The Path Toward Heaven

The retired official, surnamed Sun, was called Master Sun by the villagers. A few years ago, he moved back to the village from the county seat and built a huge house.

A few simple pieces of information are enough to tell a story.

That Master Sun must be a person with a story, and the most likely reason for returning to the mountain village is to avoid disaster.

If Jing Jiu went to investigate, he would definitely be able to find out the truth of the matter, but he was not interested, so after a few glances from a distance, he left the village and started his return journey.

In the process of leaving the village, he took a piece of clothing hanging outside someone's house, tore it into strips, and tied the iron sword to his back.

In the middle of the night, he returned to the cave after crossing mountains and ridges.

The starlight is like snow, and the mountains and fields are clearly illuminated.

A monstrous beast like a hill was lying in front of the cave, covered in blood, not breathing. It had been dead for an unknown amount of time, exuding a strong stench.

The rocks outside the cave are full of gaps, broken stones, and traces of the monster's bristles like steel thorns. It can be imagined how powerful the monster is, how fierce the struggle before death, and the momentum is astonishing.

Jing Jiu took a look at the monster beast, confirmed that its demon pill was of no use, walked around the corpse and walked into the cave.

The patterns on the stone wall and the ground have blurred a lot, and the formation is broken and can no longer be used.

Guo Dong looked at him and said, The formation is good.

Jing Jiu used the Chengtian swordsmanship, but it's not wrong to say it's a formation.

Smelling the stench coming from outside the cave, Guo Dong slightly raised his eyebrows and said, Do you want to stay here?

Leave now.

Jing Jiu walked into the pile of bones, picked up the cocoon and walked out of the cave.

Under the starlight, I crossed the mountains again, carried the sea on my back, and came to the mountain village, it was already dawn.

Jing Jiu walked to the big house at the outermost part of the village with his winter bag in hand.

Mr. Sun's house is very well repaired, and there is an archery tower on the southeast corner, not to mention defending against strong men, even the government will have to spend some effort to take it down.

The side door of the mansion is very strong, the iron sheet is covered with hardwood, about three inches thick, and the door latch is even thicker and exaggerated.

These naturally couldn't stop Jing Jiu.

He walked to the door, waved his right hand, and the latch inside was quietly opened.

The mansion was very quiet, with no lights or human voices.

Jing Jiu came to the stable with the winter in hand, pulled out a horse, and then found the carriage.

Holding the reins in his left hand, he looked from the carriage to the horse.

The horse looked at him with wide eyes, very innocent.

Guo Dong asked, Do you know how to tie a horse?

Jing Jiu hummed.

If there is a teacher, there must be a disciple.

Guo Dong gave him a complicated look, and began to teach him what to do.

Things like harnessing horses and driving carts are much easier than cultivating. Jing Jiu got everything done very quickly with the guidance of Dongguo.

In the night, the carriage drove slowly out of the mansion, and the wheels rolled against the ground, making a slight sound.

It is darkest and quietest before dawn, and the slightest sound is enough to startle people.

Jing Jiu and Guo Dong had no experience as thieves, nor had they thought about such a thing. They didn't understand what had happened until the sounds of chasing and killing came from behind the mountain road.

Hearing the obscenities coming from a distance, Guo Dong raised his eyebrows again and said, It's so noisy, how can I sleep?

Jing Jiu knew her temperament.

After killing tens of thousands of people back then, she no longer has any psychological barriers to killing people, and is very casual.

Zhao Layue once said that she was fierce, but in fact she was the real fierce.

He untied his iron sword, cut off a few branches beside the road, and threw them on the ground seemingly at random.

Those branches fell on the mountain road one by one, and the distance seemed to have some regularity.

This is a very simple blindfold.

Morning mist poured in from the mountains, covering the road ahead.

The Sun family member was trapped in the fog, unable to get out no matter what, he could only watch the carriage disappear before his eyes.

The foul language and insults suddenly stopped, and people felt a little panicked.

Look at your courage, isn't it just fog! Go back first, and go to the village after dawn to search, door-to-door!

One of the stewards yelled: These brazen mud legs, if you don't kill a few, you really don't know the rules!

...

...

Hearing these words from the mist, Jing Jiu didn't look back.

But he knew that Guo Dong was watching him.

...

...

The steward suddenly let out a shrill cry.

The servants could see clearly from a distance, the steward was waving his hands, screaming miserably, and flapping his hands in the air.

