Capítulo 34: Tree On The Left And Right Side
Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Outside the Earth Temple, Fang Zhou retrieved the two horses he had let loose — the sixth generation and Five Five. These two artificially bred horses mixed with the horse ridden by Han Li, which looked equally majestic.
There was only one mountain path, and it seemed that Han Li was headed in the same direction as Fang Zhou and his master. Therefore, Fang Zhou invited Han Li to go with them.
It was merely a courteous gesture on his part. However, Han Li glanced at Ling Xiaoyue and, for some reason, agreed to the offer.
Fang Zhou felt awkward to decline now since he had initiated the invitation. He secretly vowed to himself to stop making polite offers in the future.
The trio then left the Earth Temple together, continuing their journey along the mountain path.
Throughout the journey, Fang Zhou's concern did not come to pass. Ling Xiaoyue didn't continue to harass Han Li or tease Fang Zhou. Instead she laid on her horseback, drinking and sunbathing as usual.
Han Li didn't seem interested in talking, quietly following behind the two.
Fang Zhou began to cultivate on horseback. He felt he was reaching a bottleneck in his entry-level practice. With continued cultivation, he could break through to a new stage of Qi refining realm.
As he was cultivating, Han Li suddenly spoke from behind.
"Mr. Fang, are you here for the hidden treasure in the Wild Tomb Ridge as well?"
Before Fang Zhou could answer, Ling Xiaoyue sat up quickly, "There's a treasure in the Wild Tomb Ridge?"
Her reaction confirmed that the master and apprentice knew nothing about the Wild Tomb Ridge.
Han Li realized this and began to explain.
After escaping from the Black Serpent Cave, she had not been unharmed. The black serpent was powerful and could spit poisonous fog. Even a whiff of this poison was enough for one to be affected.
Han Li inevitably got poisoned in the Black Serpent Cave. Although the poison would not take effect immediately, it posed a threat, and the longer it persisted, the more harm it would cause to the body.
After leaving Lingnan, Han Li had been searching for an antidote and heard about a sacred relic related to Buddhism appearing in Wild Tomb Ridge.
Buddhist relics are well known for for their purification abilities, so Han Li traveled all the way here, hoping it might cleanse the black serpent poison.
The Lingnan Twins Fiends had also been poisoned by the black serpent and were likely following the same lead as Han Li, which is why they met in this wilderness, not far from Wild Tomb Ridge.
After hearing Han Li's explanation, Ling Xiaoyue's eyes sparkled, and she turned to Fang Zhou, "Apprentice, Wild Tomb Ridge is right on our way back to the sect. Don't you think it's fate?"
Fate, my foot!
Fang Zhou wished he could spit in her face. Just a few days ago, she had clearly said that once they crossed this mountain range, they could continue along the Jingchu riverbank without having to traverse any more mountains.
So, how did this 'essential route' through Wild Tomb Ridge suddenly become a necessity?
It's obvious that she heard about some hidden treasure being discovered and wants to join the fray.
Han Li spoke to Ling Xiaoyue again, "Senior, I've heard that the quality of this treasure might be below that of a spiritual tool. It seems like it might not be of use to you?"
She wasn't clear about Ling Xiaoyue's cultivation realm, but since Ling Xiaoyue could scare away demons near the innate realm, she must be at or above that level.
Generally, equipment with magical power is called a magical tool, and those with strong magical power and special characteristics are known as spiritual tools.
Spiritual tools, or anything above, are only useful for cultivators in the innate realm. Anything below has little value.
This was a broad classification, and some items with special effects could not be so simply categorized.
It seemed like Han Li was trying to warn Ling Xiaoyue to avoid disappointment, but there might be a hint of probing in her words.
Unfortunately, she had picked the wrong target. Other cultivators at the innate level might might overlook the treasure, Ling Xiaoyue was the kind of person who wouldn't even spare a bandit's private savings.
Thus, Ling Xiaoyue wasn't deterred by Han Li's words. She smiled and said, "It's okay. I don't necessarily need to take it. I'm just curious and want to see what this treasure looks like."
With that, Fang Zhou's opinions were overlooked, and Ling Xiaoyue joyfully decided to 'detour', or rather, make a 'convenient' visit Wild Tomb Ridge to see what the treasure looked like.
After spending two days crossing the mountain range, a fork in the road appeared before them. On one side, they could see the distant Jingchu River, snaking across the land like a silver dragon. On the other side, the path continued along the mountain, where trees covered the sky and wild grasses grew in abundance.
The three continued deeper into the mountains along the path. Ling Xiaoyue knew the location of Wild Tomb Ridge, or else she wouldn't have questioned, "There's a treasure in the Wild Tomb Ridge?"
Wild Tomb Ridge was a mountain ridge that looked like a grave. With several stone peaks thrusting straight into the sky like tombstones.
Objectively speaking, the terrain of Wild Tomb Ridge seemed like a work of art, but the resemblance to a tomb gave it an ominous feel.
The mountain path stretched to the foot of the mountain, where traces of human alteration were visible.
Moreover, according to Han Li, there was even a temple atop Wild Tomb Ridge.
Upon hearing this, Fang Zhou felt something was off the moment he heard about it. A temple suddenly appearing in such a remote place? It was bound to be suspicious.
Perhaps it housed a female ghost, or rather, a male ghost lingering inside, waiting to drain the life force from passersby, or maybe the monks inside were monsters in disguise, trying to deceive and eat humans.
Sadly, Fang Zhou's concerns were met with Ling Xiaoyue's mockery.
"You're so naive, apprentice. This place wasn't always called Wild Tomb Ridge. It used to be known as Immortal's Tomb, a geomantic treasure. Many high officials from the previous dynasty were buried here, and the Lanruo Temple on the mountain was once flourishing with incense and worshippers. However, with the fall of the previous dynasty, Immortal's Tomb became Wild Tomb Ridge, and the Lanruo Temple fell into decline, but there are still people inside."
After hearing Ling Xiaoyue's explanation, Fang Zhou suddenly understood. He playfully patted Ling Xiaoyue's shoulder and laughed, "I see now. Don't worry, when you die, I'll bury you in this geomantic treasure."
Ling Xiaoyue also laughed, "I feel your loyalty apprentice. When I'm about to die, I'll take you with me so you won't be left alone and miserable in this world."
Han Li was speechless as she listened to them, thinking, What kind of master and disciple were these two? The apprentice casually wishing for the master's early demise, and the master cheerfully wanting to take the apprentice with her in death.
Han Li recalled her time at Qingyun Sect, where she was so intimidated by her master that she hardly dared to breathe loudly. She suddenly felt she had been living a weary life.
The three of them climbed the mountain together, where the dirt path turned into stone steps. Moss grew on both sides of the steps, but the middle was smooth, showing signs of frequent foot traffic.
Halfway up the mountain, there was a pavilion where one could overlook the surrounding scenery.
Beside the pavilion, there was a human-height large stone with the words "Immortal Points the Way" carved on it. It was signed by Zhao Tongxuan.
According to Han Li's explanation, Zhao Tongxuan was the last empress of the previous dynasty.
The three of them rested in the pavilion briefly before continuing to the summit of Wild Tomb Ridge.
A temple appeared before them.
In front of the temple was an open space covered with fallen leaves, and on either side of the temple were two tall locust trees. The temple's main gate was located between these two trees.
Above the temple's gate, a plaque displayed three elegant characters:
Lanruo Temple.
-- Regalo
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