The Wheel-Turning Master.

Chapter 136 Patina
A gentle breeze blows through the valley, and the green trees sway.

The sky was covered with calamity clouds, and a faint pressure from the avenue descended. In the distance, there were bursts of animal roars, as if they were uneasy, but also as if they were panicking and surrendering.

Gao Yuanyuan looked relaxed, took out a low table, sat on it, and took out a wine gourd.

There wasn't a trace of golden elixir aura on his body, and his behavior really was like that of an old neighbor who came to visit.

Huang Ruhua slumped on the ground, her eyes blank. She looked extremely depressed, as if she had been forced into a dead end by a debt collector.

The little yellow bird seemed to sense something was wrong and hid in Huang Ruhua's clothes, shivering.

"Senior Gao." Lin Bai bowed and saluted.

"I remember you." Gao Yuanyuan took a sip of wine and asked with a smile, "You are Ruyi's friend. She said that she and you are a friend in need."

"I am Yun Zhonghe, a junior, and I am honored to meet Fellow Daoist Qu." Lin Bai bowed again.

Lin Bai breathed a sigh of relief as he had no feeling of good or bad.

Yunxia Sect is a large sect and they follow strict rules. Lin Bai heard from others that Gao Yuanyuan is a proud person, so as long as he follows the etiquette of a junior, everything will be fine.

"I went back to the mountain half a year ago and heard from the younger generation that Ruyi wrote to you all the time, but you seldom replied." Gao Yuanyuan seemed to be in the mood to talk. He smiled and said, "I watched Ruyi grow up. She has never been so devoted to a man. I believe you are indeed different from others in her heart. Now she is a young girl in love and writes to you frequently. How come you don't understand her feelings?"

Gao Yuanyuan was smiling, as if an elder was asking about the interesting stories of the younger generation.

Lin Bai had been misunderstood by the old cultivator at the Crystal Palace in Xinyifang, and now he was misunderstood by the Jindan cultivator. He felt that the Yunxia Sect had an orderly inheritance.

"I come from a humble background and my realm is low, so I dare not aim too high." Lin Bai explained tactfully, not daring to elaborate.

"These are all trivial matters." Gao Yuanyuan smiled, "As long as you can build your foundation, everything will be fine. Maybe you have heard about Qu Chengjia's temperament and are afraid of her? But it is a matter of mutual consent, how can she stop you? My Yunxia Sect does not have sectarianism, and we will not look down on independent cultivators."

Lin Bai was speechless and thought to himself, have you asked Qu Ruyi for her opinion?

"Why did you come here?" Gao Yuanyuan asked again.

"I was guided here by the opportunity to build my foundation." Lin Bai didn't dare to lie about such a thing.

"Where should the opportunity be?" Gao Yuanyuan was very interested.

"It should be during the golden elixir catastrophe." Lin Bai replied.

"Watching the thunder tribulation, building the foundation of Taoism." Gao Yuanyuan nodded and took a sip of wine. "The opportunity to build the foundation is someone else's golden elixir tribulation. This does have precedents." He looked at Lin Bai and said, "You have a strong bloody aura on you, have you encountered any danger?"

"We have encountered many difficulties. If it were not for the help of Daoist Fellow Huang Ruhua, we would not have made it to this place." Lin Bai has not yet figured out Gao Yuanyuan's temper, so he tries to mention Huang Ruhua first to see what Gao Yuanyuan's attitude is.

At this moment, the calamity clouds in the sky were gathering more and more. Huang Ruhua was still lying on the ground, dazed, staring at Gao Yuanyuan.

"It's always good to go through more hardships. It's easiest to gain enlightenment between life and death." Gao Yuanyuan took another sip of wine and said, "Just don't indulge in killing, otherwise you will lose your original intention and it will be difficult to find the great way."

"Junior, I am willing to learn from you." Lin Bai bowed respectfully. Seeing that he was drinking and chatting, he knew that he was in a good mood, so he asked, "Senior, are you here to capture Tie Huasheng?"

