Chapter 72 Extra 2: Collection of Treasures from All Over the World
Wu Lu, the music fairy, had always slept with the windows open, regardless of the cold or heat. This year, spring had arrived exceptionally early, and the breeze that blew through the open windows was already a warm breeze. Petals from the trees were blown in by the wind, falling one by one onto Wu Lu's body. The mist of the enchanting, colorful fragrance transformed them into thin, hollow gold sheets.
When Wu Lu woke up from his nap in a daze, he found a few thin pieces of pure gold lying on his body and couldn't help laughing happily.
Although he knew that the gold flakes would return to their original form after the smoke cleared, Wu Lu happily played with them for a while before placing them on the pile of jewelry beside him. The room was filled with a dazzling array of novelties, stacked from floor to ceiling, leaving only a narrow path leading to the door.
Since he retired to the city, Wu Lu has been free from worries every day. He has collected many rare and ingenious treasures, which he takes out to study from time to time.
The door creaked open, and the two young men and women walked down the path to Babu's bed, carefully treading on the narrow space to avoid stepping on the glittering objects on either side, such as the jeweled jars, gold and silver wind chimes, the jade swing, and the gauze brocade curtains. Their faces were relaxed and peaceful, and they said respectfully to Wu Lu, "Boss, it's time for you to get up."
A soundproof screen was placed on the outermost edge of the bed, blocking out most of the noise. Wu Lu was sprawled on the bed, fiddling with a treasure he had made from rocks and branches, when he suddenly turned around and saw two strangers standing in front of the bed. Startled, he sat up abruptly and yelled, "Oh!"
The two of them quickly put on identical exaggerated smiles, stared at each other and said, "Boss, wake up! It's us!"
Wu Lu took a closer look and saw that it was Xun Yan and Mi Xia. He then fell back limply: "Hey, I'm not used to the way you are now. Who else do you think you are... What do you want me to do?"
Mixia put away her usual ingratiating smile and revealed her true face again: "Boss, didn't you order us to come in and wake you up if the dog barks three times this evening? What's the most important thing tonight?"
"Right!" Wu Lu rolled out of bed and grabbed a nearby crutch. Under the influence of the colorful incense, the crutch looked glittering and precious. He raised the crutch high and said excitedly, "Today is the day I will meet those disciples from afar!"
Following Wu Lu's instructions, Xun Yan and Mi Xia lit colorful incense in the four corners of the hall and brought out a jar of fine wine, placing it on the long jade table. Wu Lu, wearing brand new clothes embroidered with the subtle patterns of the Tongduo Sect, looked in the mirror, feeling handsome and imposing, and nodded with satisfaction.
After hanging a sign on the door of the inn saying "No outside guests today", Wu Lu sat behind the table and carefully calculated everything.
While the disciples being entertained at today's banquet won't possess a physical form and don't need delicacies, decorating the hall still cost three taels of silver. However, the disciples certainly won't come empty-handed, so the expenses should be offset, and there might even be a surplus. If the extra can be sold, we can even return some to Demon King Huo. Last time, I gave him a dozen copper coins, but he didn't even want to take them. How ridiculous...
Amid the clacking of abacus beads, You Xiao appeared on the second floor of the inn. He sleepwalked down the gilded stairs and said blankly, "How did this inn get renovated overnight?"
"This is just a trick; it won't last long." Wu Lu laughed heartily and then instructed You Xiao, "Although you've come to the human world as a guest, don't sit idle. Do something for me today, and you won't be too tired."
You Xiao agreed immediately: "Of course! Brother Wu Lu, you don't have to be polite. If you have anything, just let me know. I'm happy to help!"
Wu Lu smiled mysteriously and said, "You'll know later."
As the full moon rose high in the sky, a copper basin was placed in the third courtyard of Xiyuan. Xunyan filled the basin with water from a kettle, and Mixia, following Wulu's instructions, kept moving the basin back and forth, fine-tuning its position.
"It's done!" Wu Lu was very satisfied and handed a bag of gold powder to You Xiao. "Brother You, please sprinkle this powder into the water slowly and carefully, covering every inch of the water surface. Don't stop, keep sprinkling..."
You Xiao diligently sprinkled gold dust. The powder drifted onto the water, shimmering under the bright moonlight. When the ripples subsided, the reflections of a group of people suddenly appeared on the surface, startling You Xiao.
"Here I come!" Wu Lu sat upright, not forgetting to look behind him to confirm that his background looked magnificent. Then he said to the water, "My disciples, how are you these days?"
This is Wu Lu's latest gadget. Simply sprinkle gold dust into water and place it under the full moon, and you can see people far away by the water. The moon is the greatest mirror on earth. Since it can reflect the whole of Kyushu, it can reflect the image of any corner of Kyushu to Wu Lu.
