Chapter 95 Li Jing, get out here! ...
"Can I be a slave...can I be a slave too?!"
The woman in green was astonished and hurriedly pointed to herself. She was merely a slave; how could she possibly have the chance to enter the immortal realm? She dared not imagine, thinking she had misheard. Xue Yue'e grasped the finger the woman in green was pointing at, looking at Nezha for confirmation. The boy remained expressionless, simply saying, "Let's go together."
This person was willing to die for Pingyu, which further elevated Nezha's opinion of her. Nezha would extend his affection to anyone who was kind to Pingyu. Lin Dong nodded, disregarding his status as an elder, and bowed to Nezha: "Nezha, you've saved us three times."
“My aunt and uncle also helped me when Li Jing framed me,” Nezha said, raising his hand and pointing. The souls of the three men transformed into specks of light and fell into his palm. “Besides, the matter of the palace has also caused you trouble and expense. Pingyu and I are on good terms, so there’s no need to be polite with me.”
Just being good friends wouldn't go to this extent for each other. Xue Yue'e sensed something unusual.
Judging from Nezha's tone, Pingyu's tribulation must have passed. Lin Dong knew his family could still be reunited, and his mood improved considerably. When he was emotional, he became unusually talkative: "By the way, Nezha, Pingyu said you were to be reborn in the heavens to have your physical body reshaped by incense offerings. How come you became a lotus incarnation?"
He was puzzled, but then belatedly noticed the other person's unusual demeanor: "You seem to have grown up."
From a boy, he grew into a tall young man. Even if you force growth, you can't grow this fast in just over half a month! Nezha replied, "Li Jing destroyed my palace, causing my incense to die out. Not only that, he also spread rumors that I was an evil god or demon, and forbade the villagers nearby from building temples and offering incense for me. Fortunately, I had some merit from my previous display of divine power on Cuiping Mountain, which is why my master was able to shape me using lotus roots from the lotus pond."
"But this is for the best."
The boy scoffed, "Humans are born from lotus roots, and my kinship with them is completely severed. Li Jing can't use filial piety to suppress me; once I return to Chen Tang Pass, we'll settle all our old and new scores together." He would have to endure the torment of flames until his lifespan was exhausted before being accepted by the ghost messengers. Nezha thought for a moment, then conjured a form from thin air. His spiritual energy traced golden characters in mid-air, and in the blink of an eye, the boy slapped it into the pit.
After finishing this task, Nezha rode his Wind Fire Wheels to Qianyuan Mountain.
Not long after he left, a large amount of black water suddenly gushed from the soil at the bottom of the pit. It multiplied at a terrifying speed, instantly forming a pool of water inside the giant pit. The water rose high and split into two tall figures. Ox-headed and horse-faced figures emerged from the water column, each holding a piece of paper.
It says on it:
[I am Nezha. These people are dead. Arrange for their reincarnation. Hurry!]
Having worked in the underworld for many years, Ox-Head and Horse-Face had never encountered such arrogant language in their petition! After all, Nezha had already severed ties with the mortal realm and was destined to be a god. As high-level employees, Ox-Head and Horse-Face dared not speak out against him, and could only tolerate his youthful arrogance. Recalling their first meeting with the child at Cihang Dock, the two could only sigh with regret.
Look at them, then look at the two of them...
Sigh, comparing yourself to others only makes you angry; things are different now!
They had no choice but to collect the souls of these people and return to the underworld. As the ghost messengers left, the yin water seeped back into the soil. The pit remained dry, without a trace of water.
Master Taiyi tacitly approved of his youngest disciple's plan to rescue the Lin family. He allowed Nezha to place the three souls into the Five Lotus Pond for nourishment, and waited for his beloved disciple's arrival in the main hall of his cave. Only after Nezha finished his task did he go to report to his master, but Master Taiyi glanced at him and spoke first: "Have you done everything you wanted to do?"
Nezha frankly admitted, "It's not finished."
The official raised an eyebrow and waved for him to leave.
As the young man left Qianyuan Mountain with a host of magical artifacts and newly learned spells, dawn was already breaking in the east.
Pingyu stared with red and swollen eyes, having not slept all night.
The dark circles under her eyes were thick and heavy, and she dragged her heavy steps to the door of Lu Ya Dao Ren's room.
The Taoist priest was meditating, lost in thought, when the door was suddenly kicked open.
He shuddered and quickly looked up.
