Chapter 463: Please Return, Third Third Shixiong, for Wine

The fox was crafty; it immediately leaped off the cloud and landed in the fluffy flowerbed, sniffing here and there, attempting to find something within.

As for the "commoners," they remained rooted to the spot, at a loss for what to do.

By now, most of their anger had vanished.

Some were simply stunned, unable to muster any more rage, while others found their anger futile, which then curdled into despair.

The Mother had died; who else could possibly contend with him?

With the Mother gone, where were they to go?

They feared that if he blew a single breath, they would all be reduced to ashes.

Yet, they saw the immortal on the cloud looking down at them, his eyes devoid of any murderous intent, filled only with calm:

"I will not pursue you, but this was your own choice, and I will not save you. Since you are dead, go to the place where you belong."

Having said this, he flicked his sleeve, and a clear breeze blew, scattering all the black smoke and mist that filled the sky.

The world regained its clarity, and the golden light reappeared overhead; through the golden barrier, a few clouds could be faintly seen drifting above.

Lin Jue looked up and called out:

"Is the divine official present?"

"Present!"

A cloud immediately pierced through the golden barrier, carrying two divine officials who flew into the enclosure, their first act being to scan the ground below before looking at Lin Jue.

"What are your instructions, Immortal?"

"Please summon the underworld officials and ghost messengers to take these commoners' souls away."

"These..."

"They are followers of the Mother, but they were also people in the mortal world who could not get enough to eat or wear, who could not support their aging parents or raise their children, who had no money for medicine when sick, and who could only wait for death when injured. That is why they were attracted by the Mother's grace and followed her."

"Understood!" the official replied. "And the Mother..."

"The vitality of this place is exhausted, her divine soul is gone, and there is no longer any soil left for her to make a comeback." Lin Jue said, "If you are not at ease, you may have the True Lord's divine generals come to inspect it several times."

"We shall report this immediately!"

The two officials exchanged a glance, and one immediately split off a cloud and departed, presumably to report.

Lin Jue nodded without further words.

Once the fox leaped back onto the cloud, the white cloud carried them and slowly departed.

They left behind one divine official who remained under the golden barrier, looking down and scanning the area, his heart filled with shock as he gazed at the blooming flowers and vibrant vitality covering the land, as well as the ghosts with their faces full of despair.

The white cloud exited Mount Mo Du and headed straight for Jiguang County.

The fox stood on the cloud, staring sternly up at him:

"Your fur has turned black again!"

"Indeed."

"White looks better!" the fox said. "I am white!"

"Perhaps..."

Outside Jiguang County, the bitter neem tree remained.

The ghost of Master Fan Tian still resided within it.

The scent of incense was heavy, yet he would not accept it, nor was he willing to be summoned to the heavens; he only wished to be a ghost, not a god.

However, unlike before, because Lin Jue had once placed a divine statue here and saved the people of Jiguang County, the locals had spontaneously donated funds after Lin Jue and the others left to build a temple in front of this neem tree, enshrining that divine statue along with Master Fan Tian's grave and spirit tablet.

It is worth noting that the divine statue had remained there all along.

The Fuchi Divine Lord had not taken it back or destroyed it, nor had he allowed his own followers to remove it, instead leaving it there to stay with the "fraudulent" person he held in such contempt.

But seven years of time had passed, and the ghost in the tree had changed from a new ghost to an old one; though there were no signs of dissipation, its reactions had become much slower.

This might not just be the wear of wind, sun, rain, and moonlight; it could also be the result of the loneliness and boredom that came after becoming a ghost.

Lin Jue chose a time at dusk when no one was around, arrived on his cloud, poured him a cup of wine, and sat watching the sky grow dark, sighing at length: "Fellow Daoist, I told you long ago that being a god is not easy, but being a wild ghost is not so easy either..."

In the dimness, a blurry figure emerged from the tree.

"Easy... easy..."

The figure's expression seemed somewhat dull.

"How have you been these past few years, Fellow Daoist?"

"Good... I like it..."

"In what way?"

"At night... entering the city... it is my hometown..." the blurry figure said intermittently. "During the day... people offer sacrifices... passersby stop to rest... I listen to them talk... they offer incense to me..."

"Oh?"

"This time... it is real..."

It was not spoken clearly, but Lin Jue understood.

This time, he had truly saved people and truly performed the duties of a Heavenly Master, so the sacrifices and offerings from the local people, as well as the reverence of passersby, were different from before.

Lin Jue simply shook his head, raised his cup to drink, and said nothing more, then continued: "Today I specifically went to Mount Mo Du and ended the Mother who refused to die, which can be considered as avenging you, the local people, and the high-level experts of the Gathering Immortal Mansion and the soldiers who died defending the city."

"Good... good..."

"Since there are passersby resting here, have you heard any major news about the world?"

"..."

"After Lord Luo returned to the north, he raised an army with the support of his clan and has now occupied the entire north. The Emperor has abdicated, and the Crown Prince has ascended, though he is even more absurd than his predecessor. I haven't seen Lord Pan for a long time; it is said that he is currently contending with the Wei woman in the Wei River, fighting fiercely with neither side able to gain the upper hand."

