Chapter Five I said flowers will bloom

  "Huh?"

  By the bonfire, Ning Feng suddenly lifted his head.

  The stars and moon are hidden above his head; the bonfire beside him has gone out.

  The lake shore is surrounded by a faint white mist, encircling Ningfeng's vicinity.

  No firelight, no starlight, no moonlight, it's really dark to the point where you can't see your fingers when you stretch out your hand. Yet, a hazy water light floats around, with a kind of dreamy and illusory clarity.

  "It was just a dream..."

  Ning Feng could feel the unrealness of everything around him, "How can I be so clear-headed in a dream?"

  Before he could even finish his thought, the sound of "gurgling" water came from beside him. The sound was not loud, but it was clear enough in this quiet night to be like a whisper in his ear.

  Ning Feng turned around and looked over.

  There, a woman in a white long dress trailing on the ground, like a lotus flower emerging from the water, walked over with a gentle swaying motion.

  "The scholar has been treated with courtesy in our humble abode."

  "Who are you?" Ning Feng returned the courtesy and sized up his opponent.

  The woman's long skirt was as light and soft as water, wrapping around her slender and delicate body, but it wasn't the kind of weak and fragile beauty that relied on the wind for support. On the contrary, she had a round face that Ning Feng found incredibly familiar.

  Like Su listening to the rain, like pipa fish...

  Su listened to the rain with a tender and delicate touch, the pipa fish was overly charming, the woman in front of her had every inch of skin radiating a moist luster, as if she were made of water.

  "I was born here, grew up here, without a father or mother, never saw a living soul, and no one ever gave me a name."

  The woman in the long skirt stretched out one finger and pointed towards Mirror Lake.

  "Mermaid!"

  Suddenly enlightened by the gentle breeze.

  "Ah." He blurted out and then said apologetically: "Sorry, sorry, it's Hu Nu, Hu Nu."

  In Ning Feng's heart, it seemed like a mighty wave was surging through, and he couldn't help but think that if this beautiful lake had a spirit and transformed into a monster, it would be a beautiful one.

  Result...

  "There really is a lake monster, and it even ran directly into my dream, does this count as asking for trouble?"

  The lady of the lake smiled lightly, not feeling offended at all, and instead asked with interest: "In the evening, the fish that I sent to the bookworm's side, was it delicious?"

  "...extremely delicious, unfortunately with many thorns."

  Ning Feng responded casually, thinking to himself: "I was right, that fish swam over so voluntarily, not afraid of people and didn't know how to hide, it's too easy to catch."

  After he finished speaking, he suddenly reacted as if something was wrong...

  Someone kindly sent you fish to eat, but you actually picked and chose, complaining that there were too many bones. This... isn't very kind of you.

  Ning Feng's face was ultimately not thick enough, and he hastily shut his mouth, saying nothing more.

  The woman by the lake blinked her eyes, unsure of how to continue. Should she just say it was delicious or promise to be more careful next time and pick fewer faults?

  The awkward silence lasted for a while.

  The lady of the lake was indeed as she had said, never having dealt with outsiders before, and for a moment didn't know how to open her mouth.

  Ning Feng didn't think of asking Hu Nu how she had entered his dream without permission.

  After a moment of silence, the woman by the lake turned around and faced the lake with a faint tone:

  I have a wish:

  Become the most beautiful lake in the world.

  Unfortunately, the lake is not round enough, scholar, you see, there is a corner protruding from the southeast, and it's depressing to look at.

  The lady of the lake was in a sorrowful mood, and she reached out her hand to pull Ning Feng.

  "Alright, a beauty-loving lake demon." Ning Feng muttered under his breath as he stood up and walked alongside her.

  At night, gazing out at the lake, he thought that nothing could be seen, but as soon as the lady of the lake pointed, the water's surface shone brightly, as if releasing all the accumulated moonlight, and he clearly saw the southeast part of the lake.

  "...is not round enough."

  Ning Feng responded perfunctorily, he truly didn't think the lake's irregular shape was a problem, and as for Lake Girl being a girl, he wisely chose not to argue about it.

  "Scholar, I'd like to ask a favor of you."

  The woman by the lake looked at Ning Feng with anticipation.

  Ning Feng raised his head and looked up at the sky, feeling that this sentence was particularly familiar.

  "There is a bay on the southeast of the lake, with white stones and fine sand spread out, delicate and lovely. If scholars can use it to fill up the southeast of the lake, making the lake round, our humble family will be eternally grateful and will not refuse anything."

  The woman's eyes were shining with tears, making it impossible for anyone to bear refusing her.

  Ning Feng didn't look at her at all, continuing to gaze up at the sky with a strong urge to burst into tears: "It's like this again..."

  He sighed and asked perfunctorily: "Can you teach me how to cultivate immortality?"

  "Hmm, it seems that even demons can be fixed."

  The woman's face showed difficulty, she shook her head, then as if afraid that Ning Feng would refuse, she spoke continuously:

  "In the lake there is a pearl, it's a treasure cherished by the world, whoever gets it will be richer than heaven"

  There is a palace at the bottom of the lake, which is said to be left by the Dragon King of the previous generation and can serve as a separate mansion for scholars.

