The Flower Of The High Mountain Turns Into A Cat And Is Picked Up By A Human Chapter 56
byChapter 56
The Ghost Domain—the moniker for that strange crop field—has been a disaster that humanity has urgently needed to resolve since ancient times.
In the past, Earth Immortals and Demon Immortals guarded it. Now, Demon Immortals are extinct, and Earth Immortals have other major responsibilities. Whenever a Ghost Domain appears somewhere, it can only be temporarily sealed with an array formation, and the surrounding area is designated as a forbidden zone.
Cadres streamed continuously into Kuju Village, simply because the grand array outside the Kuju Village Daoist temple was far more profound than the sealing arrays passed down by the Administration!
The person who left this array formation was an unknown, astonishingly talented mighty figure. After the person in the sedan analyzed the array’s functions, they immediately reported the matter to the Administration, which led to the Administration’s subsequent high level of attention.
The people of Kuju Village discussed the endless stream of arriving vehicles. Hundreds of people who worked for the state had gathered outside the Daoist temple, which naturally caused much speculation.
Soon, a concealment array rose up on the spot, and the villagers gradually began to subconsciously ignore the anomaly and stopped paying attention.
As the meritorious figure who informed the Administration about the existence of the Daoist temple, Bai Chendeng was frequently pulled away for meetings by the person in the sedan these days, and even his habitually expressionless face showed signs of annoyance.
After all, this was a major matter concerning the state’s sealing of the Ghost Domain, and Bai Chendeng knew he couldn’t be careless. For the massive amount of merit that was about to arrive, he endured.
Aside from meeting with the person in the sedan, Bai Chendeng only stayed in the flower room, spending time with Zheng, Feng, Heng, and Pu, occasionally entertaining Administration cadres who dropped by to relax.
Feng Chengji, through daily exposure, learned some of the inside story. He realized that the treasure in the wooden box passed down by his ancestors was actually of great significance, which made him quite anxious. Fortunately, although Bai Chendeng didn’t say anything, he supported and encouraged him through his actions. Feng Chengji gradually let go of his panic and privately asked Bai Chendeng if he could hand over the photograph.
Bai Chendeng asked curiously, “Are you sure?”
Feng Chengji nodded repeatedly, “Take it. I’m scared to keep it with me.”
Bai Chendeng then took the photograph of the Ghost Domain.
That night, Bai Chendeng had a dream.
In the dream, he was drawn into an endless field of crops.
His thoughts were stagnant and unable to function. The entire world was left with only black and gray, devoid of any other color.
He stood within it, looking up at the sky, but the sky was also gray.
Time lost its meaning.
Bai Chendeng, amidst the crops, became like a scarecrow. His instinct seemed to be reduced to wandering the Ghost Domain and cursing the world…
After an unknown amount of time, Bai Chendeng’s perspective gradually rose.
A wisp of light, spiritual greenness circled around him, rescuing him from the eternal, unchanging Ghost Domain.
The environment changed. He broke free from the Ghost Domain and arrived in a mountain forest under the bright moon.
Black stones and silver water were nestled among the strange mountains. The moonlight was soft, scattering down.
Bai Chendeng’s vision descended from above, gradually focusing on a lush green plant beside a mountain stream…
In reality.
Bai Chendeng trembled all over.
Heng Yuze was startled awake, so frightened that his soul nearly left his body. He frantically hugged him, calling Bai Chendeng’s name repeatedly, completely lost.
He belatedly realized that Chendeng seemed to be trapped by some nightmare.
What kind of thing could trap a top-tier Great Demon below the Demon Immortal realm?
Just as Heng Yuze tried various spells, all to no avail, and even considered seeking help from the person in the sedan, Bai Chendeng’s trembling subsided, and his breathing became gentle.
“Chendeng… Chendeng?”
Amidst his soft calls, Bai Chendeng opened his eyes.
Heng Yuze was overjoyed, his eyes moist. “What happened?”
Bai Chendeng’s mind was filled only with that wisp of greenness. He wanted to rush out to find it, but he saw the thin layer of moisture in Heng Yuze’s eyes under the faint night light, which moved him even more than the silver water in the mountain stream of his dream.
