9. The Manifestation of the Spring and the Dragon-Locking Pillar
◎One vest after another◎
"You...you're kidding me. I've never heard of the saying 'no one returns from Panlong Mountain' before. Are you really an evil spirit, trying to keep us here as fertilizer for your evil deeds?"
Ye Qin swallowed hard. Though she said this, a chill ran down her spine. She knew her cultivation was weak, and if something really happened, she feared she wouldn't be able to protect Yan Yunzhao.
"Lou Su, you seem to know a lot about Panlong Mountain?" Yan Yunzhao, who had been silent for a while, suddenly looked up and asked.
"I've heard a little about it. I saw it in an ancient book, and coincidentally, I also traveled here once, and the villagers at the foot of the mountain warned me not to turn back," Lou Su said frankly.
"Since that's the case, delaying any longer won't solve anything, so let's climb the mountain as soon as possible."
After Yan Yunzhao finished speaking, she lifted her skirt and resolutely turned to leave. Ye Qin widened her eyes and grabbed her: "You really believe him that much?"
She turned around and nodded: "If we stay here, we might encounter evil spirits. It's better to go down the mountain as soon as possible and return home."
Seeing that he couldn't dissuade Yan Yunzhao, Ye Qin sighed and followed him.
The mountain path was long and winding, and the night was filled with howling winds. The three huddled around a fire, struggling step by step towards the summit. Fortunately, they did not encounter any more evil spirits on the latter half of the journey, presumably because they were getting closer to the Manifestation Spring, and the evil spirits dared not approach.
As dawn approached, the three finally crossed the last stone step. A breathtaking panorama unfolded before them: sky and water merged into one, with auspicious clouds drifting in the distance. A clear lake, surrounded by mountains, lay calm and still, like a smooth mirror nestled within the mountains.
The air was thin at the mountaintop, and the wind howled, while the lake was perfectly still. Yan Yunzhao couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Why is that?"
"It must be the spring water suppressing the ancient artifact. The spiritual energy gathered in the water is not easily shaken, so it will not be affected by the wind. This spring water is more effective than any spiritual medicine. Should we fill some up and take it back?" Ye Qin turned to Yan Yunzhao and explained, then tossed her a bottle.
Yan Yunzhao was overjoyed; this should be enough to help the little grass demons cultivate.
However, recalling that Huaxianquan would reveal her true form, she nervously approached the lakeside, suddenly wondering what she would be like inside Huaxianquan.
She leaned down to look into the bottom of the lake, which was unfathomably deep. Her reflection rippled across the surface, and after a moment, her face vanished, replaced by a blade of grass.
An ordinary grass, nothing special about it.
Her mood was somewhat strange; she couldn't say she was disappointed, but she seemed... a little sad.
From a junior sister of a celestial sect with outstanding spiritual roots to becoming an ordinary grass demon, the leap is too great, and perhaps she is still not used to it.
However, grass spirits have their advantages too! Grass spirits are tenacious and possess pure spiritual energy. Yan Yunzhao, always optimistic, comforted himself for a moment and then came to terms with it. After filling the bottle, he ran to Ye Qin's side to check on Lou Su's situation.
Ye Qin didn't forget his business and kept a close eye on Lou Su as he slowly walked towards the lake.
He walked calmly and slowly, as if enjoying the scenery in his own backyard. They covered the short distance until dawn, but Ye Qin remained unhurried, patiently accompanying Lou Su on his leisurely stroll.
Now that things have come to this, whether it's a demon, a monster, or a human, we'll soon find out. Yan Yunzhao watched Lou Su's figure faint in the morning light, her heart pounding with anxiety.
What if he's a demon? What if he's a monster? At this moment, Yan Yunzhao only hoped he was an ordinary mortal, otherwise who would be her waiter? Who would be the spokesperson for her little shop?
The celestial realm is strictly governed. Demons must be exterminated, but if it's a monster... the situation is somewhat better. After all, the monster realm has produced a dragon god who can challenge the Heavenly Emperor, which has doubled the status of the entire monster realm. If it's a demon, then it couldn't be better.
Lou Su walked to the lakeside, squatted down unhurriedly, and his gentle face was reflected in the lake water.
Nothing has changed.
Upon seeing the scene in the water, Yan Yunzhao breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a strange sense of regret that he wasn't a demon.
What's wrong with me? Ever since I arrived at Panlong Mountain, my mood has been like a rollercoaster. Yan Yunzhao shook his head, trying to clear his head.
"Impossible!" Ye Qin looked incredulous, leaning closer to linger on Lou Su's reflection in the lake and on his face.
"Is he really a mortal?"
