Chapter 52

Thank you: oLaogeo, Chisha Yuyuan, Renshu Kangding@Baidu for your support and monthly votes!

………………

The yellow sand undulated, and the sun blazed like fire.

A place originally desolate was suddenly broken by the sound of hooves.

In a moment, two horses galloped forward, one after the other.

The one riding in front was a girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in a bright yellow outfit, with a headscarf tied around her head, her hair flying in the wind, looking very spirited. She pulled the reins, and the horse slowed down, neighing softly. She turned her head to look back, her fair face flushed with sweat, and called out, "Big Brother..."

The young man who followed was in his early twenties, wearing a long robe, his hair tied in a topknot, with a square face and a slightly dark complexion, looking honest and gentle. He tightened the reins, smiled, and scolded, "Little Sister, you didn't take the main road but chose this barren desert. If anything happens, how can I explain to our parents?"

This was a pair of siblings on a long journey.

The girl in yellow reached out and patted the long sword hanging from her saddle, raised her chin, and said confidently, "If anything happens, I can handle it alone!"

The man in the long robe rode slowly, saying, "With your ordinary skills, you can't deal with fierce beasts. If you encounter a cultivator, you won't stand a chance."

"Big Brother is so powerful, what does Little Sister have to fear!"

The girl in yellow was still carefree, but seeing her brother shake his head, she quickly pleaded, "Little Sister just wants to reach Lujiang Town as soon as possible, so I took a shortcut. Hehe..."

This big brother seemed to dote on his sister, and he couldn't help but smile, "We must still be cautious to avoid any unexpected troubles!"

The girl in yellow nodded obediently, but still sat on her horse, head held high, looking fearless.

The siblings rode side by side, talking non-stop—

"Big Brother! Can I cultivate immortality..."

"Cultivation of immortality depends on fate. Whether you can achieve it, just let it be..."

"Are there immortals in Lujiang Town?"

"There should be! It's said that the Xu family in Lujiang has a long-standing connection with Ancient Sword Mountain, so they have taken over the role of the immortal sect, attracting disciples from far and wide..."

"If Big Brother becomes a disciple of the immortal sect, what will happen to me? I also want to cultivate immortality..."

"Everything depends on fate, and you shouldn't force it. Besides, our grandparents are getting older and need someone to take care of them..."

"I won't do it, I want to cultivate immortality..."

"Ah! Little Sister is being disobedient again..."

"Hehe... Hey?"

Just as they were joking, the horse's front hooves suddenly sank. The girl stumbled, quickly turned the horse's head, and looked down, unable to help but exclaim in surprise. She then drew her sword, raised her eyebrows, and shouted, "What kind of monster are you?"

The man in the long robe quickly dismounted, stood in front of his sister's horse, and grabbed a paper talisman. Before he could act, he was slightly taken aback.

Where the horse's hooves had landed, a sand pit several feet wide had formed. In the sand pit, a naked man was lying on his back, as if in a deep sleep, but his eyes were slightly open, and he groaned, "Ouch... You stepped on me..."

The man quickly stepped back two steps.

The girl in yellow leaped off her horse, surprised, "A monster speaking human language..."

The man in the sand pit, half-buried in the sand, lay still, his eyes rolling, and said weakly, "I... am not a monster..."

The girl in yellow was surprised, "If you're not a monster, why were you hiding here?"

The man in the long robe was still puzzled, interrupting, "Little Sister, we need to hurry on our journey!" He pulled his sister to his side, cautioning, "When we're out, don't meddle in other people's affairs!"

The girl in yellow hesitated for a moment, then picked up her sword and stepped back.

At this moment, the man in the sand pit spoke again, "We have no grudge, why treat me like this..." He struggled a few times, slowly sitting up, the fine sand sliding off his naked, dark limbs. He looked around in a daze, then said to the stunned siblings, "Trampling with horses can kill, it's unreasonable to ignore it..."

