【Old Cold Wood】She disobeyed her elder brother
Zhou Shanyuan's voice was soft, but he undoubtedly interrupted her.
Having said this, he took the lead and turned, slowly walking down the quiet path. His robes were loose, and from behind he looked like a god.
Zhou Suyao stood there in a daze, and it took her a while to come back to her senses. She bit her lower lip, but still took a step and followed silently.
The bamboo clouds rustled, and the two figures gradually merged into the emerald green of the world. Time seemed to be invisibly stretched.
Zhou Suyao followed Zhou Shanyuan half a step behind, her eyes fixed on his back. The man in her eyes was thin and tall, his wide robe swaying slightly with his steps, yet he was not stained by the slightest bit of worldly things.
But right now, Zhou Suyao had no time to appreciate the beauty. Her mind kept echoing with her third brother's words, as well as his inappropriate shouting and warm embrace in the dungeon of the imperial city that day.
"What kind of person are you?"
Zhou Suyao was confused.
"Is your spiritual power running smoothly recently?"
Zhou Shanyuan, who was walking in front, suddenly spoke in a steady voice, as if he was just asking casually.
Zhou Suyao was stunned for a moment before realizing he was being asked. She quickly gathered her thoughts and carefully sensed the spiritual energy within her body before slowly saying, "It's okay, I guess. Master's treatment was very effective. The damage to my tendons and veins has mostly healed, but it's not going very smoothly yet. Master said it still needs time to recuperate."
"Yes." Zhou Shanyuan responded without turning around. "You are seriously injured, so you can't rush your recuperation now. Your training these days should focus on nourishing and clearing the meridians, not on speed or results."
"Yes, Senior Brother. I've got that in mind." Zhou Suyao replied softly.
Another long silence fell, though it seemed less suffocating than before. Zhou Suyao's gloom was cleared by her senior brother's words of concern. She quickened her pace and followed Zhou Shanyuan. Their pace wasn't particularly fast; it seemed as if they were simply strolling, enjoying the scenery deep within the bamboo forest.
Before I knew it, the winding path extended to the foot of the mountain. The clouds and mist thinned out, and the view suddenly opened up to a simple village built on the mountainside.
It was almost evening, smoke curled up from the mountain village, the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard, and the farmers in the fields, with their heads down, seemed to be doing their last work of the day, bending over to weed. Their bronze skin was rough with lines, and fine beads of sweat on their foreheads, all of which spoke of the hard work.
However, this down-to-earth and lively atmosphere of the world is completely different from the ethereal and quiet place of retreat in the mountains.
An old man carrying a heavy plow passed by Zhou Suyao. The old man had white hair and walked unsteadily. Almost subconsciously, she condensed a very fine spiritual power from her fingertips, wanting to support the heavy plow so that the old man would not have to work so hard, or at least reduce his burden a little.
"No."
Zhou Shanyuan's voice suddenly sounded, with an unquestionable meaning. His hand gently pressed on Zhou Suyao's wrist, forcibly suppressing the spiritual power that she was about to condense.
Zhou Suyao was puzzled and turned to look at him in surprise.
"Humanity operates according to its own laws. Spring sowing, autumn harvest, spring blossoms, autumn fruits, earning food and clothing through sweat, this is the 'Way' of humanity. The power of the spiritual way is too presumptuous for them. Today you carry the plow for them, tomorrow you might be helping them ripen the crops, the day after that you might be using your magic to help them drive away pests... Your actions today may appear to be helping, but in reality they are disrupting their way of survival and their balance. Over time, not only will this not bring them blessings, but it will instead foster laziness and greed, leading to disaster."
His tone was calm, as if he was explaining a truth that was beyond doubt to him.
Zhou Suyao frowned. She felt that what the senior brother said made sense, but she couldn't agree with him. She couldn't help but question, "I just wanted to help him, to alleviate a little bit of the hardship. Could it really have such serious consequences?"
"Of course." The eldest brother nodded slowly. "There is always a barrier between the human way and the spiritual way, and it cannot be easily crossed."
At that moment, the old man who had just put down his plow by the edge of the field seemed to notice the two people who looked out of place in the village. Zhou Suyao in particular, though simply dressed, was beautiful, elegant, and taller than the average woman. The old man squinted his eyes and watched for a long moment, then suddenly stood up shakily and walked towards them.
Seeing this scene, Zhou Suyao and Zhou Shanyuan couldn't help but slow down their pace.
The old man walked closer to the two of them, and looked at Zhou Suyao carefully with his cloudy eyes. An expression of great nostalgia appeared on his face. His cloudy yellow eyes were filled with tears, and he murmured, "Looks like... Really looks like..."
Zhou Shanyuan raised his eyebrows when he heard this, and took a step forward to protect Zhou Suyao behind him.
But the old man seemed unaware of this. His hoarse voice, thick with a strong rural accent and a hint of sob, said, "Girl... don't blame me, an old man, for being rude. It's just... if my daughter who died young were alive today, she would definitely be as pretty as this."
Zhou Suyao didn't know how to respond for a moment, so she just held the old man's hand and said, "Uncle..."
The old man seemed to have remembered something and quickly turned around and walked towards his simple earthen-tiled house. Soon, he came out carrying a heavy wooden box covered with old cloth, followed by an old woman holding two bundles of cabbage still stained with dew.
"Girl, you can take it," he said without hesitation as he stuffed the wooden box into Zhou Suyao's arms. "Don't be disgusted by it. This is homemade honey, and this cabbage was just picked this morning."
The old woman also smiled and nodded, but Zhou Suyao saw that there was no tongue in her mouth that could enable people to speak.
