The Wheel-Turning Master.

Chapter 165 Wood Demon
After sending Miaomiao away, Lin Bai and Zhu Jianyang sat down to have a detailed talk.

"When did it happen? Was it the day we left Longmenfang?" Lin Bai asked in a low voice.

"I don't know. Gu Fang didn't say it clearly." Zhu Jianyang sighed.

"Where did Gu Fang go?" Lin Bai asked again.

"The funeral invitations were sent to each family, and they have already returned by now." Zhu Jianyang said.

"Just going to pay your respects?" Lin Bai asked again.

"We are vassals, this is as it should be." Zhu Jianyang stroked his beard and whispered, "Maybe there is something else, we will know it only when we go there."

Lin Bai had no choice. Since he had already boarded the Gu family's pirate ship, it would be no harm to go for it. He couldn't help but squeeze out a few tears.

Besides, the death of Yuanying is a big event, especially in this small area of ​​Qiaoshan, it is a bigger matter than the sky, and all families and factions have to go to pay their respects.

It's good to join in the fun and recognize more faces.

The two chatted for a while and then went out together.

The Zhu family was supported by the ancestor of the Gu family. Lin Bai was supported by the Zhu family and had dealings with the Gu family, so he had to go early and not delay.

"Don't cry, right?" Lin Bai asked in a low voice as they returned to Fengming Mountain.

Lin Bai was a country bumpkin. He had buried a person who had established his foundation and cultivated his Qi, but he had never held a funeral for anyone, nor had he participated in a funeral, especially a Nascent Soul funeral.

"..." Zhu Jianyang was stunned for a moment, and said: "According to past practices, when a prestigious and virtuous person dies, people need to pay tribute to him for thirty-three days. As for crying... it seems that it is not necessary. When we get there, we will see what the Gu family will arrange." He smiled and whispered: "You haven't even seen Ancestor Gu, how can you cry?"

It's not that you can't cry for the sake of progress. Lin Bai smiled and said, "If everyone cries, wouldn't it seem like I'm immature if I don't cry?"

"We cultivators are not like ordinary people. We seek to be free and easy. Except for the direct relatives of the Gu family, I'm afraid no one will cry." Zhu Jianyang laughed.

The two of them had clearly lost a great supporter from the Gu family, but they did not seem sad at all. They returned to Fengming Mountain happily, and only then did they put on a bitter face.

"Why did Ancestor Gu go on a journey to immortality?"

In the main hall of Fengming Mountain, the old patriarch Zhu Jiancong was still pounding the ground in agony, tears streaming down his face.

Two other old foundation-building masters were also wiping tears.

Several of them had white hair, and if you didn't know, you would think that they were the elderly sending off the young.

"How long did you cry?" Zhu Jianyang asked.

"I have been crying ever since Gu Fang came to deliver the message." Zhu Yushu said helplessly.

Lin Bai took a look and thought, isn't this someone crying?

"Grandmaster Gu still owes my family a gold..." Before Zhu Jiancong could finish his words, Zhu Yushu immediately stepped forward and covered his mouth.

After making a fuss for a while, Zhu Jianyang and Zhu Yushu persuaded the people to calm down, changed into plain clothes, and then left in a hurry.

Apart from Lin Bai, there were a total of four people from the Zhu family.

The old patriarch Zhu Jiancong is a must-see, Zhu Jianyang and Zhu Yushu are also there, these are the people in power in the Zhu family. There is also Zhu Yuhuan, an elite who is expected to build a foundation.

Go around Xinyifang and head west. Pass Tianchi Sect and Huaqing Sect and continue west.

Along the way, Zhu Jianyang and Zhu Yushu persuaded Zhu Jiancong not to mention anything about the Gu family owing the Zhu family.

Zhu Jiancong was the head of the family after all. His sadness had passed and his mind had become clear again.

After passing several family residences and walking about 500 miles, you will reach the territory of Qiaoshan Sect.

