Under the Wutong Tree (I)
Xie Zhitiao kept shouting that he didn't want to do it and was very worried, so Canghe had to reach out and grab Lin Zhuo's wrist.
He repeatedly assured her that Lin Zhuo was fine, but he was still worried, so he cast a divine sense on her to protect her.
After completing all of this, Cang He finally put his mind at ease. Calculating the time, he said, "Master, I will be leaving now. This secret realm offers many opportunities, so take advantage of them."
“Remember, don’t act alone.”
He walked back with his disciples, giving them some nagging instructions. None of the four dared to speak, as they found this scene somewhat magical.
Master, would you actually say so many caring words?
You Jingjia listened absentmindedly, her thoughts drifting back to the day before their entrance into the secret realm. Despite everyone's objections and doubts, her master had insisted that Zhaozhao and A'tiao enter the realm as well, even fulfilling the Immortal Alliance's long-standing request.
This was so different from her previous life. She couldn't help but look up, her gaze shifting to her master, who had long since stopped talking.
Could it be that Master also knows something?
After leading his disciples out of the extreme south, Cang He took out the jade slip, contacted Rong Si, and left the secret realm.
Lin Zhuo dug into his storage bag and pulled out a book on pharmacology. He flipped it open and saw a record of various ancient magical herbs, complete with diagrams.
Lin Zhuo raised the book in his hand and said, "Let's go and see if we can find anything."
There must be guardian beasts around the top-level immortal herbs. The few of them had a safe journey and gained a lot. Their cultivation was also consolidated through actual combat.
Ten days later, the secret realm finally showed signs of closing. The heads and elders of each sect contacted their disciples and prepared to evacuate.
Ling Qingqiu and the other three came out later, and the disciples of Xuanxiao Sect had already arrived.
Seeing them coming out, Cang He tilted his head and asked Wan Wuji: "Brother, why don't you lead the team back to the sect?"
Wan Wuji narrowed his eyes: "What do you want to do?"
He has been somewhat suspicious recently as to whether Canghe was really possessed by another body. He is becoming less and less like the taciturn Canghe he once was.
Cang He: "I have to go to the library, please go back first, Senior Brother."
Since it was serious business, Wan Wuji had no reason to stop him and just waved his hand in agreement.
Rong Si has been very easy to talk to since Canghe succeeded him as elder. When he heard that Canghe wanted to enter the library, he gave him the token without saying a word.
Cang He put away the token and walked towards the library. He wanted to check it out, maybe he could find some information about that person.
He remembered that in his previous life, there was always a pitch-black monster lying beside that man, but he also had a demonic aura, which was very strange.
The Demon Realm had long been excluded from the other three realms. None of the three realms wanted to associate with the Demon Realm, and the Demon Realm, in turn, was too self-righteous to look down upon any of the other three realms. So how did he tame that demon beast?
Vaguely remembering that the monster was good at devouring human souls, Canghe looked through the monster information, trying to find a similar monster.
The sun was setting quickly, and Cang He still hadn't found any information. His face was a little solemn.
Did he go in the wrong direction, or was the person really hiding so deeply?
It was getting late, and Canghe had no plans to spend the night in the Immortal Alliance. After returning the token to Rong Si, he headed home.
————
Lin Zhuo returned to the sect and immediately went to Wen Shengsheng. It had been more than ten days since he left the sect, and he didn't know how the detoxification of Junior Master Uncle was going.
Hua Fangyi was sitting outside the alchemy room, a storybook spread out beside her, inputting spiritual energy into it, the text inside playing automatically. She leaned against the back of her wheelchair, seemingly asleep.
Lin Zhuo approached quietly and was about to put away the book on the table when Hua Fangyi sat up straight.
"Zhao Zhao? You're back?"
Lin Zhuo put away the storybook and squatted beside her: "Yeah, I just got back. How is your uncle doing?"
Hua Fangyi laughed. She raised her hand and said, "Come, give me a hand."
Lin Zhuo held her hand, and Hua Fangyi exerted some strength and stood up tremblingly.
Lin Zhuo was surprised: "Uncle Master?!"
