Chapter 65

Ding Qi and Zhao Feng searched the mountains and valleys but found only a mere four people, and those four were merely the ones who stayed in the mountain gate to do odd jobs, not the disciples outside the gate who were preparing to sever their ties with the yin—thinking of their uncle, they no longer searched and brought those four back.

Qi Daxing, Wan Niu, Ou Nan, and Du Laoer.

These four were all in their twenties or thirties. They had not become disciples within the gate but had stayed on the mountain to do odd jobs, which provided them with a means of livelihood. In the chaos, they had fled from the cave but did not go far, only watching from a distance. Seeing that Ding Qi and the others were unharmed, they returned to the cave.

They were all ashamed, their faces red to the roots of their necks. Bai He consoled them, saying, "Fleeing in the face of danger is a common human reaction; you need not feel ashamed. If I had not been unconscious, I would have avoided the disaster myself. How could you be at fault?"

The four bowed before Bai He, their faces in sorrow, unable to utter a word. They had made up their minds: "Even if I die, I will not run away again!"

Great and wise people often enlighten others with a single thought or word, and this was the case!

The disaster began at the hour of You, and it was now past the hour of Mao, a span of five hours. The sky was still dark, with a crescent moon in the sky. Thinking of the separation and turmoil in the middle of the night, the scholars and cultivators in the mountains felt as if it were a dream, and they said:

"A fleeting dream on the spiritual platform, the pine and cypress under the crescent moon, the lonely dove's cry, a thousand years of sorrow, transformed into the cries of the wronged birds!"

Bai He led everyone back to the hall, wrapped the ancestral tablets of the generations of patriarchs in cloth, and divided them into two bundles, which he instructed Ding Qi and Zhao Feng to carry. Then he went to the accounting room to gather some money and valuables, and to the warehouse to find some weapons, swords, talismans, magical tools, incense, candles, and paper money. He distributed them to everyone, saying:

"In this crisis, you need not be too rigid. If danger comes, each of you should flee. The more who escape, the better. Ding Qi, Zhao Feng, if you can safely bring the ancestral tablets to the Zhong Kui Temple at the foot of the mountain and deliver them to your uncle, you will be great contributors to the sect. In the future, I will ask your grandmaster to impart some of the second-generation secrets to you."

On any other day, Ding Qi and Zhao Feng would have jumped at such an offer, but today, Bai He's earnest words were clearly a farewell. The two remained silent, only nodding, but they had already made up their minds.

Bai He did not delay. He took a wooden box from the chest, inside which were neatly arranged paper cranes, numbering more than twenty. He lit incense and candles on the table, and gently heated the cranes over the flame, allowing the blue smoke to permeate their bodies: "These cranes are gifts from the Dingjia Sect. Their techniques for controlling and commanding are quite miraculous, making their paper cranes fly farther and longer than ours. They were left for communication to prevent the Tibetan monks, and now they have come in handy. I will send them to your grandmaster, Third Uncle, Dingjia, and Jingwei, a total of four directions, hoping for assistance."

As he spoke, he finished arranging the paper cranes on the table. He clapped his hands twice.

The paper cranes, upon hearing the claps, slowly began to move!

"Go!"

The paper cranes spread their wings, fluttered, and raised their heads, scratching their cheeks. After a moment, they all flapped their wings and flew into the air, forming a semicircle around Bai He, flapping their wings in front of him—

"Command! The Wulun Sect is in trouble, besieged by unknown enemies. Disciples are dying and the enemy is hard to find! I, Bai He, have been injured and cannot use my techniques. I can only lead the disciples away from the mountain temporarily. I am sending this message to all of you, please be on guard!"

Without further ado, he made a few strokes in the group of paper cranes, and they chirped and circled, flying off in four directions. Their wings flapped swiftly, and they quickly disappeared into the night.

Looking at the flock of cranes, Bai He snorted, "You may try to stop the cranes, but... can you stop so many?" Thinking of the cranes flying above the clouds, the enemy would find it hard to intercept them, he couldn't help but smile.

The disciples were also delighted, saying that sending the paper cranes was a good omen, and the enemy might retreat upon seeing the request for help...

Bai He laughed heartily, suddenly feeling more confident, his voice becoming louder: "Good! Let's go to the kitchen, eat and drink our fill, take some dry rations, and head down the mountain!"

It was clear that someone had already been to the kitchen. The steamer baskets, which had been neatly arranged, were now wide open, and the steamed buns inside had been taken away. There were a few bowls and basins scattered on the ground, with some leftover porridge and soup. The basin that usually held pickled vegetables was overturned, and there was nothing left but scraps. The other jars and shelves had been completely emptied, leaving nothing behind.

