THNWO 111

Chapter 111 

The golden crow completely rose, dispelling the chilly autumn air of early morning. Fang Chaozhou, still looking in the direction Tu Bai had left, took a while before turning his gaze back and gazing at the distant mountain mist.

Sitting on the mountaintop, the wind rustled his sleeves. He raised his arm, sweeping the long hair on his cheek back. In doing so, he noticed the red hair tie still wrapped around his wrist – the one Zhongli Yueshui had tied for him last night.

Fang Chaozhou stared at the hairband for a moment, then began to untie it and put it into his arms.

It wasn’t until noon that Fang Chaozhou left the mountaintop. Upon returning to his residence, there was no sign of Tu Bai. Tu Bai usually followed him around, but this was the first time he couldn’t find him.

Fang Chaozhou placed the hairband back into the dressing box. As he turned around, he noticed a bowl of medicine and a paper-wrapped package on the table, which wasn’t there before.

The medicine seemed different from what he had previously consumed, lacking that intense fishy smell.

Throughout the day, neither Tu Bai nor Zhongli Yueshui appeared. After bathing in the evening, Fang Chaozhou lay on the bed. Usually, at this time, he would be playing with Tu Bai, either teasing his tail or touching his soft belly.

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Mw Jyk oswze rwaa yv y vswnb, yde obld Wydt Ubysgbsw alynble swv, bl oswze okzzkdtzu zknj bkp qkdtlap.

Fvyakdt yv vbl cle nwavykd qsa y obkzl, Wydt Ubysgbsw lhldvwyzzu vwadle shla yde nzsple bkp lulp.

Mbkp dktbv, bl pzlrv alpvzlppzu, oyjkdt yde pzllrkdt kdvlaxkvvldvzu. Kwpv clqsal eyod, bl pweeldzu qlzv y nssz callgl ldvlakdt vbl cle nwavykd. Jlqsal bl nswze srld bkp lulp, bl pldple yd yeele olktbv sd vbl cle.

Mbld, bl qlzv bkp byde sd vbl czydjlv tldvzu awccle y qlo vkxlp, qszzsole cu y qyxkzkya kvnbkdt pldpyvksd.

Rv oyp Mw Jyk.

Wydt Ubysgbsw’p qkdtla oyp zknjle, yde vbld, y oyax vswnb oyp yeele vs bkp nbllj. Xrldkdt bkp lulp pzktbvzu, bl pyo obkvl qwa.

Mw Jyk nwazle wr clpkel Wydt Ubysgbsw, fwpv zkjl clqsal.

Wydt Ubysgbsw rwaple bkp zkrp, nzsple bkp lulp ytykd.

In the following days, it seemed no different from before. Tu Bai continued to stay by Fang Chaozhou’s side, but he no longer purred, and Fang Chaozhou never saw Zhongli Yueshui again.

Although the medicine was delivered daily, including the medicinal bath.

This mountain seemed to have only Fang Chaozhou and Tu Bai, making it incredibly boring. Fang Chaozhou found some paper and pens in the study and tried to draw Tu Bai. However, his drawing skills were terrible, and the cat looked unusually ugly. Tu Bai, seeing it for the first time, directly tore the drawing with his claws.

Fang Chaozhou: “…”

He coughed, “Don’t be angry, I’ll draw another one.”

The second one was torn as well.

So was the third.

After completing the fourth drawing, Fang Chaozhou hugged Tu Bai in advance, “No tearing this time, just look.”

With Tu Bai in his arms, Fang Chaozhou took Tu Bai’s little paw and dipped it in ink, then pressed it onto the paper.

A cute cat paw print appeared on the paper.

After the pawprint, Fang Chaozhou cast a purification spell on Tu Bai’s paw, cleaning off the ink. Worried it might not be completely clean, he wiped Tu Bai’s paw with a handkerchief several times, ensuring the nail seams were spotless.

Only then did Fang Chaozhou release Tu Bai, turning to take the drawing on the table, saying, “This is my first attempt at painting. I’ll frame it and hang it on the wall, Tu Bai, you can’t…”

Before he could finish, he suddenly heard a “clang” sound. Turning around, he saw Tu Bai quickly running out of the door, knocking over a stool.

