The elderly woman slowly leaned her smooth, polished wooden crutch against the tree trunk.
Hunching her thin frame, she slowly sat down on the cool stone bench beneath the tree.
Slowly, she raised her hands, which were covered in age spots and crisscrossed with prominent veins, and rested them on her knees. She tilted her head up slightly, her cloudy yet gentle eyes gazing toward the drifting clouds rolling across the distant horizon.
Memories long buried deep in her mind slowly surged forward, carried by the evening breeze.
“I grew up here. Spirit Turtle Village is just a small village on the outskirts of Peach Blossom County... That year...”
Her old, raspy voice slowly rang out, carrying the gentle warmth of years gone by, yet also bearing the hollow, dazed quality unique to those in their twilight years. It drifted lightly on the wind, casting a faint heaviness over the hearts of those who listened.
The elderly woman's life was full of hardships that would make anyone sigh with pity.
She lost her mother at a young age, and her father later remarried. Although her new stepmother was mild-tempered and did not mistreat her—ensuring she was well-fed and clothed—there was never any genuine affection between them. In the end, they remained distant strangers.
In her middle years, the husband who had walked by her side suddenly passed away, leaving her to support their precarious household all on her own.
By the time her hair turned white with age, her only two children had also passed away before her, leaving her to suffer the ultimate sorrow of outliving her offspring.
A few years ago, her husband's eldest brother and sister-in-law also fell ill and died one after another, leaving her with almost no living relatives in the world.
Fortunately, the nephew left behind by her brother-in-law and sister-in-law was kind-hearted. Remembering their past bonds, he often came by to look after her and help with chores, bringing a small sliver of comfort to her lonely life.
Now, she had no lingering attachments. She lived off the modest rent collected from her properties, free from worries about food and clothing. Her days were peaceful and leisurely, far from impoverished.
Yet no matter how stable her life was, it could not fill the empty void in her heart.
The people who had accompanied her through the various stages of her life—her mother, husband, children, and close elders—had all departed for the Yellow Springs before her, leaving her trapped alone in the mortal world, living only in her memories.
Most of the neighbors here knew of the elderly woman's tragic past.
Whenever they saw her lonely figure sitting alone beneath the tree, everyone would sigh with pity. No one ever dared to disturb her casually, let alone gossip about her.
Her life was already bitter enough; why rub salt into her wounds?
After Senior Brother Lu and the other made a few trips back and forth, the group had washed practically everything in the elderly woman's house that needed washing.
As Liu Qingqing helped her back, Jiang Lu followed behind holding the wooden basin. Watching the two walk side by side, she actually felt a profound sense of peace and tranquility.
For a moment, Jiang Lu was dazed, feeling as though she had returned to her past life, volunteering in the countryside.
She smiled faintly, hugging the wooden basin as she jogged to catch up, while Lu Lingfeng and Xi Siyu followed behind, each carrying two wooden buckets filled with clothes.
The next day.
“Junior Sister Lu, is Little Junior Sister still next door?”
After sending Mu Qiu away, Lu Lingfeng quietly slipped over to Jiang Lu's side, looking quite curious.
Taking in their subtle interactions, Jiang Lu let out a helpless sigh. Her expression remained peaceful as she replied warmly,
“She is. If you two senior brothers have nothing to do, there's no need to stay here. Why not wander around the area and take in the sights of the mortal world? It would make this trip worthwhile.”
Yet as soon as the words left her mouth, the two waved their hands in unison, declining without a second thought. “Ah... there's no need for us to do that.”
They had long since grown accustomed to quiet cultivation and seeking the Dao; the bustling excitement of the mortal world held absolutely no appeal for them.
Seeing their reluctance, Jiang Lu did not press the matter further.
On the other side of Peach Blossom County.
A man rushed inside, bowing his head deeply. He kept his voice extremely low, though it still carried an undeniable anxiety:
“Young master, disaster has struck! Prince Qi has officially raised his banner in rebellion and sent orders in all directions. He has commanded us to immediately gather our troops and rush to the front lines to join him without any delay.”
Mu Qiu, who had seemed relatively calm just moments before, darkened instantly. A shadow fell over his eyes, and the air around him grew freezing cold.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The anxiety and anger built up in his heart could no longer be contained.
He raised his hand and slammed his fist heavily onto the solid wooden table beside him.
Bang—
A dull, heavy crash resounded through the room.
The table shook slightly, causing the teacups on it to rattle.
The messenger immediately lowered his head further, not daring to meet his gaze.
With dark eyes and a cold, resolute tone that brooked no argument, Mu Qiu ordered, “In that case, we set out immediately for the provincial capital! There is no need to hide anything. Deliver the orders exactly as they are!”
He then led his men through the night to the provincial capital to gather their forces.
As for those four, it wasn't that he hadn't tried to make a move against them in secret over the past few days.
However, though the few men he sent had been fortunate enough to keep their lives, their minds had been severely shattered by some invisible power. They spent their days in a state of chaotic madness, muttering nonsense repeatedly.
Because of this, he did not dare to make another move lightly. There were many extraordinary individuals in Prince Qi's Manor; perhaps they could help him find the answers he sought.
Jiang Lu had originally assumed that if the various vassal kings rebelled, the flames of war would inevitably spread outward from the imperial capital, and the north would fall into chaos first.
She had never expected that the catalyst for this nationwide turmoil would defy expectations and rise first from the south.
Even more worrying was that ever since they set foot in the southern territory, the sky had not cleared for even half a day.
Torrential rain poured relentlessly day and night. Fertile fields were flooded, river levels rose sharply, and muddy waters and waterlogging were everywhere.
Gazing at the mud and puddles beneath their horses' hooves, and looking at the precarious villages shrouded in the misty rain in the distance,
Xi Siyu's brow furrowed with deep worry. He turned to Jiang Lu beside him and asked softly,
“Junior Sister Jiang, ever since we entered this region, the torrential rain has continued day and night without any sign of stopping. Since we possess cultivation... should we cast a spell to stop this downpour? If this continues, the countless commoners of the south will surely be plunged into the misery of a devastating flood.”
Jiang Lu stared at the endless curtain of rain, her brow furrowed tightly.
Ordinary torrential rain had wind and momentum, falling and clearing in accordance with the natural order. But this rain was different.
She had sensed something unusual the moment she stepped into the rain, yet her initial investigations had revealed nothing out of the ordinary.
Now, the entire world was enveloped in a cold, stagnant deathly energy, devoid of any of the vitality of natural weather.
Perhaps she needed to investigate further.
With her mind made up, Jiang Lu immediately gathered her focus and calmed her breathing. Her slender, pale fingers moved rapidly as she began to calculate, spiritual energy flowing through them. Complex and mysterious hand seals for technique deduction flew between her fingertips.
The other three noticed that a layer of white light now enveloped Jiang Lu's body, with countless runes faintly leaping within it.
A faint, spiritual glow slowly lit up between her brows. A soft white light soared into the sky, reaching toward the layers of dark clouds stacked overhead, meticulously probing the abnormal trajectories of spiritual energy between heaven and earth.
In an instant, countless chaotic networks of spiritual energy were mapped out in her perception.
She snapped her eyes open. The gentle peace in her clear eyes had vanished, replaced by a surging rage and a deep, cold killing intent.
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