Chapter 113: The Fragrant Garden
The black dog, Ah Tu, happily ran through the forest.
In the Kunlun Mountains, there were almost no powerful monsters. The forest was full of harmless birds and small animals, while the slightly larger and more dangerous beasts stayed hidden in the deep mountains and rarely ca out.
The only rulers here were humans, specifically the cultivators of the Kunlun Sect.
Ah Tu certainly didn’t understand the concept of “bullying under the protection of a powerful person” or the idea of “taking advantage of another’s influence.” However, these days, it had been having a great ti playing in the forest near Shipan Mountain of the Kunlun Sect, often returning only at dusk, earning scoldings from Lu Chen multiple tis, who said it had beco wild from playing too much.
Ah Tu would always listen to Lu Chen’s reprimands with its ears down but resolutely would not change. It seed to have a deep, innate love for the forest, enjoying the hills, streams, and woods. During these tis, Ah Tu felt a rush of excitent, and even its la leg didn’t seem like a hindrance anymore.
Sotis, it couldn’t help but stand on a hill and let out a long, piercing howl towards the endless mountains and clear sky.
Like a wolf under a full moon.
Well, sort of. Its howl wasn’t powerful enough, its energy was insufficient, and most importantly, Ah Tu never ventured out at night. When night fell, it would obediently return ho to stay with Lu Chen in their simple and cramped room.
One day, Lu Chen went up the mountain, and Ah Tu went off to play alone again. It ran through forests, crossed rivers, and traversed hills and streams, eventually encountering a peculiar mountain peak.
The peak was hidden among the Kunlun Mountains, not particularly high or large. Looking up from its base, Ah Tu thought the mountain looked strange, twisted, and steep, sohow familiar.
After staring for a while, a light bulb seed to go off in its head, and it found the answer.
The peak resembled a dog’s head!
A dog-head-shaped mountain.
Gou-Tuo Mountain!
Ah Tu beca excited and barked joyfully, rushing towards the peak. But at the mountain’s base, it suddenly stopped, noticing a nAh Turally ford slope covering one side of Gou-Tuo Mountain, extending upwards.
The slope was layered, with huge rocks and large trees marking nAh Tural divisions, forming a massive staircase ascending from the bottom.
A herd of wild boars, a few goats, occasional birds, and large groups of deer passed in front of it.
Ah Tu cautiously avoided the tall animals, looked around, and continued up the mountain. Upon reaching the second level of the invisible, giant staircase, it saw a massive striped tiger lazily sleeping under a tree.
Ah Tu’s legs went weak.
Fortunately, the tiger didn’t notice it, and Ah Tu quickly fled, running off to the side and unknowingly climbing another level. As it moved higher, it instinctively sensed sothing and looked around. Indeed, as it ascended, each level of the staircase harbored different kinds of exotic beasts.
There was a giant crocodile ten feet long, a pure white unicorn rhino, a black golden eagle soaring across the sky, and even a graceful spiritual crane resembling a celestial beast…
Each level seed to have an invisible line, ensuring the beasts coexisted peacefully. Strangely, they never attacked other animals, at most growling to scare Ah Tu, sending it scrambling and tumbling away.
Though frightened, Ah Tu felt an inexplicable urge pushing it forward, making it constantly look towards the peak.
Vaguely, there seed to be a massive figure there.
Ah Tu slowly approached.
Reaching the top, the black dog was trembling, barely able to stand, but soon it saw what it had been looking for.
At the peak of Gou-Tuo Mountain lay a massive figure. When those huge eyes slowly turned towards it, Ah Tu barked joyfully and rushed over, wagging its tail vigorously.
It was like seeing a long-missed, deeply cherished friend it wanted to please.
It was a green ox, dominating the mountain’s peak, at the top of all the auspicious beasts in the Kunlun Mountains.
The green ox glanced at Ah Tu, who barked happily, but the ox remained unresponsive. After a while, it suddenly flicked its tail, which wrapped around Ah Tu like a legendary binding rope, throwing it into the air, sending it flying far away.
“Woof…”
A sorrowful cry echoed as all the exotic beasts on Gou-Tuo Mountain looked up. They saw a black shadow flying down the mountain, flipping several tis in mid-air before crashing into a dense forest at the foot of the mountain with a thud, lying still for a long ti.
The mountain above and below was silent. After a while, everything suddenly returned to normal. The nurous exotic beasts and immortal birds continued eating, sleeping, or walking around as usual. None of them even glanced at the seemingly lifeless black dog.
