Chapter 219: Festive Cheer, the Warmth of Mortal Life

Upon a sea-cloaked cliff, a young man in a plain light-blue robe stood bathed in sunlight, holding a scroll in one hand. Upon the curled cover were written the three characters [Words of Admonition]. As the wind blew, the old pine swayed gently, with withered yellow needles drifting down onto the scholar’s shoulders. 

“The diligent are devoted to virtue and righteousness, yet most people rely on diligence merely to escape poverty…” 

“…The frugal are indifferent to profit, yet the world feigns frugality to conceal its stinginess. What should be a gentleman’s means of self-cultivation instead becomes a tool for others’ selfish pursuits.” 

Lu Liangsheng flicked away a pine needle from his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the youth seated behind the desk, propping up his chin as his head bobbed up and down in drowsiness. Stepping around his late teacher’s gravestone, he crossed the distance and lightly tapped Li Sui’an on the head with the book in his hand. 

“Wake up!” 

The youth jolted awake. Seeing his master staring at him with a stern expression, he quickly straightened himself. On either side, Yuwen Tuo snorted and shot him a sidelong glance, while Qu Yuanfeng struggled to suppress his laughter, gripping his brush tightly as he copied onto paper the words of the admonition they had just heard. 

“Master… I didn’t sleep well last night, so I’m a little sleepy.” 

Across from him, Lu Liangsheng shook his head, tucked the scroll behind his back, and walked toward the thatched cottage. 

“Excuses. As punishment, copy the Seventh Saying of [Perfect Virtue] fifteen times and hand it to me by nightfall.” 

Li Sui’an’s shoulders immediately slumped, his face falling. Lowering his head, he softly replied, “Yes, Master.” 

Seeing him deflated, Yuwen Tuo and Qu Yuanfeng wanted to laugh but dared not. Their faces turned red from holding it in. 

“That will be all for this morning’s lessons.” The sternness of a strict teacher vanished from Lu Liangsheng’s face, replaced by a gentler expression. “There is a wedding feast in the village today, so I won’t keep you any longer. Hurry down the mountain and change into proper clothes.” 

“Yes!” 

The three youths rose and respectfully cupped their hands in salute. After packing away their paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones, they slung their satchels over their shoulders and hurried off. After a few steps, they looked back and saw their master entering the cottage. At once, they burst into cheers, swinging their satchels wildly as they sprinted down the mountain. 

Behind them, the lush branches around the thatched cottage swayed softly in the breeze. Inside the half-open window, Honglian, wearing her painted skin disguise, rested her chin in both hands, gazing absentmindedly at the fenced little courtyard outside. 

Lu Liangsheng lightly tapped her on the head. “Snap out of it.” 

“Young Master!!!” 

Startled, the ghost woman seemed as though she had been interrupted in the middle of something. She stamped her foot lightly on the ground and glared at the young master before her with a trace of embarrassment and annoyance, then slipped back into the painting. 

“Huh? What’s gotten into her now?” 

Setting down his book, Lu Liangsheng looked at the scroll in puzzlement. Over on the couch, the Toad Daoist, sprawled lazily on his stomach, half-opened his eyes and slowly rolled onto his back, exposing his soft belly. 

“How would your master know?” 

As he spoke, he suddenly sat up and scratched at his stomach with a webbed hand. “Though, back in the day, your master did have a wife.” 

Lu Liangsheng froze for a moment, immediately intrigued. 

“How did Master marry Mistress, then? And how did you usually get along?” 

The Toad Daoist smacked his lips, stroked his short chin, and narrowed his toad eyes. Sitting upright, his expression turned solemn. 

“It wasn’t complicated. Your master asked her whether she was willing to marry me. She didn’t say anything. Not saying anything meant she agreed. Then we held the wedding ceremony and got married… As for how we got along, heh heh, most of the time I talked outside while she listened quietly inside.” 

“And then?” 

“And then? Obviously, she died! Otherwise, would your master be spending his retirement years here with you?!” The Toad Daoist lay back down again, crossing one leg over the other and swinging it back and forth. “Asking an old demon cultivator like me about the affairs of men and women… sigh…” 

Lu Liangsheng slapped his forehead. 

Of course. Why was he asking Master about such things? 

After tidying up the room, he changed into a robe of a slightly darker color and turned back toward the bed. 

“Master, we’re heading down to the village for the wedding feast.” 

“Not going. Just bring some food back for your master later. Remember to pile on plenty of braised pork—the rich, fatty kind!” 

After making sure his preferred dishes had been requested, the Toad Daoist yawned and burrowed back beneath the blankets. Lu Liangsheng assumed his master was merely feeling the effects of late autumn turning into winter and paid it little mind. Nodding, he left the cottage and headed down the mountain. 

As soon as the footsteps outside faded into the distance, the toad beneath the covers abruptly opened his eyes. Throwing aside the blanket, he slid down from the bed and hurried to the door, pressing one side of his face against it to listen. After confirming that Lu Liangsheng had indeed left, he rushed to the compartment behind the bookshelf and, with his rear sticking into the air, rummaged around until he found a gourd. 

