Chapter 36

"Ah!" Lu Zheng only then noticed that their current position was atop an extremely high mountain peak. The place where the monk had carried him from, the Two-Boundary Mountain, was now behind him. He saw the vast mountains and rivers stretching out like a divine dragon, with no end in sight. The monk had carried him all the way from the back of this dragon's spine, and now they stood at the proud dragon's head!

It was easy to imagine how difficult the journey had been. Lu Zheng turned to look at the monk, his eyes brimming with tears. The monk's robe billowed in the strong wind, deeply touching Lu Zheng, who said, "Great monk, you have truly suffered..." But he didn't know how to continue, as he was naturally introverted and not as eloquent as Tang Xiaojiu. However, his heartfelt gratitude was evident in his words, even though they were brief.

The monk clasped his hands together and recited a Buddhist chant, saying, "Young sir, you have only seen the way we came. Why not look over there?" He pointed as he spoke.

Lu Zheng followed his finger and saw nothing but a vast, white expanse. He didn't know what the monk wanted him to see and was about to ask, when the monk suddenly touched his forehead and said, "Now, look again!"

Lu Zheng opened his eyes and saw that in front of the Two-Boundary Mountain was a vast plain, stretching for thousands of miles, with no end in sight. The plain was dotted with wandering mists, like galloping wild horses, and occasional black and blue spots, which were distant forests and lakes. In this vast plain, starting from a few thatched cottages at the foot of the Two-Boundary Mountain, a thin black line extended continuously across the plain, dividing it neatly into two parts, all the way to where the eye could no longer see.

This black line was the legendary hedge planted by the sage Shengzong a thousand years ago with his unparalleled magical power. From such a distance, it appeared as just a black line.

At this moment, the monk pointed to the black line and said, "This is the hedge. Ordinary human eyes cannot see it. On this side of the hedge is the human world, and on the other side is the cultivation world! This hedge is the boundary between immortals and mortals!"

Lu Zheng tried hard to look at the black line but seemed to be affected by something. No matter how close or far he looked, it was just a blurry black line. When he had looked at the vast plain earlier, he could see the end of the plain clearly, but now he could only see a vague black line. He was already speechless at the grandeur of the scene.

Lu Zheng said, "Great monk, I can't see clearly. How long is this hedge?"

The monk replied, "This poor monk does not know!"

Lu Zheng was surprised, "The great monk doesn't know either!"

The monk said, "Because in front of the hedge, wherever you go, it extends there, and you cannot go around it."

Does it follow you wherever you go? Could this hedge be alive? Lu Zheng stared hard at the hedge. The monk said, "This hedge was planted by Shengzong with unmatched magical power, which you cannot see clearly." The hedge still carried Shengzong's magical power after thousands of years, which left Lu Zheng in awe. The monk pointed to the thatched cottages near the black line and said, "Young sir, look, that is the Sun and Moon Thatched Cottage!"

Lu Zheng looked as instructed.

This was the first time Lu Zheng had seen the Sun and Moon Thatched Cottage. Compared to the mysterious black line of the hedge, the cottage seemed ordinary. Lu Zheng's first thought was that the Sun and Moon Cottage was not just a single thatched house, but a cluster of several thatched houses!

At the foot of the Two-Boundary Mountain, about one or two li from where they stood, at the starting point of the hedge, there were several thatched cottages forming a courtyard. Standing on the mountain top, Lu Zheng could see the entire courtyard, which was a large, square courtyard with five thatched houses and four thatched pavilions, arranged like a large nine-square grid.

At the center of the nine-square grid was a two-story wooden building. From a distance, the building was square, but the roof was flat and round, without the usual ridge, and was covered with a neat circle of thatch, forming a shape that was round on top and square at the bottom. The wall facing them had many windows and doors, all framed with bamboo, intricately crafted. The wooden building was surrounded by a moat, making it look like it was built on an island in the water. There were four wooden bridges for access.

At the four corners of the nine-square grid were four large houses, also wooden buildings, covered with thatch, but with ridges on the roofs, different from the central wooden building. The four large houses were connected by corridors, forming the large square. The four pavilions were located at the midpoints of the four corridors. Both the corridors and the pavilions were open on all sides, allowing direct access, so there were no walls around the courtyard. The pavilions were also covered with thatch, and looking up, one could see the sun and moon in the sky, hence the name Sun and Moon Thatched Cottage.

