Chapter 132 Under the Sunlight "I'm breaking a cardinal rule, I deserve to be punished..."
A blinding flash of lightning tore through the sky above Shanzhou City, and a deafening rumble of thunder crashed down from the split clouds, slamming into a secluded courtyard.
The lightning, like a giant axe, struck straight at the thick tree trunk.
Chen Ying, who was standing under the tree, suddenly dodged away, watching helplessly as electric currents crawled all over the camphor tree, like glowing spider webs, flowing wildly along the cracks in the bark.
After a series of crackling explosions, the trunk and branches burst open inch by inch, and the charred camphor tree collapsed with a crash, crushing a corner of the brick wall and roof tiles, and falling towards Chen Ying, who was forced to the base of the wall.
Chen Ying looked up abruptly, but it was too late to dodge.
Suddenly, an arm reached out and swiftly pulled her to safety.
The unpredictable Chen Ying slapped him hard across the cold iron mask.
Snap!
The latter was caught off guard by her sudden change of attitude and stood frozen, not reacting for a long time.
Chen Ying became furious and glared at him.
The masked man released her wrist, stepped back, and gestured a few times to her.
Chen Ying said with a gloomy face, "I'm breaking a divine law, I deserve to be struck by lightning."
Unwittingly subjected to a tirade of anger, the Iron-Faced Man lowered his hands and let her vent her frustrations.
Just as they were about to fall silent, screams erupted from underground. Lightning cleaved a charred crack in the impenetrable ground, and the sounds leaked out from under the fallen tree roots.
Chen Ying turned to leave, but as she approached the stone door of the cellar, Qin San, tears streaming down his face, suddenly lunged at her and grabbed her, hissing, "What have you done? What have you done to Officer Lu? Why did you do this to him?"
Chen Ying's face turned ashen: "Get out of the way!"
"Open the door, please let him go, stop torturing him."
"What's it to you?!" She did whatever she wanted, but Chen Ying said coldly, "I told you to get out of my way!"
For so long, no matter how much Chen Ying beat and scolded him, or even tore the rotten flesh off Lu Bing's body, he gritted his teeth and remained silent. This was the first time Qin San had heard Lu Bing scream so miserably.
Qin San couldn't fathom what kind of agonizing, inhuman torture could have caused Constable Lu to scream incessantly. He could only plead with this vicious woman, "Please spare him..."
The masked man who arrived did not allow Qin San to linger and forcefully dragged the crying Qin San away.
Chen Ying was already annoyed, and now she had completely lost her patience. Without turning her head, she ordered, "If she makes any more trouble, kill her."
Upon hearing this, Qin San froze abruptly, her sobs choking in her throat. She knew, of course, that Chen Ying was serious. If she dared to cry out even a little more, the Iron-Faced Man would carry out his orders and kill her without hesitation.
She can't die. Officer Lu will definitely be tormented by Chen Ying and will need her to take care of him.
She had to take care of Officer Lu; she couldn't die yet.
Qin San held back her sobs, but large tears streamed down her face.
With a series of heavy sounds, the stone door opened and closed, and Chen Ying disappeared into the depths of the secret passage.
The cellar was exceptionally cold and damp, filled with a strong stench of decay and fish. Chen Ying walked slowly through the long passageway, her feet sinking into the damp floor and listening to the agonizing screams. The deeper she went, the slower she walked, until finally she hesitated.
Chen Ying stopped and stood there hesitantly.
Separated by a heavy stone door, Lu Bing's screams gradually subsided.
She really wanted to go inside and take a look.
But no, she can't go in.
Chen Ying bit her nails and paced back and forth in front of the room door until the sounds inside grew fainter and fainter, eventually turning into painful groans.
She should go in and take a look.
But no, she absolutely cannot go in.
Torn between two conflicting impulses, Chen Ying grew increasingly agitated. Her gaze seemed adrift in the darkness, unable to find a focal point, and she even bit her index fingernail until it bled.