“I need to go out for a while. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”
His fingers twitched slightly. Bai Chendeng didn’t even realize that he wanted to brush away that layer of moisture for Heng Yuze at that moment, but as he had not yet opened his emotional aperture, a sense of anxiety arose in his heart, though he didn’t know its source.
Dressing and getting out of bed, Bai Chendeng left the flower room and followed the scene in his memory, searching for the stream.
The moon was bright tonight, with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching.
Leaving the village and climbing the mountain, the tree shadows swayed.
Tonight and that time were clearly the same scenery, but his state of mind was different.
Bai Chendeng suddenly stopped, then turned around, looking behind him.
“Come out.”
Heng Yuze appeared in response.
He had known he was followed, and he also knew he would definitely be discovered.
Heng Yuze approached, feeling uneasy. “I’m sorry, I just couldn’t stop worrying about you.”
Taking the liberty of following him was an act of desperation.
Chendeng was acting strangely; how could he let him leave alone late at night?
Heng Yuze clenched his fists, mentally prepared to be sent back.
Unexpectedly, instead of rejection, he saw a pale fingertip quietly climbing onto his sleeve.
Bai Chendeng moved up the sleeve, reaching Heng Yuze’s shoulder and brushing off a leaf.
“Since you’re here, follow along.”
Heng Yuze was ecstatic.
Without many words, a sense of peace and beauty spread between them.
He tentatively grasped Bai Chendeng’s wrist and was not rejected.
The mountain path was difficult. Heng Yuze led the way. As he stumbled, his hand slipped, gripping Bai Chendeng’s hand.
After steadying himself, Heng Yuze realized he was holding Chendeng’s hand. His heart pounded violently in his chest, and his mind felt like it had exploded, leaving only this slightly cool, smooth hand in his palm.
He held the whole world.
Bai Chendeng originally wanted him to let go, but he felt Heng Yuze’s slight trembling.
He didn’t know what motivated him—pity, or indifference? In any case, Bai Chendeng tacitly allowed it.
A gentle warmth brewed between them.
Something was breaking ground in his heart.
They quickly found the stream and traced it upstream, passing through layers of branches and leaves. The view gradually opened up, and finally, in a pleasant scenic spot, they saw the scene from Bai Chendeng’s dream.
Bai Chendeng withdrew his hand.
He walked and looked around, comparing the surroundings with his memory.
As if guided by fate, Bai Chendeng’s path was winding, yet consistently headed in one direction.
Finally.
A jade-like green color bloomed. Bai Chendeng’s eyes widened, and his lips parted slightly as he stared in astonishment at the plant that revealed its true form before him.
Kuju Village… Kuju Village…
No matter how he thought about it, the Great Demon saved by Feng Chengji’s ancestor should have been a Chrysanthemum (Kuju)…
How could it be?
Heng Yuze rubbed his eyes.
That’s right, what was before them was actually a plant of bitter chicory (Kuju), often seen on the dinner table with dipping sauce!
Bai Chendeng took half a step back, bumping into Heng Yuze’s chest behind him.
Heng Yuze took the opportunity to wrap his arms around his waist, only to be swatted on the back of his hand, making him settle down.
“Bitter… chicory?”
Bai Chendeng: “…”
Heng Yuze: “…”
Bitter Chicory: “…”
Time was still flowing, but the two people and one vegetable seemed to be frozen by a stasis spell.
Perhaps its feelings were hurt, but on the way back with the dug-up plant, the Bitter Chicory looked wilted and particularly pitiful.
Back in the flower room, Heng Yuze called Feng, Zheng, and Pu out to meet the friend of Feng’s grandfather.
Feng Chengji threw on a jacket and tumbled into Bai Chendeng’s room, where he saw the Bitter Chicory buried in a flowerpot.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Silence, an extremely awkward silence.
Feng Chengji squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again.
He pointed at the flowerpot and asked, “This is the Great Demon my grandfather befriended?”
Bai Chendeng nodded with a serious expression.
“How could it be… not a Chrysanthemum (Kuju)… but a Bitter Chicory (Kuju)?”
His worldview collapsed. He felt that the image of the Great Demon wearing flowers and leaves he had dreamed of all this time was shattered.