In addition, the courtyard was dotted with many flowers and trees. It was late spring, and from a distance, the courtyard was a riot of colors, very beautiful.

The houses were built in such a way that they looked very strange, especially the central wooden building, which was surrounded by water and could only be accessed by the four wooden bridges. Did this building have doors on all four sides?

Was there a house in the world with doors on all four sides? Lu Zheng was very curious. From the wall he could see, there was a door in the center, and on either side of the door, there were four windows, making a total of eight windows on one wall. So, in total, the wooden building had four doors and thirty-two windows!

The monk pointed to the wooden building and said, "The central building, which is round on top and square at the bottom, is called the Heaven-Round-Earth-Square Pavilion. The four houses at the corners are called the Four-Season Houses, named Spring Planting, Summer Growth, Autumn Harvest, and Winter Storage. The four pavilions are called the East Pavilion of Flexibility, the South Pavilion of Heat, the West Pavilion of Transformation, and the North Pavilion of Moisture."

Lu Zheng was stunned for a long time, as the houses in the courtyard were very different from the ones he was used to. The four large houses were fine, but the central wooden building and the four open corridors looked very cool, and he said, "Great monk, these houses are so well-ventilated. The owner must like it cool, but it will be very cold in winter!"

At this moment, a gentle breeze blew, and a calm voice reached their ears, "Isn't it a joy to have friends come from afar?"

The voice seemed to be right next to them, as if someone was speaking beside them. Lu Zheng was startled and looked around but saw no one. He remembered that the monk had used magical power to speak to the old man from the Sword and Water Sect at the foot of the Two-Boundary Mountain, so perhaps someone was using the same method to speak to them?

The monk smiled and clasped his hands together, respectfully responding, "Mr. Yue, I hope you are well and free from烦恼."

The voice, filled with genuine joy, replied, "烦恼 nurtures bodhi, and烦恼 is bodhi. Where in life is there no ease? Great monk, you have come from afar, weary and dusty. Please have some tea!"

As the words "please have some tea" echoed, Lu Zheng felt a moment of darkness followed by a sudden brightness. When he looked again, the surroundings had changed, and he found himself in a very bright wooden room. In front of him, a man in white was leaning on a desk, looking at him. He wore a white robe, and his eyes were filled with a gentle and close warmth. The room was occasionally filled with a gentle breeze, blowing the light curtains on the pillars. The man looked graceful and elegant, like a hermit in seclusion, but his noble demeanor was like that of an emperor on his throne.

Lu Zheng had never seen such a person before. He felt that this man was different from anyone he had ever met, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly how. After a few glances, he quickly looked away, thinking, "This person is like a god from heaven!"

"Little sir, this is Mr. Yue. Come and greet him," the monk introduced.

This was the Mr. Yue the monk had mentioned, the one who would treat his poison. So, he must be inside the thatched cottage he had seen earlier, but how did he get here?

Lu Zheng instinctively turned to look for the monk and saw that the monk was already sitting on the left side of the man, with a small black desk in front of him and a teacup steaming. Both the monk and Mr. Yue were sitting on a straw mat, not on chairs. The monk was sitting cross-legged, while Mr. Yue was leaning on the desk, with one leg extended.

Lu Zheng's first reaction was not to greet Mr. Yue but to run to the monk's side and sit down next to him, lowering his head and not daring to look at Mr. Yue. His behavior was like that of a child brought out by an elder, hiding behind the elder because of shyness.

The monk, surprised by Lu Zheng's action, bowed and apologized, "This boy is impolite. I hope Mr. Yue will not take offense."

Mr. Yue's lips curled into a smile, clearly not minding. He picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip. The monk also picked up his teacup and drank, then they both placed the teacups back on the desk at the same time. Lu Zheng noticed that the teacups were made of bamboo, smooth and shiny, but he didn't know what kind of bamboo it was.

They drank tea several times, their movements gentle and calm. Apart from the two sentences the monk had said on the mountain, and the two sentences he said in the room, neither of them spoke or conversed. They would drink a sip of tea together, then put the teacups back on the desk and smile at each other, showing great harmony.

Lu Zheng found this very strange but gradually became less nervous and started to look around.

The room was empty, with no other furnishings. As he had seen from the mountain, there were doors on all four sides, and each wall had eight windows, making it very well-ventilated. He thought, "This is indeed a cool place!"