Chapter 554: The Headmaster
Beyond the northwest sea, in the corner of the vast wilderness, there is a mountain that does not conform, and its name is Buzhou.
The circular green hills are lush and green. In the thick fog, a figure is looming. He wears a Taoist scarf and a Taoist robe, with his hairband fluttering in the wind. He is kneeling devoutly on the endless stone steps.
She kowtowed every three steps, worshipping very seriously.
This ladder, which is daunting for ordinary people, she hopes will be longer and longer.
Suddenly, the spirit bird let out a loud cry.
No, more like a scream to be exact.
It seemed as if it was kicked by something that was rushing towards it. It staggered suddenly on the branch and shook its wings several times before it stood firm.
The spirit bird glared at the guy who had excellent martial arts skills but was blind, and kept cursing for a long time, wondering whether it should just shit on that guy's head.
Just as I was about to leave, I saw the guy carrying a big broom out from somewhere and started sweeping the long steps with a grunt.
The stones and fallen leaves on the steps were swept away one by one, making them clean and smooth.
This made it much easier for Huo Luyu to kowtow without any pain in his knees.
She was praying seriously and attentively, but Shan Ji was like the Monkey King, constantly "making trouble" beside her. After sweeping the steps, he went to pick flowers for her, caught rabbits, and caught spiritual birds, holding their heads and singing to her.
Finally, Huo Luyu could no longer bear it and sighed:
"I'm accumulating merit here, and you're committing sins there? Are you trying to tire me to death?"
"How dare I!" Shan Ji grinned, raised his hand and threw the spirit bird behind his head. He stopped messing with the surrounding flowers, trees and animals and instead practiced backflips on the steps.
His tall figure flew back and forth on the long steps, and his superb skills brought up the breeze and dirt, all of which fell on Huo Luyu's face.
This forced Huo Luyu to kowtow and wipe his face with his sleeve helplessly.
Shan Ji was completely unaware and just kept muttering to himself:
"I've been away for half a month, and I can see you haven't been eating properly. You've lost so much weight. Tell me, why don't you come with me to the wedding?... Oh, weddings are so grand, there's so many people there, with gongs and drums blaring, firecrackers blasting, red flags waving, and a sea of people...
She wore a huge golden bird crown, a colorful and beautiful robe with pearls, a pair of heavy and hard flower pot shoes, a pure gold fan in her hand, and her face was painted with rouge and powder like an opera singer, but she was particularly beautiful...
Listening to Shan Ji's unconventional but vivid description, Huo Luyu stopped kneeling, as if for a moment she really saw Yun Chen wearing a phoenix coronet and bridal robe, standing on the long steps in front of her, smiling at her so radiantly.
Huo Luyu couldn't help but have a gentle glow on his face. He felt happy for Yun Chen from the bottom of his heart, but also felt an indescribable emptiness in his heart.
All of her emotions were visible in Shan Ji's eyes. How could he let her be sad alone? He suddenly stepped forward, grabbed her arm, and threw her over his shoulder.
He carried the person on his back, then used his lightness skills to run towards the top of the mountain.
This made Huo Luyu so angry that he punched him on the back:
"Hozen! What are you doing? I haven't even reached the top of the mountain yet!"
Shan Ji said "Tsk!" with disdain:
"Do you think I'm old and have a bad memory? Before you left, you clearly said to start from the foot of the mountain and continue until I return from the wedding ceremony. Now that I'm back and I've told you all the information you wanted to know, you still want to worship all the way to the top?"
He said with a serious expression:
"Master Luyu, there are rules in Taoism. You cannot cultivate immortality by lying!"
"Bah!" Huo Luyu spat at him, but was finally amused. He had no choice but to follow him all the way to the top of the mountain and back to the Wuyi Hall.
The Wuyi Blood Guards around him were not surprised by the scene of Shan Ji suddenly appearing on the top of the mountain carrying Huo Luyu on his back. It was as common as seeing Zhu Bajie carrying his wife on his back every day.
