The bonfire was shaking, and a few sparks popped up into the air along with the heat wave. Hearing her son's words, the woman was stunned for a moment, then a look of surprise appeared on her face. She quickly walked over and squatted beside Chen Jing.
"Jing'er, you...what you said...is it true?"
Crackling. Crackling.
The dead branch made a crisp sound. Chen Jing stared at the flames in a trance. A branch in his hand snapped off and he nodded. "When Hui Tianzhi started an uprising to restore his country, he met Lu Liangsheng. In order to let me escape, Master stopped him from behind..."
Talking about what happened that day, the branch he broke in his hand was broken into four pieces again, "... But just now, what happened outside, I saw Master... He turned into a corpse demon, and fought with Lu Liangsheng, and was captured."
"Then why didn't you save your master!!" Zhang Lihua pinched the corner of her clothes and her voice became a little louder.
"Your master worked hard for your throne and the Kingdom of Chen, and you just watched him being captured by Lu Liangsheng?!"
Over there, Chen Jing raised his hand, pinched the edge of his sleeve to wipe the corner of his eyes, lowered his face, buried it between his knees, and shook it with difficulty: "Mother... Master is dead, he turned into a corpse demon, he is not a human anymore..."
He paused for a moment, and said in a low, hoarse voice: "... Lu Liangsheng has a high level of cultivation... I... can't beat him, and it's even more impossible for me to save my master from him."
With a few snaps, four branches fell to the ground. Chen Jing stood up with red eyes, glanced at his mother, walked to the temple gate with the sword in hand, and let out a loud roar of "Ah--" as if to vent his anger. He raised his foot and kicked the crooked temple door away with a bang, and it fell outside and broke into pieces.
"What should I do..."
He squeezed out the words with difficulty in a trembling voice. Lu Liangsheng had known him for a long time. When he was still a child, he was saved by him, which led to his current life. Later, the death of his father was also related to him, but there were some complicated things. What's more, it was his father who made the mistake first. Later, he asked him to come out of retirement several times, and he even had the idea of becoming his disciple, but it never came true.
Even so, Chen Jing always respected Mr. Lu in his heart, regardless of his status as the National Master. But now with the death of his master and his transformation into a demon being captured, he felt an indescribable conflict in his heart.
"Jing'er..."
The woman in the temple walked forward carefully. It was the first time she saw her usually gentle and elegant son get so angry. She reached out and gently stroked Chen Jing's back a few times, whispering, "... Don't be angry, and don't seek revenge. I said those words just now because I was anxious for my mother. Don't take it to heart. Since we can't win, we should stay away from him."
"Mom, Lu Liangsheng never thought of causing trouble for me."
Chen Jing turned his head to the side, and on the side of his face illuminated by the firelight, he forced out a smile, with a bitter smile: "Just now, he had seen my son, but he didn't mean to do anything... I don't even have the interest to let him do anything."
"where… "
Without waiting for the woman to speak, Chen Jing patted her hand and said, "Mom, let's go. It's never too late for a gentleman to take revenge. I won't rush to Chang'an City to cause trouble for him. I will learn all the Taoist secrets that my master left me after I have completed my studies, and then come to Chang'an to try my luck..."
Look towards the bonfire.
"By then, even if we are defeated, we can still escape unscathed. As for restoring our country, I no longer dare to hope for it."
It was late at night. The mother and son in the temple talked for a while, leaning against each other to comfort each other. Recalling some scenes from the past when the Chen Dynasty was still around, the atmosphere became a little better.
Soon, the clouds in the east turned pale, and golden light pierced through the clouds and shone out, rapidly pushing away the darkness that enveloped the sky and the earth. In the temple where the darkness spread, the bonfire went out and blue smoke rose. The mother and son in the temple carried their bags on their backs, left in the morning light, and went somewhere else.
The golden light spread, pushed through the towering and ancient city walls, and sprinkled on the streets and alleys, which were bustling with noise. The men who got up early to work bought breakfast with their bare chests and squatted on the street to chat with their companions about what happened last night. The women who fetched water and bought vegetables gathered at the wellhead and were also talking about the rumors of yesterday. Some people even saw it with their own eyes, and their descriptions were so detailed.
"You don't know, a group of people like that, biting anyone they catch, it's really scary."
"Oh... Isn't that a monster?"
"What monster? Didn't you hear the government officials say that those people believed in evil cults and their brains are not smart anymore?"
"I think so too. How can there be so many monsters coming to the city?"
"Oh, yeah, how did the government handle this matter?"
"…Who knows? Anyway, the families who participated in the incident are still being questioned by the police. But it seems that they have also given money. Don't you think it's strange?"
"What's so strange about that? After all, the person died, so it's only right to give some compensation."
Amid the chatter of urban conversation, the sun shines over the lotus pond, the slightly moist surface of the lake ripples, and a group of wild ducks preen their wings, stretch their necks and neigh twice.
On the raised terrain opposite, strong laborers from the Taoist temple were carrying loads and moving stones, repairing the floor tiles and collapsed wooden buildings.
The warm morning sun swept away the haze of the night, and the Taoist temple was bustling with activity.
The Taoist held the teacup in one hand and put the other hand on his waist. He took a sip of tea and directed the strong men who came up to stack the stones and wood in the designated places.
"As expected, being an official is great..."
Then, thinking of the horrifying contents of the books, he quickly shook the idea out of his mind, "I am a cultivator, how can I be greedy for worldly power... unlike some people."
Sun Yingxian held the teacup, took a sip of hot tea, squinted her eyes comfortably, and looked back at the attic behind her.
"But it's also nice to be with someone and enjoy wealth and luxury."
Over there, a multi-story attic stood. Sunlight shone through the open window frames, causing dust to fly. On the bed made of purple wood, Lu Liangsheng opened his eyes slightly, felt a little pain, and woke up with his hands covering his forehead.
hiss~~~
He felt heavy and woke up a little, then saw Qiyou sleeping soundly with her limbs wrapped around him. He sighed and quietly stuffed the wooden pillow into her arms. The woman hugged the pillow and rubbed her pretty face on it.
Lu Liangsheng sat down on the edge of the bed, put on his shoes, and stretched. Then he looked at the desk. The Toad Taoist had several bandages wrapped around his head, with one of his webbed feet hanging from it, and the other webbed foot supporting his chin. He was sitting on a book, basking in the sun, with a puffy look on his face.
Sensing the movement, he opened his slightly swollen eyes and narrowed them into a slit. Lu Liangsheng looked at his appearance and was stunned for a moment. Didn’t he hit himself? Why did his master become like this
The scholar straightened his sleeves, sat down at the table, and spoke tentatively.
"Master, what's wrong with you?"
"Hmph..." The Toad Taoist held up his flippers, glanced at his disciple, snorted, and turned away: "Nothing."
Lu Liangsheng was stunned. His master’s reaction made him even more confused. It was impossible that he would accidentally hurt his master after falling unconscious
It shouldn’t be like this…
Thinking silently, the Toad Taoist over there didn't hear his disciple's concerned words for a long time, and turned around hurriedly.
"Just keep asking me, Master!"
"Uh... Master, didn't you say everything was alright?!"
Hearing this, the toad was so excited that he almost stood up and raised his dangling flipper slightly, "Do you think your master is okay?"
The scholar laughed at the excited master in front of him, and quickly took over his words and asked:
"Then what happened to Master's injuries?"
The room became a little quieter. Amid the sound of the woman on the couch grinding her teeth, Toad Taoist took a deep breath, stretched out his two short legs, sat back down, snorted, and glanced at the bed.
"It's still that old tree demon... I just wanted you to wake up, but you beat me up instead!!"