At this moment, the reflections on the water surface were the more than one hundred disciples of the Tongduo Sect, and standing in the front was the current master.
Although she was the current Master, she was merely a young woman who looked like a senior sister. She had distinguished herself during the disciple selection process, and Wu Lu had assigned her to assist with the sect's affairs. Soon after, he appointed her Acting Master, while Wu Lu returned to the Central Plains to seek peace and tranquility in the secular world.
The Acting Master had been leading the Tongduo Sect for a full year. Though Tongduo Mountain had lost its former glory, it was still thriving. Wu Lu officially passed the position of Master to the Acting Master, retreating behind the scenes and appointing himself the Protector Elder.
Back in Xiyuan Sanfang, Wu Lu was offered tea by his current master. Though unable to visit in person, the master still respectfully presented him with a batch of seasonal mountain produce, which would be delivered to the gate of Xiyuan Sanfang soon. Then, all the disciples bowed in unison, shouting, "Greetings, Grandmaster!"
The call of "Grandmaster" made Wu Lu's heart burst with joy. He kept saying to everyone, "Please stand up, please stand up. I have prepared some good wine. Let me drink it first as a token of my respect. Disciples, please help yourself!"
The current master coughed lightly and reported in a low voice, "Master, don't you have something important to say? Give the order first, and it won't be too late to drink later!"
"That's right." Wu Lu tapped the ground with his crutch and explained to everyone, "I'm used to greeting guests every day. It's just a habit, it's just a habit."
You Xiao watched this scene from the side, and was filled with admiration for Wu Lu: "Master Yinlüxian, your reputation is truly well-deserved!" Xi Sheng sat in the corner, pouring a drink by himself, and said slowly: "After passing on the throne, he elevated himself to the position of the founder. What a calculation."
Wu Lu pretended not to hear Xi Sheng's taunts and spoke sternly to the disciples in the basin, "In the past, the Tongduo Sect valued blood ties over aptitude. The position of the Sect Master was hereditary, and outsiders had to pass numerous tests before joining. Now the Tongduo Sect has revived its spirit, breaking away from etiquette and recruiting talented disciples with the intention of passing the throne to the most virtuous."
The disciples standing on the ground all had sharp eyes, and Xisheng nodded slightly beside them. Wu Lu changed the subject: "My disciples have been practicing in the mountains for some time. This time, this master is meeting with you to test you..."
Everyone listened intently. Wu Lu said, "Around this time last year, countless officials on earth colluded with demons and gods. A loyal and righteous man sent a number of little ghosts to the homes of these officials to gather intelligence."
You Xiao stole a glance at Wu Lu, and Xi Sheng's lips curled into a sneer. Wu Lu glanced at Xi Sheng and said guiltily, "But when the little ghosts do their work, they always...scare a lot of people. It's not just the officials who are scared, but also many innocent people, like servants, or when the little ghosts touch the wrong house and scare the wrong person... So the challenge today is to find these innocent people and heal their suffering. Whoever heals the most people will have greater magical power, and will be the first place winner of this competition!"
The young disciples were pure-hearted, eager to try. Only Xisheng chuckled, while Youxiao's mouth twitched slightly.
A brave and careful disciple asked, "Grandmaster, could you tell us how these people became sick from fear?"
Wu Lu said stickyly, "Well, some little ghosts stand at people's bedsides in the middle of the night, asking them if they know demons and gods... Some little ghosts possess people and wait for demons and gods to come and discuss matters with them. This undercover strategy is naturally good, but the appearance of the possessed ghosts scares people..."
“…”
Wu Lu waved his hand and said, "So, we need young talents like you to properly handle it and benefit the people!"
The disciples began to discuss, each offering their own methods. The one in the crowd, the one who looked dazed and called "Big Brother," said, "I think we might as well use our sect's traditional methods, rhythmic rituals, to summon the spirit."
The second brother was lazy and didn't even bother to speak loudly: "We still need to distinguish those who are innocently implicated and those who are the corrupt officials. We can only help the former and not pity the latter." After saying that, he didn't want to say anything more.
The third brother was the frail one. He asked sickly, "Where can we find these people? Does the Grandmaster have any list?"
Wu Lu laughed, "It just so happens that this Grand Master has a list of names." The disciple closed his eyes and nodded, as if the last sentence had exhausted all his energy, and it took him a long time to catch his breath. Wu Lu leaned forward, his hands on the edge of the basin, hunched over, looking left and right. He couldn't help but say, "Hey, kid, why are you so weak? You need to gather more strength before you can perform the ritual..."
