Chapter 137
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The sunlight was warm, filtering through the dense canopy of branches. A mountain breeze swept by, rustling the leaves in a gentle sway. Looking upward from below, the light seeping through the gaps resembled a sky full of twinkling stars.
A bird, perched on a branch preening its feathers, gave a soft shake, then fluttered downward. The old donkey, head buried in fresh grass, lifted its head slightly. It glanced sideways at the bird resting on its back, flicked its tail to shoo it away, and then leisurely stepped forward to nibble at another tuft of tender grass.
From time to time, it cast a glance at its master in the distance, and at the old toad dozing beneath the shade of a pine tree.
The Toad Daoist slept soundly. As he sat up, he stretched his front limbs high in the air, giving a great, satisfying stretch. After a moment, he waddled with swaying flippers to inspect the array formation.
“Coming along nicely.”
Lowering his head to inspect the burning goldstone-like object, he circled around to examine the other refining materials. Only then did he nod in satisfaction and turn his head toward Hong Lian, who was fanning herself with a plantain fan.
“Little ghost girl, put the water on to boil.”
Having given his command, he waddled off toward the cave dwelling, his pale white belly jutting out as his flippers waved grandly. “Open!”
The stone door rumbled open, stopping just a hair’s breadth from brushing his belly, landing with a boom right before his flippers, sending gusts of wind that made his short robe flap wildly.
Expressionless, the Toad Daoist hopped up onto the stone door, his flippered feet slapping the stone as he made his way into the cave. His bulging eyes swept over the surroundings as he muttered under his breath.
“What shall I eat today…?”
He stuck his rear in the air and began frantically rummaging through the ‘Treasure Mountain’ with both flippers. Porcelain bottles of pills passed through his hands and were tossed aside. Tomes and magic artifacts were flung one after another over his shoulder.
“Strange, I could’ve sworn I’d saved an egg here for a late-night snack.”
The toad stroked his chin, leapt back up the Treasure Mountain, and searched a while longer. After a good while, he plopped down, resting his flippers on his knees, doubt flickering in his eyes.
“…Could I have already eaten it?”
Grrr…
His stomach let out a growl. The Toad Daoist sighed, got to his feet, found a few more bottles, and with them clutched in his arms, staggered back outside.
Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop…
The small pot had come to a boil. The Toad Daoist watched as the ghost girl lifted the lid and stirred the contents with a long ladle. He took a deep breath of the fragrant rice aroma and began opening the jars and bottles in his arms.
“Toad Master, what are you adding?”
Hong Lian peeked over curiously, only to see all sorts of odd-looking things spilling from the jars—some resembled pills, others were tiny granules packed densely together, and there were even fruits bearing multiple horns.
“Obviously, food. How ignorant.”
As the bubbling water churned the rice grains and steam rose thickly into the air, the Toad Daoist fetched a small apron from the wardrobe and tied it around his waist. He then tipped in a handful of the tiny granules, causing a splash of droplets to rise.
“This is from the thorny vine—it gives the flavor a tingling zest. When it comes to food, this old one is an expert…”
“I’ve stored up quite the stash of delicacies over the years!”
“A good portion of it, all for eating?”
“Hmph…”
Amidst his endless muttering, he added the seasonings one by one into the pot.
A rich fragrance wafted out, drifting far and wide.
A figure seated in meditation within the array furrowed his brow slightly. At this moment, Lu Liangsheng had entered a semi-awakened state. His mental incantation guided the essences of water and fire, earth and wood—he was already nearing the final stage.
Within his inner world, water clashed with fire, while wood sprang from the ground, the forces intertwining and overturning in a celestial nebula that expanded outward. They slowly revolved around the demon core that nourished his blood and flesh, faintly drawing arcs of flashing thunderlight.
Water and fire temper metal; earth and wood give rise to wind… Master’s method of forming the Six Phenomena through the Four Elements—could it be he carved a path of his own?
As he pondered, Lu Liangsheng recalled the trials of the cultivation path—particularly the formation of the Golden Core. In this pivotal step, water and fire merged, yin and yang blended, forming a cauldron within which heaven’s spiritual energy was stolen to forge the core…
Ah, no wonder there’s a heavenly tribulation… Could it be that the heavens grow wrathful at someone stealing their spiritual qi, and thus send down thunderbolts in punishment?
Of course, this was just a half-jesting thought. But once the celestial nebula took form, who could say when the heavenly tribulation might strike? When that day came, heaven’s thunder would likely descend as well…
Still, for the moment, it brought no immediate improvement to his cultivation base or magical power. The only clear change Lu Liangsheng could feel—was the expansion of his Core Sea.
The mountain breeze swept through the old pine trees, casting dappled shadows that swayed upon the ground. The Toad Daoist carried over a specially crafted small bowl, sat opposite his disciple, and began scooping food into his mouth while sensing the flow of gathered spiritual energy.
“It should be just about done.”
At the four corners of the array, there came a series of crack sounds. The refined materials crumbled and withered. In the heart of the formation, the scholar opened his eyes. His arms formed a circle as he gathered qi back to his core, and the swaying branches nearby froze in the wind.