Hua Fangyi: "Oh, Master-uncle is leaving." As she said that, she brushed away Lin Zhuo's hand and took a trembling step.
Lin Zhuo's heart instantly lifted, and he hurried to protect her. After walking a few books, Hua Fangyi felt a little tired. Lin Zhuo pulled the wheelchair over, and Hua Fangyi sat down.
She held Lin Zhao's hand and said softly, "Half a step to Mahayana? Zhao Zhao is amazing."
Lin Zhuo smiled and rubbed his cheek against the back of her hand like he did when they were children: "Well, Zhao Zhao can protect you from now on."
Hua Fangyi: "What did you encounter during your trip to the secret realm? Tell me about it."
Lin Zhuo had just that in mind. Of all the secret realms, the most noteworthy thing to tell her was the illusion, but she still didn't know what that illusion was meant to tell her, or which god had created it.
When Xie Zhitiao arrived, Lin Zhuo had almost finished his story.
He sat down on the grass nearby and waited for her to finish before adding, "I just don't know if Qiu Ji and Chang Junning were actually people from thousands of years ago. Uncle, what do you think their endings would have been in that life?"
Hua Fangyi was a little dazed. She held Lin Zhuo's hand and didn't speak for a long time. Just when Xie Zhitiao was about to change the subject, she smiled softly and replied:
"I don't know either. Chang Junning probably couldn't bear the torture and committed suicide."
Lin Zhuo and Xie Zhitiao remained silent for a moment. Hua Fangyi also noticed their silence and smiled, tilting her head to her side.
"Okay, go back and rest quickly, and don't bother me anymore."
Some stories can only be told to those who understand them.
Seeing that she was in good spirits and that he himself was indeed tired, Lin Zhuo stood up and said goodbye. Xie Zhitiao followed her back to Guzhao Peak and was about to follow her into the courtyard when he was stopped outside.
"Go back to your yard and rest." Lin Zhuo looked up at him, then turned and went back to his room.
Xie Zhitiao's hands, hanging by his side, suddenly clenched, then loosened powerlessly. He stood there in silence for a moment, then left.
Lin Zhuo returned to the house but didn't rest immediately. The spiritual energy in her body was surging, and she needed to meditate for a while to regulate her breathing.
Qingluan has been sleeping since she entered her sea of consciousness. Lin Zhuo looked at her again, and after confirming that she was safe, he sat down cross-legged on the couch.
Even if Qingluan's spiritual power was divided into two and given to the two of them, it should not be underestimated. Lin Zhuo tried hard to regulate his breathing, and beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead.
The sun was setting, and the sky was getting darker. You Jingjia came once during the journey, and seeing Lin Zhuo absorbed in his meditation, she did not disturb him and quietly returned to her own courtyard.
The swamp is not so good.
Qingluan's spiritual power was raging in her body, so active that she had to work very hard to calm it down.
Gradually, the violent spiritual power stopped surging and slowly became gentle.
Lin Zhuo's brows gradually relaxed, and the spiritual power flowing in his meridians was finally tainted with her breath.
A faint voice came from within the sea of consciousness, neither male nor female. Lin Zhuo couldn't hear what the voice said, so he entered the sea of consciousness and saw Qingluan still asleep.
"Hundreds of demons...bitterness...Wutong, heaven..."
Lin Zhuo held her breath and listened carefully. She had a feeling that this might be some important information.
"A hundred demons control the devil, and all living beings suffer. The phoenix rests on the wutong tree, and the way of heaven returns to its origin."
She couldn't help but murmur, "...Phoenix rests on the Wutong tree, Heaven's way...returns to the origin?"
What does this mean? Isn't the Way of Heaven always there?
For no apparent reason, Lin Zhuo felt a sense of unease. She awoke from her trance and subconsciously looked out the window.
It was already dark, and the faint chirping of insects could be heard. Lin Zhuo's uneasiness gradually subsided.
How could that be? The Heavenly Dao had existed since the creation of the world. He was the God of this place, so how could he return to his origin?
