surface surged with towering waves. Moments later, torrential rain poured down, accompanied by lightning and thunder.

She was suddenly startled.

Has this scene... been seen before in a dream?