Chapter 78 - 78: Let Me Burrow for a While, to Alleviate the Pressure
After leaving the heavenly realm, Lu Xuan returned to the outside world.
Below, the sea was dotted with corpses, now dyed red with blood.
On the dark warship, the soldiers crouched, trembling.
Seeing Lu Xuan emerge, several scattered cultivators came forward to pay their respects and returned the Heart Questioning Treasure Mirror to him.
“Senior, as per your instructions, we have beheaded all the wrongdoers. A total of three hundred and eighty-six people. Please review it, Senior.”
The Heart Inquiry Mirror contained records of interrogations. Lu Xuan nodded, looked through them, and then collected the mirrors before turning to the people on the deck.
At this point, there was no need for soul searching. Before Lu Xuan even asked, they voluntarily stepped forward, eagerly confessing everything.
These men were not pirates, but naval soldiers from the Eastern Barren Territory’s Tian Lan Ancient Country.
The commander in black armor was also a notable figure from the Tian Lan Ancient Country.
Before coming here, the black-armored leader ordered them to disguise as pirates, without revealing the reason.
Only upon arriving in this sea area did they discover the emergence of an ancient Heavenly Emperor’s heavenly realm.
Lu Xuan now had a guess in his mind: perhaps the black-armored leader never intended to let these men return alive.
Once he obtained the legacy of the celestial ruler, he would silence all his subordinates.
Now that the matter was over, Lu Xuan looked at the soldiers on the ship, frowning in thought.
Releasing them was certainly not an option. A high-ranking official had died at sea, and these ordinary soldiers would surely be implicated.
These men also knew that if they returned, they would meet a grim fate.
In such a situation, these men might take risks and turn from fake to real pirates.
But to kill them all? The truly deserving ones were already dead…
Lu Xuan looked at the beautiful environment of the sea island, pondering whether to let these men stay here for a few hundred years to guard the empty tomb of Heavenly Emperor Xu.
At that moment, Yushou An emerged from the cabin and saluted Lu
Xuan, “Senior Lu, I have a suggestion.”
“Oh? What suggestion?”
Lu Xuan asked.
Yushou An turned to the soldiers and said, “My clan is currently constructing a major project and is in dire need of strong laborers. This project will take almost a century.”
“If you gentlemen are willing, you can come with me. You can avoid trouble and earn some resources to aid in cultivation.”
“This…’
The soldiers looked at each other.
It seemed they had no other choice.
Going back was no longer an option, and turning into real pirates was a desperate last resort.
They heard that the Sea Tribe were generous with payment, offering high wages, a five-day work week, and no wage arrears…
Thinking about it, working for a hundred years, avoiding trouble, and saving some money…
Didn’t seem like a bad idea?
“Are you willing to go?”
Lu Xuan asked.
“Senior, we are certainly willing,” the soldiers replied in unison.
“Good.”
Lu Xuan nodded, consenting to this arrangement.
Evening.
Lu Xuan lay on the large bed in his room, gazing at the starry sky through the skylight.
The mermen’s large ship was a mystical treasure, with cabins that could rise and fall at will.
Lu Xuan’s room was a… Starry sky bedroom.
Cheng Lingzhu lay in his arms, at this moment resting her head on his arm, watching the stars with him.
“What are you thinking about?”
Cheng Lingzhu turned her head to look at his profile.
“I’m thinking about what Senior Xu said to me during the day.”
Lu Xuan pondered:
“His words were not very clear, but such a senior would not deliberately play riddles with me.”
“You mean… He could only say that much to you at that time?”
Cheng Lingzhu said.
“Exactly. ”
Lu Xuan nodded.
“Senior Xu’s words, though straightforward, conveyed that he saw hope.”
“But people only yearn for hope when they are in a predicament. What did they encounter back then?”
“When I wanted to ask about the broken path he referred to, and what sort of despairing future that predecessor named I Ching saw, he stopped me.”
“Sometimes, silence is also a form of expression.” Cheng Lingzhu pondered for a long time.
Lu Xuan slightly nodded in agreement.
He thought the same.
Why did the Heavenly Emperor stop him at that time?
Was it related to cause and effect?
Or… Was he worried about being detected?
The ancient emperors were incredibly powerful.
Even they had to avoid and not delve too deeply into the existence…
Lu Xuan looked out the window.
The heavens were high and distant, unchanged since ancient times, deep and mysterious.
“Hey, let’s not think about this, okay?”
Lu Xuan stretched out his hand, rubbing his temples.
If it was as he imagined, that the broken path was the heaven of the Archean Eon realm.
Then that’s really…
Even the stars seemed less charming.
“Feeling upset?”
Cheng Lingzhu noticed the change in Lu Xuan’s expression.
“Not really.”
Lu Xuan shook his head.
“Although it sounds a bit oppressive, Senior Xu did say he saw hope… Which means, ultimately, the future is bright.”
He slowly exhaled, “Even if he told me the path ahead is broken, I would still try to carve out a future.”
Lu Xuan’s Dao heart was firm.
He was the man who, after failing to form his Nascent Soul three thousand times, still prepared for the next attempt.
“But if we’re talking about pressure, there is some. Receiving the Reincarnation Bow from Senior Xu today felt like a hot-blooded youth being entrusted with a great responsibility by an elder, a feeling I’ve never had before.”
Lu Xuan said with a smile.
Cheng Lingzhu reached out and touched his cheek.
Feeling her soft hand, Lu Xuan said seriously.
“I need to relieve some pressure.”
“How will you do that?”
Cheng Lingzhu asked.
Lu Xuan looked down for a moment, then said thoughtfully:
“Let me burrow myself for a while.”
Cheng Lingzhu followed his gaze and blushed, poking him in the chest in mock annoyance.
“This is a serious matter.”
Lu Xuan turned to face her, his hand resting on Cheng Lingzhu’s waist, feeling the silkiness of her nightgown. Through the thin fabric, he could feel her body’s warmth.
“A hero saving the world always needs a warm embrace to soothe the weariness and scars in his heart,” Lu Xuan reasoned, “and besides, this is also part of adaptability training. ”
“Just for a little while then.”
Cheng Lingzhu bit her lip, her face flushed.
She extended her arms, wrapped them around Lu Xuan’s neck, and held his head in her embrace.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Lu Xuan raised his head, his eyes bright, the tiredness on his face gone.
“Feeling… Okay?”
Cheng Lingzhu lifted her chin in an indifferent manner.
“The fragrance is refreshing, the spirit is uplifted, embracing brings fullness of spirit, and the path ahead feels bright.”
Lu Xuan spoke thoughtfully.
The difference between a wine jar and a wine cup was not small.
If this were the former Cheng Hongtan, he might have had to be careful about his nose.
“Can’t you be serious…”
Cheng Lingzhu lightly tapped his chest, “Alright, time to sleep.”
“Wait. ”
Lu Xuan stopped her.
“What is it?”
Cheng Lingzhu was puzzled.
“It’s not over yet.”
Lu Xuan blinked:
“I just came up for air… Mmm… Mmm.”
Turned out Cheng Lingzhu, annoyed by his frivolous talk, had passionately kissed him, physically silencing his mouth..