On summer nights, cicadas chirp in the woods, and the night wind swings red lanterns under the eaves, with the swaying light shining through the window frames.
Figures were moving around, and in the hall of the building, the flames of the lampposts were swaying gently, and Lu Liangsheng's voice was heard slowly.
"... After going out to sea, I found the location of Guixu and got the Kongtong Seal. Then I met the four generals of the Demon Family, who were the four heavenly kings of the South Gate often worshipped in temples. Later... after a fight, I went to the Far West..."
The lights in the hall were brightly on. Li Jinhua, Lu Laoshi, Sun Yingxian, Lu Xiaoxian, Hong Lian, Mingyue, and Lu Pan stood around, quietly watching Lu Liangsheng, who was holding a bowl and picking up food with chopsticks in the middle. He slowly told them about his experiences in the past few years. When they heard about the 'Four Generals of the Demon Family', 'Gods of the Western World', 'Mermaids' and other unheard-of things, everyone held their breath and clenched their fingers.
As for his current aged appearance, Lu Liangsheng didn't want to reveal too much about the secrets of the Kongtong Seal, so he found an excuse to evade the topic. After he finished speaking, the Taoist held his chin with his hand, feeling a little unsatisfied.
"Ah, why don't you bring that mermaid back... Ouch!"
There was a pain in her waist, and Lu Xiaoxian let out a long moan of "Hmm?!". Seeing the Taoist begging for mercy, she snorted and let go of her hand, put the little person in her arms down, and patted his butt, "Xiaoyun, go call your uncle."
The three-year-old child raised his little face and looked curiously at the old man who put down his bowl and chopsticks over there, blinked his eyes in confusion, and was pushed by Xiaoxian's hand to take a few steps over there. He approached timidly and called out in a baby voice.
"uncle… "
Then, he quickly turned around and ran back, throwing himself into his mother's arms, causing everyone in the hall to laugh. Lu Liangsheng also laughed a few times. They chatted for a while. Li Jinhua pulled Lu Laoshi, who still wanted to sit on the stool to listen, to help pick up the empty bowls and plates. After all, his son had just returned, so he should rest for a night first.
Soon, everyone also said goodbye, leaving only the Taoist sitting there. Seeing that there was no one around, he put his elbows on the table, brought a cup of hot tea over, and touched Lu Liangsheng's hair. Hong Lian, who was standing next to him, glared at him fiercely, so he withdrew his hand in dismay and brought the tea to his mouth.
"Master Lu, how is your cultivation now... You don't have to take care of me, just tell me directly."
In the past few years, after the Taoist got married, he calmed down and practiced, and made rapid progress. From the Golden Core Realm that year, he has stepped into the threshold of the Nascent Soul Realm. It's a pity that he has not been able to break through, but at his age, this is rare.
On the other side, Lu Liangsheng didn't think of hiding anything from him. He simply raised his hand, put his palm down lightly, and uttered two words.
"Zhan Xu."
Cough cough!
Sun Yingxian, who had just taken a sip of tea, spat it out, and coughed vigorously a few times with a flushed face. The dense mist floated in the air, but it could not get within a few inches of Lu Liangsheng opposite.
The Taoist wiped the water stains from the corners of his mouth, raised his head, and his eyes showed disbelief: "Do you have to be so fast? Can't you wait for me? That's not right."
Having said that, Sun Yingxian came forward to take a closer look. After a while, she sat back down and frowned.
"The higher the realm, the more difficult it will be. It is impossible to reach the Divine Realm in just a few years... Is your current appearance and realm related to the Kongtong Seal?"
The Taoist priest was, after all, a serious cultivator, so he could naturally see some clues. Lu Liangsheng neither nodded nor denied it, but just said, "Don't tell anyone about my return for now, and tell the people in the temple... By the way, arrange accommodation for the boy I brought back. I'm a little tired, so I'll go back to my room and have a nap first."
After saying that, Lu Liangsheng stood up and walked towards the stairs. As his footsteps rang, he turned around and asked:
"My room is still empty, right?"
"Who dares to touch your room? Take a rest quickly. I have been working hard all day and I need to rest."
The Taoist waved his hand under the light, and saw the hunched figure on the stairs disappear at the end. He shook his head and smiled, took the tea and took a sip, then stood up in a very casual manner, walked to the stairs with brisk steps, humming a little tune. He felt at ease knowing that the great scholar Lu had returned.
In the corridor on the third floor, listening to the Taoist humming a little tune downstairs, Lu Liangsheng walked to his original room with his hands behind his back and pushed the door open. The room was already lit with a small light. A bookshelf was placed in the corner, the Yuelong Sword was hung on the wall, and even the pens, ink, paper and inkstone were neatly arranged and placed in a convenient place for him.
Everything familiar made him feel comfortable.
Under the bedding on the bed, the Toad Taoist turned over and slept soundly with his belly exposed, his webbed feet twitching from time to time. He was sleeping soundly. Lu Liangsheng went over to cover his master with a small quilt, greeted Hong Lian who was closing the door, extinguished the candle with a flick of his sleeve, lay down on the couch, looked at the curtains, thought about the scene of returning home, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, he slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Oh oh~~Oh oh oh oh~~~
The sky was brightening, and the roosters in the pen at the back of the attic were crowing. The sunlight shone through the window lattice, and the light dust was flying. Lu Liangsheng walked to the window, and Toad Taoist also stood on the table. The master and disciple both stretched their bodies comfortably.
The sound sleep almost swept away all the tiredness of the past few years. Lu Liangsheng stood in front of the window, looking at more than a hundred children outside who brought low stools and low tables to the square to grind ink and draw talismans. Over by the pool, Li Yuanba stood with his hands on his waist, struggling with Lu Pan with one hand, while Lu Xi, Lu Qing and seven others cheered on the side.
After watching for a while and washing up, he went downstairs to play with his sister's son, had a simple breakfast, and disappeared to Mount Li outside the city. Since he was back, it was only right for him to pay a visit to his mother and see if he could learn something about the gods and immortals from her. Unfortunately, he had no chance to see her on the mountain, and even Xiaodie, the woman in the yellow skirt who served her herbal tea, did not get to see her.
"My mother must have known what I did. She didn't want to see me. Maybe she didn't want to reveal too much secret..."
Lu Liangsheng stood on the path in the forest, sighed, turned around and left down the mountain. There was nothing to do when he returned to Wanshou Temple. He taught the children in the audience some academic things while waiting for news from the City God Ji Xin.
The breeze blew the branches gently, and the cicadas chirped. The boy Mingyue followed behind, walking together across the swaying spots on the ground. Lu Liangsheng looked back at the little man, remembered Yanzhi's instructions when they left Qixia Mountain, and called him over.
"Tomorrow morning, go back to Qixia Mountain to visit your mother. After spending some time together, come back."
"Um."
Mingyue raised her little face and nodded heavily. She had been out for a few years and her cultivation had improved a lot. She did miss her mother at home. Since her master asked her to go back and see him, it would be great. She turned and left Lu Liangsheng with an excited grin on her face. She took two steps and then... bumped into someone. She touched her forehead, raised her eyes, and called out, "Second Senior Brother!"
The man who came was dressed in a brocade robe, with a long copper-yellow sword hanging from his waist. His sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes showed majesty. Yuwen Tuo said "hmm" and nodded to Mingyue, then strode towards the old man in front.
Last night, he sensed Lu Liangsheng's cultivation level, and rushed to visit him as soon as daybreak.
“Master!”
Yuwen Tuo knelt on one knee and raised his hands: "Disciple Yuwen Tuo greets Master!"