Qiaoshan is both a place name and a mountain name.

From afar, one can see that the mountains and rivers within the Qiaoshan Sect are connected. Among them, there are two thousand-foot-high mountains, which are more than a hundred feet apart and covered with tall green trees. The two are connected by a stone arch, shaped like a sky bridge.

The bridge was shrouded in mist and had a verdant hue, and occasionally cranes could be seen swimming freely.

This spiritual place is of fifth level high and is known as the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land. It is the place where the Grand Master of Qiaoshan Sect, Xiang Laozu, meditated.

After entering the territory of Qiaoshan Sect, people in mourning clothes soon came to greet them.

After the ceremony, the group walked another fifty or sixty miles. They saw a dazzling light and towers appeared before their eyes.

There are no flying birds or flowers or deer, only a sense of solemnity.

When Lin Bai and others got off the flying boat, the Gu family members were already waiting for them.

After Zhu Jianyang dealt with it, the group climbed the stairs and headed towards the main hall of Qiaoshan Sect.

The foundation-building monks were too embarrassed to do so, so they could only walk up the mountain to show their piety.

After climbing thousands of steps to the top of the mountain, there is an open platform with plain tents on both sides, where many monks have gathered.

Further ahead is a golden and jade hall, which is where the Qiaoshan Sect holds ceremonies. It is only opened when a high-level cultivator comes, otherwise only the side halls are usually used.

The old foundation-building deacon who came to greet the guests stepped forward and exchanged etiquette. Then, walking further, he saw a golden elixir from the Gu family talking to the head of the Huaqing sect, with Gu Fang accompanying them.

The leader of the Huaqing sect had received favors from the Gu family's ancestor and was considered a member of the Gu family's power.

"That's Senior Gu Jiuzhong." Zhu Jianyang reminded Zhu Yushu and Lin Bai.

Upon hearing this, Lin Bai and Zhu Yushu looked at each other in tacit understanding.

Previously, because of the incident with Fairy Chenyu, Gu Jiuzhong and Yang family's golden elixir Yang Shaoan had set foot on the Jiuyin Mountain Island. Then the fox threw them into the Wuzhe Conference, which was really indulgent.

Later, when the incident became public, Gu Jiuzhong and Yang Shaoan lost face, and both families lost face, so they were not allowed to go out.

"You are here." Gu Fang walked forward and nodded slightly.

She wore light makeup, her hair was lightly tied up, and no decorations were seen. She was dressed in plain white mourning clothes, and her face had a gloomy look.

After a few brief words, Gu Fang led everyone to the main hall.

After bowing and performing the formalities, he was not even qualified to enter the hall and was taken to the left side hall by Gu Fang.

When I entered the back hall of the side hall, I saw Gu Jinzhen sitting cross-legged.

After not seeing him for just a few days, Gu Jinzhen looked even older, with a messy beard and a sad face.

"When I first met you, I remember you were only in your early twenties." Gu Jinzhen looked at Zhu Jiancong and sighed slightly. "Time flies like a galloping horse, and the sun and moon are like falling flowers and flowing water. I have turned gray in a hurry, and now I have a few days of leisure."

"Senior..." Zhu Jiancong burst into tears.

"Who will be the next head of the family?" asked Gu Jinzhen.

"It's Yushu." Zhu Jiancong choked up.

Zhu Yushu stepped forward and bowed again.

"Okay." Gu Jinzhen nodded slightly, looked at Gu Fang, and reminded her: "When the time comes, you go there and bring Feixue with you. Don't let other families look down on Fengming Mountain."

"Yes." Gu Fang agreed.

"I'm tired." Gu Jinzhen waved his sleeves.

Everyone bowed and left.

When they arrived outside the hall, Gu Fang led the Zhu family to the long shed, chose a spot in the middle, and hung up the Zhu family's sign.

