Chapter 164: Why Seek the Truth with All My Heart
Liu Jia's Alan helped Liu Xia pack her luggage while persuading Liu Xia.
"You are the only male in the family who has not found a husband yet. This has always been a source of worry for your mother. You are so determined to become a Taoist, aren't you hurting her feelings?"
Not long after Banxia left Liu's house, Liu Xia stated the purpose of his return home. He insisted on asking for the Tao.
After hearing what he said, Governor Liu was so angry that he wanted to use the family rules and smashed several bowls and plates. If the eldest and second brothers of the Liu family had not stopped him, he would have hit Liu Xia.
Mrs. Liu cried all day long, saying that she had done something wrong to give birth to such an enemy, and that he must have come to collect the debt from her in her previous life.
The whole family is now under a dark cloud, and even Long Qi and others feel that they should not stay any longer.
But Liu Xia seemed to be determined and went back to the house to pack up his things.
The Liu family elders had previously agreed to Liu Xia's joining the Yuanqing sect to cultivate Taoism because Chi Yanzi had told them that Liu Xia needed to undergo this journey in order to live a peaceful life. But who could have known that even after this journey, he would devote himself wholeheartedly to this cultivation.
Seeing his parents like this, Liu Jia's Alan couldn't bear it anymore, so he went to Liu Xia's room to persuade him.
But he was her younger brother after all. She had watched him grow up since he was a child, and they had a deep relationship. Seeing him like this, she couldn't bear to say even a harsh word, and could only silently pack up his luggage.
"Sister, do you know why I am determined to become a Taoist?" Liu Xia suddenly asked Alan.
Alan was stunned when he heard this. Wasn't it because he heard about his relationship with the immortal Chi Yanzi that he devoted himself to Taoism?
Seeing the confusion on Alan's face, Liu Xia smiled softly, "Senior Chi Yanzi saved my life, but after all, I don't remember anything at that time. It's not because of him, it's just an excuse."
"That happened when I was very young, and I can't remember it very clearly, but I still remember that back view clearly..." He sighed and couldn't help but recall it.
…
Thirteen years ago, when Governor Liu was still a military general, the imperial court specially ordered him to guard the important border town of Lindong because of his talent as a commander. Therefore, all the members of the Liu family, young and old, followed the army to live in Lindong.
But that year, for some reason, Tuhur Khan of the Barbarian Continent suddenly launched an attack on Winterfell. Because it was a night attack, the soldiers of Winterfell were caught off guard.
Fortunately, General Liu's brave resistance at that time saved Lindong.
At that time, Tuhur Khan found a sorcerer from somewhere and used some unknown magic to abduct Madam Liu and Liu Xia, who was only three or four years old at the time, to their camp, in order to force General Liu to surrender.
But as a general of a country, he is naturally full of pride.
General Liu was on the city gate at the time, kneeling before the enemy in full view of the crowd. Just when the soldiers thought he was about to surrender, they heard him shouting at the enemy:
"My wife, Ah Lu, has managed the household, supported her husband and raised her children, and given birth to three sons and one daughter for our Liu family. Xian is deeply grateful to her and loves and respects her. Now, Ah Lu is trapped in the enemy camp, and the enemy generals are using this as a threat. However, as a minister of the emperor, I must share his worries while receiving his salary. I must never do such a thing as betraying my country. I have to let my beloved wife down, and I hope she will forgive me. When I am out of this predicament and relieve your worries, I will follow you. I hope Ah Lu will wait for Xian on the road to the underworld. I will definitely not let you cross the River of Forgetfulness alone!"
After he finished speaking, he kowtowed twice, and when he stood up, his face was covered with tears.
But just these words actually boosted the morale of the soldiers in the city. Not only did they defend Lindong, but they also forced Tuhur Khan to retreat fifty miles.
But even if they won the battle, they still failed to save Madam Liu and the young Liu Xia.
Because of this defeat, Natuhur Khan was so angry that he ordered his men to abandon the mother and son in the snow-capped mountains, and then retreated back to the barbarian continent.
Speaking of which, Tuhur Khan is really not a magnanimous person. He has no ability and lost the battle, but he took his anger out on women and children.
Although Mrs. Liu, as the general's wife, did not know any martial arts, she had done farm work for a long time before marrying General Liu. She was in good health and could still resist the cold to some extent, but the child could not.
The child was already weak, and after being caught in the cold wind, he became ill. At first, he could still say a few words about being cold, but in the end, he could only shiver.
