Chapter 23 The Four Seasons Demon in Four Seasons Ridge
The old ancestor was determined to die.
Liu Tianshi's cooking skills were mediocre; of the six side dishes, only two were passable.
However, this dish is still a level above the tavern food in Zhaozhao City; at least it's edible.
Duan Jiuyou had a phobia of food. After washing up, she stood in the courtyard and took two deep breaths of spiritual energy; this would fill her up. Di Jiang didn't want to eat either, but he would be hungry if he didn't, and he was too lazy to cook, so he tossed aside the "Random Food Menu" and forced himself to eat a few bites.
Liu Tianshi strolled into the courtyard and tried to make conversation with Duan Jiuyou.
"Is he younger than you? Are you embarrassed to sleep with him? Actually, there are few men older than you. Since you've become Daoist partners, there's no need to be polite."
They are still puzzled as to why the two don't share a bed.
Duan Jiuyou and she couldn't agree on anything. After Di Jiang finished eating, he didn't linger for a moment. He found a secluded spot, opened a cloud scroll, and headed towards the Four Seasons Ridge.
This Floating Cloud Scroll was obtained by Duan Jiuyou from her uncle. One scroll can travel thousands of miles. Since her magic skills are not proficient, she often carries some small, convenient items in her Qiankun Bag.
“However, this thing has a time limit; after one use, it takes at least an hour before it can be used again.” As Duan Jiuyou spoke, she could already vaguely see the silhouette of a mountain in the scroll. She said, “Guess how hot that place is? It can’t be hotter than Stone Flame Mountain, can it?”
In the 97,439th year of the Heavenly Realm, Duan Jiuyou once led the Ao Clan to the Heavenly Fire Palace on Stone Flame Mountain to deal with a group of rebellious fire tribesmen. Everywhere there was a scene of burning charcoal, and bodies and clothes looked like they were about to catch fire at any moment. Duan Jiuyou imagined that the Four Seasons Ridge would be just like that. He did not expect that as soon as he entered the ground, his legs would unexpectedly sink into snow more than a knee deep.
It wasn't hot, it was extremely cold! The mountain wind howled, swirling up snowflakes like cotton wool, and everything was a vast expanse of white!
If the Floating Cloud Scroll weren't temporarily unusable, Duan Jiuyou would have rushed back to Liu Tianshi and demanded, "Where's it hot?! Didn't you say the great demon in the mountains was a scorching beast, and the temperature inside was like a steamer? Are you telling the truth or not?!"
Emperor Jiang's face was ashen, not wanting to linger a moment longer, and he immediately reached out to summon the clouds. But today, the clouds seemed to be held back by something; even though they had broken away from the cloud cluster, they simply couldn't fly close.
Just then, a soft, sweet laugh came from the air: "Since you have come to the ridge, how can you not sit for a while before leaving? My place is different from others. It is naturally protected by a magical barrier. You cannot ride the clouds or travel quickly. You can only get out by crossing this Four Seasons Ridge on foot."
Duan Jiuyou's heart skipped a beat, and his first glance was at Di Jiang. He couldn't withstand the cold; his already pale face appeared even colder than usual. She felt anxious, looked up at the sky, and shouted into the air.
“Aren’t you the Scorching Demon? Didn’t Du Heng leave from here? We can cross the Four Seasons Ridge according to your rules, as long as you change the weather, everything will be fine.”
The voice in mid-air slowly replied: "Scorching Demon? I do have that name, but besides that, I have another name, Four Seasons. The environment of Four Seasons Ridge depends on my mood. When I am annoyed, it is hot and dry, and when I am cold, it is bitterly cold. I just happened to arrive when I was annoyed and irritable, so it was naturally unbearably hot."
Duan Jiuyou had no time to waste words with it. He closed his eyes, slightly tilted his ear, followed the sound to locate it, and instantly rushed into the clouds, grabbing the Four Seasons Demon's "hair" and throwing it to the ground.
The Four Seasons Demon's true form was a cotton cloud, with a plump, white body, like an over-fermented dough ball. It was not as alluring as its voice suggested. Its "face" had two black bean-sized eyes on either side, and below that was a round, cherry-sized, bright red mouth.
When Di Jiang saw that Duan Jiuyou had rolled up her sleeves, he knew that she was going to solve the problem by force. He struggled to pull his leg out of the snow and then found a sheltered spot to stay.
The climate only warms up after the Four Seasons Demon gets angry. Duan Jiuyou swung his fist to make it unleash its anger.
Unfortunately, this method didn't work. The weather grew colder and colder under Duan Jiuyou's punches, and in the end, a torrential downpour finally broke out.
Duan Jiuyou made the Four Seasons Demon cry.
Di Jiang had somehow produced an oiled paper umbrella. The raindrops falling on it looked as if they had been poured from a bucket, making the umbrella tip crooked and even more annoying than the heavy snowfall just now. He slowly raised his eyes and looked at Zhuo Yao. In his dark, inky eyes, there was a clear and overwhelming killing intent.
Seeing Di Jiang flip his palm, Duan Jiuyou quickly tucked the Four Seasons Demon behind his back.
Although this thing is called a demon, it possesses pure and true energy within it. This demon has never killed any living beings, and in another hundred or eighty years, it will be considered a minor immortal. Emperor Jiang has accumulated too much bloodshed; killing one of it would require at least dozens, or even thousands, of merits to cleanse it.
