Chapter 74

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In the deep quiet of the night, the hour had passed into its latter half. The side courtyard, too, gradually fell silent.

The Daoist rinsed his mouth several times before returning to his room, covering his head and falling into a deep sleep. Lu Liangsheng, however, despite reading for a while, found his heart unsettled.

Stepping out of his room, he leaped directly onto the opposite courtyard wall, then flipped himself onto the rooftop. With a sweep of his sleeve, he brushed away the fallen leaves on the tiles and quietly sat down.

The moon emerged once more from the night clouds, its clear brilliance illuminating his face. His gaze seemed distant, lost in thought about the events of recent days, and a faint yearning for Lu Family Village arose in his heart.

“Young Master.”

A soft, tender voice floated over lightly. Without turning his head, Lu Liangsheng already knew who it was. Nie Honglian, draped in her flowing red robes with long sleeves, drifted over and landed beside him, sitting down as well.

Following the scholar’s gaze, she looked toward the bright, luminous moon in the sky.

“Earlier, I heard Daoist Sun mention that Young Master nearly jeopardized your cultivation to extend Zhang Liancheng’s life?”

“Well, I didn’t actually go through with it, so why does everyone keep bringing it up?”

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Lu Liangsheng’s lips. He understood that his actions would worry those around him, but the teachings of cultivating integrity, heart, and self found in books had deeply influenced him. The path of cultivation he sought to understand from literature and art compelled him to try…

“I know Zhang Liancheng has nothing to do with me, but I couldn’t stand seeing his parents kneel like that and beg. After all, I have parents too.”

Speaking of parents, Nie Honglian hugged her knees as she sat, gazing at the scholar’s profile. Then, lifting her head toward the serene moon, she smiled faintly.

“Speaking of parents, I’ve nearly forgotten mine… Now, there’s truly no one left at home.”

As she finished her sentence, she suddenly laughed.

“Heh… What’s the point of saying such things? Young Master, look, the night is beautiful tonight. Let me dance for you.”

Beside her, Lu Liangsheng was momentarily taken aback as a red sleeve brushed lightly across his face, bringing a fleeting smile to his lips. The next moment, he saw the graceful silhouette beside him already floating away.

Beneath the moonlight, the figure clad in a flowing red gown danced with captivating elegance. Her crimson sleeves fluttered in the air as her slender waist swayed. With a subtle flick, her embroidered shoes kicked up her skirt, and Honglian tilted slightly. The gossamer fabric of her sleeves grazed her delicate lips, her eyes filled with a hint of allure and enchantment, casting a glance at the scholar seated on the rooftop.

Lu Liangsheng watched the woman’s movements in midair, mesmerized by her dance.

“To think that Honglian isn’t just skilled in opera… even her dancing must have taken considerable effort.”

As the dance began, down below, Toad Daoist struggled his way up the eaves pillar. Clutching the edge of the roof, his legs dangled and kicked a few times. Puffing his cheeks with exertion, he finally managed to climb onto the rooftop after much effort.

When he arrived, gasping for breath, Lu Liangsheng sat with his hands resting on his knees, his sleeves hanging loosely by his sides, swaying lightly in the breeze. His gaze remained fixed on the enchanting moonlit dance before him, a sight that was truly pleasing to the eye.

“Liangsheng,”

The voice of the Toad Daoist came from behind. Lu Liangsheng turned his head to see the Toad Daoist approaching with an indifferent expression. Standing to one side, the Toad Daoist crossed his webbed hands behind his back and gazed at the female ghost dancing in midair, as well as the clear, radiant moon.

“It’s been a long time since I last gazed at the moon like this. No matter when you look, it’s always so beautiful.”

“Master…”

Just as Lu Liangsheng opened his mouth to speak, Toad Daoist waved a webbed hand to interrupt him, smiling.

“…I remember, the first time I looked at the moon. I was still very young. In the blink of an eye, centuries have passed. Grudges and love, battles and killings, or even those who immerse themselves in cultivation, untouched by the mundane world—in fact, all of it boils down to wisdom.”

“Not the kind of wisdom you clutch in your books, but the wisdom of living. Remember, Liangsheng, the one who survives in the end is the one with true wisdom. I can’t match the grand teachings of your academic mentors, but I’ve lived longer than they have, and that’s proof of something useful. This world is treacherous. You need to be more mature than others and cultivate the wisdom of survival.”

Under the moonlight, Lu Liangsheng gazed at his silhouette standing with hands behind his back and bowed respectfully.

