Zhu Xian: Learn from the Great Ying Immortal and rebuild the Trinity School

Chapter 40 Going to Qingyun Mountain
Lu is dead.

Burial became a problem.

As Xu Zhiqiu expected,

When Lu woke up, she found her mother had become a cold corpse. She seemed to have died in an instant.

She didn't cry or make a fuss, perhaps she was not the type to show that outward emotion.

He just lay on his mother's body, staring at the remains with empty pupils, motionless and silent.

Xu Zhiqiu tried to comfort her with kind words, but got no response at all.

She tried to pull her off Lu, but the little girl held her mother's arms tightly with both hands, with such great strength that it seemed as if they were grown together.

"Gen girl!"

She refused to come down no matter what, and Xu Zhiqiu was at a loss for what to do.

I can only let her waste time like this.

Then, the night passed and the next day came, and she was still the same.

Xu Zhiqiu could only ignore her for the time being.

He went out by himself, asked a few villagers for help, and went to the mountain to look for wood to cut.

He also hired a carpenter to make a coffin for Lu.

Choosing a location is easy, as it happens to be buried together with Mr. Lu’s cenotaph.

They also hired laborers to dig the grave.

After going through the entire funeral process, although the villagers helped him enthusiastically, they still felt frustrated with him for all his hard work.

He is not good at handling these trivial matters...

By the time everything was ready for the burial, it was already the morning of the third day.

And that stubborn girl was still lying on her mother's body, like a lifeless stone.

Xu Zhiqiu was furious!

It was midsummer at the time, and the body had been left there for three days. There was a faint stench of corpse in the house.

"Get up!"

Xu Zhiqiu pulled her left shoulder.

As soon as he put his hand on it, Lu Xueqi's thin body tensed up as if in response to stress, resisting him.

The cat-like face was covered with dry tear marks and the eyes were wide open.

Xu frowned and was silent for a while.
"I'm only telling you this once..."

He took out a hatchet and pointed at the body.

"If you don't let go, I'll chop off both of your mother's arms. You can keep them as souvenirs."

"..."

Miss Lu didn't look up, but her body began to tremble.

Obviously he took my words to heart.

She propped herself up, silently gave way, stood aside and stared at Xu Zhiqiu.

Those eyes that used to be dark were now bloodshot and looked desolate.

Lu was buried in a coffin.
The villagers were invited to help carry the coffin to the cemetery, cover the mound with soil, and sprinkle some paper money on it.

There is no need to invite any monks or Taoist priests to perform the ritual, Xu Zhiqiu himself will recite a few words -

"The number of the ten-direction celestial masters is as numerous as the sand and dust. They transform into the ten directions and come together to save the world..."

……

After finishing the work, he glanced at Lu Yatou who was standing behind him without saying a word.

"If you feel it is necessary, you can light a stick of incense."

Lu Xueqi looked up at the sky. It was almost dusk and the stars had not yet appeared.

She looked at her mother's brand new grave again and shook her head without saying anything.

Seeing this, Xu Zhiqiu did not force it.

Suddenly he took something out from his arms and handed it to her.

Lu Xueqi took it in her hand. It was a water blue purse with the word "An" embroidered on the front and the same few lines of poetry on the back.

There are oak trees on the mountain, and six moors in the marsh. I have not seen a gentleman, and I am worried and unhappy.

"This is your parents' relic, just keep it as a keepsake."

After saying that, Xu Zhiqiu patted her on the shoulder and turned away.

She stood there in a daze, holding the purse in her hand.

After a long time, his knees softened and he knelt in front of the grave.

Two large drops of crystal clear tears slid across her tightly bitten lower lip and finally fell on the silk satin surface of the purse, wetting a large area of ​​it.

The uncontrollable grief in her heart finally defeated the little girl's pretended strength.

With sobs and tears, I sang a mourning song in front of the lonely grave. …

In the evening, Xu Zhiqiu went to the kitchen of Lu's house for the last time.

"Although your mother entrusted you to me before she died, there are some things I still need to ask you clearly..."

Xu Zhiqiu put a piece of dessert into her bowl. It was a snow-white square pastry with lace printed on the four corners and a few black sesame seeds dotted on both sides.

That was the lychee cake he had made earlier at Lu's request.

The little girl looked at the pastries in the bowl, dazed.

If I put it into her bowl at this time, it might seem like I’m trying to please her.

Sure enough, Xu Zhiqiu said:
"I have no roots and no friends. I stayed here only temporarily. Now that everything is done, I will set off again."

"If you can't bear to leave your parents' graves and your home to follow me, I will say hello to the villagers. I think they will take good care of you for my sake."

Lu Xueqi was holding the pastry in her hands and looking at it. When she heard his words, her body trembled slightly.

But Xu Zhiqiu saw it and changed the subject:
"If you are willing to go with me... you will inevitably go hungry and even encounter danger along the way. You must think carefully."

After saying that, he didn't say anything else, just waiting for Lu Xueqi's response.

Lu Xueqi put the litchi cake in her hand into her mouth and took a light bite.

He didn't know if it tasted the same as he remembered, but when Xu Zhiqiu saw her, his eyes seemed to light up for a moment.

She chewed it slowly without saying a word.

After a long while, he suddenly pointed out the window.
"Mom once said that good people will turn into stars after they die, just like Daddy..."

In the northern sky, the big star twinkles alone.

Suddenly his expression became gloomy.

"But I can never find my mother's star."

"Don't worry, you can take your time to find out. Maybe she will tell you in her dream."

Xu Zhiqiu's tone was relaxed, and it was unclear how much of it was a joke and how much was comforting.

Lu Xueqi slowly lowered her head, held the corner of her aqua blue clothes with her hands, and said in a low voice:

"But... I can't sleep without you watching over me."

She said this in a very low voice.

But is Xu Zhiqiu’s hearing ordinary?

Hearing this, a strange and awkward look appeared on his face.

I wondered what was going on.

Have I been teased?
I have to re-examine the little girl in front of me. She looks to be only eight or nine years old and has not yet developed any emotional intelligence. How could she be so cunning?
Oh yes.

It dawned on him.
This little girl is now helpless and in a weak position, so she will instinctively move closer to him psychologically.

Just like a stray kitten, when it meets a kind-hearted person, in order to gain wealth and future, it can't help but get close to the kind-hearted person and act cute and coquettish.

This is also the instinct of living things to survive.

It is also a woman's best skill.

……

"So, you've decided to come with me?"

Under his serious gaze, Lu Xueqi nodded deeply.

"Ah."

"Oh."

Bitterness.

Xu Zhiqiu had a smile on his face but was lamenting in his heart.

He is not a nanny, but he has to take a little girl on the road.

Just like a gentleman getting into a bridal sedan, one can imagine how uneasy he feels.

But after all, he had made a promise, so he had to do it even if he was forced to do it.

"Well, you and I will pack some dry food and some clothes, and we will set off early tomorrow morning."

Lu Xueqi blinked her long eyelashes and asked:
"where to?"

"Head west, out of Minzhou, and straight to the Central Plains!"

He did not forget that he was still involved in the lawsuit involving Hehuan, so he would not be stupid enough to walk eastward.

Lu Xueqi then asked:
"What about when we get to the Central Plains? Are we just going to wander around forever?"

Xu Zhiqiu did not answer.
Just looking at her deeply, a thought suddenly came to my mind...

He looked at Lu Xueqi from head to toe with a new perspective, and the more he looked, the brighter the light in his pupils became.

He thought of a place to settle this girl.

"No, go to Qingyun Mountain."

(End of this chapter)