I made the entire cultivation world cry

Chapter 657 Travelogue of Qinzhou (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

[In the third year of Kyushu, on the seventh day of the first month of Huaiyue, the light rain had just cleared.]

After the rain stopped, the villagers were very grateful and escorted Yi and me to the village entrance, insisting on giving us a jar of cloudy wine.

Though the wine tastes murky, my heart is warm.

In Qinzhou, music fills the air, and the hearts of people are like the mountain road after the rain, where simple vitality is hidden in the mud.

The meaning is that we should travel ten thousand miles, accumulate countless good deeds, and slowly make our way to the snowy region. If we still cannot see the Qin Emperor when we reach the snowy region, we should return to Qingzhou.

As long as you follow your heart, wherever you go and whatever you do is good.

……

[In the third year of Kyushu, on the fifteenth of the pomegranate month, a refreshing mountain breeze blows.]

Upon reaching the foot of Yunya Ridge, one hears the babbling of a stream, like shattered jade falling onto a plate.

Following the sound, I saw an old vine, gnarled and twisted, clinging to a huge rock by the stream. The vine's body was like a dragon, and its leaves were like jade. It rustled in the wind, creating a melodious sound that rose and fell in rhythm.

Woodcutters and mountain dwellers passing by often stopped to listen for a moment, and their fatigue would instantly disappear.

Yi clapped his hands and praised, "This is the 'Echoing Ancient Vine,' born of nature and nurtured by the earth. It harmonizes the earth's spiritual energy with its sounds, nourishing the land and water. It is truly a benevolent spirit."

They commented on my travelogue and praised my writing skills, saying they've improved considerably.

Of course, I've read quite a few books now, and I'm no longer the naive and ignorant little Lan Yao I once was.

As night fell, we stayed at a deserted temple halfway up the mountain. In the middle of the night, we heard a great commotion and flames rising into the sky below. When we rushed over, we found a dozen or so strong men holding torches and hoes, shouting and yelling around the ancient vine.

The leader, a scarred man, said that a vine demon was causing trouble. Wang Er's son had developed a high fever and was talking nonsense after playing there. The vine demon had drained his life force.

They wanted to burn the vine demon to eliminate any future trouble.

Yi stood in front of the vine, sweeping all the torches into the stream. With just a glance at the crowd, he knew that the child's high fever was caused by accidentally eating the poisonous mushroom "Ghost Umbrella" by the stream, which had attacked his heart with evil poison.

Unable to withstand the pressure, the skinny man confessed that the scarred man had his eye on this auspicious land and wanted to cut down the ancient vines to build a villa. Fearing opposition from the villagers, he spread rumors.

The truth came out and everyone was shocked.

Plants and trees have spirits, but the human heart is unfathomable.

The ancient vines trembled gently in the night breeze, as if weeping and lamenting, winding around the mountain stream.

Even after leaving Yunyailing, the melody still lingers in my ears.

The implication is that demons are not necessarily evil, and humans are not necessarily good.

The distinction between black and white in this world is not so clear-cut.

……

[The third year of Kyushu, the ninth day of the lotus month, thin clouds.]

Today I passed through a small town called 'Xiujin', which is famous for its weaving.

Miss Zhang, a wealthy woman in the town, died suddenly and mysteriously three days ago. Her death was gruesome; her life essence and blood had been drained, leaving only a human skin.

The Zhang family offered a large sum of money to find a master to exorcise the demon, and rumors spread that it was the work of a "painted skin demon" that devoured the essence of beautiful women, causing widespread panic and making women afraid to go out.

They accepted the bounty with me and staked out Zhang's residence.

In the middle of the night, they indeed discovered something amiss and followed the wisp of demonic energy to a solitary, dilapidated embroidered building in a desolate mountain outside the town.

The building was eerily dark and filled with cobwebs.

A woman in a faded wedding dress turned her back to us and, facing a blurry bronze mirror, stuck a piece of human skin onto her face.

The woman chuckled dreamily, saying something like, "Almost there... just one more picture and I'll be at my most beautiful when I see my beloved..."

He intervened and eliminated the female demon, telling me that she was a demon because her husband disliked her appearance and abandoned her, and she turned into a demon because of her obsession.

I think it's her husband's fault. He's not a good person. The demoness shouldn't have harmed innocent women and peeled off their faces. The one who deserves to die the most is her husband.

