This Damned Thirst for Survival

Lian Xue went up and knocked on the door, and after a few moments a Disciples opened it. He was about fifteen years old and, unsurprised by the arrival of the group, said calmly, “Brothers and sisters, please come in with me. The Taoist Master is waiting for you inside.”

Disciples led them through the door of the house, and soon afterwards they found Taoist Master Wei He sitting in the quiet room, waiting.

Daoist Master Wei He was over fifty years old and had a few deep frown marks on his brow, he looked like a serious and upright elder. When he saw that Lian Xue had returned safely, the look on his face eased a little as he looked the three of them back and forth, “The news came from down the mountain a few days ago that you had run up the mountain when the snow stopped, but the blizzard came right after. I don’t know how many people were worried about you in the last few days, but it’s a good thing you all arrived in one piece, otherwise I would have been nagged half to death by your master and uncle.”

Lian Qiang said with a smile, “Uncle, if you are worried about us, just say so.”

“Why am I worried about you bastards,” Taoist Master Wei He blew his beard and glared, “I told you that I would not come down from the mountain during those days, but you could not wait patiently at the bottom of the mountain?”

As he said this, he looked at Jiang Luo a few times.

Jiang Luo was still in the throes of the thrill and excitement of poking the evil spirits who liked him, and when he noticed the sight of Daoist Master Wei He, he managed to calm his upper brain down quickly and recall Daoist Master Wei He’s words.

When Taoist Master Wei He was on retreat in the back of the mountain, he originally said that he would come down after a week. But a week later there was an inexplicable delay of three days, and when the three days arrived, a snowstorm came and the mountain was blocked by snow.

The time difference was too coincidental; Lian Xue’s three men were not in the habit of reading the heavens, but could it be that Daoist Master Wei He, the Lian family’s mountain-holding stone, had not predicted this blizzard as well?

Jiang Luo is inclined to think that he predicted it.

He had predicted this but deliberately delayed going down the mountain, and it was clear that Wei He did not want to get involved in Jiang Luo’s tainted affairs. He had taken advantage of the heavy snow to avoid going down the mountain, only to find that Lian Xue had taken them up the mountain at his own risk.

If Jiang Luo and the others had not gone up the mountain, they would not have come across the wooden cottage and therefore would not have entered the world of mirrors.

But there is another possibility, Jiang Luo thinks differently.

Does Master Wei He not know Lian Xue’s character? What would Lian Xue do if she became anxious when he did not come down from the back of the mountain, and would anyone who knew her well not be able to guess?

When you think of it this way, it looks like they were lured up the mountain instead.

Jiang Luo did not know which was the case with Daoist Master Wei He, but he was certain that the snowstorm and the mirror formation in the villa were most likely related to Daoist Master Wei He.

Even if he didn’t do it, there’s a good chance he knows something about it.

Perhaps Lian Xue …… is not so innocent.

After all these thoughts, Jiang Luo’s face was still smiling, and no one could tell that he was already suspicious of the Wei He and even Lian Xue people present.

Lian Xue briefly described the accident they had encountered on the way and pointed to Duan Zi who had been placed on a chair and collapsed, “Uncle, after they died in the mirror world, they couldn’t wake up in reality. Apart from them, Lian Bing was also badly injured in the mirror. There is also Feng Tian Shi’s disciple ……”

Lian Xue turned to Jiang Luo who shook his head and said modestly, “Let’s look at the badly injured people first.”

The frown on his brow eased a little at Wei He’s words, and Jiang Luo seemed to have a kind and friendly temper, which gave him some peace of mind.

He was relieved to know that he had a clear conscience. Daoist Master Wei He got up and took the pulses of Duan Zi one by one. He pondered for a long time and his face grew heavy, “Their condition is not good. Lian Qiang, take the two children and take them to the pharmacy first, I will come back later to take a closer look.”

Lian Qiang led the way and carried them out. Li Xiao, worried about her classmates, followed her out of the quiet room.

Taoist Master Wei He gave Lian Bing another look, “Go soak in the holy water, you need to soak for at least seventy-seven to forty-nine days to recuperate.”

Lian Bing said sarcastically, “Uncle, what took you so long?”

“It takes a long time to recuperate from injuries, your soul body was bitten off half of its body, now it’s good that you can stand up, and you still think it’s taking too long?” Daoist Wei He’s voice turned high, “Go and soak!”

