913 holds onto Starry Night

an 'old hag' I am a fairy goddess!"What is a fairy ladyI hastily stuffed tissue into my nose to stop the bleeding, silently reciting mantras to summon a minor spirit. There's something fishy about thi...Black clouds are like ink, and green mountains are like a canopy.

The lunar glow, hanging low in the clouds, bathed the land below.

With the rising steam from the river, it looked ethereal like a mirage.

As we journeyed, the men carried me and Mu Wanchen walked slowly beside us. We traveled from the dense forest on the cliff face northward, leaving behind the faint mist that hung over the river. The scenery grew clearer as we went.

The wind carried a hint of flowers, grass, and trees, making the air soft and fragrant.

"Mount Nánquè, Mount Běishǒu, Mount Dōngshǒu, Mount Xīhuá, Mount Zhōngbáo… We use the names of ancient divine mountains to divide the four directions. If you run around in the future, remember not to cross these boundaries. To return home, you must go through the legal way or I will send you to the border." Mù Wǎnchén reminded softly.

"Why can't we get closer Isn't it just ordinary mountains and rivers outside the Dharma gate" I reached out and hugged Fuzhu's neck, and it carried me very steadily.

"Between the Buddhist teachings and the outside world, there exists a void. Therefore, ordinary people who enter it become confused and lost, not knowing where to go. Have you never heard the old stories before" Mu Wanchen said leisurely.

His voice was pleasant to hear, rich and melodious. When he spoke to me, his tone unconsciously softened. It sounded like a small rasp gently rubbing against my internal organs, making me feel soft and sentimental. I listened attentively to every word he said.

Amongst the clouds, stars shine bright. Beside flowing water and towering mountains.

Mu Wanchen is more suitable for such a place. The concrete jungle is not his Peach Blossom Spring, he only feels relaxed and comfortable in such places.

"...You keep saying the same old story, how old is it"

“Very old, very old…… There were once two divine sorcerers who lived leisurely in a magical gate, playing chess. One day, a woodcutter accidentally triggered the gate and, because he was accustomed to identifying mountain paths, found the correct way to enter the fairyland. He then saw these two divine sorcerers.”

Mu Wanchen's tone carried a hint of light laughter, as if he was telling me something amusing.

He spoke in a leisurely tone, slowly saying: "The woodcutters saw the place where the immortals lived. Naturally, they couldn't let him spread the word, so the shaman gave him a date and told him to eat it..."

After eating the dates, he indeed felt light and energetic, oblivious to hunger and fatigue. He watched with full attention as the two divine shamans played chess and chatted until one game ended. Then, one shaman said, "It's getting late, you should head home."

The woodsman bent down to pick up his axe, but the wooden handle was broken. He followed the path back out of the gate and found that many parts of his village had changed. He didn't recognize anyone, and even his own courtyard had become farmland.

Mù Wǎn chén said this, and I reacted. I immediately chimed in, "Isn't this the story of Làn Kērén Is this story true"

He smirked. "Of course it's true, otherwise why would such stories be passed down through the ages"

I paused for a moment, then reacted and asked, "Could this story have happened here!"

Mu Wanchen smiled, without answering directly. He said leisurely, "What do you think I want to tell you Repeat this story"

"Well...well, what do you have to say"

"These two divine shamans were actually quite 'bad'. They didn't want the woodcutters to reveal the path, but they also didn't want to do anything special to him that would add to their karmic burden. So they gave the woodcutter fairy dates, making him temporarily forget his hunger and cold, as well as time and years... In the end, when he left, his relatives and friends had already passed away many years ago, and the woodcutter had severed all ties in the world. Even if the woodcutter told his story, strangers wouldn't believe him... And although the woodcutter lived a long life, he could only live a solitary life to the end, wondering if he had just had a big dream."

... Wow, I never expected the Shaman to be so cunning!

This story is different from what I learned in elementary school! The stories of Lu Dongbin that we ordinary people have heard all yearn for ourselves to accidentally enter a blessed cave, meet immortals, and have great opportunities.

But even immortals are different from each other, with varying personalities, temperaments, cultivation levels, and paths. Their pranks can be quite hard for ordinary people like us to defend against.

"The divine shaman you speak of, is what later generations call immortals. It's just that your terms are different... so you are an immortal too" I looked at his profile and asked.

Mu Wanchen shook his head. "It's not that simple. Shamans are caught between heaven and earth, neither celestial nor mortal... The upper realms are wary of shamans, fearing they might uncover heavenly secrets and reveal them to the human world. Meanwhile, humans fear shamans because some unscrupulous practitioners have caused chaos, leading to persecution and expulsion by the imperial authorities."

I stroked the soft fur of the Huskvarg. This mythical beast, considered ominous, was exiled to the wilderness.

Originally, no matter where you are in the Three Realms and Ten Directions, among Buddha, Taoism, or common people, there are always things that don't go as planned.

Even immortals have worries, and ordinary people can also be detached.

Perhaps the witch clan should remain detached between the immortal and mortal worlds.

After rounding a bend in the mountain path, his figure suddenly flashed before my eyes. I thought I was seeing things and hurriedly rubbed my eyes.

My wrist was suddenly grasped, and the warmth of his touch immediately calmed my initial anxiety.

"Don't be afraid, there's a way here." he said softly.

I was carried for a few steps when suddenly a gentle night breeze dispersed the chaos around me, revealing a dreamlike lake before my eyes.

The lake surface was crystal clear, like a giant jewel. The indigo night sky and the Milky Way were reflected in the water. Standing by the lake, we felt as if we were in the void of the night.

“What place is this”

"This is the core area of Witch King City, even Mu Xiaoqiao has never been here." He smiled and reached out to carry me down.

This lake stretches endlessly, with winding scenery visible in the mountain valleys in the distance.

The clouds parted, and the Milky Way cascaded down like a waterfall.

This boundless lake bottom, inexplicably emanates a strange yet magnificent glow.

"This is the Lake of Desolation. The mountains here hold beautiful jade, and the earth contains crystals of immeasurable value. Many creatures inhabit this area… Even those who live in the Wuzhang Mountain City only a few know about this place." Mu Wanchen led me under a towering ancient tree.

"As for gold, silver jewelry, jadeite, diamonds... I've never prepared any of those. I don't even know what you like, but you are the Witch Queen, my wife. All these things will belong to you in the future."

“When you say things like that, I can’t help but feel a little flustered.” My cheeks were flushed, so I reached out and hugged him around the waist, burying my face in his chest.

Mu Wanchen reached out and placed his hand on my ribs, lifting me up to sit on the low-hanging branches of a big tree.

Here, I am taller than him.

He looked up at me, his voice soft. The stars in the sky and the glimmer on the ground seemed to gather in his eyes.

"All that I have, is yours... Xiao Yinluo, will you marry me"

>rimes. While exterminating the entire clan is indeed cruel, considering the complex background of the cultivator at that time, it was perhaps a last resort.If this person is a descendant of the corpse...