Distress (II)
The sunlight flows through the gaps between the bamboo leaves, and the swaying bamboo shadows cover the small pavilion tightly, as if it is isolated from the outside world.
He Shu pressed Li Qingshan to sit on the stone bench, staring at him intently. He was the first to speak, his voice filled with uncontrollable urgency:
"Maybe? How can it be possible to know? Knowing is knowing. Think about it carefully."
Seeing He Shu so anxious, Li Qingshan felt his shoulders sink before he could even finish his explanation. A huge force came over him, which was completely beyond his imagination of Brother He being "too weak to even wear clothes".
He had been weak since childhood and had worked hard to strengthen his body. Even an ordinary strong man might not be able to easily restrain him, but now he was forced to sit on the cold stone bench without any resistance. He looked up in shock and met He Shu's face, which was close at hand and full of anxiety.
“Li…Li…”
"Li Qingshan."
"Ahem, okay, Brother Qingshan..."
He Shu's mind was working rapidly, searching for the "intimidation" methods he had read in human stories. A trace of discomfort flashed across his pretended deep eyes. His hand was still on Li Qingshan's shoulder, and his face was getting closer and closer to the person in front of him in deep thought.
"Brother Qingshan... this... is a matter of great importance..."
"If you don't tell me... I will..."
"Brother He..."
Before He Shu could finish his words "persuade with reason and move with emotion", he was interrupted by Li Qingshan who had reacted.
"It's not that I don't want to tell you."
As he spoke, he exerted force on his hands, sinking down along the force of He Shu pressing on his shoulders. At the same time, he shifted his feet and turned his body.
Not only did he break free from the grip, but he also used the force to press He Shu back onto the stone bench that he had warmed up.
After doing all this, he stretched his shoulders, which were numb from being pressed, and continued:
"Since Brother He says this is such a serious matter, then of course there's no reason for me not to help. Don't worry, I'll tell you everything I know."
"It's just that my master went to Dingyun Temple on Mixiu Peak a few days ago, saying he would stay there for a while to catch up with old friends. He hasn't contacted me since then, and he never mentioned his travels before."
"Dingyun Temple on Mixiu Peak...what kind of place is this?"
He Shu lowered his head and murmured.
This mountain god is really...
He had a perfectly good deity seat, but chose to come to this Taoist temple and become a Taoist priest. That would be fine, but now, on a whim, he's gone to a Buddhist temple to "reminisce" about the past. It's really hard for a low-ranking messenger like him. If he can't find anyone at Dingyun Temple, he won't have much time left.
"The temple is just a little to the south, not far away."
"Brother He, if you want to go now, I can lead the way. However, if we go to Dingyun Temple at this hour, it will probably be dark when we return. The mountain road is rugged, so I'm afraid we'll have to stay there overnight."
He Shu was a little hesitant, not knowing whether he should agree.
He must go to Dingyun Temple. If the mountain god is there, that would be the best. If not, he can ask the monks in the temple about his whereabouts.
Just following Li Qingshan, he couldn't cast spells at will, so he felt somewhat restricted and his journey would be much slower.
"Is it too much trouble for you? Just tell me how to get there. I'm not directionally challenged, so I can walk on my own."
"It's okay, Brother He. I just happened to want to go to Dingyun Temple. It's just on the way, and I know a shortcut. It's a bit troublesome to explain it verbally, so why don't I take you there directly?"
“Okay… okay…”
He Shu didn't know how to refuse, so he had to agree.
Dingyun Temple is on a hill south of Qingxiao Temple. It is not far away if you follow Li Qingshan’s shortcut, and the mountain road is not steep either. The two of them arrived in less than half an hour.
Although it was still not as convenient as flying here by himself, He Shu felt that the scenery along the way was pleasant and the trip was worthwhile.
After staying in the Ninth Heaven for a long time, I was really bored. The jade buildings locked in clouds and mist were so cold that not even a real wild grass could survive.
The one or two carefully tended potted plants that occasionally appeared were also uninteresting and inferior to the human world.
Along the way, He Shu saw large patches of tender green leaves bathed in sunlight, exuding bright vitality. The wind blew through the treetops, shaking the shadows cast between the leaves, swaying and scattering on the furry grass.
Various wild flowers were everywhere, and the faint fragrance brought back to life the fading spring in his memory.
The memories before ascension seemed so close at hand.
Spring mud, reed creek, warm beach, lake, green meadow, and a vague human figure.
"Brother He, what's wrong with you? Are you tired? We're almost there, just hold on a little longer."
Li Qingshan stretched out his hand as he spoke, wanting to hold the arm of the person behind him and help him.
But for some unknown reason, He Shu gently placed his hand on it, and the figure in front of him seemed to penetrate time, overlapping and blending with the vague outline deep in his memory.
Just when Li Qingshan was stunned and didn't know how to react, the hand in his palm suddenly tightened, tightly grasped his wrist, and pulled it down.
