Chapter 154 Qingqiu (XIV)
When Lu Ren woke up, he was soaking in warm water. He found himself in a hot spring, which was located in an underground cave.
There was no light in the cave. The reason why Lu Ren could see things was because the rocks in the cave were emitting a bright light. The light filled the entire cave like fireflies in summer. Even the bottom of the hot spring was emitting a faint glow.
Lu Ren was like bathing in the Milky Way.
The mist made the boundaries of this space blurred, and Lu Ren couldn't tell for a moment whether he was in a dream or in reality.
But his thoughts were quickly interrupted by Li Bei's cold voice.
"Are you awake? If you are, get out of Qingchi immediately. This is not your private bathhouse."
At that moment, Lu Ren understood the situation: when he was unconscious, the fox tribe had placed him in a clear pool for treatment.
He picked up his hand and looked at it. He didn't feel anything special, but the chaotic feeling in his head seemed to have disappeared, and he felt much clearer.
Li Bei threw something on the shore and said, "Put it on when you're ready and come out by yourself."
Then Li Bei left Qingchi to Lu Ren and walked out first.
Lu Ren looked towards the shore and found that what Li Bei had thrown down was a set of spare clothes.
Lu Ren was still wearing the bright red wedding dress. It seemed that the situation was urgent, and Tushan Qiluo and Li Bei must have thrown Lu Ren directly into the clear pool.
When Lu Ren came out after getting dressed, Li Bei had already disappeared. A maid stood at the entrance of the cave and said to Lu Ren, "Sir, please come this way. The two young masters and Dong Jun are waiting for you in the banquet hall."
The so-called banquet hall of the Mirror Flower Water Moon Palace is an isolated island in the water. It is a square piece of land independent of the water.
On the wooden floor, there were nineteen horizontal and nineteen vertical lines drawn, like a chessboard. A huge peach tree rose from the water. You couldn't see how long the trunk was under the water, but you could see that the trunk was so thick that even several people couldn't hug it.
The trees are lush and the flowers are falling.
The so-called banquet had neither tables covered with delicacies from the sea nor a full banquet of Manchu and Han cuisine, nor beautiful women with fragrant figures coming and going.
White porcelain plates containing exquisite meals were casually placed on the chessboard. Dongjun, Libei, Tushan Qiluo, and Li Boyang were sitting on the ground, pouring wine for each other.
The strong aroma of wine was carried to Lu Ren's nose through the night breeze, and even aroused his appetite without him realizing it.
Li Boyang spotted Lu Ren and asked him to take his seat.
"Come quickly, this good wine can only be drunk tonight. I'm afraid it won't be possible to drink it in the future."
Lu Ren responded while walking in their direction. However, his previous experience of dining at the Immigrant Household Survey Bureau taught Lu Ren that he must be extremely wary of these non-human foods: "Is this really a good wine? What if I drink a sip and never wake up again?"
Dong Jun finally reacted after hearing this, and instructed the maid brought by the fox tribe: "Quick, prepare another pot of clean water for Xiao Mingjun."
The maid responded and hurried down to prepare. She walked in a hurry and her attitude showed that she was in a hurry.
Li Boyang at the side also added at the right time: "It's a good thing you asked, otherwise I would have almost lost you as a friend, hahahaha. You can't even drink alcohol, you are really a little unlucky."
Lu Ren, who was almost in danger of his life: If this unlucky little guy were you, would you still be able to laugh?
Lu Ren glared at Li Boyang and sat down at the table.
He turned around and saw that Tushan Qiluo and Li Bei, who were originally incompatible, were as well-behaved as kindergarten children in front of Dongjun, sitting in a row and eating cookies.
Dongjun looked at the two of them lovingly, and kept saying, "Eat more, eat more."
Because of Dongjun's words, the two of them remained silent and only focused on eating the cakes in front of them. In fact, they were still competing secretly, quietly competing to see who could eat more. Tushan Qiluo had just finished a piece of peach cake, and turned around to see Libei pick up another piece of osmanthus cake.
