Chapter 345: Chapter 345 Tricked Out
"Younger Brother Lu, can you cast the Body-Freezing Curse?"
Lu Zheng nodded. Without the Body-Freezing Curse, he couldn’t have defeated Gao Junyu so quickly.
Hu Yijun, "..."
Gao Xiu, "..."
Wang Muran, "..."
Hu Yijun realized that he hadn’t known Lu Zheng for long enough and actually didn’t understand him well.
Previously, he only knew that Lu Zheng was an Outer Disciple of the White Cloud Temple, practiced both martial arts and Flying Sword skills, and had a fox-girl fiancée with good potential.
Moreover, his character and knowledge were excellent, his demeanor and insight were extraordinary, he saved Wang Yuzhi’s life, and taught Hu Zhou well; otherwise, Hu Yijun wouldn’t have taken a special interest and acknowledged him as a younger brother.
Now looking again, he found that Lu Zheng could bring out top-grade wine, rare spices, mortal divine soldiers, and after only two years of cultivation, he had learned the Daoist Sect’s Body-Freezing Curse...
Hu Yijun stroked his beard, seeming like his son’s master was indeed extraordinary?
His Dao practice was shallow, but his future was promising.
...
Defeated by the Body-Freezing Curse and discovering that Lu Zheng also mastered the Spirit Secret Technique, Gao Junyu was utterly convinced. He handed the Coiling Dragon Spear to his maid and joined Hu Zhou in having a meal with several elders.
After setting the wedding date and having lunch, Gao Xiu left with his husband and daughter.
Lu Zheng stayed for another night and gave Hu Zhou a new knife, with a tiger’s head guard, a tiger claw handle, gallant and powerful, very cool and tough.
That evening, Hu Yijun specifically came to see him, explaining the key points of cultivating the "Western Extreme Wind-Calling Curse," only to find that Lu Zheng had already comprehended this Wind Curse to a considerable stage.
Hu Yijun realized that Lu Zheng not only cultivated quickly but also learned various techniques swiftly.
The next day, Lu Zheng took his leave, politely refused Hu Yijun’s offer to send him on the wind, promised to return for Hu Zhou’s wedding, and departed the mountain alone, vanishing into the distance.
...
Tonglin County, Peach Blossom Plain.
Shen Ying was playing chess with Liu Qingyan under an old peach tree, but both had wandering eyes and were absent-minded.
"Did Lu Lang really go to the Southern Border?" Liu Qingyan couldn’t help but ask again.
"I don’t know." Shen Ying shook her head, "But in the past few days, the Incense Fire Mind Power from the south suddenly increased..."
Shen Ying was very concerned, "Think about the days Lu Lang left, at his pace, he could have reached that Peach Mother Divine Mountain by now..."
Liu Qingyan suppressed the unease in her heart, "If Lu Lang indeed made a move, judging by the change in Incense Fire Mind Power, doesn’t that mean everything went smoothly?"
Shen Ying lightly furrowed her brows, took a deep breath, and casually made a move, "I hope so."
Shen Ying and Liu Qingyan exchanged a glance, both not voicing a shared concern in their hearts.
From the timeline, if Lu Zheng had indeed dealt with the Peach Mother Divine Tree and returned safely, he should have already been back in Tonglin County by now.
But there was no news at all.
And no matter how they thought about it, they couldn’t figure out how Lu Zheng, with only two or three hundred years of Dao practice, could handle that thousand-year-old Peach Tree Spirit?
"Is it possible that we guessed wrong, and this is just a coincidence?" Liu Qingyan asked, "Lu Lang didn’t go to the Southern Border, and this change in southern Incense Fire Mind Power is actually unrelated to him?"
Shen Ying sighed, "I really hope I’m wrong, but..."
"But what?"
"But Lu Lang really can’t lie."
Shen Ying’s eyes were like water, filled with worry and emotion, "Lu Lang never hesitated to mention that Peach Tree Spirit when he met with me usually, but in the last two times before he left, he didn’t mention it at all..."
"He was afraid you’d worry?"