  In the lake there is a clam girl, seductive and charming, she is a man's beloved treasure.

  She kept counting the things in the lake, just short of writing three words on her face: "All yours".

  Only then did Ning Feng fill the lake with white stones, making it round.

  "That..."

  Ning Feng interrupted Hu Nu's words and said sincerely, "I learned from ancient books that there is a bird called Jingwei, which loves to carry stones to fill the sea."

  The woman by the lake blinked her shining eyes ceaselessly, unaware of what the scholar was getting at.

  "Perhaps you can go find the Jingwei bird and have a good talk with it. Who knows, it might change its habit of filling up the sea. Anyway, filling up the lake is no big deal."

  "Well, I won't delay you any longer then."

  If it weren't for having no tea at hand, Ning Feng would have definitely done the courteous act of serving tea to see off his guests with ease.

  "Are you, a scholar, unwilling to help a humble household like mine?"

  The lady of the lake is pitiful and lovely.

  "Get lost!"

  Ning Feng shook his head, resolute and unwavering.

  "My family can..." The woman from the lake took two steps forward, wanting to make a promise, heaven knows how many more things she had in the lake.

  "Halt!"

  Ning Feng let out a sigh and said with a sense of vicissitude, "You're not leaving, so I will."

  How to get there?

  The woman from Hubei hadn't even reacted yet when a shocking scene unfolded.

  Bang!

  A fist flew over and hit him right on the nose.

  Nosebleed flows long, looks up to the sky and falls down.

  ……

  "Ugggh... it hurts..."

  Ning Feng suddenly lifted his head, covering his nose with his hand.

  "Uh, almost forgot, it was just a dream."

  He smiled wryly and opened his hand, indeed there was no trace of blood.

  The bonfire beside him had gone out at some point, and Ning Feng didn't feel cold either, because - the sky was bright.

  The morning light spreads out and shines across the lake, covering his body with a warm glow, washing away all the chill.

  "Let's go."

  "Keep going, who cares when it's the end?"

  The young man stood up, smoothed his clothes and looked back before leaving.

  The lake's surface sparkled all the way up to the sky, and he couldn't see the end of it no matter how hard he looked. He gazed deeply into its depths, as if trying to take in the entire lake with his eyes.

  "It's strange, I casually thought that the lake might become a monster, and it really did, even appearing in my dream that very night."

  "Are you being deliberate? Or..."

  Ning Feng raised his head and gazed at the sky, with a vast expanse of clear blue stretching out before him. The heavens themselves seemed to be silent, as if waiting for an answer to the question: "Do you have any intention...?!"

  Soon after, he chuckled softly, shook his head, slung the book bag behind him, and hummed an unknown woodcutter's song as he headed towards the high mountains and deep waters.

  The figure fades away, and the woodcutter's song is barely audible.

  The scholar's footprints are all over the lakes and seas, rivers and streams, famous mountains and great rivers. Among them, how many things, how many stories, have been lost in the long years of time.

  In the meantime, whether there is a mouse moving house, a female ghost hanging on Taoshan Island's swing, or a fish that lures people, or a beautiful lake, only heaven knows.

  Perhaps one day, the scholar will take the stage again as a teacher and recount it all, evoking gasps of amazement.

  Time, one year after the lake monster entered the dream.

  Winter goes and spring comes again, snow-capped mountains are spotless, the spring breeze is like a sharp knife, but it can't cut off the glaciers that have been there for thousands of years.

  Under the glacier, there is a scholar standing.

  "It is like that, and it is like that, always like that."

  "It never ends."

  The scholar's hands were swift and nimble, and with one toss, a set of nine linked rings was thrown to the ground. "Is my path to enlightenment just a set of nine linked rings?!"

  "If it is like this, then I..."

  "I'm out of here!"

  Ning Feng's face relaxed into a smile, feeling as if two massive snow-capped mountains had been lifted off his shoulders.

  "I've got an idea, I'll give it a shot!"

  He took a deep breath, tightened his backpack on his back, and stepped step by step towards the snowy mountain.

  Before you know it, another year has passed.

  In a place where life was extinct, a bookish scholar panted and climbed to the summit.

  It is said that this place is the highest point in the human world.

  "Bang bang bang bang~~~~"

  The book box that had been inseparable from his body was rolled over and fell to the ground, less than half of it was broken and scattered in all directions, and soon it was covered with snow.

  "Ahhh~~~~~~"

  Ning Feng stood at the highest point of Snow Mountain, looking up at the sky and letting out a long whistle, which triggered an avalanche like thunder, rolling down, the entire sky and earth, as far as the eye could see, were submerged in a sea of snowy mist.

  "Come out...... come out......"

  Ning Feng let out a loud shout, as if he wanted to vent all the pent-up frustration of over a decade with this one cry.

  "If I don't get out of here, I'll jump from here!"

  As soon as he said this, it was unclear whether it was a coincidence or not, but the avalanche suddenly stopped, and the entire world fell silent, as if everyone had been stunned by his words.

