Chapter 37

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Wujie stood two zhang away from the cave entrance, tilting his head to look around cautiously.

A figure emerged from the dark cave, a young man around seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed as a Yu Jing disciple, holding two strange small flags in his hands. As he looked around, he exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this Senior Brother Wu, you didn't die..."

Wujie recognized the person and was a bit surprised as well, grunting as a greeting. He thought, this unlucky kid, how can he speak like that, don't you see I'm fine, living well and spirited!

The young man was also a Yu Jing disciple, named Luoshan, who had interacted with Wujie before. Realizing his mistake, he hurriedly apologized, "Senior Brother, please forgive me!"

"Hold on, let me speak first."

Wujie's eyes were suspicious, and he interrupted, "Why are you here, and what are you holding in your hands? Hmm..." He stopped mid-sentence, exclaiming in shock, "Senior Brother Zong... Sister Tian..."

Two more figures, a man and a woman, emerged from the cave, Zong Bao and Tian Xiaqing. They were also quite surprised to see Wujie but felt relieved. Zong Bao, without time to explain, waved to Luoshan, who understood and walked back with him. Tian Xiaqing stepped forward and whispered, "Junior Brother Wu, please address me as Senior Sister..."

Wujie was still confused and, seeing Tian Xiaqing move casually, quickly shouted, "Sister, stop! Don't come near me!"

Tian Xiaqing paused, her face turning serious, "Don't be impolite!" Although she was middle-aged, she had delicate features and a certain charm. Her sudden anger added a cold beauty to her appearance.

Here we go again, is it so hard to speak normally?

Seeing that Tian Xiaqing didn't take him seriously, Wujie lost his patience, his eyebrows raised, and he shouted, "Who's being impolite? I'm trying to save you, Sister! If you take another step, you'll die for sure. If you don't believe me, take a few steps and see. I'm not warning you twice!" The other person hesitated, looking doubtful. He sighed and continued, "I know you have a lot of emotional burdens, and it's not easy to carry them around all day. Isn't it tiring...?"

"You... please stop!"

Tian Xiaqing had never heard anyone speak to her like this, her face turning slightly red, her eyes scrutinizing him, she demanded, "This place is dangerous, why are you unharmed?"

Looking at her, the originally refined scholar was now in tattered clothes, bare-chested, with disheveled hair, speaking rudely, completely different from his usual polite and elegant self, more like a rough and crude person. Especially, his clear eyes showed a hint of carefree defiance, a look of disdain that was hard to grasp and impossible to look down upon.

Wujie shrugged, saying frankly, "Sister, I can't explain it either!"

Tian Xiaqing's chest heaved, and she blurted out, "If you can't explain it, how can you..." She shook her head, trying to remain calm, "Forget it, Junior Brother Wu, we haven't seen you for two months, where have you been?"

This woman seemed strong and competitive, but she was deeply troubled. A little provocation, and she was already flustered. Not seeing him here, she still asked where he had gone.

Wujie waved his hand, not answering but asking, "Why are the three of you here together, can you tell me first..."

At this moment, Zong Bao and Luoshan carried someone in, their limbs entangled, body curled up, it was Yun Shengzi himself, but his face was withered, eyes tightly closed, clearly lifeless.

Wujie, unable to ask, stared in shock, "Old Man Yun..."

Zong Bao put down the corpse, not having time to answer, and gestured, "This place is spacious and secluded, let's settle Senior Brother Yun first."

Wujie quickly interrupted, "No! Let me explain first." Despite his ragged appearance and poor condition, his demeanor and actions were undeniable. He continued, "I was forced here by the manager, and it's been over two months. This place is extremely dangerous, especially within five zhang of the stone pillar, it's like a forbidden zone that can't be approached. Don't ask me why I'm unharmed, I don't know either. I just want to warn everyone to avoid risking their lives and regretting it later! Alright, your turn..." He finished speaking in one breath and then asked, "How did Old Man Yun die?"

