Chapter 56 Xuandu brings Cang Li's gift...
Xuan Du, carrying Cang Li's gifts, first went to the Nuwa Palace. The Nuwa Palace was quiet. When the young boy at the gate saw Xuan Du, he sensed that Xuan Du's cultivation was not bad and immediately stepped forward to bow and inquire:
"Where did this immortal come from?"
Xuandu returned the greeting and said, "I am a disciple of the Taiqing Sage of Kunlun Mountain. I have come here on the behalf of the Great Chief of the Human Race to deliver something to the Mother Goddess."
The boy hurriedly said, "Please wait a moment, Immortal Master, I will go and inform him right away."
Xuan Du waited nearby. Soon, the boy rushed out, his attitude even more respectful, and said to Xuan Du:
“The sage invites the immortal to come in; the immortal, please follow me.”
Xuandu followed the boy into Nuwa's palace and soon saw Nuwa sitting under the eaves feeding the fish.
Nuwa smiled when she saw Xuandu and said:
"It's you. You're from the human race?"
Xuandu greeted her and then said, "Yes, Mother Goddess, how have you been lately?"
Nuwa waved her hand: "I'm fine. Sit down and talk. How is Cangli? I haven't been back since I left the human race. Is she angry?" She said she would go back in a few days, but she hasn't. Cangli must be furious.
Xuan Du laughed and said, "Mother Goddess, you are overthinking it. The Great Chief is not angry at all. He misses you very much. When I returned to the human race this time, she asked me to bring something to you."
As he spoke, Xuandu took out the food box and wine that Cang Li had instructed him to give to Nuwa.
Nuwa was overjoyed. As soon as the food box was taken out, she smelled the aroma and eagerly took it.
“My darling really misses me. Why don’t you let her come to Nuwa Palace to see me?”
Xuandu hurriedly explained, "Mother Goddess, you may not know, but the Great Chief is very busy. Now that there are many more children in the human race, the need for food and supplies is even greater. The Great Chief has been thinking about how to ensure that the people are well-fed, warmly clothed, and can live peacefully in the prehistoric world. Therefore, he has no time and could only ask me to send his regards to Mother Goddess."
Nuwa sighed and complained, "I said I wouldn't create humans back then, and now Bao'er is so tired that he doesn't even have time to play."
He then said to Xuandu, "You certainly know how to talk. Remember to give my regards to my three senior brothers when you get back."
Xuandu agreed and quickly got up to take his leave and return to Kunlun Mountain.
Nuwa looked at the contents of the food box. She decided to find an opportunity to bring Bao'er back. The demon race and the witch race had been in constant conflict lately. It was only because the human race's territory was far away from the other side that they hadn't been affected. Nuwa was worried that if the conflict escalated, Cangli would be dragged into it.
Xuan Du returned to Kunlun Mountain. He sensed something was wrong as soon as he stepped through the mountain gate. Landing at the entrance of the Taiqing Cave, he saw Guang Chengzi and Duobao standing there, their faces ashen, as if they had caused trouble. Xuan Du's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stepped forward to ask:
What happened?
The two men saw Xuan Du as if he were their savior, each grabbing one of his hands and saying:
"Senior Brother, you're finally back! Quickly go and plead with Senior Uncle. Senior Uncle punished Junior Brother Huanglong and Junior Sister Wudang, causing their cultivation to drop. They've been sealed in the Cold Pool for three to five days now. If they don't come out soon, they might damage their foundations, which is not good for their cultivation!"
Xuandu was taken aback: "Why is Master so angry? He never gets angry. What did Junior Brother Huanglong and Junior Sister Wudang do?"
Guang Chengzi and Duobao looked at each other, and after a long while, they stammered, "Junior Brother Huanglong lied to Junior Sister Wudang, saying that Junior Uncle had returned and asked Junior Sister Wudang to come to Senior Uncle's place to get something. Junior Sister Wudang accidentally broke one of Senior Uncle's bamboo baskets, and Senior Uncle attacked without saying a word. Junior Sister Wudang was so scared that she confessed Junior Brother Huanglong."
