Chapter Sixteen: Divine Beast

  At this moment, you ask me if I'm going in or not? According to my personality, I definitely don't want to go in. But if I were to turn around and run away, it's possible that all of us would end up as fertilizer for the old elm tree spirit. Besides, if I don't go in, what will the readers have to look at?

  Whether you enter or not, the cave is there, neither big nor small...

  Old Wu pulled me and whispered: "He may not dare to do anything to you."

  "I also whispered: 'What can he really do to me?'"

  "Alright then, shout for us and we'll rush in to save you!"

  I'm not satisfied with this answer, judging from Hei Shan Lao Yao's tone, he must have been starving for a long time, his appetite is definitely very good, what if that hole is his stomach? I may become a pile of excrement in the blink of an eye, and that's under the condition of being digested cleanly, if not fully absorbed, I would become a half-human-half-feces creature - fecal person, I've made progress...

  Finally, I gritted my teeth and strode in. Old Wu, with a hint of luck on his mind, took a step forward to follow me, but dozens of vines instantly sealed the entrance behind me. Hei Shan Lao Yao chuckled: "Please ask the fellow Taoists to rest outside for a while."

  I walked into the cave with a complex mood, carefully looking around and humming "Trepidation" ...

  I found this place to be quite spacious, about 7 or 8 square meters in size. What surprised me the most was that it was actually very clean, unlike the scene of scattered corpses I had imagined.

  The tree hole had a door on one side, with thick trunks on both sides, and on the innermost trunk, an entire wall was covered with dark red tubular objects that resembled human internal organs. In this thin membrane-like vascular network, something shaped like a person was vaguely wrapped inside. As the blood vessels pulsed, the person inside would occasionally move slightly, but their expression remained calm, without any frightening appearance.

  As I entered, the person inside moved again, as if bowing their head in greeting. That slightly hoarse voice rang out: "Thank you, senior, for gracing us with your presence." It was unclear whether it was due to the echo outside earlier, but this voice sounded even more gentle in the tree cave, despite being hoarse, yet having endless magnetism.

  I looked around for a while and waved my hand: "What's the matter with you calling me in?"

  The man on the wall moved his hand, and a tree stump appeared in the corner of the wall, digging through the soil like Tǔ Xíng Sūn, coming to my back. Hei Shan Lǎo Yāo said: "Dragon senior, please sit down."

  Since you're already here, might as well make yourself at home. I've also given up, and sat down with a thud, looking around and saying: "This place has quite some character, it's not like you can open an inn that's cheap."

  The man on the wall was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said: "Brother Long is indeed a master, his casual words make people half understand and half not."

  I gradually came to understand that the figure hanging on the wall was the true form of the Black Mountain Old Monster, who lived in this tree, commanding it like a brain and heart.

  Hei Shan Lao Yao saw me looking at him and said unnaturally: "I'm not fully transformed into human form yet, so I won't come out to make a fool of myself in front of seniors."

  "Just stay up there." I found that since entering the cave, Hei Shan Lao Yao's attitude towards me was different from before. Although he was somewhat wary of me earlier, his words were laced with subtle ridicule and sarcasm. Now, however, he spoke like a charming hostess, with a hint of playful rebuke and dignified elegance.

  "Right, what did you call me here for?"

  "I'm not afraid of being laughed at by my seniors, Little Hei has lived for over 2,000 years and it's the first time I've seen someone like Senior Dragon who has successfully passed the tribulation. Although Little Hei knows that passing the tribulation is hopeless for him, he still wants to hear more about the twists and turns from Senior Dragon. If he can benefit from this and live a few more years, Little Hei will be forever grateful to Senior Dragon."

  I understand what he's getting at, he wants to know how I survived the disaster. Although he doesn't have such ambition, he is just curious, it's like a person born with color blindness asking someone who has obtained a driver's license how they passed the test...

  I coughed and said: "This tribulation is actually simple. When the thunderbolt comes down..."

  "Heh heh, Xiao Hei won't be able to wait for the heavenly tribulation to descend on him anymore. Why don't we start from the beginning instead? Senior, when did you successfully pass your tribulation?"

  "Not long ago, just recently."

  "That was... several hundred years ago?"

  "Uh, I guess so."

  "Excuse me for being presumptuous, but may I ask what year were you born?"

  "I'm early, anyway, Pan Ge and I have a good relationship."

  "Pan Ge?"

  "Pangu!" I really can't think of anyone earlier than him.

  The old demon from Hei Shan was about to say something but stopped, and then said in a melancholic tone: "Since senior doesn't want to say it, then let's not say it." It seems he also knows that I'm just talking nonsense. Du Jie has just taken the civil service exam, and Pangu is a member of the Central Committee, if I were to say that I and Zhu Bajie are sworn brothers who share the same pants, he would probably believe it.

  "Can you tell me what your previous life was?"

  "This... I don't know how to say it, there seems to be a calculation for this on the computer, I've never calculated it, I usually just take a look at my horoscope..."

  He saw me struggling to speak and cautiously asked: "Could it be a divine beast?"

  "I won't tell you for now, let's test your eyesight." I said with a smile.

  "Oh, have you seen the divine beast?"

  "I have seen several kinds."

  "Can you speak?"

  "Hey, there's a divine beast called Grass Mud Horse. They live on the Great Wall of China and are highly revered by people."

  "I get it, senior is actually Cao Ni Ma."

  "No!" I blurted out, repeating in my heart several times: You're the one who's a damn idiot, your whole family is damn idiots!