Tian Xiaqing finally showed some fear and quietly stepped back.

Zong Bao nodded and said, "I see, Junior Brother Wu has a strong fate." He knew it wasn't the time to ask more and had no time to delve deeper, pointing to the ground, he sighed, "Senior Brother Yun exhausted his lifespan and passed away in the tunnel. I discussed with Senior Sister Tian and Junior Brother Luoshan, and we decided to bury him elsewhere, fearing the manager might notice. As long as we are careful, it should be fine!"

Wujie, suddenly enlightened, sighed, "Oh, this old man was alive and well, how could he die so suddenly..." He shook his head in disbelief and continued, "Why not report it, let the manager handle it..."

Zong Bao sighed, then looked at the corpse on the ground, silently contemplating. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "Senior Brother Yun once said he didn't want to turn to ashes and scatter with the wind. He wanted to leave a body to prove he had been here..." He laughed bitterly, "Since we are fellow cultivators, we might as well help fulfill his wish. Who knows who will bury us in the future!"

"A hundred years of life, in the end, is just a dream. Dancing with the dust, coming and going in a hurry!"

It was Tian Xiaqing, standing alone at the cave entrance, perhaps moved by the moment, her words and demeanor showing a mysterious melancholy. She had experienced many hardships, similar to Yun Shengzi. The sorrow and helplessness of his last moments were also a reflection of her future.

Luoshan disagreed, "The soul has left, what use is the body? Senior Brother Yun is still too attached to the mundane world! Cultivation is about transcending and forgetting oneself, not being obsessed with the past!"

His young face was slightly childish, but his words were mature. Turning to Wujie, he asked, "Senior Brother Wu, have you achieved success in your cultivation, that's why you're not afraid of the dangers here?"

Wujie looked at the two who had spoken and turned to Zong Bao, "I've been in the well for over two months, have the managers asked about me? Did you three encounter Manager Muxin when you came here?"

Zong Bao replied, "No one has asked. As for Manager Muxin, we didn't see him when we came, perhaps something has happened in the sect..."

Wujie raised his head, rolled his eyes, and shrugged helplessly. This was a matter of life and death, yet no one had asked. It seemed that even if he turned to ashes, it wouldn't cause a ripple!

Luoshan took out two small flags from his chest, muttering, "Is this array left by Manager Muxin, perhaps for warning, but it has no power, or... it's better not to take them!" He was cautious and returned to the cave, probably putting the flags back to avoid trouble.

"Something has happened in the sect?"

"Only a guess..."

"Alright, let's settle Old Man Yun first."

Seeing Zong Bao's troubled expression, Wujie didn't ask more. He left the spot and walked to the cave entrance, bending down to look, and sighed again, "Old Man Yun, why did you do this to yourself..."

Yun Shengzi was still sitting with his hands and knees crossed, but his gray hair had turned silver, like winter frost, covering his vitality of a hundred years. His withered face seemed to have a faint smile, perhaps mocking the helplessness of life and death, or the relief of liberation!

Indeed, at such an age, one should have seen through the cruelty of fate. The sunset has faded, and dusk has fallen. He didn't seek immortality, but to have lived! His destiny was also the destiny of many cultivators. One can only say... why did he do this to himself!

Thinking of this, Wujie shivered slightly, then sighed in relief, thinking to himself, fortunately, I am not a cultivator.

He extended his hands, gently lifting Yun Shengzi's remains, and gestured, "Everyone, just watch!"

Zong Bao wanted to help but gave up, his face curious, noticing that Junior Brother Wu was holding Yun Shengzi as if he were weightless.

Wujie turned and walked to the end of the cave, took out a short sword, and dug a three-foot square hole in the stone wall. He then placed Yun Shengzi's remains inside and sealed the hole with jade, stepping back a few steps and bowing, "Old Man Yun, rest in peace! No one will fight over food anymore, how boring, hehe..." His words were light and he laughed, but his face showed no joy, only a hint of bitterness at the corners of his mouth.

