Chapter 106

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Liyang City, the rain had ceased.

The earth, brown and yellow, stretched far, with occasional patches of green sprouting from the soil, hinting at life. Below the city, the disaster victims still received only a bowl of thin porridge each day, yet their emotions remained stable.

Tattered straw huts stood in clusters, and ragged children chased one another, laughing as they played. Their parents, sitting on dry straw and withered branches, scolded them a few times, but the dirt-streaked faces only glanced back before turning away, continuing their games. Their joyous laughter rippled through the crowd.

Fires had been lit in some places, where people huddled around for warmth, exhaling white mist into the cold air. They rubbed their hands together, murmuring about whether there would be food in the coming days.

Now and then, their gazes drifted toward the distant city walls, recalling the scene from that night—the white-robed scholar standing amidst the heavenly thunder. Even now, the shock of it left them speechless.

“I wonder if that esteemed gentleman survived.”

“Indeed, fortunately, we had such a great expert… I heard he defied the will of the heavens, forcing the rain to fall through forbidden arts. Otherwise, the heavens would not have been enraged, striking down divine lightning.”

“Then the heavens are blind! And those dozen or so scoundrels who tried to kill the scholar, I heard from the soldiers distributing porridge that they were the ones stealing our lost children and women!”

“Those inhuman bastards!”

“Sigh… I just wonder how old that gentleman was.”

“He was burnt to a crisp like that, how could anyone tell?”

As they sat around the fire, watching the children laugh and play not far away, they finally felt that this place had some semblance of life again.

“I only hope that esteemed gentleman is safe…”

…

The rear courtyard of the yamen was serene and elegant. A maid in a flowing blue dress and long trousers carried a tray of dishes, walking beneath the eaves. Stopping before a door, she knocked twice, lightly.

Creak.

A sharp-faced Daoist with a monkey-like appearance opened the door. As he accepted the tray, he seized the opportunity to grope the maid’s hands twice. Before she could react with anger and embarrassment, he slammed the door shut with a bang.

The Daoist hurriedly carried the meal into the room, set it on the table, and deeply inhaled the lingering scent of the maid’s touch beneath his nose.

“Truly fragrant.”

Wrapped in a small cotton jacket, the Toad Daoist mustered all his strength. His short legs kicked swiftly a few times before he finally climbed onto the round table. He glanced at the Daoist, his bulging toad eyes rolling upward.

“What’s so special about women? A table full of food is far better.”

As he spoke, he clasped his webbed hands behind his back and waddled around the dishes with a rhythmic plap plap sound. Extending a round webbed limb, he dipped it into the soup, then brought it to his mouth for a taste.

“So bland…”

Nearby, Nie Honglian wrung out a towel, rolled her eyes at both the Daoist and the toad, then floated over to the bed. Lifting a corner of the blanket, she gazed at the charred arm of the scholar beneath, her face lowering as she sighed.

As she wiped him with the warm, damp cloth, thick layers of blackened flesh peeled away, revealing a fair complexion beneath.

Nie Honglian was momentarily stunned before a thought crossed her mind. A dimple appeared on her cheek as she set down the towel and reached out to check the other burned areas.

Suddenly, the charred hand hanging off the bed lifted. Blackened remnants flaked off in a shower of dust.

The once-burned, fused fingers abruptly spread open, and as they reached out to grasp Honglian’s hand, the arm had already become smooth and pristine.

“Young Master!” Honglian called out softly, drawing the attention of both the Daoist and the toad on the round table.

Upon the wooden pillow, the half-blackened face gradually shed its darkened shell. The tightly shut eyelids quivered before Lu Liangsheng opened his eyes. As he looked at the woman before him, he smiled.

“I’m awake.”

As he spoke, he suddenly sat up, reaching out to embrace Honglian, his palm lightly patting her back.

“Everything is fine now.”

Cough—

A dry cough rang out abruptly. Lu Liangsheng then realized what he was doing and hurriedly let go. But instead of retreating, the woman in his arms only held him tighter. Her cheek pressed against his chest, gently nuzzling against him before finally releasing him. Her eyes curved like crescent moons, dimples deepening as she smiled sweetly.

“Now it’s Master Toad’s turn.”

The Toad Daoist, who had been resting a webbed limb under his chin, turned his back and scoffed. “This old master has no interest in such things.”

Lu Liangsheng attempted to get out of bed to properly greet his master, but as soon as he extended a leg, he realized he was completely unclothed. Hastily, he withdrew beneath the blanket.

“Uh… Master… I won’t be coming down to pay my respects.”

“No need!”

The Toad Daoist waved his webbed hands dismissively, hopped off the round table, and waddled toward a bookshelf. Fishing out a black-patterned gourd, he muttered:

“Since you’re awake, that means all is well. This master has other matters to attend to.”

With that, he slung the gourd over his back and crawled under the bed.

Most likely, he was trying to repair the gourd damaged by heavenly lightning. Amidst the rustling noises, Sun Yingxian found a clean robe and casually tossed it over.

“This used to belong to the fat magistrate in his younger days. Here, take it.”

Lu Liangsheng caught the scholar’s robe tossed his way and held it up against himself. It seemed to fit quite well. That meant the magistrate must have been a well-proportioned and handsome scholar in his youth…

“Honglian, why don’t you return to the painting for now?”

Holding the robe, Lu Liangsheng gestured toward her. Nie Honglian pouted, twirling her toe on the ground. She turned to face the window lattice, fiddling with the hem of her clothes, and muttered with pursed lips.

