When Lu Chengfeng said this, his tone was obviously self-deprecating.
"Thinking back to when the nine of us first met at Luoxia Villa, it was still early spring..."
At that time, nine young knights from all over the country followed their elders to Luoxia Mountain Villa to attend the ceremony. They were all full of vigor and vitality. They only got together for two or three days, expressing their heroic spirit together, and they all felt that they had met too late.
By chance, they heard that a tiger attacked people in Jizhou and the local government was helpless. The nine people, who were proud of their martial arts, agreed to go to Ning'an County together...
Although Lu Chengfeng could not remember all the names of the other eight people, some key past events were still vivid in his mind, and more things became clearer as he recalled them. At a certain point in his memory, he could recall exactly who did what.
Ji Yuan could sense that it was not just because he had just called out those nine names, but also because when Lu Chengfeng recalled this memory, that person naturally came to mind, so it could not be said that he had really forgotten the other person.
Ji Yuan didn't say a word during the whole process and just acted as a qualified listener.
Lu Chengfeng did not recall too much, he just talked about the time when he saw Ji Yuan in the dilapidated mountain temple, because Ji Yuan knew everything that happened afterwards.
After telling the story of how he first met Ji Yuan when he arrived at the mountain temple, he looked up at Ji Yuan.
"Mr. Ji, tell me, if we hadn't come to Ning'an County to show off our bravery and hadn't had the crazy idea of going up the mountain to kill the tiger, wouldn't the results of many things be different?"
Ji Yuan tapped the jade slip that had turned into a bamboo slip with his knuckles, thought for a moment, and replied with a smile.
"For you, Master Lu, the former Master Lu has only lost a few adventures. His life trajectory may not change much. The people who are truly most affected are naturally Du Heng, Luo Ningshuang, Zhao Long, and Yan Fei."
What Ji Yuan said was true. At that time, including Lu Chengfeng, five people were unharmed except for being frightened. The injuries of the four injured were more serious than the other, and the impact was also greater than the other.
Not to mention Du Heng, whose right arm was crippled in the end, there is Luo Ningshuang, a female hero who originally had fair skin and snow-white skin. She now had several deep wounds on her body starting from the base of her neck to her chest and abdomen, which were almost the same as being disfigured. In this feudal society, the martial arts world is still dominated by men, and the fate of female heroes is mostly to get married. Moreover, it is a common love for women to be beautiful, so having terrible scars on their bodies would have a great impact.
As for Zhao Long, who used the stick, he was injured by the tiger's tail and his internal organs were also seriously injured. No news about Zhao Long has been heard in all these years, and no one knows how he is doing.
Yan Fei was also seriously injured by the sharp claws, but the experience of facing the monster and facing life and death at that time helped him make a breakthrough after he recovered from his injuries.
Generally speaking, only these four people can truly be said to have influenced one's life, while Lu Chengfeng's influence is far from enough.
Of course, the person who was most affected might be Ji Yuan himself. During the most difficult time, no one came to carry him down the mountain.
Hearing Ji Yuan's words, Lu Chengfeng laughed at himself again.
"Mr. Ji is right."
Seeing his haggard and depressed look, Ji Yuan thought that he must have experienced something that he regretted deeply. At such times, people always try to escape and want to go back to the past and change the past.
"Master Lu, you can talk to me about your worries. No one says that heroes in the martial arts world cannot be sad about the passing of time."
As Ji Yuan spoke, he stood up and walked to the kitchen, took out two ceramic bowls, placed them on the stone table, and gently tapped the wine jar to remove the seal.
Smelling the aroma of the wine, he poured it into two bowls.
This wine smells like a faint medicinal herb, and is not an ordinary grain wine or fruit wine.
Lu Chengfeng was not polite either. He picked up the bowl and toasted Ji Yuan before drinking the whole bowl of wine. As he tasted the wine, his eyes couldn't help but turn red.
"Mr. Ji, I met Du Heng before, and I want to ask you..."
Lu Chengfeng raised his head and looked at Ji Yuan, his gaze meeting those old eyes.
"Are you really a god?"
Although Ji Yuan saved their lives at the beginning, he did not actually show any miraculous means. He is definitely an expert, but just like some temples also have powerful wizards.
As I grow older and gain more experience, I will come to understand more about similar masters. Some of their stories are even more mysterious, and my previous awe of Mr. Ji will gradually weaken in my mind.
