Chapter 160: Hu Tutu, Do You... Know What You Are?

Before Lu Yuan finished speaking, he had already stepped into the guest hall.

Hu Tutu froze for a moment, then hurried after him.

Zhou Shouzuo stood at the doorway without moving.

He merely closed the door leaving a crack, then, as usual, waited outside with his hands at his sides.

Inside the guest hall, the six shadows still hovered in their original positions.

They had watched Flower Maiden be restored by the Continuing the Lamp ritual, watched that cloud of mist gradually brighten,

watched that girllike figure finally stop trembling.

The longer they watched, the harder it was for them to take their eyes away.

Lu Yuan walked up in front of them and stopped.

Six points of light all turned to look at him.

Lu Yuan did not beat around the bush.

“Flower Maiden’s root wasn’t severed, so she could be continued.”

“Your roots have been severed.”

The six shadows dimmed at once.

The hunched figure of the Recumbent Ox Stone Lord shivered, the sickly green glow trembling slightly, but it did not speak.

It knew Lu Yuan was telling the truth.

Lu Yuan looked at them, then shifted his tone.

“But—”

“You needn’t envy her. Perhaps precisely because of this, you may yet receive a rebirth.”

The six shadows all trembled.

The Spring Mother’s parched voice sounded, carrying a tremor of disbelief.

“Daoist... Master... what do you mean?”

In truth, at first Lu Yuan didn’t intend to make things so complicated for these “gods.”

He just wanted to find them a place and set up a deity bench.

Place it by the mountain path and that would be that.

If offerings came, fine; if none came, pull them away!

If eventually the offerings stopped and they perished, well, no one could blame anyone but themselves for lacking ability.

Only...

After today’s matter with Hu Tutu, the things Lu Yuan understood made him feel it wouldn’t hurt to help a little more.

After all, even the Ten Families he had previously looked down on were doing this kind of “mending heaven” work.

As a proper Daoist temple and a disciple who upheld the Dao to protect living beings, Zhenlong Temple couldn’t just stand aside!

Beyond that...

This wasn’t entirely Lu Yuan doing the six wild deities a favor.

They were helping Lu Yuan practice his methods.

Why say that...

Lu Yuan looked at the six somewhat stunned wild deities before him and said with utmost seriousness:

“I have a method.”

“It can take the last trace of your thought and inject it into a new divine body, granting you rebirth.”

When Lu Yuan finished, the six wild deities were completely stunned, and before they could rejoice, Lu Yuan went on directly:

“However, I have never used this method before. I can’t promise there won’t be accidents midway; you might simply be extinguished.”

“So it’s entirely voluntary.”

“If you’re willing to try, I will put everything into it!”

“If you’re unwilling, then remain on the deity bench as we discussed before.”

When Lu Yuan finished speaking, the guest hall fell into silence.

What he proposed was unimaginable to these divinities.

A method to take their last trace of thought and transfer it into a new body?

It was unheard of, never before spoken of!

Seeing the six deities fall silent, Lu Yuan shrugged slightly and explained:

“My method is easy to understand.”

“It’s similar to Flower Maiden.”

“Flower Maiden counts as having a root because her thought comes from the flowers. Wherever flowers bloom, her thought persists.”

“My method lets your remaining thought attach itself to a similar object.”

As he said this, Lu Yuan glanced at the Recumbent Ox Stone Lord, looking it over.

“You were originally a huge rock shaped like an ox. Now the rock is broken and only a cluster of thought remains.”

“Then find a roughly similar boulder in Qixia Mountain.”

“I will guide your remaining trace of thought into that boulder.”

“Then remain on that stone and be cultivated.”

“Nurture it for ten or twenty years, restore your divine status, and reestablish your root.”

At this point Lu Yuan lifted his chin slightly and declared:

“This method is called ‘Borrowing a Vessel to Restore a Deity.’”

This technique, needless to say, came from Lu Yuan’s Dao texts.

He had only read it before, never attempted it.

In fact, he barely gave the method more than a glance.

But if any of these deities were willing, Lu Yuan intended to study it carefully and give it a try.

Of course, the method carried risk.

If it failed, these deities who only had a sliver of thought left might dissipate entirely.

So whether to attempt it would be up to each deity.

Seeing them so silent, Lu Yuan lifted his head a little and said:

“This doesn’t need to be decided right away. Go back and think it through.”

