Chapter 161: The Anxious Situation of the War

Liu Xiaolou had originally intended to defy the order and not return, but the thought of the massive loss of over thirty spirit stones made him hesitate. What was even more worrying was whether the Su family would fly into a rage out of shame and use him as a scapegoat.

However, after being persuaded by Hutou Jiao, he abandoned the idea of defying the order. The reason was simple: Hutou Jiao advised him to simply take the people he needed to care for to Mount Shenwu, where it was far from the battlefield and would surely be safer. Hutou Jiao even promised that if Mount Shenwu could not accommodate them, they could easily be settled at his Jiao family estate.

Liu Xiaolou thought this made sense and agreed to the plan. After some persuasion, he managed to get Li Busan and Li Shen and her daughter onto the carriage, and with Liu Xiaolou driving personally, they returned all the way to Mount Shenwu.

He had originally wanted to take Old Master Tan away as well, but Old Master Tan was quite stubborn. Although he no longer greeted him with his flying staff after seeing him a few times, he remained firmly unwilling to leave his home and hearth.

He told Liu Xiaolou that he had experienced the great war with the Badong cultivators seven times in his life, and not once had that bunch of scum from Badong gained any advantage. Moreover, he stroked his beard and said that if the war were truly lost, he was prepared to rush to Zhuoshui to fight himself; if he really went to Mount Shenwu, how could he make it in time?

These words gave Liu Xiaolou a sense of reassurance, and his anxious mood improved quite a bit.

After returning to Mount Shenwu, he settled Li Busan and Li Shen and her daughter in the General's Temple outside the mountain pass and instructed Steward Su to take good care of them before returning to the Qingyu Furong Garden.

When he returned to the Qingyu Furong Garden, Susu came up to greet him: "Young Master is back!" She happily brought him water to wash up and served him as he changed his clothes.

Following that, Susu went to feed the big white goose, stroking the soft, smooth feathers on its neck and saying: "Dabai, there are no more Dragon-Beard Golden Carp, only these ordinary fish. You'll have to make do. And where is Xiaohei? Why don't I see Xiaohei?"

Xiaohei was naturally hiding under some eaves or in the flower bushes somewhere unknown. When it didn't want to appear, even Liu Xiaolou couldn't find it, let alone Susu.

After changing and washing up, Liu Xiaolou looked at the tightly closed windows on the second floor and asked, "Where is Wuniang?"

Susu said, "Early this morning, she took Xiaohuan to the back mountain to continue her cultivation."

"She didn't take you this time?"

"Susu's talent is not as good as Xiaohuan's, and I haven't fully grasped what I gained from the last trip to the Cave Heaven, so I didn't go to the back mountain."

"Susu, you should have gone."

"If Young Master returns and is all alone with no one to serve him, what would we do?"

"Susu... alright, alright, you must go next time. Opportunities are rare, and cultivation is the most important thing."

Seeing that Su Wuniang was not there, Liu Xiaolou felt a bit more relaxed. For some reason, he was now a little afraid of seeing Su Wuniang.

"Susu, I brought back the families and relatives of a few friends and settled them in the General's Temple. Please help me look after them more; don't let them lack food or clothing."

"Understood, Young Master. I will go take a look in a while."

By evening, Liu Xiaolou took Susu to the General's Temple. Li Shen was cooking, and Mother Li was sitting by an oil lamp mending shoes. Seeing Liu Xiaolou, they all came over to pay their respects. Liu Xiaolou asked a few questions, checked the firewood, water vats, and rice, meat, and vegetables piled in the utility room, and nodded with a few instructions.

Li Busan was meditating in the room with a spirit stone in his mouth, practicing the cultivation technique passed down to him by the Longshan Sanren. His family's martial arts were quite unique; his posture while meditating was slightly strange, with his feet flipped up to his shoulders and his palms acting as a base to support his body, which he called the "Dao Root Flip."

