Chapter 32

After Wei Hongqing left, Zuo Gaofeng looked at Lu Zian's corpse in the net, then looked at Tan Bazhang and Liu Xiaolou, seemingly wanting to say something.

Tan Bazhang was also drumming in his heart, hesitating several times.

Liu Xiaolou knew what they were worried about, so he said: "Don't worry, Brother Wei will be back soon."

Tan Bazhang muttered: "It's not like Brother Wei hasn't run away before..."

Zuo Gaofeng hesitated: "Unlike the wedding ceremony, this is a big deal; Brother Wei should... not go that far."

Liu Xiaolou said: "To Brother Wei, Lu Zian's corpse is more important than the Foundation Establishment Pill."

Tan Bazhang shook his head and said: "Then why not just leave the Foundation Establishment Pill behind?"

This was very difficult to answer, and there was no way to answer it; if he said too much, new rifts would arise between them, so Liu Xiaolou simply changed the subject: "Let's bury the Xishan Jushi; after all, we were fellow practitioners, it's not good to leave his corpse in the wilderness."

The three dug a deep pit, buried the Xishan Jushi, made a wooden sign and stuck it on the grave, and stood in silence around the simple grave for a long time, not knowing what to say, each thinking their own thoughts.

I don't know how long it had been, but Wei Hongqing finally returned, his face full of joy, and announced loudly: "The reward has come down, fifteen spirit stones for each of the three brothers!"

After the West Mountain Hermit died, Zuo Gaofeng and Tan Bazhang knew that the reward would be more than originally discussed, but being able to get fifteen stones still exceeded expectations, and they couldn't help but be overjoyed.

Fifteen spirit stones, this was a wealth Liu Xiaolou never dared to hope for, and now it was really in his hands?

"Brother Wei, did you give up your own share too?" Liu Xiaolou asked.

Wei Hongqing joked: "It doesn't matter, it's only right for you to get more; just consider it a return gift for the previous wedding ceremony, otherwise you would keep thinking about it, becoming a mental barrier and affecting your cultivation, and then Wei would be guilty of a great crime!"

The three of them burst into laughter, and the knot in their hearts was finally untied.

Wei Hongqing immediately distributed the spirit stones; Liu Xiaolou had fifteen glittering spirit stones piled in his palm, feeling as heavy as holding a mountain, carefully hiding them in his bosom, and patting his lapel, fearing they would leak out.

With the matter settled, everyone said goodbye; Zuo Gaofeng was going to the Tianmen Mountain Market, and Tan Bazhang was going to rush home; after saying goodbye one by one, they each set off.

Liu Xiaolou was also preparing to return to the mountain, but was pulled back by Wei Hongqing, who took out a jade plate and handed it to him.

"What is this?" Liu Xiaolou rubbed the jade plate, unable to understand it, only feeling that this jade plate was different from ordinary jade ornaments and the like, containing rich spiritual power, which could be counted as a magic treasure.

Wei Hongqing said: "Didn't they divide that array book to you? So I asked that person of mine, hehe, for a piece of spirit jade, which is the material for refining array plates. This piece of spirit jade is not comparable to the messy materials of the Xishan Jushi; his illusion array can be completely refined into this piece of spirit jade, and the effect will definitely be much stronger."

Liu Xiaolou smiled bitterly: "Thank you, Brother Wei, but I don't understand array techniques."

Wei Hongqing disagreed: "Learn it, who is born understanding array techniques? You have the array book now, the array plate, and the spirit stones; it's not impossible to refine a set of illusion arrays; if it really doesn't work, sell the array book and the spirit jade together, and at least another five or six spirit stones will be in hand!"

What else could he say? Any words of thanks were superfluous!

Liu Xiaolou put away the jade plate and asked: "Brother Wei, looking at you like this, is the matter of entering the outer sect of Tianmu Mountain no problem?"

Wei Hongqing nodded and said: "It's almost done; when I have established my footing, you can come to Tianmu Mountain to find me, and I will take you to see the scenery of the blessed land of Tianmu Mountain."

