Lin Zhao woke up lying on the grass. Beside him, the campfire still crackled, and on it, Wei Huarou had set up several fish and pieces of wolf meat to roast, which now smelled delicious.
"Awake?"
Wei Huarou hurried forward, helping Lin Zhao to sit up. She then picked up an iron bowl, which contained water that had been simmering for an unknown length of time. She tested it; the water was still warm, and she smiled, "Drink some water first."
"Oh..."
Lin Zhao took a deep breath, feeling like he could finally breathe again. After drinking half the water in the bowl in one go, Wei Huarou gave him a piece of roasted wolf meat, saying, "Eat quickly, I've already had a piece..."
"Alright."
Lin Zhao wolfed down the meat. His stomach felt warm, and he felt reborn.
"Lin Zhao, you scared me to death."
Wei Huarou looked at him with her beautiful eyes, her eyes reddening.
"It's fine."
Lin Zhao shook his head, trying to comfort her with a strained voice, "I originally planned to catch some fish with branches. I didn't expect that in such heavy rain, I'd be targeted by a wolf. Do you remember? It was the same wolf that bit me yesterday, and it came out to hunt alone. Fortunately, my sword skills are good; I took care of it in a few moves."
"You still say that..."
Wei Huarou pursed her red lips, tears welling up in her beautiful eyes. She looked at Lin Zhao's leg and said, "Your leg... the wound couldn't be soaked in water continuously, so I helped you take off the bandages."
"Yes, that's true."
Lin Zhao nodded. He picked up a roasted fish, took a bite, and shook his head with a smile, "Cun'er, your grilled fish skills are truly... hard to describe."
Wei Huarou's face flushed red, "I've never done these things before..."
"Yes, you clearly come from a wealthy family."
Lin Zhao felt a pang of envy. "Your family... are they high-ranking officials?"
"Ah?"
Wei Huarou fidgeted, "Father... Father is indeed an official, but not a high-ranking one. At most... at most, he ensures that our family has enough to eat and wear."
Of course, she couldn't say that her father's status was extremely high, that he was a legendary figure among the Three Excellencies.
But Lin Zhao was still incredibly envious. For a poor child who struggled to get by, becoming an official or a wealthy merchant was something he wouldn't even dare to dream of.
After eating their fill and regaining some strength, Lin Zhao frowned. "Cun'er, last night I only took part of the wolf's meat up the mountain. Now that we have our strength back, let's go down the mountain and see if the wolf meat is still there. After all, I was too weak yesterday, and I didn't bring back much; it won't last us more than a few days."
"Okay!"
Wei Huarou nodded. "Can you walk?"
"I can, let's try."
Lin Zhao stood up. Although his calf still hurt a little, the wound wasn't deep and wasn't that severe. Thus, he and Wei Huarou went down the mountain together.
...
A short while later, they arrived at the spot where Lin Zhao had killed the wolf the previous night. They found only a skeleton. It seemed that other wolves had found the carcass and gnawed off all the meat, leaving only the bones. Wei Huarou covered her mouth, shocked by the sight. Lin Zhao frowned, noticing that there was still some meat on the bones, which could be used to make soup or to extract marrow. Some meat was also left in the gaps between the bones. He couldn't waste it.
So, he dragged the wolf skeleton and went back up the mountain with Wei Huarou.
As they reached the mountain path, they saw someone approaching from a distance. It was a young Taoist priest carrying a bamboo basket. He was handsome, with an ethereal air that suggested he might be an immortal from the mountains. The young Taoist priest saw Lin Zhao and Wei Huarou at a glance and was stunned, standing on the mountain path, looking at the young boy and girl dragging a wolf skeleton.
"You two?"
He asked, surprised.
Lin Zhao frowned. Although the Taoist priest was refined and charming, Lin Zhao felt an inexplicable dislike for him, especially for the way he looked at Wei Huarou.
"We're just passing by," Lin Zhao said.
"Oh."
The other party smiled slightly. "I thought you were immortal youths seeking enlightenment on the mountain. If that were the case, I wouldn't mind taking you both as disciples. Hmm, both of your aptitudes are quite good."
Wei Huarou's eyes lit up. "Daoist priest... are you an immortal from the mountain?"
"Ah, an immortal?"
The young Taoist priest chuckled, scratching his head. "I can't really be called an immortal. My name is Liu Sheng. I followed my master in my studies for over ten years without achieving any official position, so I gave up my Confucian identity and became a Taoist. Fortunately, I have some talent for cultivation. I am now a cultivator in the fifth realm, specifically the third stage, and I've taken the Taoist name 'True Man Shangqing'. If you are willing, you can follow me to seek the Tao and learn the Dharma."
"Really... really?" Wei Huarou asked.
"Yes."
Liu Sheng smiled. "What is your name?"
"Wei Huarou."
"And yours?"
"Lin Zhao."
The next moment, Liu Sheng smiled, "Wei Huarou, your aptitude for cultivation is extremely rare. As long as you are willing to follow me, your master, you are guaranteed to reach the fifth realm of a great cultivator. As for Lin Zhao, your talent for swordsmanship is decent. Would you be willing to learn swordplay from me? Our Taoist sword cultivators possess a demeanor no less than any other sword immortal."
