Autumn Colors Across the Mountain

After a moment, Xuan Yan looked at Su Yao and asked again:

"Fellow Daoist Su, do you know what the situation is like with Fellow Daoist Yang?"

Su Yao put down his wine cup, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly, before speaking:

"Back then, after I broke through to the Purple Mansion realm, I was hunted down by Cang Lan Great True Person Canglan, one of the Three Heroes of Three Heroes of Nanzhao. I was eroded by the mortal world's energy and had to go into seclusion for nearly two years to exorcise it. Not long after I emerged from seclusion, Fellow Daoist Yang arrived at Golden Ao. However, that reunion was too short. A great decree was issued, Eastern Pole Dao Lord bestowed upon us the Gang Qi protective Qi, ordering the two of us to go to Longchuan to stop the reincarnation of the True Lord."

The moment the words "the reincarnation of the True Lord" were uttered, the pavilion fell silent. Zilin's brows furrowed slightly, and Xuan Yan and the other two also wore solemn expressions.

Su Yao did not pause, and continued:

"According to the conversation between the Mountain God of Cang Mountain and the reincarnation of the True Lord, the reincarnation of the True Lord originally only possessed one Proclaiming Earth Law Treasure. However, at the moment of battle, he suddenly acquired an Earth Witch Law Treasure. If it weren't for the intervention of the True Lord Cangyuan Runze, I, Fellow Daoist Yang, and the Mountain God of Cang Mountain would probably have been unable to escape."

He paused, his gaze falling on the remaining wine in his glass, and his voice lowered even further:

"After escaping danger, I returned to Golden Ao with Fellow Daoist Yang. Just then, my True Lord sent an envoy from Zhongnan, bestowing upon me True Qi spiritual objects and methods for refining my form. After meeting the envoy, I learned that Fellow Daoist Yang had already returned to Green Nuo. I intended to follow him, but as soon as I left the mountain gate, I received a message from him from Green Nuo, saying that the Supreme True Person Immortal had decreed that he had been given a method suited to his Dao Path of cultivation, and that he had already entered seclusion to practice it. After that, I also went into seclusion, and only emerged today."

Upon hearing this, Zilin, Xuan Yan, and the other two were somewhat relieved, especially Zilin.

Among everyone, she was closest to Su Yao and Yang Xiu. Hearing that Yang Xiu was alright, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

Mo Li picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and then continued:

"After I broke through to the next realm, I came to Golden Ao first. At that time, Fellow Daoist Su and Fellow Zilin were both in seclusion, and there was no one to preside over the mountain, so I went to Green Nuo instead, hoping to see Fellow Daoist Yang. Who knew that I couldn't even get into the mountain gate."

He paused, as if recalling something, before continuing:

"Afterwards, I originally intended to return to the mountains to cultivate and solidify my cultivation. However, the demons and strange creatures that escaped from Longchuan Heaven continued to wreak havoc on Nanzhao, and I was always stretched thin despite my efforts. It wasn't until a few years ago when Fellow Daoists Xuan Yan and Ying Qi emerged from seclusion that I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Now that Fellow Daoists Su and Zilin have also emerged from seclusion, the five of us are all together, so we no longer need to fear those scattered demons."

Upon hearing this, Zilin's brows furrowed slightly, and she asked:

"Was that demon who cultivated the Way of Hazy Clouds also from Longchuan Heaven?"

Mo Li didn't say anything, but simply nodded.

Su Yao frowned slightly, as if he had remembered something, and said in a low voice:

"That's not right. Back then, Fellow Daoist Yang and I witnessed those demons escaping from Longchuan Heaven. Although we couldn't stop them in time, we clearly saw that those demons didn't possess any Spirit Artifact Spirit Treasure. But the spear that the cloud demon used earlier was clearly a first-grade Spirit Treasure, and that talisman wasn't low-grade either..."

Having said this, before anyone else could interrupt, he asked again:

"Did those demons ever go to the confluence of the Longchuan and Luchuan afterward?"

Mo Li shook his head, his expression darkening.