In their eyes, Shan Ji is a simple and straightforward person with superb martial arts skills who is invincible in the world. He treats the blood guards in the sect with both kindness and force, and never withholds bounties. He is an excellent leader.
There are only two things that can be considered shortcomings:
One is to remember both kindness and grudges.
Take Qing Yuan, for example, who attempted to kill Shan Ji and seize power.
Ever since Qing Yuan threw Shan Ji into the pond of rotten fish and shrimp, pretended to cry to Wuyi Xuewei, and made up a lie that Shan Ji was stabbed in the chest and drowned by a villain, he has been in endless panic.
Because after he finished telling the lie, the Wuyi Blood Guards all looked at him like he was an idiot:
"Those who cultivate Qi can displace vital organs at will. Stab Brother Shanji in the chest? His vitals aren't there, so how can you tickle him? And drown him? You've heard of 'Cloud Tiger', the unrivaled swimmer. She learned how to swim from Brother Shanji."
"But being poisoned is really uncomfortable. It will probably take him half a month to recover."
After hearing those words, Qing Yuan's eyes almost popped out, cold sweat covered his forehead and back, and he immediately ran away.
It can be seen how afraid he is of Shan Ji's "holding a grudge".
However, he escaped day and night for half a month, but was finally caught by Shan Ji. He was cut into more than 200 pieces and sent to the West in batches.
Now let's talk about the second shortcoming of Shanji:
Afraid of women.
No, I'm afraid of Huo Luyu.
Such an unruly Shan Ji, who was as arrogant as a mountain tiger and looked down on everyone, including emperors and gods, was as obedient as a cat beside Huo Luyu.
Huo Luyu said to go east, so he smashed the road to the west.
When Huo Luyu said to go west, he asked the Wuyi Blood Guards to repair the road on the west side overnight and then destroy the road on the east side.
In the words of a certain Unrighteous Blood Guard:
"Brother Shanji is good in every way, except when he meets the head lady, or rather, Taoist Priest Luyu, he seems to be a bit slow in thinking—like a fool."
Look, in front of all the Blood Guards, the "fool" gently placed Huo Luyu on the ground, and then began to greet everyone:
"Come, come, come—all of you, Council!"
The Wuyi Blood Guards looked at each other in confusion, put down their work, scratched their heads, and walked into the Wuyi Hall.
Shan Ji and Huo Luyu both sat on the high seats.
Looking at the huge group of murderous and ruthless guys below, Huo Luyu pursed his lips nervously.
Sensing Huo Luyu's uneasiness, Shan Ji immediately glared at the crowd below and scolded:
"Everyone, smile! Don't look so fierce! Take some of the anger out of you!"
These words left the Wuyi Blood Guards stunned.
I have always been taught to "Be more fierce! Don't laugh!" This is the first time I have heard someone ask me to control my anger.
“Temperament” is something that cannot be seen or touched, how can we acquire it?
The Blood Guards were so worried that they kept sucking their teeth. Finally, they all looked at Shan Ji's face at the same time, imitating the way he looked at Huo Luyu, and showing a "silly dog-like" smile.
You know what, all the "evil spirit" and "vicious spirit" disappeared in an instant, and the whole hall was filled with stupid dogs!
Huo Luyu got goosebumps all over his body when he saw everyone's faces changing.
She forced a smile, cleared her throat, and said seriously:
"My fellow heroes, times have changed. Peace reigns supreme, and the nation is at peace. The people are diligent in their work, and those with ambition take pride in studying hard and attending college. With fewer martial artists, and fewer disputes raging in the martial arts world, there will be fewer and fewer places where we, the Unrighteous Blood Guards, will be needed."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the Wuyi Blood Guards nodded in agreement.
This is not to give face to Shan Ji, but because they are in the martial arts world, the Wuyi Blood Guards care about the national war situation more than anyone else.
In the assassin business, the more chaotic the world is and the more hatred and suffering there is, the more money the Unrighteous Blood Guards will make.
Now the Great Imperial Master has opened up a new era of co-governance among the three sects and the selection of a new emperor.