A small, dark figure stood outside the door like a ghost, with three sharp claws in her left hand and a hammer in her right.
Lu Ya: What is this? At my level, I'm still having nightmares?!
He watched cautiously, and as he slowed his breathing, the dark figure slowly approached.
She stepped out of the shadows of the roof beams and into the sunlight, revealing the girl's haggard appearance.
The claws were three incense sticks held between his fingers, and the hammer in his right hand was a teapot. Ping Yu was dressed impeccably, his face pale with dark circles under his eyes, like a paper doll come to life. Lu Ya spent a great deal of effort banishing the thought from his mind that "his little apprentice has been possessed by a ghost," and he tentatively asked, "What's wrong with you...?"
Pingyu placed the teapot on the table and casually reached for the incense burner in the guest room to insert incense sticks.
The girl's voice was hoarse: "I'll become your apprentice."
Lu Ya told her to come the next day, not before dawn! He wanted to speak, but seeing Ping Yu's resolute expression, he swallowed his words back. The Taoist blew on the incense stick, which lit with a "poof." He lifted the hem of his robe and sat upright on the couch: "Then give me some tea."
Ping Yu did as instructed.
Lu Ya Dao Ren was a carefree immortal who roamed the world, possessing a leisurely air unlike that of ordinary immortals. Between the nonchalant old man and the tense-faced child, the smoke from the three lit incense sticks connected them.
From yesterday evening until early this morning, Pingyu tried to clear her mind. Her parents were dead; she couldn't dwell on the events of that time. She needed to fill her body with hatred and move forward from the moment she became an apprentice. Pingyu's life had reached a point of no return; she could only strive to climb higher. Before setting off for Cuiping Mountain, her parents had explained the details of the apprenticeship ceremony to her:
Goodness, you have to bow and kowtow three times before offering tea.
Xue Yue'e's voice rang in her ears, and Ping Yu seemed to feel the woman's gentle gaze falling on him.
She kowtowed three times to the Taoist priest on the couch, each time her forehead slamming forcefully onto the ground with a resounding thud. Pingyu used the pain of the kowtow to keep herself awake, forcing back the tears that were about to fall. She bit her lip and nimbly got up. The Taoist priest pretended not to see the unpleasant expression on Pingyu's face and took the tea she held high above her head.
Lu Ya drank the tea in one gulp and sighed, "Good!"
The Taoist priest stuffed the empty teacup back into Pingyu's hand and helped her stand up: "I am a wild man who roams the Five Sacred Mountains and plays around the Four Seas. [1] When I was cultivating in Kunlun and attaining enlightenment, I saw auspicious clouds and rosy clouds in the sky and received a revelation. Heaven said that as long as the gates of hell are not closed, the world will not be at peace. The young lady of the Lin family in Chentang Pass is the one destined by Heaven to save the world. She told me to take you as my disciple after you have severed your worldly ties. You are my disciple destined by Heaven, but I, Lu Ya, have been single for a long time and I am really clueless about teaching people. I can only do my best. Although our apprenticeship ceremony is a bit hasty, I will not let you down after you become my disciple. Here, your master will give you this!"
But I'm too old to play with dolls! she thought to herself.
Perhaps feeling a little guilty under the girl's deadpan gaze, the Taoist coughed lightly and said, "Your master may not be as extravagant as the Taiyi Zhenren, but the things I can take out to give away are no ordinary items! Don't underestimate this thing."
He explained, "This object is the medium for casting spells in the Seven Arrows of Nailhead."
Ping Yu felt the name sounded familiar and repeated it aloud. She remembered that this seemed to be the magical artifact that Lu Ya possessed in the original text, so she asked, "Didn't the Seven Arrows Book of Nailheads originally have seven arrows?"
"Many people think it's a magic weapon, but the Seven Arrows Nailhead Book is actually a kind of spell," Lu Ya Daoist said proudly. "This is my unique spell! As long as you write the name of the person to be spellred on the straw doll and perform daily rituals on the straw doll for 21 days, then take a mulberry branch bow and peach branch arrows and shoot the straw doll in the left and right eyes and the heart, you can kill the person to be spellred. The straw doll I gave you has already been performed rituals for 21 days. As long as you write someone else's name on it, the spell will be completed. You don't need to wait 21 days to curse them to death on the spot."
He had barely finished speaking when his hand went empty. The girl snatched the straw figure and began rummaging through the room for writing materials.