While Li Bei was holding the osmanthus cake in his hand, he turned his head and glanced at Tushan Qiluo provocatively.
Tushan Qiluo had not finished the osmanthus cake in her mouth, but she refused to admit defeat and quickly picked up a piece of cloud cake next to her and stuffed it into her mouth.
Seeing Tushan Qiluo like this, Li Bei, who was not willing to be outdone, immediately retaliated. Both of their mouths were stuffed full, and their cheeks were bulging like two hamsters.
“Woo woo woo!”
“Woo woo woo!”
The two seemed to be competing and trash-talking each other, but their mouths were so full that no one could understand what they were saying except each other.
Lu Ren finally understood how Tushan Qiluo developed such arrogant, childish and pretentious behavior.
Perhaps, after leaving the Mirror Flower Water Moon Palace, Tushan Qiluo and Li Bei would still fight to the death. Only here, only when Dongjun sat down, could the two of them always be the carefree appearance of their childhood, and unscrupulously act as a pair of siblings who disliked each other but had no good relationship.
The way they wolfed down the food caught Li Boyang's attention. He encouraged them, "Don't just eat. Drink this good wine! You two can't drink, right? If your cultivation is not good enough, you will definitely get drunk after drinking Zui Dong Feng. You are still young, so don't try it lightly."
Li Boyang used the most obvious method of provoking someone, which was brainless but effective.
Tushan Qiluo and Li Bei turned around and put down the cakes in their hands, and each picked up a pot of Zui Dongfeng. They raised the wine pot almost at the same time, took a deep breath, and drank Zui Dongfeng in one breath.
Tushan Qiluo and Libei: died.
Lu Ren didn't expect that Tushan Qiluo and Li Bei were already drunk as soon as he sat down. At the same time, after seeing the power of Zui Dongfeng, Lu Ren couldn't help but secretly thank himself for not drinking.
The fox maid disappeared after she brought the clean water.
As soon as Tushan Qiluo and Li Bei fell, the chessboard island that was originally noisy suddenly became quiet.
The water ripples and the peach trees emit fragrance.
Dongjun and Li Boyang were drinking by themselves. Lu Ren silently picked up a piece of cake and took a small bite. A refreshing fragrance rushed into his mind, and the sweet but not greasy taste bloomed on the tip of his tongue. It is no exaggeration to say that this may be the most delicious cake Lu Ren has ever eaten in his life.
Lu Ren felt that all the fatigue of the past few days was cured. A sense of satisfaction arose spontaneously, and a happy smile appeared on his face.
Just as Lu Ren was immersed in the pastries, Dong Jun's gentle voice sounded beside him: "Is it delicious?"
Lu Ren answered almost immediately: "Delicious!"
Lu Ren's tone seemed a little too excited. He felt something was wrong after he finished speaking, as if he was a foodie who had been reincarnated from a starving ghost. So in order to hide his embarrassment, Lu Ren could only pretend to cough, then calmed himself down and said to Dong Jun seriously again, "It's delicious."
Seeing Lu Ren's embarrassed look, Dong Jun couldn't help but lower his head, covered the corners of his mouth with his wide sleeves, and laughed.
"As long as you think it tastes good." Although Dong Jun tried his best to hide it, the smile in his words still successfully betrayed him.
Dong Jun's considerate care for Lu Ren's emotions made Lu Ren feel embarrassed. He could only laugh dryly and continue eating the pastries in his hand.
Li Boyang was not polite at all. He did not care whether Dongjun greeted him or not. He just drank cup after cup of Drunk Dongfeng like a cow.
The fine wine that had easily knocked down Tushan Qiluo and Li Bei was like plain water in Li Boyang's hands and had no effect at all.
This made Lu Ren a little puzzled.