Zhi… zhi zhi…
The shrill cry of cicadas echoed in his ears. Lu Liangsheng exhaled a long breath and rose from the ground, withdrawing his energy and regaining clarity. He respectfully bowed toward his master, who was still holding a bowl and eating.
The Toad Daoist, gripping his chopsticks, waved him off. “Enough, enough.” He turned around and shoveled in a few more bites as he walked. “Things are just about wrapped up here. Once we finish eating, we’ll head off.”
“Yes!”
Lu Liangsheng smiled, gave a shake of his robes—dust falling cleanly off—and followed his master over to the campfire. Hong Lian quickly set down her own bowl, floated over to the pot, and ladled out another bowl to offer to him.
“Young Master, this was personally cooked by Master Toad—it smells amazing.”
“Then I definitely must try Master’s cooking.”
Taking the offered bowl and chopsticks, the scholar walked over to sit beside his master. The two sat side by side, their chopsticks clattering as they scraped the bottoms of their bowls, shoveling rice into their mouths in big, hearty bites.
Hululu…
Lifting their bowls in unison, they each took a long sip of the broth at the bottom. Setting down their empty bowls and chopsticks, they handed them over to Hong Lian, who had come to clear the dishes.
With matters here concluded, master and disciple began discussing their departure after the meal. Lu Liangsheng led over the old donkey, loaded up the packed belongings into the bookshelf, and secured it onto the donkey’s rear.
“Master?”
Turning his head, he saw the Toad Daoist dragging out a sack, clattering noisily along the ground—it was filled with various knick-knacks.
“If you had a Mi Xu Storage Artifact, we could’ve taken everything. But for now, we’ll just bring some small things. We can come back for the rest later.”
As he spoke, he tossed a die into the air, catching it again.
“Something like this—you should at least carry one or two items for protection.”
Lu Liangsheng secured the bookshelf tightly, unaware that as his sleeve brushed across it, the faint scales hidden beneath a patch of stray hair shimmered in the light. Turning his head, he smiled:
“Master, with your level of cultivation, you don’t have one?”
“I do.”
The Toad Daoist paused for a beat, then loosened the mouth of the sack and pointed his webbed hand toward the black-patterned gourd hanging on his back. “But… I can’t use it anymore.”
Er…
The scholar looked at the gourd. Off to the side, Hong Lian covered her mouth and stifled a laugh—she clearly knew the story behind it.
The sunlight tilted gently across the sky. Amid the ceaseless cicada song, Lu Liangsheng hung a few talisman swords to the front and back of the bookshelf—ding ding dang dang, they rattled together. A few essential spell books were tucked into a small compartment on the right side.
He led over the excited old donkey and began walking down the mountain path. The scholar turned back. At the edge of his vision, the short figure of his master stood before the stone gate, his webbed hands clasped behind him in quiet contemplation.
“Master, we’re going down the mountain!”
Hearing his disciple’s voice, the Toad Daoist, who had been staring silently at the stone gate for some time, pursed his lips and responded, “Coming.”
He gazed once more at the now-shut cave dwelling—that place had once belonged to Purple Star Daoist, who once traversed the heavens and earth.
…This old one will return someday.
Taking a deep breath, the Toad Daoist turned to speak, but his expression suddenly froze. The old pine swayed gently. The grasses bowed low. The wind whispered faintly.
Where was the donkey? Where was his disciple?
“W-Wait for your Master——!”
Toad Daoist, with the gourd strapped to his back, charged down the path. His webbed feet slapped against the ground—pa-ta pa-ta—as he rounded the bend…
Then slowly came to a halt.
At the roadside, Lu Liangsheng and the ghost girl were grinning as they waited. The old donkey, now seeming slightly taller, was sticking out its tongue to lap at some wildflowers by the path.
“You’re the Master, of course we’d wait to go together.”
The scholar opened the little compartment door. The Toad Daoist turned his face away with a huff, but climbed in, tied himself in, and looked at the small bed, the tiny wardrobe, and the food recipes inside.
He couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile and waved his webbed hand.
“Let’s go.”
“Master, sit tight.”
Sunlight spilled across the mountains. The scholar astride the donkey cast a Shrinking Earth Spell. The ghost girl shed her painted skin and red robes, returning to the scroll, from which a soft opera tune began to hum. Inside the little compartment, the Toad Daoist gazed toward the distant, rolling mountains.
I once thought I could return to my former peak and go see you. Pity… I wasn’t able to make that journey…
He hadn’t even finished speaking when the old donkey let out an ecstatic bray, startling even Lu Liangsheng.
A-HENG! A-HENG!~~
The donkey pawed at the ground. Its hind legs bent slightly—then in a split second, the soil and rocks beneath its hooves were thrust outward.
Whoosh——!
A blurred afterimage streaked down the mountain!
“AAAAAAAHHHHH——!!!”
Across the stretching ridgelines, the alternating screams of Lu Liangsheng and the Toad Daoist echoed up and down the mountains.
