Seeking spring through snow, burning lamps to prolong the day
...
He calculated that the time was almost up, so he flew down the mountain and headed straight for the palace.
The Queen's bedchamber was filled with cheers celebrating the birth of the twins, but then fell silent. The two children looked alike; one had a white birthmark resembling a sword on his chest, while the other had ominous rose-red eyes, and both were boys.
Time stood still. You Youju waved her hand, turned around, and took the baby from the midwife's arms. With another wave, everything returned to normal, and everyone celebrated the birth of the prince.
Yu Youju, holding her crying child, found an old aunt who had no husband or children. The aunt appeared in her dream and said that Zhu Xuntianci would bring her good luck. She told her to raise him carefully and not to spread the word. She said that someone would take him away when the time was right.
Auntie couldn't see You Youju's face clearly, but she still believed in divine revelation.
The next day, my aunt was indeed awakened by the crying at the door. The child at the door was exquisitely beautiful, and next to the basket was a box containing 182 taels of loose silver and a piece of paper with Zhu Xun's name written on it.
The aunt was overjoyed, knelt down and prayed to heaven, promising to treat him as her own son.
You Youju never expected that this would result in divine punishment, trapping him on Yundi Peak and subjecting him to three years of lightning torture, preventing him from being born until the God of War emerges from the mountain.
He felt perfectly at ease, even though they no longer knew each other.
But things didn't go smoothly. After her aunt became wealthy, she found a lover, who bewitched her and ultimately revealed the secrets of heaven. After marriage, she even took her husband's surname, only to discover that he was a gambling addict who had squandered all his money. The immortals never sent him any more money. Until Zhu Xun was five years old, under the gambler's foul words, in order to protect his aunt, demonic energy broke through the immortal barrier, and there was no way to undo it...
This secret is something that You Youju can't possibly understand.
Three years later, when Chaolan arrived, You Youju felt nervous, but even more so, she felt resistant.
He shouldn't turn his affection for Zhu Xun into rejection of Chao Lan, he knew that, but when he saw that jade-like child with those familiar features, his heart still pounded inexplicably.
It felt as if he had let Zhu Xun down.
He had tried to descend the mountain over the years, but had repeatedly failed.
It wasn't until Chaolan appeared that he felt his spiritual power recover slightly.
During the apprenticeship ceremony, Ju Yao bestowed a name upon Chao Lan.
His brows were furrowed, and his heart was filled with complex emotions.
But he still uttered the two words he had already prepared.
"I bestow upon you the words 'Huai Jing' (meaning 'to cherish a mirror'). I wish that you would cherish a clear mirror in your heart, reflecting not only yourself but also others as reflected in it."
Xiao Chaolan knelt down, her young age belying her upright character, and her words were clear and powerful: "Huaijing thanks Master!"
After the palace staff left, You Youju couldn't help but take a closer look at the child.
"So small..."
Only then did they realize that the child's eyes were already filled with tears, and he was trembling slightly with unease: "You're still young! You're not even as old as my father!"
And that's how I started crying.
You Youju breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the child to comfort him.
After entering the mountains, the God of War proved to be extraordinary. His daily training and memorization of the required scriptures were flawless. He not only grasped concepts quickly but also applied them to other situations, demonstrating remarkable analytical and analytical skills…
In short, it should be called "perfect".
This also required You Youju to put in some effort, always taking advantage of moments when the barrier was weak to go down the mountain to search for Zhu Xun's whereabouts.
They couldn't find it, but after inquiring, they learned the whole story. They had actually gone to Buffalo Village after all. But they still couldn't find You Youju. They couldn't even find a trace of her.
He couldn't defy fate, and the time he could endure the pressure to leave the mountains was extremely limited. But along the way, he always saw many children, just like Zhu Xun when he was young. So he built sheds and distributed porridge everywhere, and sent out clothes every season. His strength was minimal, but he only hoped to help more people, and only hoped that he would not meet Zhu Xun among these children and refugees.
At the same time, he also distanced himself from his disciple—Chaolan, who could not wait for the warmth of the lamp.
Teaching Chaolan, filling the gaps, and keeping an eye on Zhuxun's whereabouts, Ju was extremely exhausted, both physically and mentally. She didn't know how long it had been since she had made a facial expression other than frowning.
It was still early morning when I heard sobbing coming from the woodshed.
Moving over, I was surprised to see Chaolan crying.
He always imagined the child to be too perfect, because he himself was indeed a perfect person.
"Huaijing, what's wrong?"
Upon seeing her master arrive, Huaijing felt even more aggrieved, and her cries grew louder and louder.