Ye Qin stood there, stunned, doubting himself for the first time in his life: the Manifestation Spring couldn't possibly be wrong. Could it be that my abilities have deteriorated to such an extent that even mortals can't recognize it?
She squatted sullenly by the lake and casually tossed a pebble in.
As if some mechanism had been triggered, a loud rumbling sound came from the center of the lake, followed by a violent earthquake. The group lost their balance and swayed precariously on the ground.
The once calm water surface was broken, gradually churning and surging, as if a gaping maw had opened, forming a huge whirlpool in the middle, seemingly about to suck everything in its path.
Yan Yunzhao had been afraid of water since childhood, and seeing this terrifying scene of towering waves, her legs went weak. Seeing her standing there dumbfounded, Ye Qin threw out his whip and used it to carry her and the injured Lou Su, who could not walk properly, towards the flat ground in the distance.
The surrounding mountains were shaken by the movement of the lake, causing many rocks to fall. Ye Qin took a few quick steps and swiftly moved through the turbulent rocks, carrying the two of them to a steady landing on the ground.
Instead of collapsing in the center of the lake, a huge blue stone pillar rose from the center of the whirlpool, with a lifelike dragon carved on it, seemingly glaring angrily at the person who came, which made people feel a chill.
No wonder this mountain is named Panlong Mountain.
The stone pillar looked quite old, and the coiled dragon carved on it was bound by six jet-black iron chains that stretched out and were fixed to the six corners of the lake. Each iron chain was as thick as two or three people could wrap their arms around it, and at first glance, it looked extremely sinister.
"Ye Qin, you said before that the Transformation Spring was built by the Heavenly Emperor?"
"good."
"And since this Dragon God is a righteous immortal who ascended to heaven, why is there a dragon-shaped carving in the lake? The Heavenly Lord introduced the aura of a true dragon, so he should have a good relationship with the Dragon God." Yan Yunzhao felt something was strange.
Lou Su had been silent since he stepped onto the mountaintop, and was now gazing at the giant dragon sculpture in the center of the lake, seemingly lost in thought.
"This is related to what I said when we went up the mountain. There are usually two places to suppress evil spirits, one real and one virtual. The dragon statue here is the virtual evil spirit, while the one belonging to the Dragon God's grandfather is the real evil spirit. As for their relationship, I know very little about the affairs of gods. However, my mother taught me from a young age that many things are not as they seem on the surface."
Yan Yunzhao pondered these words and fell into deep thought.
The interests of the demon realm and the immortal realm are deeply intertwined, and they check and balance each other, thus maintaining a harmonious relationship. However, if a large-scale campaign against the demon race were launched as it was many years ago, the collapse of all three forces would once again unleash a bloodbath.
Now, as a member of the demon race, she naturally hopes the demon realm will become stronger, but personally, peace is still preferable. Who knows, maybe she can even open a shop in both the demon and immortal realms someday.
Having achieved their objective, Ye Qin suggested they not linger. The three agreed and used the ancient array beneath their feet to teleport back to the town.
Ye Qin and Yan Yunzhao found a clinic in a small town at the foot of the mountain and carefully applied medicine and bandaged Lou Su's wounds. The evil spirit's poison had not affected him, and the wounds were quickly treated. He only needed to rest for a while.
"I'm so sorry, Young Master Lou. Not only did I misunderstand you, but I also caused you to get injured." Ye Qin felt quite guilty. If she hadn't insisted that Lou Su's origins were unknown and that she wanted to go to the Huaxian Spring to investigate his true identity, none of this would have happened.
Lou Su smiled gently: "It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about. This trip wasn't entirely fruitless; Miss Yun Zhao obtained what she needed, so it was worthwhile."
Ye Qin nodded guiltily.
"Young Master Lou, I think the clinic here is much better than the one in Lixi Town. You're not feeling well, so why don't you rest here for a few days? If you recover, you can return via the teleportation array, okay?"
Ye Qin was puzzled when she heard this, not understanding why she suddenly acted this way. She stared at Yan Yunzhao suspiciously, about to ask, but was silenced by her.
"Ye Qin, draw a teleportation array in Young Master Lou's room so it'll be easier for him to come back," Yan Yunzhao winked at her.
Ye Qin had no idea what she was up to this time, so he had no choice but to comply. After the teleportation array was drawn, the two of them went back to Cui Liang Wild Game together.
As soon as he landed, Ye Qin couldn't wait to ask, "What are you doing now? I misunderstood him before and thought he wasn't an ordinary person, and now you're suspecting him again?"
Yan Yunzhao shook his head, then nodded: "I guess so. As you said, we can't let wolves into the house; it's best to know your employees inside and out."
She had grown somewhat accustomed to the strange words that occasionally slipped from Yan Yunzhao's mouth. Watching Yan Yunzhao stroll into the vegetable garden with a Zen-like expression, hands behind his back, Ye Qin followed and asked, "What kind of weird testing method is it to leave him there?"