Lian Bing hurriedly rolled out and Jiang Luo was the only patient left in the quiet room.

Daoist Master Wei He looked at him for a moment before Lian Xue interjected, “Uncle, Brother Jiang Luo has come here to cleanse himself of his defilements. I once told the Master of Heaven that he would be able to restore Brother to his original state in a month, but now, there are only ten days left in the month, what can we do?”

“There is no need to hurry,” Taoist Master Wei He led them both outside, “his master will be on the mountain in two days, and there is no need to dwell on the one-month deadline.”

Jiang Luo was a little surprised, “My master?”

“Yes, your Master,” Taoist Master Wei He spoke with a twist, “Lian Xue , you go and see your Master first.”

Lian Xue gave Jiang Luo a worried glance and obediently stopped in her tracks, “Yes.”

Daoist Master Wei He led Jiang Luo out of the mansion and towards the back of the courtyard. Jiang Luo watched his every footstep, making sure that his steps were precisely in Daoist Master Wei He’s footprints, lest he fall into some formation trap.

At the rear of the quadrangle is a dry and bald copse of trees, from time to time a heavy snowfall falls from the branches.

Jiang Luo followed Taoist Master Wei He for a short while before he noticed that the snow, which was a brick thick beneath his feet, was gradually thinning out, and a few dozen steps further on, the snowflakes were gone, and tiny soft grasses came into view in the wet mud.

The withered branches sprouted in spring. It was as if we were walking from winter to late spring, until we reached a pool of hot water with white mist, when Taoist Master Wei He stopped and said, “Tianbi Pond water is divided into two springs, the big one in the ancestral house, which flows cold and clear. The smaller one is deep in the mountain and flows from a hot spring. Your brother Lian Bing soaks in his room in the hot spring carried over from here. Lian Xue says that the filth is thick on you, so go down and let me see how bad it can be.”

Jiang Luo politely declined: “That’s not very nice.”

Although he would have liked to take a dip in the hot spring, Jiang Luo was afraid that he would not be able to leave Lianjia if he directly blackened the spring.

This meaning of his was plainly on his face, and Daoist Master Wei He naturally saw it. The fifty-odd year old laughed loudly and said with a touch of pride, “Go ahead and go down, this little spring will definitely not be stained by you.”

Now that he’s said that, fine.

Jiang Luo shrugged, dropped his things, took off his heavy clothes and went down to the spring in just a thin jumper.

As the heat hits him, the spring is right up to Jiang Luo’s waist, and he finds a place to sit, leaving only his shoulders above the water, and sighs in comfort.

The pools at Tianbi Pond are warm enough to bring spring flowers to the area they flow through, but they don’t change the winter temperature. Jiang Luo’s body was relieved of its aches and pains by a hot bath in this vibrant environment in the middle of winter.

He used his palms to disperse the fog that filled the water and began to watch the changes in the water.

The Taoist priest Wei He, standing by the shore, was also watching.

But he wasn’t too worried. Although the small spring eye is only the size of a kitchen, it is much more powerful than the large one.

The reason why the elders of the Lian family like to retreat in the back of the mountain is because of this small spring pond. Taoist Master Wei He has spent many years on the mountain and is well aware of the effectiveness of the small spring. Even if he throws twenty people infested with evil spirits into the spring at the same time, the Xiaoquan Pond will cleanse them of all their filth within a quarter of an hour, as long as they can stand.

It is no exaggeration to say that Taoist Master Wei He feels that there is no person on earth who cannot be cleansed by Xiaoquan Pond.

In addition to washing away the dirt, the water from the small spring has a more important function, which is to wash away the greed and lust of man layer by layer.

Whenever you have finished soaking in Xiaoquan Pond, you will feel clearer, more relaxed and less desirous. It is also easy to let go of the anger and dissatisfaction that has been building up in your mind. If you continue to soak for a long time, you will be able to achieve the “no desire, no want” that even the family seeks.

Daoist Wei He wandered off slightly, but when he looked back into the pool again, he couldn’t help but stare in disbelief, saying, “How is this possible!”

In the crystal clear spring, a circle of pure black filth slowly spills out from Jiang Luo’s side. Xiaoquan Pond did not dissolve the black filth, but was instead eaten up by it, and in a moment, to the astonishment of Daoist Master Wei He, half of the spring was swallowed up.