The malice in people's hearts can sometimes be more poisonous than demons. The Zhang family rewarded us handsomely, and now we finally have enough Xuan Stones to buy new clothes!

……

[In the third year of Kyushu, on the 21st day of the osmanthus month, the sudden rain had just stopped.]

Upon arriving at Mingquan Town, we found it famous for the "Shuyu Spring," which has never dried up in a thousand years. The spring water is clear, sweet, and the townspeople believe it possesses a spirit.

I read about this place in a book and have wanted to come and see it for a long time.

In the west of the town lived an old widow named Wu, who was blind and lived alone in a dilapidated tile-roofed house. The neighbors all said that although Granny Wu could not see, her house was peaceful and free from insects and ants, and that she must be protected by a benevolent spirit.

When Yi and I passed by, it was pouring rain, so we took shelter under the eaves of Granny Wu's house.

My mother-in-law fumbled to open the door and warmly invited us inside. Although the house was sparsely furnished, it was spotless.

She fumbled around and poured us two bowls of sweet spring water, saying with a smile, "This old woman doesn't have anything good here, but this spring water is something to be proud of. It's brought to us every day by 'Spring Boy'."

I was curious about the boy from the spring, so I asked my grandmother. She said she didn't know which family's good boy he was either. She couldn't see him, but she could hear his clear voice, like the tinkling of a spring.

Since her husband and mother-in-law passed away, Quan has been coming over often to help her fetch water, chop firewood, and clean the yard, rain or shine.

Sometimes when my mother-in-law is sick, a bowl of clear spring water and a handful of unknown herbs will mysteriously appear by her bedside.

That night, we didn't leave; we hid near Shuyu Spring, hoping to see this "Spring Boy."

Just around midnight, we indeed saw a boy dressed in a light blue short shirt, about thirteen or fourteen years old, slowly emerge from the Shuyu Spring, holding a large lotus leaf filled with clear spring water, and walk towards Granny Wu's hut.

Just as he was about to push the door open, four cultivators emerged from the ground, intending to capture the boy from the spring.

They talk about vanquishing demons and monsters, but I think they just want Quan Xiaozi's essence.

Fortunately, Yi intervened in time and saved Quan.

Those cultivators thought we were easy to bully, and even said things like, "Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts! A demon is a demon! If we let it go today, it will surely become a scourge in the future!"

In the end, Yi made his move and killed them all.

When we set off again, I was a little confused. We had been fighting demons and doing good deeds all along the way, so why were we killing people to save demons this time? Weren't we afraid of damaging our incense offerings?

Fortunately, Yi explained it to me. She said that sometimes, the character for "person" is easy to write, but harder to embody than climbing to heaven.

Greed and prejudice can cloud one's judgment, turning even a person into a demon.

Protecting benevolent spirits is also an act of good.

……

[At the end of the third year of Kyushu, on the third day of the Jia month, heavy snow fell.]

A year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Yi and I traveled northeast to Qinzhou, performing on the streets of the city. I stumbled along playing the ocarina while Yi played the zither in harmony, earning a meager amount of Xuan Stones. We heard about all walks of life in the city and witnessed countless human tragedies caused by a moment's lapse in judgment.

The music of Yi's zither can ferry demons and also save people.

Upon reaching the desolate snowfields in the far north of Qinzhou, the cold wind howled and the snowflakes were like knives.

Looking out over the mountain peak, one can see a palace standing atop the towering snow-capped peaks, exuding an aura of unparalleled solitude. It is said to be the place where the Qin Emperor lived in seclusion.

I'm very disappointed because we still haven't met Qin Di. Now I don't know what to do. I'll feel unwilling to go back like this.

Yi didn't give up and kept going into the mountains until she reached the foot of the mountain where she could no longer find the path. I never imagined that she would shout out such a sentence, breaking the deadlock.

She said, "If you don't come, I'm leaving. There are two more emperors waiting behind me!"
How could I, with my blockhead, not have thought of this? Yi is the successor of the Azure Emperor and the Qin Emperor, and the Kun Emperor can also be considered one. If the three evil bodies of the emperors all want a body, then the choice falls into Yi's hands.

Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, a towering ice staircase appeared out of thin air in front of us, leading straight to the palace at the top of the mountain.

As I prepare to meet the Qin Emperor, I suddenly feel a little scared, but no matter what, I will stand with Yi through thick and thin.

(End of this chapter)