Lin Zhao frowned. "I think I'll pass. I wasn't planning on coming up the mountain to learn any skills. Sir, I'll go down the mountain and return home once my injuries have healed."
"Alright."
Liu Sheng smiled. "Wei Huarou, from now on, you are my disciple, Liu Sheng. You will follow me to cultivate and seek immortality, and your master will surely impart all his knowledge to you."
"Thank you, Master!"
Wei Huarou was overjoyed, having finally met a true immortal from the mountain, as spoken of in legends.
...
At the mountain peak, in the Taoist temple.
The moment Liu Sheng stepped into the Taoist temple, he narrowed his eyes, looking at the surroundings. He took out several talismans from his sleeve, ignited them, and said with a smile, "Sweep away the dust, sweep away the dust. From now on, this place will be a different realm."
Instantly, the talismans turned into auspicious light, roaming all over the temple. In a blink of an eye, cobwebs, dust, and other debris were swept away. The weeds in the courtyard were also eradicated, pulled out by the roots. The front hall and the main hall became spotless. This display left Lin Zhao and Wei Huarou dumbfounded.
Wei Huarou was delighted. Her master was indeed a genuine immortal from the mountain.
Lin Zhao, however, frowned. Despite these magical abilities, he still felt that Liu Sheng was not a good person.
On the sides of the main hall, Liu Sheng began to arrange living quarters. He took bedding from a storage pouch and placed it in several rooms. Various furnishings were complete, and in a moment, the Taoist temple transformed. He pointed to a room on the left and smiled, "Rou'er, this will be your room from now on. As for Lin Zhao... you can make do in the main hall for a few days, as you won't be staying long anyway."
"Master."
Wei Huarou frowned, her delicate brows furrowed. "Lin Zhao is injured. Why don't... you let him stay in my room for these few days? At most... I can sleep on the floor myself."
Liu Sheng smiled and nodded. "As you wish."
In the evening, Liu Sheng took out various delicacies from his storage pouch and laid them out on a table. Then, he kicked away all of Lin Zhao's belongings with a smile, saying, "Out with the old, in with the new, this is how it should be."
Lin Zhao frowned. He had risked his life for that wolf meat, and he was reluctant to part with it. So, he bent down and picked up the pieces of wolf meat from the ground. Wei Huarou also frowned. She didn't know why her master would treat Lin Zhao this way, but she knew that Lin Zhao had been very good to her. So, she also bent down and helped Lin Zhao pick up the wolf meat from the ground.
"Rou'er."
Liu Sheng narrowed his eyes and smiled, "A cultivator should be pure and inactive, not overly indulgent..."
"Yes, Master..."
Wei Huarou could only stand up and watch Lin Zhao pick up the wolf meat.
...
Late at night, Wei Huarou lay in bed, already letting out faint snores. She had been extremely tired these past few days.
Lin Zhao hadn't fallen asleep. He stood by the window holding a woodcutter's knife, gazing at the bright moon outside. He frowned. Guarding here alone, he was actually very afraid. If Liu Sheng intended to harm Wei Huarou, could his woodcutter's knife stop him? Probably not. But he couldn't do nothing.
Soon after, he tiptoed to the bedside and gently shook Wei Huarou's shoulder. "Cun'er, Cun'er, wake up?"
"What is it, Lin Zhao?"
Wei Huarou, who had been sleeping soundly, looked at him groggily.
Lin Zhao lowered his voice. "Cun'er, I don't think your master is a good person, really... Why don't you pack up quickly and sneak away with me? We can find another mountain and find a good master, okay?"
"Ah?"
Wei Huarou couldn't help but chuckle. "Lin Zhao, Master arranged rooms for us, gave us food, and will teach us Taoist magic. Isn't that the mark of a good person?"
"But I always feel that he..." The young man frowned.
"You must be overthinking it."
Wei Huarou smiled. "Alright, Lin Zhao, go to sleep. I have morning class tomorrow."
"Oh..."
Lin Zhao frowned. Although Wei Huarou was willing to share half of the bed with him, he naturally wouldn't sleep there. After all, he had heard from Boss Qin at the bookstore that "men and women should not touch each other," and he believed in the teachings of scholars. Therefore, he sat by the window, holding his woodcutter's knife, and soon fell into a deep sleep due to exhaustion.
...
Deep in the night.
A willow branch silently coiled around the young man's body. Just as Lin Zhao opened his eyes and was about to shout, a large willow leaf suddenly covered his mouth. Then, the branch, coiling around his body, took him directly away from the Taoist temple. Lin Zhao's eyes widened as he found himself being drawn into the depths of the forest and then roughly thrown onto a patch of grass.
Not far away, a refined figure walked over. It was Liu Sheng. His eyes were filled with malice, and he sneered, "I've heard of seeking food, but never of seeking death. Are you trying to ruin my plans?"
Lin Zhao was tightly bound by a willow branch. He struggled fiercely, his eyes filled with hatred.
Liu Sheng gently raised his hand, and instantly, willow branches in the forest all lifted. Countless willow branches then descended from the air, whipping Lin Zhao's body with a crackling sound, leaving behind shocking bloodstains.
Liu Sheng was a willow tree spirit that had achieved sentience in the mountains. He had a peculiar habit when killing: he enjoyed tormenting his victims before killing them.