Chapter 53: Defending the Music Fairy
The highest peak of Tongduo Mountain is a sheer cliff that reaches into the clouds. The Tongduo sect's Taoist temple is built atop this cliff. The sect has planted sacred trees throughout the mountaintop, and the temple is hidden within the dense forest and mist, virtually cut off from the secular world below.
Unlike the lush greenery of the other peaks in the area, this cliff rises steeply from the ground. Its dark blue stone surface is smooth and glossy, with no grass growing on it. Like a vertical wall, or a piece of clear jade, it is impossible for mortals to climb. Therefore, even if an outsider could decipher the Qimen Yi technique and travel all the way to the foot of this peak, they would not be able to easily ascend the mountain and directly enter the Taoist temple.
Wei Ci looked up at the mist-shrouded stone wall and whistled, "General, you brought me here, what do you want to eat?"
Cang Ming shielded the morning sun with one hand and pointed to the middle of the mountain with the other: "Look!"
Wei Ci looked in the direction of her finger and saw a small wooden house hanging out of thin air on the stone wall, hundreds of feet high, with only a blurry dot left.
"This little shop halfway up the mountain," Cang Ming said solemnly, his expression filled with nostalgia, "is the restaurant where the disciples of the Tongduo Sect often cook their meals!"
"..." Wei Ci complained half-heartedly, "How come it's so high up, General? I can't get up there."
"The Tongduo Sect uses rhythmic percussion to perform spells, which requires considerable arm strength," Cang Ming explained. "Although this restaurant is hanging on a sheer cliff, the disciples can easily move up and down it."
"So that's how it is. The disciples of the Tongduo Sect are climbing rocks and walls like a group of monkeys." Wei Ci calmly acted as if he had suddenly realized something.
"..." Cang Ming felt that he was teasing a child, but he couldn't tell what was wrong. He could only cough dryly and waved his hand with great enthusiasm, "Today, this general will host a banquet here to entertain you!"
After that, Cang Ming threw out the Ice Blade Sword, jumped up, and then reached out to Wei Ci. Wei Ci held her hand, stepped onto the sword, and hugged her waist weakly: "General, I am afraid of heights."
The sword soared upwards, Cang Ming made a hand gesture, turned his head and said to Wei Ci: "Don't be afraid, just don't look down."
Wei Ci glanced down, buried his face between the crabapple and evening cherry blossoms above her head, and said obediently: "Well, with the general here, why should I be afraid?"
Cang Ming always felt that he was laughing secretly, but when he turned around, he only saw a clear and innocent face.
The ice blade landed neatly in front of the cabin's door. Before Cang Ming could reach out to knock, the door creaked open. Inside, several tables, chairs, and benches lined the room. An elderly man with a white beard sat behind the counter and nodded to the two of them.
Cang Ming said happily: "Uncle, you are still in this store!"
The old man snorted indifferently and turned to go into the kitchen. Cang Ming and Wei Ci jumped into the house, put away their swords, closed the door, and chose a seat by the window.
Outside the window, clouds drifted like smoke, the wind whistled, and the wooden house swayed slightly. Cang Ming held his chin and looked down the mountain, which seemed bottomless.
Wei Ci said, "The general seems to be very familiar with this place."
Cang Ming waved his hand and said, "Hey, back then this place was always packed with friends, drinking and playing games, it was so lively. Now it's really deserted."
When the old man came out again, he brought a few side dishes, a plate of hot dishes, a big bowl of fresh soup, and a pot of warm osmanthus wine, then went to the kitchen to leave.
Wei Ci poured the wine and handed a glass to Cang Ming. They smiled at each other and clinked their glasses. Cang Ming drank it all in one gulp, his face as bright as a spring flower. Wei Ci looked at him without blinking and whispered, "You used to love osmanthus wine just like this."
After five drinks in a row, Cang Ming looked radiant and intoxicated. He immediately sat down next to Wei Ci, insisting on sharing a chair with him. As he squeezed in, he ended up sitting on Wei Ci's lap.
Wei Ci protected her soft waist and slender back with his hands, letting her lie on him. His ears were red as if they were burning, and his body was also hot as if it was burning.
Cang Ming looked up and gave him a chuckle, then tried to reach for the wine, but he was held back. He panted deeply and said, "Cang Cang, let's go home."