"That's right. Two years ago, I found out that Tie Huasheng was hiding here, so I stayed there from a distance." Gao Yuanyuan looked at the huge rock, "Now that the calamity cloud has come, I should go out and take a look."

Lin Bai remained silent and just glanced at Huang Ruhua.

"Senior..." Huang Ruhua knelt forward, looking very embarrassed. She kowtowed and begged with tears streaming down her face, "My master has always wanted to achieve Dan, please give me a chance. My master has harmed the disciples of Yunxia Sect, and as his disciple, I should pay for his life."

"Who do you think I am? Do you think I have been waiting here for two years so that I can hold my beloved disciple hostage, destroy his Dao heart, and ruin his Golden Elixir path when he forms the Golden Elixir?" Gao Yuanyuan smiled indifferently, "Tie Huasheng has wasted more than a hundred years, and all he wants is the Golden Elixir. This time I want him to condense the Golden Elixir, and then I will take his life. Everyone has his own consequences, and you are a good person, so I don't want to take your life. But if your master dies in a thunderbolt, I will have to bully the weak. But your realm is low, so I will not kill you, but take you back to the mountain."

His voice was soft and gentle, and his moon-white clothes made him look even more elegant.

After taking a sip of the wine, a breeze blew through the mountains, spreading a sweet fruity aroma. It was the monkey wine that Lin Bai and Jiang Huang had drunk earlier.

Huang Ruhua collapsed to the ground again. She understood that she had a chance to survive, but her master was doomed to die.

Lin Bai said nothing more.

"Besides," Gao Yuanyuan looked like a drunkard, not looking for revenge at all, but said sincerely: "The thunder tribulation came for him alone. If I go forward and get involved, I'm afraid I will suffer a great backlash. Even if I have achieved golden elixir, it will be difficult to survive. So, just wait."

At this point, he looked at Lin Bai and said, "You and Ruyi are old friends, and you helped me build my foundation. I should have helped you achieve enlightenment. But I can't help you with the pill tribulation. Now it all depends on Tie Huasheng's luck." Gao Yuanyuan asked with interest, "How did you and his master and disciple know each other?"

"I met fellow Taoist Huang Ruhua by chance when I was in Xinyifang before. Later I learned that she was a disciple of Tie Huasheng. At that time, in order to save people, I promised not to inform anyone. I hope you will forgive me, senior." Lin Bai saluted very sincerely.

"It doesn't matter."

Gao Yuanyuan was very calm. He looked at Tie Huasheng on the boulder in the distance, holding the wine gourd in his hand, and said, "Look, the calamity clouds are densely covered, and the pressure of the heaven is three times stronger than when I was in the pill calamity. Either his pill theory is very good and huge; or his strength is too strong, and there is no rival in the same realm; or he killed too many people, and the will of heaven has punished him."

Lin Bai did not ask any more questions. He sat down cross-legged and looked at the calamity clouds in the sky from afar.

Just now, Gao Yuanyuan mentioned the theory of alchemy again, and Lin Bai thought of Song Qing. He wondered whether Tie Huasheng had gained any inspiration from his theory of alchemy.

After thinking about it for a while, I was already fascinated.

"Don't be distracted." Gao Yuanyuan's voice sounded in my ear.

"Yes." Lin Bai immediately straightened his mind and looked at the calamity clouds in the sky.

After a while, the clouds became denser and denser, and strong winds howled in all directions, blowing the trees swaying.

There was no more roar of animals in the distance; it seemed as if they had sensed danger and were lying in wait.

Lin Bai watched silently, the sense of ethereality in his heart becoming stronger and stronger, it was indeed the pill tribulation.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and Lin Bai suddenly felt an indescribable sense of loss in his heart. His heart felt empty, and his mind was blank, as if he had lost something extremely important.

Looking intently, the calamity cloud slowly dissipated. Soon, the sky became clear and the dark cloud disappeared.

The opportunity to build the foundation was gone, and the sense of emptiness disappeared. "This..." Lin Bai looked at Gao Yuanyuan blankly.