She was at a loss and had to take the box of honey. Looking at the two bundles of fresh cabbage, she said helplessly: "Uncle... Mother-in-law, winter is coming soon, you have to save some for yourself... We can't..."
"Stop talking! Take it!" The old man's tone was firm, and there was even a hint of rebuke in his voice. He said, "Seeing you is like seeing my disappointing daughter... It's just a small token of my appreciation, not worth much. But you're so thin, young lady, you must be living a hard life. Take it and eat it quickly!"
Hearing this, Zhou Suyao felt that she shouldn't refuse anymore and subconsciously looked at Zhou Shanyuan.
Zhou Shanyuan stood quietly by, watching this scene, his face still expressionless, but the icy aura around him seemed to ease a little. He nodded imperceptibly at Zhou Suyao.
Zhou Suyao finally accepted the two heavy bundles of cabbage from the old man. A wave of mixed emotions flowed through her heart like a warm current, slowly flowing through her meridians.
This is not a panacea, but the most sincere and profound thoughts from the two old people.
She held the honey box and cabbage and turned to look at Zhou Shanyuan.
His remarks just now about "there is a gap between the spiritual way and the human way" made her raise her eyebrows slightly, with a hint of cunning in her eyes.
It seemed to be saying, "See, human kindness is so simple. Why would it require any spiritual power in exchange?"
Zhou Shanyuan felt her gaze, and a hint of helplessness seemed to flash across his calm eyes.
In the sunset, the old woman who had lost her tongue pointed at the roof. The old man looked at her lovingly and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll go remove a few tiles tonight so you can see the stars... It's been raining for the past few days."
Farmers were still bustling through the fields. A young boy, returning from school, ran quickly, his long braid swung behind him. He quickly ran to the side of a sturdy middle-aged man. "Daddy, daddy! The teacher at the private school praised me today, saying I was number one in memorization again!"
Not far away, by the river, a girl in plain clothes was washing clothes. She sang as she washed, and her melodious voice attracted the young men on the other side of the river. The young man suddenly blushed, and was pushed by the young man behind him. He waved at her, but the woman next to the girl in plain clothes laughed and scolded her, "What a pervert!"
The world is like a sea.
The sounds of heaven and earth.
Zhou Suyao stuffed the honey and cabbage in her hand into Zhou Shanyuan's arms, and the spiritual power in her body instantly began to circulate.
Zhou Shanyuan seemed to have not expected her to do this. He subconsciously took the box of honey and the two bundles of cabbage that were completely inconsistent with his temperament. His body couldn't help but stiffen slightly.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhou Suyao flew over the fields, forming seals with her hands, and spiritual energy surged around her. She did not perform any earth-shattering magic, but simply cast a soft light green gauze from her fingertips, forming a simple defensive spiritual array. This spiritual array would not ripen the grains, nor would it change anything, but it could
Protect these grains from insect pests and ordinary wind and rain for some time to come.
After doing all this, she landed lightly on the ground.
Zhou Shanyuan still held the two bundles of cabbage that had been stuffed into his hands, but his expression had returned to its usual calm. He looked at Zhou Suyao, his eyes flickering slightly, but ultimately, he simply shook his head slightly, a tone of helplessness, yet also a faint acknowledgement.
"Let's go."
He turned around, his voice devoid of any emotion.
Zhou Suyao's mood improved a lot. She quickly caught up with him, and the two of them walked up the mountain again along the way they came.
But in a place where Zhou Shanyuan couldn't see, she put her hands behind her back, and quickly condensed a beautiful little flower on her fingertips. With the breeze, it slowly condensed into the old woman's throat.
As the sun sets, the old lady sits in the yard, with the local dog lying obediently beside her legs. The old man picks up the ladder, climbs onto the roof, and begins to remove the tiles.
She raised her head and looked at the old man on the roof who was helping her remove the tiles, and worried words rushed out of her throat:
"Old man, you better be careful!"
On the roof, the old man was stunned at first, then he turned his head abruptly, his eyes instantly red: "Old woman... can you... say it again..."
"Old man...old fellow! Be careful!"
When the two of them walked a distance and the village in the distance was once again submerged in layers of bamboo forest, Zhou Shanyuan seemed to suddenly remember something. Without turning his head, he spoke in a calm voice, as if he was talking about a trivial matter:
"By the way, the sect disciple evaluation will start again at the beginning of next month. This time... it will be the evaluation organized by Raotiandao."
Zhou Suyao suddenly stopped and looked up at his back in surprise.
Yes, disciple evaluation.
After experiencing a series of events such as accidentally entering the underworld, life and death in the imperial city, and serious injuries that were difficult to recover from, she almost forgot about this competition, which was originally the most important among the various sects of the spiritual path.
"Your injuries should be healed by then."
The eldest brother's voice came, still clear.
Zhou Suyao stared at his upright back, and the satisfaction and relief that had just risen in her heart from helping the villagers were instantly filled with new emotions.
Disciple evaluation... This means that she will once again...
"However, don't worry. This time, the competition will no longer be based on illusions. Instead, it will be a direct sword fight... For you, it should be easy."
The eldest brother paused, his tone suddenly becoming humorous: "After all, how could Xiao Suyao, who had nothing better to do than to go to the back mountain with the second and third brothers to 'slay demons and eliminate evil', be afraid?"
"Big Brother!"
As the sun set, the bamboo forest was dyed golden by the sunlight. The two of them walked up the mountain, playing and pushing each other, as if all the doubts and challenges had never happened.
However, when the moonlight falls, the road ahead seems to become unpredictable again.
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