"And afraid I’d see through it." Shen Ying said, "I didn’t think much of it at the time, but then the Incense surged in the last few days, and it struck me."
Liu Qingyan recalled how Lu Zheng had saved her several times, and her eyes were also filled with affection.
"Lu Lang never does anything without certainty." Liu Qingyan, who understood Lu Zheng better, said, "The last time that thousand-year Peach Demon attacked with its underlings, a long time passed, and Lu Lang didn’t act. Going now must mean he has complete confidence."
Shen Ying immediately asked, "Then why didn’t he tell me?"
Liu Qingyan didn’t know how to explain.
"It’s been ten days since the increase in Incense, and there’s still no sign of Lu Lang." Shen Ying looked southward, her eyes filled with hidden worry, "Could it be he got hurt... injured... Lu Lang!?"
Liu Qingyan quickly turned back, only to see Lu Zheng standing at the entrance of Taohua Village, hands behind his back, smiling at them.
"I’m back, um—"
Before he finished the sentence, Shen Ying had already thrown herself onto him, silencing him.
Good heavens, it’s only been half a month or so, is there a need to be so excited?
Being hugged by Shen Ying, with her eyes inadvertently glancing sideways, Lu Zheng noticed tears glistening in Liu Qingyan’s eyes, which startled him.
What’s going on?
He patted Shen Ying’s jade back, trying to calm her down and let go of him.
Lu Zheng caught his breath and finally asked, "What’s wrong with you all?"
Liu Qingyan hadn’t spoken yet when Shen Ying broke in with a stern question, "Why didn’t you tell me you went to the Southern Border to kill that thousand-year Peach Tree Spirit!"
Lu Zheng: (⊙o⊙)
"How do you know!?"
Liu Qingyan immediately asked, "Did you really go to the Southern Border!?"
Lu Zheng: (⊙o⊙)
Turning back sharply, he saw tears in Shen Ying’s eyes and her seemingly amused gaze.
Oh crap! Tricked!
Lu Zheng was about to explain, but Shen Ying didn’t give him a chance!
"First, don’t, um—rush, um—"
...
After a while.
Lu Zheng lay in a deck chair, swaying under the old peach tree.
Xiaocui made tea for Lu Zheng, and Shen Ying handed it to him.
Liu Qingyan held a round fan, gently fanning him.
All six eyes were fixed on Lu Zheng’s face.
"What are you looking at me for?"
"Waiting for you to speak!" Liu Qingyan said anxiously, "How did you kill that thousand-year Peach Tree Spirit?"
But Lu Zheng first asked, "How did you know I went to the Southern Border?"
Then Shen Ying spoke of the recent changes in Incense, the significant increase from the Southern Border.
Lu Zheng understood and then said, "It’s probably just a flash in the pan; it might not last long."
Shen Ying didn’t mind, as the Southern Border Incense disappearing wouldn’t matter much. After all, strands of Incense were coming from various parts of Great Jing; even if it was a lot, she wouldn’t care if it was gone.
However, Liu Qingyan was very curious, "Why would it disappear? Did you not only slay the Peach Demon but also set the Peach Mountain on fire?"
"Well..."
Lu Zheng stroked his chin, "Probably something like that; anyway, that Peach Mother Divine Mountain is gone. Even if the mountain folk still habitually offer prayers, I doubt it’ll last long."
After all, with Madam Peach dead and half of Peach Mother Divine Mountain collapsed, whether or not a new power or expert takes over, the mountain folk will gradually stop worshipping Madam Peach.
Shen Ying couldn’t help but ask, "What do you mean by ’probably’? How did you do it?"
Lu Zheng shrugged, smiling mysteriously, "It’s a secret technique from my sect. Can’t tell, can’t tell~"
Since he couldn’t explain it, might as well not explain it at all—a sect’s secret technique, perfect for solving any questions.
So, the two didn’t ask further, and Shen Ying seemed to understand Lu Zheng’s reason for not mentioning it, "Because it’s hard to explain, Lu Lang didn’t want to worry me, so he left without saying a word?"
Lu Zheng: (◔◡◔)
"Yes! Exactly! That’s it!"
"Lu Lang~~~"
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