Chapter 12: The Days of Waiting

Compared to my lack of composure, Chengxin was not much calmer. He had been holding the bowl in his hand, but in a flash of inspiration, he could not help but let go. The sound of the bowl crashing to the ground echoed in the silent room, sounding particularly harsh.

Old Wu looked at me and Chengxin with a look of disbelief. He probably couldn’t react. What’s wrong with these two little brothers who were originally calm and rational?

Because of the excitement, Chengxin and I couldn’t say anything for a while, but we really wanted to say something, so we could only make strange noises in our throats.

Ruoxue, on the other hand, was very calm. When she heard about Kunlun, she just put down her bowl. Perhaps she was full, wiped her mouth, and said calmly, “The news about Kunlun is really good, isn’t it?”

At this point, I had also completely calmed down. In terms of character, I could never match Ruoxue, and even Chengxin was better than me. After all, I could see that he was already calm and was just waiting for my opinion.

“Old Wu,” I said, “since we’ve decided to really ‘cooperate,’ it’s better to be honest: I want the essence, but I’m not really jealous. Tell me, what treasures are in the Kunlun tomb? To be honest, if I can get them, I’ll be happy, and if I can’t, it doesn’t matter. There’s only one thing that’s very important, and that is that you said the tomb of the immortals is the tomb of the Kunlun people. I need all the news about Kunlun, even if it’s just a little bit.”

Wu Laogui’s face lit up with joy, and he couldn’t help but speak in his native accent: “That’s great! I’m not afraid of you going to the Northeast to ask around. You’re a man of honor, and that’s very bright. Especially me, if you go to our place and ask around, everyone knows Wu Laowu is famous for being quiet and loyal, and is known as the chivalrous young master.”

I have reservations about saying that. Looking at Wu Laogui’s image, I don’t think he has anything to do with the name Xiaolangjun. I didn’t expose him, but I laughed and said, “You want me to go to your place to ask around, but who should I ask? It’s not easy to find out from a ghost.”

“Haha, hahaha…” Wu Laogui laughed along, but it was clear that he was genuinely happy.

Ru Xue, who had not spoken up until now, finally spoke up: “Lao Wu, why do you have so much confidence in us? The place you mentioned has been passed down for at least hundreds of years, right? With the addition of a powerful ghost cultivator, you must think we can help you?”

Wu Laogui was in the middle of changing back into his fashionable attire when he heard Ru Xue ask him that question. He became serious again. He was wearing a Taoist headdress with his outfit, which looked awkward no matter how you looked at it. But it was his personal preference, so who were you to judge?

“Little girl, I, Wu Lao Wu, am not bragging to you. I’m not good at cultivating, and I’m not very capable as a ghost, but I haven’t lived in vain for so many years. I specialize in spiritual awareness, and spiritual awareness encompasses many things, such as the ability to have premonitions and the ability to communicate with the heavens and the earth. I won’t brag about anything else, but I can say that this ability to have premonitions is somewhat reliable. With my eyes that have seen a lot of the world, I knew when I was at the ghost market that Brother Chengxin could help me succeed. I was wondering at the time, how could someone with the medical pulse line be so capable? But I didn’t expect that a good man has three helpers. Brother Chengxin also has a younger brother with a mountain-shaped pulse. Little girl, I can see that you are also a capable person, and I feel even more that this matter can be accomplished. When Wu Laogui said this, he was quite pleased with himself, and I don’t know if he was talking nonsense.

Because my spiritual perception has always been praised, I don’t feel that I have any special premonitions. Unless something big is approaching, I will have some slight feelings. Is it as amazing as Wu Laogui said?

However, I didn’t completely deny his words, because it was normal that some of the potential of spiritual perception was discovered because of the absence of the restrictions of the physical body.

Xue nodded and didn’t ask any more.

Instead, Chengxin said angrily, “I say you old ghost Wu, you have a purpose, but you don’t say it directly, and you make me support you for ten years. What do you mean?”

Old Wu shrunk his neck and whispered in a timid voice, “I didn’t say it straight, don’t you know? If I said it, would you go with me? As for the ten years of support, isn’t that to pick up a few cheap things in case you make a mistake? I have a great responsibility for revenge.”

