The Old Man Beneath the Willow Tree

The Old Man Beneath the Willow Tree

Before leaving, Qiu Shuijing had told him that education was monopolized by the aristocratic clans. Scholars from humble families could never stand shoulder to shoulder with clan-born children through the official schools.

Qiu Shuijing had told him to have wildness.

The wildness that clan-born children did not possess!

Entering that wondrous world through the Heaven Gate might bring an attack from the Immortal Sword, but with sufficient preparation, he could reach the Immortal Diagram before the sword struck and obtain the cultivation technique he desired!

Though it endangered his life, wasn't that precisely the wildness Mister Shuijing had spoken of?

The problem now was how to open the Heaven Gate again and enter that world.

"The key to opening the Heaven Gate lies in the Eight-Sided Facing Heaven Palace."

Su Yun fell into thought. The Eight-Sided Facing Heaven Palace absorbed my vital energy, then all sorts of divine beasts and strange creatures flew out from the Chao Tian Que and landed upon the Heaven Gate. Perhaps I only need to use my vital energy to activate the Eight-Sided Facing Heaven Palace again, and I can open the Heaven Gate and enter that world.

He did not try immediately. The world beyond the Heaven Gate was unfathomably mysterious, and the Immortal Sword might not have gone far. He had already obtained the superior Crocodile Dragon's Roar, so there was no need for him to enter the Heaven Gate again just yet.

"Hua Erge, your left shoulder is raised an inch too high."

Outside Huqiu Village, Flower Fox and the three little foxes were each diligently training. Their bodies moved like crocodile dragons as they practiced the six great moves of Crocodile Dragon's Roar over and over.

Su Yun stood nearby. Though the youth could not see, it was as if he could observe their movements. Every so often, he offered guidance.

"Xiao Fan, when you train the dragon form, your waist muscles are too stiff. Remember, do not exert force through your waist muscles. Use your spine!"

"Qingqiu Yue, your Crocodile Dragon Emerges from the Abyss lacks momentum. You're all limp and floppy, without the slightest hint of ferocity!"

Nearly twenty days had passed since his escape from the Heaven Gate. During that time, he had taught Flower Fox and the others the four great thunder sounds of Crocodile Dragon's Roar, claiming they had been passed down by Qiu Shuijing.

As for opening the Heaven Gate and having his spirit fly up into another world, he had no intention of telling Flower Fox.

After all, the matter was too bizarre, and it concealed many secrets that made one shudder in terror.

For instance, why had Uncle Qu's physical body died in that world? Why had he risked his life to steal that strange diagram?

Why could that strange diagram complete cultivation techniques and even surpass the original versions?

And where had that Immortal Sword come from?

If these strange matters spread, they might not be a good thing for Su Yun and the others.

"The fewer people who know about the world beyond the gate and that diagram, the better. Hua Erge and the others not knowing is protection for them instead." Su Yun carefully sensed the movements of Flower Fox and the others, cultivating his perception of vital energy as he thought to himself.

Though he was young, living alone for so many years had given him a meticulous mind beyond that of his peers.

When a person's eyes could not see, they thought more.

Treasures aroused greed, especially treasures like the Immortal Diagram.

Over these past dozen days, Flower Fox had also cultivated the second achievement of Crocodile Dragon's Roar. Li Xiaofan, Hu Buping, and Qingqiu Yue had each successfully cultivated its first achievement.

As for the first volume of Great Furnace Transformation, Flower Fox had successfully reached the third level, while the other three little foxes had each reached the second level. Their progress was astonishingly swift.

It was precisely because Su Yun had taught them the four great thunder sounds that they advanced so rapidly.

As for Su Yun himself, his progress during this time was even more startling!

Su Yun's vital energy cultivation grew deeper by the day. He had already cultivated the first volume of Great Furnace Transformation to the peak of the third level, faintly showing signs of stepping into the fourth.

The first level of the first volume of Great Furnace Transformation treated one's own body as heaven and earth, igniting the great furnace within.

The sign of attaining the second level was that the furnace flames gained two layers of color. The first layer was purple, while the second was red, hence its other name: Double Flame.

At the third level of Great Furnace Transformation, the furnace fire gained another layer: orange flame.

At the fourth level, another layer of yellow furnace fire appeared.

At the fifth level, another layer of white furnace fire appeared.

At the sixth level, another layer of blue furnace fire appeared.

Once the sixth level of Great Furnace Transformation was perfected, one could enter the Primal Motion Realm.

Su Yun had once "seen with his own eyes" the Divine Crocodile Undergoes Tribulation. The crocodile dragon he visualized was more lifelike, more powerful, and more shocking than Flower Fox's and the others', so his cultivation speed was also faster.

Now, when he activated Great Furnace Transformation, his furnace fire possessed three layers of flame. His vital energy cultivation improved even faster!

Yet even though Su Yun had trained the six moves of Crocodile Dragon's Roar to perfection, a sword shadow always surfaced in his mind.

It was the sword that had slain the Divine Crocodile undergoing tribulation!

That single sword had directly broken all six moves of Crocodile Dragon's Roar and slain the crocodile dragon. The shock it gave Su Yun far surpassed even the Divine Crocodile's tribulation!

That sword appeared over and over in his mind, impossible to dispel.

Whenever his cultivation advanced another step, the shadow of that sword would reappear and torment his heart, as if a voice were telling him that no matter how perfectly he cultivated the six moves of Crocodile Dragon's Roar, he could not escape that one sword!

Sometimes, Su Yun would even jolt awake from sleep, dreaming that while using Crocodile Dragon's Roar, his head had been severed by that sudden sword!

"Mister Shuijing said the first volume of Great Furnace Transformation is a Foundation Establishment cultivation technique with only six levels. Once I cultivate to the sixth level, Foundation Establishment will be complete. Then I can force the sword shadow out of my eyes."

