Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 358 Escape
Master Jin Lingzi looked up at Lü Yan, who was looking up at him with a curious and scrutinizing gaze, and nodded with a smile:
"She is indeed a bright and intelligent child, but perhaps she is a bit too mischievous."

Madam Lü nodded helplessly.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Taoist priest. This child is indeed quite clever, but also quite mischievous. His father and I tried to teach him to read, but he just couldn't get into it."

"mother"

Lu Yan was about to explain something, but a glance from Madam Lu made him swallow his words.

He had no choice but to shut his mouth, looking at Master Jin Lingzi across from him with some resentment.

Although he had heard that his safe birth was thanks to the Taoist priest he had never met before, it was still somewhat inappropriate for this man to expose his past upon their first meeting.
And this person looks quite ordinary; could he be a conman who deceived his father and mother?
The more Lü Yan looked at the man in front of him, the more suspicious he seemed.

Although there are beliefs in ghosts and spirits, he had never seen any and didn't really believe in them. But the person in front of him, his own mother, believed in them without a doubt.
Jin Lingzi looked at Lü Yan with amusement. How could he not know what was going on in this little guy's head?

“Madam Lü, what I said back then was not an empty promise. Your son will surely achieve great things in the future, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

Upon hearing this, Madam Lü's expression softened, and she nodded with satisfaction. Then, she pulled her son and bowed to the Taoist priest in front of her.

"Thank you for your kind words, Daoist Master. You have already helped our Lü family a great deal, but I must return to the Lü family as soon as possible to take charge of matters, so I must take my leave now."

"I still have a few jars of fine aged wine in my restaurant. Please be sure to take them before you leave. It's a token of my appreciation. Once my family is settled, you must come so we can properly thank you."

"Very well, Madam Lü, please go ahead. This is a matter of great importance concerning the safety of your entire family, so there's no need for me to concern myself with it."

"Thank you very much, Daoist Master."

Madam Lü bowed again before pulling the puzzled Lü Yan towards the restaurant's stairs.

"Mother, what happened?"

"Yan'er, don't ask any more questions. Come with me to find your elder brother first."

Master Jin Lingzi watched the mother and son, whose expressions were not good, leave, but he slowly sat back down at the table, picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and continued eating.

How could he not know whether Lü Qing would be in trouble? Naturally, he had already seen Lü Qing's future clearly, which was why he could eat here in peace.

Although Fellow Daoist Lü descended to the mortal realm to undergo tribulation, it doesn't necessarily mean that he had to cause his family to be destroyed, his wife and children to be separated, and then make Lü Yan strive to improve himself.

When Zhongli Quan returns from Fangzhang Immortal Mountain, he will seek out Lü Yan and guide him in cultivation. At that time, many trials and tribulations will await Lü Yan.

What he wanted to do was to ensure that Lü Yan could smoothly transition to the age of twenty-two and successfully enter the Dao. As for his parents, brothers, and sisters in this life, he would also wish them a long and peaceful life.

Late at night, at the Lü residence.

Tonight, dark clouds obscured the sun, plunging the earth into darkness, but the Lü residence was brightly lit, with braziers and torches illuminating the entire place.

"Hurry up, put all the things you don't need here, and only put the valuables in the carriage."

"Yes!"

"Madam, all the goods in the warehouse have been sold off cheaply, and the accounting department has already moved all the account books from the past few years into the carriages."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Butler Tian."

Madam Lü stood in the very center of the Lü mansion, constantly directing the servants to quickly load the items to be taken onto the carriage. She had already dismissed most of the servants during the day; those remaining were her trusted confidants who had served her and her master for many years.

Even so, with more than a dozen people constantly busy inside and out, the Lü residence was quite lively at the moment.

Lu Cheng, the eldest son of the Lu family, dressed in brocade white robes, was frowning as he watched this scene.

"Mother, do you think Jin Lingzi's words are reliable? Just because of a fortune teller's words, we should abandon our family business and flee to another place. Isn't that going too far?"

Although he was the eldest son of the Lü family, he did not have the talent for studying. However, he followed his maternal grandfather and mother and was quite skilled in business.

Now, he manages most of the businesses in the Lü family mansion. It can be said that the family's food, drink, and expenses are all decided by Madam Lü, but he also pays for most of the money.

Lu Cheng stood beside his elder brother, nodding repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice.

Although the Taoist priest's words about his future success made him very happy, he was still saddened that he and his family would have to leave the Lu family mansion where they had always lived and become fugitives just because of a few words from the priest.

Is the belief in gods and ghosts really that credible? Just because of a few words from the other party, is it really worth it?

Madam Lü shook her head and sighed:

"Cheng'er, Yan'er, I believe what Daoist Jin Lingzi said, but the grim expression on your father's face when he left is another reason."

"I truly hope that Daoist Jin Lingzi's words are inaccurate this time, but what if they are true? If they are true, our Lü family may really be in great trouble."

Upon hearing this, Lü Cheng frowned again, wanting to say something but remaining silent, and finally just sighed softly.

Their mother hadn't actually done anything wrong. It was better to believe it than not; if something really happened, then their whole family would be in trouble.
However, he still distrusted the Taoist's words. According to his younger brother, the Taoist was quite ordinary and did not look like any kind of immortal.

But his own mother and father spoke highly of that person, so what could he do?
Soon, many things in the Lü residence were arranged, and carriages and horses loaded with goods were parked in the backyard of the Lü residence, ready to depart at any time.

After confirming several times that nothing was missing or had any problems, Madam Lü finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked at her youngest son, who was already yawning beside her.

"Yan'er, if you're sleepy, go and take a nap in the carriage. The situation is still unclear, so it's best not to go back to your room yet."

Lu Yan nodded. Just then, a servant of the Lu family rushed up to the group in the backyard.

"Madam! Madam! The master has returned, and almost all of his guards are injured!"

Lu Cheng was taken aback by the news, his eyes wide with surprise.

Lu Yan instantly regained his senses, his drowsiness vanished without a trace, but his face was full of confusion.

Something really happened?!
Upon hearing this, Madam Lü said anxiously:

"Where is the master? How is the master?!"

Before the servant could reply, Master Lü's anxious voice quickly reached everyone's ears.

"Madam! Forget all that, let's go! Let's leave now and shake off those thieves as quickly as possible!"

(End of this chapter)