Watching the child who couldn’t care less about the heat as he stuffed food into his mouth, Liu Qingyun said gently, "Eat slowly, be careful, it’s hot."
"It’s delicious, really delicious." The child panted from the heat but continued to praise incessantly, nearly forgetting what at tasted like.
"You haven’t told your na yet?" Liu Qingyun asked with a smile.
"My na is Tong Yuan."
Lu Yu watched the interaction between the two with a smile on his face, feeling warmth in his heart. Sotis, human kindness is like a bright lamp in the darkness, bringing warmth to those walking alone at night.
Soon, a wild rabbit had been fully consud by the trio, though it was mainly eaten by Little Tong Yuan. Lu Yu and Liu Qingyun had eaten very little, and the two of them were about to start their own journey.
"It seems this child is reluctant to see you go," Lu Yu and Liu Qingyun said softly as they walked.
Being who they were, how could they not notice that a little fellow was following them from not too far away? Little Tong Yuan seed afraid they would discover him trailing them, and he kept a considerable distance, not daring to get too close.
Liu Qingyun suddenly stopped walking and gave a solemn bow to his master.
"It seems you have made your decision," Lu Yu said with a smile.
"Yes, Master, I’m afraid I won’t be able to accompany you to tour the mountains and rivers of Kyushu," Liu Qingyun said apologetically.
"Good, you have the heart and the action. Your master is very comforted; it proves I haven’t chosen wrongly. Being an immortal is about being humane. If one were to cultivate a heartless nature, what would distinguish one from a stone? It is only by understanding one’s heart clearly that one truly knows what one seeks is the Great Dao," Lu Yu said, quite comforted.
He was pleased that his disciple was no longer reliant on everything from him and had his own ideas and plans. This was a symbol of his disciple’s perfect state of mind, and Lu Yu suddenly looked forward to his disciple’s growth.
"Mainly, seeing this child made think of myself. Initially, you treated the sa way, which brought to today."
Lu Yu also rembered Liu Qingyun back then, a smile appearing on his face, and said, "In the blink of an eye, you can stand on your own. That really was quick."
"Then let’s part here. I will continue traveling everywhere, and you stay here to take good care of this child. Perhaps your opportunity lies right here."
"Disciple respectfully sees off the Master," Liu Qingyun said, bowing to Lu Yu again.
Tong Yuan was secretly watching Lu Yu and the other from a distance, unsure what the two were discussing when suddenly he saw the kind man bow solemnly. The scholarly, dignified master then rose on a clump of auspicious clouds and flew into the sky.
"Ah! An immortal!" Tong Yuan couldn’t help but exclaim. This was a cloud-riding immortal! He wondered if he was dreaming. Otherwise, how could there be such good people, and even an immortal? Maybe that kind person was also an immortal.
But at that mont, he felt sowhat lost. If it was an immortal, perhaps he would never see him again. He felt utterly alone again, and thinking of this, sadness welled up inside him. He squatted on the ground and began to sob silently, his tears falling to the ground like pearls from a broken string.
"Why are you crying?" A gentle voice sounded right beside him, causing him to look up in surprise. He saw the man in white, who had been very kind to him, standing right next to him, looking at him with a smiling face.
"Why didn’t you leave?"
"Ha ha, I was afraid you’d be left starving if I left you alone here," Liu Qingyun said with a laugh. Your next read awaits at
"I’m not a crybaby," Tong Yuan insisted, wiping the tears from his face, but his eyes were filled with laughter, and in this vast world, he was no longer alone.
From that day on, Tong Yuan gained a master, and Liu Qingyun gained a disciple.
"Master, Master, is there really a Moon Palace on the moon? Are Chang’e and the Jade Rabbit there too?"
"Yes, there are."
"Master, Master, what does the Eighteen Levels of Hell look like?"
"I don’t know, you must ask your Grandmaster about that. He’s familiar with the Underworld."
"Master, Master, is Grandmaster an immortal?"
"Yes, your Grandmaster is what people refer to as a Land Immortal. Now focus on spear practice and don’t be lazy."
Such conversations frequently echoed in the mountains, adding a hint of human presence to the serene wilderness.
Lu Yu and Liu Qingyun went their separate ways, passing through a village with tiered farmhouses, where the crowing chickens and barking dogs could be heard. However, a robust Dragon Qi was hidden among them, prompting Lu Yu to take notice.
Lu Yu was, after all, a Land Immortal, and his nephew was the founding Emperor, familiar with the nuances of Fortune and Destiny and the battles of Hidden Dragons. This Dragon Qi was still concealed and had not fully descended, but signs were erging that only soone as familiar with Fortune and Destiny as Lu Yu could detect.
Upon inquiry, he learned the village belonged to the Liu Family, with many villagers sharing the surna Liu.
Following his sense of the Dragon Qi, Lu Yu walked into the village and arrived at a farmhouse. The gate was firmly shut. On the southeast corner of the house, a mulberry tree, five zhang high, lush and as large as a carriage cover from a distance, grew over the fence.
Lu Yu couldn’t help but remark, "This is indeed an emperor’s carriage cover; pity there’s a carriage without a horse, still unable to await the emperor’s throne."
He had guessed the source of the Dragon Qi. The place was Zhuo County in Zhuo Commandery, where none other than Liu Bei, Liu Xuande, the Emperor of Shu Han was born. Although this legendary figure had not yet been born, visiting his birthplace to explore the geomancy and observe the Dragon Qi made for a fulfilling experience for Lu Yu as he contentedly walked away.
For him, passing by the birthplace of Liu Bei was rely a scene along the way. His true destination this ti was the legendary site of the fall of the Ancient God Leize, the renowned Dongting Lake.
The god who once wielded Thunder had fallen at Dongting Lake. How he died was unknown to Lu Yu, but it likely involved the strongest among the Three Realms, as they were the primary forces that ended the era of gods.
Lu Yu hoped to deduce more ancient information from the site of this great god’s fall. For soone who had lived through the information explosion era, digging deep was second nature, much like how all readers despise eunuchs, he was eager to uncover everything about the past.
Dongting Lake, once called Yunng Marsh, extends from Qizhou to the east, Zhi Jiang to the west, south of Jing Shan, and north of the green grass, all anciently known as Yunng. Known as the Eight Hundred Li Dongting, the vast, wave-filled lake hosts myriad fish and Aquatic Tribes, with locals living off and by the water, relying on fishing for their livelihood.
That day, a Scholar in a green robe appeared on the shores of Dongting Lake. He strolled leisurely along the lakeside, gazing at the shimring waves, nodding and smiling occasionally as if he had made so amusing discovery.
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