She turned over and got off the bed, intending to wash up and go to bed as soon as possible.
————
Xie Zhitiao returned to his own courtyard and lay dejectedly on the couch. For some reason, Qingluan's spiritual power was very obedient within him. Just from battling the monsters in the secret realm, he had already absorbed most of the spiritual power.
He casually kicked off his boots and looked up at the curtains above the couch.
Did Senior Sister see through it, and that’s why she’s avoiding him?
The feeling of fatigue gradually came over Xie Zhitiao, his eyelids became heavier and heavier, and he finally fell into a deep sleep.
When he opened his eyes, Xie Zhitiao found himself standing on the top of a mountain.
He looked around and found that the sect was unusually quiet, and there were no disciples playing or joking on the road. Just as he was wondering, a voice came from behind him.
"A Tiao."
He turned around and saw his senior brother. Ling Qingqiu's face was very bad. He raised his hand and covered his lips with a cough.
"You're back. ...Where's Jingjia?"
Xie Zhitiao opened his mouth, wanting to ask what he was talking about, how he knew where You Jingjia had gone. But when he opened his mouth, he heard his own familiar yet unfamiliar voice, hoarse and incomparable.
"Second Senior Sister... Second Senior Sister couldn't withstand the extreme cold, so her parents took her away."
Xie Zhitiao was stunned. What... did this mean? He felt panicky and wanted to ask his senior brother what was wrong, but his body was out of control. He was forced to lower his head and watch the tears fall to the ground.
"Uncle You took her away...that's fine." Ling Qingqiu coughed again, and "Xie Zhitiao" hurried forward to support him.
"Master has fallen into a coma. We can hardly protect ourselves now. I have asked my uncle to dismiss the disciples." Ling Qingqiu whispered.
"Zhao Zhao is still in a coma. She woke up a few days ago and is in good condition. Did you go to the extremely cold realm and find a way to save her?"
"Xie Zhitiao" had a choked throat and could hardly speak.
They couldn't save Lin Zhuo, or even anyone else.
Xie Zhitiao's heart was beating wildly. He guessed that this was probably a past life he hadn't yet remembered. Perhaps it was the trip to the secret realm that had dramatically increased his cultivation, breaking through the shackles of his memory and allowing him to remember the past.
He shrank numbly in his own sea of consciousness, watching the constantly changing scenes in the outside world. His heart gradually became painful from the initial panic, and then beat violently, making it difficult to breathe.
So, this is how they came back.
Xie Zhitiao collapsed, his hands raised, pressing tightly against his chest, breathing heavily like a dying fish. The image shattered inch by inch, and his surroundings returned to darkness.
Xie Zhitiao closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the dream was over. It was dark.
He sat up blankly, listening to the rustling sound of the sycamore trees outside the window in the wind, and had no desire to sleep.
He turned over and got off the bed. As if possessed by some unknown force, he walked step by step out of the yard, straight to the sycamore tree.
————
After washing up, Lin Zhuo lay on the couch. Her eyelids grew heavier, and just as she was about to close them, she heard the voice again.
"A hundred demons control the devil, and all living beings suffer. The phoenix rests on the wutong tree, and the way of heaven returns to its origin."
Lin Zhuo suddenly opened her eyes, her heart beating uneasily. She turned over and curled up into a ball, suddenly feeling aggrieved.
Lin Zhuo originally wanted to ask her senior sister to sleep with her, but then she suddenly remembered that after she returned to the sect, she went to chat with her uncle, and her senior sister had been busy the whole time. The jade slip had just been taken out and was pressed down on the couch again.
Lin Zhuo lost his sleepiness, sat up, put on his clothes, and left the yard. If he couldn't sleep, he would go practice swordplay.
The wind was strong at night. After walking a few steps, the leaves of the sycamore tree outside the yard fell and Lin Zhuo stopped.
She raised her hand and touched the trunk. Unlike the dry, withered tree in the secret realm, this tree was thriving with vitality.
She murmured, "Feng Qi...Wutong."
Xie Zhitiao's surprised voice came from behind:
"Senior Sister? You can't sleep either?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
