“If you stop halfway, even rotten wood cannot be broken; if you keep on carving, even gold and stone can be carved…”
"The five virtues of a gentleman are: benevolence without waste, hard work without complaint, desire without greed, composure without arrogance, and authority without violence."
"Learn extensively and be determined, ask questions and think deeply, and benevolence will be there."
…
Lu Liangsheng stepped over the messy ground with his auspicious cloud shoes, his lips trembling as he muttered the words of saints in books. He turned a deaf ear to what Nezha shouted. With rustling footsteps, he slowly walked towards the figure lying on the ground, slowly squatted down, and brushed away the hair that covered his face.
"Tuoer..."
He shouted softly, and the red light in his eyes faded away. The red lines spreading all over his body also disappeared one by one, returning to the appearance of an old man.
As if he heard the words calling him, the young man who was lying on the ground in the old man's arms slowly opened his eyes, and saw Lu Liangsheng, and forced a smile.
"Master... I... saw my parents... Although I know it was an illusion... But... I haven't remembered what they look like for many years. I can't express how happy I am to see them this time."
Did he want to say more? He was interrupted by Lu Liangsheng, "Don't say anymore. Save some energy. I will take you back and treat your injuries." He stroked his hair, picked him up, and took two steps forward. The young man lay across Lu Liangsheng's chest, staring at the bright sky in the early morning without blinking. The wisps of white clouds were floating in the sky, reflected in his eyes.
"Master, were my parents killed by the Duke of Yue?"
"Master, I don't know, so don't say anything."
Lu Liangsheng really didn't know about this, and it was even more difficult to say more at the moment. After swallowing the demon star, his body was now in turmoil and he needed to suppress it urgently, otherwise it might break out of the shackles, and it would be difficult to swallow it again.
However, after taking a few steps, he suddenly felt his arms become light and he lowered his eyes. The figure of the disciple he was holding became ethereal. He shook his head and closed his eyes.
"Master... I am a little tired."
"Don't sleep, open your eyes and look at your master!"
"Disciple is tired..."
Yuwen Tuo gradually disappeared, and his voice was still floating, "... I have been guarding the Yuwen family for a long time, and I have completed all the instructions given by the master... I am too tired and want to take a break. I hope the master will help me..."
The running footsteps suddenly stopped. Lu Liangsheng looked at the disciple in his arms, who turned into dust and dissipated little by little, leaving only light words echoing in his ears.
Ding~~
There was a slight sound when Lu Liangsheng's hand landed on it. It was an ancient bronze seven-cornered mirror with a bunch of red tassels hanging underneath, lying quietly in the palm of his hand, and there was also a faint voice coming from it.
"Master, now that I have returned to my mirror body, I will rest for a while..."
"You take a rest."
Lu Liangsheng held the bronze mirror and gently touched the mirror surface, then put it in his sleeve pocket. He also summoned the Xuanyuan Sword that had fallen nearby, put it back into the Xuanyuan Sword scabbard, shrunk it into the size of a thumb, and hung it around his waist.
"Master, I will keep your weapon. If you want to come out again in the future, you will have a weapon that suits you."
He smiled and looked at the pretty woman standing over there with the sword in her hand. Nie Honglian came quickly, threw the shuriken, and threw herself into Lu Liangsheng's arms amidst Pu Du Ci Hang's shouts of “Hey, hey, you…”
On the distant city wall, Zhu Ganglie, Gongsun Liao, Yunji Taoist priest and a group of Taoists jumped down from the city wall and came over to congratulate him on getting rid of the evil star. Toad stood on Gongsun Liao's shoulders, hugged his webbed feet, and nodded with an approving look.
"Liangsheng, well done... How does the monster star taste? Can you eat it?!"
Everyone around burst into laughter, feeling relieved after the catastrophe.
"Old Lu!"
"Lu Da scholar!"
"Lu Lang!"
The Taoist priest came running from afar, and when he shouted the last word, Hong Lian gave him a fierce look. Sun Yingxian smiled and didn't care. He turned around and walked around the woman, patted Lu Liangsheng on the shoulder, and leaned on him. He was about to say, "With such merits, you can become an immortal." Their shoulders bumped together, and Lu Liangsheng seemed to have lost his support and almost fell to the side. The Taoist priest reached out his hand unnoticeably to support his waist and passed on some of his magic power.
With a smile on his face, he lowered his voice and asked, "Old Lu, are you injured?"
Lu Liangsheng did not answer him, but just cupped his hands to thank the cultivators who came to help from afar. After a moment, the tightly closed city gate opened, and a series of horse hoof sounds spread over this side amid the loud shouts of "Gee!" Yang Guang ran in front, approaching this side, reined in his warhorse and turned over, his face showing unconcealed joy, and he quickly came over and grabbed Lu Liangsheng's hand.