People's livelihood is stable everywhere, and the gangs have turned over a new leaf.
Since half a year ago, the business of the Wuyi Blood Guards has been declining sharply.
By this month, we haven't received any murder orders.
Therefore, Huo Luyu's words completely touched everyone's heart, making everyone prick up their ears and listen carefully.
Seeing this, Huo Luyu became more serious and continued to speak:
"So, to survive, 'unrighteousness' must become 'righteousness', and 'killing' must become 'saving'. While the current situation may continue, the suffering of war will be rare in the future, but the world is so vast that it is bound to be plagued by natural disasters, man-made calamities, conflicts, and injustices. There are countless people who need redress but have nowhere else to turn, and countless cases where justice is needed. If the Unrighteous Blood Guards can lend a hand, they will endure for generations to come, and the martial arts world will endure forever."
"this……"
The Wuyi Blood Guards smacked their lips and pondered it carefully.
What Huo Luyu said made a lot of sense, but they just felt something was not right.
A righteous blood guard stood up and asked the question that everyone was most concerned about:
"Master, you're right. But if we change it this way, wouldn't we go from 'killers' to 'guards'?"
The Wuyi Blood Guard was halfway through his words when he caught a glimpse of Shan Ji's murderous eyes. Although he pretended not to see it, his tone of voice immediately changed:
"It's not impossible for us to become good guards, but the question is where will the money come from? Can we still have the good life we had before?"
"Yeah yeah!"
"A penny can make a hero fall!"
“Where will the money come from in the future?”
The other Wuyi Blood Guards echoed this.
But obviously, Huo Luyu had already anticipated everyone's concerns.
She smiled and said, "Don't worry, heroes. Since I've proposed this idea, I'll ensure that your bounties will only increase, not decrease. From now on, the bounty for 'killing' will be changed to a commission for 'saving'. The money will come from the help of ordinary people. We redress grievances and relieve suffering. The price of such services cannot be too high. The main purpose is to establish a good reputation in the martial arts world."
The second source of funds comes primarily from wealthy families, who annually solicit donations from all the powerful and wealthy merchants. The merchant who donates the most is the one the Wuyi Blood Guards use most often to perform acts of justice under their name, even allowing them to wear clothing bearing their family crest while on duty. The merchant who donates the second most often has their name used by the Wuyi Blood Guards to uphold justice, and so on.
Believe me, these incredibly wealthy individuals, hungry for even greater power, have everything they need except 'virtue' and 'reputation'. To prove their 'wealth fosters a conscience', they'll undoubtedly strive to perform acts of kindness. If they want to perform, we'll give them the stage. It's a win-win for the people, the wealthy, and us, so why not? The only downside is that there's a fee to perform, whether it's tens of thousands or even hundreds of millions of dollars, and it's uncertain whether you'll even be able to snag a spot.
After Huo Luyu finished speaking, the entire Wuyi Hall fell silent.
Everyone was deeply shocked by her few words.
I thought to myself that she is worthy of being the sister of the Great Imperial Master and the second daughter of the richest and most powerful family in Nan Country. She has unconventional ways of doing business and making money. She can grasp the mentality of the powerful and wealthy very accurately, and can also make her own people gain both fame and fortune, which is very satisfying!
Doing good deeds and accumulating virtue can earn you the attention of the public. Who wouldn’t love that?
There are also mountains of gold and silver rushing to get it!
Everyone seemed to be able to see Wuyi Blood Guard becoming the most powerful sect in the martial arts world, countless gold, silver and treasures rushing towards them, and fluttering silk banners hanging all over the Wuyi Hall. "Hoo-ha!" and they started to discuss heatedly.
At this moment, a guy suddenly asked loudly:
"So, should we change our name to 'Unrighteous Blood Guards'? Should we still wear the red uniforms? We used to carry human heads in iron boxes for inspection after completing our missions. Will we continue to do that?"
"Are you stupid? Before, that was murder! You have to bring your head for inspection! From now on, it's about saving people! Save people! Just remember to bring your own head!"