Because Tu Bai left in such a hurry, Fang Chaozhou, fearing something might happen, chased after him. Using a tracking spell, he followed Tu Bai.

Following Tu Bai, he reached the mountaintop.

There, not only Tu Bai but also Zhongli Yueshui was present.

Zhongli Yueshui seemed to notice the movement behind him, turned around, and frowned when his eyes fell on Fang Chaozhou, “What are you doing here? Go back.”

Just as Fang Chaozhou was about to say something, he saw Tu Bai beside Zhongli Yueshui growing several times in size, transforming from a white cat into a white tiger.

The white tiger’s paws stamped heavily on the ground, emitting a low growl. Its fierce eyes stared into the distance, filled with killing intent.

Zhongli Yueshui’s brows furrowed even tighter. He reached out and patted the white tiger’s head beside him, “Take him back.”

Upon hearing this, the white tiger roared towards Zhongli Yueshui and then turned to look at Fang Chaozhou. With a half-roar, it walked towards Fang Chaozhou. Fang Chaozhou, witnessing Tu Bai transforming into a white tiger, was stunned, and it was only when the tiger approached him that he barely reacted.

At this moment, a figure approached from a distance. Clad in black, a red mole on the forehead like a phoenix bloodstain, and phoenix-like eyes beneath long butterfly-winged eyelashes, he sat atop a qilin, hovering in mid-air. His gaze initially fell on Fang Chaozhou, and the sound of a tiger’s roar reached his ears before he shifted his eyes to Zhongli Yueshui.

“Disciple Xue Danrong pays respects to Master,” he said.

Zhongli Yueshui, upon seeing Xue Danrong suddenly appear, showed no change in expression, as if he had anticipated it, but his voice was cold, “Who allowed you to come here?”

Xue Danrong spoke calmly, “I came on my own accord, unrelated to others and even less so to my Master.”

Zhongli Yueshui’s gaze turned colder, “Without the summons of the Master, privately coming to Huali Mountain. Do you know what crime that is?”

As he spoke, Xue Danrong had already descended from the qilin, landing on the ground. He lifted his robe, knelt down straight on the ground, his knees touching the floor with a dull sound.

He lowered his head slightly, his voice also low, “I am aware of my mistakes, not just one. First, I defied the Master, came to Huali Mountain privately. Second, I failed the expectations of my senior, my Dao heart wavering, making mistakes that are now irreparable. Third, I have violated the oath of my youth.”

At this point, Xue Danrong raised his head, his eyes once again falling on Fang Chaozhou, “I can’t distinguish between the great Dao and personal feelings.”

With his words, Zhongli Yueshui’s expression noticeably darkened, especially when he noticed Xue Danrong had been looking at Fang Chaozhou all along.

“Now that you know you’ve made a mistake, you should know how to choose, Xue Danrong. The path of the great Dao is the road you must take.”

Xue Danrong’s gaze slowly shifted to Zhongli Yueshui. His phoenix eyes were excessively calm, as if nothing could disturb him, “If I insist on choosing personal feelings, Master, would you wash my memories again?”

Zhongli Yueshui’s eyes flashed, “When did this happen?”

His question sounded strange, but Xue Danrong understood.

“Five years ago,” Xue Danrong said. “When I was confined in the cave on Zhichun Island, unable to go anywhere, I looked at the names all over the walls and finally remembered why I wrote down those names.”

At this point, he unexpectedly laughed softly.

“I originally followed Master as my role model in everything. When Master warned me not to follow in my father’s footsteps, I listened. So, I sent my senior brother to Huali Mountain, thinking with Master’s guidance, my senior brother could diligently cultivate. Later, we could become Dao companions, and Master wouldn’t be too opposed. But I never expected Master to seal my memories, imprison my senior brother nearby, and even turn him into a puppet, a lewd and sinister object. My senior brother is unaware. Master, did you not know?”

He looked at Zhongli Yueshui, “Master told me to choose the great Dao. What did Master choose?”