Chengxin didn’t say anything, but he was smiling like the spring breeze. In an instant, he threw a pair of chopsticks at Wu Laogui. The chopsticks naturally couldn’t do any harm to Wu Laogui, but Wu Laogui was already scared and quickly floated high, shouting, “Chengxin, you can’t throw chopsticks at me. You have to worship me!”

Chengxin brother smiled and gritted his teeth, and finally looked at me and said, “Chengyi, do you understand?”

Wu Laogui heard this and let out a strange cry and floated out. He dragged his chin like snow and suddenly said, “I finally figured it out. Why is Wu called Wu Yanwu? I guess it’s because he talks too much. His parents hope he can talk less and change his name, right?”

At this time, a fluttering sound came from outside the house: “Little girl, how can you say such a dirty word? I am a taciturn and chivalrous young man. Go and ask around in our neighborhood. You can’t not know it! But I didn’t really used to be called Wu Yanwu. I was called Wu Ya Wu. I was too silent. My parents felt that they had to give me a name that suited me. Let me give you an example. My five brothers are called…”

Wu Ya = crow? I seem to understand Wu’s parents’ pain and regret at the time of the name change. Who can compare with the crow when it comes to ‘cawing’? The sound of ‘caw, caw, caw’ is probably enough to drive you crazy.

Both Ru Xue and I suddenly realized what was going on, but Cheng Xin was already on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He grabbed my arm and laughed in a chilling manner, completely losing the “charm” of the “Spring Breeze Man”: “Chengyi, you know what’s going on?”

Chengxin said in a tone of voice, and I suddenly got goosebumps.

Life in the north is not so difficult to adapt to. It is cold, but in fact, I think that after a little adaptation, the weather is still refreshing. At least it is not like my hometown, where the winter temperature seems to be ‘warm’, but in fact it is ‘creepy’ and humid, and can really make people cold to the bone.

Snow is a very interesting thing, at least for me. Although I have seen a lot of snow in Beijing, the snow in this bustling metropolis is not as interesting as the snow in this small border town in the north.

Snow always has a sound, that thin, dense, rustling sound, which actually makes people feel quiet from the heart. I have always wanted to listen to the sound of snow falling with my beloved woman, and now my wish has come true. The world outside the window is covered in snow, and everything around me is like snow. What else in life is there to be dissatisfied with?

On the table was a plate of stir-fried black fungus and Chinese cabbage. It was low in oil and salt, but the taste of the dish was full. As Xue Sheng explained lazily, “When you eat northeastern cuisine in the northeast, you have to follow the local customs. In the northeast, the taste of the dish itself is important. This is heavy in oil and salt, but it’s not beautiful.”

When I heard this, Chengxin smiled sheepishly. He is a foodie, but the first meal of Northeast cuisine he invited us to eat is now clear to me. It’s neither fish nor fowl!

In fact, as Xue said, the first dish I ate was crunchy, but the taste of the dish itself was full. After eating a dish, I picked up a bone that had just come out of the pot, held it, and tried to tear the meat that was loose and flavorful. Then I cracked the bone to suck the marrow, which squeaked, and then took a sip of the Northeast’s strong liquor. The flavor of the Northeast came out.

After the meal, a frozen pear was carefully cut open, and a bite was refreshing and sweet. In this way, I actually felt that the taste of living in this small town in the northeast was quite complete, and waiting was not so difficult.

After spending so much time together, Wu Laogui has given us the whole picture. The reason for the delay is that when he was a ghost servant under a certain sect, he learned some important information. It turns out that the immortal tomb is still very powerful, but every so many years, the immortal tomb will only have a formation in effect for some reason.

The last time, the middle-aged Taoist priest seized that opportunity and then broke the tomb.

Later, during the Qing Dynasty, there was another opportunity, but at that time, the old ghost had not fully recovered, at least he had not cultivated any skills, so he did not take the disciples to the immortal tomb. The disciples who knew the secret were also helpless. What could they do? The matter was thus delayed until now. According to Wu Laogui, this year is another opportunity.

When talking about this, Wu Laogui was quite proud: “If that calf were in our village, the whole village would be upset and say, ‘You don’t praise him?’ That’s not possible! Look, I have been a ghost servant for so many years under the important people of that sect, and I have finally heard the news, but I haven’t been discovered yet.

None of us responded to his words.