Chapter 54

Lu Zheng wiped away a tear, puzzled, and said, "What am I afraid of?"

Xin'er also walked to the golden bora flower, sat down next to Lu Zheng, leaned against him, and blinked her eyes, saying, "Big Brother Lu Zheng, you're afraid of being sad, aren't you!"

Lu Zheng's heart was shaken, and he couldn't say a word for a moment!

Afraid of being sad? Isn't that exactly what I'm afraid of? The sorrow that lingers in my heart, besides the pain of Nine Brother's tragic death, is also the feeling of being alone from now on.

If the death of Nine Brother makes me feel incredibly sad, then losing his care makes me feel as if the sky has fallen. Every time I think about living alone, an endless fear surges in my heart, which I can't shake off. Sadness and fear, these two emotions mixed together, make me restless, filled with frustration, despair, and helplessness. Many times, I thought that if I closed my eyes and slept, I would be woken up by Nine Brother's noisy voice. But that's impossible now...

Why, besides being sad, am I also afraid, fearful, and frustrated? Is it also because of Nine Brother's death? Lu Zheng asked himself for a long time, but it wasn't until Xin'er said this that he suddenly understood. He wasn't sad for Nine Brother, but for himself! Without Nine Brother's protection and care, he was afraid!

Xin'er's words hit the nail on the head, revealing his own hidden thoughts.

Lu Zheng suddenly remembered the two sentences his teacher said: "Speak without reservation, act without doubt." He had always thought he was sad for Nine Brother, but when Xin'er asked, he realized that the sadness was brought by Nine Brother, but the fear and other emotions were brought by himself. Saying he was sad for Nine Brother, but crying for himself, was indeed a form of "speaking with reservation and acting with doubt"!

Thinking about his pitiful, tearful appearance, Lu Zheng felt a bit embarrassed, thinking he was being selfish and pretending to be pitiful. Nine Brother was dead, so what was there to be pitiful about? His face turned red. He also thought about how he always avoided seeing others, hiding and dodging, secretly hoping someone would come to comfort him. When he was with the ascetic monk, he hoped the monk would always take care of him.

Why was he hiding deep in the flower garden now? This place would be easy for Xin'er to find. Deep down, he still wanted Xin'er to see his pitiful appearance and comfort him! Xin'er directly said he was afraid of being sad, not sad for Nine Brother, which meant she had seen his selfishness, right?

For a moment, he felt more and more embarrassed, as if his mind was exploding. He wanted to say something to Xin'er in his defense, but then he thought that wouldn't be another form of "speaking with reservation and acting with doubt." He stammered a few times but couldn't say anything: "Xin'er, I... I..."

"Big Brother, Xin'er is also afraid of being sad! The teacher said that we should face everything calmly. When you feel sad, you can tell your good friend. Big Brother, will Xin'er tell you her sad things?" As she spoke, Xin'er held Lu Zheng's shoulder, her voice soft and her eyes pure.

Xin'er is also afraid of being sad? Lu Zheng's heart suddenly felt relieved. It seemed Xin'er didn't think he was selfish. He calmed down, nodded seriously, and said softly, "Okay!"

Xin'er said, "Big Brother, do you know who loves Xin'er the most in the world?"

Before Lu Zheng could answer, Xin'er continued, "It's Father! Father loves Xin'er the most. Even my nickname, Xin'er, was given by Father. Father always says I am his most precious treasure... But Father often tickles Xin'er with his beard, which is a bit annoying. Big Brother, you shouldn't tickle people with your beard in the future! Apart from that, Father is the best father in the world, but when Xin'er was still young, Father was killed by bad people..."

Xin'er looked at the golden bora flower and slowly told her story. This was the first time Lu Zheng learned about Xin'er's background.

Xin'er was born in Cuiping Mountain. Her father's surname was Yun, and his name was Yun Lan, a disciple of the Daoist Wind Sect, practicing the Wind Control Technique. Yun Lan, as his name suggests, was elegant and graceful, with a calm and humble personality, never competing with others, like a leisurely cloud. Interestingly, his wife's personality was completely different, fierce and impulsive, with a fiery temper that couldn't tolerate any sand in her eyes!