Soon, the current master had divided the disciples into several teams, each team claiming a piece of land. These corrupt officials were spread all over the country, so the footprints of more than one hundred disciples would also be scattered all over the country.
You Xiao, meanwhile, diligently sprinkled gold dust into the basin, as intently as salt into a carefully cooked pot of soup. "For this competition, Young Master You will serve as the chief judge," Wu Lu said, raising his glass to You Xiao. He then addressed Xun Yan and Mi Xia, "You two descendants of the Yunxia Sect will serve as jurors for this competition."
The three of them were so excited that their faces lit up, and they nodded solemnly in agreement. Xisheng watched Wu Lu clean up the mess in an orderly manner, and sneered again.
You Xiao suggested, "Master shouldn't join any team. That would be fair." Xun Yan said, "Why don't you just travel north and south to inspect?" Mi Xia also said, "That way, you can supervise the disciples and pass on information to the manager in a timely manner."
Everyone agreed, so the disciples followed the order and left without further ado. The colorful incense had burned out, and the inn had returned to its shabby state.
Wu Lu was in high spirits, as if a burden had been lifted. He settled comfortably into a recliner and waved to the others, "Wasn't that water just now quite novel? I've recently developed an even more novel gadget to open your eyes to." You Xiao, Xun Yan, and Mi Xia all gathered around, and even Xi Sheng looked at Wu Lu.
Wu Lu smiled, clapped his hands, and brought out two scarecrows from the kitchen. They walked straight to the center of the lobby with their unbending legs.
Several people stared at the scarecrow. They saw that it was crudely made, but it had two red cheeks painted on it, its eyes were wide open, and the corners of its mouth were smiling. It made people's scalps tingle and a layer of hair stood on their backs.
Xisheng said coldly: "What? My mother is still upstairs, don't scare her."
"Hey, I guarantee that when Auntie sees the use of this thing, she'll praise my cleverness!" Wu Lu gave her a proud look, then turned to one of the scarecrows and said, "Good boy, go pour me a glass of wine."
The scarecrow was stunned for a moment, then suddenly turned around, stretched out his wooden arms and thin legs, walked to the table with his legs and arms kicking and swinging, poured a bowl of wine, and walked towards Wu Lu with it.
Wu Lu was about to praise him when the scarecrow slipped and the bowl of wine fell onto Wu Lu's pants. Xi Sheng laughed loudly, and Wu Lu said angrily, "You are gloating."
You Xiao kindly handed him a towel: "Brother Wu Lu, you look like a child who has wet his pants." Wu Lu's face turned pale, and Xisheng laughed again.
Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Wu Lu said to another scarecrow, "Go upstairs and help the old lady down." Xisheng's mother lived in the guest room on the second floor and could move freely without anyone's help, so Xisheng drank with half-closed eyes and didn't bother to pay attention to Wu Lu.
The scarecrow climbed the stairs stiffly, then immediately stumbled on the steps, crawling and thrashing on the spot like a fish struggling violently after being dehydrated. For a moment, the air was filled with flying straw fragments, choking several people and making them cough.
Wu Lu shouted, "Stop, stop."
The scarecrow froze in place, still struggling, lying motionless on the stairs. Xunyan and Mixia exchanged a glance, hesitating whether to go up and lift the strange creature up.
Xisheng glanced at the scarecrow and said, "What did you use on them?"
Wu Lu chuckled, "I can't really hide it from you. To be honest, I was inspired by the Weiyang Crown! I made two talismans myself and stuck them on the scarecrows' heads to make them do some simple things!"
“…”
Seeing the four people looking at him speechlessly, Wu Lu hurriedly explained, "This way, the rough and tumble work can be handed over to them! Xun Yan and Mi Xia only need to focus on making fig and pear soup, saving a lot of manpower... And, this straw servant can be presented to the old lady of the Xisheng family in the future. When you go out to work during the day, someone will take care of her personally..."
He said in a deep voice, "Thank you so much."
Wu Lu smiled and said, "You're welcome."
Soon, Wu Lu abandoned the gold dust and the scarecrow and turned to researching new things. Finally, a rather inappropriate horizontal scroll was added to the couplet in his bedroom: The ultimate law is essentially without law.
Wu Lu explained that this is his life now, mountains are still mountains and water is still water.
Later, the Tongduo Sect master wrote to say that some of his disciples were going to people's windows in the middle of the night to perform rituals by beating drums, disturbing everyone in the mansion. Others were sneaking into people's rooms, beating drums in their ears and calling out to their spirits, frightening them into illness again. The two forces, however, counteracted each other, and they recovered. Wu Lu read all this and then forgot about it, quickly moving on to new treasures.
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