Immediately afterwards, the flesh and blood on the steward's face withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if absorbed by an invisible force, until a thin layer of skin remained.

In just an instant, the steward lost his breath and fell heavily to the ground, turning into a mummy.

Ghost!

It's a zombie!

Looking at this scene, and thinking about the road ahead cut off in the fog, the servants turned pale from fright, and ran back screaming.

...

...

Since it is a ghost or a vampire, it is not a human who stole the carriage.

Even if Master Sun was not scared away, he would not embarrass the innocent villagers.

Not far from the village was the field, Jing Jiu put down the reins, returned to the carriage, and let the horse walk on its own.

Guo Dong glanced at him and said, What kind of demon method are you using?

Jing Jiu said, A trick.

The wheels rolled against hard soil and harder stones, causing some bumps, which reminded him of the Gu family's carriage again.

During the winter, the whole body is in a cocoon, with natural cushioning and wrapping, so naturally I don't care about these, and gradually fall asleep.

For most of the time since then, she has been sleeping deeply, just like Bai Zao was in the snow field back then.

The difference is that she occasionally wakes up by herself, talks to Jing Jiu, and asks where she is.

A few days later, the carriage arrived outside a certain city.

This city is not the Great Plains they are going to.

Jing Jiu saw that the city was quite prosperous, so he drove his car into the city, put on a hat on the way, walked for a while, and finally saw the medical clinic.

The carriage stopped outside the medical hall, and he got out wearing a hat, looked up at the plaque on the medical hall, and walked in.

Naturally, the purpose of going to a medical center is not to cure winter sickness. A doctor who can cure winter sickness has not yet been born.

After Jing Jiu talked to the staff, he was ushered into the depths of the medical hall.

The formation was activated, and the quiet room was silent.

He asked the doctor: I probably know the situation on the west side of the sea. I just want to know how the winter is going.

The doctor looked at him suspiciously and said, Your Excellency is...

Jing Jiu took off his hat, revealing his face.

The doctor was startled by his face and gasped a few times. He felt his teeth hurt a bit, and said, You... are you... so open?

Jing Jiu said, I don't have any new news. I only have gold leaves. You probably won't want them.

The meaning of this sentence is very clear.

You roller blinds, look at how much my face is worth.

The doctor covered his face and said, Master Immortal, it's not about money or not. We really don't know the news.

Hearing this answer, Jing Jiu was very satisfied. Naturally, nothing showed on his face, and he got up and left the clinic.

When he left the hospital, he saw a wheelchair leaning against the wall, thought for a while and pushed it out, leaving behind a piece of gold leaf.

Back in the carriage, Guo Dong opened his eyes, looked at the wheelchair he brought up, and asked curiously, What did you do?

Jing Jiu said, I went to deliver a letter.

The shutter man had always treated him with courtesy, which puzzled him, but since the other party was willing to help him, he would not be polite, and he could confirm and test some things by the way—to make sure that no one knew that Guo Dong was still alive, and to test how far the shutter man's attitude towards him could go.

The carriage left the medical building, leaving several ruts under the green trees in front of the medical building.

The doctor sat in the quiet room deep in the medical hall, frowning and pondering for a long time, wondering how should the next information be written?

The clerk took the gold leaf into the quiet room and told the doctor about Jing Jiu pushing the wheelchair away.

The doctor didn't care and nodded.

The clerk looked at the doctor's frowning expression and said, Who is that? What happened?

The doctor didn't answer him, waved him away, and began to write a message.

While writing, he said helplessly: We are not messengers.

Yes, the main purpose of Jing Jiu's coming to see the shutter man was to deliver letters.

There are many sects and forces in the practice world who have been concerned about Jing Jiu's whereabouts these years.

Few people knew that he had reappeared in Chaoge City, and among them was the shutter man.

The shutter man also knew that he had appeared in Juye City, but he didn't tell others.

He came here on a special trip today to tell the roller shutter that he knew where he was.

If someone asks the shutter-roller about his whereabouts again, the shutter-roller may still not say anything, but what if the person who inquired about his whereabouts is Shenmo Peak?

Jing Jiu just asked the shutter-roller to deliver a letter to Shenmo Peak for him. The content of the letter was very simple - I am still alive.

...

...

The carriage continued towards Dayuan City.

On the way, Jing Jiu got a new carriage instead of a new horse.

He was not in a hurry to hurry, but he didn't want people to find him, so he walked slowly in the deepening spring. After more than ten days, he finally arrived outside Dayuan City.