  "Ah..." The old demon from Hei Shan said with a hint of resentment: "Since senior doesn't want to say anything, Xiao Hei won't force it. How about we talk about how you normally cultivate instead? That should be okay, right?"

  Speaking of this, I want to throw in an ellipsis again - how the hell do I cultivate it?

  "Seniors won't even say that, will they?" The tone of the old demon from Heishan was no longer so pleasant. I didn't know if he would suddenly go berserk in the next moment or if he was just using these words to probe me. I hastily said: "You should follow your heart's desire, and let your intentions turn freely, then cultivation will naturally be unimpeded."

  All are nonsense from third-rate martial arts films spoken by old men with white beards...

  "But my true intention is to eat humans, can I still achieve enlightenment by cultivating like this?" The Black Mountain Old Monster said in confusion.

  "That's right, there's another phrase called conquering oneself. Aren't you thinking of eating people? Endure! Endure as much as possible, and you'll see the results at a certain point." This time I'm talking about my own psychological words!

  The old monster from Hei Shan listened to me talking, and unconsciously flipped over on the wall. Then I saw a soft and gentle body lying down sideways, with one hand supporting the back of its head and the other hand placed on its thigh. Although its face was unclear, it had a hint of femininity, but it had a big bald head, and its voice was really hard to distinguish as male or female. I didn't even know whether to use "he" or "she".

  "Senior, what's wrong? Senior?"

  I finally came back to myself and hastily said, "Nothing."

  "Hei Shan Lao Yao said slowly: 'Today I heard a word from the senior and gained a lot, but the senior's kindness is far more than that.'"

  "Huh?" I was confused. Could it be that he was the little sapling I planted on Arbor Day in third grade? It couldn't have matured so quickly, had it been fed milk powder?

  "Hei Shan Lao Yao said with a hint of surprise: 'I originally thought that since a senior like you, Da Luo Jinxian, has arrived in person, I must have been so evil that my death is imminent. But unexpectedly, Senior is kind and compassionate, and even spoke so many words to me.' It turned out he thought I was here to deal with him."

  "I stood up and said: 'Just live well, as long as you don't harm others I won't bother you, nothing to see here, I'm leaving.'"

  Hei Shan Lao Yao hastily stood up and cupped his hands in respect: "I bid farewell to senior."

  I walked out with my head held high and a big stride, Xiao Qian and Old Wu rushed up to greet me, I made a strong eye contact with them: "Stay calm!"

  Then the four of us swaggered down from the top of the mountain, Hei Shan Lao Yao put away the vines, the tree crown hung low, and respectfully sent us off as we descended.

  On the halfway up the mountain, Xiao Qian finally couldn't help but let out a cheer, and we all burst into laughter. Old Wu asked me what was going on, and I repeated my conversation with Hei Shan Lao Yao. Jin Chengwu laughed loudly: "Haha haha, Grass Mud Horse - you're too bad!"

  Xiao Qian smiled and said, "It seems we overthought it. Hei Shan Lao Yao didn't dare to suspect Xiao Long Ge at all. When he invited Xiao Long Ge in, he really wanted to ask about the tribulation. Originally, he thought he wouldn't be able to escape this calamity, so when we said we were leaving, he didn't believe us instead."

  "Wow, this kid's got guts! He just escaped death and yet he still dares to call out to Little Dragon. Does he really think he can cheat fate?"

  Xiao Qian said, "However, he is still sincere. His current meridians and heart blood are all concentrated in the tree hole. Even if an ordinary person rushes in, they can pose a danger to him, but he actually shows it publicly."

  Old Wu suddenly stopped in his tracks, furrowed his brow and fell silent. I asked him: "What's wrong?"

  Lao Wu said: "In that case, this Hei Shan old demon is not as we thought, he also has a good side, controlling the zombies to forage for food was something he couldn't avoid."

  I said: "Anyway, after we scare her like this, she won't dare anymore."

  "What will she eat in the future?"

  "What's it to you?"

  "No! I have to go back."

  "I was surprised and asked: 'What did you go back for?'"

  Lao Wu said: "Confucius said: There is no distinction in teaching. Since he still has the heart to advance, I will go and help him. Can't just watch him self-destruct."

  I said: "How can you help her?"

  Lao Wu said: "I'll see if I can pass on the 'Tao Te Ching' to him and let him return to the right path."

  "I hastily asked: 'You've just escaped from Tiger's Mouth, are you going back again?'"

  Old Wu smiled and said: "The superior goodness is like water, carrying virtues to benefit all things. How can I abandon this Black Brother who is still a fellow practitioner? If I were to ignore him, it would be a calamity for my own cultivation."

  "I said: 'Then I'll accompany you one more time.'"

  Old Wu waved his hand and said, "The Black Mountain Old Monster's mind is unpredictable. If you go again and arouse his suspicion, it won't be good."

  "Do you know he's indecisive and yet you still want to go yourself?"

  "It doesn't matter, after all we have a similar origin, even if he wants to harm me it won't be that easy."

  "You'd better think twice, Xiao Hei is not stupid. I just made a fuss and he should have reacted by now. If you go to him, he'll vent his anger on you, and you'll be in trouble."

  Old Wu said no more, waved his hand at us and continued on up the mountain.

  Division line

  Join two groups: 58839529 "Mixed Official Fan Club"

  "Zhang Xiaohua Official VIP Group" - Adding "official" to it is quite awkward, making it sound like a news broadcast.

  Re-divide and re-split

  My wife asked me today how to distinguish the sex of that tree spirit, I didn't tell her, mainly because I don't know either, anyway Hei Shan Lao Yao is a mature woman!