Because the Zhu family has a close relationship with Ancestor Gu, even if the Zhu family does not have the golden elixir, they still have some face and do not have to be at the end.

All members of the Zhu family, including Lin Bai, sat quietly there and watched the ceremony.

"Yushu, since you have been chosen as the head of the family, you should take advantage of these days to get to know people well," Gu Fang advised.

Zhu Yushu bowed and accepted the gesture.

Gu Fang looked at Lin Bai again and said, "I heard that the Yang family has sent you a thank you gift for your hard work at Mianlong Mountain. There is a funeral in my family, and everything is busy and messy. I hope you won't blame me."

"What are you talking about, Sister Fang?" Lin Bai's eyes immediately turned red, and he held Gu Fang's arm tightly. "It's only been a few days since I last saw you, and you've become so thin. Are you still bothered by these trivial matters? I've already forgotten about them!" He was very sincere, and his voice was sad. "Sister Fang, please accept my condolences. Don't be too sad. As for the thank-you gift, I don't care much. I just hope that you can be happier."

Gu Fang smiled when she heard this, "My family never breaks its promises."

"Then pick out some that you like and I will give them to you later." Lin Bai was shameless.

"You are just a stubborn person." Gu Fang shook her head helplessly, "Feixue repeatedly said that you are a sincere person and asked me to prepare a thank-you gift. How can I neglect it?"

As she spoke, she patted Lin Bai's hand gently and said, "Take a good rest here. I'll go and entertain the guests."

Lin Bai watched Gu Fang leave reluctantly.

"Doesn't Senior Yun have a Taoist partner?" Zhu Yuhuan asked in a low voice.

Zhu Jianyang patted Zhu Yuhuan on the shoulder and smiled without saying anything.

Zhu Yushu stared at Lin Bai blankly, unable to speak.

"I feel relieved that Miaomiao has someone like this as her master." Zhu Jiancong held Zhu Jianyang, feeling quite emotional.

"That's right." Zhu Jianyang smiled.

Zhu Jiancong pulled Lin Bai aside again and asked him some gossip. He also pulled Zhu Yushu over to ask him to learn about Lin Bai's shamelessness.

After chatting for a while, Gu Feixue and Gu Yao came over.

After everyone exchanged greetings and chatted for a while, Lin Bai quickly took out Yang Shu's gift.

"Senior Brother Yang asked me to pass this on to you. He said it's the Jade Toad Cream, which will be good for you." Lin Bai held the exquisite gift box in his hand.

"I don't want his things." Gu Feixue immediately refused.

"Brother Yang means well." Lin Bai was too lazy to talk nonsense, and just pretended to be concerned and said, "Is your injury okay?"

"It will be well after a few years of nursing." Gu Feixue said.

"You need to treat me to a drink then." Lin Bai said with a smile.

Gu Feixue smiled and nodded.

The two of them completely forgot that this was the time for a sacrifice.

Lin Bai stopped talking nonsense, took back Yang Shu's gift, took out another gift box and gave it to Gu Yao.

"Senior Sister Yang Bing asked me to give it to you." Lin Bai said politely.

"What did that bitch give me?" Although Gu Yao said she was disgusted, she accepted it immediately.

"Brother Yun, do you have any hobbies?" Gu Feixue suddenly asked.

Are you convinced by me? While thinking whether to eat this gigolo, Lin Bai immediately said, "I am content with poverty and happiness. I usually just make pills, teach my disciples, and occasionally drink with friends to cultivate my temperament. I wonder if Senior Sister Gu has..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhu Jianyang poked him in the back.

What's going on? Lin Bai turned his head to look at Zhu Jianyang, only to see him nodding slightly with deep meaning. They were old acquaintances, and Lin Bai immediately realized that he had been too pretentious this time and had misunderstood Gu Feixue's meaning, so he quickly changed his words and said, "But if I talk about my hobbies, it's writing. I usually like to practice calligraphy and calm my mind. Last time, I saw the calligraphy left by Yuanying Senior Chen in Fengming Mountain, and I liked it very much. I copied it for several days, and I became even more impressed by that Senior Chen."

