Journey to the West Creation Technique

Two months later...

A corner of the salt station.

Vegetable garden.

Lu Chengjun worked alone, bending over.

The radishes he planted himself are growing well.

whoosh-

A radish shrank down.

He didn't even lift his eyelids, as if he hadn't seen anything.

Before long, another radish was silently dragged into the ground, but he remained calm and ignored it.

With the arrival of the meatball, not a single radish in this vegetable garden will survive.

Lu Chengjun took a sickle and began harvesting, cutting off the radish leaves and leaving only the radish on the ground.

Anyway, RouDun only prefers the crisp and juicy radish tops and isn't interested in the stems and leaves.

Lu Chengjun quickly harvested a basket of radishes and then sent them straight to the kitchen.

When the cook in charge of the kitchen saw him coming, his expression turned serious, and he hesitated to speak.

Not long after...

A delicious lunch was quickly laid out on the round table in the courtyard.

Lu Chengjun said calmly, "Come on over, let's eat together."

The crowd remained unmoved.

Zhou Hu frowned, looking worried: "Captain Lu, Lin Xiaoshun and Zhang Mo haven't returned yet. I'm afraid... I'm afraid they've met with some misfortune."

Lu Chengjun picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and said calmly, "Eat first."

"I can't eat," Zhou Hu said, his neck stiff. "Nobody can eat either."

Two months ago, Lu Chengjun led the salt station monks in batches, teaching them how to navigate the most dangerous night roads.

Until everyone is familiar with the terrain and knows the dangers.

To enable everyone to become independent as soon as possible, Lu Chengjun began to arrange for two people to work in shifts to transport salt at night.

Everything was fine until last night, when Zhang Mo and Lin Xiaoshun were sent to go together.

According to the itinerary, the two should have returned to the salt station before dawn, but it was already past noon and they were still nowhere to be seen.

Everyone felt a heavy weight in their hearts, and the worst-case scenario was already looming in their minds.

Only Lu Chengjun continued to do his own thing as always, following the established routine.

Everything that needed to be taught has been taught.

He held nothing back, even when it came to using quicksand techniques to save his life.

To protect everyone, he even had Rou Dun dig four more shelters.

If something unexpected really happens, then it's fate.

Such is fate; there's no one else to blame.

Lu Chengjun sat down at the table alone and ate as usual. However, he found the food bland and difficult to swallow.

While practicing in the form of Sha Wujing (a character from Journey to the West), one can remain calm even if the sky falls, but it is difficult to achieve a state of complete inner turmoil.

Lu Chengjun put down his chopsticks and looked up to ask, "Is there any wine?"

"Yes, yes, I'll get it right away."

Have a drink.

The wine was dry and astringent, and not particularly delicious.

But I couldn't help but drink one cup after another.

Everyone must die eventually...

The 15,000 members of the Nanming Guard are isolated overseas, with no support behind them and no way forward. They may be wiped out at any time.

The more Lu Chengjun thought about it, the more depressed he became, and the more depressed he became, the more he tried to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

Just then, footsteps suddenly came from outside the Bagua Stone Formation.

Everyone's spirits lifted, and they all looked toward the entrance of the formation, their eyes filled with anticipation.

pity……

The person who entered the courtyard last was not Zhang Mo or Lin Xiaoshun, but Shi Qing, a messenger from the Nanming Guard.

Seeing the solemn expressions and oppressive atmosphere among the crowd, Shi Qing immediately sensed something was amiss and stepped forward to bow respectfully: "Captain Lu."

Lu Chengjun held his wine glass and nodded slightly.

The surroundings were deathly silent, no one spoke, the silence was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

Shi Qing's gaze swept over the crowd, and noticing the absence of two familiar faces, his heart sank: "Where did Zhang Mo and Lin Xiaoshun go?"

Everyone remained silent.

Lu Chengjun sighed softly and told the truth: "I was ordered to transport salt last night and have not returned since."

Upon hearing this, Shi Qing also fell silent.

The salt transport route was extremely dangerous; if someone did not return by half a day, the chances of them surviving were slim.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, have you come all this way for something important?" Lu Chengjun asked, putting down his wine cup.