Xin'er's mother's surname was Feng, and her name was Feng Min, a disciple of the Daoist Thunder Sect, practicing the Thunder Control Technique. Her temper was well-known in the Daoist sect, and she was privately called "Little Thunder Mother," which gives an idea of her personality. Xin'er's personality was gentle, like Yun Lan, but with a touch of liveliness and mischief, probably inherited from her mother, Feng Min.

After Daoist disciples achieve success in their cultivation, if they do not choose to stay in the sect, they might either travel the world, enlightening people, and if they encounter disciples with the potential and destiny for cultivation, they might bring them back to the sect; or, with the consent of their sect, they might leave the sect and establish their own sect in the cultivation world, but in terms of origin, they would still belong to the Daoist sect, and the ancestors they worship would still be the Daoist ancestors.

There is another type of situation, like Yun Lan's. After achieving success in cultivation, he neither stayed in the sect nor established his own sect, but instead, he married a Thunder Sect disciple, Feng Min, and they built a cave heaven in Cuiping Mountain, living there. This is, to some extent, no different from the life of ordinary people. This situation arises because such cultivators do not aim for the transcendent immortal path but choose another pursuit.

In this regard, the rules of the Daoist sect are very different from those of the Buddhist sect. The Buddhist sect strictly prohibits marriage, and both monks and nuns must strictly adhere to the precepts, completely renouncing the secular world and dedicating themselves to achieving the ultimate position and becoming a Buddha. Moreover, Buddhist disciples are strictly forbidden from privately establishing their own sects. The ten mountains of the Buddhist sect are all managed by elders from the Buddhist mountain, known as "residents."

When a temple is established, it is often the time for the resident monk to retire. They will return to the Buddhist mountain, and another high monk will be sent to manage the new temple, without continuing to serve as the abbot of the new temple. Therefore, the Buddhist sect has always been well-organized, with strict internal order. If a disciple has a change of heart, violates the precepts, or leaves the sect, they will be severely punished according to the precepts.

In the cultivation world, besides the two major sources of cultivation, the Buddhist mountain and the Daoist sea, which include the eleven Daoist sects and the eleven Buddhist mountains, there are also many hereditary cultivation families and scattered cultivators. Many of these are similar to Yun Lan's situation. Therefore, although Yun Lan and Feng Min both came from the Daoist sect, they can be considered scattered cultivators of Cuiping Mountain. Yun Lan and Feng Min were generous and had many friends, so Cuiping Mountain was quite well-known among the scattered cultivators.

The story of Yun Lan and Feng Min's relationship is also a beautiful tale in the Daoist Wind and Thunder Sects, and a fun story in the Daoist sect. Twenty years ago, the Daoist sect held a Dharma Demonstration and Enlightenment Conference, where all eleven sects, including the "One Profound, Two Sects, Eight Schools," participated. The Dharma Demonstration and Enlightenment Conference is a gathering where the eleven Daoist sects exchange and improve their skills, aimed at encouraging the younger generation. Therefore, only the new generation of disciples, selected by each sect, can participate, making it a significant event in the Daoist sect.

Although it is said that all eleven sects participate, the Profound Sect never lets its disciples participate because the Profound Sect has only one disciple, the future successor of the Daoist sect, the Heartless Heaven, who is of a much higher generation and thus not suitable to compete with other disciples.

The reason this conference is called the Dharma Demonstration and Enlightenment Conference, rather than the "Dharma Competition and Enlightenment Conference" or the "Mystical Dharma Conference," is that it is not just a competition of magical powers but also a demonstration of the disciples' cultivation and understanding of the Dao, aimed at encouraging the masses and dispelling doubts.

At the Dharma Demonstration and Enlightenment Conference twenty years ago, the winner was a disciple of the Daoist Wind Sect—Yun Lan. Among the disciples of the same generation, Yun Lan had the deepest magical powers and demonstrated the most natural and seamless magical techniques, thus standing out and winning the conference.

After the current leader of the Daoist sect, the Heartless Heaven, announced Yun Lan's victory, a Thunder Sect disciple suddenly stood up and loudly said, "You're called Yun Lan? I don't think your Dao techniques are that great. If it weren't for the Thunder Sect, the winner wouldn't be you. My name is Feng Min. Remember, in less than three years, I will beat you!"