"Brother He? Brother He!"
A sharp pain suddenly exploded in He Shu's head, and the gorgeous mountains and fields in front of him began to spin wildly. All the colors and sounds were stretched and distorted, and finally swallowed up by a dazzling white light.
He Shu's legs went limp, and before his vision completely fell into darkness, he only felt his body losing weight and falling. In panic, his fingertips sank into the soft fabric, and he felt the warm pulse through the fabric, and then he fell into an embrace with a bitter medicinal fragrance.
In the last moment before he lost consciousness, all he could hear was Li Qingshan's frightened and trembling call, but the voice seemed to be separated by a layer of water, becoming distant and vague.
This was not the first time he had this problem. Whenever he thought about his life on earth, he would suddenly lose consciousness and remember nothing after waking up.
According to the Immortal Lord Baicao who treated him, this is not a disease but a sealing spell.
He Shu always felt that this was the price of his immortality.
After all, he did not ascend to become an immortal through the usual channel of practicing and overcoming tribulations. It was because he was gifted with spiritual energy and had good fortune when he was a white crane in the mortal world, and he happened to meet a wandering Taoist master who enlightened him, so he became an immortal. Taking a shortcut inevitably requires paying some price.
But the immortal power he gained in exchange for this price was not what he really desired.
When He Shu first came to the Heavenly Palace, he was just a monster that had just transformed. He was ignorantly learning how to be a human, an immortal. However, unlike other monsters that had become immortals, his animal instincts had not been completely worn out by the long time of practice.
Even if he had lost his memory, he would still miss the vibrant grass, want to bask in the warm sunshine, step on the soft and moist shallows, and catch one or two small fish to satisfy his hunger.
When he should have been enjoying life, He Shu was forced to fold his wings and learn how to be a flightless white crane. But even with such efforts, he still felt out of tune with the entire Nine Heavens.
Tears quietly slid down in my sleep, flowing from the corners of my eyes to my ears, but were gently wiped away by a finger with thin calluses when they were about to touch my hair.
The warmth from that person's fingertips seemed to melt away all the bitterness in his tears.
"Master, what happened to Brother He?"
Li Qingshan sat on the edge of the bed, still a little out of breath, his chest heaving violently.
The moment He Shu fell down, he was really panicked. He didn't care about his own physical condition, so he picked up the person and ran into the temple as fast as he could, fearing that he would be delayed for even a moment.
Fortunately, the journey was not far, and his master was in the temple as he wished and could help with the treatment.
"Brother He? How long have you known each other and you're already calling each other so affectionately?"
"Master, this is not the time to joke!"
"Okay, okay."
Xuan Tongzi waved his hand, his eyes lingering thoughtfully on the sleeping He Shu for a moment, then he regained his relaxed demeanor.
"Teacher just saw that you were too nervous and wanted you to relax..."
As he spoke, he walked to the window, sat cross-legged on the futon, picked up the teacup on the low table beside him, took a sip, and continued:
"And I've said it many times before. This young man is just mentally disturbed. He was occasionally disturbed by external things, which is why he suffered this disaster. It looks dangerous, but in fact, he is not seriously injured. I'm afraid he is sleeping soundly now."
After Xuan Tongzi finished speaking, he muttered to himself for a while.
"Forget it, forget it. I've told you this eight hundred times, but you still don't believe me. If you keep going, I'm afraid my old throat will start to smoke."
"Then why is he crying? Is he in pain somewhere? I saw that he looked very painful before he passed out. He didn't look like he was fine..."
Li Qingshan had been ill for a long time, so he naturally knew the pain of being tortured by illness. When he fainted suddenly in the past, he never got through it easily. He was either unconscious for several days or fell seriously ill for no reason.
He went back and forth through the gates of hell, and he was used to it, but the pain never lessened in the slightest.
He Shu slowly woke up during the conversation between the two, but his consciousness was not yet fully awake, like a feather sinking in deep water, struggling to float upwards.
The first thing I sensed was the unfamiliar, heavy sandalwood scent filling my nasal cavity, mixed with a hint of the familiar bitter medicinal smell.
The hard touch beneath him made his bones ache.
My eyelids felt as heavy as if they were hung with lead. It took a lot of effort to open a crack, and then I felt a cold and wet feeling in the corners of my eyes.
Not knowing what terrible thing he had dreamed of, he tried hard to recall it, and the suppressed conversation between the master and disciple rang in his ears again.
He Shu opened his eyes vaguely and saw Li Qingshan's furrowed brows and the undisguised worry in his eyes. He guessed that the reason he was so anxious now must be that he was thinking of the pain and suffering he had experienced, and was putting himself in his shoes.
"Qingshan..."
Xuan Tongzi looked at Li Qingshan and sighed. His expression darkened for a moment, but he soon smiled again and jokingly said:
"These tear marks...are simply the product of emotion. Perhaps the little one had a nightmare. Why are you so nervous?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