You Ju frowned, looking somewhat tired.
Seeing that his master didn't comfort him but instead looked at him with a puzzled and somewhat impatient expression, he simply started throwing a tantrum on the ground: "Too tired! Too tired! I don't want to practice anymore! I don't want to practice anymore!!"
You Youju was extremely dizzy. After all, he wasn't a true immortal. He hadn't eliminated his seven emotions and six desires, and the many twists and turns of the past few years had made him less compassionate and more violent.
He was already exhausted from trying to purify the negative energy, and seeing Chaolan like this, he became somewhat annoyed.
"Not going to practice? You won't get any food for three days, and you can forget about going to play with the senior sisters and brothers from other peaks."
You Youju ignored him and went straight back to meditate. It wasn't until the middle of the night that she managed to recover some of her energy.
Looking at the dim, flickering candlelight, he began to reflect on himself. Chaolan was, after all, just a child, and he was his teacher. If he didn't care for him, who would comfort and care for him? He had been so confused and negligent that he had failed in his duty for so long.
He took the ointment and went into Chaolan's room. He skillfully applied the ointment to the wounds on Chaolan's hands and feet, and then gently channeled his internal energy into Chaolan's meridians.
The next day, You Youju still couldn't smile.
This country has been at peace for too long, and corruption has long since spread. Most people live in comfort and are blind to all the choices around them. Its fate is near.
He carried Chaolan down the mountain and arrived at the town that had recently been hit by the epidemic. Chaolan was still bewildered when she landed and saw only a murky, lifeless place.
He staggered, a hint of panic in his eyes: "Where...where am I?"
You Youju helped him up and replied only, "Within the territory of Anguo."
Anguo…his country. But didn't my father and my ministers say that the rivers were clear and the seas were calm, and the seasons were peaceful and the harvests plentiful?
You Youju rolled up his sleeves and put a mask on Chaolan. Stretchers were being carried one after another along the muddy road, and many fellow disciples hurried past him. You Youju pulled him to the makeshift consultation table, already crowded with patients. Before he could even react, You Youju sent him to the backyard to prepare medicine.
One by one, the acupuncture was administered. The disciples who did not understand watched carefully, while the other disciples and doctors diligently prepared the medicine...
As dusk fell, the last patient who came for a checkup was settled, but You Youju couldn't find Chaolan anywhere.
The Nuo dance, meant to ward off plague and disease, was already poised to begin in the center of the town. Many people who could walk came out, while others were being supported.
It's getting late, I need to hurry back.
He followed the master and apprentice's lead to find Chao Lan, his head bowed, his small figure trembling.
"What are you doing?" he called softly.
Chao Lan did not answer. You Youju walked around to him and found him crying as he untied his jade pendant. After untying the pendant, he was about to remove the hairpin from his hair. Directly in front of Chao Lan were a ragged old man and a child who was so thin he was practically skin and bones.
You Youju stopped him.
"Jade cannot be eaten, gold cannot be used for warmth. Do you understand that this might be evil?"
Having a large sum of gold and silver on one's person when one is old, weak, sick, or disabled is not a good thing. Moreover, he is a prince, and everything he wears belongs to the royal family.
"Are we just going to watch them die? Can't we do anything? You're also a cultivator, you should have a kind heart! Why be so aloof and superior?!"
He then took out a communication talisman, intending to send it to the palace.
Chao Lan's face was streaked with tears, and You Youju's eyes were wide with shock. He was just a six-year-old child, and he had given her the best he had.
You Youju squatted down and pointed to the inn and clinic not far away: "See? The inn will be distributing porridge, and you can get medicine at the clinic. His Majesty has also approved the relevant runes and dispatched aid and manpower. After the Nuo dance ends, someone will come to take this old man and the child inside. No one will be left behind. Chaolan, we are not powerless to do anything, okay?"
Chao Lan finally calmed down and her crying subsided: "I'm sorry, Master, I lost my temper and acted impulsively."
The spirit bird of Yundi Peak kept calling him back, and You Youju was already feeling dizzy and could barely hold on.
He patted Chao Lan's head and hugged him: "We should go now. Someone will be here soon, don't worry."
Chao Lan leaned against You Youju's neck and asked in a muffled voice, "Why hasn't the situation improved despite the imperial decree? Should I ask Father Emperor again?"
You Youju remained silent for a long time, then sighed and said:
"Chaolan, remember, what you need to change is not just this moment of suffering."
…………
"Master! Master!" A childish voice interrupted You Youju's light sleep. He got up, opened the window, and used the duster hanging by the door frame to dust off the little one who had just entered. Under the sunlight, a lot of dust immediately rose up.
