Within the Earth-Society Landscape Scroll, under the combined treatment of Taiqing and Li Yu, the remnants of Fuxi's soul finally stabilized.
"His injuries are too severe. This is all we can do," Taiqing sighed as he looked at Fuxi's soul.
After the two emerged from the Earth-Society Landscape Scroll, Nüwa thanked them. "Many thanks to Senior Brother Taiqing and Fellow Daoist Li. Only then did my brother gain a sliver of hope for survival."
"Though we have preserved Fellow Daoist Fuxi's final remnant of soul, reincarnation and renewed cultivation are now his only path. And after reincarnation, Fuxi may no longer be the same living being he is today," Taiqing said regretfully.
"There is still some karmic connection. Besides, the future has yet to be decided. Man's efforts can shape fate."
Seeing the sorrow on Nüwa's face after hearing Taiqing's words, Li Yu offered a few words of comfort.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Li."
After hearing Li Yu's words, Nüwa felt somewhat better. She asked, "Regarding my brother's reincarnation, do Senior Brother Taiqing and Fellow Daoist Li have any plans? My mind is unsettled at present, and I truly have no idea what to do."
Taiqing said nothing. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Li Yu.
Under Taiqing's gaze, Li Yu could only slowly say, "There is no need to rush this matter. We are currently in the midst of the Witch-Demon Calamity, and the secrets of fate are becoming ever more inscrutable. It would be better to wait awhile."
"Can my brother's soul endure that long?" Nüwa asked.
"Put your mind at ease, Junior Sister. Fellow Daoist Fuxi's soul is unharmed. My thoughts are the same as Fellow Daoist Li's. Let us wait and see," Taiqing said.
"Since that is the case, I shall follow the arrangements of Senior Brother Taiqing and Fellow Daoist Li. As for the favor of saving my brother, Nüwa cannot offer nothing in return. Yet all I can produce are the spirit treasures bestowed upon me by our teacher. I hope Senior Brother Taiqing and Fellow Daoist Li will not refuse!"
With a flick of her sleeve, dozens of innate spirit treasures appeared before Taiqing and Li Yu.
She was clearly telling Taiqing and Li Yu to pick whatever they wanted!
Taiqing gently shook his head. "Junior Sister Nüwa, I have no need for these. The karma between you and me will have its own means of resolution in the future. There is no need to hurry now."
Taiqing's cultivation was profound, and Nüwa naturally knew this. Since Taiqing had said so, he must have foreseen something. She simply accepted his explanation, then turned her gaze toward Li Yu.
Faced with so many innate spirit treasures within easy reach, Li Yu was truly tempted. Yet he shook his head and took out the tortoise shell split in two from his sleeve.
"Fellow Daoist Nüwa, this was a gift Fellow Daoist Fuxi gave me when we first met. Now that he has met with disaster, it is only right that I lend him aid. If I were to accept your gift as well, how could I face Fellow Daoist Fuxi? And what would become of the friendship we have shared for all these years?"
Looking at the tortoise shell in Li Yu's hand, Nüwa was reminded of Fuxi. Her eyes reddened at once, though she forcefully held back her tears. "I was rash in this matter. I should not have brought out such worldly possessions."
With that, Nüwa put away the innate spirit treasures and continued, "Fellow Daoist Li, Nüwa will remember today's kindness."
A favor owed by a future saint was far more valuable than any innate spirit treasure. At the same time, he had greatly improved Nüwa's impression of him.
"Let us not speak of this."
Li Yu changed the subject. "Fellow Daoist Fuxi's death was truly strange and bizarre. Yet the Demon Court is powerful at present. I hope Fellow Daoist Nüwa will endure for now and not confront the demon race head-on."
"Thank you for the advice, Fellow Daoist Li. Over these years, I have also calmed down. I naturally will not blockade the Demon Court again as I did before, but neither will I let them off easily. I have my own arrangements for this matter," Nüwa said.
