Chapter 11

From the Green Dragon Temple, heading west for eight hundred li, one has already left the borders of the Huaxu Kingdom. Before one's eyes stands a towering mountain, stretching from north to south, separating the east from the west, extending for thousands of miles, blocking the way. The people of Huaxu have the habit of turning back when they see this mountain, for according to ancient legends of Huaxu, beyond this mountain lies a vast wilderness, another world where ordinary people cannot enter without special circumstances. Therefore, there are no records of what lies beyond the mountain, only some bizarre and fantastic tales of immortals. Thus, this great mountain is known in Huaxu as the Heart-Testing Ridge, implying that seeing this mountain means the road ahead is cut off, and one should turn back.

As the dawn light gradually brightened, though the east had turned a fish-belly white, the sky was still dark with heavy clouds. A few unknown birds chirped noisily on the branches, searching for early insects to eat. At the foot of Heart-Testing Ridge, Lu Zheng was awakened by the bird calls, slowly opening his eyes.

His head felt incredibly heavy, and when he tried to wipe his eyes, he found his limbs as heavy as a thousand pounds, unable to lift them. After great effort, he managed to move a little, which left him utterly exhausted. Lu Zheng suddenly became fully awake and looked around, finding himself lying on a large rock. However, his eyes seemed to be problematic, and he could see nothing clearly, only a blurry scene. Straining to see, he could vaguely make out a hazy range of distant mountains. In his ears, a buzzing sound could be heard, which, upon closer listening, seemed to be the faint sound of flowing water, as if it were nearby or far away. His ears, too, seemed to be malfunctioning.

All of this felt like an illusion, or a dream. Why couldn't he see clearly, hear clearly, and move his limbs with such difficulty? Where was he? Lu Zheng's heart raced, and he almost cried out, quickly shouting, "Brother Jiu, Brother Jiu, Brother Jiu..."

But when he opened his mouth to shout, his voice was as weak as a mosquito's, barely audible even to himself. He couldn't even speak normally, which made him even more anxious.

"Little layman, you're awake!" a strange voice said.

Lu Zheng heard someone speaking to him, but the person seemed to be far away, and it wasn't Brother Jiu's voice. He tried to sit up, blinking his eyes with great effort, and could barely see a figure standing not far away. He shouted loudly, "Brother Jiu? Are you Brother Jiu? Where are we?"

The man was a wandering monk who had noticed Lu Zheng's condition. He leaned in close and waved his hand in front of Lu Zheng's face, but seeing no reaction, he raised his voice, "This is Heart-Testing Ridge, eight hundred li from the Green Dragon Temple, at the border of Huaxu Kingdom... Can't you see?"

Eight hundred li? Lu Zheng heard this clearly. The border of Huaxu Kingdom? He had never left the three streets near the city temple since he was a child. How did he end up so far from the border? How long had he been asleep? Who was this stranger? Could this stranger have carried him for eight hundred li? What did he want?

Lu Zheng's mind was filled with questions, and his panic turned into fear. His eyes suddenly couldn't see clearly, his ears were malfunctioning, Brother Jiu was nowhere to be found, and now there was a stranger. He immediately began to imagine the worst.

But since he couldn't figure out his current situation, and the voice seemed to have some concern, he thought it unlikely that the person would harm him immediately. Remembering what Brother Jiu had taught him, to stay calm and understand the situation first, Lu Zheng forced down his fear and answered honestly, "I can't see anything now, just a white blur. My ears can't hear clearly, and your voice sounds like a mosquito. My head hurts so much, I feel dizzy and want to sleep. Where's Brother Jiu? Can you tell me where Brother Jiu is? Is he okay?"

In fact, his vision and hearing were better than he described. He could see clearly within his reach, but after waking up and realizing his situation, he naturally didn't trust anyone, so he lied and exaggerated his condition. He didn't ask who the person was, and even when a large hand waved in front of his face to test his vision, he pretended not to see, to make the person let down their guard.

Hearing Lu Zheng's questions, the wandering monk sighed, "Don't you remember what happened that night? You were poisoned. The reason you can't see, hear, or move is because of the poison."

After saving Lu Zheng, the wandering monk found a secluded place and carefully examined his condition. Using his divine eye, he saw that Lu Zheng's heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, as well as the mud pill palace in his forehead, were all occupied by a cluster of white yin energy. These six clusters of yin energy were not static but were swirling continuously, forming a vortex. He tried to use his divine power to extract the yin energy, but found that it was already connected to the five organs. If he tried to forcibly suppress and extract it, it would likely damage Lu Zheng's organs.

The wandering monk was not skilled in medicine, and for a moment, he didn't know what to do. Fortunately, the jade pendant Lu Zheng wore continuously emitted a white light, protecting his heart and forming a balance with the yin poison in his body, which allowed Lu Zheng to survive. After some thought, the wandering monk decided to take Lu Zheng to a place where the yin poison could be cured, and thus set out on the journey.

