Chapter 225

The General's Temple in front of Mount Shenwu was already occupied by a new family. Liu Xiaolou watched from a distant hilltop for a moment, discovering they were strangers he did not recognize, and he had no idea where they had come from.

This General's Temple had been renovated with his own private silver, yet now it had benefited a new master.

It had been over a year since he left Mount Shenwu; returning once more, the feeling was beyond words.

Arriving before the manor, there was still no steward on duty. Liu Xiaolou waited for a moment and saw several acquaintances. After they saw him, their various expressions of shock went unrecorded. After waiting for two quarter-hours, he was finally invited inside and met Hou Hou Guanshi Song.

Hou Hou Guanshi Song sighed: "Is it still about Su Su's matter? Why are you so persistent?"

Liu Xiaolou replied: "Since it was agreed upon, one should not break the promise. Besides, I also wish to know Su Su's own heart. I ask the steward to grant this."

Hou Hou Guanshi Song shook his head with a bitter smile: "If Su Su Wuniang knew, I wonder what she would think. Forget it, I will tell you today: the Master does not agree to you taking Su Su away."

Liu Xiaolou thought for a moment and asked: "What about the intentions of Su Su Wuniang and Su Su?"

Hou Hou Guanshi Song said: "If the Master does not agree, how can one go and ask Su Su Wuniang? And how would it ever be Su Su's turn to speak?"

Liu Xiaolou said: "May I pay my respects to my father-in-law?"

Hou Hou Guanshi Song said: "Whether he will see you or not is one thing, but the Master is currently not at home."

Liu Xiaolou said: "May I wait for his return?"

Hou Hou Guanshi Song shook his head: "I will tell you plainly: the Master went to the Weiyu Cave Heaven three months ago. It is not yet known when he will return. Su Su Wuniang, Ninth Lady, and even Su Su are all at the Weiyu Cave Heaven. They spent nine months cultivating there last year."

Liu Xiaolou was stunned: "Is Mount Shenwu preparing to defect to the Weiyu Cave Heaven?"

Hou Hou Guanshi Song said: "It is not a matter of defecting to anyone. In any case, the foundation of Mount Shenwu is not something you can fathom."

Liu Xiaolou rose in dismay: "I have troubled you, Hou Hou Guanshi Song. Shall I come again next year?"

Hou Hou Guanshi Song laughed: "If the Master agrees, you may certainly come, but I fear your coming would be in vain. Wanting the Master to change his mind—that is difficult!"

Liu Xiaolou nodded and cupped his hands in farewell.

Leaving Mount Shenwu, his mood was somewhat melancholy, for he knew that Su Su's matter would be a difficult, long-drawn-out tug-of-war. He did not even know if, after all his efforts, it would all turn out to be an illusion at Su Su's words, "I do not want to leave the Su family." He knew even less whether, if Su Su chose to follow him, such a choice would be good or bad.

In this melancholy, Liu Xiaolou returned to Dry Bamboo Ridge and began cultivating the Hand Shaoyin Meridian for the seventh level of Qi Refinement.

The nine acupoints of the Hand Shaoyin Meridian were all major acupoints. Without special fortune—like the previous situation with the Foot Shaoyang Meridian where a single spirit stone could break through an acupoint—it would not happen again. Thus, Liu Xiaolou was prepared; the fifty or so spirit stones he had accumulated would all be invested in the cultivation of this meridian. He steeled his patience, grinding through them one by one.

At the first acupoint—the Jiquan Acupoint—he encountered a tough nut to crack. He ground away for seven days without sleep or rest, yet there was not the slightest progress. The acupoint barrier was as hard as a boulder, steady enough to chill one's heart.

Withdrawing from cultivation, he found himself once again squeezed into the crevice at the very top of Dry Bamboo Ridge. Bai Bai and Xiao Hei had completely adapted to his "sleepwalking" arrivals and were sleeping very sweetly. His head was covered by Bai Bai's wings for the most part—truth be told, it was quite comfortable.

Eh? It seems Bai Bai has grown a bit?

Gently pulling his head out without disturbing the two fellows in deep sleep, he looked up at the star-filled sky, feeling quite lost as to where he was. He was immersed in a state of pondering something, yet not knowing what he was pondering.

For a long time...

Bai Bai suddenly woke from its deep sleep and stood up abruptly, nearly squeezing Liu Xiaolou out of the crevice. Immediately after, Xiao Hei also woke up, scratched uneasily on the stone, then leaped away, its figure disappearing from sight.

Bai Bai tilted its head to listen for a while, then extended its long beak to tug at the vine rope beside it. Realizing something, it let go of the vine, turned its head, and grabbed Liu Xiaolou's hair, tugging it back and forth.

It caused Liu Xiaolou a burst of pain, and he hurriedly stroked its long neck to soothe it for a while.

