"Huh! Why are you still following ?" Lu Zheng exclaid in surprise.
At this mont, Guangyue had three large lumps on the right side of his head, not yet subsided, a black eye with hints of purple, a bit of swelling under his right cheek, and a small cut on the corner of his mouth.
He looked… like he'd just been beaten up?
"Amitabha Buddha!" Guangyue said with excitent, "I didn't expect you, my friend, to excel in both Daoist and Martial Dual Cultivation with such extraordinary skills. How can such talent be wasted on romantic affairs?"
Lu Zheng: (´°Δ°`)
Guangyue continued, "I know you won't understand now, but as a monk, I must urge you, don't waste your gifts, brother. Soday, you'll understand my intentions."
"Thank you! I won't!" Lu Zheng said helplessly, "Master, I'm actually very disciplined. Romantic affairs won't dampen my fighting spirit."
"But the allure of the Fox Girl is enticing, and you're bound to get attached to the countryside sooner or later," Guangyue said sternly. "Only by traveling with can you truly refine your cultivation."
Lu Zheng squinted his eyes and grasped the hilt of his sword.
...
Linhai Village, a small village, with a common na, like countless other villages along rivers in the Great Jing Dynasty. Except this Linhai Village lies next to the Lanshui River, alongside which are three other villages.
These four villages are inaccessible by land, blocked by large mountains. The only way out is to travel downstream along the Lanshui River to reach the main river path connecting to the outside world.
However, the Lanshui River is narrow with swift currents, hidden undertows, and treacherous rapids everywhere.
If that were the only issue, they could rely on their generational knowledge of the water and the inherited understanding of the Lanshui River's water conditions to navigate safely.
But this is the Xianxia World! There are demons!
So... decades ago, when a "River God" appeared in the Lanshui River, the four villages began annually sacrificing a pair of young boys and girls, so the River God would ensure that the Lanshui River remained calm and undisturbed.
This year, it's Linhai Village's turn to provide sacrifices. Two sets of parents drew the unlucky lots and offered their children, watching as their kids were dressed up, surrounded by villagers, and carried towards the Lanshui River crying.
Beating drums and clashing cymbals, the noisy procession left the village entrance heading to the nearby riverbank, while an indistinct shadow appeared in the Lanshui River.
And then…
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Thundering sounds rang out as two figures erged from the depths of the mountains, one golden light, one blue shadow, coming together and separating.
The figure in blue noticed the crowd here and imdiately halted, swiftly making his way over.
The villagers stared to see this blue figure was a young gentleman in a blue Confucian robe, with features as smooth as jade, eyes like stars, exuding elegance and charm.
The golden light followed, revealing a rather stout monk covered in bumps with a swollen, bruised face, looking quite miserable.
"Greetings to both... Immortal Masters!"
The villagers hurriedly paid their respects; those with so worldliness only bowed, while the timid ones knelt directly.
"No need for formalities, no need. What's going on here…"
Lu Zheng glanced at the young boys and girls surrounded by villagers on the wooden dais, toys in their hands and oblivious to their fate, then at the families wiping their tears behind the procession. His mind was already forming a hypothesis.
"To answer Immortal Master, we're sacrificing to the River God to ensure favorable winds and rains for next year…" the leading elder said respectfully.
"Sacrificing to the River God…" Lu Zheng smacked his lips, "How do you sacrifice? Aside from burning incense, what are the offerings? Are they buns, fruits and vegetables, or livestock?"
"Well..."
Da Jing Law strictly forbids using live humans in sacrifices; the Jing Dynasty's ghost gods require incense and candle qi, not human blood flesh.
"Amitabha Buddha!" Guangyue's eyes glead, "Eating humans and impersonating a River God? This is an evil god ritual?"
To be honest, rely eating humans might be tolerated if one lies low and doesn't act out. The Great Jing Dynasty may not intervene, like with Wild Wolf Mountain.
But if you dare covet incense and candle qi, that's a matter of principle. Once the Great Jing Dynasty knows, they will certainly obliterate you, as a warning to others.
"If it's not a demon, then it's a water ghost," Guangyue declared forcefully, "It must be eradicated!"
"Indeed it must be eradicated!" Lu Zheng nodded.
"Wait, Immortal Master! Wait!" The leading elder urgently advised, "The River God must not be angered! Decades ago, an Immortal Master ca here, and not only lost his life, but also caused the Lanshui River to be turbulent for a whole year, preventing us from leaving all year!"
"Yes, yes!" Several old villagers also looked terrified.
"So you're just letting them cry their hearts out?" Lu Zheng pointed to the two grieving families in the procession's rear.
"That's far better than everyone dying in all the villages!" The leading elder said with deep sorrow.
Lu Zheng nodded, "What you say indeed makes sense."
Hearing Lu Zheng's words, many villagers breathed a sigh of relief, while those trailing behind the procession showed faces of despair as their hopes were dashed.
Guangyue naturally didn't believe Lu Zheng would let it go, so he curiously looked at Lu Zheng, only to hear him continue speaking, "But no matter how reasonable you are, do you really think it can stop ?"
The leading elder: ???
"Amitabha Buddha!" Guangyue said contentedly, "Brother you're truly destined to travel with ."
"I'll travel with you like hell!" Lu Zheng snapped in anger, then turned to the Lanshui River. He saw a shadow moving upstream in the water, simultaneously sinking to hide its presence at the surface.
"Take action!"
Lu Zheng surged with blood qi, instantly reaching above the Lanshui River, then his figure shot like an arrow straight to the riverbed.
"Brother is entering the water?" Guangyue was startled, then saw Lu Zheng pinch a seal technique in his hand, causing the river water to automatically part three feet away on both sides.
"Water Avoidance Technique?!"
"You stay on alert above, I'll explore below, in case it hides in underwater caves where it can't be found." Lu Zheng said, pushing through the water, hugging the riverbed, and moving upstream.
"Alright!" Guangyue didn't hesitate, wielding a wooden stick, following Lu Zheng swiftly along the riverbank, holding a Buddha Seal ready to strike at any mont.
...
The duo continued upstream for three miles, encountering treacherous terrain and rapid currents. Countless ripples appeared out of nowhere, then a mighty voice echoed in their ears, "Carry on your journey, I have no grudges with you. We can coexist without interfering. Why seek trouble with ?"
"No particular reason." Lu Zheng leisurely walked along the riverbed, maintaining his pace, "I just realized I haven't had river delicacies in quite a while. Simply nostalgic."
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