bookbashuk Chapter 492 Paying Homage to the Mountain
Chapter 492 Paying Homage to the Mountain
Xuanzhenzi and his group had been standing in front of the Yunyin Sect's mountain gate for an unknown amount of time.
When Chen Anran left half a year ago, Xuanzhenzi still harbored some hope. Perhaps that Master Chen was just going to come back, or perhaps he would see him again in a few days. At that time, he could bow his head, admit his mistakes, and settle the matter so that everyone could continue their cultivation.
But this wait lasted for half a year.
For the past six months, Xuanzhenzi has gone from initial trepidation to anxiety, and now to numbness, feeling as if he's been roasted over a fire for two hundred days and nights. Every day when he opens his eyes, all he does is move bricks, mix mud, carry water, and chop firewood. When he closes his eyes, he sees his former disciples crammed together in the thatched huts at the foot of the mountain, and the young Taoist boys secretly wiping away tears.
"Valley Master, do you think Master Chen and the others will be able to return today?"
A voice came from behind, carrying a hint of cautious anticipation.
Xuanzhenzi turned around and saw that the speaker was a young Taoist priest, an outer disciple of Qingyang Valley, whose name seemed to be Zheng Yunlong.
In the past, Xuanzhenzi would never have recognized these outer disciples, but here, he recognizes most of them.
"How would I know?" Xuanzhenzi replied irritably, then realized his tone was too harsh and softened it, "Just wait. They'll come back when it's time."
Zheng Yunlong said "Oh," lowered his head, and stopped talking.
Another voice rang out from the side; this time it was Lei Xiaozhi's.
"Xuanzhenzi, you've been saying this for half a year." Lei Xiaozi sat cross-legged on a bluestone, his Taoist robe faded from washing and patched at the cuffs. For the past six months, he had been firing bricks in a brick kiln in the south, his skin tanned like charcoal, his face and hands covered in fine cracks. "I will come back when it's time. But when exactly is it time? Just give me a straight answer."
Xuanzhenzi glared at him: "If I could speak accurately, would I still be standing here?"
Lei Xiaozi snorted and fell silent. However, it was clear that he was very dissatisfied.
Half a year ago, Miao Yu'er led her disciples to the Yunyin Sect, but Xuanzhenzi, that old rascal, said some nonsense and then left with them.
Yes, they left so gracefully back then, and people even said that Miaoyu'er's trip there was a waste of time and effort. But what happened? Miaoyu'er received arrangements from that immortal, and it can be said that the Hehuan Sect had the best time among them in the past six months.
At this moment, Miaoyu stood a little distance away, leaning against an old pine tree. She was dressed simply today, in a blue robe, her hair simply tied up with a wooden hairpin. Even so, her natural elegance was undeniable; she was a sight to behold simply by standing there.
But the scenery seemed tinged with weariness.
"Please, you two, stop arguing," Miao Yu'er said softly, her voice as gentle as the wind. "Master Chen must have important business to attend to in Tianjing. Let's just wait; there's no point in rushing him."
"Can't you rush it?" Lei Xiaozi suddenly stood up. "Miaoyu'er, you're not in a hurry at all. Your female disciples from the Hehuan Sect are running all over the mountains with the Longhu Mountain Sect Leader every day, catching and raising demonic beasts. They live much more comfortably than us. But what about my Qingyang Valley disciples? They're all covered in dirt and grime, working eight hours a day, exhausted to death!"
Miao Yu'er glanced at him, her gaze indifferent, yet it inexplicably silenced Lei Xiaozi.
"Fellow Daoist Lei, what you said is inappropriate," Miao Yu'er said. "Senior Ling Caiyou led my disciples all over the mountain on Chen Xianzun's orders before he left. As for how you are doing, that is your own business in Qingyang Valley. If you have any complaints, you can speak to Chen Zhenren in person when he returns."
Lei Xiaozi was speechless, his face flushed, and he plopped back down on the bluestone.
Xuanzhenzi sighed and waved his hand, "Alright, alright, say less. We didn't come here today to argue."
Lei Xiaozi hung his head dejectedly. "I just can't understand it. What exactly does that Master Chen want? We've surrendered, we've submitted, we've done all the work we were supposed to do. Why is he just leaving us hanging like this?"
No one answered him.
The mountain wind whistled past, and Miaoyuer couldn't help but pull her clothes tighter.
At this moment, she had lost all her cultivation and was no different from an ordinary person.
She recalled that half a year ago, she entered the Yunyin Sect and begged the Chen Immortal Venerable, who possessed supreme power, to allow her and her disciples to join. However, before the Immortal Venerable could even speak, a half-demon in the hall assigned her a task: to lead her disciples to follow some "Longhu Mountain Sect Leader" to capture demons.