“Hahahahahaha——”
Someone in the crowd responded, immediately causing the whole audience to burst into laughter.
Next, Huo Luyu distributed the pre-written plan to everyone for review.
From big things like how the Wuyi Blood Guards will be restructured, how to set up branches across the country, and how to divide the teams into to carry out tasks, to small things like how much commission the Wuyi Blood Guards will receive for different types of tasks, everything is laid out on paper in a rigorous and detailed manner.
Everyone held the plan and looked at it carefully. As they looked at it, they counted the money on their fingers; as they counted, they couldn't help but grin.
Shan Ji didn't interrupt the whole time. He just sat there with his head propped up, watching Huo Luyu give instructions with a smile.
Firstly, since Huo Luyu could say all this in front of all the Wuyi Blood Guards today, he must have discussed it with him in advance, so he didn't need to worry about it.
Secondly, for some reason, he particularly liked to see Huo Luyu's bright red lips moving in and out, and her serious expression of words like "stabilizing the country and saving the people".
He found it particularly interesting that this little girl had a heart of justice and could change the Wuyi Blood Guards and even the entire martial arts world with her own strength.
He had a vague feeling that Huo Luyu should have done this a long time ago.
She has never been a sad person who only suffers from love troubles.
Beneath that seemingly calm face, his heart was actually filled with lofty ambitions.
And the most fascinating thing is that she and Huo Gannian are the same type of people.
Both the brother and sister have the ability to dominate the world, but neither of them has any interest in power.
They can make clouds and rain with a wave of their hands, and then leave lightly after the task is completed, as if they are standing at a height that no one can reach, specifically to guide the world's torrent and rush towards the new world.
Just like that, overnight, the Wuyi Blood Guards were completely changed.
The Blood Guards are busy working for a brand new future.
And what about Huo Luyu?
After handing over the thick plans to Shan Ji, she devoted herself to practicing Taoism again, sitting in a quiet place in the dense forest behind the Wuyi Hall, reciting immortal scriptures day after day.
What is strange is that other people practice Taoism and cultivate immortality mostly for themselves, but she seems to be doing it for the heaven, earth and all things.
Every morning she would walk out of the Taoist temple, find a sunny spot among the grass and trees in the mountains, sit down, and start chanting scriptures.
The gentle and beautiful voice lingered around the woods, and was very pleasant to hear.
She is often magically surrounded by birds, rabbits, foxes, sika deer...all kinds of small animals.
It seemed as if they all came to listen to the sutras, and they were all quiet and focused.
Later on, the characters became increasingly exaggerated, with tigers, wolves, leopards, and all kinds of ferocious beasts joining in.
Later on, every day before she got up, there would be a large group of animals waiting at the door, just like little disciples waiting for their master to give a lecture.
The scene of thousands of beasts paying homage was so spectacular that even Shan Ji couldn't help but marvel at it.
He had followed along to listen a few times, but unfortunately, each time he went out of curiosity, and ended up falling asleep before Huo Luyu finished reading.
What's more, he is very uncultured. Not only does he sleep, he also snores.
Several times the animals could no longer bear the noise and had to ask the deer to kick him awake with their hooves.
Shan Ji woke up from a beautiful dream of wandering around the world hand in hand with Huo Luyu. He sat up with sleepy eyes, wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth, and smeared it on the head of Lao Hu who was listening to the sutra attentively next to him.
Huo Luyu put down the scripture helplessly:
"Go and get busy. There are many things to do in the sect, so you don't need to accompany me."
Shan Ji grinned with his white teeth bared, then had to pat his butt and leave.
Huo Luyu continued to recite the scriptures.
After an unknown amount of time, the mountain wind began to howl, and a strange sense of coldness and evil came over.
The extremely intelligent animals became agitated and looked a little panicked, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Huo Luyu looked in the direction of the wind, smiled indifferently, and continued reciting.
She could feel an invisible and terrifying chill approaching quietly.
But she was not afraid and did not hide.
After practicing Taoism for so many years, the first truth she understood was that this world never belonged to humans, but to all things.
