Where Are the Heroes?

"Haha, Little Huo, the way you're saying that makes it sound like Shanjun and I are precious and fragile porcelain that need to be carefully protected all the time."

As Liu Yanqi chatted and laughed, he walked into the training ground. His black hair was loose and hung down, and he was wearing a military uniform with a long sword hanging at his waist.

He wasn't particularly imposing, but his posture was upright, and he walked with a relaxed and comfortable air, without any sense of needing to put on airs. He exuded a pioneering and confident heroic spirit.

Chu Tianshu stood up, about to greet them.

Liu Yanqi lit up, and he strode over, grasping Chu Tianshu's right hand, his whole body radiating joy.

"You must be Doctor Chu. I've heard about you from the Shanjun before."

"You've accomplished something really big lately; for the first time at headquarters, we've been overwhelmed by good news."

"Ha, the troops haven't moved much, yet there are victory reports every day. Those who don't know the situation might think the heavens have opened their eyes, but those who do realize it's all thanks to an incredibly Celestial Person comrade!"

Liu Yanqi spared no praise whatsoever.

Chu Tianshu was a little embarrassed by what was said.

Although I did do a lot, being praised so enthusiastically was a bit too much for my ears.

Well, these words can be written as letters or certificates, and you can browse them at your leisure when you have time. It's much more comfortable than being praised in front of those patients.

Liu Yanqi's eyes flickered, noticing a subtle unease in Doctor Chu's expression, which greatly surprised him.

By the way, this Doctor Chu is actually quite young!

Liu Yanqi swallowed the words he wanted to say, shook his clenched hand twice more before letting go.

"Haha, I won't disturb your reminiscing with Shanjun any longer. This must be Young Master Sun. We've met a few times before. Come, come, let's chat over here."

Liu Yanqi turned to look at Sun Feng'an, and they walked to one side hand in hand.

Cai Shanjun also walked in, dressed casually in a blue shirt, black jacket, belt, and trousers, with a black cloth bag slung across his back.

Judging from its appearance, Chu Tianshu guessed that it was something like a guqin (a seven-stringed zither).

Compared to Little Huo, who has a scar on his forehead.

Cai Shanjun looks even younger than before, but it's understandable that he looked haggard and old when he was poisoned.

"We exchanged telegrams many times, but we only finally met today."

Cai Shanjun handed over a paper package he was carrying, saying, "Here, a small token of my apology."

Chu Tianshu took it and immediately smelled a faint fragrance.

"Yi Province flower cakes."

Cai Shanjun said, "If you eat it today, it's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. After today, it probably won't taste as good."

As he spoke, he took a step and, with Chu Tianshu in tow, unknowingly walked out of the martial arts arena.

Next to the training ground is a garden.

Upon arriving here, without any of the patients he had treated looking after him, Chu Tianshu didn't stand on ceremony. He casually tore open the oil paper package, took out a piece of cake, and tried it.

The crust is slightly yellow and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Take a bite, and the filling inside is a bright pink sweet sauce.

The sweetness is just right, and the aroma fills the mouth, but the sweetness doesn't seep into the roots of the teeth, making it a very pleasant eating experience.

Cai Shanjun laughed and said, "Back in Wu Clan Stronghold, you ate heartily even in front of the villagers you had just met. I never thought you'd be so concerned about what others think now."

Chu Tianshu thought for a moment, and he really couldn't remember if those people had been watching him back then.

Since it's a bonfire party and so lively, I figured it wouldn't hurt to sneak in a little extra food.

Besides, back then he was practicing the Gluttony Fist Art, and his stomach was hungry 70% of the time, so he couldn't care less about anything else.

"Mainly because they were all my patients, and I always maintained a very reliable and superior image in their eyes."

Chu Tianshu said, "Of course I'd feel a little awkward eating alone in front of them."

Cai Shanjun walked a few steps with him, smiling, "You're becoming more and more patient with things that mean no harm."

Although Chu Tianshu seemed to have a clear sense of right and wrong back then, Cai Shanjun could tell that he was suppressing his violent temper.

I don't know why, but he would occasionally show such a fierce and irritable look in his eyes.

Chu Tianshu is much more relaxed now, and has the leisure to pay attention to some details.

"There's a reason why my temper has improved."

Chu Tianshu took a bite of the biscuit. "Then what caused your change?"

He carefully examined Cai Shanjun.

"The Origin Canon of Zhuge Liang shouldn't contain such pure Yin energy, right?"

Chu Tianshu noticed something was off as soon as they met.

Although Cai Shanjun was proficient in music, he was essentially a practitioner of military arts, and his Mind Power possessed an aura as intense as blood and fire.

Now, Cai Shanjun possesses a balance of strength and gentleness, yin and yang, and his spirit and temperament are as pleasant as a gentle breeze.

However, the wisp of yin energy flowing around him didn't seem to be the Mind Power attribute he had comprehended himself, but rather seemed to come from an external source.

Moreover, that yin energy also faintly carried a trace of divine power.

"It's the Cave God."

Cai Shanjun gave an answer that was not surprising, making a gesture with his fingers as if he were plucking a string on a musical instrument.

Clang!!

There were no strings in the air, yet a sound of a piano rang out.

Behind Cai Shanjun, a figure over three meters tall and extremely beautiful emerged.

The image is entirely silvery-white, slightly transparent, with a crown of thorns on its head, flowing hair, downcast eyes, and hands clasped in front of its chest. Its long dress is the color of mercury, yet it is light and fluttering.