When Li Boyang revealed his identity earlier, Lu Ren fainted, so he didn't know where he came from. Now seeing that he could drink so much, he couldn't help but ask: "Didn't you just say that it's easy to get drunk if your cultivation is not good enough? Then how come you don't get drunk after drinking so much?"
Li Boyang did not answer directly, but just said calmly: "How do you know I'm not drunk? Or, how do you know that I usually look sober?"
Lu Ren took this as drunken talk and muttered, "So you're already drunk, no wonder."
Li Boyang didn't bother with him, and leaned against the flower tree beside him like a boneless person. He raised the wine pot in his hand, used his mouth as a cup, and poured all the wine in the lake into his mouth.
The moon was setting, and the atmosphere was filled with laughter and chatter. It could be said that both the host and the guests were having a great time.
However , at this moment, a gust of night wind blew, and Lu Ren smelled a barely perceptible stench in the night wind. The smell was like the smell of rotting plant roots, with a scent of decay and death.
This was not a smell that would appear in such an elegant place, so Lu Ren couldn't help but ask, "Do you smell the stench coming from?"
The first one to react was Li Boyang. He sat up at once and approached Dong Jun with a sullen look on his face: "It's you?!"
Li Boyang's reaction was so big that Lu Ren was stunned: Is it so unforgivable to have a smell on your body?
In Lu Ren's opinion, it was normal for boys to have a little body odor after sweating after exercise. In addition, Dongjun had eye problems, so it was normal for him not to take a bath frequently.
Lu Ren couldn't help but secretly tug on Li Boyang's sleeve and reminded him: "It's normal for boys to have a little smell. After all, they entertained us. If you say it directly, it will embarrass others."
"This is not the smell of sweat," Li Boyang explained. "This is the major of the five signs of decline of the heavenly beings - body odor."
It was the first time that Lu Ren heard the term "Five Deteriorations of Heavenly Beings". After he expressed his doubts, Li Boyang explained the term.
"That is to say..." After hearing what Li Boyang said, Lu Ren confirmed with shock and worry, "Once the symptoms of the Five Degenerations of the Celestial Being appear, it means that Dongjun may..."
Li Boyang completed his unfinished words and corrected him, "The body and soul will be destroyed. It is not possible, but certain..."
Lu Ren seemed very anxious: "Is there no other way?"
Dongjun is a good man, and Lu Ren doesn't want to watch Dongjun die like this.
Li Boyang said: "It needs the nourishment of natural treasures."
Hearing Li Boyang say that there was a way, Lu Ren breathed a sigh of relief unconsciously: "Then when Team Leader Tu Shan and I go back, we can ask Si Yuan if he has any inventory."
As long as there is a way, it is up to us.
Li Boyang shook his head, "The Green Emperor is a celestial being. There are only a few treasures in the world that can save the lives of celestial beings. And they must be of the same origin. The Green Emperor came from the heavenly realm, so he must use treasures from the heavenly realm. When the Divine Phoenix and the Green Emperor rebelled against the heavenly realm, they took nothing with them except the swords in their hands. Even the boundary guards of Kunlun Realm Bureau can't have it. If you want something that can save Dongjun's life, you must ask the Buzhou Mountain Realm Bureau for it. But the Buzhou Mountain Realm Bureau and the Kunlun Realm Bureau have been enemies for tens of thousands of years, how can they be so kind?"
After hearing this, Lu Ren felt as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over his head: "Is there no solution at all?"
Lu Ren felt powerless. He looked at Tushan Qiluo and Li Bei who were drunk and passed out, and thought in his heart: "The creatures in the mountain and sea world love Dongjun so much. If they knew this result, how sad they would be."
But Li Boyang suddenly took charge and looked at Lu Ren seriously: "It's not that I don't have a way. I'm just afraid you won't agree."
After hearing this, Lu Ren instantly regained hope: "What's the solution?"
"The half of the Ghost King Seal in your hand."
"Ghost King Seal?"
"The Ghost King Seal came from the Way of Heaven, and there is a wisp of pure energy from the Way of Heaven attached to it..." Li Boyang explained while secretly observing Lu Ren's reaction.
