Puff…
The aroma of porridge filled the air. Lu Liangsheng scooped up two bowls of porridge, walked over and handed them to Yan Chixia and Zuo Zhengyang. He came back and scooped up another bowl, blew on it, sat down next to his master, and looked in the direction he was looking.
"What did you think of, Master?"
"Do you remember the miraculous elixirs and manuals that were taken away from me by the Fire Praying Sect?"
The Toad Taoist took a deep breath, his white belly bulged up, he squinted his eyes, stared at the tree demon's several long tongues flying around, put on his flippers, and looked serious.
"This monster was sealed by the Fire Prayer Cult. Even if it is not in its right mind, it should still have some memories."
The scholar who was blowing away the hot air paused, some bad memories recalled in his mind. The scene of the women and children being sealed in pottery jars in the pavilions on Yingshi Mountain in Huaiyi Prefecture once again occupied his thoughts.
If we hadn't been looking for the master's stolen treasure, I'm afraid those children and women would have been taken as human sacrifices by the other party.
The flame burned silently, and the temple fell silent. Zuo Zhengyang and Yan Chixia, who were eating over there, looked over. Even the four scholars lying on the ground did not utter a groan.
Lu Liangsheng placed the slightly cooled porridge in front of his master and threw a dry branch into the fire, which caused some sparks to rise.
"Master, this is feasible. The matter of the Fire Prayer Cult should indeed be brought to an end. If we let them continue, I don't know how many people will be killed."
Leaning against the wall, the scholar closed his eyes and thought of the night in Tianzhi City three years ago. The ability of the Holy Fire Master to fly in the air was probably even higher than his current Nascent Soul stage.
While thinking, he took the spell book from the bookshelf, flipped through it in the flickering firelight, but found no effective solution.
"... The Holy Fire Master has a high level of cultivation. Even with my current magical power, even if I find another base, it will be difficult to shake it, and I will be picked up by then."
"snort… "
The Toad Taoist sat on the ground, snorting, and instinctively shot out his long tongue to wrap around the moth that flew towards the fire. He drank a mouthful of porridge and licked his lips.
"... A thief, if my strength had not been greatly reduced, how could he have troubled Liangsheng? You also know how strong my strength was in the past. Think about the past when several major sects surrounded my master on the top of the mountain. There were magic weapons blocking the sun and a sea of people..."
The temple was quiet, and soon the sound of someone snoring could be heard.
The toad sat on the ground and waved its flippers.
"... He forced me to fight my way out. If I hadn't met an old monk, oh yes, he was the junior brother of that old bald monk from last time. Fortunately, I'm good at fighting..."
Turning his head to Chan's face, the tired people around him had fallen into a deep sleep. Even the disciple over there was leaning against the wall, closing his eyes and breathing slowly.
"Can't you let me say a few more words?"
The Toad Taoist muttered something, quickly gulped down the cold porridge, walked to the bookshelf compartment, slammed the small door shut angrily, and crawled into the bed.
The night was deep and quiet. In the flickering firelight, five scholars were talking and grinding their teeth in their sleep, with their arms and legs folded and hugging each other. Yan Chixia, who was sitting in the corner, was holding a wine bag. He occasionally woke up, looked around, and saw the tree demon grandma leaning against the donkey and sleeping soundly. Only then did he close his eyes with peace of mind.
Zuo Zhengyang, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, dozed off and sorting out his thoughts during this period. Then, the fatigue from more than half a month finally came over him, and he leaned his head against the wall, his mind going blank.
The next morning, the sun shone through the woods and fields. Birds danced and sang happily on the treetops. Light dust danced at the temple gate. Lu Liangsheng woke up early, lit a fire and cooked. In his free time, he walked around the walls of Lanruo Temple and looked at the murals left over from the past.
The Buddha is gloomy and the goddess is resentful. They were probably painted when I was in a very bad mood after receiving the bad news about my teacher. Looking at them now, they seem a little too violent.
He went back to the temple, took out an inkstone and wolf-hair brush from the bookshelf, started grinding ink, and added details based on the original design. The corners of the Buddha's eyes were outlined with an upward slant, and his gloomy eyes turned into a hint of joy. The Nine-Sky Goddess wiped away a few lines at the corners of her mouth and added an arc, as if she was smiling.