“How can the power of Heaven be summoned and dismissed at will?” Gao Yuanyuan explained with a smile, “Tie Huasheng attracted the calamity clouds, but forced them to disperse. It will be extremely difficult for him to form a golden elixir in the future. Even if he can attract the calamity clouds again, the wrath of thunder will be several times that of today.” Lin Bai understood what she meant. This meant that Tie Huasheng had cut off the path to the golden elixir that he had been dreaming of, and his life would be wasted.

In the distance, animals roar and birds chirp, as if all things have survived a disaster and are competing to flourish.

Tie Huasheng slowly descended from the boulder. There was no sign of decay or withering on his old face. Instead, he looked extremely excited.

"Master." Huang Ruhua staggered and crawled to Tie Huasheng.

Tie Huasheng sat down cross-legged, wiped her tears, and then looked at Gao Yuanyuan.

"The road is right ahead, why not?" Gao Yuanyuan asked with a smile.

"If I force myself to go through the pill tribulation, it would be a last-ditch resistance. If I don't, it would be an admission of guilt and punishment." Tie Huasheng laughed bitterly, "I have a 90% chance of success, but I dare not bet on the one-point defeat. If he dies in the heavenly tribulation, my disciple is still young, how can he bear my past sins in vain?"

Tie Huasheng saw clearly that if he failed to form the golden elixir, Huang Ruhua would die and her soul would be destroyed, and she would also have to pay for her life; but if he succeeded in forming the golden elixir, she would be too weak to withstand Gao Yuanyuan's attack. He would only die to pay for his debt, but Huang Ruhua still had a chance to survive.

"The great road lies ahead, but I still worry too much." Gao Yuanyuan stroked the wine gourd, and he smiled meaningfully, "There is a person whose destiny is a rusty iron sword, which is similar to your destiny. When that senior was practicing Qi, it was common for him to cross levels and kill foundation-building people. After building the foundation, he killed golden elixir people one after another. You have strange and domineering magical powers, and it is difficult to find an opponent in the same level. I wonder how you compare to that senior."

After hearing this, Lin Bai recalled the debate on alchemy in the cave at the bottom of the lake that day.

At that time, Senior Zhu Jianyang also mentioned that there was a senior whose destiny was a rusty iron sword, which was similar to Tie Huasheng's destiny, but the paths they took were different.

I just don't know what kind of theory he wrote or what his personality is like. In a trance, Lin Bai was lost in thought.

“That senior is a celestial being who has long realized the great truth. How can I, a mere firefly, be compared to him?” Tie Huasheng sighed, “I was filthy in the past and had never been tempered by the thunder tribulation. I dare not compare myself with a celestial being, let alone attack the senior.”

Huang Ruhua fell to the ground, crying.

"Silly child." Tie Huasheng stroked her hair gently, his face full of love, "I killed a disciple of Yunxia Sect, and now they are looking for me. Killing someone means paying with one's life, it is only natural, why are you crying?"

"If I hadn't come back, you would have been able to face the disaster well. There might have been a glimmer of hope!" Huang Ruhua's eyes turned red from crying.

"Silly girl, you can't escape." Tie Huasheng smiled, "This senior is famous for his speed of escape. Now that our whereabouts are known to others, he will never fail again. Even if I can escape, how can I let you stay alone?"

Huang Ruhua burst into tears.

"This senior is as proud as frost, and you have never done anything evil. Since I am dead, how can he harm you?" Tie Huasheng consoled him and looked at Gao Yuanyuan, saying, "Senior, the incident on Golden Turtle Island was committed by the six of us monsters. The other five are dead, and I am the only one left. Please do not implicate this bad disciple. She is simple-minded and has done good things. Please understand."

"Can a person covered in copper rust be willing to die heroically for others?" Gao Yuanyuan asked with a smile.

"Even after wiping off the rust and washing away the vanity, there is still a bit of childlike innocence left." Tie Huasheng replied.

Gao Yuanyuan pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.

