Journey to the West Creation Technique

Salt station.

The sun shines brightly in the sky, casting its light.

Lu Chengjun, hoe in hand, was working diligently in the vegetable garden in a corner of the salt station.

Turning the soil and weeding, the movements were slow and steady.

Facing the loess soil, with their backs to the sky.

This is both a vegetable garden and his own personal sanctuary for spiritual practice.

With each rise and fall of the hoe, what is dug up is yellow soil, but what is stirred up is the warm and enduring earthly spirit.

The pure and moist earth energy seeps into the whole body, first nourishing the lungs, and then slowly gathering in the dantian along the Ren meridian.

The mud clings to your shoes, the earth's energy flows gently, slowly nourishing the spleen and stomach.

The spleen is the foundation of acquired constitution, and earth is the mother of all things.

A strong spleen and stomach are the foundation of spiritual practice.

With focused attention, one forgets both self and external things, becoming completely unaware.

In a daze...

Internal view: Flower and Fruit Mountain, Water Curtain Cave.

Outside the cave, distracting thoughts gather like a cascading waterfall, their sound like thunder; inside, however, it is serene and tranquil, a world unto itself.

On the central stone platform, the branches of the spirit tree gently unfurled, and a tender new leaf quietly sprouted.

Five green leaves unfurl...

He broke through to the fifth level of Qi Refining silently during this ordinary work...

Entrance to the salt station.

A figure emerged from the Bagua Stone Formation; it was Shi Qing, who had accompanied Lu Chengjun to the salt station earlier.

Zhou Hu and the others immediately went to greet him: "Fellow Daoist Shi, what brings you here?"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries...

"Where is Fellow Daoist Lu?" Shi Qing asked.

"He's farming, but..." Zhou Hu looked a little embarrassed.

"But what?" Shi Qing asked curiously.

"To be honest, Fellow Daoist Shi, Fellow Daoist Lu strictly forbids anyone from disturbing him while he is farming. However, if Fellow Daoist Shi has come to deliver an order, then I will..."

Shi Qing raised his hand to stop him, and said with a serious expression, "I did come here specifically to deliver this order, but since Fellow Daoist Lu is busy, let's wait a bit."

"Okay!" Zhou Hu breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Lu Chengjun was usually taciturn, no one dared to offend him. They would always try their best to speak kindly to him and serve him with utmost care.

If Lu Chengjun were to shirk his responsibilities, the entire Nanming Guard would be in serious trouble.

And they too had to risk their lives and trek the most dangerous stretch of road.

Everyone waited silently...

By evening, Lu Chengjun had finished working in the fields, put away his hoe, and prepared to eat.

Everyone was already waiting in the courtyard, and Lu Chengjun was somewhat surprised to see Shi Qing standing in the crowd.

"Fellow Daoist Lu." Shi Qing stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Mm." Lu Chengjun nodded.

Shi Qing knew that Lu Chengjun was always a man of few words, so he didn't bother with pleasantries. He took out a black imperial edict and said solemnly, "I have come to the salt station on orders to convey Commander Shen's military orders."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hu, Lin Xiaoshun, Zhang Mo, and the others immediately bowed their heads and waited in silence.

Lu Chengjun also stood quietly to the side to show respect.

"Lu Chengjun is hereby appointed as the captain, in charge of all affairs at the salt station. The commander has ordered that, from this day forward, one of the garrisoned cultivators must accompany Captain Lu on his salt transport missions each night without fail. Once you are all familiar with the routes and procedures, Captain Lu will arrange the salt transport; he will not need to transport the salt himself."

"This order shall take effect immediately, without delay or disobedience." After reading it aloud, Shi Qing handed the order to Zhou Hu.

Zhou Hu accepted the military order with both hands, and all the cultivators at the salt station looked troubled and pale.

They originally thought that as long as they stayed at the salt station, even if they needed to transport salt, they would only have to take the safest route from the salt station to Nanmingwei. But they never expected…

The commander even directly ordered them to take the risk.

The cultivators were filled with apprehension.

The roar of a ferocious beast like the Crimson-Crowned Fire-Feathered Dragon is enough to terrify anyone.

"Even if more people go at once, encountering that Fire Feather Dragon will ultimately lead to certain death. This arrangement is far too dangerous..."

"There's really no need for that."

