Love & Redemption
Chapter 78 - 35 Zi Hu’s Secret (4)

Chapter 78: Chapter 35 Zi Hu’s Secret (4)

Although Ting Nu had always said that Zi Hu was harmless and instead took good care of people at Yixin Garden, when they actually saw the scene inside, everyone was still taken aback.

"Wow, this place..." Zhong Minyan looked at the neatly arranged rows of vegetable fields in the garden, struggling to adapt. The Shaoyang Sect also had vegetable fields, specially handled by disciples tasked with planting and harvesting, but in the minds of ordinary people, demons did not cultivate crops; demon dens were supposed to be places with surging demon energy, seas of blood, and skeletons...

The neatly arranged vegetable field, orderly tiled houses, and pristine walls presented a serene scene that reminded people of leisurely farmer’s life—modest yet peaceful.

Everyone walked around the tiled houses, all a bit dazed. Ruo Yu saw a light on in one of the tiled houses and gently knocked on the door twice. Soon, a young man with a clear and handsome appearance came out. He looked up to see a group of odd figures outside, indistinguishable between male and female, each clad in bright red wedding garments, and stared at them with wide eyes, surprised.

Ruo Yu cleared his throat and spoke softly, "Young man, greetings to you, we are..."

"Hehe, are you the new servants?" The man smiled faintly, an air of cultivation about him. He looked at Zhong Minyan and the others, saw their disheveled appearance and fearful expressions, and took them for newcomers who were unaccustomed to their surroundings. He continued, "Do not be afraid, the immortal is extremely courteous and refined. There are some new rooms available in the northwest corner; you can stay there. The immortal will come over tomorrow morning."

Seeing him say this made everyone even more baffled. It seemed like things were indeed as Ting Nu had described...

Yu Sifeng bowed and said, "Young man, we have just ascended the mountain and don’t know any of the rules here; could you please offer some guidance?"

The man nodded, "Those living here have been chosen by the immortal because they have the fate of immortality. From now on, listen to the immortal’s teachings daily, expel the old and absorb the new; there are not many rules. However, farming in spring and harvest in autumn is expected—not like the old days at home where someone looked after you. Living modestly truly shows the essence of seeking immortality."

Zhong Minyan couldn’t hold back, anxiously saying, "That fox... the immortal truly hasn’t done anything to you? She’s not one of those who practices gathering yang to supplement yin... how did it turn into seeking immortality!"

The man looked annoyed and said, "The immortal is a saintly being; you must not slander her without reason! If you have no sincerity, it’s better you leave now!"

Ruo Yu quickly chose to placate by smiling and said, "Young man, don’t be upset, my companion doesn’t know how to speak properly; I apologize to you on his behalf."

The man then eased his expression, "Now that it’s getting dark, you should all rest. If you have any questions, you can ask tomorrow when everyone is here."

Upon hearing this, everyone understood that Ting Nu hadn’t been wrong; they all glanced toward the Zi Hu in his arms, surprised to find a demon truly benign, a timid yet showy fox spirit.

Yu Sifeng looked around; there were evidently about a dozen tiled houses here—apparently, she had brought quite a few people up the mountain. He continued, "Young man, if one misses their hometown, would the immortal allow them to leave?"

The man looked incredulous, his eyes wide, "If you don’t wish to cultivate immortality, what are you doing here! Since you wish for cultivation, you should abandon all worldly attachments. Really, why has a bunch of lethargic people come this year! Anyway, you can go!"

After saying this, he was about to close the door. Yu Sifeng grabbed him, speaking in a low voice, "First answer me, can we go back?"

The man sneered, "If you want to leave, do you think the immortal would beg you to stay? I haven’t encountered anyone who has returned halfway before; if you want to leave, you are free to do so, no one will keep you!"

He slammed the door shut with a bang, muttering a curse under his breath, leaving everyone outside exchanging puzzled looks. Ruo Yu thought for a long time before saying, "These people are committed to cultivating immortality and don’t want to leave, which is a problem. Soon, other demons will come to cause trouble on the mountain, staying here is very dangerous."

If they forcefully drove them down the mountain, it might be thankless and the people of Zhongli City might even blame them, possibly even coming to resent their own sect. If they tried soft persuasion, these people were so stubborn it was likely they would not be swayed.

Caught in a dilemma, Ting Nu then said, "In that case, we must entice them to leave the mountain themselves."

Just as everyone was about to ask him how they could entice them down the mountain, they saw Ting Nu push a wheelchair and head back to knock on the door. The man angrily flung the door open and barked, "What now?!"

Before he could finish, Ting Nu lightly blew a breath toward him, causing the man to suddenly pause and look dumbfounded, standing there motionless.

Zhong Minyan anxiously asked, "What did you do to him?"