The siblings were about to leave, but they were suddenly embarrassed. Especially the girl, her mouth half-open, looking both shy and stunned.

The man sitting in the sand pit, with his disheveled hair and dark limbs, covered in sand, looked like a corpse that had been buried for years and suddenly awakened, exuding an inexplicable eeriness. Yet his words were clear and logical, leaving no room for argument.

The man, who was the big brother, pondered for a moment, and carefully asked, "Who are you? Why are you like this..."

The strange man did not answer, muttering to himself, "Who am I..."

...

When Wujiao buried himself in the sand, he felt like a stone falling into the abyss, his limbs and flesh sinking and overturning, while his soul slowly floated up, as if breaking free from its constraints, ready to roam the world at will.

The vast expanse of the universe, boundless and infinite. Even if he flew non-stop, he couldn't escape the darkness. Even if he shouted with all his might, he couldn't break the eternal silence.

Where do I come from, and where am I going?

Drifting aimlessly, loneliness hard to bear. Free and unrestrained, yet even the sound of loneliness couldn't be heard. This is not the path to take, even if the fireworks are cold, at least there are shadows to follow...

The unrestrained soul had no time to indulge, falling hastily. As he was about to return, an inexplicable weight suddenly hit him.

Ouch, such heavy fatigue, yet it has been carried for twenty years. In vain, I roamed the long embankment, wandered in Xiling, laughed at the spring willows, and enjoyed the wind, not knowing that time like frost, has dyed so much time.

Alas, what a fortunate thing!

Let's stop the rushing body, let me sleep and rest!

Ah, the dreamland is still faint, but the past is gone, the spring flowers are gone, only countless grains of sand are rolling towards me, passing through my skin, flowing into my bones, and then through my meridians, into every corner of my organs. At the same time, it seemed as if I had turned into thousands of grains of sand, merging with the universe, disappearing into the boundless darkness!

Hey, where is the person? I remember I am called Wujiao, why can't I find myself...

After an unknown amount of time, the countless grains of sand slowly woke up from the silence, rolling, jumping, and flowing, gathering from all directions into the empty abdomen, forming a vortex, but without the urgency and collision, warm and peaceful, making one feel comfortable and want to hum!

Oh, the person is here.

One grain of sand, one me. Ten thousand grains of sand, forming one me. The universe exists in me, I exist in the universe. As the saying goes, the universe is in the hand, and all changes are in the body. Yes, these two sentences are profound, familiar...

As the vortex in the abdomen gradually filled, the former fatigue slowly dissipated, and at the end of the darkness, a gap seemed to open, with the dawn's light slowly approaching. The cool breeze swept across the universe, and boundless vitality awakened.

Hey, spring has come, the grass will sprout, and the Fairy Ziyun, are you well...

"Boom—"

Just at this moment, the universe collapsed.

Alas, every time I am content, it doesn't last long. Is it because the heavens are jealous, and thus the iron hooves trample ruthlessly?

What a strange question, who am I...

Wujiao sat in the sand pit, with a bewildered look, looked up at the sky, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding desert, and landing on the nearby siblings, then he was stunned for a moment, as if remembering something. After a while, he smiled weakly, showing his white teeth, and sighed, "I... met some bad people, yes, they were bandits..." He nodded, confirming, "Three bandits, they robbed me and then buried me alive, it was a terrible experience..."

Thinking about it, the three cultivators from Lingxia Mountain were no different from bandits. Remember, Xiang Rong and Gou Jun are dead, but it's unknown if Mu Shen has followed.

The girl in yellow suddenly understood, interrupting, "You are a traveling merchant, and because of your wealth, you attracted trouble. Fortunately, you met us, Big Brother..." She wiped the sweat from her forehead, looking for approval, and said, "Help him again, it's a righteous act!"