In the southeast of Dayuan City, there is an important official road leading to Yu County. The road is full of traffic and smoke, and it is very lively.

In contrast, the official road passing through Jueling in the northeast of the city was much deserted, and there was not a single car in sight for a long time.

The stream beside the road is clear, and there are various houses scattered in the mountains, or green pines planted like umbrellas, or bamboo forests forming a sea, the scenery is very beautiful.

The sunlight is covered by pine and bamboo, and the stone road gives people a very cool feeling.

Most of the houses on both sides of the official road are properties of wealthy businessmen in the city. There are also a few famous buildings without signs, and the food and girls are very expensive.

The carriage walked along the official road, at the intersection of two streams, turned right into a quieter road, until the end of the water, there was a nunnery.

The nunnery has no name, it is hidden among the trees, and there is a stone bridge behind it.

When the car reached the stone bridge, we could see an old stone lying on the ground.

The old stone is covered with moss, and there are two characters that are about to be covered up.

Three thousand.

Three thousand worlds or weak water three thousand?

It wasn't until the old nun from the nunnery greeted him that Jing Jiu thought that it might mean getting rid of three thousand worries.

Sorry, the small nunnery is simple and has never received outsiders.

The old nun looked at Jing Jiu and said apologetically.

Winter's voice came from the carriage: It's me.

The old nun's body trembled slightly, and her face was full of disbelief. She woke up after a while, and said in surprise and joy, It's Miss Dong?

Guo Dong said: I come to the nunnery to recuperate, don't tell anyone, and don't bother me.

This sentence was extremely blunt, not to mention polite, the old nun took it for granted, and took the carriage into the depths of the nunnery.

Jing Jiu untied the bridle, handed the rein to the old nun, and said, Take care of it well.

The old nun respectfully responded and asked, How long will it be?

Jing Jiu said, Death.

The horse glanced at Jing Jiu with an innocent look.

The old nun took the horse to the front yard of the nunnery and will take good care of it.

From this moment on, the old nun and the other three nuns have been guarding the front yard, and only come to the stone bridge to kowtow every day at dusk.

The nunnery is small and has a nice view.

The most beautiful scenery is in a Zen room.

There is a circular window on the wall of the meditation room, and outside the window is a small lake with trees on the lake bank, with several branches growing horizontally.

Sitting in the Zen room and looking out, the round window is like a round fan, and the scenery is all paintings on the fan.

The lake breeze was coming, Jing Jiu was sitting in the meditation room, holding a cup of tea in his hand, taking a sip from time to time, silent.

This is already the fourth day they have come to Dayuan City.

On the opposite wall, Guo Dong woke up with his eyes open.

Now her deep sleep and waking up are more regular, and she will wake up once after several days of deep sleep, but the time of waking up is still not too long.

Do you trust the nuns in the nunnery? Jing Jiu said looking out the window.

Guo Dong said: When I built this nunnery, I just liked the scenery here. No one knew who I was.

Jing Jiu said, The scenery here is really nice.

Guo Dong said: When autumn comes, the leaves turn red and look more beautiful.

Jing Jiu gently put the teacup on the table and said, It seems that you like to enjoy life very much.

Guo Dong said: If you don't have these, why live?

Jing Jiu said: There are also scenery elsewhere, maybe even more magnificent, at least there will be new interest.

Guo Dong said: The scenery here is not tired of seeing, why go elsewhere.

Jing Jiu said, Why didn't you inform Shuiyuean and let them pick you up?

Guo Dong said: That place is a nunnery, and here is also a nunnery, there is no difference.

Jing Jiu said, Aren't you worried that they will think you're dead?

Guo Dong calmly said: They think I always like to cause trouble, maybe they will breathe a sigh of relief knowing that I will die.

The two didn't say anything more, leaning against their respective walls, turned around and looked at the lake and trees outside the round window.

Suddenly there was a wind, the lake water was turbulent, and the branches trembled slightly.

It was as if the picture in the fan moved.

But I don't know if the wind is coming from inside or outside the fan.

Time flows slowly like this.

The sun is fading.

Jing Jiu looked towards Ji Dong.

She has fallen asleep.

The twilight is reflected in the Zen room by the lake.

Every room is gold.

The golden silk wrapped around her body became lighter and whiter.

Jing Jiu remembered what she said earlier.

The Master of Shuiyue Temple and her senior sister seemed to have this kind of attitude back then.

Really.

Neither is easy.

That being the case, why not just look at the scenery like this.