After coming to Yu Jing Peak, he had spent the most time with Yun Shengzi, listening to his ramblings every day, adding a bit of fun. This old man not only gave him the "Hundred Spirits Sutra" but also had some wise words. He said: young people have great ambitions, old people remain true; the spirit mountain is free, cultivate the self in cultivation. He also said, life has a hundred years, and the initial aspiration is to be unrepentant. Why did such an open-minded old man fail in cultivation? Was it a deviation or bad luck?

Wujie's thoughts were a bit troubled, and he asked, "I've buried Old Man Yun here, should I put a tombstone or a name?"

After all, when someone dies, a tombstone is used to remember them. In a hurry, there were no formalities. Perhaps he could leave Yun Shengzi's name on the stone wall to show he had been here!

Zong Bao thought for a moment and suggested, "Why not carve 'Tomb of Yun Shengzi'..."

Luoshan interrupted, "Why bother! If the manager finds out, Yun Shengzi's remains won't be safe. It's better to leave a secret mark to fulfill his wish!"

Wujie looked at the smooth, unmarked stone wall, muttering to himself, "Old Man Yun, whether you've been here or not, the heavens know. Let the jade seal the dust, and the immortal dream live on!" He didn't leave a single word on the stone wall, slowly stepping back.

Life is short, like the autumn of grass and trees, coming and going in a hurry, leaving only lingering attachments. After all, the geese leave no trace, and the leaves turn to mud!

"Junior Brother Wu, remember, the dead should be treated with respect, don't be careless. Call him Senior Brother Yun, that's the proper way!"

Wujie turned around, slightly surprised, then shook his head, "An old man of a hundred years, similar to my grandfather's age, joking around is fine, but I can't call him brother!"

The one who scolded was Tian Xiaqing, still serious and dignified, "Cultivators, fellow practitioners, don't need to be bound by formalities..."

Wujie, holding the short sword, walked to the cave entrance, "Sister Tian, are you overstepping?"

Tian Xiaqing was stunned, then looked away, saying proudly, "If so, it's up to you, but your realm will never advance, and you'll never achieve cultivation!"

Wujie had no ill feelings towards Tian Xiaqing but couldn't stand her condescending attitude. He walked to the cave entrance, grunting at the woman's back, frowning, "I'm just a commoner with common thoughts, so what...?" He asked, his voice rising, "Is it better to force oneself, deceive oneself, pity oneself, and sigh, to achieve a transcendent realm? Or to sit and chant, and call it cultivation?"

Tian Xiaqing turned and glared, "You..."

Wujie didn't like arguing with women, scratching his head, his voice softening, "Sister Tian, calm down! I just need to eat well and sleep well, I don't care about realms or cultivation. In my view, whether it's cultivation or being human, being natural and free is best, why make things hard for yourself!"

Tian Xiaqing's chest heaved, sternly scolding, "You are young but decadent and unreasonable. Cultivation is about making things hard for yourself, to cut off worldly attachments, refine the mind, and understand the Dao, to achieve a realm..."

Wujie grinned, indifferent, "Such a path of cultivation, I'd rather not!"

Tian Xiaqing's eyes widened, as if she had seen a monster, and scolded with a mix of pity and anger, "Words and actions don't match, no Dao heart. If you don't cultivate, why are you here?"

"Just hanging around!"

Wujie frankly admitted, but it might not be appreciated.

Tian Xiaqing suddenly waved her sleeve, disgusted, "A frivolous and dissolute person, truly despicable..."

Thinking she had been mocked, she became even more angry and turned to leave, but saw Luoshan stagger out of the cave, and someone clapped coldly, "Hehe! Daring to hang around on Spirit Mountain, Fellow Daoist Wu, you have quite the nerve!"

Hearing the laughter, Wujie's face changed, and he turned and ran.

At the same time, a cold light suddenly attacked... Mobile users please visit http://m.piaotia.net

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