She thought she heard soft sobbing.
Is Lu Bing crying?
Chen Ying pressed her forehead against the stone door and heard a series of unsteady breaths, occasionally punctuated by two sobs.
Did he cry?
Does it hurt a lot?
Does it hurt a lot?
Did you cry because it hurt so much?
Isn't he supposed to be tough?!
She knew that no one could withstand such torment; even the hardest bones would turn into soft bones.
Until Lu Binglian's breathing became weaker and weaker, until it was almost inaudible.
Chen Ying pressed her forehead against the stone door and stood there in that position for a very, very long time, so long that she couldn't hear any noise anymore.
The stone chamber was quiet. Chen Ying felt a soreness in her neck, as if she couldn't lift her head.
She only turned around when she heard footsteps behind her, staring at a blank, expressionless face, and asked, "Won't he be able to handle it?"
The man in the iron mask remained silent.
She felt that the iron mask was just like her face at that moment—stiff and numb.
Chen Ying asked, "Is he dead?"
The masked man remained silent.
Chen Ying asked, "Did I fail again?" She should have been used to it by now, since it was always in vain and she always ended up failing. But this time, she didn't seem as calm and relaxed as usual.
The man in the iron mask gestured to her, meaning: Aren't you going in to take a look?
For some reason, she suddenly couldn't bear to look at the result: "If he dies, I won't need to go in and clean him up; Qingmang will eat him."
The man in the iron mask gestured, meaning: Qingmang did not eat him.
...
After the thunder and lightning, a heavy rain fell. By the time Lin Mu had cooked the rice porridge and brought it over, Bai Yuan had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Lin Mu stood under the eaves with a bowl of porridge in his hand. When he saw the two people sharing a bed through the half-open window, he knew better than to go in and disturb them.
The trees, which are usually oblivious to the danger, have become quite interesting under this eaves where the wind and rain are pouring down.
There was a leak in one corner of the main room, and soon the water was all over the floor. Elder He came out to find a wooden bucket to catch the rainwater, and saw Lin Mu standing blankly under the eaves with a bowl of porridge in his hand. His whole back was soaked by the wind and rain, but he was completely unaware of it. He was staring at the half-open window in front of him, lost in thought.
"What are you standing there daydreaming about?"
Lin Mu snapped out of his daze and turned his head.
Elder He stepped out, went to the eaves to pick up a wooden bucket, and said as he walked, "Your clothes are all soaked. Are you out of your mind? Standing under the eaves getting soaked in this heavy rain. Don't come looking for me if you catch a cold."
Lin Mu then realized that his back was cold and damp, but his palms, which were holding the bowl of porridge, were burning hot: "Elder, would you like some porridge?"
Elder He lifted his drooping eyelids, first looked at the hot porridge in Lin Mu's hands, then at the window, and finally fixed his gaze on Lin Mu's still-childish face, and said seriously, "Bring it over."
Lin Mu immediately took the bowl of porridge and followed him into the house.
Elder He placed the wooden bucket to catch the rain, and then instructed Lin Mu to change his clothes and come over to clean up the leaking water.
This porridge is so thick and soft; it's clear that he put a lot of thought into controlling the heat. Compared to how this kid used to cook porridge, it's a huge improvement, and it's perfect for an elderly person like him with poor teeth.
The elderly man was perfectly aware of who the porridge was for, but unfortunately, it benefited the old man.
Elder He blew on the steam rising from the bowl, took a few sips, glanced at the boy squatting on the ground drawing water, and asked casually, "How old are you this year?"
Lin Mutou didn't lift his head, focusing intently on his work: "I'll be sixteen soon."
"A fifteen or sixteen-year-old kid, he doesn't know anything."
Lin Mu was surprised that Elder He would even insult him like this, and immediately became displeased: "Elder, what don't I understand?"
"I see that you are not calm and focused. From this day forward, sit in the courtyard for an hour every morning and evening and silently recite the mantra."