"Senior Chen is the celestial being that sword practitioners like me have been dreaming of. The words he left behind also contain the spirit of sword." Gu Feixue said.

"That's right." Lin Bai nodded. "I live in the Jiang family and make pills. Although Fengming Mountain is not far away, I am not afraid of traveling to see Senior Chen's handwriting. I just hope to take a look at it from time to time."

Gu Feixue nodded and asked no more questions.

After a few more words of nonsense, Gu Feixue and Gu Yao left.

"Can she understand what I say?" Lin Bai asked Zhu Jianyang in a low voice.

"It's okay. She is actually quite simple. What you said is just right and she can understand. You just need to prepare to receive the gift." Zhu Jianyang smiled.

After a day, various families and sects in the Qiaoshan area came to pay tribute.

Yue Fengshu, the general affairs director of Qiaoshan sect, together with Gu Jinzhen, Gu Jiuchong, Yang Shaoan, Cheng Jin and Wu Jindan came to welcome the guests.

As for the foundation-building sect, Gu Fang and Gu Yao from the Gu family came to welcome them.

The Zhu family was only at the foundation-building stage and couldn't really make it to the front, so Zhu Jianyang introduced the guests to Zhu Yushu and Lin Bai and gave them some advice.

Of the four Jindan sects in Qiaoshan, Huaqing Sect is the power of the Gu family and has arrived early. The leader of Tianchi Sect is from the line of the Supreme Leader and is on good terms with Yue Fengshu.

There is also the Qinglian Sect, which is the power of the Cheng family; and the Bishui Valley, which has a long history with the Yang family.

Among the Jindan families, the Chunyu family is on good terms with the Yang family. The head of the Jiang family, Jiang Xingchi, has a close relationship with the Supreme Sect Leader and is also on good terms with the Yang family.

The Shang family is a faction of the Cheng family, and the two golden elixirs of the Tian family are supported by the Gu family.

However, the various Jindan sects and family forces in Qiaoshan are intertwined, and it is impossible to determine who is the vassal of whom. Unlike the Zhu family, no one wants it except the Gu family.

The Jindan family is still easy to deal with, but there are often factions within the Jindan sects, which is truly a case of small temples being home to many evil spirits.

In the past, the Qiaoshan Sect, together with other Jindan sects and families, founded the Xinyifang. In fact, there were more than four sects and four families.

There is also the Liu family, but they are now indistinguishable from the crowd. Their golden elixir has been cut off from generation to generation, and now they are just a foundation-building family. The shares of Xinyifang have been divided equally among the eight families, and most of the spiritual land has been given away.

This is also the reason why the Zhu family clung to the Gu family. Without the protection of the Nascent Soul, even in the peaceful Qiaoshan, there would be incidents of people's wealth and land being taken away, but it would not be too outrageous.

But no matter what, the forces in the Qiaoshan area are all vassals of the Qiaoshan Sect. Therefore, this time, the sects and clans in the Qiaoshan area are all headed, and after the worship, they have to wait until the 33rd day to complete the ceremony.

This is the face of the Yuanying of Qiaoshan Sect. If it were the Golden Core that fell, there would be no need to perform the sacrifice.

Zhu Jianyang took the trouble to tell the visitors their origins one by one.

Lin Bai listened attentively and met many acquaintances.

Chunyu Tao, the golden elixir of the Chunyu family, brought Chunyu Tong to pay homage, and Jiang Xingchi of the Jiang family came with Jiang Xiaobai.

Liu Tianhe from the Tianchi Sect also came, bringing with him two younger generations who had established their foundation.

"My ancestor wants to see you." Jiang Xiaobai came up to Lin Bai with a sullen face.