"I have given him my most precious thing; now it's up to him whether he intends to keep it."
Ye Qin suddenly realized: "So you deliberately left him there to see if he would run away with the things? You really plan every step of the way."
"Oh, right," she seemed to suddenly remember something, and took out a scroll from her storage pouch. "Here, you deserve some credit for this."
Yan Yunzhao opened it and saw a land deed, complete with details and a signature, making it unmistakably genuine. Her eyes immediately lit up: "You got me a land deed?"
Ye Qin said proudly, "Of course. I brought this gift today to wish you a prosperous opening, but I was so frightened by your waiter that I just remembered it."
Yan Yunzhao originally planned to open a shop and make enough money before going to the county government to buy this piece of land. Since it was in a desolate mountain and no one was interested in it, he wasn't in a hurry. Unexpectedly, Ye Qin brought it to him.
She was so moved she didn't know what to say. Ye Qin waved his hand and sat down in the shop with an air of nonchalance: "No need for thanks, let me try your cooking!"
Yan Yunzhao smiled and agreed, then went to the kitchen to check what she should cook. After traveling for so long, she was indeed a little hungry, but the small shop hadn't bought any ingredients for several days, and only had a little bit of chicken and ordinary vegetables left.
She had a brilliant idea: make hamburgers!
The cellar was protected by Yan Yunzhao's magic, continuously dehumidifying and cooling it, allowing food to be stored there for a long time—it was almost like a small refrigerator. She took out vegetables that had been stored in the cellar for several days, and they were still fresh.
However, this technique consumes a lot of magical power, so Yan Yunzhao had to frequently consume spiritual herbs brought by the Qingshan Sect to cultivate and maintain the operation of the small refrigerator. Fortunately, his magical power has increased greatly recently, and although he doesn't know what level he has reached, it is more than enough to maintain the small refrigerator.
Seeing her bring the ingredients up from the basement, Ye Qin clicked his tongue in amazement: "Lou Su didn't suspect anything?"
"He's just a mortal, he can't see any traces of magic. Even if he's suspicious, he'll just assume that the underground chamber is cleverly designed, which is why the food can be stored for so long."
As Yan Yunzhao explained, he took down the cutting board covered with a coarse cloth and a bunch of bottles and jars containing seasonings.
To make hamburgers, first knead a few small dough pieces and let them ferment for a while. Then, coat the chicken, which has been marinated with black pepper, salt, and cooking wine, with fine cornstarch, slice it, and deep-fry it until golden brown.
A little bit of magic was used to shape a fireball and evenly toast the bread slices. Three or four layers of meat, vegetables, and noodles were sandwiched between them... The hamburger was simple to make and had a unique flavor. Before Ye Qin could even take a couple of sips of hot tea, Yan Yunzhao had already brought it over.
"Try it!" Under her expectant gaze, Ye Qin picked up the hamburger, unsure of where to start. After examining it for a moment, hesitantly took a big bite.
The rich, peppery flavor of the fried chicken stimulated her taste buds, paired with the refreshing taste of lettuce and tomatoes and the mellow sweetness of the toasted bread... Ye Qin was overjoyed and ate three in a row after taking the first bite.
"Delicious! What kind of dish is this? I've never seen it before!" Ye Qin asked, his cheeks puffed out, not caring about his eating manners.
"This is called a hamburger. The recipe is quite old, so it's normal that you haven't seen it before. I dare say, in the entire immortal realm, mortal realm, and demon realm, you are the first person to have ever eaten a hamburger!"
“Hamburger…” Ye Qin murmured. No matter how he pronounced it, the name sounded strange, and the way he ate it was unheard of.
Yan Yunzhao sat opposite Ye Qin, took a bite of the hamburger while it was still hot, savored it for a few moments, but was still somewhat dissatisfied: "It's a pity there's no ketchup, sauce, or caviar wasabi. It feels like it's missing its soul."
Without industrial flavorings, making this sauce would be extremely difficult. Yan Yunzhao thought for a long time before coming up with a substitute: given the current conditions, perhaps he could only try his best to imitate tomato sauce.
Seeing her worried expression, Ye Qin comforted her, "This is already very delicious! I've never heard of hamburgers before. Things are valued for their scarcity. If our shop sells this, it will definitely be a hit."
Yan Yunzhao smiled at her, agreeing with her statement. The people here had never eaten KFC or McDonald's before and couldn't tell the difference; if they imitated it even slightly, they'd find it delicious.