"What?!"
“You bunch of monkeys, you’ve been left unsupervised since you came down the mountain, so you’re bound to slack off. Do you even know the saying, ‘If you don’t practice for a day, you’ll have wasted ten days; if you don’t practice for ten days, you’ll have wasted a hundred days’? Count how many days you’ve missed.”
"Why haven't we been practicing? We encountered so many powerful formations after we came down the mountain; it was all hands-on practice, much better than meditation and chanting..."
Before Lin Mu could finish speaking, Elder He said fiercely, "You dare to talk back? I told you to practice, so you have to practice!"
forest:"……"
Okay, okay, it's just meditating and chanting scriptures morning and night, what's so difficult about that?
So he wiped the water off the ground and sat down to meditate under Elder He's tyrannical power. Perhaps it was because he hadn't meditated for too long, and the experience of the past month had made him restless and irritable. Lin Mu found it difficult to enter a meditative state for a while.
Elder He would then sternly rebuke from the side: "Discard distracting thoughts!"
Then he finally entered a meditative state as Elder He repeatedly told him to "purify his mind" and "calm his spirit."
The rain poured down for two days, soaking the soil and nourishing the roots. The climbing vines were covered in flowers, a truly beautiful sight.
Lin Mu meditates morning and evening, cooks porridge and decocts medicine, and is constantly being ordered around by Elder He. He rarely has any free time, and Lin Mu even suspects that the old man is deliberately causing trouble.
If he complains even slightly, he will be scolded: "You can't even endure this little bit of hardship."
Even the slightest mistake will result in being scolded: "You're useless at everything."
Lin Mu simply didn't want to do it anymore. Whoever wanted to serve him could serve him. Then he thought about how his senior brother Qu was studying medicine under the old man's oppression every day. What kind of life was he living, worse than that of a pig or a dog?
That day, he was chopping wood at Elder He's behest when the door creaked open. Lin Mu looked up and saw Bai Yuan, his black hair disheveled, stepping out.
"Where are you looking!" Elder He's furious voice rang out immediately, "Where are you going to strike!"
Lin Mu's axe blow went astray.
Then Elder He slapped him on the back of the head: "I told you to aim carefully, aim carefully, aim carefully at the wood, and chop it quickly!"
Lin Mu was so frustrated by his antics that he had almost lost his temper and could only bury himself in chopping wood.
Elder He then turned his head and looked at Bai Yuan across the distance.
Bai Yuan raised the corners of his mouth. As expected of a renowned physician in the Taihang Mountains, he still had such a strong voice at his age and was quite shrewd when scolding the younger generation.
Elder He wasn't familiar with her, so he put on an air of authority, nodding slightly to acknowledge her before going to check on the medicine on the stove.
After the rain, the sky cleared, and only the sunken areas held water. As Lin Mu was busy chopping wood, he caught a glimpse of Bai Yuan's reflection in the mirror-like water.
Her face was pale and frosty. She stepped out of the room and stood in the sunlight. She tilted her head slightly, and the frost on her face slowly faded away in the sunlight.
Lin Mu couldn't help but look at her, and asked as if possessed, "Are you cold?"
Bai Yuan said, "It's warm."
Is it cold inside?
"It's not cold." Bai Yuan had never felt cold, and the coldness in the room was because of her. It seemed that she had chilled Zhou Yaren these past two days. Because she couldn't control her own yin energy, Zhou Yaren's hands and feet were always icy cold. So Bai Yuan got out of bed and went out of the room. "I think the sun is nice, so I'll come out and get some sunlight."
“Then come here.” Lin Mu pointed to the courtyard wall. “It’s sunny here, and the flowers are in bloom.”
Bai Yuan glanced over and indeed saw a wall covered in blooming vines. She then turned to Lin Mu and asked, "Are there any extra rooms here?"
Lin Mu: "What's wrong?"
Bai Yuan: "I live here."