"Finish all of this, and then we'll leave." Cang Ming's eyes sparkled, and he became more talkative. "Why haven't you finished one glass yet?"
He didn't answer, but stood up with his back straight, holding Cang Ming in his arms, and left a silver ingot behind as he prepared to leave. Cang Ming blew gently into his ear and asked, "Are you still hot?" Wei Ci froze.
Before he could use his magical skill to teleport back home, the door of the wooden house was kicked open with a bang.
Wu Lu walked in with a cane, looking around with infinite emotion: "It's been a long time, it's really... I can't believe it...?"
Wei Ci hugged the half-drunk Cang Ming and looked at him unfriendlyly.
Wu Lu was stunned for a long time, speechless, and asked weakly: "What are you doing?"
Wei Ci's face was filled with ice, and he almost felt like black smoke was coming out of his head. Cang Ming turned around and saw Wu Lu, and shouted, "Great! You kid has skipped a lot of evening classes in the past to get better food here!"
“…”
“…”
After drinking the hangover soup brought by the white-bearded old man, the thousands of tenderness in Cang Ming's eyes finally dissipated, and they became clear and bright again. However, Wei Ci looked like he wanted to kill someone.
Wu Lu held the old man's hand with both of his own and shook it repeatedly: "Uncle, seeing you still running your little shop halfway up the mountain makes me miss my youth."
The old man snorted.
Wu Lu continued, "I have opened an inn in Fengyan City in the Central Plains. If you come to visit me someday, I will definitely give you a pot of good wine. Whether it's a meal or a night, I will give you a special price! The specific address is..."
The old man snorted again.
Cang Ming and Wei Ci returned to the table. Wei Ci took a swig of wine and sulked to himself. Wu Lu tactfully sat at the next table, trying to avoid the Demon King.
Cang Ming asked: "Why did you come back suddenly?"
Wu Lu slurred his food like a whirlwind while mumbling, "My informants have heard rumors that the Weiyang Crown is in your possession. I'll follow the last thread of the locator to take a look."
Cang Ming nodded and said, "That really delayed your inn's business."
Wu Lu put down his chopsticks, slammed the table and said, "Who would have thought that it would be at Tongduo Mountain! Do you know how excited, how full of thoughts, how melancholy and sad I am when I come back this time?"
Wei Ci snorted coldly: "You came at the perfect time. Old Ghost Lotus has already been dealt with, and you showed up."
Cang Ming then told Wu Lu the whole story of what happened with Old Gui Lian and Hua Yi, which made him stare and sigh.
"I never thought that Old Guilian was just a rag doll with a brain made of waste paper. No wonder he's afraid of water and fire." Wu Lu shook his head and sighed, then changed the subject, "Guess who I met when I went into the mountains."
Cang Ming asked flatteringly, "Who is it?"
"Damn it! I ran into Zhong Wuqi coming out of seclusion!" Wu Lu slammed his crutch so hard that the wooden house shook a few times. "This time, I finally taught him a lesson!"
"Great!" Cang Ming felt relieved and asked eagerly, "How did you do it?"
"I'll pull out a few hard sesame cakes from my pocket and hit him on the head!" Wu Lu couldn't contain his smug look and said in a sonorous voice, "I want him to know that I'm not someone to be trifled with!"
“…”
"Oh, right? Why is there a constant golden rain on the way into the mountains? It seems like some kind of yellow talisman?" Wu Lu thought of something. "I wonder who sent this rain?"
Cang Ming took out the land deed and handed it to him: "Oh, I forgot to tell you, from now on you are the new leader of the Tongduo Sect. That talisman rain is the door curtain I gave you."
Wu Lu opened his mouth slightly, took the deed and looked at it over and over for a while, his eyes gradually sparkling: "Hey, here, Sister Cang, how much is it? I want to pay you back, wuwuwu..."
Cang Ming hurriedly said, "Just return it to Wei Ci."
Wei Ci didn't even look at anyone else, but just looked at Cang Ming and smiled tenderly.
Cang Ming added, "Back then, it wasn't you who betrayed my whereabouts. It was me who believed Zhong Wuqi's evil scheme and misunderstood you."
Wu Lu had just come to terms with one major event when he encountered another. Finally, his nerves were overwhelmed and his emotions were agitated. He leaned back in his chair for a long time to calm down before saying, "I never thought that the day would come when I would be vindicated. When Xi Sheng and I reunited after a long separation, he fought me because I was a traitor."