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, their voices filled with apprehension and fear of difficulty.

Shi Qing's expression grew increasingly stern as he retorted, "You are all cultivators from the salt station; we can't let Captain Lu continue to face danger alone. He's paved the way, so you must continue the work!"

At this point, Shi Qing's tone softened slightly: "Besides, Fellow Daoist Lu has already figured out the habits of the Crimson-Crowned Fire Feather Dragon. He has been transporting salt at night for over a month without incident, and he knows the salt transport route by heart. Captain Lu has such courage and ability, and he will surely be entrusted with important tasks in the future. It is impossible for him to stay here to transport salt for long. He taught you so that you would have the ability to protect yourselves. If you wait until he leaves and then transport salt on your own, you will truly perish in the belly of the demon."

The group looked at each other, realizing that there was no escaping this ordeal, and could only dejectedly accept their fate.

Shi Qing turned to Lu Chengjun, his tone even more polite: "Captain Lu, the commander's intention is for you to train them thoroughly. They must be able to transport salt independently. Who do you think should accompany you tonight?"

Lu Chengjun nodded slightly, his gaze falling directly on Zhou Hu.

……

night.

The bright moon hangs high in the sky, and the sky is full of stars.

Lu Chengjun, carrying a basket on his back and a hoe, strode ahead.

He remained expressionless and composed.

Zhou Hu, carrying a broadsword on his back, followed behind him, his expression tense, glancing left and right.

The two were to traverse the most dangerous section of the route, the territory inhabited by the Crimson-Crowned Fire-Feathered Dragon, and they were to travel at night.

Zhou Hu had a feeling that a dark shadow would suddenly appear from the woods and attack him from behind.

Lu Chengjun said calmly, "The Crimson-Crowned Fire Feather Dragon sleeps at night. As long as you don't enter its lair, you'll be safe."

Zhou Hu swallowed hard and lowered his voice, replying, "Captain Lu, how can we pinpoint its lair? What if... we accidentally stumble upon it?"

Lu Chengjun paused slightly, then said softly, "The Fire Feather Dragon has the habit of storing food; places with a bloody smell are its nests."

"Oh..." Zhou Hu nodded quickly, making sure to remember these words.

Halfway through their journey, Lu Chengjun stopped in a clearing in the woods.

This place looked ordinary, and Zhou Hu looked puzzled.

"Remember this symbol." Following Lu Chengjun's guidance.

Zhou Hu saw a row of pebbles arranged to form the character "屮".

"This is an underground shelter I set up in advance. If I encounter a real danger, I can hide here and save my life temporarily."

Zhou Hu bent down to examine it closely, and asked in confusion, "Where is the entrance?"

Lu Chengjun took out a talisman from his pocket and handed it over.

"This is a quicksand talisman. Keep it safe. You can activate it to protect yourself in an emergency."

Zhou Hu looked at the quicksand talisman in his hand with even more disbelief.

How can this thing protect itself?

Lu Chengjun slightly raised his fingertips and chanted a spell in a low voice.

Use: Quicksand Technique!

The flat ground beneath their feet suddenly shifted, the fine sand churned, and instantly turned into a whirlpool of quicksand.

Zhou Hu was terrified and instinctively tried to struggle and escape.

Lu Chengjun moved with lightning speed, grabbing his arm with astonishing strength that left no room for resistance.

Both of them were swallowed by quicksand at the same time.

"Captain Lu! What are you going to do...?"

Before he could finish speaking, he was buried alive.

In an instant, the world spun around, but amidst the chaos, I found myself firmly on solid ground.

Before them lay a dry and spacious underground cave, its walls solid and its interior empty.

He wasn't buried alive!?

Zhou Hu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly came to his senses: "So this is your Earth Escape Technique!?"

Lu Chengjun nodded slightly, which was taken as tacit agreement.

"When did you dig out this underground cave?"

"It was dug during a break in the salt transport."

Zhou Hu looked around: "Then, how do we get out?"

This question made Lu Chengjun frown.

He himself could reverse the quicksand technique to break through the ground, but Zhou Hu did not know the quicksand technique, and could not reverse it with talismans alone.

What should I do?!

After pondering for a long time, Lu Chengjun handed the hoe in his hand to Zhou Hu and said calmly, "Dig it out."

Zhou Hu: "..."