Lin Mu was taken aback. Because of her transformation into an umbrella, they had always tacitly agreed that Bai Yuan and Ting Fengzhi lived together.
There were originally two empty rooms, but after settling Xiaoyuan and her brother in, there were no spare rooms. However, Lin Mu said, "There are."
He can move in and share a room with the elders.
As he spoke, he threw down the axe in his hand and went to pack his belongings, clearing out the house for Bai Yuan.
Elder He sat in the corner guarding the medicine furnace, idly fanning the fire with a palm leaf fan, then watching Lin Mu move his luggage with one eye open and one eye closed. When that brat came out again, he was like a chicken injected with chicken blood, swinging his axe and chopping away.
Clap clap clap!
In no time, he chopped up a whole bundle of firewood, then hurriedly carried it into the kitchen to start a fire and cook.
Elder He remained calm, glancing at the sun; it wasn't lunchtime yet.
Soon, the brat came out carrying a bowl of thick porridge, his eyes fixed on the white-faced man in the rattan chair. He took a deep breath halfway through, as if he needed to muster up the courage to deliver a bowl of porridge.
Lin Mu held out the porridge and handed it over, forcing out two words: "Drink the porridge."
It was both eager and awkward.
Elder He clicked his tongue, unable to bear the sight, and cursed inwardly: What a spineless wretch!
Bai Yuan nestled in the rattan chair with his eyes closed, his arms draped lazily over the armrests, his pale fingertips hanging limply, trying to dispel the chill emanating from his body with the sunlight.
Hearing the sound, she opened her eyes and saw the boy with a stern face handing her a bowl of porridge, steaming hot.
Bai Yuan took it and laughed, "A gift for me?"
The word "filial piety" directly elevated her seniority, and Lin Mu knew she was an ancient monster with a very arrogant tone.
Lin Mu stubbornly replied, "I only owe you this because you saved me."
So he came to repay her. Bai Yuan stirred the porridge with a spoon and said nonchalantly, "That was because you rushed over to die, and I just helped you out. But next time you encounter danger, remember to stay far away and don't rush forward so recklessly."
For some reason, Lin Mu got angry every time he heard her speak. Just as he was about to explode, he heard Bai Yuan mumble, "Hmm, the porridge is good."
So Lin Mu held back. A gentleman should be magnanimous; he wouldn't stoop to a woman's level.
Then he stared longingly as Bai Yuan drank the porridge he had cooked.
Lin Mu wasn't deaf. When he heard Elder He click his tongue for the third time, he finally couldn't help but turn around and ask, "Elder, what are you clicking your tongue for?"
Elder He turned his head, raised his hand to touch half of his face, and clicked his tongue, saying, "Getting old, my teeth hurt."
"Go take some medicine if you have a toothache."
Elder He supported himself on his knees with both hands and slowly stood up from the low stool. He decided to make the little brat practice the Mind-Clearing Mantra for two more hours every day, so that he wouldn't be thinking about all sorts of things all day long.
Teenagers in their teens are often immature and confused, and their understanding is not yet fully developed, making them prone to having inappropriate thoughts and ideas. At such times, they need proper guidance from their elders. Since Master Lin Mu is not here, he can only reluctantly take on the task on behalf of his respected teacher and talk to the unruly children about morality and ethics.
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Author's Note: Here's a little skit:
That evening, Elder He quoted extensively from classical texts to lecture Lin Xiaomu on morality and ethics: blah blah blah blah…
Lin Xiaomu looked completely confused: Elder, what are you saying? I don't understand...
Elder He said: Blah blah blah...
Lin Xiaomu was drowsy: I don't want to listen, you're just talking nonsense.
Elder He, enraged by the futile attempt to talk to a brick wall, slapped him across the forehead: "I told you not to covet other people's partners, you scoundrel!"
Lin Xiaomu was dumbfounded, then his head exploded: Elder, are you crazy?! At your age, this is simply absurd!
Very well, the brat knows this is absurd, Elder He is very pleased.
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