fairy family

Chapter 200 Returning to the Mountains to Glory to Ancestors, Hundred-Step Cloud Ladder

Huang Guishan, holding his old wife, continued to endure hunger and thirst in the thatched hut.

But suddenly, they heard a commotion of people coming from the fields, and even the barking of dogs. It seemed that a large group of people were rushing toward them.

The two men's expressions changed abruptly, and Huang Guishan even straightened up, his face grim.

The silkworm girl whispered, "Is the master, is the manager, coming to tear the house down again?"

Her voice trembled with extreme fear.

Huang Guishan's expression changed several times. He thought to himself that he had fallen to such a state that there was nothing left for anyone to plot against him. Moreover, he had left the Huang family when he was young and had no enemies in the clan. There should be no reason for anyone to want to kill him.

Fortunately, he gently helped his wife up, and the two sat side by side in the thatched hut, whispering:
"Never mind, we'll deal with whatever comes our way."

Soon, the sounds of people, dogs barking, and horses neighing completely surrounded the thatched hut where the two were.

The two of them were right; this large group of people was indeed coming for them.

But after waiting for a while, not a single person from that large group of people came out, nor did they rush to overturn the thatched hut and capture the two men.

Instead, a figure that looked extremely familiar to the two of them appeared. The person was hunched over and cautiously approached the straw door, coughing out:
"Ahem! Brother Guishan, Sister-in-law Can, are you resting? The clan needs to speak with you."

After exchanging a few words and seeing no movement inside, the other person cautiously opened the straw door and peered inside.

When he saw Huang Guishan and the other man sitting in the house watching them, the man bent his back even lower and humbly entered the thatched hut, his body trembling.

"Greetings, greetings to elder brother and sister-in-law."

When Huang Guishan and his wife saw that the steward of Linggu was so humble, they were even more surprised. At the same time, an incredible thought suddenly popped into their minds.

"Could it be..."

Seeing the two men staring intently at him, the steward of Linggu broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately knelt on the ground, crawled to them, and kowtowed, saying:

"Brother and sister-in-law, there are important people outside who want to see you."

Seeing the other party's actions, Huang Guishan's eyes lit up. He swallowed hard and said in a hoarse voice, "No, that's impossible. It's only been a year."

But just then, a shout rang out outside the thatched hut:
"Disciples of the Huang family pay their respects to Master Huang Guishan."

A soft voice rang out: "The true successor of your lineage is waiting at the mountain gate."

Upon hearing this, Huang Guishan and his wife's faces flushed instantly, and they straightened up, radiant with health.

The steward of Linggu, who was kneeling on the ground, turned deathly pale upon hearing the words outside the house.

This person also recalled the rumors circulating in the fields about a disciple of the Heavenly Temple on Huang Gui Mountain, which everyone had scoffed at at the time.

Now it seems that the rumor was actually true!
Furthermore, the other party's disciple has even obtained the status of a true disciple this year. This is an outstanding disciple that the Huang family hasn't seen in nearly sixty years!

Huang Guishan held his wife's hand tightly, held his breath, and after a long while, finally uttered three "good"s in succession.

"Good good!"

He lowered his head, a smile on his face, and quickly comforted his equally excited but also apprehensive wife.

Just as the two men straightened their shabby robes and were about to leave, another figure suddenly knelt down outside the thatched hut.

The other person was slender, with a soft and beautiful voice, and whispered:

"This servant is here to guide Master Huang on the orders of the true master."

The master has already gone to Lotus Peak on his own, telling Master Huang not to rush, but to rest well for a few days and choose another day to go up the mountain to worship the ancestors.

All the strongmen, attendants, and imperial carriages have remained on Ao Fish Peak, awaiting Master Huang's orders.

Upon hearing that Yu Que had already left, Huang Guishan and his wife's expressions changed slightly. However, when they heard that Yu Que had left behind the strongman and the boy, Huang Guishan's expression returned to normal, and he even showed a thoughtful look, nodding and saying:
"Since the child is too cautious, it would be safest to go to Lotus Peak first."

"Come in."

"Yes." The maid who identified herself as a servant bowed in agreement, then lifted the straw door, closing the door to allow the line of maids behind her to enter one by one.

Numerous maids carried food boxes, fragrant fruits, water, bronze mirrors, talismans, screens, and various other items.

They walked orderly through the narrow thatched hut, and after consulting Huang Guishan, they immediately moved the disgraceful steward out of the hut.

Soon, the remaining strongmen and boys who arrived later surrounded the area within a hundred feet and drove away the Huang family masters and servants who were lingering outside the thatched hut, so as not to disturb the two of them.

Huang Guishan and his wife were sitting cross-legged in the thatched hut. Jade bowls and chopsticks were placed in front of them, along with a few simple side dishes, as well as fruits, rice porridge, and other items.