“Toad Master, what are you doing?” 

Hearing the clattering sounds, Honglian poked her head out of the painting and curiously watched the Toad Daoist sling the gourd onto his back. The latter pattered across the floor on his webbed feet and shot her a sidelong glance. 

“How could a little ghost girl like you understand this old master’s affairs!” 

Pulling open the door, he darted out in a flash, scampered through the sunlight, and plunged into the woods. Following a familiar path, his tongue hung excitedly from the corner of his mouth as he raced back to the stone cavern he once inhabited. Once inside, he blasted the massive stone door shut behind him. 

---

The sun climbed high among the clouds. Lu Liangsheng’s figure blurred and solidified in succession, and in scarcely a moment, he had returned to the village. 

The joyful notes of suona horns filled the air. Red cloth had been hung at the village entrance, with a large crimson flower tied in the middle and suspended high above the gate. Several children, their trouser legs rolled up and their bare feet muddy, chased one another beneath it. Only after being scolded a few times by the women busy washing dishes and preparing food did they finally settle down. 

Amid the lively clamor, someone shouted: “Slaughter the pigs and sheep! Get the pots ready!” 

Not far away, several pigs and sheep were tethered together. Lu Pan, along with Lu Xi, Lu Qing, and a few others, strode over bare-chested and hoisted the animals up one by one. 

Squeal! Squeal! Baaah! 

The fat pig saw the burly men approaching with butcher knives and kicked frantically in Lu Pan’s arms, shrieking at the top of its lungs. Before long, however, it lay cleaned and bare upon a long table, perfectly still. 

Patting the dirtied trouser leg that had been kicked by a pig’s hoof, Lu Pan turned around and spotted Lu Liangsheng approaching. The stubble on his face seemed to spread apart as he broke into a grin, revealing a mouthful of large, yellow teeth. 

“Liangsheng, hurry home and call your parents over! The feast will start soon!” 

“And when are we going to be eating at your wedding feast? We’ve all been waiting for it!” Lu Qing and Lu Xi teased from the side, laughing loudly. 

Lu Liangsheng merely smiled and headed toward the nearly completed courtyard house. 

From a distance, he could see his father, Lu Laoshi, squatting outside the yard, fiddling with the fence and driving the stakes back into the ground. Li Jinhua had changed into a new set of clothes and was coming out of the house, holding Mingyue by the hand. The moment the little boy saw Lu Liangsheng return, he hurried over. 

“Greetings, Teacher!” 

“And greetings to you as well.” 

Lu Liangsheng gently patted his head. “Are you getting used to living here?” 

By now, Mingyue had become familiar with the village. Li Jinhua often took him along when visiting neighbors, and the adorable little fellow had a sweet tongue, making him especially popular with the village women. 

“I am!” Mingyue tilted up his little face and ran back to grab Li Jinhua’s hand. “Mother comes to see Mingyue at night these days. Look, she’s outside.” 

His small finger pointed beyond the courtyard. 

Beside him, Li Jinhua’s expression remained perfectly natural. She had already seen ghosts and demons before, so what was there to fear from a fox spirit that harbored no ill intentions? Besides, the fox spirit only came at night. As long as she did not lure her husband outside, there was nothing to worry about. 

A short while later, Yuwen Tuo, Li Sui’an, and Qu Yuanfeng came down from the loft as well. Having changed into clean clothes, the three finally carried the bearing of refined young gentlemen. They waited for their younger sister to finish dressing and emerge from her room. Then Li Jinhua seized her husband by the ear and dragged him up from the ground. Amid his grumbling complaints, she joined her son and the group of youths as they headed toward the wedding banquet. 

In the village, weddings and funerals alike were usually held on the open ground, where a dozen or twenty tables would be set up. The tables, chairs, and benches were borrowed from every household. Posts had been erected at the four corners, draped with red cords, lanterns, and strips of red cloth. 

As for Erniu’s family—the groom’s household—the place was plastered with the Double Happiness character. Lu Liangsheng naturally knew Erniu. The young man was several years younger than himself, with an honest and simple appearance. A large red flower hung from his chest, and he grinned so broadly at everyone he met that his molars were plainly visible. 

Before long, the bride entered from the village entrance. She was a young woman from North Village, her face hidden beneath a red bridal veil. Amid the crowd’s laughter and boisterous teasing, the newlyweds bowed to Heaven and Earth, paid respects to their ancestors, and honored their parents. 

Then, with a mighty roar, Lu Pan shouted: 

“The groom is off to the bridal chamber! As for the rest of us—let’s start the feast! Meat and wine for everyone!” 

Under the brilliant golden sunlight of autumn, a wave of noise surged above the village. Vegetables and meat sizzled noisily in the woks as they were stir-fried over blazing fires. The din of conversation mixed with parents shouting at their children to return to their seats. 

Seated amidst this atmosphere of mortal warmth and everyday life, Lu Liangsheng suddenly paused. 

As he immersed himself in the simple, bustling scene around him, he felt a slight but distinct stirring in the cultivation that had long remained at the Golden Core realm. 

“The warmth of mortal life…” 

“The Human Dao…”