Lin Jue spoke to him slowly.

The blurry figure actually raised his wine cup, listening while tilting his head to drink.

Before they knew it, the bright moon hung high.

"I should be going." Lin Jue stood up. "I don't know when I will pass by this place again to see you. In any case, I have now attained the Dao and am one step closer to being a True Immortal. Let's see if I can first master the skill of bringing the dead back to life, or if I can first gather the materials for the Divine Resurrection Golden Pill. You can slowly pass your time here, Fellow Daoist."

Having said this, he left without lingering.

A white cloud drifted down from the sky, Lin Jue took a step forward, and he was gone.

... Deep within the clouds and mist of Mount Yishan, where the ancient pine trees and Daoist temples stood.

But even with such a courteous conversation, he had faintly grasped something, and his complexion looked a bit bad.

Two young Daoists in the temple looked up, staring at a white cloud drifting toward them, very surprised, and shouted toward the back:

"A cloud has drifted above our temple!"

"Master! An immortal has come to visit!"

A middle-aged Daoist with an honest face walked out quickly, shielding his eyes with his hand to block the light, and looked up.

Sure enough, he saw a white cloud drifting above the temple roof.

Because this white cloud was exactly like the clouds in the sky, it was actually very difficult to distinguish its size and height from such a distance; only by seeing the figure on the cloud could one tell.

Looking up like this, it was just a dark patch.

But from the cloud, a voice suddenly came:

!

"Third Third Shixiong! What do you think of this white cloud of mine?"

"Ah!"

The two young Daoists were now truly surprised.

"It's the Junior Uncle!"

"The Eighth Junior Uncle?"

Lin Jue smiled slightly, and only then did he let the cloud descend slowly.

"Is it really the Eighth Junior Uncle? Greetings, Eighth Junior Uncle!"

"Greetings, Eighth Junior Uncle!"

The two young Daoists bowed to him.

Though they were called young Daoists, they were already teenagers.

Looking at their appearance, they were not much different from Lin Jue and the Xiao Xiao Shimei when they first went up the mountain.

"You have grown up too..."

As Lin Jue spoke, he stepped off the cloud, holding the silver mirror in his hand, and handed it to the Third Third Shixiong:

"Thank you, Third Third Shixiong, for lending me the Mountain-Moving Treasure Mirror; otherwise, I might not have been able to pass that trial."

"Did you return by riding the clouds, Junior Third Shixiong?"

"Rest assured, I first went to the Mountain God to pay my respects and obtained his permission before riding the cloud here."

"Have you attained the Dao?"

"Naturally."

"Master was right after all." The Third Third Shixiong seemed to have guessed it already and was not surprised, just emotional. "Our Fuchiu Temple has actually produced an immortal."

"I will not be the last."

Just then, another figure walked out from the inner courtyard and shouted as soon as he saw him:

"Third Third Shixiong!"

It was the Xiao Xiao Shimei.

"You have returned too?" Lin Jue was surprised.

"I guessed that after Third Third Shixiong finished off the Mother, you would return to Mount Yishan, and for fear that Third Third Shixiong would be riding the clouds and I wouldn't be able to keep up, I turned into a bird and flew back first." The Xiao Xiao Shimei said, suddenly smiling, "And I deliberately didn't tell them that Third Third Shixiong had attained the Dao and would be returning by riding the clouds."

"Thoughtful!"

Returning to this place, Lin Jue felt completely relaxed, as if there was nothing he needed to think about or worry about; even attaining the Dao had not given him such a sense of security.

However, he did not immediately enter the inner courtyard, but first went to the graveyard behind the mountain.

Attaining the Dao was such a major event that he naturally had to inform his Master.

After walking a short distance behind the mountain, he found the newest grave, lit three sticks of incense, and whispered:

"Master, your disciple has not failed your teachings and guidance. I have now attained the Dao and have found the path to the Dao for Fuchiu Temple, so that future generations will no longer have to worry about this."

"It is only a pity that Master cannot see it with your own eyes."

"..."

The fox was by his side, looking stern.

The Xiao Xiao Shimei and Little Flower also accompanied him.

Recalling when he first went down the mountain, the rhododendrons and magnolias all over the mountain were still fresh in his memory, but just since going down the mountain, more than ten years had already passed.

And the life on the mountain back then was still unforgettable.

After a long while, he finally returned to the Daoist temple.

Lin Jue said to the Xiao Xiao Shimei: "Write letters and call the other Third Shixiong Brothers back, tell them I have attained the Dao, and I am holding a banquet on Mount Yishan, inviting them back to drink wine."

"Good!"

The Xiao Xiao Shimei agreed without hesitation, but paused, suddenly thinking: "Doesn't that mean there won't be a share for the Third Third Third Shixiong again?"

"There will be!"

A voice came from the side, clear and thin:

"The fox pressed its paw prints on his Jade Horse and the palace box! I can find him!"

"Oh?"

"Fox! Smart!"

"Then call him back for the banquet." The Xiao Xiao Shimei said with a stern face, her mind full of distracting thoughts, "Let him see the Junior Third Third Shixiong who has attained the Dao, and see what he has to say."

"Good!"

The fox turned into a crow and departed.

(End of chapter)