Taoist Master Wei He couldn’t believe his eyes and murmured, “How is this possible …… This is Tianbi Pond water, but a small spring ……”

The black water whale swallowed the tiger, not slowing down in the least because it was water from a small spring.

Jiang Luo coughed twice in embarrassment, and seeing that Taoist Master Wei He’s hands were shaking with anger, he volunteered, “Taoist Master, shall I better go out of the spring pool?”

Taoist Master Wei He took a deep breath as he waved a large hand and stared intently at the pool, “Don’t move, keep soaking, at least for a quarter of an hour.”

After waiting fifteen minutes, Taoist Master Wei He looked at the spring, which had become so black that there was not a ripple, and had nothing more to say: “……”

His beard shivered, Yu Guang saw the opposite side but suddenly froze and suddenly calmed down, “Here you are, Fatal Man.”

Jiang Luo followed his gaze.

In the midst of the greenery, the fatalist, covered in a layer of white snow, slowly approached, his skin so pale that one could easily see the bruised veins beneath it, but Jiang Luo had never seen these on the fatalist’s body.

The host’s long hair, eyebrows and eyelashes were also so white that they were almost a snowman, and the pupils of his eyes almost lost their colour when he looked up at people.

He doesn’t look like a person.

The fatalist walked to the spring and looked down at a pool of black water.

The heat is so intense around him that Jiang Luo almost feels as if he will melt in the hot water.

The Fatalist is even here?

Isn’t he supposed to be in Tian Shifu?

Taoist Master Wei He sighed, ashamed, “A quarter of an hour, and this water is like this.”

Jiang Luo himself felt that he was even more filthy than he had been at the bottom of the mountain.

In the barrels at the bottom of the hill, he was also able to blacken a barrel of clear water in fifteen minutes. By the time it was the turn of this larger spring pool, it was also no more than fifteen minutes.

The water has become more, but the time has not changed much.

The predestined man nods gently.

He was dressed in a white daoist robe, as if he could follow the wind when it came. Jiang Luo did not know what he was going to do, but the next moment the fatalist raised his step and stepped gently into the dark spring.

Immediately, Taoist Master Wei He said, “The Fatalist!”

The predestined man said, “No harm done.”

He went completely under the water.

The Predestined Man’s movements caused the black water to ripple and the finely fluctuating pool of spring water began to sway from his waist side. The Fatal Man looks up at Jiang Luo and walks slowly towards him.

Jiang Luo’s whole body muscles involuntarily tensed and his guard rose instinctively.

Half of the predestined man’s robe was wet with water, but he did not care.

As he walked, the sewage around him suddenly began to purify, and it instantly receded from black to a clear, transparent hue.

With every step he took towards Jiang Luo, the clear water followed him rapidly to purify the black water, and by the end of the day, only the black water at Jiang Luo’s side was still lingering.

The predestined man has come up to Jiang Luo.

He held out his hand to Jiang Luo, the light pupils that seemed to hide the vicissitudes of the sea held a gentle smile as he said, “Come.”

Jiang Luo’s fingers twitched underwater for a moment, then he lifted his hand with a smile and placed it in the hand of his host.

The moment their hands touched, Jiang Luo’s fingers blackened the water droplets left in the Fatalist’s hand. The Fatalist looks down and closes his grip on Jiang Luo’s hand.

In a flash, from the tips of Jiang Luo’s fingers, every drop of blackened water on the youth’s body quickly became clean and transparent, and in the blink of an eye, not a single drop of blackened water could be seen in the pool.

Jiang Luo’s eyes flickered and suddenly became reverent and admiring as he volunteered, “You are amazing.”

The Fatalist laughed and said, “This is nothing.”

He dropped Jiang Luo’s hand, his face condensed with droplets of water from the mist, and the sense of distance so far away that it was unreachable was abruptly drawn in, even making the host look a little softer, as he said, “Come into the middle of the pool.”

Jiang Luo obeyed him and walked to the middle of the pool.

The fatalist leaves the pool, and the moment he does so, the black water rises again from Jiang Luo’s body. The fatalist raises his hand, his long, slender fingers dangling. A bead of blood spills from the tip of his middle finger on his left hand and drips into the pool of water.

The Tianbi Pond, which was powerless against the black water, began to devour and purify the filth from Jiang Luo’s body as if it had unlimited strength.