The tender green branches swayed in the wind, and a rustling sound was heard on the undulating foothills. A small animal with a fluffy tail came out of the tree hole, stood on the branch, and looked at the spring scenery of the mountains outside. Standing above the attic in the mountain, a golden light descended from the clouds. It was startled by a squeak, turned around and ran back to the cave. After a while, it poked its head out to look around.
Golden light was everywhere, filling the attic room. A figure walked out of the light. Faintly, a familiar female voice could be heard singing a little tune intermittently from outside the building. Lu Liangsheng turned around and looked at the figure sitting cross-legged under the word "Heaven and Earth". His hair and beard were as pale as before, but his face and body were much thinner. The Qilin cloak he wore made him look empty.
"One day in heaven... Heaven's way... Are you forcing me in this way?"
He walked towards the body sitting cross-legged on the cushion, and his soul suddenly lit up with light, and penetrated into the skinny cheeks and brows. In less than a moment, the eyelashes of the eyes that had not been opened for a long time trembled, and slowly opened, looking at the furnishings in the room. The sunlight coming through the paper window was a little blurry, and it took a long time before it slowly got better.
He summoned up his magical power and used his whole body again. His bones made a series of crackling sounds and his legs stretched and flexed stiffly dozens of times before he was able to stand up with difficulty.
I'm afraid that this body of mine hasn't been moved for many years. I checked the demon star sealed in my body. I thought it had run away from my body over the years. I probed into the qi sea with my spiritual sense, and after a moment, I exhaled.
"You did a good thing by not letting the demon star escape again. By the way, before you leave, I have one last question for you."
Lu Liangsheng took two staggering steps and looked at the paper window through which the sunlight was shining. It seemed that there was a figure swaying outside. The corners of his mouth curled up, and then he turned his head slightly to look at the beam of golden light in front of the futon.
"I have sealed the evil star and repelled the gods who wanted to stir up war in the Nine Provinces... How many years will the Sui Dynasty last?"
"The country is in decline, the law of nature will eventually come to an end."
"I can hear your tone after a few conversations. It seems that it won't last long." Lu Liangsheng continued to look at the paper window, and the smile on his lips gradually cooled.
"So, all I have done along the way, in the end, is to ascend to the Immortal Pavilion and become an emotionless immortal? Right? What I prayed for, the stability of the country and the people, in the end, I still can't let the people live a more peaceful life, right?"
The golden light was flowing, slightly unstable, and he also noticed that the tone of this man who had been the national teacher for many years had become unfriendly.
“… You want to prolong the Sui Dynasty?!”
"—I miss your mom!!"
Suddenly there was a loud shout, and the furnishings in the room shook. The windows and doors along the wall vibrated buzzingly, as if a muffled thunder had exploded in the building. Lu Liangsheng flicked his wide sleeves and turned around abruptly. In his hand was the Kongtong Seal, and the fingertips of his other hand were stroking the bottom of the seal. His cloudy eyes looked sharp.
"I accept the connection between the heaven and the earth, and the formation of all spirits. I accept becoming an immortal. I accept having nothing to do with the mortal world anymore. But after hundreds of years of war, the world finally came to peace. Do you really think the world is the lower world? You are the way of heaven, the eyes of heaven. You are not here to be a messenger!"
“… Don’t assume Lu Liangsheng has a good temper!!!”
As Lu Liangsheng spoke, his five fingers touching the bottom of the seal made a crackling sound, and blue-white arcs of electricity kept flashing and jumping on it. In an instant, the screens, tables and chairs were creaking and moved on the ground by the wind, and fell down with a sound, blowing open the window frames facing the courtyard and flapping them wildly.
He saw the Kongtong Seal in his hand, and a large amount of powder was falling from the bottom. The golden light over there moved, trying to cover him, but was blocked by the Qilin Cloak. Lu Liangsheng flipped up the seal, and the three words "Kongtong Seal" originally engraved on the bottom were smoothed out. He bit his fingertips, and blood oozed out at the moment. The thumb-sized Xuanyuan Sword at his waist hummed, and the sword energy spread and condensed on his fingers, and then touched the bottom of the Kongtong Seal.