Everyone was surprised, and Yun Lan was also stunned. Upon closer inspection, it was a small, delicate girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with skin as white as snow and a long, black braid hanging from her chest. At that moment, her eyebrows were furrowed, and she looked不服气 (unconvinced), making her appear straightforward and adorable.

Originally, everyone was frowning, wondering who was so rude and arrogant, but when they saw such an interesting little girl, they couldn't help but laugh, knowing it was just the youthful blood and competitiveness of a young person.

The Heartless Heaven was not angry but laughed and continued talking with the other ten sect leaders. This conference was not only about the Dharma Demonstration and Enlightenment but also a meeting where the Heartless Heaven and the leaders of the two sects and eight schools discussed matters.

The Heartless Heaven ignored it, but the other ten sect disciples were not so lenient. One of them joked, "Little sister of the Thunder Sect, why are you surnamed Feng? I think you should have joined the Wind Sect. And Brother Yun Lan, with the wind and thunder, you seem like a son-in-law of the Thunder Sect!"

This was a rather suggestive and explicit comment. Feng Min's face turned red, and she flicked her braid back, instantly locking onto the person with her divine consciousness. She turned and stepped into the Daoist stance, pinched the Daoist seal, and a green lightning bolt descended from the sky, striking the person directly.

This little girl had a fiery temper and attacked without a word, right in front of all the elders of the eleven Daoist sects, with the Heartless Heaven not far away! No Daoist disciple would dare to act without respect for their elders, especially in front of so many seniors. No one had ever done such a thing.

But Feng Min did it, not only attacking but doing so decisively. The elders present were taken aback, and the talkative disciple, who was from the Fire Sect, never expected it. He was struck by the green lightning, instantly turning black and his Daoist robe charred. Some of the more skilled people could see that although Feng Min attacked, she had excellent control, and the person was not injured, just embarrassed.

This caused a commotion in the conference, and everyone was discussing it, making the scene very lively. The leaders of the ten sects changed their expressions and stood up to stop their disciples.

The leader of the Thunder Sect, the Wuxiang True Person, was known for being protective of his disciples. He particularly liked this disciple whose personality was similar to his own. He did not blame Feng Min at all but instead rolled his eyes, huffed, and said, "Serves him right!" The talkative disciple was from the Fire Sect, and the leader of the Fire Sect, the Ziyi Scattered Person, knew he was in the wrong and severely reprimanded the disciple on the spot.

Seeing this, the Heartless Heaven couldn't help but laugh, pointing at Feng Min with a smile, saying, "This little girl is quite fierce, a real 'Little Thunder Mother'!" The first person of the Daoist sect spoke, and Feng Min's nickname "Little Thunder Mother" was thus established, though no one dared to mention it to her face.

However, amidst the chaos in the conference, only Yun Lan stood dumbfounded in the center, staring at the girl with the long braid, speechless.

This was their first meeting. Later, some extraordinary events led to their marriage, which indeed fulfilled the talkative disciple's words. Feng Min even went to the Fire Sect to apologize for the green lightning strike.

After their marriage, one day, Feng Min asked her husband about his thoughts on that day, whether he thought she was fierce and domineering. Yun Lan, holding Feng Min, said seriously, "When I heard the thunder, I secretly nodded, thinking, 'Yes, my wife has appeared!'" Yun Lan, who was always serious, unexpectedly said such loving words, making Feng Min blush and bury herself in his arms.

The couple respected and loved each other deeply, living happily in Cuiping Mountain. Three years later, Feng Min gave birth to a daughter, Xin'er, and the family lived a blissful life.

However, fate is unpredictable. When Xin'er was four years old, Yun Lan and Feng Min were out when they encountered a powerful demon. The demon was extremely strong, and Yun Lan was unfortunately killed by the demon, but he successfully protected Feng Min and helped her escape back to Cuiping Mountain.

Feng Min was overwhelmed with grief and anger. To avenge her husband, she invited many friends from the cultivation world to attack the demon's mountain. They killed the demon on the spot, but still unsatisfied, she used the Thunder Sect's secret technique, the Thunder Control Technique, to summon the nine heavens' divine lightning, reducing the entire mountain to dust!