Chapter 746
Extra 1
Chapter 746 Extra 1
This month, Tianlu Mountain is lush and verdant, with thick greenery, while the clouds and mist swirling among the forests on the mountainside add an ethereal and otherworldly touch to this majestic mountain.
Despite the sweltering heat at the foot of the mountain, Tianlu Mountain was refreshingly cool. The dense shade of the trees blocked most of the scorching sunlight, and the secluded forest was utterly silent. But this silence was soon broken.
On the rugged mountain path, a group of people stumbled and struggled forward. They wore inconspicuous cloth clothes, some carrying baskets, some holding bundles, and several people working together to carry a thin boy in a light wicker basket, carefully climbing upwards.
"Where exactly is this Shanqing Temple?!" After finally climbing a steep slope and reaching a relatively flat area, the group stopped to catch their breath. One of the men who had carried the sedan chair wiped the sweat from his brow and couldn't help but sit down and grumble, "Climbing this mountain by hand is difficult enough... and then we have to carry this..."
"Shh..." Someone quickly pointed to Bian Yu beside him, reminding him, "Don't talk nonsense! If people wake up and hear this, we'll be in big trouble!"
There's a highly accomplished person in the Qingshan Temple. I've heard that this person is famously reclusive and has a rather eccentric temper, but their abilities are extraordinary. Such a person certainly wouldn't live in an ordinary place; that's why they're hard to find!
The complaining man pursed his lips, turned to look at the unconscious boy on the saddlebag, saw that one of the boy's arms was hanging out of the saddlebag, covered in dust on the ground, but he seemed oblivious to it, and sighed: "He hasn't been awake much along the way, has he?"
Honestly, considering how far he came all this way, I think he's incredibly lucky to still be alive!
"You said it yourself, that master lives in seclusion and has an eccentric temperament. What if we come knocking on his door and he completely ignores us... Do you think he can withstand the pressure and come back to the capital with us?"
His companion patted his chest, his tone hesitant: "Even if we can hold out until we get back to the capital... it'll all be the same after we return to the palace. Who knows, it might not be long before we're back to normal..."
Sigh, never mind, let's not talk about this...
We have the written order with us... there shouldn't be any major problems, right?
The question was met with silence and a chorus of sighs.
The boy on the palanquin trembled, and his eyelids opened slightly.
Although they are just thin eyelids, they feel as heavy as a thousand pounds at this moment.
He stared blankly upwards, the sky mostly obscured by layers of branches and leaves, with only a few rays of sunlight filtering through the gaps in the foliage, like scattered gold.
The boy's breathing was so weak it seemed to tremble. With each breath, his internal organs felt as if they were being burned by fire, causing him to tremble uncontrollably.
He longed to close his heavy eyelids and stop forcing himself to stay awake, yet he was inexplicably reluctant to leave the green leaves and sunlight before him.
Apart from the Royal Garden, there are no other tall and lush trees in the palace. To prevent anyone from hiding there, most of the palace is bare, with only some flowers and grass planted on the ground.
Those flowers and plants are so fragile and easily broken. Let alone wind, frost, rain and snow, anyone who steps on them will turn them into a lump of soft mud.
Just like him, anyone could take his life if they wanted to...
He never had the chance to set foot in the Imperial Garden. The Empress Wang, who had taken care of him, was getting weaker and weaker and could not withstand the cold, so she rarely went out.
Afterwards, he was always seen as a burden by others, and no one was willing to take him out to play.
These layers of branches and green leaves are so beautiful... To be buried here... would be much better than dying in the palace...
He thought to himself, and the people around him, having rested, got up with sighs and continued on their way. A sudden jolt made the boy dizzy, his internal organs felt like they were being torn apart, and he closed his eyes in pain.
Two hours later, outside the gate of Shanqing Temple. The sedan chair was placed on the ground, next to several open baskets and bundles. Inside those inconspicuous baskets and bundles were various kinds of rare and high-quality medicinal herbs, as well as various kinds of gold, silver and gemstones.
Not far behind this treasure that would tempt anyone to look at it, stood two young Taoist priests, and behind them was a white-haired Taoist master, thin in stature, with a cold and indifferent expression.
"Go back now, take these worldly things with you, don't defile this place of quiet cultivation." The Taoist priest flicked his sleeves, somewhat impatiently telling them to leave.
"Master, please don't rush us away." The leader of the group smiled broadly, seemingly afraid that his attitude would cause the other party to be even more displeased. "I also have a decree from His Majesty here, saying that it must be personally delivered to you, Master Qiyun... Please take a look!"
As he spoke, he took out the handwritten order that he had carefully kept all the way from his pocket, stepped forward a few steps, and handed it to Qiyun Mountain Man with both hands.
The hermit of Qiyun Mountain reached out and took it, glanced at it briefly, and then handed the edict back: "Now you can go back and report."
"This..." The man was taken aback. "Does this mean the Taoist priest has agreed to help cure this child's illness?"
"I never agreed to that. You said I had to see the edict, and I have. Now you can leave." Qiyun Mountain Man waved his hand impatiently.
"But... no one can cure this child's illness. His Majesty has heard that the only person in the world who can save his life is you, Daoist Master... If you refuse, then this child has no way to survive!"
"Life and death are all predetermined, and no one can defy fate." The hermit of Qiyun Mountain remained unmoved, rejecting the offer without leaving any room for negotiation.
As they were talking, the boy, who had been lying on the woven palanquin barely breathing, suddenly stirred, managed to roll over, and tumbled off the palanquin.
People around him hurriedly reached out to support him, and for the first time, Qiyun Shanren's gaze fell on the child's face.
His brows furrowed, and he stepped over the gold and silver jewels in front of him, walking straight toward the weak, pale-faced boy.
"Hmm?" He knelt down in front of the boy with some doubt, examining the boy's thin face. He then reached out and took the boy's wrist, lowering his eyes to check his pulse, his brows furrowing even more. "This is indeed a strange thing..."
The boy struggled to lift his eyes and looked at the cold-faced, unfamiliar Taoist priest.
"I'm asking you, do you want to live or not?" the hermit of Qiyun Mountain suddenly spoke, asking the weak boy in front of him.
The boy was somewhat stunned.
His life and death seemed to have never been in his own hands, and no one ever asked him if he wanted to live...
So he mustered all his strength and nodded to the person who asked the question.
A faint smile appeared on Qiyun Mountain Man's face. He looked up and beckoned the two young Taoist priests to come and carry the palanquin into Shanqing Temple.
"What's your name?" he asked the child as the sedan chair was lifted up.
The child's eyelashes trembled as he struggled to open his clear eyes and said in a weak voice, "Lu Qing."