Chapter 74: Chapter 73: Things Remain the Same, But People Have Changed

Three days later, at noon.

At the entrance of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion’s mountain gate, Senior Brother Niu was idly sitting on the stone steps inside the gate, basking in the sun. He held a cup of tea in his hand, humming a little tune, and was very relaxed.

At that moment, he saw someone approaching from a distance on the mountain path and quickly stood up to take a closer look.

The person wore an azure robe, had a grey bundle hanging on his body, and was carrying a cloth bag. He was walking on the mountain path, his body slightly leaning forward. Although his pace was not fast, he looked steady.

“Eh, why is it this kid?” When he recognized the approaching person’s face, he couldn’t help but let out a slight gasp.

The person was none other than Shen Luo, who had traveled back from Song Fan County to the Spring and Autumn Pavilion.

Early in the morning, Shen Luo had arrived at the town of Tuji at the foot of the mountain but didn’t rush back. He first sold the black horse, then went to Hongyun Building to buy wine and roasted goose, and finally bought some cinnabar and talisman paper, only then did he ascend the mountain.

“The mountain gate is sacred ground, no idlers are allowed.”

Just as Shen Luo reached the gate of the mountain, Senior Brother Niu’s lazy voice echoed from inside.

“Brother Niu, you’re joking, I was sent to visit my family by my master and now I’m returning.” Shen Luo frowned, ignoring him, and walked straight into the gate.

“You little brat, how dare you talk to your senior brother like that? Have you no manners?” Senior Brother Niu retorted, his wrist suddenly flicking, splashing the tea in his cup towards Shen Luo’s head.

Shen Luo quickly took a step back, effortlessly evading the incoming tea.

Senior Brother Niu’s eyes flickered with surprise as he stepped in front of Shen Luo, blocking his path.

But just as he was about to retort angrily, his nose wrinkled, taking a glance at the cloth bag on Shen Luo’s shoulder. He then began to chuckle.

“For the sake of my large heart, I won’t argue with you. I assume you’re aware of the rules?”

“The roasted goose and wine from Hongyun Building are for Brother Bai and Senior Brother Tian.” Shen Luo replied grinning, as he took a look at the cloth bag in his hand.

Upon hearing his words, Senior Brother Niu burst into a rage:

“You’re taking advantage of my goodwill, hand them over!”

Saying so, he lunged at Shen Luo, intent on grabbing the gifts himself.

But Shen Luo seemed prepared for this. His left foot moved forward and precisely stepped on the tea spilled on the ground. His Nameless Cultivation Technique was already in motion, a sliver of his mana flowed through the sole of his foot, secretly manipulating the tea into tiny swirling droplets.

As Senior Brother Niu stepped on the water droplets, he lost his balance and lurched towards Shen Luo.

“Whoops, be careful Brother.”

Shen Luo sidestepped, and reached out as if trying to steady Senior Brother Niu. However, his palm seemingly brushed against Niu’s stomach, subtly and slightly lifting Niu’s body with the energy within his hand, causing Niu to fly in an arc and roll out of the gate and downhill.

Wails of agony echoed from outside the gate as Senior Brother Niu tumbled seventeen or eighteen steps downhill.

Without looking back, Shen Luo continued onwards. But after two steps, he retraced his steps to extract a piece of paper and a pen and wrote:

“Today, I noticed that Brother’s forehead is dark, steps unsteady, signs of kidney deficiency. Goose buttocks can replenish this, please accept.”

After writing, he removed the roast goose he had bought from the town and selected a piece of the goose buttocks. He then placed the piece together with the note on the stone steps where Niu had been sitting earlier.

After doing all of this, he dusted his hands, and confidently stepped into the mountain gate.

“I suppose I’m finally back, although people and things have changed.”

Looking at the familiar scenery of the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, Shen Luo couldn’t help but sigh as he continued walking forward.

On his journey, he encountered quite a few fellow disciples, most of whom only nodded by way of greeting.

For some reason, he always felt that when these people looked at him, their eyes showed a hint of peculiarity.

Shen Luo, lost in his musings, reached the mountain path below the Lingguan Hall. Just as he was about to follow the path uphill, he looked up to see a chubby figure approaching from fifty or sixty steps up the mountain path.

If anyone within the Spring and Autumn Pavilion were ranked by plumpness, Ding Yuan would naturally be at the top. He was followed by three or four disciples.

When they saw Shen Luo climbing the steps, surprise flashed in their eyes, and the corpulent Ding Yuan in the middle exaggeratedly rubbed his own eyes with his greasy hands.

“Hey, am I seeing things? This boy disappeared for so many days, I thought he got kicked out, how did he come back?” One person who often trailed Ding Yuan couldn’t help but mutter under his breath.

Although Shen Luo was far away, he heard everything clearly. He seemed to understand something but didn’t stop walking.

“Shen Luo, you vanished without a trace for so long, why did you think to come back now?” Ding Yuan blocked Shen Luo with one hand and asked.

“I just went home to visit my family, how can I stay away for too long?” Shen Luo replied unhurriedly.

“I think you were swept out, how dare you still have the nerve to come back? Don’t think we are not aware. You, a sick reed, came to our pavilion to extend your life, don’t tarnish our Daoist purity with your Copper Smelly Things.” Ding Yuan spat, disdainfully.

The rest of the group watched Shen Luo with various expressions.

“What I do in the pavilion, what does it have to do with you?” Shen Luo’s face darkened, and he glanced sideways at the group.

Ding Yuan and the others could only feel a sudden change in Shen Luo’s aura which gave them an indescribable sense of oppression, causing them to unconsciously look away. Not one of them dared to meet his gaze.

Shen Luo, however, ignored their reactions and walked past them.

For a moment, Ding Yuan was at a loss. Seeing the looks on the faces of the others, he felt like he just couldn’t save face.

“This piece of trash dares to disrespect his senior brother. You’re turning against me, aren’t you!”

Ding Yuan chased after Shen Luo in anger, lunging two steps at a time. He summoned the strength of three or four layers of the Small Transformation Yang Skill in his right hand, spreading his fingers and enlarging his palm before striking towards Shen Luo’s back.

“Brother Ding’s Qingyang Hand technique is indeed well-honed!”

“Really doesn’t know what’s good for him!”

The rest of the group cheered when they saw this.

Shen Luo had his back to Ding Yuan and did not turn around. He raised his left hand and grabbed the little finger of Ding Yuan’s right hand, pulling it gently to the side.

“Hey, stop, stop, it’s killing me…” Ding Yuan’s scream sounded like a pig being slaughtered.

But since his right little finger was gripped tightly by Shen Luo, he had to bend down with the pull of Shen Luo’s hand, so much so that tears came out due to the pain.

The cheers abruptly ceased, leaving everyone dumbfounded on the spot. They clearly hadn’t expected Shen Luo, who had only just begun learning the Small Transformation Yang Skill, to have such competent martial skills and actually hit Ding Yuan’s weak spot with one light move.

“Shen… Shen Luo, don’t mess around. If I get injured, my master… oh…” Ding Yuan gasped for breath, even though he was still bent over. He spoke menacingly.

But before he could finish speaking, Shen Luo asserted a bit more force, leading to Ding Yuan wailing again.

“Brother Ding, your Qingyang Hand technique is profound and unpredictable. I, as a junior, have just started learning the Small Transformation Yang Skill, so don’t scare me,” said Shen Luo leisurely while casting a glance at the others.

At this point, Ding Yuan was in so much pain that his face twisted and cold sweat trickled down his forehead. He was in such agony that he couldn’t even voice it out.

The rest of them also lowered their heads, not daring to meet Shen Luo’s gaze directly.