Heng Yuze walked closer, glanced at the listless Bitter Chicory, and sympathized, “Didn’t they say Kuju Village couldn’t grow grain? Maybe your grandfather chose to plant the homophone Kuju (Chrysanthemum) for this reason.”
Feng Chengji subconsciously nodded, then stopped, still unwilling. “But… but…”
Every time he said “but,” the Bitter Chicory drooped a little more.
Even Bai Chendeng couldn’t bear to watch anymore.
“Bitter Chicory is very good.”
Very good what? Very delicious?
The drop from a mysterious flower demon to a dish on the table was too great.
Zheng Lang stroked his chin, looking like he was thinking seriously.
Feng Chengji frowned, closed his eyes, and felt carefully for a moment, then let out a breath.
“My apologies. Since you are my grandfather’s friend, you are my senior.”
“Senior, what I said just now was unintentional. Please don’t take offense.”
Bai Chendeng nodded in satisfaction.
Pu Tao sensed the aura of the senior plant Great Demon and cautiously crept in through the door frame, bowing deeply. “Greetings—Senior!”
The Bitter Chicory visibly perked up at a speed visible to the naked eye. Every leaf was plump and tender green. What a healthy Bitter Chicory!
After discovering the Bitter Chicory Great Demon, the group kept the matter a secret.
The Bitter Chicory couldn’t speak, but by lightly touching its leaves, they could communicate through heart-voice.
Bai Chendeng finally learned why the Bitter Chicory Great Demon chose to reveal itself to him.
The Bitter Chicory was the Azure Lord of the Mountain worshipped by the Daoist temple. He was originally a Great Demon at the Demon Immortal realm, but he was forced by the Daoist priest’s disciple using subtle methods to make the nascent Ghost Domain disappear at the cost of damaging his Dao foundation, which is why he ended up in his current state.
Bai Chendeng asked the Azure Lord, “Why did you choose me?”
The Azure Lord gently swayed. “We are fated. I will impart the method of achieving immortality to you, hoping to borrow your momentum to return to the Demon Immortal realm.”
Bai Chendeng’s composure was broken by this simple sentence. His pupils instantly contracted, and his heart pumped blood rapidly throughout his body.
“Help me… achieve… immortality?”
The Administration studied the array formation beside the Daoist temple for a full month.
The day they successfully mapped out the grand array, the Administration was shaken with excitement. They finally had a better method to seal the constantly expanding Ghost Domain—it was a great cause for celebration.
The day the person in the sedan came to say goodbye, Bai Chendeng was lying on a rocking chair sunbathing. Upon closer inspection, one would find that the emotion in his eyes was not relaxed and comfortable, but poised and ready.
The person in the sedan presented him with a divination stick and then left.
Heng Yuze took leave and stayed with Bai Chendeng for a period before returning to the Administration.
From then on, everything returned to normal.
Bai Chendeng took the Bitter Chicory back to his Underground Secluded Chamber at home.
Achieving immortality.
This was the thing Bai Chendeng had anticipated the most since gaining spiritual intelligence.
After hearing the experience of achieving immortality from the Bitter Chicory, he understood that his previous breakthrough failure was not accidental, but inevitable.
After half a year of collecting materials, Bai Chendeng made thorough preparations under the Bitter Chicory’s guidance.
The Bitter Chicory said, “External materials are prepared. For you, breaking through in cultivation is not an issue.”
Bai Chendeng looked at a spot on the ground where a Spirit Nurturing Flower once sat.
It was that flower that allowed his physique to partially revert to the Innate state, eliminating any bottlenecks in his breakthroughs.
“Bai Chendeng, no new Demon Immortals have appeared in decades. Besides this world restricting countless ordinary demons with poor foundations, there is another point: the Inner Demon Tribulation—it is truly perilous.”
“I know you dare not enter the mortal world and suppress your beast nature to prevent being tempted by external objects and deviating from your original intention during cultivation. Do you know that this action, conversely, makes your temperament incomplete?”
Bai Chendeng replied softly, “I know.”
The Bitter Chicory shook its leaves. “Even so, do you still intend to attempt the breakthrough?”
Bai Chendeng’s tone was firm. “Yes.”
The Bitter Chicory was satisfied. “Good. Do your best and leave the rest to fate. Your actions will surely give yourself a complete answer.”