Her wrists and ankles were adorned with numerous ornaments, all in the style of the Wu Clan Stronghold people.

But around her neck and on her belt hung many thumb-sized human faces, some male, some female, some resolute, some in pain, some serene.

Chu Tianshu frowned and stared at it for a while before resuming his chewing.

Strange, this thing doesn't look like Ghost God, or even Evil Spirit.

Even those faces that showed expressions of pain did not seem to have been tormented by this image.

It seems that the image itself is unable to express a distinct and independent expression, and it is only through those human face ornaments that it conveys that expression.

The silvery-white image itself exudes a lingering sadness.

"Inside the cave not far from Wu Clan Stronghold, there used to be a powerful Ghost God, but it has been weakening throughout history."

"The Wu Clan Stronghold clan, haunted by that ghostly Ghost God, has sent out their most outstanding Gu maidens and warriors generation after generation to counteract the ghostly Ghost God's restlessness."

Cai Shanjun turned around to look at the image behind him and began to recount a secret.

"After that Ghost God was finally obliterated, the souls that had sacrificed themselves merged into a completely new being."

"That is the Cave God Lady we know."

Cai Shanjun sighed, "He doesn't want to harm Wu Clan Stronghold, but he also doesn't want to return to Wu Clan Stronghold."

Those who sacrificed their lives are heroes.

But no one can demand that they die without any regrets or resentment.

It's human nature to not want to return to the place that they cherish but also find most painful.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why they did not fall into Evil Spirit.

"In these years of the Dragon Vein's gradual return, the strange occurrences emanating from that cave are simply because He wants to leave."

Therefore, the Cave God Lady chose Cai Shanjun, an outsider, back then.

"But I didn't know about these things back then, so I didn't take the Rainbow Cloud Flute with me."

Cai Shanjun said, "More than a year ago, after I returned to Kunming, I prepared to return the Rainbow Cloud Flute to Wu Clan Stronghold as promised."

"But the flute disappeared halfway through, returning to me three times on its own before I learned what had happened."

Chu Tianshu asked, somewhat puzzled, "What about the flute?"

If he wasn't mistaken, the image before him was clearly residing within the ancient zither behind Cai Shanjun.

Moreover, the image is very weak.

I feel that the spirit of my Sanqi Divine Sword Weapon Soul has become one with it.

"During the Battle of Bashu, the Ghost King received sacrifices from the warlords and began to slaughter humans. The Cave God stepped forward and resisted the Ghost King."

Recalling that scene, Cai Shanjun still felt a surge of fighting spirit and a tragic emotion.

In ancient times, Ghost God were mostly referred to as gods, with their names concealed.

The Ghost King of Qingcheng was known to the world directly by the title "Ghost King," and his ferocity and stubbornness were unimaginable.

In that battle, they lost many comrades who had been with them for many years.

Li Genyuan, the principal of Yi Province Military Academy and the top martial artist in Yi Province at the time, suffered a severe injury that almost destroyed his cultivation.

In the end, the Rainbow Cloud Flute was destroyed, and the very foundation upon which the Cave God existed was nearly wiped out.

The heroes of this village, who had been heroes for generations, have become heroes again, but their power has irrevocably vanished.

Cai Shanjun and Liu Yanqi both received the blessing of the Origin Canon in that battle.

Bathed in blood, they finally assisted the Cave God in defeating the ancient statue of the Ghost King.

Afterwards, Cai Shanjun found the Zhuge Guqin and allowed the Cave God to reside in Zhuge Zither, thus preserving a bit of his vitality.

"Old Liu was injured on his right eyebrow bone by a shard of the Ghost King's wine glass, nearly blinding his right eye."

Cai Shanjun said, "He's developed a problem now; whenever the Ghost King shows any signs of regaining his divine power, his right eye hurts terribly."

"We had suspected before that the Ghost King's recovery might be related to the capital, and after receiving the message from you, we are now completely certain."

Cai Shanjun stirred the air again, and as soon as the zither music began, the silvery-white image disappeared.

This renowned scholar-general could hardly conceal the anger in his eyes, and his voice was deep.

"Three gods stand side by side!"

"I think the Cao Family has gone mad. Greed has completely blinded their minds, and they actually want to control the Ghost God by increasing Ghost God numbers."

Cai Shanjun gritted his teeth and said, "If there are only the Five Rampancies, it represents war, premature death, and misfortune caused by windfall gains. They need to resist the influence of Ghost God. They just need to try to control their impulses to recklessly raise troops and commit massacres and plunder."

"At least there's a clear direction for the resistance."

"However, if one simultaneously associates with three Ghost God, over time, various different Divine Intent tendencies will envelop that person."

Even if you desperately want to break free from the influence of Ghost God, you don't know which direction to adjust your mindset.

"Any attempt to retaliate will only lead to another Ghost God, and if things continue this way, the poison will spread far and wide, causing endless harm."

Chu Tianshu had anticipated this.

After all, he lived in his hometown and had read a lot of information about Ghost God.

The Cao Family family believed that with the three gods existing side by side, they would always restrain each other; this was nothing but wishful thinking.

If humans are around them and constantly try to use their power, then their influence will eventually be directed at the humans.

Chu Tianshu had finished eating the flower cake, folded up the oil paper in his hand, and took out the mask that he had casually hung on his waist earlier.

I have an idea.

(End of this chapter)