Li Juntang’s expression was grim. Not daring to linger, he quickly led his men to retreat into a safer area.
Only after they had distanced themselves from
that sinister place did everyone finally let out a long breath of relief.
As the saying goes, tug a single thread and the
whole web quivers --- just one soldier touching a single flower had set off
such a violent chain reaction. It was truly terrifying.
At this moment, Li Juntang and his men finally
understood:
This dazzling, colorful scenery was in fact
filled with deadly peril.
“Rest here. Remain on guard at all times,” Li
Juntang ordered, leaning on his sword as he caught his breath. The wound on his
back was soaked with sweat, stinging so badly that his vision nearly went dark.
He motioned for two personal guards to keep
watch while he leaned against a tree trunk to recover.
In just a few short minutes earlier, they had
lost more than a dozen skilled men. The loss gnawed at his heart.
The medics were busy bandaging the wounded.
When medicinal powder was sprinkled on lacerations left by the vines, white
smoke rose instantly, causing the injured men to grit their teeth and grimace
in pain.
“Your Highness, look over there!”
A soldier suddenly pointed to the distance.
Everyone followed his gaze and saw, deep within
a mist-covered valley, a thin wisp of bluish-gray smoke slowly rising. It
stretched into a long line within the damp air.
This smoke was unlike the fleeting, drifting
smoke of mortal households. Instead, it carried a steady, ancient rhythm, as
though it had lingered there since time immemorial.
“Smoke?” Li Juntang straightened at once, the
pain of his wound forgotten in an instant.
Penglai Island was a celestial land --- it was
only natural for immortals to dwell here. That smoke must surely be a sign of
an immortal’s abode!
His eyes lit up with wild joy. Suddenly, all
their losses seemed worthwhile.
“Form ranks!” Li Juntang raised his sword and
pointed toward the rising smoke. “Maintain vigilance --- follow me to pay
respects to the immortal!”
The soldiers tightened their grip on their
weapons, their exhaustion replaced by excitement.
If they could obtain immortal elixirs, what did
pain and wounds matter?
The troop followed a winding brook. The plants
along the way grew calmer --- the animated ferns shrank to the roadside, the
vines hung limp like ordinary branches, as though cowed by some unseen force.
After passing through a thicket laden with
clusters of purple fruits, they suddenly found themselves before a verdant
bamboo grove. The bamboo soared ten zhang high, faint golden light glimmering
from each joint. When the leaves brushed together, they rang with clear tones, like
jade beads falling upon a tray.
Deep within the bamboo, they glimpsed the faint
outline of a bluish-gray roof. From there, the smoke was drifting upward.
“Slow your steps,” Li Juntang signaled,
softening his own stride. He straightened his bloodstained robes, trying his
best to appear respectful.
Down the narrow path through the grove, a small
courtyard enclosed by bamboo fencing appeared. Pale-blue morning glory vines
climbed the fence, their petals still jeweled with dew.
At the center of the yard stood a swing, its
ropes tied to two thick bamboo stalks. A child in a coarse short tunic sat upon
it, swaying back and forth.
The child looked no older than five, with hair
tied into twin topknots. His skin was white as jade, his bare feet pressed
against the swing’s plank, his black, bright eyes gazing up at the sky as he
hummed an off-key nursery tune.
In the courtyard, coarse linen clothes hung
drying, and a half basket of freshly picked wild fruits sat in a corner.
Everything looked utterly ordinary, yet suffused with an indescribable
serenity.
Li Juntang’s heart stirred. A child dwelling in
such a celestial place… could this be an immortal’s disciple?
He approached quietly, bowed with clasped
hands, and spoke as gently as he could: “I am Li Juntang, who has strayed into
this immortal isle. May I ask, young one --- does an immortal reside here?”
The child kept swaying on the swing, not even
lifting his eyelids, as though he had not heard.
Li Juntang endured, and asked again, his tone
even more deferential: “If you know where the immortal dwells, young one,
please tell us. We would sincerely bow and beg for an audience.”
This time, the child finally reacted --- but
only with a faint hum through his nose, still staring at the drifting
clouds.
Behind him, Commander Zhang could no longer
contain his fury. His left arm was burning in agony from the man-eating
flower’s poison, and seeing this child’s indifference ignited his temper. He
strode forward, shouting: “Insolence! How dare you ignore my lord’s question?”
Li Juntang moved to stop him, but Commander
Zhang had already reached the swing, seizing the child by the collar and
lifting him into the air.
The child’s feet dangled, but his expression
did not change. Slowly, his dark, bright eyes turned toward Commander Zhang.
“You little brat, daring to posture before us
--- ” Commander Zhang’s words cut off into a bloodcurdling scream.
Before their eyes, the child lifted his tiny
fist and gave what looked like the lightest of punches to Zhang’s chest.
Yet that massive body was flung away like a
kite with its string cut, crashing into the bamboo fence with a sickening
crunch. The sound of breaking ribs echoed even from a distance.
He curled on the ground, black blood spilling
from his mouth. A section of his chest caved in --- he would not survive.
The courtyard fell into instant silence. Every
soldier stood frozen in shock.
No one had expected this seemingly harmless
child to wield such terrifying strength.
Set back upon his swing, the child kicked his
bare feet, swaying lightly as though he had only brushed off a speck of dust.
Finally, he spoke, his voice crisp yet carrying an undeniable authority:
“You intruders… have disturbed my rest.” - Ton
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