The variety of dishes was not extensive, but they were all exquisitely prepared and even imbued with spiritual energy. In particular, the rice porridge contained spiritual grains that they had been preparing for a year but had never tasted.

Looking at the food in front of her, the silkworm girl felt extremely awkward. Even before her family fell into poverty, she had never enjoyed such food in her childhood.

Huang Guishan looked at the maids with their heads bowed on either side, and the screen blocking the doorway, and sighed softly:
"Eat up, eat well, change your clothes, and then we'll go out to do our work."

The silkworm girl lowered her head in agreement, then tugged at Huang Guishan's sleeve and whispered:

"What should we do for that Master Yu—Yu Que?"

Huang Guishan smiled wryly, stroking his wife's withered hand, and said:
"We go out today not to do anything for others, but only for ourselves."

He paused for a moment: "Start anew."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

They then picked up the bowls and chopsticks on the table and began to eat in silence.

The two ate in silence, taking small bites and moving very quietly. But like silkworms eating mulberry leaves, they ate most of the food on the table in no time.

Upon seeing this, the maids immediately bowed and went outside to fetch more food.

In any case, these meals are the kind of food given to true disciples. They contain spiritual energy and are prepared using medicinal food refining methods. They will dissolve as soon as they enter the stomach, so even someone with a rotten stomach can eat a lot.

People like Huang Guishan, who are simply people who have been starving for a long time, would not die from overeating even if they ate until they were stuffed.

However, Huang Guishan still reached out to stop the other party: "There is no need to waste it, this is enough."

The two continued eating in silence, finishing all their food.

Right now, outside the thatched hut.

The Huang family servants all dismounted and waited, but they waited for a long time without seeing Huang Guishan emerge from the thatched hut.

Some of the younger members of the family couldn't contain themselves and muttered to themselves:
"It's been so long and we still haven't seen anyone. Is the new bride getting married?"

Some even directly shouted at the stewards on either side:

"You lot, hurry up and urge that old Huang to come out quickly."

"Really, even if he has taken on a true disciple, he is still just a branch of the Huang family. How can we make the main branch wait so long?"

The heads of the family are still waiting for him in the ancestral hall, ready to reinstate his name.

The Huang family members who came to welcome Huang Guishan were led by the young members of the direct line, while the more composed ones were the Huang family's less important stewards and so on.

People like the head of the Huang family, mindful of their status, did not come voluntarily, and were all discussing the important matter of Yu Que becoming a true disciple in the ancestral hall. Thus, with the tacit approval of the eldest son of the family head, a steward stepped forward to urge Huang Guishan.

However, the guards and others accompanying the imperial carriage stood like stones within a hundred feet, not allowing anyone to get close, lest they offend their master.

All of these strongmen and maids, except for the young boys, will move into the True Inheritance Cave along with Yu Que.

It can be said that from the moment Yu Que did not reject them, they were already bound to Yu Que for life.

Since the person inside is Yu Que's master, and Yu Que has instructed them to treat their master as their master, then even if they die here, they cannot allow anyone else to offend Huang Guishan.

Faced with the indifference of the strongmen, several members of the Huang family became arrogant and rode out on horseback, wandering outside the imperial carriage.

They shouted and yelled, calling out Huang Guishan's name. Some of them coveted the imperial carriage, reaching out to touch it, and even wanting to jump on it to try.

But then, with a snap, banners were thrown from the warriors' hands, piercing through their horses and pinning them to the ground.

Those who intended to offend the imperial carriage were immobilized by the warriors, who transformed their forms and used their magic to pin them to the ground.

"How dare you! This is the ancestral peak of the Huang family."

"Brother Yaozu, save me! Kill these Taoist soldiers and servants!"

A hundred feet away from the thatched hut, a commotion broke out. When the Huang family members saw that the strongmen actually dared to make a move, their expressions changed.

The eldest son, Huang Yaozu, was so grimaced that his fingers were bruised and purple.

This man was already jealous and resentful of Yu Que, and looked down on Huang Guishan, a fallen branch of the family. Now, seeing that the servants under the other party dared to attack his own family, he was extremely ashamed and angry.

Huang Yaozu has waited so long, and he couldn't teach Huang Guishan a lesson. Could he not teach these Taoist soldiers and lackeys a lesson?
But when Huang Yaozu was about to step forward, the Huang family deacons beside him all changed color. They had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to block Huang Yaozu behind them, shouting sternly:

"Push these people out and behead them."

Those who defy their superiors, mistreat members of the Huang family, and incite others to defy the true teachings deserve to die.

As a result, the steward in charge of the spiritual valley, along with a group of people who had long incurred the wrath of the masses, were all arrested like chickens and swiftly killed in front of the true disciple's carriage.

Although the restless Huang family members were arrogant, they were not stupid. When they saw that their side had backed down and even used the excuse of killing someone, they all quieted down, their faces pale, and obediently waited for Huang Guishan to come out.

at the same time.