  Ning Feng didn't think there was anything wrong and continued to shout loudly:

  "If I were to jump, what a load of nonsense about wooden fish and Taoist scriptures! Just copy it out yourself and knock it off yourself!"

  That's a straightforward threat.

  "Amitabha Buddha~~"

  "Infinite Heavenly Lord..."

  ……

  A lone figure, like a bamboo shoot bursting out after the rain, kept appearing and floating in mid-air before the snowy peaks.

  "The Great Monk is furious, it's been many years since we last met."

  Ning Feng smiled and greeted him.

  He just greeted them one by one, including monks, Taoist priests, gods and goddesses, demons and monsters...

  Looking at these legendary figures who are almost like gods, one can't help but be amazed. Ning Feng's past decade or so has been quite fulfilling.

  "Scholars look for monks and others, is there anything?"

  The old monk has a kind face and gentle eyes, with a peaceful tone of voice.

  "Don't worry, don't worry." Ning Feng laughed cleanly and had a kind of lightness, an unprecedented ease. "I'm not here to ask you for the way."

  "Actually, I didn't come to see you for anything in particular..."

  "Huh?"

  Brush brush brush, I don't know how many eyes are focused over here, what's going on? Are they playing with them? Some of them are already getting angry.

  "I just want to verify one thing."

  The wind humbled its head, its voice sinking down, then lifted up again, restored to its proud state.

  The furious Zen master, Yan Wu and others looked over, as if they wanted to speak up.

  Ning Feng didn't give them a chance to speak this time, taking a deep breath and loudly reciting:

  "I want all those gods and Buddhas in the sky to disappear into thin air."

  "Ah..."

  Several divine men and women who were flying in the sky with their magical powers suddenly fell to the ground, head down, feet up, and got stuck upside down in the snow.

  In an instant, everyone's face changed.

  "I said on this snowy peak, flowers will bloom."

  The sound of the wind is echoing, the snow is pure white, and in an instant, a vast expanse of purple and red unfolds.

  The desperate situation of life is filled with blooming flowers everywhere.

  "So it was true after all..."

  The wind settled and he remained silent, countless events from over a decade flashed through his mind.

  When he wandered up the mountain, thinking that the mountain was high and the water was deep, when there were fox spirits, there really were fox spirits.

  When he faced the demon, he thought that such a monster would be cut down by someone with a sword to subdue the demon...

  As you wish, so shall it be.

  I believe it exists, and then it really does exist.

  "I think when it happens, it will happen."

  "This world is really freaking... fake!"

  The wind is laughing, laughing loudly, and flying in the sky with a strange face as pale as earth color.

  "What exactly do you want me to do?"

  He raised his head and looked around, stretched out his hand and pointed, drawing a circle that included everyone.

  What knocks against the wooden fish drum, what grinds and washes the divine sword, what fills up the lake...

  Softly blows the wind, fluttering sleeves, loud and clear, just like the current state of mind.

  Will the doubts that have haunted him for over a decade finally be lifted?

  "Amitabha"

  The furious Zen master's long eyebrows twitched, and he sighed: "The monks have no malicious intentions, they just want to use those trivial matters to keep you, the bookworm, here forever."

  "Heaven does not allow our generation to impart the way of transcendence to scholars, this is also a principle."

  "Don't want you to leave."

  Everyone nodded.

  It seems like there's a realization, yet also another crucial point that can't be figured out.

  "Never mind."

  "It doesn't matter anymore."

  I'm tired~~~~

  Ning Feng was still smiling, smiling with exhaustion.

  The student is tired!

  "I once had a dream, in which an old Taoist priest spread out his sleeve and covered up the whole sky. A majestic monkey dancing with a stick was suddenly sucked in."

  "Wait, why is there a monkey?"

  He said as he unfolded his sleeves and spread them out in the wind.

  The universe is vast in one's sleeve, and the sun and moon shine brightly within a pot.

  Whether it's Da Nu and Shang, or Xian Wu Wang, or those various gods and demons that have appeared over the past decade or so, none of them can escape!

  The entire snowy peak suddenly became quiet.

  A vast expanse of white, so clean and pure.

  "I had another dream..."

  The empty snowy field, the calm wind whispers to itself.

  "...in a dream there was a big monkey beating its chest and roaring, on top of its head a giant Buddha was smiling, then the huge palm came pressing down."

  "Wait, why is it monkeys again?"

  Ning Feng laughed like a great Buddha, one hand raised high, palm turned over and down, chanting in Sanskrit without end, the huge palm slapped down, as if to sink the entire world.

  "Rumble rumble rumble... Rumble rumble rumble rumble..."

  A deafening roar shook heaven and earth, everything in sight sank like islands, the entire sky turned black.

  In the last bright spot, Ning Feng stretched out his hands and flew up when the snow peak collapsed, with all his clothes destroyed.

  Soaring upwards without stopping, flying to the highest place.

  "Actually..."

  "I also want to know what exactly is that piece of Jiukongshi?"

  Behind Ning Feng's back, the entire world was swallowed by darkness, speechless...