Don't let Yu Ding take on any more disciples.

Chapter 256 I Need You to Stay Away From Me

The boy got up and sighed. He wanted to land gracefully, but when he looked down from the branch, he immediately felt dizzy and a little palpitated. He could only swallow hard while hugging the tree trunk.

The girl with the fierce look in her eyes walked up to the tree, looked up at the boy, and sneered, "Zhang Bairen, why aren't you coming down yet?"

"I'll say it again, from now on please call me by my full name, Zhang Youren!"

The boy said in a serious tone, "Besides... I was perfectly fine up here, why would I come down? If you're so capable, come up here yourself!"

He became somewhat smug at the end, and simply sat down, staring defiantly at the girl who was no more than twenty-seven years old.

In Zhangjiawan, there are two families in Zhangjiazhai, one surnamed Zhang and the other surnamed Yao.

Later, the children of the two families were born one after the other. The Zhang family had a son whose nickname was Bairen and formal name was Youren, while the Yao family had a daughter whose surname was Yao and given name was Chi.

The two families have had an excellent relationship for many years, visiting each other frequently, and their children often meet and grow up together.

only……

Zhang Youren sighed, but for some reason, he and this younger sister seemed to be incompatible, and they couldn't stand each other. They just couldn't get along no matter what they looked at.

They'll start arguing within three sentences of each other, and soon they'll even come to blows.

Despite being three years younger than him, Nizi was born with immense strength, and he was too proud to fight her, so he usually ended up losing.

If that's all there is to it, then so be it.

When they grow up, the boy will get married and the girl will get married. Once he gets married or the girl gets married, he will be free.

What puzzled him was that, according to the village's custom, boys could get married when they were fifteen or sixteen and girls when they were thirteen or fourteen, but his parents had not responded for a long time.

Just two days ago, he overheard his parents' conversation while passing through his living room, and it struck him like a thunderbolt, leaving him stunned.

It turned out that his parents were discussing whether it was time to put their two children's marriage on the agenda now that Yao Chi had grown up and reached the age of marriage.

In an instant, all his doubts were resolved, and he suddenly understood!

But the thought of spending his whole life with this girl...

Zhang Youren suddenly felt terrible. It was then that the idea of ​​running away from home sprouted in his mind like bamboo shoots after a spring rain and could never be erased.

What a joke! He's only seventeen, with a long life ahead of him. If he doesn't run now, he'll ruin his whole life.
"You know perfectly well that I can't climb trees..."

The girl stared at Zhang Youren and snorted through gritted teeth.

"No, I mean Yao Chi, why do you keep bothering me like this!"

Zhang Youren helplessly spread his hands and said, "Tell me, what do you think is good about me? I'll change, okay?"

"Who's been bothering you? Wasn't it Uncle Zhang who told me to come find you?"

Yao Chi narrowed his eyes and sneered, "You still think there's anything good about you? Take a closer look at yourself, what's so good about you?"
You're such a grown man, yet you never strive for improvement. You're always either fishing in the river or climbing trees to steal birds' nests, hanging out with a bunch of immature kids. Aren't you ashamed?
People your age used to be fathers, shouldering the responsibilities of their families. When will you finally grow up?

His words of scolding caused a burst of laughter from the group of young children around him.

"you……"

Enraged, Zhang Youren jumped up from the tree branch: "That's not fair!"

"Am I not telling the truth?"

Yao Chi smiled faintly, and casually lifted his foot to step towards the ancient locust tree, which was at least a hundred years old.

Although she was not an ant, her size was still far inferior to that of the ancient tree, so she did not intend to kick Zhang Youren down; she just kicked him on purpose.

However, after she stepped on it, the ancient tree, which had been there for centuries, seemed to be in a state of great turmoil, before swaying slightly and casually.

However, this slight sway caused Zhang Youren to lose his balance and fall from the tree.

"This……"

Yao Chi looked at her delicate feet, then looked up at the tree trunks as thick as several burly men, and stared blankly, her pretty face filled with disbelief.

How come I never realized that I possessed the divine power to shake a century-old tree?
And... it seems like the tree only started to shake after I kicked it for a while, so Zhang Youren falling down wasn't because of her, right?
After thinking for a moment, Yao Chi's eyes flashed. To verify his guess, he raised his embroidered shoe and stepped on the century-old locust tree.

But before her feet could even touch the tree trunk, she suddenly opened her mouth wide. Before her feet even touched the old locust tree, the tree began to shake violently and dramatically.

There seemed to be a hint of fear in that trembling!
"Friends!"

"Bai Ren!"