"What's the matter?" Lin Bai slept with someone else's golden elixir seedling, and felt a little scared of Jiang Xingchi.

"I don't know either." Jiang Xiaobai said.

There was no choice but to go. Anyway, there were people everywhere, so Jiang Xingchi couldn't say anything, let alone take action.

Walking along the long shed, we arrived at the Jiang family’s land, and saw the head of the Jiang family, Jiang Xingchi.

He looked to be about fifty years old, with a short beard, a thin body and a dignified appearance.

"Yun Zhonghe greets Senior Jiang." Lin Bai bowed.

After taking a careful look, Jiang Xingchi said with a smile: "You have trained your body to be like a crane. There is "crane" in your name, so you should soar into the sky and break the clouds and fog." His voice was low, but his eyes did not show spirit.

"..." Lin Bai didn't understand what this late Jindan cultivator meant.

The affair was discovered? Lin Bai felt nothing in his heart and didn't know what to say.

"Go ahead." Jiang Xingchi waved his hand gently and closed his eyes.

Lin Bai had no choice but to leave, and Jiang Xiaobai followed.

After finding a place to hide from people, Lin Bai asked, "What does your ancestor mean?"

"How should I know?" Jiang Xiaobai shook his head.

After all, the two of them were on someone else's territory, so they didn't dare to say too much.

"Could it be that you know that I secretly made elixirs for you?" Lin Bai hinted.

"Probably not." Jiang Xiaobai didn't care much and looked around. "Gu Fang arranged a place for me to live. It's very quiet. Do you want to go and have a seat?"

Sister, Yuanying is holding a funeral! Lin Bai immediately refused, "The Gu family has been very kind to me, I will be vigil day and night!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

"Why are you pretending!" Jiang Xiaobai said disdainfully.

After returning to the long tent, Yang Shu and Yang Huan also arrived after a while.

After returning the gift box that Gu Feixue refused to accept, Yang Shu was stunned and remained silent.

"I know you are sad. Why don't you go have a drink with me? It will help you relieve your sadness." Sister Huanhuan invited.

Lin Bai smacked his lips and ruthlessly pushed it away.

Three days later, Po Yunzi of Yunxia Sect came with his disciples to pay homage, and Yue Fengshu came to greet them personally.

Sun Fu, the Golden Elixir Master of Jiuyin Mountain, also came with his relatives.

They were just a group of pretty girls, quite coquettish, which made boss Gu Jinzhen unhappy.

"Brother Sun, this is our family's ancestral ceremony, you need to discipline your disciples!" Gu Jiuzhong was unhappy.

"In the past Wuzha Conference, you only asked me who was the most coquettish, but today you are complaining? You and I are in the same sect, there is no need to pretend! This is how I am as a disciple of Jiuyin Mountain! I never pretend!" Sun Fu said.

Gu Jiuzhong was speechless and his face turned pale and purple. Yue Fengshu came to rescue him.

Po Yunzi was smiling beside him, looking like he was having a lot of fun.

Lin Bai saw Senior Sister Meng Yuan, who also looked over. She nodded slightly, indicating that she would talk later.

After waiting until Po Yunzi and his companions from the Yunxia Sect had finished their ceremony, Po Yunzi went inside to talk with Yue Fengshu and the others, but Meng Yuan came over.

After greeting several people from the Zhu family, Lin Bai took her to find a quiet place, ignoring Jiang Xiaobai's gaze.

"Why didn't Qu Ruyi come?" Lin Bai asked curiously.

"I'm still talking about it." Meng Yuan smiled, "You know that Master Qu has a grudge against Fairy Chen Yu, right? But Xiu Xiu is favored by Fairy Chen Yu, so Master Qu is not very happy about it, so he naturally finds trouble with Ruyi, saying that Ruyi has led Xiu Xiu astray, and now Ruyi is punished to be confined."

"..." Lin Bai didn't know what to say.

