Chapter 55

Feng Min's actions caused a great stir in the cultivation world. Originally, after the battle of the Holy Sect, the ten demons were separated from the human world by a boundary, and the establishment of the Buddha Mountain Punishment Tower by the Tanhua Treasury led to the pursuit and extermination of evil demons. Over a thousand years, communication between cultivators and demons and spirits gradually increased, and the opposition between them gradually diminished. Even various demons began to understand human emotions and established many demon sects, imitating the cultivators. Many cultivators had demon friends. Both cultivators and demons aimed to transcend the mortal world through cultivation, practicing independently without interfering with each other.

However, those demons who were determined to be enemies of the cultivators retreated to the Danci Mountain. For a thousand years, there were few incidents of demons causing chaos in the cultivation world. Cultivators did not even know the location of Danci Mountain, but a common saying circulated in the cultivation world: "Evil demons come from Danci Mountain." There was also an unwritten rule: if a cultivator encountered a demon from Danci Mountain, they should kill it without mercy.

But the death of Yun Lan made many people recall the confrontation between humans and demons from a thousand years ago. Rumors spread quickly, and conflicts between cultivators and demons increased, hinting at a resurgence of opposition. Especially when Feng Min invoked the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, reducing an entire mountain to dust, causing many innocent lives to suffer. Many people saw this as an overreaction and went to Cuiping Mountain to persuade Feng Min to make a statement, indicating that she did not intend to target the demons in the cultivation world, to eliminate the impact and avoid further turmoil.

However, Feng Min was still immersed in the pain of losing her husband, and no words could reach her. She firmly rejected the visitors and drove them out of Cuiping Mountain. Afterward, she frequently clashed with those who came to cause trouble, and eventually, she closed the mountain, refusing to see anyone.

This left Cuiping Mountain in turmoil. Feng Min, with her fierce personality and strong methods, was unafraid of the turmoil, but she was concerned for her daughter. After much thought, she remembered that Yun Lan had once mentioned that Yue Zhongping was his closest friend, someone he would trust with his life. Therefore, she sent her daughter, Xin'er, to the Riyue Hut. That year, Xin'er was eight years old.

In fact, Xin'er's real name was Yun Lin. After Yun Lan's death, one day Xin'er couldn't find her mother and went to her room. Feng Min was sitting by the bed, her eyes red, staring blankly at a robe in her hands. Xin'er recognized it as the robe her mother had sewn for her father, his favorite piece of clothing.

Xin'er was about to call out to her mother and ask what was wrong, but before she could speak, she saw two tears roll down Feng Min's cheeks and drop onto the robe.

Xin'er was startled and cried out, "Mom!" She rushed into the room and hugged her mother. Feng Min, seeing her daughter, couldn't help but hold her tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Xin'er, your father is gone, and he will never come back! It's all Mom's fault. Mom's surname is Feng, and your father's surname is Yun. The wind blew away the clouds, scattered them, and made them disappear. Is Mom a bad person? Xin'er, will you blame Mom? But Mom is also afraid. Without your father, Mom is afraid of the dark, afraid of being alone in this room. Mom is even more afraid of being sad and heartbroken... Xin'er, from now on, you will follow Mom's surname Feng! Clouds are gentle and beautiful, but in life, one must have a bit of toughness, like a fierce wind or thunder, to avoid being bullied. From now on, you will be called Feng Lin!"

Xin'er told Lu Zheng a lot, mostly what she knew. As for the turmoil in the cultivation world, she was too young to fully understand. She only knew that after her father's death, people often came to cause trouble, which is why her mother sent her to the thatched hut. When she saw Lu Zheng's eyes, they reminded her of the day her mother looked at her father's robe, and she immediately understood how the young man felt, so she told him these things.

Lu Zheng never imagined that this carefree, godlike little sister had already experienced such a tragic event. When he thought about her father being killed, Xin'er was even younger than she is now. After hearing everything, Lu Zheng felt a deep sympathy for her, as he himself was an orphan with no parents. He never thought Xin'er's father would also... His eyes welled up with tears.

However, Xin'er did not cry like Lu Zheng. As she spoke, her face showed a hint of nostalgia, as if she was missing her father. Xin'er said, "Little brother, do you know? In the past, Xin'er only knew that Mom was never afraid of anyone who bullied us or of bad people. She seemed fearless in front of Xin'er. But now Xin'er knows that Mom can also be afraid. After Dad left, Mom was alone and became afraid. She was afraid of the dark, afraid of Xin'er having an accident, and afraid of being left alone, which is why she sent Xin'er here.