Seeing that Nüwa already had a plan, Li Yu said no more. After all, she was destined to become a saint. There was no need for him to keep rambling at her side.
Nüwa thanked Taiqing and Li Yu once more before leaving Mount Kunlun. After she departed, Li Yu also bid farewell to the Three Pure Ones.
He hurried toward Five Villages Temple. Fuxi's fate could not help but make Li Yu worry about Hongyun, for Hongyun's eventual end was also terribly tragic.
Although Hongyun's destiny had shifted somewhat under Li Yu's deliberate interference, he did not dare guarantee anything. If the Heavenly Dao one day corrected matters and restored Hongyun's original fate, then everything he had done would have been meaningless.
The reason he went to Five Villages Temple first was to bring Zhen Yuanzi along. If something happened to Hongyun, the two of them would certainly be better than Li Yu acting alone.
After arriving at Five Villages Temple, Li Yu met with Zhen Yuanzi and spoke of Fuxi's affairs.
"The demon race now insists that the Wu Clan secretly murdered Fuxi. Naturally, the Wu Clan refuses to admit it, and the two sides have fought again. Their slaughter has only grown fiercer over the years," Zhen Yuanzi said.
Li Yu understood the broad trend between the Wu Clan and the demon race, but he was not as clear as Zhen Yuanzi on the finer details.
Li Yu did not wish to dwell on the matter, so he said, "Brother Daoist, you have no need to enter seclusion recently. Why not accompany me to visit Brother Daoist Hongyun? Last time, we only sent congratulatory gifts, which seemed insufficiently sincere. This time, let us go in person. We can also see Brother Daoist Hongyun's child, as well as the woman who made him fall in love anew."
"With nothing to do, since Brother Daoist Li is interested, there is no harm in making the trip."
With that, the two immediately departed from Five Villages Temple and headed toward Hongyun's cave dwelling.
The three were friends, and the karmic ties between them were quite deep. Following the vague pull of karma, Li Yu and Zhen Yuanzi found Hongyun's cave dwelling without much effort.
Hongyun's cave dwelling was built against a mountain, with green peaks at its back and a mirror-like lake before it. It could be considered a scenic paradise removed from the world.
"Come, let us go down and take a look!"
Li Yu and Zhen Yuanzi descended from the clouds and appeared outside Hongyun's cave dwelling.
"Who are you? Why have you come here?"
The moment Li Yu and Zhen Yuanzi appeared, someone questioned them. Turning around, they saw a young man whose features somewhat resembled Hongyun's.
At once, the two became fairly certain of the young man's identity.
"Is your father Fellow Daoist Hongyun?" Zhen Yuanzi asked.
"You know my father?" the young man asked in surprise.
"Hehe, we are friends of your father. The Ginseng Fruit he brought back last time was gifted to him by this very Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi," Li Yu said with a smile.
Suddenly thinking of another question, he asked Zhen Yuanzi, "Which of you, Brother Daoist Hongyun or you, took form first? In any case, I came after both of you, so this child ought to call me uncle."
"Could you be Uncle Zhen Yuanzi and Third Uncle Li Yu?"
Seeing Zhen Yuanzi and Li Yu nod, the young man hurriedly bowed. "Your nephew Red Boy greets Uncle and Third Uncle!"
Red Boy?
Wasn't that the name of the child of the Bull Demon King and Princess Iron Mountain? How could Hongyun's child be called Red Boy too?
Hongyun, Red Boy... it actually sounded fine together.
All he could say was that Hongyun had named his child far too carelessly. He had not put any thought into it at all!
"Rise."
Zhen Yuanzi, on the other hand, had no such thoughts. As he spoke, he gave Red Boy several small items he had prepared in advance.
They were treasures Li Yu and Zhen Yuanzi had hastily refined along the way before arriving. They could only be considered Houtian Spirit Treasures. After all, neither of them was a wealthy figure like the Three Pure Ones or Nüwa, capable of casually handing out an innate spirit treasure. They could only use acquired treasures to keep up appearances.
Before you continue