Lu Ya saw through Ping Yu's thoughts and said quietly, "Writing about King Zhou is useless. He is the true Son of Heaven, protected by the nation's destiny."
Pingyu stopped moving and stared intently at the Taoist priest with his big eyes.
Ping Yu knew Li Jing couldn't be killed, because he would become the future Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. Emperor Xin couldn't die now either; if he died, even the Investiture of the Gods couldn't begin! She understood this perfectly, but she still felt unwilling. Holding her breath, she reached out to Lu Ya again, demanding, "Then I also want a storage magic artifact!"
"You're quite impolite," Lu Ya said, feeling sorry for her suffering such a misfortune at such a young age. He reluctantly pulled out an ugly wooden bracelet: "Here. If you use spiritual energy to bind it, this item can be used to kill someone to steal it. After the blood is dripped to bind it to its owner, the item will be destroyed upon the death of the person who bought it."
She was just trying it out, but unexpectedly, Lu Ya actually had it. Following the principle of "why not take it if it's free," Ping Yu immediately bit her finger and pressed it onto the bracelet. The blood seeped into the wooden bracelet, revealing her name, and with a thought, the straw figure was absorbed into it. Seeing that the girl had figured it out without being taught, Lu Ya said nothing more. He stretched and asked Ping Yu, "Is there anything else you need to pack?"
Pingyu shook his head: "My clothes are packed. I can go back and get my bundle and leave."
Lu Ya, however, looked at him with a disappointed expression and reminded him with a sigh, "Money, bring more money!"
Pingyu: ?
Lu Ya: "I've been poor and wandering for so many years. I finally managed to take on a wealthy disciple. Shouldn't I enjoy it? I'm your own master. You have to be filial to me!"
I'm speechless. This greedy old man!
Ping Yu remained silent, but still obediently stuffed all of his family's liquid funds into the storage artifact.
All of the Lin family's assets were registered under Ping Yu's name, and the only slave left in the household was the coachman. This man was Lin Dong's confidant, and at least appeared to be loyal and honest. The Lin family employed people to run the shops, and a substantial amount of money came into the treasury every month. Ping Yu didn't care whether the coachman would embezzle the money, as long as he was willing to stay and take good care of the mansion.
After giving all the instructions, Lu Ya was already waiting for her at the door.
The coachman stood behind the door and said, "Don't worry, Miss, I will make sure the Lin residence is in perfect order and ready for your return."
"Okay," Pingyu turned around and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
After a few pleasantries and other pleasantries, the driver's reluctant expression gradually disappeared behind the closing door.
Pingyu suddenly felt that it was easy to leave a place; all he had to do was pack his bags and step out the door.
She packed her clothes and money, carrying the burden of family feuds and blood hatred, and was about to wander.
Blood and tears were swallowed by the plants in the mansion, used to nourish their growth, and memories became bitter pollen carried by bees and butterflies to various places.
The girl took a deep breath, looked up at the Taoist priest, and asked, "Master, where are we going?"
"Go wherever you want." Lu Ya stroked her head, his tone softening. "I have an old house south of the stone bridge. You and I will live there from now on. However, we are wandering immortals, without a fixed abode. Only after experiencing the vicissitudes of life can we cultivate our character and then our immortality. In short..."
"Let's leave Chentang Pass first."
After saying this, the Taoist priest and the girl transformed into a long rainbow and disappeared.
However, the sky was too lively today, with not only rainbows but also fiery rays.
A sharp crimson flame fell from the sky and landed at the Lin residence. He opened the door; the coachman was still there.
Upon seeing that the visitor was a handsome young man with an extraordinary bearing, the other party asked in confusion, "Who are you looking for?"
Nezha succinctly asked, "Where is your young lady?"
The tone sounded familiar, but the driver couldn't quite place it. He looked wary: "What do you want with my young lady? She's gone to cultivate immortality with a Taoist priest; she's not here!"
Nezha's already dark face grew even uglier. He turned and left, leaving the coachman standing there completely bewildered.
The young man walked towards the Li residence, where Li Jing had just returned. For some reason, the villagers didn't give him a grand welcome this time; some even cast veiled glances at him. Li Jing was restless and sent men out to inquire what had happened in the pass while he was away. He anxiously awaited his return, but unexpectedly, a guest arrived at his door.
The boy used the Qiankun Ring to bind the gatekeeper slave and then kicked down the gate of the Li residence.
He shouted coldly into the room, "Li Jing, get out here!"
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