Heaven have mercy, before losing her cultivation, Miao Yu'er was at least a great cultivator in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Not to mention invincible, she was a figure who could command the wind and rain in this region.
When they finally met that so-called leader of Longhu Mountain, they discovered that his cultivation level was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
Miaoyu leaned against the pine tree trunk, the mountain wind blowing the hem of her clothes and also disturbing her thoughts.
She lowered her eyes, her eyelashes casting a faint shadow beneath them.
Lingcai You.
Despite only having a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation level, this person dared to boss her around. In the past, such a character wouldn't even be worthy of carrying her shoes. But now, she could only lead her disciples to obediently follow him all over the mountains to catch those unintelligent demonic beasts.
Miao Yu'er's fingers curled slightly, her nails digging into her palms.
Just then, a sigh came from the side.
Lei Wanjun, the leader of the Purple Lightning Sect, squatted beside a rock, holding his head in his hands, looking utterly dejected.
"It's over, it's over, it's over..." he muttered, his voice muffled, "This time it's really over..."
Xuanzhenzi frowned and turned to look at him: "Sect Leader Lei, what are you muttering about?"
Lei Wanjun raised his head, his once fairly handsome face now wrinkled like a dried orange peel. He looked at Xuanzhenzi, then at the other sect leaders and elders around him, all of whom looked equally ashen-faced. His lips trembled a few times, but he couldn't utter a word.
"Speak!" Lei Xiaozhi was also anxious, and took a few steps over. "What happened?"
Lei Wanjun swallowed hard, his voice trembling: "Today... I didn't finish the work assigned to me today."
Everyone was taken aback.
Lei Xiaozi frowned: "That's it?"
"That's it?" Lei Wanjun stood up abruptly, his face flushed red. "Elder Lei, you have no idea! Today, Lord Feng Yue, who was in charge of supervising the work, said that if those thirty zhang of medicinal fields weren't turned over by sunset, he wouldn't be allowed to eat at the Immortal Cuisine Restaurant tomorrow! I... I went to the fields before dawn today, and by noon I had only turned over less than twenty zhang. I was just planning to work harder to finish the rest, but then..."
He glanced at everyone present, his voice tinged with resentment: "So this is how you all end up dragging me up the mountain."
Everyone looked at each other.
Xuanzhenzi coughed lightly and stroked his beard: "Well... Sect Leader Lei, don't worry too much. We're here today to see Master Chen, that's the important matter. Lord Feng Yue is surely reasonable and shouldn't hold it against us."
"Should?" Lei Wanjun gave a wry smile. "Senior Xuanzhenzi, you've been carrying bricks down the mountain for the past six months. Don't you know Lord Feng Yue's temper? If he were reasonable, I, Lei Wanjun, would change my name!"
Xuanzhenzi choked for a moment and awkwardly shut his mouth.
The leaders and elders of the smaller sects nearby also had their own thoughts.
Some had their heads down, their toes tracing patterns on the ground, lost in thought. Others craned their necks to peer into the mountain gate, their faces a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. Still others huddled together, whispering amongst themselves, glancing up at the sky every now and then before quickly looking down again.
Time passed little by little.
As the sun gradually sets in the west, the shadows cast in front of the mountain gate grow longer and longer.
Some people started to complain quietly.
"It's been half a year, how much longer do we have to wait...?"
"Leaving aside the past, I've been standing here for most of today and haven't seen a single ghost."
Shh—keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear.
"What's wrong with what I heard? Wasn't I telling the truth?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than footsteps came from the mountain path.
Everyone turned to look.
Three figures were slowly walking up the mountain path.
Leading the way was a bouncy little girl, clutching a foxtail grass in her hand and swinging it back and forth. Behind her followed a young man carrying a vermilion gourd and a perpetually smiling fellow.
Miao Yu'er, the only one who had officially met Chen Anran, suddenly narrowed her eyes.
"Immortal Chen?!"
Miao Yu'er's shout woke everyone up.
The group of cultivators from various sects, who had been standing, sitting, or leaning, suddenly stood up as if jolted by something. Some straightened their robes, some smoothed their hair, and some rubbed their eyes hard to make sure they weren't seeing things.
Lei Wanjun scrambled to his feet from beside the rocks, not bothering to brush the dirt off his clothes, his eyes fixed on the approaching figure.
Chen Anran stopped in her tracks.
He stood in front of the mountain gate, his gaze sweeping over the large group of people huddled together.
Xuanzhenzi, Leixiaozi, Miaoyuer, Lei Wanjun, and some other faces whose names I couldn't recall. Some wore faded Taoist robes, some had patches on their sleeves, and some had mud splatters on their faces.