Regarding this, Liu Xiaolou could not offer guidance and could only share his own experience with him when he encountered difficulties. Li Busan had been initiated for a year and was currently practicing the Foot Yangming Meridian. This was the first meridian for the Longshan Sanren's lineage to enter cultivation. He had only just begun practicing it, and the difficulty was greater; there were forty-five acupoints on one side, and he had just opened nine. It was unknown if he would be able to reach his teacher's level in the future.

The Longshan Sanren's cultivation base was considered top-tier in Wulong Mountain, so his family wealth was also top-tier. He had left Li Busan three spirit stones, enough for him to cultivate for more than three months. Of course, if the Longshan Sanren truly fell in this great war, Liu Xiaolou would have to look after Li Busan; this was his promise to the Longshan Sanren and also the rule of Wulong Mountain.

As for Li Shen's pregnancy, it hadn't reached the point where it was showing yet, and all her daily routines and simple chores were fine. Liu Xiaolou mused that if Zuo Gaofeng did not return, after checking the child's cultivation aptitude once born, they would probably have to be initiated into his own Three Mystical Sect.

Liu Xiaolou, who had just turned twenty-one, was suddenly burdened with such a heavy load, and he felt uneasy in his heart, so he hoped all the more for good news to come from Zhuoshui.

That day, Yun Ao came to the Qingyu Furong Garden again. He said happily, "I heard that Brother Liu returned to the mountain to visit relatives, and I have been thinking about it. Finally, I have waited for your return; this is truly a great joy! Quickly, quickly, it has been a long time since I entered the array; I have really been looking forward to it!"

Liu Xiaolou said, "This return trip happened to coincide with the Gengsang Cave invading Western Xiang, so I was delayed for quite a few days... Does Brother Yun know the situation of the war over there?"

Yun Ao said, "I heard there was one battle, and the outcome was undecided, but the fighting was intense, and both sides suffered quite a few casualties."

Liu Xiaolou's heart immediately tightened: "Does Brother Yun know who suffered the casualties?"

Yun Ao said, "I don't know that. However, Brother, rest assured, no matter how they fight, the Zhanglong Sect wouldn't come to Mount Shenwu to conscript Brother Liu. Quickly, quickly, I still have five times left; let's use one today."

When he came out this time, Yun Ao was full of praise on the spot: "The makeup inside has changed, Brother Liu. Why didn't I notice it before?"

Liu Xiaolou smiled: "Illusions are born from the heart. All the scenes that appear in the array are what you, my brother, are thinking of; it has nothing to do with me."

Yun Ao had no time to delay; he had to rush dozens of miles to get home. It wasn't that he couldn't afford the delay, but after entering the array, with his physical aptitude, he could maintain his essence and spirit for half a month. It was just that his state was best at this moment, which could most satisfy his wife, so he hurriedly cupped his hands in farewell and took off running, as fast as a galloping horse.

A few days later, Xiong Xi also came to knock on the door: "Oh my, I heard there are fresh things in the array. I came specially to see what's going on today. I still have four times left!"

Liu Xiaolou knew that this bunch of fellows would all take off running after seeing it, so he asked his question first: "Does Brother Xiong know the situation of the war at Zhuoshui?"

Xiong Xi said, "There has already been one battle, a head-on collision. Both sides had great arrays protecting them, so there weren't many casualties, but I heard that outside the great war, they fought many small, scattered battles. The Zhanglong Sect lost two inner disciples, Zang Qianli and Xu Hengshan, and the other loose cultivators suffered more casualties."

He also didn't know who the loose cultivators who suffered casualties were, so Liu Xiaolou's heart skipped a beat again.

After Xiong Xi entered the array and finished watching, he ran off in high spirits. Liu Xiaolou packed up the array plate, told Susu to take good care of Li Busan and Li Shen and the others, and went down the mountain himself to rush to the Tianmen Market.

To his delight, the elusive Yan Sanfei was peddling their Miaofeng Mountain elixirs in the streets and alleys, so without a word, he spent eight spirit stones to sweep up all the healing elixirs in his hands, then rushed to Zhuoshui without stopping. ===== CHAPTER 162 =====