Bamboo Chest — Chapter Thirty: The Young Man’s Great Path
Dong Sangeng of the Sword Qi Great Wall has returned.
People may have forgotten him for a long time, but when the man carried Yuan Feng’s severed head to the top of the wall and carved the character “Dong” into the stone, all else became insignificant.
The entire Sword Qi Great Wall stirred with activity. The Dong family residence, once deserted, was suddenly crowded with people, all claiming they wished to catch a glimpse of the legend of the Sword Qi Great Wall, Dong Sangeng. Yet, the Dong family insisted they had no idea where he had gone.
...
Far from the Sword Qi Great Wall, Dong Sangeng stood in silence, looking at the corpses of the demonic race scattered around him, preparing to move on.
“Come back. His aura is no longer here.” The voice of the Great Sword Immortal sounded from behind him.
Dong Sangeng turned to look at the old man and asked, “Why did you not intervene to save him?”
“There are some things I did not manage, simply because I did not see them. My focus was on the depths of the Wilderness at the time; otherwise, you would not have been able to return either,” the Great Sword Immortal replied. “Besides, given Li Qian’s temper, even if he had to risk his life, he would have killed the demons before him. Do you think it is fitting to let a sword cultivator of the Sword Qi Great Wall die in such a way?”
Dong Sangeng said nothing more. He simply continued forward, leaving the Great Sword Immortal with these words:
“You had better not let me see Li Qian again, or I will certainly cut him down with a single sword stroke. I care nothing for whatever past he may have!”
The Great Sword Immortal, who had spent his life swinging his sword with decisive clarity, could only sigh at the sight of Dong Sangeng’s retreating back.
...
In the depths of the Wilderness, a woman in a white dress walked step by step, carrying a youth on her back. Behind her, a trail of blood stretched out as if into infinity. A rain began to fall, yet it could not wash away these glowing, radiant bloodstains.
“How pitiful.” A woman dressed in imperial robes of a dragon, possessing exquisite beauty, sat idly on a distant mountain peak, holding an umbrella.
The woman in white stopped, her face pale.
“Are you Fei Fei?” Sheng Ge asked.
“I am,” Fei Fei replied with a smile. “And his sister—I was the one who devoured her as well.”
Sheng Ge took a deep breath. As the raindrops fell, they suddenly halted in mid-air. Countless tiny droplets reflected the sudden, brilliant brightness of the full moon in the sky. Around Fei Fei, the clear moonlight transformed into sharp blades, thrusting toward her.
“Do not forget who granted you your power, and furthermore...”
Fei Fei clapped her hands, and the raindrops, along with the lunar essence, instantly shattered. Sheng Ge did not utter another word; she turned and fled immediately.
Fei Fei looked down at the tiny figure of Sheng Ge at the foot of the mountain with a smile. “You are merely in the Jade Pylon Stage. Only with the aid of the moon’s essence could you barely manage to trade blows with an Immortal Stage cultivator.”
The great demon Fei Fei slowly raised her hand. “You are not permitted to escape.”
Sheng Ge, who had been using all her strength to flee, suddenly found herself back on the mountain, standing behind Fei Fei.
...
Lu Yun found himself back on the bustling streets of Qianjing City. The vendors continued their calls, and the pedestrians flowed in an endless stream.
“I didn't die?” Lu Yun stared at his hands, murmuring. “Did Sheng Ge save me? But why am I here?”
Lu Yun wandered blankly through the lively streets until he collided with an old man.
“Hey, watch where you’re going!” The old man’s eyes were tightly shut; he appeared to be blind.
“Old sir, my apologies...” Lu Yun spoke instinctively, but then he froze. He had experienced this moment before! Right here!
“Go on, go on! A little brat like you, how could you ever hurt me?” The old man waved his hand in annoyance.
Lu Yun immediately grabbed the man. “Old sir, do you have a way to save me, or perhaps... to save my sister?!”
The old man chuckled and asked, “How about you become my disciple? I’m in need of one.”
“Are you... the one from the Hundred Thousand Mountains?” Lu Yun asked tentatively.
The people around them stopped in their tracks, as if frozen in that very instant.
The old man countered, “If I were not, would you then refuse to be my disciple?”
Lu Yun knelt on the spot and bowed to the elder. “As long as you can save my sister!”
The old man chuckled, his figure gradually dissipating along with the surrounding environment. “Of course there is a way to save her, but for now, I fear you must save someone else first. Come find me in the Hundred Thousand Mountains!”
Lu Yun’s vision suddenly plunged into darkness, and his consciousness sank.
...
In the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the Old Blind Man stood up from his reclining chair and casually kicked the sycophantic Tao Ting to the side. The old man reached out, feeling the faint chill brought by the rain.
“I have decided. I am going to take on a disciple.”
Tao Ting was shocked. Why had this master suddenly decided to take an apprentice?!
The old man turned his head and ‘looked’ at Tao Ting with a chuckle. “You and he should get along quite well.”
Tao Ting felt baffled. If the master took in a young master, it would just serve them well; how could there be any offense? The Old Blind Man smiled without a word, turning his gaze toward the distance.
“Zhou Mi, as a scholar, you should understand the principle of knowing when to stop.”
...
Fei Fei gritted her teeth as she stared at Sheng Ge, who could no longer stand before her.
“Stealing from me right under my nose—how should I kill you, I wonder?”
Sheng Ge ignored her, reaching out to grasp the hand of Lu Yun beside her. In Lu Yun’s palm lay a blood-stained jade pendant, carved with the image of a flood dragon. Sheng Ge’s aura was growing increasingly frail.
Fei Fei watched Sheng Ge’s futile efforts and let out a cold, mocking laugh, raising her hand to finish both of them off.
“Stop.”
A voice appeared in Fei Fei’s ear. The great demon who controlled the vast majority of the water transport in the Wilderness actually began to tremble.
“Leave this place,” the person continued.
“But, Mr. Zhou...” Fei Fei pursed her lips, hesitating.
“Let them go.”
Fei Fei looked at the vanishing Sheng Ge with hatred, but ultimately chose to depart.
...
On Tuoyue Mountain in the Wilderness, Zhou Mi, dressed in a Confucian robe, stood against the wind.
“Opportunism. Do you truly intend to let her become the master of the Wilderness’s water transport in the future?” A beautiful woman appeared behind Zhou Mi.
“Do you not also wish to make a move? Devouring that flood dragon would be of great benefit to you as well, would it not?” Zhou Mi asked calmly.
The woman immediately fell silent. As it turned out, the reason Fei Fei had acted was her suspicion that Zhou Mi had laid plans for the siblings, and the fact that the young girl had a rare affinity for the Great Dao of Water made the great demon covetous. As for the woman, Yang Zhi, she had harbored similar thoughts, but had not dared to gamble.
...
Lu Yun had a dream. In it, he saw a girl weeping softly, crying as she told him he must compensate her well in the future. He also saw his sister, Lu Cui, who smiled and told him it would be alright, and that he must live happily from now on.
He did not want to wake up; he wanted to look at them for a little longer...
Finally, Lu Yun opened his eyes, letting the rain fall continuously upon his face. The youth gripped the jade pendant in his hand, the flames of resentment burning fiercely in his heart.
From that day on, although the youth had an affinity for the Great Dao of Water, he grew to hate the rain.