A group of people stood there, looking at each other, none of them daring to speak first.
Little Ling tilted her head, looking at this and then at that.
Xuanzhenzi took a deep breath, took a step forward, and bowed deeply.
"Qingyang Gu Xuanzhenzi, leading fellow disciples from various sects, respectfully welcomes Immortal Venerable Chen back to the mountain."
At this moment, the leaders and elders of various sects behind him also realized what was happening and immediately followed suit, bending over and lowering their heads, not daring to breathe loudly.
Lei Wanjun's legs were numb from squatting for so long, but he could only grit his teeth and endure it. He secretly raised his eyes, quietly examined Chen Anran's face, and then quickly lowered his head again.
Miao Yu'er stood in the crowd, her eyes slightly lowered. Her posture was more composed than the others; her bow was not as deep, but it was still respectful. Her gaze was fixed on the ground three feet in front of Chen Anran, her eyelashes trembling slightly, as if she were lost in thought.
Chen Anran glanced at them and said, "Get up, all of you."
Xuanzhenzi felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He straightened up, but did not dare to stand up completely, only bowing slightly.
Chen Anran looked at him: "What brings you here today?"
Xuanzhenzi took a deep breath and cupped his hands in greeting: "Reporting to the Immortal Venerable, we...we have come to request an audience with the Immortal Venerable, to ask...to ask..."
As he spoke, his voice grew softer and softer until he could no longer continue.
Lei Xiaozi, standing to the side, was so anxious he was stamping his feet. Seeing Xuanzhenzi hesitate, he couldn't help but interject, "Immortal Venerable, we would like to ask when we can officially join the Cloud Hidden Sect?"
After saying this, he felt his words were too blunt and quickly added, "Of course, we know our cultivation is low and our virtue is shallow, so we dare not ask for anything. It's just... it's just that for the past six months, we've been at the foot of the mountain, hoping every day for the Immortal Venerable's return, hoping every day for the opportunity to serve the Cloud Hidden Sect. Now that the Immortal Venerable has returned, we..."
He paused, gritted his teeth, and steeled his resolve: "We humbly beg the Immortal Venerable to give us a chance!"
As soon as he said this, the group of people behind him echoed his sentiments.
"Yes, yes, yes! I humbly beg you, Immortal Lord, to give us a chance!"
"We are willing to go through fire and water for the Hidden Cloud Sect, without hesitation!"
"Immortal Lord, please accept us!"
The voices rose and fell, carrying a hint of urgency and a hint of pleading.
Chen Anran looked at them without speaking. He recalled the meeting six months ago, where the plan was for Qi Lan to monitor them. Those who performed well would be recruited and distributed to various sects and factions in the future.
But to everyone's surprise, Qi Lan followed him to Tianjing. Not only Qi Lan, but even the old Taoist priest Tianbao, who had said he wanted to be the foreman, went with him.
I wonder if Qi Lan arranged for someone to take over her post before she went to Tianjing with him...
Chen Anran snapped out of her thoughts. "What have you all been doing in the past six months?"
Everyone was taken aback.
Xuanzhenzi opened his mouth, unsure how to answer. What had he done? Carrying bricks, mixing mud, fetching water, chopping wood, firing kilns, farming, raising demonic beasts… did these count as “what he had done”?
Lei Xiaozi, however, grasped at a straw and hurriedly said, "Reporting to the Immortal Venerable, for the past six months, I have been firing bricks in the kiln without a single day's rest! I can now control the temperature of the kiln with my eyes closed! The bricks that come out are perfectly square, one of them is as good as two!"
As he spoke, he pulled out a palm-sized piece of blue brick from his pocket, held it above his head with both hands.
"Immortal Lord, please look, these are the bricks I fired!"
Chen Anran glanced at the brick, then looked at the others.
Seeing this, Lei Wanjun, ignoring his numb legs, hurriedly scrambled to his feet and blurted out incoherently, "Immortal Venerable! Immortal Venerable! This disciple has been tilling the medicinal herb field for the past six months! Thirty zhang of medicinal herb field, this disciple tilled it all by himself for six months! The soil was so loose and soft, everything that was planted grew!"
The leader of a small sect nearby also squeezed forward: "Immortal Venerable, this disciple has been helping mortals repair houses down the mountain for the past six months! More than twenty houses have been repaired!"
At this moment, the other factions also began to speak up, recounting their own hardships.
Seeing this, Chen Anran did not interrupt, but waited until they had finished speaking before saying, "I know everything you have been doing down the mountain for the past six months."
"Who slacks off, who works hard, who complains, and who works tirelessly—everyone remembers. So don't worry, I'll make arrangements for you in a couple of days."