"I thank you for eliminating the demons, Imperial Master!"
After saying that, without waiting for Lu Liangsheng to support him, he knelt on one knee on the ground, clasped his hands together and bowed. Behind him, the generals from the court who followed him also knelt down and bowed. Among the crowd, Qu Yuanfeng also knelt down and bowed, but looking at the expression of his master, he was somewhat worried.
"Your Majesty, and everyone else please get up quickly."
It was rare for an emperor of a country to half-kneel and thank so many people. Lu Liangsheng personally helped Yang Guang up. Yang Guang spoke excitedly, stretching his hand toward the city gate, "Grandmaster, follow me back to the city now. And all the Taoist masters, come back to the palace with me and have a feast. Whatever you want, I will grant it as long as I can afford it!"
"His Majesty!"
Lu Liangsheng looked at the emperor, whose face was flushed and excited, and suddenly said, "I may not be able to attend the banquet. I need to go to a secluded place to recuperate."
"No problem, I will go to Wanshou Temple in person someday to ask... The Imperial Master is not going back to Wanshou Temple?" Yang Guang realized that something was wrong and quickly changed the topic to ask, "Where is the otherworldly place that the Imperial Master mentioned? When will the Imperial Master return?"
Lu Liangsheng's words came out of nowhere and stunned everyone present, whether they were cultivators, Zhu Ganglie, Sun Yingxian, Gongsun Liao, or even Hong Lian.
The former pursed his lips, shook his head, and glanced at them.
"I don't know..."
Seeing that the Taoist was about to speak, he said to him first: "Old Sun, go back to Qixia Mountain. Xiaoxian is still waiting for you. Those children also need someone to take care of them. Also, take good care of my parents for me. If there is any problem, I will beat you to death and run all over the mountain when I come back."
"Then where are you going?" When Sun Yingxian heard these words, she felt as if she was being told about her last wishes. She was caught off guard and her shoulders felt heavy. Lu Liangsheng leaned over and whispered, "Wujiang Mountain... I want to refine the demon star in my body. If I stay in Chang'an or Qixia Mountain, if something happens, it will affect the villagers and the people in the city. The only way to go there is that even if the refining fails, there will be no one around and there will be room for maneuver."
Lu Liangsheng patted his shoulder heavily.
"Don't think too much. From now on, the family will rely on you to support it."
After saying that, he looked at everyone again, spoke to Li Yuanba, and told him some methods of cultivation. Originally, Yang Guang wanted to persuade him, but Lu Liangsheng raised his hand and sent him to the city gate with a teleportation move, and then called Qu Yuanfeng and Li Sui'an.
"Yuan Feng has lost his fate, so he should hone himself in the world and achieve some achievements. Sui An, you have an active mind, but you must not put it on the evil path. I don't know how long I will be away. You have a wife who is about to give birth at home, so go back and take good care of her. Now that you have become the head of a sect, you should manage it well and not be lazy. If you have time, take your aunt to live with you and enjoy some peace and quiet."
The two men's eyes were already red and wet. They turned their faces away and bowed with their hands clasped.
Lu Liangsheng nodded and asked Hong Lian to go back to the temple to find the old donkey, and then called the old pig. The latter walked forward in confusion and pointed at himself: "What about me, the old pig?"
"Please give me a ride later."
Lu Liangsheng smiled and said something to him, bowed to everyone, and then bowed to the emperor standing at the city gate.
"Your Majesty, when I return, I will see Kyushu in a prosperous and magnificent state!!"
He stood up and called Zhu Ganglie, Gongsun Liao, and his master, and they raised a gust of wind and flew away into the distance. Under the city gate, Yang Guang climbed onto the horse's back and, just like he did in the beginning, he rode the horse for more than ten feet to chase after him.
"National Master—"
Looking at the figure going away, he raised his hands on horseback and shouted loudly towards the wilderness: "I will definitely rule a prosperous era. Wait for the Imperial Master to come back!!!"
The voice drifted away. Yang Guang looked over there for a long time, with tears in his eyes. Then he turned his horse's head and shouted "Go!" to urge his horse to gallop back to the city.
…
The sun passed through the clouds, shining on the mottled blood-stained city wall extending to the outskirts of the west gate. The group suddenly slowed down and stopped in front of a nearby big tree. Lu Liangsheng, who had a calm expression before, flushed when the people around him were gone. He leaned against the tree and squeezed out hoarse words.
"Take me to Wujiang Mountain... quickly..."