Liu Xiaolou yearned: "A blessed land, I haven't seen one yet, and I don't know what it looks like."

Wei Hongqing smiled: "It's just like that, just nourished by spiritual springs, available for cultivation."

Liu Xiaolou envied: "Brother Wei has cultivated for many years, and now you have finally entered a famous sect; from now on, you will no longer be burdened by the reputation of Wulong Mountain; congratulations, Brother Wei."

Wei Hongqing sighed: "Since leaving the mountain, I have been drifting and wandering, going through many twists and turns; if it weren't for a coincidence of fate, how could I have today's luck. To tell you the truth, although Wulong Mountain has a bad reputation, it is after all your and my home. Leaving home out of desperation was my lack of deep consideration, and after wandering the world, I realized that a cultivator without a home is even denied the days of quiet cultivation. With the roots of Wulong Mountain, at least one can sleep peacefully; the storms outside are truly sinister..."

Liu Xiaolou had also heard his teacher talk about the hardships and difficulties of cultivation for a cultivator without a home, but he didn't have as deep a feeling as Wei Hongqing.

Seeing his sworn brother have a good destination, Liu Xiaolou was still very happy for him, although this joy carried some hidden loss—just half a year ago, he wanted to enter the Dongyang Sect of the Southern Xiang, but couldn't; how could he not feel lost?

Wei Hongqing added: "I am going to the Lu Clan Ancestral Hall of Tianmu Mountain to receive the initiation ceremony, so I cannot delay long..."

Liu Xiaolou teased: "Go, is your wife still waiting for you? It's just a pity I have no chance to pay respects to that sister-in-law."

Wei Hongqing hesitated: "She... doesn't like to see outsiders..."

Liu Xiaolou naturally knew Wei Hongqing's difficulty; that sister-in-law he hadn't met was a disciple of a famous sect, and her willingness to accept Wei Hongqing was already an exception, so how would she be willing to recognize him as a brother-in-law? This was not as simple as lowering her status; if it were him, he wouldn't be willing either.

"Then let's pay respects when there is a chance in the future."

Wei Hongqing nodded and said: "Then, brother is going..."

Liu Xiaolou watched him leave; not long after, Wei Hongqing remembered something, turned back and exhorted: "Xiaolou, this place is Taoyuan; twenty miles to the northeast, there is a mountain called Xingde Mountain, and there is a high-minded scholar in the mountain, known as Xingde Jun; if you want to refine an array plate, you can go to Xingde Mountain."

Liu Xiaolou nodded, waved at him, and watched his figure disappear under the mountain col in the distance.

Only Liu Xiaolou was left alone in the forest, along with two graves, one deep and one shallow. He lingered in place for a while, deciding to go to Xingde Mountain first to see if he could have the opportunity to refine an array plate.

Having been trapped in an illusion array, he was still very tempted by the power of this illusion array; his cultivation base was low, and his combat strength was seriously insufficient; if he could have an illusion array by his side, perhaps he could save his life at a critical moment.

Heading northeast, he entered the chaotic mountains before long; it was said to be twenty miles, but he didn't arrive until evening, thanks to meeting a woodcutter, which allowed him to find the right mountain peak.

Climbing up the mountain, one could see strange rocks and odd pines along the way, and the scenery was quite remarkable. Climbing to the top of the mountain with the sunset, he saw a stone temple named "Xingde Temple".

Xingde Temple was not large, a small temple with a three-hall structure, about half an acre in size, occupying most of the mountain peak.

The Daoist temple had a temple gate, but no courtyard walls to cover it; the main hall, the east side hall, and the west wing were arranged in a "pin" shape, surrounding a courtyard the size of three-tenths of an acre in the center, with two crane bronze furnaces standing on the left and right of the courtyard, and incense smoke rising from the furnaces, which smelled slightly intoxicating.

Having just experienced a field battle, suddenly coming to this quiet little temple, he felt that his whole soul had been washed, and it was much cleaner.

Liu Xiaolou stood solemnly at the foot of the steps and bowed to the main hall: "Is Xingde Jun here? Junior Liu Xiaolou has come specifically to pay a visit!"