Shi Qing bowed solemnly: "It is indeed an important matter. Commander Shen has ordered you to return to Nanming Guard immediately, as he has entrusted you with another important task."

Lu Chengjun frowned: "Zhang Mo and Lin Xiaoshun's fates are unknown, how can I leave?"

"So, what does Captain Lu mean?"

"I'll go and see for myself tonight, at least I'll get some results." Lu Chengjun downed his drink in one gulp.

According to the habits of the Crimson-Crowned Firewing, it always eats half and leaves the other half hanging in its nest.

You'll know the result just by going to take a look...

Night falls.

A light drizzle began to fall from the sky.

Lu Chengjun held a hoe and wore a straw hat.

He looked up at the sky; the most dangerous time he had ever been had also been in a light drizzle.

Will he be able to escape unscathed once again after venturing into the Fire Feather Dragon's lair?

Lu Chengjun had absolutely no confidence.

But I still have to go...

Ultimately, we need to see the person, whether alive or dead.

"Wait for my message." After saying that, Lu Chengjun entered the Bagua Stone Formation alone.

Zhou Hu and the others looked at each other, all sighing in dismay.

Just as everyone was about to leave, Lu Chengjun, wearing a bamboo hat, unexpectedly returned.

The crowd looked at him with suspicion, and he silently made way for the passage behind him.

Two disheveled figures, supporting each other, staggered into the salt station; it was Lin Xiaoshun and Zhang Mo.

They were covered in mud, as if they had crawled out of a tomb.

His face was covered in mud and rain, his hair was disheveled, and his breathing was heavy.

Zhou Hu was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed excitedly, "Xiao Shun! Zhang Mo! You...you're still alive!"

Lin Xiaoshun leaned against the wall, his voice hoarse and dry: "Brother Zhou...we...we're back."

Zhang Mo sat down, feeling completely exhausted. He took the water his brothers offered and drank it down. Then he said with a wry smile, "Last night, on our way back from transporting salt, we encountered that Fire Feather Dragon chasing its prey. Although we were far away, the Fire Feather Dragon clearly glanced at us... We both thought we were doomed. Fortunately, there was a safe place nearby, so we hid using the quicksand talisman that they gave us."

"I hid all day, too scared to move!" Lin Xiaoshun chimed in, still shaken.

"We hid for a whole day before we dared to dig through the soil and escape."

Although everyone was shocked, the heavy and oppressive atmosphere had been completely dispelled.

The danger may not have befallen me, but who can say for sure that I won't be next?

"It's good that you're back." Lu Chengjun's tone remained calm, but he seemed a little more relaxed.

"My two brothers have suffered. Quickly cook a table full of hot dishes, with plenty of meat, and heat up two pots of good wine to calm their nerves," Zhou Hu shouted excitedly.

Before long, in the dimly lit stone chamber.

A table of steaming hot new dishes.

The group sat together, and Zhou Hu hurriedly filled Lin Xiaoshun and Zhang Mo's cups with wine.

"Eat more to replenish your strength."

"To be honest, I've dug my own shelter before..." After a couple of drinks, Zhou Hu began to recount his past experiences.

"It's a blessing that you came back safe and sound."

After a few rounds of drinks, Lin Xiaoshun couldn't help but ask, "Captain Lu, I just heard from Fellow Daoist Shi that you're returning to the Southern Underworld Guard?"

Zhang Mo also put down his wine glass, looking reluctant: "Is the captain leaving? Has something happened?"

Shi Qing coughed lightly and said solemnly, "Commander Shen has ordered that the Lu Brigade be transferred back to the garrison, as he has entrusted them with another important task."

"An important task? What kind of assignment is it?"

Shi Qing simply shook his head: "It was an order from above; I don't know the details."

The table fell silent for a moment, everyone feeling reluctant to part.

We've been spending every day together for the past three months.

Initially, Lu Chengjun was indeed the only one suspected, but later they went through dangerous journeys together, and their friendship was one of life-or-death experiences.

Now that the team is about to leave, everyone is feeling bad.

Lu Chengjun raised his wine glass and said a few more words than usual: "All good things must come to an end. With you all here, I feel at ease."

Everyone raised their glasses, swallowed the wine, and felt a sense of loss...

This is both a feast to calm the nerves and a farewell drink.