"Xisheng?" Cang Ming was stunned. Wu Lu said, "Yes, I also thought she was a traitor at that time, and I fought her hard. But later she told me that she wanted to pretend to lead the team to capture you, but actually let you escape secretly."
"Xisheng..." Cang Ming was speechless. She remembered the day Xisheng came to arrest her. He had indeed acted out of character, blinking constantly and even throwing a yellow talisman at her in the chaos. Unfortunately, she rolled on the ground, escaping like a loach, sneaking into the pile of Buwen Sect's mounts and throwing firecrackers, startling a group of donkeys into a run.
Wu Lu then said, "She said she had thrown you a talisman with small words written on it, asking you to hide in the place she had arranged for you."
At that moment, Cang Ming's heart suddenly brightened. The huge stone that had weighed on her heart for so long suddenly melted away. She covered her face with her hands and breathed a long sigh of relief. She felt as if the time of more than ten years ago had returned. Although the youthful spirit had faded, fortunately, the hearts of the three of them had not yet aged.
A smile appeared on Wei Ci's face, and a dimple appeared on one side. He put his arm around Cang Ming's shoulders and whispered, "Congratulations, General."
Cang Ming let out a half-crying, half-laughing "Yes," feeling the strength of Wei Ci's warm hand, and suddenly his heart tightened. Wei Ci was born from a book of fate, his parents died young, filled with hatred. A thousand years had passed since then. He had endured countless long, dark nights alone, with no one to care.
Thinking of this, Cang Ming suddenly grabbed one of his big hands with both hands and placed it on his beating heart: "Wei Ci, I will love you well in the future."
Wu Lu: “?”
Wei Ci understood her unrestrained thoughts, and his eyes were instantly filled with tenderness and affection. Soon, his hand trembled, and he turned away and said hoarsely, "Then, I'll trouble you, General."
Wu Lu couldn't sit or stand, so he walked out the door with his cane: "I won't talk to you anymore. I have to go and see my uncle's tablet and burn a stick of incense. Sigh..."
Cang Ming stood up and said, "How about we go to the top of the mountain to meet the disciples of the sect?"
So Cang Ming and Wei Ci rode their swords ahead. Wu Lu climbed the mountain alone, and even with his eyes closed he knew the path so well, as if he had never left.
Soon, the three of them reached the top of the mountain, where lush greenery reigned supreme. Wu Lu led them through a series of circuits, unlocking a secret door. The Tongduo Sect's Taoist temple suddenly appeared before their eyes. Upon inquiry, they learned that the sect now only had three disciples. One looked dazed, another appeared lazy, and the third was frail.
Wu Lu looked at the three of them with a headache and asked, "Did you know that there have been demons and ghosts causing trouble in the mountains these days?"
The lazy apprentice replied lazily, "We heard the fighting at the top of the mountain, but we were too lazy to go down."
“…”
Cang Ming cleared his throat and announced, "This is the Music Immortal Wu Lu. You must have heard of him. He is now the new generation master of your sect."
The three disciples were completely casual, seemingly unconcerned; it was still better than being a divine immortal. They drew their own magical instruments and beat out a rhythm in celebration. A gust of wind erupted in time with the rhythm, sweeping up petals scattered across the ground and scattering them towards the ethereal sea of clouds. From then on, Zhong Wuqi wandered the world with his puppet, lost in the crowd, and was never heard from again.
Wu Lu wanted to stay to repair the dilapidated Taoist temple and recruit new disciples. Cang Ming and Wei Ci said goodbye first and decided to return to the antique shop.
Wei Ci gently picked up Cang Ming and whispered, "It's begun." The surrounding stone and mountain scenery spun rapidly. The sky and earth twisted, and all things were torn apart and reunited, transforming into a silver dragon in the dazzling light. The silver dragon wrapped around the two of them and transformed into a tunnel leading to the ancient building. The dazzling light was like moonlight reflecting mercury. Cang Ming buried his face in his neck, shielding himself from the glare. His voice was close to his ear: "Is it too fast? Do you want to slow down?"
Cang Ming opened his eyes and saw birds singing and flowers blooming in the ancient building. It was already spring on earth.
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