※※※
Five days later, Baicao Hall officially announced the list of disciples selected for spiritual power cultivation that year. There were fifty nas, and Lu Chen’s na was among them.
Yi Xin was very happy and ran to celebrate with Lu Chen, but Lu Chen dampened the mood by telling her that from now on, they were even and she no longer owed him any favors. This made Yi Xin roll her eyes in exasperation.
However, that wasn’t the main concern. When Yi Xin saw the black dog Ah Tu lying in the room, covered in dust and dirt with several bandages wrapped around it, she was horrified and quickly questioned Lu Chen.
Lu Chen didn’t know much either. He only said that a few days ago, this dumb dog had crawled back from the mountains, looking very miserable. It seed like it had accidentally fallen while playing in the forest and broke several bones. Lu Chen had a hard ti setting them back in place.
Yi Xin was heartbroken, hugging Ah Tu and crying while softly comforting it for a long ti. She then went out and bought a big bag of its favorite at bones to help it recover.
Strangely, although Ah Tu was seriously injured, it didn’t seem to be emotionally affected. It ate and slept as usual. When Yi Xin ca, it would stick out its tongue and lick her hand affectionately, but that was about it.
In the end, Yi Xin could only assu that Ah Tu had injured itself accidentally. She gave it a long lecture, which made Ah Tu look dazed and yawn repeatedly before finally falling asleep in her arms.
Compared to Yi Xin’s tenderness, Lu Chen was much more straightforward. After setting Ah Tu’s bones, changing its dicine, and bandaging it, he kicked it into a corner of the room. According to him, this stupid dog was useless and always caused trouble. He said it would be better to cook it and eat dog at one day.
Yi Xin was furious and wanted to take Ah Tu away. But Ah Tu, despite being affectionate with her, beca uncooperative when it was ti to leave. It clung to the table and chairs, struggling desperately and refusing to leave the room. In the end, it even hid behind Lu Chen and wouldn’t co out no matter how much Yi Xin coaxed it.
What kind of dog is this?
Yi Xin was nearly at her wit’s end with this strange and rebellious black dog, feeling a sense of impending breakdown.
※※※
Regardless, Ah Tu was just an insignificant episode. Lu Chen’s days in the Kunlun Sect continued as usual.
Having been selected for spiritual power cultivation, he could now leave behind the spiritual fields. Under Baicao Hall’s arrangents, Lu Chen and the other fifty disciples who showed potential in spiritual power were taken to another place called “Luxiang Garden.”
Luxiang Garden was a large herb garden that cultivated important spiritual herbs. However, Lu Chen and the other disciples were only allowed to work in the outermost area called “Maple Garden.”
The spiritual herbs planted in Luxiang Garden were at least of the second rank, with their quality increasing the deeper one went. The area was filled with a pleasant fragrance and spiritual energy, giving it the na “Luxiang.”
The disciples’ task was to use their spiritual power to adjust the five elental energies in the soil around the spiritual plants, helping these precious herbs grow better.
This was a very tedious and ticulous job. Any mistake could damage the fragile roots of the spiritual herbs and cause them harm. However, if done properly, the herbs would grow better and beco more potent in their spiritual and dicinal properties.
Lu Chen was doing just that.
While working, he looked just like everyone else—sowhat comical. The disciples would squat in the fields with their hands in the soil, so even sticking their buttocks out, carefully manipulating the spiritual energy in the ground. By the end of the day, they would be covered in dirt, looking rather dirty.
They resembled the most ordinary farrs in the mortal world.
That day, Lu Chen was squatting in the field, busy with his work.
Many Kunlun disciples ca and went in Luxiang Garden. So were there to get herbs, others to buy spiritual pills from Baicao Hall, and so even spent spirit stones to have Baicao Hall cultivate rare spiritual herbs for them.
When these high-ranking Kunlun disciples passed by, most wouldn’t even glance at the lowly servant disciples who looked like farrs. Occasionally, curious young disciples would make remarks like, “They look like frogs…” while laughing.
Lu Chen heard so of these comnts, but his expression remained calm, showing no sign of emotion. However, that evening, when he finally finished his work and stood up, sore and aching, he suddenly saw a graceful figure in the distance, walking towards the deeper part of Luxiang Garden with her back to him.
In the sunset, her red feather cloak on her shoulders looked like the burning clouds in the sky. (To be continued.)
Gou-Tuo – Dog-Head
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