However, after meeting Du Heng again and learning some things from him, the mystery surrounding Mr. Ji deepened once again.
"Master Lu, are you here to see Ji or to see the gods?"
Ji Yuan said something and also drank the Tu Su wine. The wine was not very strong, but it tasted very bitter.
"Mr. Ji, Chengfeng has heard that immortals have great magical powers, are immortal and live freely in the world, can ride on clouds and mist, and can even travel through the underworld. Is this true?"
"It seems that he came to see the gods."
Ji Yuan sighed in his heart and no longer worried. He looked at Lu Chengfeng's aura and counted with his fingers, and he had a rough understanding of some things.
"Speaking of which, it was Master Lu who funded the purchase of this Ju'an Pavilion for me. I can certainly help if I can."
Just as Lu Chengfeng was about to speak, Ji Yuan raised his hand to stop him, staring at him indifferently with his pale eyes.
"I already know that your mother passed away not long ago, and I also know that Mr. Lu is very sad, but the dead cannot be resurrected. Not to mention that I am not a true immortal, even if I really am, I cannot let your father and mother come back to life."
After some calculations, Ji Yuan had already vaguely figured out what was happening around Lu Chengfeng.
Lu Chengfeng smiled for the first time today.
"Mr. Ji, you misunderstood. Chengfeng is not a greedy person. He does not ask for your magic nor does he expect his parents to return to the world. It's just..."
"I just don't know if there is really an underworld in this world, and if my parents are really there. People often say that deceased parents will appear in their children's dreams, but I have never dreamed of it once..."
Over the years, Lu Chengfeng had experienced glory and pride, gained a lot, but also lost a lot. The unexpected death of his father made the sky of Lu's Yun Pavilion seem to have suddenly collapsed, and they faced one blow after another, either from outside or from within.
Only then did Lu Chengfeng realize that his past glory was nothing but a castle in the air, as fragile as his reputation in the martial arts world that was not earned through real kung fu. After losing his father's protection, although some of his father's old friends helped him in the short term, over time, all kinds of bullying followed.
There are those who seek revenge, and there are also many who are eyeing the benefits that Yun Pavilion's status in the martial arts world can bring, not to mention those chivalrous men who intend to challenge Lu's palm method to improve their reputation in the martial arts world.
The martial arts world and the underworld are so realistic. The martial arts forces are often rarely protected by the government. Without his father's martial arts and abilities, if he wants to protect himself, he will have to endure more depression and helplessness. This is the case for Lu Chengfeng, and even worse for his eldest brother Lu Chengyun, who is currently the pillar of Yun Pavilion.
The difference is that Lu Chengyun is a tough person who has withstood the pressure, but Lu Chengfeng is not like that. He is defeated by the reality. Apart from practicing martial arts desperately in secret, in the eyes of outsiders, he has become a decadent young man who spends all day drinking. The former gentleman of Yun Pavilion is no longer there.
When his beloved mother died of illness, Lu Chengfeng hated himself even more. He hated himself for not being good enough in martial arts and not having enough talent. He hated himself for being incompetent and even envious of his brother.
Lu Chengyun is so "powerful", so powerful that he can tolerate his younger brother's failure to achieve anything, and can grit his teeth and swallow his blood to support Yun Pavilion. However, Lu Chengfeng can't bear the pressure and can't save face. His martial arts are not that good either, and he can't help with anything. This is also a kind of despair for the ambitious Lu Chengfeng.
The death of my mother seemed to shatter even this despair, and what followed was a complete collapse of confidence.
Lu Chengfeng didn't dare to tell Mr. Ji about these things in detail, but he always felt that Mr. Ji's pale eyes seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, as if he could see all of this.
"Mr. Ji, do people really turn into ghosts after death? Do my parents also look down on me as a useless person? If you are really a god, can you take me to the netherworld to meet them?"
This was an absurd request. Lu Chengfeng had asked countless wizards and visited countless temples. He knew that the possibility was not high, but in front of Mr. Ji, he still asked again with hope.
Ji Yuan drank the wine in the bowl and did not answer immediately. Instead, he stood up and took two steps outside the shade of the tree and looked up at the sky.
"Master Lu has gained a lot and lost a lot, but that is all in the past. The world is always there. It is just covered by clouds when it is cloudy. But when the clouds are gone, the light of day will shine on the earth."
Ji Yuan turned around and looked at Lu Chengfeng.
"As for why your father and mother's life span has not yet ended, I will take you to meet them."