However, Lu Ren seemed a little impatient and interrupted his narration directly: "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up!"
Li Boyang had planned everything, but he didn't expect Lu Ren to react like this. His unexpected attitude caught Li Boyang off guard: "You didn't even hesitate?"
Lu Ren looked at him strangely: "What's there to hesitate about? It wasn't mine in the first place." He agreed so easily that Li Boyang thought he didn't know the importance of the Ghost King Seal.
"That is the highest authority in the underworld, one of the ten Ghost King Seals bestowed by the Heavenly Dao himself. It controls life and death and can stop reincarnation. Do you know what that means? It is something that many people dream of."
Lu Ren was already urging him: "I know. Hurry up and teach me how to take out the Ghost King Seal."
There is no need to chant a spell to summon the Ghost King Seal, just make a seal with both hands. The seal making method is not difficult, Lu Ren can learn it after reading it once. He even couldn't help thinking while learning: "How come this Ghost King Seal is like unlocking a mobile phone, it can be opened with the right gesture."
Li Boyang reluctantly taught Lu Ren how to make hand seals while mumbling, "I have told you everything I should tell you. Don't blame me if you regret it in the future."
Lu Ren carefully formed seals with his hands, and explained to Li Boyang nonchalantly: "I understand what you said. I just feel that nothing is more precious than the life in front of me. If I give up the opportunity to save Dongjun for this supreme power today, then even if my body can live for ten thousand years, my soul will be trapped in this day forever, and be tortured by guilt for eternity."
A bright flash of spiritual light appeared, and the Ghost King's Seal appeared.
The Ghost King Seal was suspended in Lu Ren's palm. Lu Ren handed the Ghost King Seal to Li Boyang without any hesitation, waiting for Li Boyang to save Dongjun.
However, Li Boyang, who was always carefree, was unusually silent at this moment. He stared at the Ghost King Seal floating on his palm with a serious face. Then , he slowly closed his five fingers.
The Ghost King Seal was thus taken into Li Boyang's hands.
Lu Ren's eyes were filled with shock, and he spent a full half minute digesting the situation. Half a minute later, Lu Ren finally realized that the situation was heading in a direction that he could not control.
After a long time, Lu Ren finally found his voice and asked tremblingly: "What do you mean by this?" He opened his mouth, his voice was incredibly hoarse, and he couldn't even finish a sentence coherently at first.
After hearing Lu Ren's question, Li Boyang finally moved his gaze from his clenched fist to Lu Ren's face. He spoke word by word, "I am from the Buzhou Mountain Realm Division. In order to maintain the balance of the Four Directions Realm Division, I have to snatch this half of the Ghost King Seal. Since I started traveling with you, I have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. Now I finally waited for this opportunity."
The sense of unreality faded away, and Lu Ren had to face the facts before him.
Suddenly, he didn't expect Li Boyang to betray him at this critical moment. Anger surged into Lu Ren's brain: "That's what I want to use to save Dongjun."
"Chaos Fragments!"
As Lu Ren shouted, the chaos fragments above his head rushed straight towards Li Boyang with the force of thunder and overwhelming.
Lu Ren made up his mind: Even if he had to use violence today, he had to get this life-saving thing back.
However, facing the fierce chaos fragments, Li Boyang did not dodge or avoid, but just stood there blankly, and said to Lu Ren calmly: "Then you don't have to worry. Because--"
The Chaos Fragment stopped because a white jade-like hand emerged from the side and grabbed the Chaos Fragment.
It’s Dongjun.
Dong Jun untied the white veil covering his eyes, looked at Lu Ren with a pair of eyes as bright as spring water, and revealed the fact that Lu Ren was most reluctant to hear in a spring-like manner: "Little Ming Jun, I'm sorry."
Li Boyang finished his unfinished words: "Because I have already given him the Nine Revolutions Heaven and Earth Pill."