Huang Guishan stood inside the thatched hut, dressed in new clothes, peering through the crack in the door at the noisy scene outside.

Huang Guishan's face, which had been beaming with joy, suddenly turned into one of deep sighs.

"Has the Huang family, a family of such great size, fallen into such a state of disorder and disarray?" Huang Guishan muttered to himself.

His elderly wife, served by the maids, also changed into a new dress.

His wife didn't hear him clearly, so the other person walked slowly to his side and asked in a low voice, "Shanlang, what are you saying?"

Huang Guishan took his wife's hand and found that, nourished by the spiritual food and clothing, the two of them, while not completely restored to their former vitality, looked at least five years younger.

"It's nothing, I just found that although Zufeng is large, it's not easy to live there."

Let's go. "

"Ah."

Then, Huang Guishan and his wife came out.

Strongmen carried the imperial carriage, maids held up the robes, and children chanted.

The two boarded the imperial carriage and approached Huang Yaozu and the others.

Although they had already left the thatched hut, the true imperial carriage itself was a hundred feet wide and long.

The Huang family members could only watch Huang Guishan and his wife from afar, unable to approach and talk to them.

Under Huang Guishan's orders, the strongmen relayed the message one by one:

“Returning to the mountains is unfilial and offends the ancestors. Because there is an unfilial disciple who is missing, he has been fortunate enough to receive the true talisman. He is arrogant and domineering, disregards the ancestral temple, and disturbs the ancestors.”

"I am ashamed to return to the mountain, and have no face to enter the ancestral hall or temple. Today, as a mere branch of the family, I have come up the mountain on my own initiative to apologize with thorns on my back, to worship my ancestors, and to comfort my forefathers..."

Upon hearing this, the Huang family members who were waiting looked at each other in bewilderment, all at a loss for what to do.

Some people tried to rush forward and stop the imperial carriage.

However, the imperial carriage itself was a magical artifact, and the warriors, seeing that someone was blocking their way, could not simply trample on it. Instead, they stepped on the clouds and flew past the other side.

Guided by Huang Guishan, the group followed the path and flew towards the top of Aoyu Peak.

Just now, Huang Guishan completely abandoned the idea of ​​acknowledging his ancestors.

Since he is already in the mountains, why should he be so fixated on whether or not he should "return to the mountains"?

As for ancestor worship...

Even if he is just a member of a branch family, he is still qualified to go up the mountain to worship his ancestors; he can go there on his own.

Once the imperial carriage had completely disappeared from sight, the Huang family members in the fields finally remembered that they should quickly report what had happened to their patriarch.

When the Huang family heads learned during their meeting that Huang Guishan had not come to the ancestral hall but had instead headed straight for the mountaintop, their expressions changed as well.

When the Huang family patriarch and the others rushed out of the secret chamber of the ancestral hall, they found that the true disciple's imperial carriage had already flown past the side of the ancestral hall in a bright light. They could not fly up and shoot the carriage down directly.

What shocked everyone even more was that they faintly heard a sigh, and watched as the imperial carriage was not blocked by the formation on the mountaintop, but instead flew directly to the top of the mountain through the clouds and mist.

........................

the other side.

After Yu Que arrived at Lotus Peak, he ordered the seventh-rank warriors who accompanied him to return to the Huang family first, while he himself walked up the "Hundred-Step Cloud Ladder" alone.
This towering cloud ladder, also known as the "Turtle and Snake Guarding the Cloud Ladder," is currently the only path to Lotus Peak, and only disciples of the Huangshan Inner Sect and above are allowed to climb it.

No outsiders, Taoist soldiers, mounts, or any other such beings are allowed to enter.

Otherwise, outsiders would be swallowed whole by the tortoise and snake generals of Huangshan, either dead or crippled.

Yu Que walked alone and found that although a hundred steps was not much, the difference in elevation between each step was measured in feet.

The "Hundred Steps" in the name of the Cloud Ladder should not refer to a mortal's Hundred Steps, but may refer to the legendary ancient sage who could "lift up heaven and earth and grasp yin and yang."

A full quarter of an hour later, he finally crossed the cloud ladder and reached the top of Lotus Peak.

This peak rises high above the Huangshan mountain range, overlooking the surrounding thousands of miles, where everything seems insignificant and nothing else matters.

At the summit, temples are scattered about, but unlike those on Bright Summit, they are not dazzling and eye-catching. Instead, the architecture exudes a simple and exquisite charm.

The temple in the very center is only about three zhang in size, and its decoration is simple, with red walls, green tiles, lotus patterns, and the name of the temple "Huangshan".

But when Yu Que looked at it, he found that the view was naturally formed, and it gave him a feeling of vitality, like a newly sprouted bud. The view did not seem like an inanimate object, but rather like a living thing.

(End of this chapter)