"Our eldest master knocked down their cultivation levels and then threw them into the icy pool and sealed them. Eldest brother, they really didn't know that bamboo basket was so important, nor did they know what kind of spiritual treasure it was, or how it could break so easily. Eldest brother, please beg our eldest master to stop them."
Xuan Du: "...Is it the bamboo basket that's on the table at the cave entrance?"
The two nodded. Xuan Du felt like the sky had fallen. The bamboo basket was brought back by the chief when Tai Qing returned. The chief had packed a lot of mountain fruits and food for Tai Qing. After the food was finished, Tai Qing seemed not to care about the bamboo basket, but in fact he treasured it very much. He would look at it every day and even added a protective cover.
Wudang and Huanglong are really good at causing trouble!
Xuan Du appeared calm and composed with a blank expression, but he had actually been gone for a while.
Duobao stammered and said, "I didn't know that. All the junior brothers and sisters under the sect have been punished by the eldest master. Those who like to go out and play have been locked up, those who like to fight have been forced to copy scriptures, those who like to read have had their books confiscated, those who like to discuss the Dao have been put under a silencing spell, and those who like to eat have been put under a gag spell. Most importantly, the eldest master has ordered that Junior Sister Shiji, a stone spirit, be turned into gold within seven days!"
Xuan Du: ...
Guang Chengzi nodded with lingering fear: "Junior Brother Yuding's collection of books has been taken away by Senior Uncle, Junior Brother Cihang's jade bottle has dried up, and Junior Brother Taiyi is still hanging on the cliff. Senior Brother, please go and plead with Senior Uncle."
Xuan Du took a deep breath and pushed the two away expressionlessly: "My fellow disciples should really keep them in line. The reason Master is punishing them is to prevent them from causing even greater trouble."
Without waiting for the two to speak, he entered the cave. Taiqing sat on the futon, meditating with his eyes closed.
Xuandu bowed respectfully: "Master, your disciple has returned."
After a long silence in the cave, Taiqing slowly opened his eyes and looked at Xuandu for a while before saying, "Go down."
At this moment, Xuan Du felt that nothing Cang Li said would make a difference; his master was definitely not right. Xuan Du quickly took out the things Cang Li had given him and placed them on the table next to him.
"Master, this disciple has something else to say!"
Taiqing frowned slightly: "Stop rambling."
Xuandu pushed the wine jar in front of Taiqing and said:
"Master, the Great Chieftain has a message for you, which I have entrusted to deliver to you."
Taiqing was taken aback, the irritation in his eyes subsided considerably, and he looked at Xuandu and asked, "What did you say?"
Xuan Du breathed a slight sigh of relief and knelt down to the side, saying, "The Great Chief asked me to convey her regards to Master. She also said that Master should visit her when he has time. She hasn't seen Master for a long time and misses him very much. She also asked me to bring a jar of wine personally brewed by the Great Chief and some of Master's favorite dishes."
As he spoke, Xuandu opened the wine jar and laid out all the dishes from the food box.
Taiqing looked at the familiar wine jar. This wine jar was used by Cangli to store water. It was very particular. Boiled water and uncooked water had to be stored separately. Jars that had contained raw meat could not be used to store cooked food. Jars for cooking rice also had to be marked separately. Cangli also said that she could not make those jars for the time being, so she treasured them very much and used them very carefully, for fear of breaking them.
Now I'm willing to give one to him.
Taiqing smiled, then looked at the simple dishes on the table: cabbage, loofah, and tofu, still steaming, and a cabbage and minced meat soup, made by Cang Li himself. The fried meatballs were a bit of an eyesore; they were clearly meant for Xuandu. Taiqing's smile faded, and he tapped the table a few times, saying indifferently:
"Take it and eat it."
Upon hearing this, Xuandu immediately breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and took the fried meatballs away. He also remembered to pour the wine from the jar into the wine pot for Taiqing. As he stood up to leave, he lowered his head and asked:
"Master, I heard from Junior Brother Guangchengzi that Junior Brother Huanglong and Junior Sister Wudang have inadvertently angered you and have been punished for quite some time now. I wonder if they should be released?"