“Even if you decide now, given my current physical condition I can’t perform it.”

“Besides, some preparations are required.”

Borrowing a vessel to restore a deity wasn’t easy. It wasn’t a minor technique; only someone at the Celestial Master level or above could perform it.

It required borrowing the power of thunder techniques.

With Lu Yuan’s current state, it was out of the question.

No matter how you looked at it, this matter had to wait at least a month. There was no rush; they should take their time to consider.

The six points of light hovered in the guest hall in silence for a long while.

Sickly green, dull yellow, dingy gray, off-white, gray-brown, ink green.

The six lights flickered faintly.

No one spoke.

Lu Yuan didn’t press them.

He picked up the cup of tea on the table, already cold, and took a sip.

Cold tea was astringent, but it cleared his head.

After a long while, the hunched figure of the Recumbent Ox Stone Lord floated forward half a foot.

It bowed deeply to Lu Yuan.

The bent back curved like an old bow about to snap.

“Daoist Master...”

“What you proposed, I must return and contemplate.”

“When I understand, I will come find you.”

Lu Yuan nodded.

“That’s right.”

The Spring Mother bowed as well.

“I will go back and think about it.”

Old Willow, the clay statue from the Mountain God Temple, the millstone, the moss—

one after another, they bowed deeply toward Lu Yuan.

Then the six shadows began to drift slowly toward the doorway.

Sickly green, dull yellow, dingy gray, off-white, gray-brown, ink green.

The six lights swayed slightly in the night,

like six lanterns lighting the way.

When they reached the doorway, the Recumbent Ox Stone Lord suddenly stopped.

It turned its head and fixed its sickly green eyes on Lu Yuan.

“Daoist Master.”

“Whether it succeeds or not...”

“We will remember your kindness forever.”

Lu Yuan waved his hand.

“All right, go.”

The six points of light floated out the door and melted into the dense darkness.

The guest hall quieted down.

Only a single candle flickered softly on the incense table.

Lu Yuan sat on the grand chair and exhaled slowly.

Tired.

Not physically so much as mentally.

He had listened to seven stories, considered seven possible paths of life all evening.

He rubbed his brow and looked toward the doorway.

Hu Tutu still stood there, looking up toward the direction the six shadows had disappeared, both little pigtails motionless.

“What are you staring at?”

Lu Yuan asked.

Hu Tutu snapped back to herself and turned to look at him.

“Daoist Master.”

“I should be going.”

Lu Yuan paused.

“Going?”

“To where?”

Hu Tutu replied matter-of-factly:

“To the next place.”

“Flower Maiden has been continued, so I must hurry on.”

“There are several more waiting to be continued.”

Hearing this, Lu Yuan frowned.

“At this hour of the night, where is a little girl like you rushing off to?”

“Go back and sleep properly here, leave in the morning after breakfast!”

Hu Tutu cocked her head.

“Does traveling care about day or night?”

“We of the Continuing the Lamp family always travel at night.”

“Nights are quiet and easier to travel.”

Lu Yuan stood and walked up to her.

He looked down at this little girl who barely reached his chest.

“Listen to me.”

“Tonight is very dark and the mountain paths are hard to walk.”

“Even if your clan is powerful, you don’t need to leave tonight.”

“Rest at the temple for one night, then leave in the morning.”

Hu Tutu shook her head.

“No, no.”

“I promised someone. I must arrive before dawn.”

“I can’t delay.”

Lu Yuan was momentarily speechless.

He had also done commissioned jobs and understood the crucial point: punctuality.

But perhaps because Hu Tutu looked so small and exquisitely delicate, he couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

If it had been someone like Wang Cheng’an or Xu Erxiao...

Let them go whenever they wanted.

However, Lu Yuan knew he couldn’t treat this little girl as ordinary.

She was formidable.

For a moment he couldn’t press the matter further and merely nodded slightly.

“Since you’re in such a hurry and you’ll be traveling hungry, eat something hot first.”

“I’m hungry myself and was about to have a late-night meal and then sleep.”

At the mention of food, Hu Tutu’s eyes lit up and she eagerly nodded.

Seeing her like that, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but grin.

This girl was adorable.

For a moment he entertained the thought that his two beautiful aunts...

They ought to give him a daughter someday.

Are the two aunts pregnant?

