8. The pilgrimage route is a one-way journey.
◎Zhao Zhao's identity has been exposed, but no one has noticed.◎
Huaxian Spring is a sacred place in the Immortal Realm; whether or not one can go there is another matter entirely, depending on how powerful Ye Qin's backing is. While they were busy drawing arrays and transmitting messages, Yan Yunzhao planned to take the opportunity to test Lou Su and find a reasonable excuse for this trip.
She went out of the small shop and saw Lou Su still sitting by the field, so she went over and pretended to be worried and said, "I have heard about it, young master Lou, don't be afraid."
"Afraid?" Lou Su asked with a smile in his eyes.
“Yes,” Yan Yunzhao sighed, covering his face with his sleeve, “Your serious illness is surely due to being possessed by evil spirits, isn’t it? But I’ve never believed in ghosts and gods, so these things can’t bother me. To tell you the truth, Miss Ye Qin is a disciple of immortals, and she’s a very kind person. Immortal masters are no different from us ordinary people, except that they live longer and have more abilities…”
"Mm," Lou Su responded, waiting attentively for her to continue.
Yan Yunzhao cleared his throat and got to the point: "Master Ye's reaction just now was because he was worried that evil spirits were attached to your body and would needlessly harm your life. Once the evil spirits are removed, your illness will definitely be cured."
"Oh, then how do we get rid of this evil spirit?" Lou Su seemed to suddenly understand, and bent down to listen attentively.
"It's very simple. Miss Ye Qin is going to take us to a sacred immortal land, Hua Xian Spring. This spring was not only created by the Heavenly Lord, but it is also protected by the aura of the Dragon God, which will surely remove the evil spirits from your body. However, Miss Ye Qin is not sure if there are any evil spirits on it. We'll have to see for ourselves."
Yan Yunzhao spoke with great conviction, while Lou Su smiled and nodded as if quite seriously.
She took off the small talisman from her limp wrist and handed it to Lou Su, saying, "I obtained this talisman by chance. It has supreme magical power and is my most precious possession. This journey is dangerous, and you are not in good health. I entrust this talisman to you for safekeeping. I hope it can protect you."
Lou Su thanked him and took the talisman, tying it to his wrist: "Then... when does this Immortal Master Ye plan to take us there?"
"Now." Ye Qin suddenly appeared and said out of the blue, impatiently pushing Lou Yan and the other two into the teleportation array.
"Aren't your senior brothers coming with us?" Yan Yunzhao asked curiously, seeing that the row of senior brothers at the front of the formation remained unmoved.
"Ordinary people can't enter Huaxian Spring. I begged my mother for a long time before she agreed to let us go, and she only allowed the three of us." Ye Qin said succinctly, still looking at Lou Su with the same wary expression, his long whip never leaving his hand.
The senior brothers waved to them from outside the formation, but before Yan Yunzhao could even lower his raised hand, he was already teleported to the foot of the mountain gate.
A seemingly endless stone staircase led straight to the mountaintop, flanked by lush, verdant forests. Perhaps because the mountain was so high, despite the clear sky, the sunlight failed to reach the three of them, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Just as Ye Qin was about to step onto the stairs, Lou Su suddenly shouted, "Wait!"
Ye Qin and Yan Yunzhao turned around in confusion, only to hear Lou Su say apologetically, "I'm a little hungry. These stone steps are so long, we should eat something before climbing."
Half an hour later, at a small restaurant at the foot of the mountain, Lou Su finished his third bowl of noodles.
"Now? Please tell me if you have any other requests."
Ye Qin felt incredibly calm. After having a meal, a bath, and another meal with this young master Lou, she just wanted to wait and see who he was, that he would so evade going up the mountain.
Yan Yunzhao also found it strange. Lou Su was not usually a troublemaker, so why was he behaving so strangely today? Could it be, as Ye Qin said, that he was really afraid of his true identity being exposed?
After all that trouble, it was already late. Ye Qin and Yan Yunzhao had no choice but to find a place to stay and go back the next morning at daybreak. Lou Su, however, looked out the window and said, "Let's go now."
Ye Qin lost his temper, looking at him with exasperation: "Are you doing this on purpose? Are you playing a trick on me?"
Yan Yunzhao quickly stepped in between the two to act as a peacemaker: "There must be some misunderstanding here. Lou Su, you can speak your mind."
"I'm sorry. But I have nothing to explain."
After saying this, Lou Su flicked his sleeves and left on his own. Ye Qin gritted his teeth and followed him.
Yan Yunzhao stared at Lou Su's retreating figure, momentarily lost in thought, a sudden, inexplicable worry welling up within him. What if he really was a member of the demon race?
If he were a demon, it wouldn't matter much, since Yan Yunzhao himself is a grass demon, so he wouldn't discriminate against his own kind; but if he were a demon...