"Click~"
His fingertips sank, leaving a deep mark, and he wrote seal characters along the bottom - Seal of the Sui Dynasty Imperial Master.
boom!!
Thunder rolled across the sky. The originally bright spring sky was covered with dark clouds from afar, shrouding the mountain range in gloom. In the flashing lightning, Lu Liangsheng's hair and beard danced. He slowly raised his hand and grinned.
"Since Heaven wants the Great Sui Dynasty to obey Heaven's will, then this country's teacher can borrow the power of the Human Emperor to borrow a hundred years of national prosperity from the future dynasty. It can still be done."
The golden light was blocked on the opposite side, swaying unsteadily for a while, and then there were voices outside: "Young Master!" "Old Monster!" "Master Toad, the Young Master has come out!" At this time, the voice of Heaven could be heard faintly from the light.
"After completing the Ten Thousand Spirits Formation, the Heavenly Dao will take you to ascend, and your quasi-flesh body will become an immortal and ascend to the Heavenly Pavilion!"
The sound stopped abruptly, and the golden light shrank from the roof in an instant, extending into the clouds in the sky. In less than a moment, the originally gloomy sky was cleared, and the sun shone again, shining through the window lattice into the quiet room.
Dust danced in the sunlight shining on Lu Liangsheng's robe. He stood there for a while, pursing his lips tightly, and stretched out his hand to open the door. Under the eaves, Hong Lian in a plain dress, Qi You in a black dress, and two children who looked like they had not grown up were crowded there with their shoulders level and grinning. When they saw Lu Liangsheng coming out, they all put their hands together, bowed, and said, "Disciples, congratulations to Mr. (Master) for coming out of retreat!"
"I'm back."
Lu Liangsheng helped up the two children in front of him and looked at the two women opposite, one white and one black. When Hong Lian heard the gentle words, her eyes turned red, and a warmth spread from the bottom of her heart to her whole body. Her hands began to tremble, and tears slid from the corners of her eyes, along the dimples on her face, and fell on her lapels. She could no longer suppress her emotions, and she rushed over, threw herself into the man's arms and cried.
"It's okay... I just went there not long ago."
This "soon" was indeed not too long for Lu Liangsheng, and he even felt that it was only half a day. However, to this world, or to the people waiting for him, it seemed like a very long time.
The woman buried in his arms cried softly for a while, then she raised her face with a sniffle, "It's not just a short time, it's been twenty years... I sat in the yard, looking at the surrounding mountains and forests, which turned green and then yellow, and then yellow and covered with snow... Over there, the small trees I planted have all grown into towering trees, and Master Toad has even grown a white beard."
"I have had a white beard since the beginning, so why would I need you, a little devil girl, to tell me..."
At some point, the Toad Taoist appeared nearby, transformed into a fat old man, looking at his disciple who had just come out of seclusion with a smile. Lu Liangsheng let go of Hong Lian and came forward to greet him.
"Disciple, I pay my respects to the Master."
"Why are you praying? I am tired of staying here. There is nothing good to eat. I am happy to leave now."
Now that many years have passed, Toad Taoist has no idea what the outside world is like. He never leaves this place because he is afraid that something might happen to his disciple.
At this time, Lu Liangsheng came out of retreat, and vaguely felt that his cultivation was much higher than that of Zhanxu in the past. However, he did not know what the next realm of cultivators in the world was, and it seemed that he had never heard of it.
After a few people gathered together and chatted for a while, Lu Liangsheng looked around, but did not see Zhu Ganglie and Gongsun Liao. After asking, he found out that Old Zhu was bored and left a few years ago. He said he was wandering around and later returned to the temple once and lived in Yunzhan Cave on Fuling Mountain.
As for Gongsun Liao, he disappeared without a word, and Toad Taoist didn't know where he went, perhaps he went to the farther northwest desert.
"Master, what should we do next? Should we go back to Mount Qixia?" Hong Lian calmed down and thought about it. She hadn't been back for so many years and missed it very much.
Lu Liangsheng nodded and looked at the old donkey running towards him with its tongue wagging. His gaze moved to the rolling hills outside and the bright sunshine shining towards him.
"It's time to go out, go home, and then... finish one last thing."