The child looked up and gave a bright smile, then bowed, panting, and entered the room with practiced ease.
You Youju poured him a cup of tea, and only after he gulped it down did he speak: "Have the teachers gone down the mountain?"
Chao Lan wiped her mouth, frowned, and lay on the table: "Finally, I'm down the mountain, but it'll be another week. I have to study in the palace and in the mountains too. I'm so dizzy from all the studying." Then she smiled at You Youju: "It's still better to be with Master."
You Youju, holding a book in her hand, didn't look up: "Am I not strict enough, teacher?"
Seeing that the iceberg remained unmoved, Chaolan mysteriously took out a magnolia hairpin from her sleeve and handed it to You Youju with a hint of flattery: "Master? This is something I asked the Master to bring back from the palace for me. It was specially made by a craftsman. Would you like to wear this and see if it suits you?"
You Youju finally looked up from the book: "What is it?"
Chao Lan scratched her head awkwardly, then pulled out another stack of silver notes from her sleeve. You Youju frowned, about to speak, when she heard Chao Lan say, "Master doesn't have much money left. This is what I saved from my food, clothing, and daily necessities. I hope Master won't find it offensive. Chao Lan just wants to do her bit."
You Youju's gaze lingered on the silver note for a moment, her expression somewhat complicated: "Do you know what His Majesty will think if he finds out about this?"
Chao Lan stuffed the silver note into You Youju's hand, went around behind him and put a hairpin in his hair: "Don't worry, Master."
Everything felt so natural.
The twilight outside had faded, the circling eagles cried out a few times, the last ray of warm light melted from the snow-capped peaks, the sky quietly turned dark blue, and a few stars twinkled dimly, their starlight gradually magnifying.
You Youju smiled, raised an eyebrow, and handed the fresh cause and effect to Chaolan, instructing him to combine it with the Heart Sutra for seven days and seven nights before it could be absorbed.
"Thank you for your hard work, Master! Your disciple accepts your thanks!"
Chao Lan smiled, accepted the red fruit with both hands, bowed respectfully to You Youju with her hands at eyebrow level, and then turned and left.
Guichen arrived by the mandate of heaven.
His entire life was dedicated to Chaolan. Until he returned to his rightful place, he was born with superhuman strength, yet he could only remain on this snow-covered mountain peak. He then used this superhuman strength to complete several lifetimes and a thousand years of wandering through the mortal world within a short span of thirty or forty years. He then gathered his cultivation techniques from those thousand years and condensed them into a red fruit, which he then digested. With that, his mission was accomplished, and he fulfilled his destiny.
In one dream, he foresaw another "Chaolan," whom he wanted to save, but the dream vanished in an instant.
He hadn't dreamed in a long time, but recently his dreams often featured a forest and a tree. He wasn't sure if there had been any changes since his spirit had returned to its place after being struck by lightning.
Headache.
Now that Chaolan is seven years old, he also needs to complete his mission quickly. The time left for him seems especially urgent amidst this unpredictable and turbulent situation that has disrupted the peace.
He held his breath and concentrated, then forced a wisp of his primordial spirit to descend the mountain once more.
You Youju wanted to figure out the reason, so she went to the forest alone to answer the call.
It's getting closer, closer and closer.
Suddenly, You Youju smelled a strong stench of blood. He rushed over and found that it was a demon beast that was about to take human form and was about to eat people. You Youju flicked his hand and the demon beast fell straight to the ground and turned into a broken spirit stone.
"How could this kind of monster appear in a place like this?"
He went forward to check and saw that the man was barely clinging to life, blood gushing from his chest, and an unfinished doll lying beside his waist, its crimson skin soaked in blood, the blood seeping into it and giving rise to resentment.
You Youju hurriedly fed the man a pill to stop the bleeding, which then attracted the attention of the faceless puppet. And indeed it was.
There is a small fragment of the Floating Rain Jade.
Then a sharp pain shot through his head again. The person who had been waking up earlier was slowly moving and coughing.
When he sat up, You Youju was surprised to find that it was Ah Zhong!
Ah Zhong realized what was happening and immediately wanted to express his gratitude.
The spirit bird hovered and chirped overhead, and You Youju hurriedly flew back to Yundi Peak.
I dared not think too much, only feeling that everything in the world was like pearls strung together. No matter how many times the string broke, how many pearls shattered, or how chaotic things became, the way of Heaven would always restore everything to its original place, without the slightest error.
He was being held tightly by those hands, pulled up by a string.
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