Taiqing paused for a moment, realizing he had forgotten about it, and simply nodded, indicating that Xuandu should handle it himself.
Xuan Du then took the fried meatballs Cang Li had given him and went outside. Guang Chengzi and Duo Bao were still waiting. As soon as they saw Xuan Du come out, they immediately surrounded him and asked anxiously:
"Senior Brother, how is it?! Has Senior Uncle calmed down? If Senior Uncle doesn't calm down, I'm really going to ask Master to come out of seclusion!"
Xuan Du, maintaining the air of the eldest senior brother, nodded profoundly:
"Master is not angry. Go to the Cold Pool and release Junior Brother Huanglong and Junior Sister Wudang. Make sure they do not disturb Master's cultivation and keep them in check."
Guang Chengzi and Duobao breathed a huge sigh of relief, tears welling up in their eyes. They grabbed Xuandu's hand gratefully, saying, "Thank you so much, Senior Brother!"
Xuan Du nodded aloofly, steadily carrying the fried meatballs in the bamboo tube as he was about to leave. But Guang Chengzi saw this and asked, "Senior Brother, did the Great Chief give this to you?"
He sounded very hungry.
Xuan Du's alarm bells blared: "Aren't you going to release Huang Long and Wu Dang?"
Guang Chengzi scratched his head, glanced at Xuan Du secretly, reached out and snatched the fried meatball, stuffed it into his mouth, and ran away in a flash.
Xuan Du: ?
Duobao followed suit and grabbed a few meatballs before Xuan could react and ran away. If even a proper person like Guangchengzi would steal them, they must be delicious!
Xuan Du: ...
I'm so angry! I'm starting to understand Master a little. Maybe I should let Master punish them again. His meatballs were specially made for him by the Great Leader.
Xuan Du coldly returned to his cave, vowing that the next time he saw Guang Chengzi and Duo Bao, he would definitely beat them up!
Taiqing doesn't usually drink alcohol, but Tongtian loves to, and Yuanshi sometimes drinks a couple of cups with him.
The fruit wine that Cang Li brought wasn't very strong. Tai Qing poured himself a glass and took a sip. He smiled and thought that the wine was made with care. He remembered that before he returned, Cang Li had been clamoring to make wine from fruit, but there weren't enough fruits for everyone to eat, so Cang Li hadn't managed to make it. Now, however, it was ready.
"Big brother! Big brother! Why did you punish Wudang? Did they go too far?"
Tongtian entered from outside, a smile still on his face, talking about the commotion caused by Wudang and the others. In reality, he had come to plead for them, but upon entering, he found Taiqing in a good mood, drinking. Tongtian unceremoniously walked over, sat down, poured himself a cup, took a sip, and said:
"Where did this fruit wine come from? It has no spirit at all, and it doesn't seem to be from Kunlun Mountain."
Then, glancing at the neatly arranged jar beside him, he realized, "Did Cang Li send this?"
Taiqing frowned, looking displeased, and said in a low voice:
"After being away for so long, you should return and cultivate diligently, and keep your disciples in check so they don't run around."
The implication is that you should get lost and stop bothering me.
Tongtian pretended not to understand and said with a smile, "Hey, what's there to worry about? Duobao is watching. I think it's because they're ignorant that Big Brother doesn't get angry easily. Big Brother's punishment is good."
As he spoke, Tongtian poured himself another glass of wine.
Taiqing closed his eyes, tossed the wine pot to Tongtian, and said, "Go back to your cave."
Tongtian sighed, realizing he couldn't pretend anymore. Not daring to truly provoke Taiqing, he picked up his wine jug and went out.
Taiqing closed his eyes, feeling that his emotions had been very strange just now. He was unwilling to give anything of Cangli to anyone else, not even his own younger brother.
He seemed to have a strong possessive desire for Cang Li.
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