Su Yun thought, Tomorrow, I'll be able to cultivate the third level of Great Furnace Transformation. By the end of the year, I will certainly cultivate to the sixth level!

His mood gradually settled, and he stopped thinking about the Immortal Sword.

Qiu Shuijing had told him that Foundation Establishment was a hurdle for him. Once he crossed it, his eyes would recover, and he could cultivate spiritual abilities and Spiritual Abilities like a normal person.

But Su Yun had never considered that Qiu Shuijing had concealed something from him.

Qiu Shuijing had not told him that he had actually long since cultivated Spiritual Abilities.

The Yellow Bell was his Spiritual Abilities. Yet when he cultivated the Yellow Bell, not only had he not reached Spirit Nurturing or the Primal Motion Realm, he had not even completed Foundation Establishment!

This was also why Qiu Shuijing valued him so highly.

A blind youth, in Tianshiyuan where monsters covered the land, in Tianmen Town where there were no living humans besides himself, had not only survived for six years, but had also relied on his powerful will to forcibly visualize his own Spiritual Abilities over those six years!

Leaving aside talent, such perseverance alone was rare under heaven!

The sky gradually darkened, and the sun was about to set. Flower Fox and the three little foxes had trained themselves tired and stopped to rest. Su Yun said to Flower Fox, "Hua Erge, the Night Market is opening in Tianshiyuan tonight. We can't miss it. Will you come to the Night Market with me?"

Flower Fox and the three little foxes shuddered repeatedly and hurriedly shook their heads.

Qingqiu Yue stood up like a squirrel and waved his fox tail. "Brother Xiaoyun, we won't be going!"

"That's fine. There's nothing fun at the Night Market anyway. Everyone rarely speaks."

After thinking for a moment, Su Yun invited them again. "Huqiu Village has been destroyed. Why don't you move to Tianmen Town and live with me? We can look after one another."

The three little foxes all turned to look at Flower Fox, who hurriedly shook his head in refusal.

Su Yun grew despondent and left alone, returning toward Tianmen Town.

The four fox demons stood upright and watched the blind youth depart into the night. Li Xiaofan hesitated before asking, "Second Brother, are we really not going to tell Brother Xiaoyun that he's the only human in Tianmen Town?"

Flower Fox shook his head. "Mister Wild Fox instructed us long ago that we must never tell Xiaoyun the truth about Tianmen Town. During the days Mister Shuijing was here, he did not tell Xiaoyun the truth either. The truth is too cruel. If we tell him, he might not be able to accept it. It would be better to let him discover it slowly himself."

The three little foxes silently nodded.

Flower Fox watched Su Yun walk onward alone, looking all the more lonely for it. His heart softened, and he chased after Su Yun. "You three stay in the village. I'll accompany Xiaoyun to the gh—pah, to the Night Market!"

The three little foxes stood on tiptoe to look after him. Hu Buping said, "Do you think Hua Erge will get eaten by Ghosts and Gods?"

The other two little foxes glared fiercely at him together. Hu Buping hurriedly tucked his tail between his legs and said with a placating smile, "I was only joking!"

"Hua Erge, let's return to Tianmen Town first!"

Su Yun and Flower Fox passed through Yellow Village and went around Snake Ravine. Su Yun was greatly excited and suggested, "I have some treasures at home. Let's bring them to the Night Market. If we can't sell them, we can stroll around the Night Market instead. I've never wandered through a Night Market before. Maybe we can buy some good things."

Flower Fox's face turned ashen. He tried hard to keep his voice calm. "Xiaoyun, what good things could there be in your home? Let's not go to that gh—Tianmen Town. We'll go directly to the Night Market."

Su Yun thought about it, then smiled. "In all these years of setting up stalls, I really haven't sold a single item. It seems the things in my home truly aren't very good. Fine, then. We'll go straight to the Night Market!"

He pointed ahead. "Second Brother, the house beneath that willow tree up ahead is Uncle Cen's home! Uncle Cen is a very good person. At this hour, he's always waiting for me! Can you see him?"

Flower Fox looked into the distance and saw only a small desolate grave beneath the crooked-neck willow tree. Besides that, an old man hung by his neck from the willow. As the wind blew, the old man's limbs drooped, and his body swayed back and forth.

"I can see him..." Flower Fox's teeth chattered violently as he hugged his tail and staggered after Su Yun.

"Uncle Cen, Uncle Cen!"

Su Yun called out from afar, "I've brought a friend!"

Flower Fox stuffed his tail into his mouth to keep himself from screaming. Unevenly placing one foot after another, he followed Su Yun and thought, Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I'm a demon. Demons aren't afraid of Ghosts and Gods...

A crescent moon emerged in the night sky, its light hazy. From afar, Flower Fox saw the old man hanging beneath the crooked-neck willow pull his neck free from the rope and drift lightly down onto the small grave mound below without making a sound.

Flower Fox's scalp prickled as he followed Su Yun beneath the willow tree.

Though Su Yun could not see, he seemed to see the old man sitting atop the grave mound. He bowed and said, "Uncle Cen."

Uncle Cen's eyes glimmered with ghostly green light in the night as he stared at Flower Fox behind Su Yun, like will-o'-the-wisps in a graveyard.

Flower Fox clutched his tail and bit down desperately on its tip, nearly fainting.

"It's Xiaoyun."

Uncle Cen's voice carried a cold aloofness that kept people a thousand miles away. He said indifferently, "You're a little late today. Coming is one thing, but why bring a gift..."

Thud.

Flower Fox fell backward and fainted, still clutching his tail as all four limbs twitched.

Happy 23rd birthday to Shenchao You Ruo! May you retain Eternal Youth!