Before Yao Chi could continue his research, a group of teenagers around him, calling out his name in alarm, surrounded him.

Yao Chi suddenly realized what was happening and stopped studying the old tree. When she went over, she found that Zhang Youren had already fallen into a coma.

……

"Little friend!"

"Little friend!"

In a daze, Zhang Youren seemed to hear someone calling him. When he opened his eyes, he saw that everything around him was white.

Suddenly, an old man with wrinkled skin, vines growing from his head, and a wooden cane appeared in front of him from afar.

"Ghost!"

Zhang Youren exclaimed in surprise, looking around for something to defend himself, but found nothing around him. He then revealed a smile that was more like a grimace.

He then quickly bowed to the old man and said, "Grandpa Ghost, I have always been an honest man. I have never harmed anyone, nor have I ever done anything bad. At most... at most, I just accidentally stumbled upon that little wench bathing at Yaochi..."

Seeing that Zhang Youren was about to bow, the old man quickly stepped aside, not daring to accept the bow.

Then, upon hearing Zhang Youren rambling on and on, recounting his life story like spilling beans, he was both amused and exasperated, and hurriedly said, "Young friend, I am not a ghost, nor am I here to harm you."

"Not a ghost?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Youren looked up in surprise, blinked, and asked, "Then who are you?"

The old man chuckled dryly, "Young friend, I am not a ghost, but the spirit of that old locust tree outside the village today..."

"Ah, a monster?"

Zhang Youren was shocked and muttered, "To be honest, sir, I've had insufficient Yang energy since childhood, and my kidneys are weak. If you want to absorb Yang energy, you've come to the wrong person..."

The old man's lips twitched as he listened, and he couldn't help but interrupt, "No, no, birds and beasts that cultivate become demons, while flowers, plants, and trees that cultivate to a high level become spirits. How can they be confused?"

"Oh, I see!" Zhang Youren nodded, then asked cautiously, "What brings you here today?"

Upon hearing this, the old locust spirit remembered his purpose and hurriedly bowed, saying, "Young friend, you accidentally fell off me today, and I feel deeply uneasy. I have come here to apologize."

He was an elf who had cultivated in the mountains for many years and attained enlightenment. Although he did not have much magical power, he did have some keen insight.

Every time this young man approached him, he would feel trembling with fear and terrified. Therefore, he guessed that this young man was either a powerful being or a reincarnated immortal who had come to the mortal world to undergo tribulation or something.

This is why he dared not accept the other party's lavish gifts, nor did he dare to get close to them.

Unfortunately, the little girl had the same background, and being caught between the two of them today put him in a difficult position. In his hesitation, he accidentally moved his body, which caused the girl to fall off him.

The more he thought about it afterward, the more panicked he became. To avoid suffering a terrible fate because of what happened today, he came to apologize.

"Apologize? How dare I!"

Zhang Youren quickly said, his face darkening as he spoke: "It's all that brat Yao Chi's fault..." Hearing this person start bringing up old grievances, the old locust spirit dared not get involved. He quickly flipped his left hand, and a locust leaf emitting spiritual light appeared. He said: "Thank you for your magnanimity, young friend. I have nothing of value, so this is just a small gift, nothing more."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and tossed the spirit locust leaf, which flew over and landed in Zhang Youren's hand.

"Spirit Tree Leaf?"

Zhang Youren examined the leaves and saw that they shone with a jade-like luster, and their veins and patterns were clearly visible.

Just as I was about to ask what this thing was for, the old locust spirit smiled and nodded: "Well, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."

As he spoke, his figure turned into a wisp of smoke and began to dissipate.

It seems I'll have to figure it out myself... Zhang Youren sighed, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "Farewell, sir!"

As the bow was performed, the dissipating smoke exclaimed in surprise:
"No, don't let me..."

Before he could finish speaking, a deafening roar, as if thunder had echoed through the heavens and earth, drowned out his voice.

Click!
With a loud bang, Zhang Youren suddenly opened his eyes and sat up in bed. He saw that the room was brightly lit by lightning, just like daytime, and then the room became dark again.

"It's thundering, is it going to rain?"

Zhang Youren muttered to himself, then, recalling the old locust spirit from earlier, he said wistfully, "Was it a dream? Hmm?"

Suddenly, he saw a locust leaf next to his pillow, exactly the same as in his dream.

"There really are spirit locust leaves, that old locust spirit..."

Zhang Youren held the locust leaf in his hand, his eyes darting between fear and excitement, it was hard to tell.

The existence of gods and spirits has existed since ancient times and is recorded in books, but he had never seen them before. This was the first time he had encountered a supernatural event.

