Chapter 680
Going down the mountain
Lu carried Chen Ji on her back, walking through the rime ice. Every now and then, she would turn her head and press her cheek against Chen Ji's forehead, which remained icy cold.
Old Ears, holding onto the dark cloud, followed Lu Shi with uneven steps, not saying a word, as if afraid of offending Lu Shi again and getting kicked.
He secretly sized up Chen Ji, sometimes leaning forward to cautiously lift Chen Ji's sleeve to take a look, and sometimes trying to lift Chen Ji's hem, scratching his head in frustration.
Just as he was about to lift Chen Ji's robe, Madam Lu became impatient and turned to glare at him: "What are you doing?"
Old Ears shrank his neck: "This old man just wants to see how this kid elicits five martial arts sounds. Back when Headmaster Lu Yang nurtured his sword seed, it only produced one. This guy is making a huge fuss, with gongs and drums, firecrackers, and even bringing out a set of chime bells... Aren't you curious? If he is the sword seed successor that the Martial Temple is looking for, then where is his sword seed? If it's not on him, could it be at the bottom of Tianchi Lake?"
Mr. Lu fell into deep thought.
Seeing that she had been persuaded, Old Ears immediately added fuel to the fire: "The sword seed is hard to come by. If it fell to the bottom of Tianchi Lake, we'll have to find a way to go back and retrieve it... How about we look for it on him?"
Lu sneered, "Senior, are you trying to fool me? How could the sword seed be lost? Even if he did cultivate the sword seed, it should be somewhere in his dantian or something. How could it be lost at the bottom of the lake?"
Old Ears said helplessly, "How can such a sharp object as the sword seed be stored inside the body? It can only be carried with you at all times."
Lu changed the subject: "Did the headmaster tell you?"
Old Ears hesitated for a moment, then grinned and said, "This old man guessed."
Suddenly remembering something, Madam Lu turned her head and stared at Old Ears with a chilling gaze: "Besides you, who else knows that he went to Changbai Mountain?"
"Hey, hey?" Old Ears sensed the murderous intent in the other party's eyes and hurriedly took several steps back in the snow: "You want to kill me to silence me, huh? I advise you to save your breath. Without me, you won't be able to escape."
Lu said in a deep voice, "As soon as we reach Jingcheng Port, we will set sail immediately. I don't believe that the people from the Martial Temple can catch up to us at sea!"
Old Ears patiently explained, "Do you know where to go after you set sail? You should follow the ocean currents and winds to Japan first, lay low there, and then detour to the port south of Ningchao. Do you know where Jingchao's black-flag ships will intercept you at sea? Jingchao's pirates are firmly controlled by Lu Jin and are in cahoots with the Xu and Chen families of Ningchao. Recently, they have also been involved with the Qi family's fleet. When the time comes, the sea will be full of people who want to kill you. How many ships can you stop?"
Lu remained silent.
Old Ears sighed, “I know you’re capable, but you’re still a novice when you first venture out to sea. There’s bound to be something I can do for you. Besides, we’re taking the back road. If Wu Kezhi were to take the main road and go to Mirror City Port himself, he would definitely be faster than you… It’s still uncertain whether you can even make it to sea.”
As they were talking, voices came from afar. It was Uncle Changsheng and Aunt Qiubai arguing. The two were going down the mountain along the main road towards Goryeo.
Lu Shi and Old Ears crouched down behind the pine tree, holding their breath as they listened to Uncle Changsheng complain, "What's the rush? Little Wu can just go to Goryeo himself and have Goryeo seal off Jingcheng Port. Once the Central Imperial Guards arrive, the thieves won't be able to escape..."
After the two had gone, Old Ears whispered, "Chang Sheng and Qiu Bai are both Grand Masters of the Seeking Dao Realm. Add to that Wu Kezhi, the Goryeo Heartless Sword Dao, and the Jing Dynasty Central Imperial Guard, how can you possibly escape this inescapable net on your own?"
Lu stood up, slowly withdrawing his murderous intent, and softened his tone: "Senior, you misunderstood just now. I had no intention of killing you to silence you."
Old Ears gave a forced smile: "You woman are much more ruthless than that boy. You know perfectly well whether you have the intention to kill him or not."
Lu Shi then turned her cheek and touched Chen Ji's forehead, changing the subject: "Senior, you are very knowledgeable. Do you know what Chen Ji's current situation is? Has his cultivation gone wrong?"
The old man scratched his earlobe: "This is the first time I've ever seen him like this... If he's willing to tell me what's going on, I'm willing to trade ten secrets for him. Otherwise, I'll have to open my eyes again in my coffin and die with my eyes open!"
Instead of heading down the mountain to Goryeo, Lu Shi turned back towards the heart of Changbai Mountain, carrying Chen Ji on his back: "We can't go to Jingcheng Port anymore. The Martial Temple has already guessed where we'll set sail from. Escaping from Jingchao is actually a better option for me."
Just then, Madam Lu suddenly realized something was wrong. Chen Ji on her back was no longer icy cold, but gradually became warm. However, before she could fully warm up, Chen Ji's body went cold again.
As if remembering something, the dark cloud struggled in Old Ears' arms. Old Ears wouldn't let go and patted it, saying, "We're on our way, don't be stubborn."
When Wuyun was truly out of options, he simply lifted his right leg and peed in Old Ears' arms, startling Old Ears into quickly letting go.
Old Ears bent down, grabbed a handful of snow, and rubbed the urine stains on his gray cloth clothes. He said irritably, "Little thing, you've got quite a few tricks up your sleeve... Hey, what are you doing?"