Demons are universally hated in the Three Realms. They cultivate by absorbing the life essence of the living, making them intolerable to Heaven and Earth. They bear the burden of countless lives, and naturally, they are the kind of beings that Yan Yunzhao despises. Although Lou Su doesn't seem like such a villain at all, whether someone is good or evil is not for her to decide alone.
Ye Qin's magical power was superior to hers, and since he had noticed something amiss, it made sense that Lou Su's identity was questionable. She secretly plotted for a moment and finally made up her mind: if he was a demon, she would definitely kick him out of the shop.
The three of them arrived at the stone steps again. This time, Lou Su took the lead and went up the mountain first, followed closely by Ye Qin and Yan Yunzhao.
According to Ye Qin, this mountain is called Panlong Mountain, and it has an inseparable relationship with the dragon god Wuxiang from the demon realm.
"This spring is nominally a sacred spring bestowed by the Heavenly Emperor upon the Dragon God to suppress evil spirits, but I heard from my mother that there is a little-known story about this spring."
"Legend has it that tens of thousands of years ago, there was an extremely ferocious demon named Qi Ling who slaughtered countless people. The Heavenly Emperor used half of his cultivation to seal it away, at the cost of using dragon blood as a blood medium. Thus, the Dragon Kings of the Demon Realm have been imprisoned at the core of the array for generations, guarding that monster."
Ye Qin walked ahead, her clear voice echoing through the mountains. Perhaps it was the profound meaning in her words, but the atmosphere felt somewhat heavy.
"So, is the current Dragon God Wuxiang also imprisoned within the array's core?"
These were things Yan Yunzhao had never heard of before. After thinking about it carefully, she felt that it was unlikely that Qingshan Sect hadn't taught her, but rather that she had been so focused on farming at the time that she hadn't paid attention.
Ye Qin continued walking forward without turning his head, his voice drifting from ahead: "No, it's not that. Now there's the Dragon God's grandfather... what was his name again? He's guarding the array's core."
Yan Yunzhao nodded thoughtfully, but Lou Su was unusually silent tonight.
The Panlong Mountain was deserted at night, its towering peaks reaching into the clouds and obscuring the moonlight. The group could only slowly move upwards by relying on a fireball summoned by Ye Qin.
"This Panlong Mountain is surrounded by barriers, and any magical artifacts or formations will be ineffective here. Those who come to see the Huaxian Spring must climb the stone steps one by one on foot, which is a pilgrimage."
Ye Qin's voice echoed through the empty mountains, adding an eerie touch.
"This dragon god of the demon realm... is he an evil god? Aren't the immortal realm and the demon realm supposed to keep to themselves?" Yan Yunzhao asked curiously, lifting her skirt as she struggled up the stone steps.
"No. The dragon clan of the demon realm has grown to a mere handful of people. The current leader, the Dragon God Wuxiang, ascended to heaven two hundred years ago, personally welcomed by the Heavenly Emperor, and later took charge of a region. He is not some kind of evil god among the common people."
Yan Yunzhao said "Oh": "It's a government-affiliated position."
But what a coincidence! Two hundred years ago, she also suddenly encountered a heavenly tribulation. Unfortunately, the two were worlds apart; one became a god, and the other became grass.
"What is it?" Lou Su and Ye Qin turned their heads in confusion upon hearing this.
"Uh...you can simply understand it as someone who can manage people in the immortal realm."
Ye Qin nodded with some skepticism. Lou Su, on the other hand, was used to it. He had already learned quite a few new words from Yan Yunzhao, such as "contour line," "chicken essence," "university," and so on, as well as things she kept mentioning like KFC and McDonald's.
"So, does that mean he really is a chosen one of heaven?"
Perhaps because of the long-standing Chinese culture, she has always been interested in everything related to dragons.
Upon hearing this, Lou Su looked at Yan Yunzhao's focused profile and his eyes crinkled into a smile.
"Sigh, if only I could see it with my own eyes." Yan Yunzhao walked away dejectedly.
"Don't think about it. Such important figures are not easy for us to meet. Even my mother has never met one," Ye Qin comforted her.
"You often talk about your mother, but I haven't had a chance to ask her yet. She sounds like a very important person."
Yan Yunzhao, covered in sweat, stopped and asked.
"A big shot? I don't know if she counts, but she's the sect leader of the Lintian Sect. The Lintian Sect is the sect I belong to." Ye Qin shrugged and sat on the stone steps waiting for Yan Yunzhao to rest.
"Of course it counts!"
However, when Yan Yunzhao was still the junior sister of the immortal sect, she had never heard of the Tianlin Sect. It must have been newly established in the last two hundred years.
Unexpectedly, the dignified daughter of the sect leader was standing right in front of him. Yan Yunzhao couldn't help but feel a little emotional, and he thought of Zhu Qianqian again.