"Since there are spirits and monsters in this world, then... naturally there must be gods and immortals, right?"

Zhang Youren raised an eyebrow, then touched his forehead and found that it was wrapped around his head. He gasped and said, "That hateful brat! Humph, since she can't stand staying at home, she might as well go to the mortal world, seek out a deity, and visit a Taoist master."

Click!Click!
Thunder roared, and a torrential downpour followed, mirroring Zhang Youren's inner resolve.

The next day, the rain stopped and the sky cleared up.

"Wow, the thunder last night was so scary!"

"That's not all! Have you heard? The old locust tree at the entrance of the village was struck by lightning..."

As Zhang Youren was comfortably enjoying his last meal as a patient, he suddenly overheard the maids talking at the door and was taken aback: "The old locust tree... was struck by lightning?"

These words left him with mixed feelings. He held the jade-like spirit locust leaf in his left hand, and the sumptuous and delicious hospital meal suddenly seemed less appealing.

"I've heard that plants, birds, and beasts don't cultivate like humans do; once they become spirits, their cultivation path is fraught with tribulations."

Zhang Youren sighed, "It seems that the old locust tree's time has come. Although the old locust tree has become a spirit, it has never harmed anyone. Even though my fall from the tree had little to do with it, it still came to apologize."

"So... he's a moral exemplar, a model among trees! Hmm, I should go check on him later, see if he needs any help."

Zhang Youren nodded, his face full of admiration.

This old locust tree... is a good tree!
After the meal, Zhang Youren secretly slipped out of the village and saw the old locust tree lying on the ground, covered with shocking black cracks.

The once lush tree trunks looked as if they had been shaved off, leaving them completely bald.

At this moment, many villagers are gathered around the old locust tree, chatting and laughing...

“This old locust tree has been there since my grandfather’s generation. I never thought it would be gone today.”

"Yeah, when I was little I used to ride on it and... cough, it was a tree, how could it get struck by lightning?"

Looking at the people chatting and laughing, Zhang Youren felt a pang of sorrow and mixed emotions: "It turns out that human emotions are not truly shared..."

No one can understand his grief at this moment!

"Wait a minute, this old locust tree... could it have become a spirit and been struck by lightning?" a voice said cautiously.

His words immediately silenced everyone, and they looked at each other in bewilderment.

Gradually, the onlookers dispersed. Once everyone was alone, Zhang Bairen approached the tree trunk and whispered, "Old locust tree, old locust tree, are you still alive?"

I waited for a long time but nothing happened.

"Old Huai, you..."

Just as Zhang Youren was touching the tree trunk, his eyes reddening with grief for his lost friend, and he was overcome with sorrow, he suddenly heard a faint voice:

"--Um!"

"Old Huai, you're not dead! That's great!"

Zhang Youren was overjoyed and asked, "So, is there anything I can help you with?"

Then, the voice spoke haltingly:

"I... need... you... to... stay... away from me..."

Who exactly is this kid?!

Why are the consequences of accepting his bow so severe?

Thankfully, he never committed murder, otherwise he would have lost his life long ago!

If God gave him a second chance, he would never have shown up in front of this kid again...

Zhang Youren: Σ(⊙▽⊙“a
Did I...hear wrong?
Suddenly, Zhang Youren felt something slide off his face and fall into the soil.

Just as he was feeling somewhat surprised, he suddenly clutched his chest and murmured expressionlessly, "Why... does it hurt a little here?"

……

Rumble!
As a mountain collapsed, two figures, with satisfied smiles on their faces, gracefully rose, exuding an indescribable air of freedom and transcendence.

Behind them, the entire treasure vault had collapsed.

"The Heavenly Emperor... truly a master of hiding things."

Yu Ding remarked with some emotion, "The treasures here are beyond my expectations; they have truly broadened my horizons."

Longji laughed and said, "The longer you live, the more things you don't need, so you naturally accumulate a lot of collections. Luckily, I know how to get in, otherwise I would have a headache."

"Collecting things... is a good habit!"

Yu Ding agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "By the way, disciple, I reckon... these three treasure vaults alone are enough to cover the losses, right?"

"Let's check out the other ones too, we're just killing time anyway."

Longji pouted and said, "It seems like the ones we went to were the worst. I can't get into the two better ones. It would be better if Master came. We can see if Master needs anything then..."

"How can this be so embarrassing..."

My disciple has already said so, how could I not go and take a look...? Yu Ding coughed lightly and swept his whisk: "Lead the way!"

(End of this chapter)