As a mother, she naturally couldn't bear to see her child suffer like this, so she took off all her clothes, wrapped up little Liu Xia, and endured the cold wind herself.
However, even so, little Liu Xia was still dying, and Mrs. Liu fainted shortly after giving the clothes to Liu Xia.
Just when little Liu Xia was confused, he saw a woman coming towards him.
The woman was wearing a blue robe and had her hair tied up high. She looked like an immortal. However, he was a little confused at the time and could not see the woman's face clearly. He only knew that there was a red dot in the corner of her eye, like cinnabar.
Little Liu Xia thought he was about to die and that a fairy from heaven had come to take him away. However, he did not expect that the woman took out two pieces of talisman paper from her arms, and took out a brush from her waist and drew for a while, and then stuck them on herself and her mother.
As soon as the talisman was put on, little Liu Xia felt less cold. After a while, he felt waves of warmth flowing into his body from the yellow talisman put on by the woman.
After putting up the talisman, the woman only said, "The Liu family army will find you in half a cup of tea." Then she turned around and disappeared in the cold wind.
It was this turn that left the image of this figure deeply engraved in little Liu Xia's mind.
…
Alan naturally knew about the capture. It was because of that incident that Mrs. Liu became ill and has not recovered to this day. Whenever it rains or snows, her bones will be in unbearable pain.
However, she had never heard Liu Xia mention the fairy he was talking about, and when Mrs. Liu and little Liu Xia came back, she didn't see any talismans on them.
"Are you saying that it is because of that person that you are determined to practice Taoism?"
Liu Xia held the cup in his hand and nodded: "When I was young, I thought she was a goddess who had descended to earth. But later, after learning some Taoist mystical arts, I realized that she was actually a mortal who practiced cultivation."
"It's just..." Alan hesitated and said, "Even if you want to see her again, it's been so long. Not to mention whether she's still alive, even searching for such a person in such a vast sea of people is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It's extremely difficult. Why are you so obsessed with it..."
Liu Xia smiled softly when she heard this, put down her cup and looked at Alan: "What about your sister? She still refuses to get married. Isn't she also very stubborn?"
Alan lowered his head when he heard this. Yes, that's just how he is. What right did he have to criticize him?
…
Liu Xia finally followed Long Qi and the other two. Before leaving, he knelt in front of the door, kowtowed three times to Governor Liu and his wife Liu, and then left without looking back.
Mrs. Liu felt relieved after Alan's persuasion, but she was a mother after all, and she still felt a little uncomfortable seeing her child living in such poverty.
Liu Xia was naturally not a heartless person, and he felt bad too, but somehow he always felt that he would definitely meet that woman during this experience. This feeling became stronger after he left the Liu Mansion.
Now that the four of them were gathered together, Long Qi planned to go from Xiangcheng to Nanhuai. However, after experiencing some previous troubles, Xinyi Zhao Wuyang no longer let him lead the way, and instead handed the task of leading the way to Liu Xia.
Long Qi also felt aggrieved. No matter what happened before, he finally arrived in Cangzhou City. This showed that the way he led was right. Even though he suffered some hardships, he achieved his goal in the end. Why couldn't he just follow him?
But after experiencing the sweetness of staying in an inn once, he no longer felt cramped – having a house to shelter him from the wind and rain, and being able to eat a hot meal, without having to sleep in the open air, was truly comfortable…
Although Liu Xia was leading the way, they were still taking the official road. There were not many big cities along the way, and they would encounter small villages from time to time.
If you meet a person with simple folk customs and a rich life, you may be able to stay with them. But if you meet those who are extremely poor, not to mention staying with them, you can't even get a penny for food.
Now, the four of them settled in a place called Fengwu Village. This place is really poor, so poor that not even smoke can be seen.
The reason why this village is so poor is not because of the village atmosphere, but because there has been a long drought. Even the well has dried up and only mud remains.
Even during the Grain Rain season, not a drop of rain fell in the village. As a result, the fields were left barren and there was no harvest.
Without harvest, there is no money or food.
Many young and strong people had already left the village to seek a living elsewhere. But the elderly were reluctant to leave the place they had guarded their entire lives. Some of those with children also found the journey difficult.
So the four of them could only see some old, weak, sick and young people in this village...
Fengwu Village used to be a prosperous village, but it gradually became what it is today after the Jingzhe Festival this year.