"This is for you." Meng Yuan took out a letter. "Ruyi asked me to give it to you. She wrote it piece by piece. You must cherish it."

Who doesn't write letters one stroke at a time? Lin Bai took the letter and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Senior Sister."

"It's just a small matter. Do you want a reply?" Meng Yuan acted like a senior sister. "We will be back soon. I saw Ruyi was scratching her head, so I knew she missed you very much."

Lin Bai wanted to reply immediately, but after hearing this, he waved his hand and said, "Let's talk about it another day."

The two were chatting casually when they heard the receptionist announce that it was the Daoyin Sect's leader's first disciple who came with his followers to pay homage.

Previously, Zhu Jianyang had obtained the words left by the Yuanying, which were written by the head of the Daoyin Sect. The head was called Chen Zhiyuan. When he was building the foundation, he was known as the best in building the foundation, and when he was in the Jindan stage, he was known as the best in the Jindan stage. After he became the Yuanying, although no one called him the best, he was still known as a celestial being, and was recognized by the world as a sword immortal.

His first disciple was a young golden elixir named Mo Yingcheng.

Yue Fengshu, the general affairs director of Qiaoshan Sect, and other golden elixirs came out to greet them. Even Po Yunzi of Yunxia Sect and Sun Fu of Jiuyin Mountain also saluted and greeted them sincerely.

Everyone was not respecting Mo Yingcheng, but the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator behind him.

"My master was invited to travel far away last time. Please forgive me." Mo Yingcheng was a gentleman. He bowed and apologized sincerely.

When his master Chen Zhiyuan was in the Jindan stage, he had dealings with Zhu's Jindan and also had an old relationship with Gu Qingshan.

Mo Yingcheng was invited into the hall to talk, and the people outside started talking about Chen Jianxian again.

This went on for more than a month, but not a single Nascent Soul appeared.

I had heard before that this Old Ancestor Gu was good at making friends, and he helped many younger generations, and he was also on good terms with a group of Nascent Souls.

But now it seems that after his death, Gu Qingshui's new Nascent Soul can no longer support the old feelings. The Nascent Souls of Yunxia Sect and Jiuyin Mountain have not arrived, and even the Nascent Soul of Qiaoshan Sect has not shown up.

On the thirty-third day, the pressure from the Nascent Soul descended, and Gu Qingshui turned into water.

A high platform was built in front of the main hall, and after half a day of preaching, the ceremony was completed.

The people in Qiaoshan, who had been sitting in silence for more than a month, received the order and were about to scatter like birds and beasts when they suddenly heard the sound of cicadas.

Although the cicada's chirping is low, it seems continuous.

Then, a black cicada was seen floating towards Gu Qingshui, flapping its wings a few times, and dispersing into a black shadow.

The shadow condensed into a human, an old man with black hair.

All the people watching the ceremony bowed.

“I heard that my old friend passed away, so I came here to pay my respects.” After saying this, the phantom old man shook his head and bowed towards the hall.

At this point, a Nascent Soul finally came to participate in the ceremony, although the real body had not yet arrived.

"My old friend's old injury has not healed yet?" The illusory figure looked at Gu Qingshui.

Gu Qingshui frowned and said nothing.

"Besides me, who else would come?" the phantom figure asked again.

Gu Qingshui remained silent.

The wood demon sighed, looked up at the sky, and said, "Life is short like a spring dream, and human feelings are thin like autumn clouds."

At this moment, clouds and mist rolled over the distant Immortal Bridge Blessing. There was no pressure from the Nascent Soul, but there was a sense of vastness.

"Thousands of years of ups and downs, all passed by like a dream." A leisurely voice came from the high bridge, "When the Tao does not exist, everything ends. Wood demon, please come up to the bridge and talk!"

"How dare you disobey!"

The shadow of the wood demon looked around at everyone, glanced at Lin Bai once more, then turned into a black cicada and headed towards the blessed land of Xianqiao.

(End of this chapter)