The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 275
Ding Lin's face was expressionless. He remained silent for a while, and instead of turning to cultivate his magical power as usual, he got up as the morning light shone through the small window of the duty room. He was about to go for a walk outside.

A mundane life lacks passion; perhaps taking a break from spiritual practice occasionally, maintaining a balance between activity and rest, can help one capture a spark of inspiration.

Five hundred feet outside the guardhouse is the South Gate. Xin Jia is leading a team of personal guards to patrol the four gates. Tian Peng's promise of a hundred-man team has been fulfilled, and now the guards at the eight gates are no longer Ding Lin's personal guards.

When Xin Jia saw Ding Lin come out, he was stunned for a moment and quickly walked over. Today was indeed the fifteenth, but Ding Lin usually only appeared in the evening, one or two hours before Tian Peng appeared. At that time, he would usually have already adjusted the state of the soldiers on duty. Like today, he had just started to adjust when Ding Lin came out. This was the first time.

"General."

Xin Jia paid his respects.

"You go about your business, I'll just browse around," Ding Lin said.

Xin Jia didn't dare to ask any more questions, and could only continue to adjust the soldiers with a belly full of doubts. Ding Lin walked slowly in the opposite direction from Xin Jia, without armor on his body, just as he had said before, just looking around casually.

In the past, the heavenly soldiers that Ding Lin saw were all well-trained by Xin Jia. But today, after coming out half a day earlier, he saw a completely different scene of lazy and disorganized people. Stripped of the superficial falsehood, this was the true nature of humanity.

Although I already knew this in my heart, nothing beats seeing it with my own eyes.

Ding Lin seemed to be deep in thought.

"It's the fifteenth again. I reckon Lord Xin Jia will be here in about half an hour." The voices of heavenly soldiers chatting idly rang out from around the corner.

Ding Lin slowed his pace.

"Lieutenant General Kim will come again this afternoon," another voice said.

"There's nothing we can do. The Marshal comes every year on the full moon. If you ask me, Vice General Jin is quite good. He doesn't usually bother with us. He just asks us to do some superficial things on this day. It's not easy for him either. He's not really making things difficult for us subordinates."

"To be honest, it's all just formalism!" the first voice said.

"Be content. Fortunately, the Marshal only comes once every fifteen days, and we take turns every month. Be careful with your jinx; if you keep nagging about the Marshal coming more often, it'll be everyone else who suffers!"

"The marshal came here for cultivation, but the moonlight is strongest on the fifteenth, not for moon-viewing. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come on the fifteenth. Haven't you heard that the moon is fullest on the sixteenth? Your statement is pure nonsense..."

The sound suddenly stopped, abruptly ceasing.

But Ding Lin had already slowly turned around the corner.

"General Jin... General Jin..." the soldier called out as he began to speak.

Ding Lin nodded to him without saying anything, but his expression suddenly became serious. He exhaled, and spiritual light shone from his body. Golden armor was gradually put on him, and he was dressed in formal attire. His gaze swept over the group of heavenly soldiers, then passed through the courtyard. Under the long corridor inside, a figure stood quietly. It was unknown when he had arrived or how long he had been there—Tianpeng.

Tianpeng turned to look at Ding Lin, his gaze calm.

"Vice General Jin, come here!" Tianpeng said.

A sound came from behind me again.

The heavenly soldiers, no longer as active as before, stood stiffly, like wooden chickens, not daring to utter a sound. "Yes, sir!"

Ding Lin exhaled, donned his golden armor, and entered the courtyard through the side gate next to the main gate. He then walked to the end of the long corridor and stopped in front of Tianpeng. He bowed his head and said, "This humble general... begs the marshal to punish this humble general for failing to manage his subordinates properly!"

It seemed that someone was looking at him.

There was no sound for a long time.

"It's alright," Tianpeng finally spoke. "Vice General Jin, please accompany me for a walk."

"Yes!" Ding Lin raised his head, but Tian Peng had already gotten up and turned to the other end of the corridor, walking deeper into the temple.

Ding Lin followed behind Tian Peng and quickly stole a glance.

Tianpeng did not summon him again that year. He felt that Tianpeng's aura was much weaker than a year ago, and a faint sense of desolation and melancholy permeated the air.

From dawn to noon.

Tianpeng remained silent, simply walking aimlessly through the temple's labyrinthine courtyards. Gradually, Ding Lin began to sense something was amiss. Tianpeng turned back to look at him several times, a hint of inner conflict flashing in his eyes, yet he hesitated each time, his words caught in his throat, as if he didn't know where to begin.

Since Tianpeng didn't speak, Ding Lin naturally had no choice but to follow.

From noon until night.

Finally, the full moon appeared, its clear light shining down in the darkness. Tianpeng paused, his steps faltering before a quiet courtyard. From here, one could only see a crescent moon in the sky, yet Tianpeng walked straight in. He seemed to have finally made up his mind, and his choice of this courtyard showed that he had not come for the moon, or rather, not to admire it.

The courtyard is deep and secluded. Even though someone takes care of it regularly, the grass and trees grow lush and unrestrained because the owner rarely comes.

Tianpeng sat down at a stone table in the middle of the courtyard, looking somewhat unsettled.

Ding Lin stood down beside Tian Peng.

"Vice General Jin, if you have the chance to descend to the mortal realm and encounter that fox demon again, how do you plan to make her fall in love with you?" Tianpeng asked slowly.

"Marshal, this humble general..." Ding Lin stammered.

"There's no need to deny it. Although I didn't mean it that day, I was influenced by the spirit's manipulation of energy, and your emotions were genuine. I'm not asking you today to hold you accountable. I just want to know, you..." Tianpeng looked at Ding Lin, "what you plan to do to make that fox demon fall in love with you?"

Ding Lin had some guesses in his mind. Could it be that Tianpeng's confession to Chang'e failed?
"Marshal..." Ding Lin's expression kept changing before he finally spoke, "Marshal, immortals are also human beings, with emotions and desires. When mortal men pursue women, it's nothing more than confessing their feelings and giving gifts. Thoughts are invisible and intangible, so they need to be expressed first. Words are light and fleeting, and after they are expressed, they also need something to carry them. The saying 'I give you a papaya, I give you a precious jade. It's not just a return gift, but a token of lasting friendship' is the same principle."

"I observe that among ordinary people, some give flowers, some give gold and silver, and some give fine silks. But for cultivators like us, in my humble opinion, the gifts we give should not be so vulgar. Gold, silver, and fine silks are like elixirs and brocades to us. They feel somewhat inappropriate. Let's give flowers instead. They can express our feelings more effectively." Ding Lin thought for a moment and casually offered a suggestion.

Although this idea is definitely useless, Tianpeng's failure is just the right opportunity for him to gain favor.

"Sending flowers is enough?" Tianpeng expressed his doubt.

(End of this chapter)