It's just like you now, little brother. Xiao Jiu is gone, and you are also afraid, afraid that no one will be with you, afraid that no one will tell you stories, and afraid that no one will help you if you are bullied. Little brother, do you think what Xin'er said is right? Is it like that?"

Lu Zheng nodded vigorously. He knew he could never say what Xin'er had said, but he understood that she had experienced the same pain of losing a loved one. Every word she spoke was a result of immense struggle and pain. But he felt that Xin'er was much braver than he was.

As Xin'er spoke, Lu Zheng listened intently, and his heart gradually calmed down. Although he still felt sad and heartbroken, he was no longer restless or at a loss. Instead, a new feeling welled up inside him, reminding him of his Ninth Brother. This time, when he thought of Jiu Ge, he didn't feel sad or heartbroken; instead, he felt a bit sweet, even a bit happy. His heart felt warm, as if an invisible window had opened, brightening his entire soul. He remembered the days he spent with Tang Xiaojiu, every moment they shared.

This made Lu Zheng feel that Jiu Ge was still by his side. Jiu Ge had been with him for a long time, walking a long journey, and now Jiu Ge was tired and needed to rest.

When this thought emerged in Lu Zheng's mind, he felt an unprecedented peace and contentment. He looked at Xin'er, seeing the nostalgic expression on her face, and knew she was thinking of her father. In that moment, Lu Zheng suddenly realized that the feelings welling up inside him came from Xin'er!

Lu Zheng took a deep breath and said, "Xin'er, thank you. Thanks to you, I feel much better!"

Xin'er blinked her eyes, her dimples showing, and said mysteriously, "Little brother, do you know? When Xin'er first came here, the teacher was so strict, and there was no one else. Xin'er was so scared, thinking Mom was so bad for leaving her here. So Xin'er cried a lot! Little brother, you mustn't tell anyone, Xin'er always cried secretly under the covers, and neither the teacher nor Uncle Yue knew!"

"But later, Xin'er gradually understood. Xin'er wanted Mom to be with her and to spoil her, but Mom already loves Xin'er! Sending Xin'er here means Mom loves her and wants to protect her. It's just that before, Mom could be with Xin'er, but now they have to be apart, which is inevitable. But Mom's love for Xin'er will never change, whether she is by Xin'er's side or not. Dad is gone and not by Xin'er's side anymore, but Xin'er believes that Dad still loves her, whether he is by her side or not.

So now, it's Xin'er's turn to love Mom. Dad is gone, and now Xin'er must love Mom as much as Dad loved her. Dad taught Xin'er how to love someone, and now Xin'er will learn from Dad to love Mom. This way, Dad will always be with Xin'er!"

That day, under the Jinbola flower, after Xin'er said those words, Lu Zheng never cried over Tang Xiaojiu's death again. Her words made him realize that Jiu Ge had never left him. Since the first time he met Tang Xiaojiu as a child, Jiu Ge would never leave him because he had already put Jiu Ge in his heart.

That night, Lu Zheng lay in bed for a long time, but his heart was no longer filled with sadness. He felt a new sense of peace and freedom, his body filled with courage and confidence. This feeling seemed to come from deep within his heart, or perhaps from Xin'er, from Jiu Ge, from the ascetic monk, the teacher, and Mr. Yue.

That night, Lu Zheng silently vowed in his heart to take good care of that precious person and never let anyone bully her! Because after Xin'er said those words, he had already considered her the most important and precious person in his life!

That night, Lu Zheng had a dream. In the dream, he saw himself and Tang Xiaojiu climbing over the wall to steal buns from the Qinglong Temple. Mingkong, the little monk, was sitting by the stove, holding a firewood stick. When he saw them, he threw the stick and ran up happily, saying, "Why did you take so long to come back? I missed you so much, Great Master!"

Then the dream changed. Tang Xiaojiu and Mingkong disappeared, and Lu Zheng found himself in a white mist. This time, he didn't panic and shout Jiu Ge's name. Instead, he looked around carefully and muttered, "Am I dreaming again? I know I am. Jiu Ge is dead, and I won't call his name anymore."

As he said this, countless golden rays of light pierced through the white mist, and the sound of dragon roars echoed in the sky. Lu Zheng looked up and saw six golden dragons circling in the heavens, their whiskers moving, their divine presence awe-inspiring. As he watched, the largest golden dragon suddenly flew toward him, stopping in front of him and opening its mouth to say, "You finally came!"

PS: The previous chapter has been revised, and Dao Men Wangqing Tian has been introduced earlier. I hope you can go back and read it. Writing this chapter, I couldn't help but think, "Because there is no hindrance, there is no fear, and one is far from delusion and fantasy." I can't help but say to Lu Zheng, "Kid, you've finally grown up." I hope for your recommendations and support. Thank you all!