Ting Nu shook his head and softly said, "Don’t worry, I didn’t harm him."

He gently clapped his hands in front of the man and ordered, "There are many people living here, right? Bring them all here."

The man stiffly replied "Yes," and turned to walk away.

Yu Sifeng wondered aloud, "Waking everyone up, won’t that cause even more of an uproar?"

Ting Nu merely shook his head with a smile. In no time, that person had led everyone out of the blue-tiled house, dressed only in their inner garments, eyes still closed as if they hadn’t woken up yet, stumbling forward without making a sound, they stopped in front of Ting Nu.

Ting Nu instructed a dazed Xuanji, "Please go inside the house and find these people’s outer garments for them to wear. The night dew is heavy, they might catch a cold."

Xuanji promptly agreed and soon came over with an armful of clothes. Yu Sifeng and the others put them on the people piece by piece. Once everything was sorted, Ting Nu raised his hand, plucked a hair from his head, and with a slight wave, it transformed into a black whip in the wind. When he flicked it gently on the ground, it made absolutely no sound.

Everyone watched as the people neatly walked forward, greatly amazed. Ting Nu’s whip danced left and right on the ground, and the people moved accordingly, slowly walking forward to the rhythm of the whip. They quickly descended the slope and entered the forest.

Xuanji felt as if everything happening was a dream and murmured, "Ting Nu... how could you make them leave like that..."

Ting Nu simply smiled and did not speak. Beside him, Yu Sifeng pondered aloud, "I’ve heard of the Soul Chasing Whip, which can drive ghosts and corpses, but never one that can drive living people."

Finally, Ting Nu spoke languidly, "The world is vast, not to mention the Six Paths of Reincarnation. There are countless things you have not seen. This is not the Soul Chasing Whip, but it was made by the same person and is called the Dream Chasing Whip, which can drive sleeping people."

After he finished, he looked at Yu Sifeng with some admiration and smiled, "But for someone so young, you are quite knowledgeable. Many people who have practiced cultivation for decades don’t even know what a Soul Chasing Whip is."

Others might have felt indifferent to Yu Sifeng being praised, but Min Yan and Xuanji seemed as pleased as if they themselves had been complimented, nodding repeatedly and saying in unison, "Yes! Si Feng knows a lot!"

As the figures of the people gradually disappeared into the woods, Ruo Yu couldn’t help but ask, "Where are we driving them to?"

"Down the back mountain is Hongze Lake; there should be a ferry point to return to Zhongli City. Let’s follow them quietly, otherwise, if they wake up, there will be more trouble."

Having witnessed this miraculous event, no one asked further questions. They immediately followed the people down the mountain.

As they walked through the woods for a while, Xuanji noticed it was getting darker and looked up to see the moonlight blocked by dark clouds. A wind rose, carrying the moist scent of the earth.

"It’s going to rain," Ting Nu halted his whip. "I’ll find a place for these people to take shelter from the rain. You go down the mountain first."

"What about you?" Xuanji was a bit reluctant to part, for Ting Nu was both warm and kind, and she wasn’t ready to leave him yet.

Ting Nu gave a slight smile, "I will come down after the rain stops. Don’t worry, I won’t get lost. Just wait for us near the ferry."

By then, large raindrops had begun to fall, and soon it was pelting down. The rain in the mountains during winter was bone-chillingly cold, even mixed with hail, and it was tough even for cultivators to endure, let alone ordinary people.

Without further delay, everyone quickly exchanged a few words and descended the mountain by controlling their swords.

Ting Nu, holding Zi Hu, turned and drove the people to a cave halfway up the mountain to take shelter from the rain, while he himself sat quietly at the entrance, watching the droplets of water drip down from the stone wall.

"You woke up early, why won’t you speak?" After a long while, he suddenly spoke.

The fox in his arms stirred and opened its eyes, looking around warily. Ting Nu laughed, "They’ve gone now, there’s no need to be afraid."

Zi Hu’s body relaxed, and while licking the burned marks on its paw, it cried, "That girl, who is she? You never told me beforehand."

Ting Nu said gently, "It’s forbidden to speak of it. Besides, you really deserved to suffer a bit. Why must you elevate your power using Yang and Yin? You were diligent enough before gaining human form, so why have you become lazy after achieving it?"

Zi Hu, with tears in its eyes, squeaked, "But it was so hard to get any news about him, I... I was anxious."

Ting Nu was silent for a long time before he sighed deeply and said softly, "We can only wait... for as long as a demon’s lifespan lasts... One day, someone will be able to save him."

Zi Hu rested its head in his palm, tears streaming down.

"He... he said the same thing to me."

"You old creatures, none of you are considerate, all of you are cold-hearted..." she murmured, yet her tone contained no real resentment.

(To be continued. For more about the story, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)