Journey to the West: The Mountain Shaker

Chapter 88 The Old Mountain Lord's Choice

The message sent at noon did not receive a reply from Zhao Shizuo until the evening, and the response was disappointing.

Guo Xiqin reported: "Lord Zhao said that the Anfu Division will not interfere in the internal strife in Aolai."

The old dean remained silent.

This attitude was within his expectations. The Anfu Division never interfered in the internal strife of Aolai. Besides, Haixing was not yet over, and with only a few people in Huaguoshan, they were too busy to take care of themselves, let alone pay attention to Sushanfang.

But for the mountain people of Wujialing, the Anfu Division was the only possible savior.

Guo Xiqin added, "Xu Xiaolin of Xingyue sent a message to Lord Zhao using the movement techniques of the thirteen guest families. The message read, 'We have heard that the demon monkey has revealed himself as the son of Aolai. We are willing to eliminate this hidden danger for the Heavenly Court!'"

This is trying to associate Cai Fei with monkeys!

The old dean's face darkened, and he slowly said, "This Xu Xiaolin is truly cunning. In just a few days, he was able to organize such a large-scale operation, truly driving Cai Fei to the brink of despair."

Guo Xiqin smiled bitterly: "It is indeed a dead end. Whether we go or not, it's a dead end."

"He'll probably still go." The old director sighed. "This child... was abandoned as soon as he was born, unloved by his parents. Xu Ping'an took him in and raised him. Now that the Xu family is about to be wiped out, how could he not go back?"

Guo Xiqin remained silent—this was an open conspiracy. The so-called three-day deadline given to the Chu family was clearly a trap set for Cai Fei to fall into. Besides the four families that were on the surface, who knew how many other people were waiting there?

At the very least, the three evil spirits of Aolai who failed to complete their mission will certainly remain.

Go, and Cai Fei will face even greater danger than eight days ago; don't go, and if our entire family is wiped out, how will Cai Fei bear it!

"What was the attitude of the elder from the Chu family?" the old dean asked.

Within a day, the situation had escalated to the point that fifty or sixty people had signed their names at Chu Zhiyin's place, pledging to live and die with Wujialing. A dozen or so people had also knocked on the door of the academy, wanting to see Cai Fei and demanding an answer from him.

But the key figure—the elder of the Chu family named Chu Zhengshan—remained silent.

"He's still hiding, holed up in that little cave, refusing to return to the cultivator camp or see anyone. No matter who tries to invite him, he won't show himself. That Chu Zhiyin is quite spirited; he's currently running around Huaguo Mountain, making contacts everywhere, very actively, but his excessive enthusiasm makes me a little suspicious."

"How is Cai Fei's mood?" the old dean asked again.

"His mood was relatively stable during the afternoon treatment. According to Elder Long, the foreign spiritual energy in his dantian has been completely cleared away, and there is still some residual golden spiritual energy in the wound. It will be completely removed in a day at most." Guo Xiqin thought for a moment and then added, "He didn't say anything either; he seemed a bit wooden."

Alas, anyone in this situation would find it difficult to make a decision.

The old dean pressed his temples in pain, about to wave Guo Xiqin away, when suddenly a guard came to report that Chu Zhiyin had gone to the Water Curtain Cave.

"Let's go and take a look." The old dean waved his hand and led Guo Xiqin into the night, heading together to the deepest part of the Water Curtain Cave.

Night had fallen, but there was no day or night inside the Water Curtain Cave. Under the glow of the fluorite, the sound of dripping water could be heard quietly around the Mind Monkey's Chamber.

The Guo couple sat down on some stone benches outside. Chu Zhiyin's voice came clearly from inside the small room; he was analyzing the situation for Cai Fei.

"They've made a lot of noise, but not many are truly willing to risk their lives, especially those from the north. Many of them have business dealings with Xingyue and have already softened their stance. More than sixty people have signed their names, mostly young men in their twenties, and the majority are in the early stages of Qi Refining. They're useful for defense within the magic array, but in open battle, even if they dare to go, I wouldn't dare let them actually fight. The only ones who can truly be used are these twenty-odd. Take a look..."

"My uncle has some friends, and we can add a few more from the academy. The Feng family from Longsha Lane and the Li family from Qiaozhu Lane have both come to me. They are willing to do their best. If you include them all, there are more than a hundred people..."

"I can give you a heads-up. My family has been operating on that mountain for over three hundred years. We have plenty of defensive formations, tunnels, pits... If we can get over a hundred cultivators to go, plus my family's forty-odd cultivators, we can definitely defend the mountain. But the problem is, they are fighting for the 'Son of Aolai.' You have to go back. If you don't go, they won't go either."

Inside the Heart Monkey Chamber, Chu Zhiyin raised his head and looked at Cai Fei, saying earnestly, "The matter is very clear. Their target is not Chu Family Village, nor the old mountain lord, but you! In the current situation, as soon as you leave Flower Fruit Mountain, you will surely die. Therefore, brother, I still suggest that you seriously consider the old mountain lord's words, endure this humiliation, live a life of ignominy, and wait for the future."

"I understand, thank you for your help, Brother Zhiyin." Cai Fei closed his eyes. "Let me think about it some more, and I'll give you an answer tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Alright." Cai Zhiyin patted Cai Fei on the shoulder, stood up and walked out the door. He saw the Guo family and the other person and calmly raised his hand to greet them. He then found a clean spot by the door of the small room and sat down cross-legged to meditate.