Even though they have magical powers attached to them, I dare not light up their pupils. Who knows if they will pop out...
"Mr. Lu is very elegant."
Under the eaves of the temple behind him, Zuo Zhengyang was leaning against the wall with his one arm hanging down, a smile on his bearded face. After losing his arm, the number of times he had laughed could be counted on one hand.
Lu Liangsheng shook the ink off the tip of the pen and put it in the envelope.
"The paintings were not finished when I came last time. I took a look at them this morning and couldn't help but add a few strokes to them. I'm sorry to make Qian Wei laugh."
When he put it into his sleeve, Zuo Zhengyang also walked out from under the eaves. Together they walked slowly around the courtyard wall, occasionally looking at the paintings of Buddha and goddess on the wall.
"The toad monster last night..."
"It's my master." Lu Liangsheng did not hide anything and explained the truth. He smiled and said, "If it weren't for my master, I'm afraid I would still be a farmer in the village who only cared about farming, marrying and having children."
On the side, Zuo Zhengyang smiled as well.
"Zuo has no other intentions, just asking casually."
The scholar was tall and slender with an elegant temperament, while the latter was agile and powerful. They walked side by side across the deep well in front of them, one on the left and the other on the right, without any difference in height. After a moment of silence, Zuo Zhengyang asked about what he had heard last night.
"Last night, I heard Master Lu and your master talking about the Fire Praying Sect. What is it?"
"A cult." When mentioning this sect, Lu Liangsheng's smile faded. He stopped and looked at the broken earth spirit stele in front of his feet, his voice cold.
"There was a severe drought in Heliang Province that year. Qian Wei is from the Southern Chen region, so he should have known about it."
Zuo Zhengyang nodded.
"I know. Later in the capital, I heard Lord Shuhua and Minister Min talk about the misery there in detail."
At this point, he suddenly understood: "Is it these evil people who did the evil things?"
"Not only that, they created a severe drought in order to seize women and children and put them in pottery jars for human sacrifice."
"These guys deserve to die!"
Zuo Zhengyang growled, and the leaves of his straw raincoat stood up. He gritted his teeth and punched the wall, causing debris to fly and leaving a fist mark.
Since leaving the capital and embarking on the journey of spiritual practice, without the constraints of public office, his temperament has changed greatly.
"Mr. Lu, is the Holy Fire Master you mentioned last night the person behind this sect?"
"It's him."
Lu Liangsheng nodded, and the two continued to walk forward. Turning the corner of the eaves, he continued, "In the matter of Pudu Cihang, he also came and took away the soul of the great demon, but his cultivation is too high, so I don't have much chance of winning."
After walking for a while and almost reaching the temple gate, Zuo Zhengyang, who was walking nearby, suddenly stopped. When Lu Liangsheng turned around, he clenched his fists and pressed them against his legs, and his eyes met the scholar's.
He said:
"Slay demons and exorcise evil spirits. How is this sect any different from the demons? Count Zuo in as well!"
"What are you two talking about?"
Yan Chixia had somehow found himself standing on a nearby wall, holding a struggling hare in his hand. He jumped down and shook it towards the two of them, with a few medicinal herbs in his pocket.
"Those five scholars are too weak. Give them some food to replenish their bodies."
As he spoke, Zuo Zhengyang pointed at the bearded man who was carrying the rabbit and said, "He can also be counted as a part."
"What do you count me in for?"
Yan Chixia looked at the two people in front of him in a daze, only to see Lu Liangsheng smiling and nodding. He became even more panicked and caught up with Zuo Zhengyang who was leaving to ask what was going on.
In the sky, the morning sun cast a golden glow, covering the mountains and forests. The Toad Taoist walked out of the temple, yawned, and stretched comfortably with his three disciples who went out with him. At the edge of the forest, a black-skirted tree demon was strolling nearby with an old donkey. She smiled sweetly at them, waved and greeted them, and then was dragged by the old donkey and taken to another place on the ground.
Chirp~~
Birds were singing and climbing up to the eaves to preen their feathers. Lu Liangsheng stood under the eaves, the warm golden light shining on his face, his eyes gazing into the distance.
"Why hasn't Old Sun come yet?"