"They went. But I consulted the local mountain gods and earth gods through Daoist Gate Talisman Edict, and they said that the demons had already used their Spirit Artifact and Spirit Treasure before they even reached the confluence of the two rivers."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people in the pavilion all turned cold.

Su Yao remained silent for a few moments, then suddenly sneered:

"It's either a relic of the Witch Clan or a gift from the Demonic Dao."

He paused:

"Is this some kind of deliberate attempt to annoy us?!"

Ying Qi put down his wine glass, his tone somewhat somber:

"The Witch Clan? In my opinion, the Supreme Purity lineage allowed those remnants of the Witch Department to take advantage of the situation in order to protect the Yuanfu and Yang Palace."

Upon hearing this, Mo Li sighed:

"Back then, the three Dao Ancestors opened the Immortal Dao to immortality: Jade Pure One Highest Clarity gods, and Supreme Purity shattered witchcraft. Now, the Divine Dao has basically been incorporated into our Daoist Gate, and the Five Elements that the Demon Race race relied on have been transformed into the Five Virtues and Five Manifestations. First they became immortal, then they became Human Dao, and the demons can no longer cause any major trouble. Only the Witchcraft Dao has repeatedly stirred up trouble, and twice, during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, it even almost overthrew our Immortal Dao..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xuan Yan's expression suddenly changed, and he urgently shouted in a low voice:

Be careful what you say!

As soon as he finished speaking, an indescribable pressure enveloped the entire Golden Ao Mountain.

That oppressive force was invisible and colorless, yet as heavy as the collapsing sky.

The expressions on their faces changed drastically, and they fell silent almost simultaneously, rising to their feet and kneeling before each other.

Zilin kept her head down, her fingertips turning white from the force she was applying, but she didn't utter a sound.

Su Yao frowned, and although he was kneeling upright, he secretly used his Law Power to protect Zilin and the two osmanthus trees a few steps behind him.

He knelt at the front, his back ramrod straight.

But that oppressive aura came quickly and went quickly, dissipating in an instant, just like the darkness of day.

Then, a familiar, profound voice came from Su Yao, seemingly descending from the heavens, yet also appearing right beside his ear, neither angry nor imposing:

"Fellow Daoist, you are too kind. The words of a junior should not be taken seriously."

After a pause, the mysterious voice rose again, fainter yet colder than before:

"You lot, once this matter is settled, each of you will go to the Heavenly Court to receive a bolt of Heavenly Thunder."

Upon hearing this, Su Yao and the others' expressions changed slightly, but none of them dared to utter a single word of rebuttal, and they all responded in hushed tones.

After those words were spoken, the world returned to deathly silence.

The bright moon still hung in the sky, and the fragrance of osmanthus lingered, but the paper figures in front of the pavilion lay scattered on the ground, no longer uttering a sound.

No one dared to move.

As dawn broke, Su Yao stood up first, dusted off his clothes, and gently helped Zilin up.

He glanced at the three still somewhat dazed people and said in a low voice:

"Let's not talk about today's events again. Young Master Mianning has already helped us out of this predicament, so let's all disperse. We should take advantage of the fact that the reincarnated True Lord hasn't left the Two Rivers region yet and try our best to improve our cultivation."

Xuan Yan and the other two exchanged a glance, but none of them said anything. They simply bowed to Su Yao and Zilin, and then transformed into streaks of light and went in different directions.

In the blink of an eye, only Su Yao and Zilin remained in front of the octagonal pavilion.

Zilin was still somewhat dazed. A mountain breeze blew by, carrying the dampness of the morning dew, causing her purple dress to flutter gently.

Su Yao turned his head and saw that her face was slightly pale and her fingertips were still trembling slightly, so he lowered his voice:

"Did I hurt you?"

Zilin shook her head, then seemed to feel that the shake was too weak, and added:

"No..."

Su Yao didn't reply, his gaze sweeping across her face and landing on her hair.

A tiny osmanthus blossom clung to her temple, its golden stamens slightly curled.