During the Waking of Insects, a bolt of lightning struck a mountain behind the village, and then a deep pool suddenly appeared there.
This was already very strange, but what was even stranger was that on the second day after the deep pool appeared, strange things happened in the village's well. A whirlpool appeared in it, and even the bucket placed in the water was stirred into pieces.
This strange phenomenon lasted for three days and then ended. The reason why it ended was that there was no more water in the well.
The villagers also tried to dig a new well, but no matter how deep they dug, they could not find the spring.
What's even more strange is that since then, in the entire village, only the deep pool on the mountain would rain, and no rain fell anywhere else.
Seeing this, some of the brave ones went up the mountain and never came back. As a result, the villagers believed that it was caused by a monster, and the lightning that day must have been caused by a monster falling into the mountain.
"It does sound like a demon is causing trouble..." After listening to the villagers' explanation of the whole story, Liu Xia frowned and looked at Xinyi.
Xinyi also frowned, but did not answer. He was very confused in his heart. He had never heard of any monster that could fall with thunder. If that was true, it must be a big monster.
Those who can dance with thunder must be either dragons or jiao...
"If it's really a monster, it's definitely going to be difficult to deal with," Long Qi analyzed after hearing what Liu Xia said. "It can cast its spells so widely, from the mountains all the way to the village. I think its cultivation must be very high. But the strange thing is, why does it need so much water?"
But Zhao Wuyang had a different opinion at this time: "Maybe... it's not caused by the monster..."
After hearing what he said, everyone hurriedly asked why. Zhao Wuyang quickly replied, "Elder Fu Cang once gave me a book called 'Records of Strange Stories from Mountains and Seas'. It records many strange things and monsters. I remember reading an article that described a situation very similar to today's..."
"In ancient times, a village also encountered a similar situation. Later, a deity came to the village, claiming that it was an ancient sacred object. He went there alone to search for it and later returned with a pearl. That pearl was the Water Pearl, one of the Five Elements. After the old deity took the Water Pearl, the rain in the village returned to normal."
"It's true there are some similarities, but the Water Spirit Pearl is an ancient sacred object, so how could it cause the villagers who went looking for it to disappear? From what I've seen, it must be a demonic entity..." Long Qi said, looking at Xin Yi, "What do you think?"
Xinyi nodded when she heard this. "Indeed, if it's truly a sacred object of the Five Elements, it shouldn't kill anyone."
After staying and listening to what Zhao Wuyang said, he felt that what he said made some sense: "I once heard a legend. It said that a woodcutter went up the mountain to chop wood and saw two people playing chess in the mountains. He stood aside and watched, but after the game was over, the two people urged him to leave quickly. When he returned home, he found that two years had passed."
"What you mean is..." Xinyi asked hurriedly, not understanding what he meant.
"I think the woodcutter waited two years to return home because he encountered a mountain immortal. And since this Water Spirit Pearl is a sacred object, it must have some divine power. Perhaps those who go looking for it have strayed into the divine path, and their lives are different now, right?"
"That's not right..." Long Qi said immediately after hearing this: "Lingxiang has a Fire Spirit Pearl on her body, and I didn't see any difference in the time she spent. If it was really a Water Spirit Pearl, it shouldn't be like that."
It seems that this is probably caused by a monster.
At this time, Zhao Wuyang said, "What if someone had the Water Spirit Pearl? Like Elder Fu Cang, would this scene have happened?"
Everyone was shocked when they heard this. If this was true, then this person would be even more difficult to deal with. He could not only follow Lei Er, but also activate the Water Spirit Pearl. His cultivation must be extremely high.
"We've been guessing and guessing, but we still can't figure it out. Why don't we go take a look around tomorrow? Who knows, maybe we can figure out the crux of the matter?"
As soon as Long Qi finished speaking, Xinyi wanted to speak up to stop him. It would be inappropriate to rush forward without understanding the situation. But before he could say anything, he heard the villager say:
"A female fairy came here a few days ago, then she went up the mountain alone and hasn't returned yet."
"Female immortal?" Liu Xia was very surprised when he heard this. "Did anyone say which sect she was taught by?"
The villagers recalled for a moment after hearing this and said, "That's not what I've mentioned, but judging by her attire, it's somewhat similar to yours. She's holding a Bagua plate in her hand and has a pen hanging from her waist. It looks quite strange."
Hearing this, the four were shocked.
Could that person be Pinellia?
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