Wan Niu, who usually worked in the kitchen, couldn't help but curse, "Damn it! They've made such a mess here. How can I work here now? These bastards who don't know how to take care of things..." Zhao Feng shouted, "Wan Niu, what are you saying?"

Wan Niu was a rough man, usually without much cunning. Seeing his tools being destroyed, he had become agitated and cursed. Hearing Zhao Feng's rebuke, he suddenly realized his rudeness, breaking out in a cold sweat, and quickly lowered his head, saying, "Uncle, this, this... I, I'm sorry!"

Bai He usually hated foul language, but today he didn't want to argue, so he said, "Wan Niu, cultivators should avoid foul language. Be more careful in the future. Now, you know this place best. Think about what else we can eat."

Seeing that his uncle wasn't angry, Wan Niu felt relieved and quickly replied, "There is! There is! Behind the kitchen, there's a small cellar where we store some food. They definitely didn't find it..." He quickly walked to the back and soon returned with a basket full of dried potatoes and vegetables, laughing, "Ha, Uncle, they really didn't find it! Look, there's still so much left!"

He handed the basket to Bai He, who took a handful of dried vegetables and smiled, "Great! These dried vegetables will do for now. Come, everyone, eat some, and then we can set off."

The disciples all took some dried vegetables, and Zunzhibao also took a handful. Just as he was about to put it in his mouth, he suddenly changed his expression, "Uncle, these dried vegetables are poisonous!"

Everyone was about to eat, but hearing this, they all stopped, staring at Wan Niu. His face turned red, and he suddenly shouted, "If you don't like these coarse vegetables, you don't have to eat them. No one is forcing you!"

Zunzhibao narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "These dried vegetables are poisonous!"

"Poisonous? How can they be poisonous!?" Wan Niu argued, "The lock on the cellar was still there, and nothing was touched. How could they be..."

His voice suddenly stopped, as if someone had choked him.

It was because Du Laoer's face had turned gray and black, his mouth wide open, still holding a handful of dried vegetables!

Bai He's expression changed, and he quickly shouted, "Xiao Du, sit down and focus... you... you..." Before he could finish, Du Laoer had already fallen to the ground, his face twisted and his features contorted.

What a powerful poison!

Zunzhibao rushed forward and placed his hand on Du Laoer's head, feeling the coldness spreading. He sighed and stood up, "It's too late, he's dead!"

Everyone was shocked and threw away the dried vegetables. Wan Niu even threw the basket away.

Ding Qi coldly stared at Wan Niu, suddenly grabbing his shirt, "Did you poison them?"

Wan Niu was terrified, and seeing everyone staring at him, he almost wet his pants, his teeth chattering, "No, no, no..."

Beside him, Zhao Feng quickly intervened, "It can't be him! Wan Niu has been on the mountain for years and has always been loyal..."

Ding Qi snorted, suddenly dragging him to Zunzhibao, and said to Zhao Feng, "If he's really Wan Niu, I believe his loyalty, but in this situation, can you be sure he's really Wan Niu?—Come, Brother Bao, see if he's the real one."

Zunzhibao glanced at him and nodded, "No need to look, it's definitely him. If he had switched souls, he would have fled when I called him out. Why wait for you to catch him?"

Ding Qi snorted and let go of Wan Niu, still scolding, "Be more careful! You almost killed us all!"

Wan Niu, relieved to be alive, just nodded, not daring to argue.

Bai He sighed, "What a powerful poison! Bao, how did you know?"

Zunzhibao said, "I don't know how I knew, but I just did." He slowly continued, "Back at the City God Temple, I noticed if the food had been eaten by ghosts, offered, or had any abnormalities. The old man said it was a natural ability, something I just knew without being taught."

He suddenly smiled, a touch of sadness in his smile, "Uncle, I miss him..." He had been stubborn for a month, but now he couldn't hold back, his eyes red.

Bai He looked at him for a while, then sighed, putting his arm around him, "Don't think too much. This is all fate, and we cannot change it..."

Zunzhibao suddenly broke free, his eyes red, "Who decides fate? Who arranges it? Why must it be this way? Uncle, I don't accept it! I don't accept it!"

"Can't accept it?" Bai He sighed, looking up to the sky, "To transcend the three lives and be outside the three realms, that is to change fate! Bao, everything is in the true understanding of heaven and earth!"

The others didn't understand what he meant, but they saw Zunzhibao suddenly smile!

With a smile, he nodded heavily.

Bai He sighed again, "The food here is no longer edible. Let's leave the mountain—on the way, anything we eat or drink, let Bao check it first."

Eight people, but now only seven remained!

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End of the page.