The man in the long robe seemed somewhat reluctant, hiding the paper talisman in his palm, and slightly raised his hand, "I am Hu Yancheng from Nanshan Fort, traveling to Lujiang Town with my sister Shuangcheng. This... this brother, what is your name..." He didn't finish his sentence, waved his sleeve, and said, "Little Sister, this person is dirty and his origin is suspicious, it's not convenient for us to travel together. And as a girl, how can you face him naked? We need to hurry, don't meddle in other people's affairs!"

The girl in yellow, perhaps thinking of righteousness, but with a curious look, "Big Brother, lend him your spare clothes, and I will ask him why he survived being buried alive..."

Big Brother Yancheng glanced at the disheveled figure in the sand pit, his face full of disdain, and quickly shook his head, "My long robe is not an ordinary thing, how can I lend it to just anyone."

Shuangcheng didn't make it difficult, and laughed, "I have a piece of oilcloth under my saddle..." She turned to her horse, sheathed her sword, and pulled out an old raincoat, throwing it, and smiled, "Hey, you look pitiful, I'll lend it to you for now."

Wujiao still sat in the sand pit, his eyes darting around, his mouth opening and closing, but he couldn't get a chance to speak.

The siblings were talking to themselves, not letting anyone else interrupt.

Thinking about it, I was originally a young master in the capital, then became a teacher, then a bookkeeper in a brothel, then a thief, then a disciple of Yujing, and now a merchant.

Alas, that girl doesn't look very old, what kind of eyes does she have? She clearly trampled me with her horse, but doesn't care about my life or death, and even considers it a good deed, how can she say that!

"Puff"

The raincoat hit the ground, raising a cloud of sand.

Wujiao remained silent in the choking sand, frowning, and glancing sideways, complained to the nearby siblings, "I barely survived, but almost died under the hooves. Now I am weak and injured, can't you lend a hand?"

He grabbed the raincoat, struggled to stand up, and a wave of dizziness hit him, making him sway. His body was fine, but his strength hadn't fully recovered. Suddenly moving, his bones crackled, and a fine stream of energy instantly flowed through his limbs and into the egg-sized vortex in his abdomen, then circulated continuously. The sudden sensation was strange and uncomfortable, and he quickly said, "Help me up..."

Shuangcheng took two steps forward, then stepped back, turning to her brother, "Big Brother, he sounds so righteous, is he trying to take advantage of us?"

Yancheng didn't want to get involved, but couldn't resist his sister, and finally couldn't hold back, waving his hand and sweeping it.

Wujiao, who was still swaying, was suddenly lifted into the air. Almost naked, he flew out of the sand pit, waving the raincoat and shouting, "Fellow Daoist, show mercy..."

Before he could finish, he landed steadily a few yards away.

Yancheng was slightly surprised, "Are you a cultivator?"

Wujiao caught his breath, "I didn't expect Brother Yancheng to be a skilled cultivator! I am Wujiao, though I don't understand the Dao of immortality, I have long admired it..."

Yancheng suddenly lost his patience, and sternly ordered, "My sister is here, cover yourself!"

Wujiao apologized, quickly wrapping the raincoat around himself. But the raincoat was only a few feet long, not enough to cover his body.

Yancheng turned to his sister, "This is just a commoner, ignore him. I'll give him a few pills, enough to earn him some money."

Wujiao wrapped the raincoat around his waist, like a woman's skirt, covering his shame but still looking awkward. He didn't care much, and quickly said, "I don't need the pills, I just want to leave this place..."

Yancheng said, "If that's the case, please go on your way!"

Wujiao said, "My legs are weak, I need to ride a horse!"

The brother's expression was unhappy, "You..."

The sister clapped her hands and laughed, "He can ride a horse..."

...

ps: Thank you to Lizi for providing the character, and to the readers for the extras. As long as the names aren't too outrageous, I will try to arrange them according to the plot. Although it may not be entirely satisfactory, it represents everyone's effort in completing this book. Mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

Previous page AD starts

Previous page AD ends