"Poisoned? How could I be poisoned? What happened that night? Last night, Brother Jiu and I went to the Green Dragon Temple... and then I saw... ah, a monster, that's right, it was a monster!" Lu Zheng, hearing the monk's words, endured his headache and tried to recall the events. Suddenly, he remembered what he had seen through the window and called out, "I saw a blood-sucking monster. Its tongue was so long, and it drained Puguang Fatso in a few moments. Then the monster came at me and sprayed a white mist on my face. I smelled a sweet scent, and then I knew nothing... Where's Brother Jiu? You won't tell me where Brother Jiu is, right? Something happened to Brother Jiu, didn't it? How is Brother Jiu? Please tell me!"

Recalling the events of that night and the terrifying monster, a fearful thought began to form in his mind. In his urgency, he struggled to get up.

However, his voice was as weak as a mosquito's, and he was in a panic. Fortunately, the wandering monk, with his keen hearing, could hear clearly and quickly held him down, then sighed, "Little layman, don't move. I'll tell you the truth. Your companion was taken away by the monster, and it's likely that he is already in grave danger."

The wandering monk was straightforward and adhered strictly to the Buddhist precept of not lying. Despite his reluctance, he spoke the truth. Although he had intimidated the snake monster with the Foshan Punishment Tower, he knew that the monster, having dared to cause trouble in the area, would not be deterred by such a threat. Moreover, the snake monster was severely injured and needed to absorb human essence to recover, so it was unlikely to let the child go. He believed that Tang Xiaojiu had already been drained of his life force.

The monk was also deeply regretful. When he first encountered the snake monster harming someone, he had been moved by pity and was deceived by the monster's false repentance, letting it go. If he had known then, he would have taken decisive action to cut off the evil, and these two children would not have been involved.

Hearing this, Lu Zheng, though unable to discern the truth, found it confirmed his suspicions and was deeply concerned about Tang Xiaojiu's safety. He suddenly cried out, "Brother Jiu," and fainted.

The wandering monk quickly checked on him and found that he had fainted due to emotional distress. He gave Lu Zheng a pill to strengthen his constitution, used his powers to guide his energy, and helped him digest the medicine. Lu Zheng's complexion improved, but he did not wake up.

Seeing Lu Zheng's furrowed brows, the wandering monk thought, "He called for Brother Jiu as soon as he woke up, so he must be the boy taken by the snake monster. These two boys are unfortunate beggars who have endured much hardship, yet they have such deep bonds and support each other, which is truly rare!" He recited a few Buddhist chants and sighed deeply.

When Lu Zheng woke up earlier, his eyes, ears, and limbs were all problematic, and he couldn't speak clearly. This was likely due to the yin poison in his five organs and the mud pill palace. The five organs are connected to the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body, so the six clusters of yin poison affecting these organs caused his symptoms. Realizing this, the wandering monk knew the situation was more serious than he had thought, and his decision to take the boy to that place was the right one.

By evening, Lu Zheng slowly woke up, feeling a warm sensation. His body seemed to be able to move a little, but every movement caused pain and numbness, and his head felt heavy. He lay still, his vision still blurry and painful, so he kept his eyes closed. However, the warm air made him feel comfortable, and he realized someone had built a campfire.

A voice said, "Little layman, you're awake!"

The voice was the same as before, with the same concerned tone. Lu Zheng was momentarily confused, wondering if he had been dreaming earlier. Had Brother Jiu not died, and was it just a nightmare? He was hesitant to continue listening, fearing that he would hear the same news about Brother Jiu being eaten by the monster, so he didn't say a word.

However, this time, the voice was not distant and hollow but clear, just like he usually heard. Lu Zheng wondered if he could hear clearly again. Upon closer listening, he realized the voice was not coming from his ears but directly into his mind.

This realization made him notice the significant difference between the two voices. The previous one was blurry, while this one was clear. He didn't know that the wandering monk was using a Buddhist power called "sound entering the mind," which could directly transmit thoughts into Lu Zheng's mind, turning them into audible thoughts.

So, if the earlier awakening was not a dream, did it mean that Brother Jiu was really killed by the monster? The thought of Brother Jiu being dead made Lu Zheng feel as if his heart was filled with cotton, suffocating him. He didn't want to believe it was true and was afraid to ask for clarification.

The wandering monk, seeing that he was awake but silent, continued using his mind-reading power, "Little layman, don't be sad. Focus on recovering. The yin poison in your body is very severe, and you have been unconscious for ten days. I can only temporarily suppress the poison. But don't worry, I will take you to a place where you can be cured."

So, he had been unconscious for ten days. If that was true, Brother Jiu might have been dead for ten days. Lu Zheng's eyes welled up with tears, and he wanted to cover them with his hands, but his limbs were still immobile. He let the tears flow freely, his mind echoing, "He's lying, Brother Jiu isn't dead, he's lying, Brother Jiu isn't dead..."

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