The dark cloud sniffed around in the snow, walking hundreds of steps before finally digging at a patch of snow.
Lu and Old Ear followed behind it, watching as it dug out an old ginseng from the snow, then carried it to Lu's shoulder and touched Chen Ji's left hand with the ginseng.
The old ginseng melted instantly, turning into crystal-clear beads that fell into the snow. The dark clouds hurriedly jumped down, found the beads one by one, and swallowed them.
Lu and Old Ears exchanged a glance, both puzzled.
Old Ears tugged at his gray hair: "Wait a minute, isn't he cultivating the Sword Seed Path? What's going on here? It usually takes an officer one or two months to digest an old ginseng root, how can he do it so quickly?"
Lu squatted down, staring intently at the dark clouds before her, and asked urgently, "Can an old ginseng that's been stored for many years save him?"
The dark clouds nodded.
Lu asked again, "How much do you need?" Wuyun straightened up, opened its arms, and Old Ears squatted beside it, helping to translate, "A lot."
Lu said irritably, "I can understand it."
She resolutely turned around and strode down the mountain. Old Ears picked up Wuyun and followed: "Old ginseng is easy to handle. There are plenty of old ginseng in Changbai Mountain. This old man can dig up ten or so a day."
Without turning his head, Lu said, "How long will it take to dig them up one by one? My men are collecting old ginseng at Jingcheng Port. They should have collected enough by now. Let's go to Jingcheng Port!"
Old Ear reminded him, "You heard it too, the Martial Temple will seal off Mirror City Port immediately, and Wu Kezhi might even go there in person. We can't go to Mirror City Port."
Without turning her head, Madam Lu said, "I can't worry about that now."
Old Ears called out from behind her, "We can't just go down the mountain like this. There are footprints all over the snow. Once the fog clears, the Martial Temple will catch up with us."
Lu turned around: "Does the senior have any ideas?"
The old man turned east: "Come with me."
After walking about ten miles of mountain road, we came to a small river. The river water came from a hot spring on the mountain and never froze, steaming with hot air.
Old Ears pulled a raft from under a pile of branches and pushed it into the river: "Take the raft and go down this river; it won't be far from Mirror City Port."
Madam Lu scrutinized him: "Really? Or are you trying to trick us into venturing into some dangerous place again?"
Old Ears coughed and said, "No, no, this is a matter of life and death for this kid. I won't do anything reckless. Let's save him first."
After a moment of silence, Lu finally chose to board the raft.
Old Ears sat in front rowing, and dark clouds lay over his head, but he didn't mind.
Lu laid Chen Ji flat on the raft, gently placing her palm on his forehead, lost in thought.
The small raft drifted downstream, and the rising water vapor from the river condensed on the branches of the trees along the riverbank, turning into frost that hung on the trees. Lu's body gradually relaxed, and her fingers became gentler.
With her back to him, the old man suddenly asked, "If you cared so much about your son, why did you fake your death for twelve years?"
The dark cloud suddenly perked up on the old man's head, and Lu's fingers froze. He said nonchalantly, "What are you saying, senior? I don't understand."
Old Ears sighed and looked up at the rime ice on the shore: "Wild boars protect their cubs, daring to turn and charge at tigers; tigers hunt, and even when hungry, they let their cubs eat first; black bears hibernate, shielding their young from wind and snow with their own bodies; wolf packs, facing dire straits, sacrifice themselves to feed their young. All love in this world has conditions, except for maternal love, and it is the only love that cannot be hidden... Hey, why are you thinking of killing someone to cover it up again!"
Lu concealed the murderous intent in his eyes and remained silent.
The old man rowed slowly: "In the teahouses of the capital, I loved listening to stories about Chen Ji, about his prison break to rescue the Prince of Jing's heir, and about his journey from Luoyang to the capital to save Princess Baili. Back then, I always thought, 'Why is this kid so unlucky and miserable? There must be some kind of evil spirit behind him...'"
Old Ears changed the subject: "I watched him from afar as he tirelessly went to the gatehouse alley to fetch water every day, then stood by the well in a daze. I thought he must have been homesick then. You feel that you've been absent for twelve years and don't deserve him to call you 'Mother,' but you should ask him what he thinks first."
Madam Lu said softly, "I had no choice. Some people see me as a thorn in their side, a thorn in their flesh. I had no choice but to fake my death."
Old Ears said, "Oh, so that person who sees you as a thorn in their side must have known you were still alive when they received the thirty-six loads of betrothal gifts. What do you plan to do?"
Lu's expression was hidden by the black veil of her hat, and she remained silent.
Silence fell on the small raft until dusk, when Old Ears rowed it to the shore: "We're here. Just two more miles and we'll see Mirror City Port."
Lu carried Chen Ji ashore and waded through the snow down the mountain. In the distance, he could see soldiers and horses moving about in Jingcheng Port, searching the cargo ships at the port one by one.
Old Ears squatted in the forest and pulled Lu Shi down to squat as well: "It's the Loyal Guard of the Great King of Shouyang... Wu Kezhi must have arrived, otherwise the Great King of Shouyang wouldn't have sent his direct Loyal Guard. Jingcheng Port is impassable, so let's hurry to Jingchao before the Central Imperial Guard closes the mountains."
Lu placed the traces on the snow: "Please take care of it, senior. I will repay you with ten secrets afterward."
Old Ears was taken aback: "Where are you going?"
Madam Lu got up and walked down the mountain: "Wait until dark, then fetch the ginseng and go to Jingchao."
……
There will be another update tonight, read it tomorrow morning. (End of this chapter)