Monsters, demons, ghosts, monsters, spirits, gods, immortals...
Who dares to say they have seen them all? Who can say they don’t exist?
Therefore, no matter what came, she remained unmoved and continued to recite the scriptures in a steady and calm voice.
She didn't stop reciting until a black, fog-like thing twisted and floated in front of her, grinning at her.
The familiar aura emanating from the other party made her a little surprised.
The black fog thought it had successfully frightened Huo Luyu. It twisted darkly and fiercely in the air, deliberately dragging out its tone and speaking in a sinister voice:
"Hehe, such a pure soul, I want to eat you - do you know who I am? I am - the four seas and eight wastelands - the nine heavens and ten earths - the number one evil god and demon killer in the universe - ghost - oh -"
Before Heiwu could finish his words, Huo Luyu hit him on the head with a book.
"Be quiet. Or stand back."
She gave the order without mercy.
The black fog stretched out two small black claws like a bird, hugged its hurt head, and glared at Huo Luyu angrily for a while.
Then he stood at the back.
Seeing this, the animals that had been scared away came back one after another, and soon the scene of listening to the sutra in peace was restored again.
When the sun was about to set, Huo Luyu put away the scriptures as usual.
The small animals also left one after another as usual.
Only the black fog refused to leave.
Every time Huo Luyu took a step, it followed.
Wherever she went, it followed.
Huo Luyu pretended not to see anything.
She slept at night, and black fog lurked on the eaves.
When she walked during the day, the black fog followed her like a puppy.
Although it looks reluctant, when it rains, it will turn into an umbrella to block her head.
When the sun is shining, it will turn into lotus leaves to provide shade for her.
As the days passed, the black fog slowly faded and turned white, and the evil spirit that once bared its fangs and was full of murderous aura completely disappeared, leaving only a milky white cloud.
"It's a part of her soul. How bad can it be? Look how good you are now, little devil."
The guy who was called "Little Devil" had obviously accepted the name, but he still said proudly:
"Who said that? I'm bad! Don't look at me because I'm white now, that's all faded by the sun! If I say I'll be black, I'll be black! Seriously!"
Huo Luyu smiled but said nothing.
At this time, a passionate figure in red came over. He first scratched Huo Luyu's nose with his finger, then asked with a smile:
"Who are you talking to that makes you laugh so happily?"
Huo Luyu pointed at the little ghost and said, "Follow it."
Shan Ji looked in the direction of Huo Luyu's finger, and made faces at the air for a long time, but he couldn't see a single hair.
"Master Luyu, your eyes are truly extraordinary now. Within the Three Realms, all living things can see their true nature. So, why don't you take a good look at me? What do you think I look like?"
As Shan Ji spoke, he put his arrogant, handsome and naughty face directly under Huo Luyu's nose, almost making her kiss him.
Huo Luyu was caught off guard by his action. She froze for a moment, staring straight into his eyes, her face slightly flushed.
At this time, the little ghost on the side spoke sourly:
"I look at you like a fool!"
Huo Luyu burst out laughing, covering his mouth with his hands.
Shan Ji was just an ordinary human being, and he couldn't hear the little ghost talking, but when he saw Huo Luyu smiling, he was happy and immediately became energetic. He started to follow Huo Luyu back and forth, chattering non-stop:
"What are you laughing at? Have you seen through my true nature? If this is so funny, what is my true nature?"
"Do I look like your next lover? No, it should be your ex. Oh, that's not right either. Never mind. I can't tell."
"Hey, hey, hey, I was wrong, I was wrong. Taoist priest, please let's talk nicely! Don't step on my heels! My ancestor! There is no place on my body that cannot be stepped on!"
"Hey, Taoist Priest Luyu, please teach me how to cultivate. I'd like to practice Taoist magic with you. I've created a name for this kind of practice, called 'Dual Cultivation'. How's that? Does it sound good?"
"Hey? Why is your face so red? Are you sick? Hey, why are you running? Yu Yu, wait for me——"
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