Duan Jiuyou said, "This thing is a mountain spirit. If you destroy it, the entire Four Seasons Ridge will also disappear. At that time, let alone the Heart-Gathering Lotus, I'm afraid that if this mountain collapses, even the Crossing the River will be alarmed."
The icy blue color between Di Jiang's fingers did not disappear. He was in a bad mood and was too lazy to care about anything else.
"...the imperial territory."
Duan Jiuyou sensed something was wrong with the Imperial Territory as soon as he entered the Four Seasons Ridge. When his old illness relapsed last time, he was in the same reckless and domineering manner, as if everyone deserved to die.
When Duan Jiuyou didn't understand him, he only thought that it was his temperament, that he was irritable and easily angered. But after a long time, he realized that he was more tolerant than he had imagined. The spiritual doctor once said that before Di Jiang's old illness flared up, he would feel the pain of ice blades piercing his heart and cold penetrating his five internal organs. This would repeat for three to five days, and then multiply when the illness flared up.
Duan Jiuyou recalled the various unusual things that had happened in Dijiang before and realized that he had been holding back all along.
"Dijiang, I'll think of a way. This thing hasn't done anything wrong, and it doesn't have any blood on its hands. Killing it will only bring you trouble."
With one hand behind him, Jiuyou protected the Four Seasons Demon, while with the other he guarded against the divine light between Emperor Jiang's fingers.
There was some distance between them. Duan Jiuyou looked anxious. She knew his personality too well. He was not one to hide his emotions. Everything was reflected in his soft and clear eyes.
She knew he was in pain and was trying her best to find a solution. She didn't want him to kill the Four Seasons Demon because she was afraid he would bear too much sin.
Di Jiang stared at her for a long time before looking away and lowering his hand.
Duan Jiuyou quickly turned around and grabbed Siji Yao, scolding him in a low voice, "Stop crying! If he gets angry again and tries to kill you, I won't be able to control him!"
The Four Seasons Demon was also quite frightened by the Emperor's power. She took a deep breath and, with great effort, forced back the last of her tears. Although the rain had stopped, a chill surged up from all directions once more.
The Four Seasons Demon felt afraid, and the more afraid she was, the colder she became!
It said that this was really beyond my control: "Feelings can't be faked. If I had the ability to freely control the temperature, I would have sent you two great gods out warmly."
The sudden drop in temperature froze all the rain that had just fallen into ice. Di Jiang put away his frozen oil-paper umbrella, and his stiff fingers were enveloped in warmth as they fell into a pair of soft hands.
Duan Jiuyou clasped her hands together and rubbed them. She was petite, shorter than his shoulder, and now she buried her head in front of him, looking at his hands and then at him.
"You were feeling unwell before, weren't you?"
Di Jiang silently watched Duan Jiuyou and noticed that when she was facing him, the question she asked most often was about his physical condition.
Are you cold?
Wear something.
Have a hot drink!
From the moment they first met until now, he has become so familiar with these words that they have become ingrained in his mind. Whenever he thinks of them, he can immediately recall her tone and expression.
The Lord of the Wilderness frowned with melancholy as he learned that someone in the Three Realms now knew his weakness.
—It's a pity we can't kill him.
"Your so-called quack doctor is useless. Knowing that you suffer unbearable pain and cold when your old ailment flares up, why didn't he make some special medicine pills to carry with him? Why did he have to go back and soak in that scalding hot medicinal soup to get better? Don't they have any common sense?"
Duan Jiuyou complained to him, looking as if the spiritual healer should be torn to pieces.
Di Jiang moved his hands, indicating that she didn't need to rub anymore. His coldness was caused from within, and even if she rubbed it from the outside, it wouldn't warm him up.
Jiuyou knew it was futile, so she sighed and used one hand to hold Dijiang's hand. She believed she had a little more warmth than him, but even if it was little, she could still transfer some heat to him.
Di Jiang clenched the small, chubby hand that was forcibly squeezed into his palm: "Letting someone like me live on might not be a good thing. You might not be able to die, and I might not follow the direction you want."
His hands were cold, gripping Jiuyou's wrist like five icicles. His lips were slightly parted, and his pale, thin face seemed to have been painted with color for a short time, giving him a sickly yet alluring charm.
Duan Jiuyou thought to himself, this face is really suitable for teasing young girls, but the words he said were unpleasant to hear. He patted his hand and said, "I will definitely die, and you will definitely become good. You were not bad to begin with."
The Four Seasons Ridge has a barrier; once you enter, you cannot leave. Before crossing the ridge, I came in my clones, and I always walked out of the ridge in the sweltering heat.
The proverb "Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake" applies here as well.
Duan Jiuyou said helplessly, "Let's go. The Four Seasons Demon's mood can't be changed. If we keep dragging this out, we'll just continue to freeze. Let's grit our teeth and get out of Four Seasons Ridge. Once we're out of the Four Seasons Ridge, we can pick the Heart-Gathering Lotus and return to the Tenth Realm."
How far is it? Duan Jiuyou was annoyed just looking at the journey. The Four Seasons Ridge, covered in ice and snow, seemed to have no end in sight.
Duan Jiuyou held Di Jiang's hand and walked for a while, then noticed that Di Jiang's body was getting heavier and heavier. He slightly shifted his feet and put Di Jiang's arm on his shoulder.
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