He didn’t know.

They’d only been married for less than a month.

But according to Aunt Qin and Aunt Qiao’er, they surely were!

After all...

During their time in Fengtian City, Lu Yuan had been paying them plenty of attention every day, so if they weren’t pregnant that would be surprising.

Lu Yuan turned to the doorway.

Zhou Shouzuo still stood there, hands at his sides waiting.

“Elder Zhou, please check the kitchen and prepare two bowls of something hot to bring to the dining hall.”

Zhou Shouzuo nodded.

“Yes, senior brother.”

He turned and disappeared into the night.

Lu Yuan and Hu Tutu left the guest hall and walked toward the dining hall.

Zhenlong Temple was very quiet at night.

So quiet that the only sounds were the night wind rustling through the pine trees and the occasional call of a night owl in the distance.

The moon hung high and cold.

Moonlight spread across the stone path, paling everything white and ghostly.

Hu Tutu walked beside Lu Yuan, her short legs going quickly.

She didn’t speak, simply walked quietly.

Lu Yuan glanced down at her.

Moonlight lit her face, that fair little face appearing even paler than by day—

an almost unnatural pallor.

A strange unease flickered through him.

But he didn’t think much of it.

Maybe it was just the moonlight.

They reached the dining hall doorway.

The door was ajar, inside pitch black without any lights.

Zhou Shouzuo had not yet returned.

Lu Yuan pushed the door open, groped in the dark for an oil lamp on the table, and lit it.

The dim light rose and illuminated a corner of the dining hall.

“Sit.”

Lu Yuan pointed to the table by the window.

Hu Tutu obediently went over, climbed onto the bench, and sat.

Her short legs dangled at the edge, bouncing slightly.

Lu Yuan sat opposite her.

The two of them sat in silence, waiting for Zhou Shouzuo to bring the late-night meal.

The dining hall was very quiet.

Quiet enough to hear the soft sizzle of the wick burning.

Hu Tutu didn’t speak.

Lu Yuan didn’t know what to say.

He leaned against the chairback, his gaze idly sweeping over the little figure opposite.

Moonlight slanted through the window and fell on her.

Under the mingled moonlight and lamp glow, her face took on an indescribable tone.

Pale.

Almost excessively so.

So pale that it seemed...

Lu Yuan suddenly sat up straight.

He stared at Hu Tutu’s face without blinking.

Hu Tutu felt weirdly scrutinized.

“Daoist Master?”

“What are you looking at?”

Lu Yuan remained silent.

He just stared at her face.

His heart suddenly clenched.

He drew in a deep breath and steadied his voice.

“Hu Tutu.”

“Extend your hand, let Daoist Master see it.”

Hu Tutu blinked and obediently extended her right hand.

Lu Yuan took that hand.

The instant it entered his palm, his heart plummeted.

The hand was cold.

Not the kind of chill from traveling at night—

this was cold with no warmth at all.

It was also light.

Too light to be the weight of a living person’s hand.

Lu Yuan looked down at the hand.

In the moonlight it was glaringly white.

On the fingertip skin, faintly visible, were tiny creases.

Not palm lines,

but creases like those on folded paper.

Lu Yuan lifted his head and looked at Hu Tutu’s face.

Her face remained clean and pale, her two little pigtails bobbing.

Yet now it showed an indescribable... eeriness.

“Hu Tutu.”

Lu Yuan’s voice was very soft.

“Do you... know what you are?”

Hu Tutu tilted her head, her round eyes full of puzzlement.

“Me?”

“I’m Hu Tutu of the Continuing the Lamp Hu Family.”

“Daoist Master, what’s the matter?”

Lu Yuan said nothing.

He simply held her hand, motionless.

Moonlight streamed through the window,

falling on Hu Tutu.

Falling on that hand, startlingly white.

At the edge of that hand, under the moonlight, something faintly revealed itself—

the texture of paper.

The dining hall was eerily silent.

So silent he could hear his own heartbeat.

Thump—thump—thump—

Suddenly,

a gust of night wind blew.

The window snapped with a bang.

Hu Tutu turned to look at the window.

The instant she turned her head, Lu Yuan saw—

a fine fold in the skin at the back of her neck.

It extended from the collar into her hair.

The edge of that crease was slightly lifted,

as if...

as if paper had been folded and left a mark.