Then, he quietly climbed down and looked down at the small courtyard from a high vantage point. He saw a figure appear from the woods in the dark night, entering the house quickly. The footsteps seemed very unsteady, and immediately after, a light cough came from inside the house.

Liu Xiaolou was greatly surprised and hurriedly leaped down, chasing into the house. The house was unlit and pitch black. A figure was vaguely visible, curled up on the floor.

"Brother Wei?"

Just as he was about to light a lamp, he was stopped by Wei Hongqing: "Don't... cough... just like this... cough, cough, cough..."

Liu Xiaolou crouched down, grabbed Wei Hongqing's wrist, and probed with his true qi for a cycle, saying: "You injured the Hand Jueyin Heart and Hand Shaoyin Heart meridians... You didn't take an elixir?"

Wei Hongqing said weakly: "It was too hurried."

Liu Xiaolou asked: "What exactly happened? Was the matter at Jia Mountain leaked?"

Wei Hongqing had committed far more illicit deeds than Liu Xiaolou, but under the protection of Mount Tianmu, he had always been relatively safe. Moreover, he should have been at Mount Tianmu at this moment. Appearing here suddenly, it was mostly likely because of the Jia Mountain affair.

"This is not a place to talk. Go to my secret cave."

"Ah? You even have a secret cave? Where is it?"

"Chaotic Luan Luan Feipu."

The Chaotic Luan Luan Feipu that Wei Hongqing spoke of was a small waterfall under Ghost Dream Cliff and by the side of Wuchao River. Such small waterfalls were especially numerous in Wulong Mountain, one or two zhang high, two or three zhang high; there was no telling how many there were. The name "Chaotic Luan Luan Feipu" was just a name Wei Hongqing had given it himself. Among the hundreds of fellow Daoists on Wulong Mountain, it was likely that only Liu Xiaolou, Zuo Gaofeng, Tan Bazhang, and a few others knew of it.

Liu Xiaolou said no more, shouldered Wei Hongqing, and ran toward Ghost Dream Cliff. He did not go up the cliff, but stopped by a section of the rushing stream below the cliff. A water curtain about a zhang high rushed down, gathering in the small pool below and kicking up countless water foam; this was the Chaotic Luan Luan Feipu.

Wei Hongqing whispered: "Go into the pool."

The pool water was not deep, only about a person's height. It looked as if there were no entrance or exit, but after going to the bottom of the pool and looking at the side, he actually discovered a crevice that one could only enter by turning sideways.

After entering, he held his breath and moved forward. After walking more than ten zhang, the ground gradually sloped upward. Inside, it was surprisingly a small karst cave. In the cave, there was a naturally formed stone bed, with a bamboo mat, an oil lamp, and other items placed there.

"I didn't expect this, Brother Wei, you actually have such a place."

"I'll lie down for a while."

"Take this Heart-Nurturing Pill first."

"You've gone to expense."

"You say this to me? Is this a bad habit you picked up at Mount Tianmu?"

"Hehe."

"Alright, don't talk anymore. Hurry and dissolve the elixir to heal your wounds."

At this moment, Wei Hongqing was almost paralyzed on the stone bed. Only after Liu Xiaolou adjusted his posture did he manage to sit cross-legged to circulate his qi and dissolve the elixir. Liu Xiaolou stood guard nearby, probing his meridians from time to time. After nearly two hours, feeling the efficacy of the spirit elixir dissolve, Wei Hongqing's true qi circulation stabilized. Only then did he feel relieved and sat nearby to continue his own cultivation.

Spiritual power was continuously drawn from the spirit stones, transformed into true qi, and accumulated in the meridians, gathering into waves of true qi that washed over the Jiquan Acupoint barrier wave after wave.

The Jiquan Acupoint was like a boulder, shattering every wave of true qi that rushed up. The acupoint barrier was as steady as Mount Tai.

But Liu Xiaolou knew that every impact would shake the foundation of the acupoint barrier, bit by bit. Over time, success would surely follow.

After cultivating for a long time, Liu Xiaolou suddenly felt a stir in his heart. He stopped his cultivation and rose, seeing Wei Hongqing's face flushed red as if burned by fire, his lips purple and black. He hurriedly stepped forward to investigate, only to find that his injuries had relapsed, and the true qi in his heart meridian could not be suppressed, becoming chaotic. He hurriedly infused his own true qi to help him slowly regulate it, busy for quite a while.

During this time, he also quietly left the secret cave to scout the situation around Ghost Dream Cliff and Dry Bamboo Ridge. Finding no suspicious persons, he returned with peace of mind to help Wei Hongqing heal.

After five days like this, having taken the second Heart-Nurturing Pill, Wei Hongqing finally completely suppressed his injuries, and his complexion returned to normal. At this point, Liu Xiaolou finally breathed a sigh of relief—Wei Hongqing's life was completely saved; what remained was only recovery.

In the evening, he finally opened his eyes and asked: "Xiaolou, the people from Mount Tianmu didn't follow you, did they?"