“Master’s words, Liangsheng understands.”

The scholar took a deep breath, the moonlight casting a serene glow on his face as a faint smile appeared.

“…Actually, I just mentioned this to Honglian earlier. The matter with Zhang Liancheng—it’s because I couldn’t bear to see elderly parents kneeling in despair. What Master said about the wisdom to survive, I also understand.”

Lowering his gaze, he looked at the Toad Daoist, who returned his glance.

“Master, have you ever experienced being sincerely thanked by someone? I remember three years ago, Grandfather came to my house late at night. He spoke words of gratitude before my parents and even wanted to kneel… From that day on, I realized that merely doing great good while ignoring small good deeds is worse than not doing good at all.”

His eyes lifted toward the night sky, where Honglian’s graceful figure danced, her sleeves billowing as she moved in elegant spirals.

Under the gentle moonlight, her flowing gown rippled like waves on a tranquil lake, endlessly undulating and spreading. Strands of her hair fluttered wildly in the breeze, occasionally revealing a glimpse of her bewitching, delicate charm.

In the rear courtyard of the Zhou residence, Zhou Zhen, unable to sleep out of worry for his daughter, sat up. He draped a light robe over himself, lit a candle, and silently watched his sleeping wife.

In the side chamber, Zhou Rong slept peacefully. Occasionally, she dreamed of peach blossoms fluttering across the sky, a faint smile curling at the corners of her lips.

The moonlight was as tranquil as water, rippling softly now and then.

In another residence far from the city, under the warm glow of lamplight, the recently awakened Zhang Liancheng, still weak, held the hand of the woman he loved. Together, they knelt before his parents.

Mrs.Zhang, sobbing, helped the hand-in-hand couple to their feet. The stubborn old father, after a tirade of scolding, finally gave a reluctant nod of approval.

“Sometimes, I also want to be more selfish and just do my best. But I often find that the words ‘do my best’ are incredibly difficult for a cultivator to uphold. Treating enemies as less than human—I can manage that. But to ignore those in need of help, to treat them as if they aren’t human—there’s a hurdle in my heart I can’t get past, and my feet refuse to move forward.”

“This world is inherently unstable. Even Heaven and Earth can sometimes be indifferent. If cultivators, caught in between, don’t take action, then they’ve truly squandered the mortal world’s offerings. The clothes on their backs, the food in their bellies, even their very bodies and souls, don’t they all originate from this human world?”

Lu Liangsheng couldn’t articulate grand philosophies but summarized his thoughts with a straightforward conviction:

“When I encounter injustice, I must act. And when it’s something the authorities dare not touch, I must still act!”

“You’re too young. Don’t pin too much hope on becoming an official—it’s darker than you think.”

The Toad Daoist exhaled heavily, adding: “I can’t win an argument with you. You’ll have to suffer losses before you truly understand.”

With that, he turned, hands clasped behind his back, and began descending toward the courtyard below.

“Master, won’t you sit for a while longer?” Lu Liangsheng called after him.

The Toad Daoist waved a webbed hand without looking back. “I’m going to rest. Think things through carefully.”

After a few steps, he suddenly stopped. Gazing down at the pitch-black ground below, his lips twitched uncontrollably.

“It’s so high, how did this old man even get up here in the first place?”

On the rooftop, as Lu Liangsheng clapped his hands at the conclusion of the final dance, he suddenly noticed the Toad Daoist sitting beside him, shoulder to shoulder.

“Master, didn’t you leave just now?”

The Toad Daoist, with a serious expression, stared at the clear moon. “I suddenly felt that it was still early. I’ll sit a while longer and admire the moon.”

“Master’s earlier advice, Liangsheng will keep in mind.”

As he noticed Nie Honglian gracefully descending, their gazes met briefly. Lu Liangsheng then turned to the toad and said:

“Master, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go down first with Honglian.”

The Toad Daoist, still nodding in approval at the words “keep in mind,” suddenly froze as the latter part of the sentence sank in. His eyes flew open in alarm, sensing something amiss.

He leaped to his feet and turned around just in time to see the pair, a man and a woman, descending to the courtyard below. They were laughing and chatting as they disappeared into the house.

“Wait… come… back…”

Left sitting alone on the rooftop, the Toad Daoist’s lips twitched as his mouth hung open in stunned disbelief.

So you’re just going to leave your master behind? Damn it, how the heck is this old man supposed to get down? Ahhh—!