“It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”

Uh…

From the bed, Lu Liangsheng glanced at the Daoist. The latter merely spread his hands and sat back at the table. “She says I’m too rough-handed… So I had no choice but to let her help.”

The rustling sound of clothing followed.

Lu Liangsheng stepped down, slipping into his shoes and socks. After moving around a bit, he realized he felt no discomfort or pain anywhere on his body. Walking over to the washstand, he splashed water on his face, only to see the towel covered in grime.

Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting a glow over the scholar’s profile.

In the bronze mirror, his newly regenerated skin made him look… well, Lu Liangsheng could only think of the phrase flawless jade-like complexion to describe it.

Luckily, the fox demon’s inner core didn’t alter my appearance…

Whew.

Lu Liangsheng set down the wooden comb and stood up, exhaling softly.

Across the room, the Daoist was rapidly shoveling rice with long chopsticks. He paused, wiped a stray grain from the corner of his mouth, and looked past the scholar’s back.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“Just to bask in the sun for a bit.”

With a lighthearted tone, Lu Liangsheng swept his sleeves outward and opened the door. Golden sunlight poured down from the shifting clouds, illuminating the scholar standing beneath the eaves with a comforting warmth.

“Ah… this feels great…”

The sparse leaves of the courtyard tree rustled gently in the breeze.

Stepping out from beneath the eaves, Lu Liangsheng stretched his body comfortably, a series of crisp cracking sounds echoing from his joints.

His long sleeves fluttered as he slowly exhaled, adjusting his breath according to the technique of [Heaven and Earth’s Righteous Path]. He guided the warmth of the sunlight into his body, absorbing its spiritual energy to strengthen his cultivation and refine his spiritual power.

Hmm? This seems a lot faster than before.

Lu Liangsheng quickly noticed that after enduring the lightning’s tempering, his cultivation had significantly accelerated. The surrounding sunlight seemed to shimmer with visible strands of spiritual energy, converging toward him in tiny glimmering flecks. They flowed into his body and spread throughout, nourishing his limbs, bones, and internal organs—like spring rain revitalizing the earth.

Even the demon core within him absorbed the nourishment, spinning at an increasingly rapid pace.

“Will my cultivation in Heaven and Earth’s Righteous Path conflict with my demon power?”

Closing his eyes, he carefully sensed the spiritual energy flowing into him, converting into strands of spiritual power. Meanwhile, the demon core continued rotating undisturbed, as if it were entirely separate—each force minding its own business without any interference.

So… does that mean I can use both the spiritual power of Heaven and Earth’s Righteous Path and the power of my demon core?

However, using demon power was unfamiliar territory for Lu Liangsheng. He tried channeling it a few times, but nothing happened.

—Inside the room—

Holding a bowl, Sun Yingxian stood by the window, craning his neck to watch the scene outside. The patterns on Lu Liangsheng’s cloud-embroidered robe glowed subtly in the morning light as he moved, his sleeves billowing. Fallen leaves on the ground were swept up by his motion, swirling around him in a graceful dance.

“If you’re jealous, you could always try facing a lightning tribulation yourself.”

Unnoticed, the Toad Daoist had climbed onto the round table at some point. Sitting there with his back to the Daoist, he absentmindedly munched on greens while making his remark.

“Do you take me for a fool? That kind of all-or-nothing gamble—I’d never go through with it.” Sun Yingxian withdrew his gaze, shaking his head as he turned back to the table.

“He has his path, and I have mine.”

With a loud thud, he slammed the half-finished wine jug down onto the table.

“Come on, old toad, let’s continue!”

Through the wooden lattice of the window, sunlight streamed in warmly. Amid the swirling fallen leaves, Lu Liangsheng took a steady step forward. He thrust his palm into the airborne leaves and, with a swift push—

Whoosh!

A mass of dry leaves collided and surged forward like a dragon riding the wind, crashing into a tree with a rustling explosion. Leaves rained down in a cascade, and the entire tree shuddered from the impact.

Originally, Lu Liangsheng had wanted to paint again, but after enduring the heavenly lightning, the only thing left intact was the centipede demon’s severed feeler. His brush, however, had been completely incinerated—without even ashes remaining.

Still, this result was satisfying enough.

He lingered in the yamen for a few more days. The monk Fajing visited once during that time but departed just as swiftly. He was traveling through Heliang Prefecture, assisting the people and searching for any remnants of the Earthly Fiend Yinfire Formation.

There were always people with ill intentions in the world, but this monk, Lu Liangsheng could only hold him in deep respect.

Not long after, the weather grew colder, and heavy snow blanketed the land.

Lu Liangsheng made a quiet trip beyond the city walls. The plump magistrate proved to be a capable administrator; most of the disaster victims had warm clothing, and hot porridge was distributed daily. Plows and seeds had already been stockpiled in preparation for spring planting.

It’s about time to leave… he thought.

On the ninth day of the first lunar month, as snowflakes drifted down in thick flurries, Lu Liangsheng bid farewell to the magistrate’s heartfelt attempts to make him stay. He led an old donkey, its breath misting in the frigid air, its back laden with bookshelves. Beside him, the Daoist walked in silence as they slipped out through the western gate.

Ahead lay a vast world of unbroken white.

From atop the city wall, the plump magistrate let out a sigh. Listening to the bronze bell tied to the donkey fade into the swirling snowfall, he bowed deeply.

“A true master indeed…”