"Thank you for your help, Senior." Tie Huasheng looked at Huang Ruhua, "My teacher has been covered with rust in this life, and has long been unrecognizable. I want to use the thunder tribulation to wash it away, but it's too late. Everything here is caused by me, and when a person dies, all grudges are gone. You should be strong and love yourself, and don't follow my old path."

After Tie Huasheng finished speaking, he closed his eyes and sat cross-legged. After a few breaths, green rust appeared between his eyebrows, and his face became unrecognizable.

Huang Ruhua was extremely flustered and didn't know what to do. She just kept crying.

"How do you feel about losing the opportunity to build your foundation?" Gao Yuanyuan looked at Lin Bai.

Lin Bai was not sad because he had lost the opportunity to build his foundation, but he felt other emotions.

"Gains and losses are determined by heaven." Lin Bai was also indifferent, and said: "What Tie Huasheng has been striving for all his life is to form a pill, but he lets it be cut off when it is right in front of him." Lin Bai bowed and said: "Although I don't like Tie Huasheng as a person, he is willing to break the great way and die with his hands tied. His love for his disciple is admirable. Heaven is ruthless, but people are affectionate. My opportunity to build a foundation is insignificant."

"Good! You don't seem to be sad at all, but excited! You are indeed a good man that Ruyi likes!" Gao Yuanyuan was drinking, and he praised: "With this state of mind, it doesn't matter if you lose the opportunity to build a foundation? Others say that I built a foundation at a young age, but they don't know that I also lost the opportunity to build a foundation." He took out a new wine gourd and threw it to Lin Bai, saying: "The so-called foundation-building opportunity is nothing more than a convenient door for weak people. As long as we have the great way in our hearts and don't lose the enterprising spirit, it will be easy for us to break in one day!"

After he finished speaking, he waved his sleeves and a beam of white light shone out. The white light circled around Tie Huasheng, and then the green rust was completely removed. Then the white light turned again and actually rolled up Tie Huasheng's head.

Looking at Gao Yuanyuan again, he also turned into white light and left with the head.

Lin Bai held the heavy wine gourd in his hand and looked at the light escaping in the sky, thinking that this man was indeed arrogant.

Looking at Huang Ruhua again, I saw her sitting beside the headless corpse with her eyes empty and lifeless.

The little yellow bird seemed to know that the danger was gone. It poked its head out from the collar, then struggled out, flying around Huang Ruhua, chirping to make her happy.

Lin Bai did not try to persuade him, but just stood by and guarded him silently.

"My last relative is gone." After being stunned for a long time, Huang Ruhua spoke.

"You still have me as your old friend, and Xiao Jiang as your drinking buddy." Lin Bai comforted in a low voice, "The road ahead is difficult. If you want to move forward, you will always leave some people behind. You shouldn't be too sad. You and I can't forget where we came from, but we don't have to look back all the time."

After all, this place is deep in the mountains, and a calamity almost struck here just now. If a monster leaves its nest to come and see, it will be troublesome again. Therefore, Lin Bai wanted to persuade her to leave.

Huang Ruhua nodded, but she couldn't stop crying.

After crying for a while, Huang Ruhua and Lin Bai burned Tie Huasheng's body together.

There are many wild beasts and monsters here, and even if they are buried, they will be dug out. Besides, for those who practice Taoism, turning into ashes before death is also their final destination.

After collecting the ashes, the two returned to the cave.

Huang Ruhua packed her things and rested for two days before going out again to look for Jiang Xiaobai.

As they walked back, Lin Bai said, "The Yunxia Sect and Senior Tie have settled their grievances, and no one knows your identity anymore. Why don't you follow me back to Qiaoshan? It's peaceful there, and suitable for cultivation."

"I don't want to go." Huang Ruhua shook her head, "I want to stay here. The monsters are fierce, but they are less cunning."

"Senior Tie asked me to take care of you and has already paid me." Lin Bai smiled.

"He's always nosy." Huang Ruhua complained and wiped her eyes.

(End of this chapter)