He instinctively stepped forward, stood in front of Zilin, raised his hand, and stopped just before touching her hair.

The fingertips hovered in mid-air, unable to move forward or backward.

Zilin seemed to sense something, looked up at him, and when their eyes met, her ears turned red before she quickly lowered her eyes.

Su Yao coughed very lightly, put his hand back into his sleeve, and said calmly:

There's an osmanthus flower.

Zilin hummed in agreement, then reached out and took it off herself, holding it between her fingertips and rubbing it between her fingers before discarding it.

The pavilion was eerily quiet for a moment.

Morning light filtered through the laurel leaves, scattering like broken gold across the ground.

The verses hidden on those two osmanthus trees last night are now so faintly visible in the pale light of dawn that they are almost invisible.

Zilin stared at the osmanthus flower in her hand for a long while before softly saying:

I saw the poem you wrote.

Su Yao hummed in response, his voice carrying a rare, very faint hint of unease.

"It's not very well written."

Upon hearing this, Zilin lowered her head, a slight smile curving her lips. She didn't look at him, but whispered:

"It's fairly neat."

Su Yao didn't speak again, but instead shifted his gaze to the horizon. There, the pale light of dawn had faded, and a pale moon had not yet completely disappeared, standing to the west and east of the rising sun.

After standing there for a while, Zilin suddenly asked:

When did you transplant these two trees?

Fifteen years ago.

"A specially chosen osmanthus tree?"

Su Yao remained silent for a moment before saying:

"There should always be some osmanthus fragrance on this mountain."

Zilin listened, gave a soft "Oh," and lowered her eyes without saying a word.

The morning breeze rises again, the fragrance of osmanthus is fainter than last night, yet clearer. Paper figures are scattered all over the ground, some still in the posture of dancing, like a dream that has ended.

"Go in," Su Yao said, his voice not loud. "You haven't rested all night, and you've just come out of seclusion, so you should consolidate your cultivation as soon as possible."

Zilin nodded, took two steps, then stopped and looked back at him:

"Su Yao."

He looked up.

She stood at the foot of the pavilion steps, her purple dress stained with osmanthus blossoms. The morning light fell on her brows, softening her face, which was slightly pale from nervousness.

"Thank you."

Su Yao looked at her, not asking what she was thanking him for, but only slightly raising the corners of his mouth:

"No need."

Zilin said no more and turned to head towards the cave abode.

She had only taken a few steps when Su Yao's voice suddenly came from behind her, lower than usual, yet clearly audible to Zilin:

"Ji Yunheng."

She paused in her steps.

Su Yao remained standing in front of the pavilion, holding the osmanthus blossom he had just taken from his shoulder. He slowly rubbed his fingertips against the petals, as if hesitating or preparing for something.

After a long pause, he finally spoke:

"When I moved these two osmanthus trees, I always felt that after you emerged from seclusion, if I were in seclusion, you would definitely come and stand in this pavilion for a while."

Zilin had her back to him, her fingers unconsciously tightening around her cuffs.

"This mountain is so quiet," Su Yao continued, his gaze lingering on her retreating figure. "I was thinking, if you were here when the osmanthus blossoms, then this entire mountain of autumn colors wouldn't have been in vain."

Zilin's shoulders trembled slightly, but she still didn't turn around.

Su Yao paused, then finally uttered the most important sentence in an extremely soft and slow voice:

"Yunheng, you and I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zilin had already started walking, quickening her pace until she was almost jogging towards the cave abode.

Su Yao stood there, still holding the osmanthus flower in his hand, staring blankly as her figure grew smaller and smaller amidst the morning mist and the shadow of the osmanthus, finally turning into a faint purple wisp and disappearing from sight.

Silence returned to the area in front of the pavilion.

After a long pause, he looked down at his empty palms, then at the two osmanthus trees. His brows furrowed very slowly, his lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only managed to squeeze out a very soft mutter to himself:

"What... does this mean?"

A morning breeze swept through the empty pavilion, carrying a few osmanthus petals to his feet, but no one answered.