The large spider that had been lying on top silently crawled to his side and quietly stood guard at the door.

The Guo uncle and nephew exchanged a glance, both looking surprised. Without saying a word, they stood up and quietly left.

Only after walking to the outside of the Water Curtain Cave and passing through the water curtain did the old dean sigh, "Calm and collected, with a clear mind, this is truly a talented person."

Guo Xiqin remained silent and followed the old dean back to the office by flying sword. Only when he saw him to the door did he speak, "Uncle, if Cai Feizhen is going back, I have to go with her."

"It's only right. What our family owes the Great Sage, it's time to pay it back."

The old dean walked into the inner room without looking back, leaving behind only this one sentence.

At the same time, in Chujia Village, at Lantao Peak—the temporary residence of the mountain people of Wujialing.

As night deepened, the alarm circle was activated once again.

Xu Ping'an was already seriously injured. At this moment, the person guarding him was Sun Juxian, and the person in charge of the safety of the entire Rotten Peach Peak was Zeng Fuhu, who had changed his name.

The fluorite hanging from the treetops was all shot down in an instant, and a chaotic battle ensued in the darkness.

Zeng Fuhu led twelve cultivators to protect the top of the hill. When the Chu family cultivators arrived, they pursued the attackers, but the forest was dark and the vegetation was dense. They lost sight of the enemy after a short distance, and their efforts were in vain.

In retrospect, two cultivators were injured, three civilian sentries died, and a number of fluorite and magic arrays were destroyed. The enemy only suffered one assassin who managed to reach the mountaintop, who was slashed on the arm. It was almost a complete loss.

This can't go on. The enemy isn't attacking with all their might right now. They're just harassing us in three or four waves, launching surprise attacks every now and then, killing several of us each time. It's exhausting to deal with them and it's really demoralizing.

Therefore, Zeng Fuhu once again suggested—scatter and flee!

The enemy's individual combat abilities are very strong, but there are only about a hundred people in total. Chu Family Village covers an area of ​​dozens of miles, a vast mountainous region, so there must be gaps to exploit. Escaping this area and fleeing west into the deep mountains, leaving our lives to fate, is better than staying here and being beaten every day.

However, Xu Ping'an disagreed with this, for three reasons: First, he was seriously injured and his opponent had four or five Foundation Establishment flying swords, making it difficult for him to escape; second, letting the mountain people escape at this time would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths; third, if he escaped, the Chu family would suffer!

So he was waiting, waiting for Elder Chu Zhengshan to return.

If the Chu family is determined to resist, then Wujialing will certainly fight to the death.

If the Chu family wants to sever ties, fine, Xu Ping'an will sacrifice himself to ensure everyone's safety.

"Old Mountain Lord, at least you have to leave! Let Sun Juxian secretly carry you into the deep mountains, and we'll pretend you're still here and continue guarding. Look at all your injuries; you're useless here, just getting in the way. If I hadn't had to guard you, I might have left the person here!"

Zeng Fuhu, his face dark, tried to persuade him. He had been staying by Xu Ping'an's bedside the whole time, and he really couldn't understand why this stubborn old man wouldn't leave.

"I've been running away my whole life, ever since I can remember."

This was a bamboo couch laid flat on the ground. Xu Ping'an sat against the wall with his eyes closed, ignoring Zeng Fuhu's scolding, and instead began to talk about the past.

His left leg was broken, his right arm was stabbed deep into the bone, and his chest, abdomen, back, and neck were covered in deep sword wounds—his whole body resembled a broken and pieced-back porcelain vase, his body pulsating with wild fire, and it was painful to look at, but his voice remained calm.

"I first ran away when I was five years old, and it was when I was ambushed by the thirteen families. We got separated in the darkness. There were dozens of people with me, including my second brother from the clan, who was a cultivator." The old mountain lord fell into his memories.

"My second brother carried me on his back, but he couldn't run fast. He was quickly caught up by a Qi Refining Master. In the end, my second brother ended up like me now, with a broken calf and a crippled right hand. He used his only remaining hand to throw me away and just sat there fighting to the death, holding off that person for a quarter of an hour."

"The children go, the young go, the old and the wounded cover the way. These were the last words my second brother said to me." Xu Ping'an opened his eyes, looking calmly at Zeng Fuhu. "Now I am both old and wounded. If I don't cover the way, who will?"

"But you're so badly injured..."

"I still have a use." Xu Ping'an interrupted Zeng Fuhu, pointing to the window with his left hand, "He threw a flying knife out the window and you acted too early, understand? You should have waited until he pounced on you, then used my vines to block him. Once he was pounced, I would have entangled him, and he wouldn't be able to escape."

"That throwing knife was too powerful; the blade's edge was longer than the blade itself. I was afraid he might actually kill you if he rushed in..." Zeng Fuhu argued.

"They're old and crippled. It's worth replacing them with a vigorous assassin in their prime. We've been fighting all day, so many of us have died, but they haven't lost a single one. Their morale is dwindling..."

The old mountain lord's tone remained calm throughout, as if he were talking about someone else's affairs, but the last two sentences suddenly rose in intensity, like a blade cutting through iron: "We have to kill one of them, no matter what, skin him alive! To appease the souls of my fallen comrades!"

The cultivators guarding inside and outside the house were all shocked.

Zeng Fuhu felt ashamed and could only bow and clasp his hands in greeting to the old man, saying, "Yes, sir, I'll remember."