If Zhu Qianqian hadn't helped her back then, she wouldn't be the one running a small restaurant now. As the beloved grandson of the sect leader, if the sect discovered that it was Zhu Qianqian who was sent to the demon race, they would definitely bring her back immediately. As for Yan Yunzhao... well, he can only pray for his own good fortune.
Two hundred years of cultivation had made Yan Yunzhao much more laid-back. If she were to make the decisions for herself back then, she would simply retire to the Tree Demon Clan. Perhaps the Tree Demons were actually quite easy to get along with?
The three of them sat on the stone steps to rest for a while. As they prepared to get up and continue their journey, Yan Yunzhao noticed that Lou Su's forehead was covered with a fine layer of sweat.
"Are you alright? Why don't you rest a little longer?" Yan Yunzhao pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Lou Su.
"I'm fine. Maybe it's just a bit hot." Lou Su took the handkerchief and smiled gently.
But with a cool breeze blowing now, it would be strange to call it hot.
After the two led the way, Lou Su silently reinforced the surrounding arrays. However, he was already poisoned and his magical power was now depleted.
After confirming that everything was alright, the group continued up the stone steps, now reaching the halfway point of the mountain. The dark, dense forest on either side occasionally echoed with the hoarse chirping of birds. A gust of wind stirred, and the ball of fire in Ye Qin's hand flickered a few times.
Immediately afterwards, a dark figure darted out from the forest and suddenly pounced on the three of them.
"Watch out!" Ye Qin shouted, quickly drawing his whip and lashing it at the shadowy figure. The figure nimbly dodged and disappeared into the night.
“It’s an evil spirit! They often come in groups, there’s definitely more than one here, you all come stand next to me quickly.”
As soon as the words were spoken, countless eerie eyes emerged from the woods on both sides, staring intently at the three people and letting out low growls as if they wanted to tear them apart.
Lou Su and Yan Yunzhao cautiously moved closer to Ye Qin, but before they could react, the evil spirit gave them no chance to change formation and a dark shadow lunged at Lou Su viciously.
Before Ye Qin could react, the evil spirit had already scratched a long gash on Lou Su's arm.
"Hiss..." Lou Su winced as he clutched his arm in pain, his already pale lips turning even whiter. Blood gushed from between his fingers, staining half of his sleeve crimson, a truly horrifying sight.
Ye Qin quickly pulled Yan Yunzhao down to Lou Su's side, holding a long whip and ready to strike, but the evil spirit seemed to be afraid of something and quietly retreated.
In the forest, countless evil spirits changed from low growls to whimpers, like countless women and children crying softly, which looked extremely terrifying in the dark night.
"Hurry up!" Ye Qin retracted his long whip, gathered the fire a little larger, grabbed Lou Su and Yan Yunzhao's arms with one hand and pulled them forward. His figure was as swift as a dragonfly skimming the water, and in no time he had left the things behind him far behind.
Ye Qin thought the evil spirits probably wouldn't follow, so he stopped, leaning on his knees and panting heavily: "You guys are really heavy."
Recalling the countless evil spirits that had swarmed through the forest, Yan Yunzhao felt goosebumps all over her body, as if ants were gnawing at her bones. She was still somewhat shaken: "How could there be so many evil spirits here? Wasn't it supposed to be protected by the aura of a true dragon?"
Ye Qin pointed at Lou Su and said angrily, "Ask him. Evil spirits attract evil spirits, and he almost killed us."
“That’s not right.” Yan Yunzhao frowned and pondered for a moment before calmly saying, “Evil spirits are simple-minded, but they recognize their companions. However, Lou Su was injured by that evil spirit just now. Moreover, that evil spirit was clearly suddenly afraid of something.”
Yan Yunzhao was so engrossed in his analysis that he didn't realize his understanding of evil spirits far surpassed that of ordinary mortals.
Lou Su pretended to be in pain and didn't hear what Yan Yunzhao said. A deep red cut was bleeding profusely, and Lou Su was sweating profusely from the pain. The two of them didn't bother to argue and hurriedly took out their handkerchiefs to bandage him and stop the bleeding.
Although the bandage was rather ugly, the bleeding had stopped. Lou Su's complexion was absolutely terrible. If he used to look like a frail, gender-swapped Lin Daiyu, now he looked like he had one foot in the gates of hell. If he delayed any longer, his life would be in grave danger.
With human life at stake, even if Ye Qin harbored resentment towards Lou Su, he would not stand idly by. After discussing it with Yan Yunzhao, they decided to take him down the mountain first.
Lou Su gently shook his head and said, "We can't get out."
“There is no turning back on Panlong Mountain. Unless you reach the summit and ask the Huaxian Spring, you will be bewitched by the mysterious swamps in the mountain and trapped in Panlong Mountain for all eternity, unable to get out or enter the cycle of reincarnation. Those evil spirits are the transformations of the wronged souls trapped here.”
[Author's Note]
Lou Su: ...It seems your identity has been exposed.
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