For the past few days, Ye Qin has been staying with her at the small shop, taking over Lou Su's work. In the morning, they go up the mountain to dig wild vegetables and hunt pheasants. At noon, they work in the fields with Yan Yunzhao, fertilizing and loosening the soil. In the afternoon, they are busy helping in the kitchen and serving tea. In the evening, the two of them hold Rongrong and stargaze on the roof. Seven or eight days have passed in a flash.
With Ye Qin's magical support, the potatoes in the field absorbed spiritual energy and grew extremely rapidly. They had already started to flower in just a few days, and it was estimated that they would be ripe in a few days.
With Ye Qin's help, Yan Yunzhao also tried to cultivate, but since there was no master from the demon realm to guide him, the two discussed for a long time but still couldn't grasp the secrets of cultivation in the demon realm, and their cultivation progress was minimal.
Ye Qin lost confidence and slumped to the ground: "Why don't you go to the demon realm and become an apprentice? I really can't help the grass demons with their cultivation."
"But becoming an apprentice is easier said than done. I know nothing about the temperaments and personalities of the demons in the demon realm. What if they have blue faces and fangs and are very ferocious?" Yan Yunzhao said with some melancholy.
Upon hearing this, Ye Qin scrambled to his feet and said mysteriously, "Then you're mistaken. Some reincarnated great demons can retain their original appearance when refining into human form, and may even become more handsome. I read in the Immortal Realm Chronicles that... the Dragon God Wuxiang was extremely handsome."
Yan Yunzhao became interested as he listened to Ye Qin's animated description of the Dragon God's beauty, his mind wandering: "I've heard that dragon scales have a unique fragrance and can be used in medicine. I wonder how delicious they would be as a condiment?"
The moon was bright and the stars were few. The two sat idly at the entrance of the small shop, listening to the cicadas and frogs, and felt that life was just as beautiful as this.
"Speaking of which, seven or eight days have passed. No matter how weak Lou Su's body is, he should have recovered enough strength to walk into the teleportation array by now, right?"
Ye Qin rested her chin on her hand and looked at Yan Yunzhao, who was standing to the side in a daze.
"Could it be that he really did run away with Xiao Fu?"
However, she wasn't worried at all about losing Xiao Fu. After all, she had left a wisp of spiritual energy on Lou Su from the very beginning, so even if he escaped, he could still be found.
Even she didn't know Xiao Fu's origins, so how could Lou Su, a mere mortal, know them? She found it all suspicious.
"What is a little talisman?"
After Yan Yunzhao succinctly recounted her bizarre experiences from her past life, Ye Qin's expression turned unusually serious. He remained silent for a long while, seemingly deep in thought, before looking up at her and slowly saying, "This matter... you'd better pretend you don't know. You must not make a fuss about it, and you must not reveal it to others."
"Why? What's so special about it?"
Yan Yunzhao frowned.
Ye Qin opened his mouth, but said nothing. He only gave her a deep look, the meaning of which was unclear.
"If you want to live peacefully in the mortal realm, then stop asking around. I guess this is probably a fragment of some kind of divine artifact, and it looks a lot like an ascension summon. Although I don't know why it's with you, there must be some deeper meaning behind it."
Yan Yunzhao had heard of the Ascension Summoning, a proclamation in the Immortal Realm announcing successful ascension and tribulation to godhood, often used as a magical artifact. The small talisman, resembling a sheet of paper with golden runes engraved on it, did indeed look very much like an Ascension Summoning.
So which god could it be?
"Young Master Lou, you're back?"
Yan Yunzhao's chaotic thoughts were interrupted by Ye Qin's joyful voice. She turned her head and saw a familiar figure appear in the distance of the shop.
Clad in plain clothes and blue cloth, with a face as gentle as a spring breeze. It's definitely Lou Su.
"I went to town to buy some pastries, so I came back a little late." Lou Su handed a box wrapped tightly in cloth to Yan Yunzhao and smiled gently: "I went to buy these because I know you like sweets."
Xiao Fu's wrist was still dangling.
Lou Su saw her staring at the talisman and smiled knowingly. He took it off and returned it to Yan Yunzhao: "Thank you for the protection of Miss Yunzhao's magic artifact. It has indeed saved me from disaster on this trip. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to escape from the clutches of evil spirits."
Yan Yunzhao managed a weak smile, still worried about Xiao Fu, and didn't say anything, but took the item and thanked him.
It seems she was indeed overthinking things; Lou Su really was just a mortal.
Lou Su always seemed serene and content, as if nothing could trouble him. Looking into his calm, spring-like eyes, Yan Yunzhao felt a little more at ease.
She smiled with relief. With her good friends by her side, she could simply do what she wanted without worry. What else was there to worry about? To hell with Qingshanmen.
[Author's Note]
Ye Qin: You two trust each other so much, but what about me? (On the verge of tears)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com