Twenty-four bright moons shine among the pines

  When Cheng Jun regained consciousness, he hadn't opened his eyes yet, but already heard a rustling sound.

  The sound seemed to be footsteps, but also seemed like the creaking of wooden boards being dragged across the snowy ground. It was close at hand, seemingly right beneath him. Cheng Jun couldn't figure out why he would hear such a sound in this place.

  He opened his eyes, and what entered his vision was a dimness - the sun had already set, and the light had completely faded.

  As he focused his eyes again, he found that his gaze was directed straight ahead, and it was the dark sky, with a few clusters of black shadows flashing by, which were the silhouettes of tree branches in the darkness of night - He was actually lying on his back facing the sky in the forest.

  What's even more bizarre is that he was actually moving at the time.

  He slept on a wooden pallet made of branches, being dragged by people in the forest, and the rustling sound was the sound of the pallet scraping against the snowy ground.

  Is this a ghost?!

  Cheng Jun couldn't help but suspect his own experience, what had he just done? Wasn't he practicing in a secret cave, exhausted and passing out? How did he end up being dragged out and moved through the forest?

  Has it fallen into the hands of the people at Ziyun Pavilion?

  Cheng Jun's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately wanted to get up, but he felt weak all over his body, unable to move even one finger. He was first startled, then relaxed, using the forbidden technique would inevitably lead to backlash, this reaction is normal. If it weren't for him using the last remaining piece of Ling Stone to cast the Ling Fa that nourished and solidified his foundation, he wouldn't have just lost a few hours of full-body paralysis.

  It's all right now, the blood sacrifice of nine pieces of Ling Stone allowed him to cross the threshold of the middle period. Although he has just entered the fourth stage, crossing this hurdle makes his cultivation incomparable to before. He already has the power to fight against Yue Hua Dao Ren. The cost is only a few hours of losing mobility, and after that, he will be fine with some self-adjustment.

  But then it fell into whose hands?

  Unable to move his body, he could only try to move his line of sight forward, and indeed saw a figure in front of the wooden plank. It was probably the person who pulled him, but due to the dim light and blurry angle, he couldn't see clearly whether the person was tall or short, fat or thin.

  Can't see clearly... forget it then.

  Cheng Jun closed his eyes, and simply didn't bother to pay attention, using the methods of his own sect to regulate his breath. He only needed two or three more hours, and he would be able to recover completely. By then, no matter who it was, they wouldn't be able to take advantage of him.

  Time passed minute by minute, and before long, more than an hour had elapsed. Jiang Chuan's hands and feet had somewhat recovered, but he still lay flat on the wooden raft, not moving at all. During this time, the rustling sound continued unabated as the raft moved forward, winding its way through the forest.

  What is this person thinking, where are they pulling me to?

  Cheng Jun turned over many years in his heart, but from the fact that he was not bound by anything, this person may not have any hostile intentions.

  They walked for a while, and suddenly, a fire appeared in the dark forest, which was very dazzling in the thick night. Cheng Jun turned his head and saw that the fire was golden red, flashing on and off, not far away.

  The color of this flame is quite normal, presumably it's not some sort of evil technique, probably just a bonfire or something.

  The wooden raft carrying Cheng Jun suddenly stopped and changed direction, heading towards the flames. Cheng Jun secretly shuddered, thinking: Could he have reached his destination? What's over there?

  Although curious, Cheng Jun still lay flat, his eyes slowly closing, as if he was in a daze. Gradually, the wooden raft drew closer and closer, and Cheng Jun only felt a fragrance wafting up to his nose.

  That is the fragrance of oil being roasted by fire and dripping onto pine branches, which can most provoke people's appetite.

  Cheng Jun wondered in his heart, could it be that someone was barbecuing in the woods? This familiar smell usually only appeared on the bonfires lit by travelers who camped outdoors. Could it be that the direction wasn't some secret base after all?

  Just as he was thinking about it, the wooden boat stopped, and Cheng Jun said in his heart: "We're here!"

  For a moment, there was no sound to be heard, only the occasional rustling of leaves in the wind. This soft rustling sound actually added to the tranquility. In this environment, Cheng Jun felt as if his own breathing had also come to a halt.

  After a while, I heard a soft and gentle female voice say: "Master..."

  Cheng Jun was taken aback and thought to himself: Who is this master? Is he a monk?

  A loud voice from that side said: "Ah, it's a young lady, I'll be polite..." Halfway through the sentence, he suddenly shouted: "Good! It's a demon!"

  There was a loud clang, followed by the sound of metal clashing wildly. Even with his eyes closed, Cheng Jun felt a strong gust of wind blowing towards him. Suddenly, he heard a woman's voice behind him exclaim "Ah yo!" and then the sound of footsteps rushing past, chasing after the wind.

  Cheng Jun lay on the wooden plank, feeling inexplicable, what and what? Just which part? The previous idea and the current situation were completely different, as if something had gone wrong somewhere.

  At this moment, he was also momentarily unable to react. He simply remained still, using inaction to respond to all changes, and didn't exert his strength to the fullest. After waiting for his strength to recover, it wouldn't be too late to see what would happen next.

  With a deep breath, in an instant, Cheng Jun had fully recovered his mobility and opened his eyes.

  As soon as he opened his eyes, a bald head appeared in front of him. Cheng Jun was shocked and suddenly lifted his head. The bald head retreated too late, and the two of them crashed into each other with a thud.

  That bald head let out a "hah" and shrunk back, both of them simultaneously covering their heads, staring at each other in dismay.

  All that was visible was his shaved head, and indeed he was a monk, looking to be only in his thirties. He had sword-like eyebrows and round eyes, with a hint of short black whiskers under his chin. He wore a large red kasaya robe, holding an ebony Zen staff in his hand. Although he looked quite dignified, between his eyebrows, eyes, and physique, there was an air of ferocity that could not be concealed.

  Cheng Jun's eyes narrowed, and he felt a few points of vigilance in his heart. He thought to himself: So it's a Buddhist cultivator! It seems that he is also close to the Small Round Fulfillment realm, which is even higher than my own realm and that of Yue Hua Old Dao. Where did this high-ranking expert come from in Wan Ma Mountain? Ah, could it be...

  "That monk also said at the same time: 'How, are you a Daoist or a genuine human being? Strange indeed. Young man, so young and yet your cultivation is not weak, how did you end up with that demon?"

  Cheng Jun was taken aback and said: "What monster? Where is the monster?"

  The monk's eyes flashed with golden light as he sized up Cheng Jun. Cheng Jun recognized the Buddhist eye-recognizing divine ability, but ignored it and remained silent. The monk took a closer look and clapped his hands, saying: "Very good, you don't have any demonic energy on you, you're not one of those demonic creatures. I know now, you were just caught by that demon and are about to be dragged into the cave for her enjoyment. Strange, your cultivation is not weak, but that demon's demonic energy is light, it's just an ordinary little demon, its cultivation is far inferior to yours, how could it capture you?"

  Cheng Jun Dao said, "What? Just now the one who dragged me away was a demon?" In his heart, he secretly thought: It's really her! With a half-true and half-false explanation, he said, "I had an accident while practicing my skills, I fainted, when I woke up, I was being dragged away by someone, but I don't know who it was."

  The monk laughed and said, "No wonder! This little demon is clearly a snake spirit who has just transformed into human form and doesn't have any magical powers to speak of. She must be eyeing your youthful yang energy, planning to abduct you to her lair and slowly drain it from you. Haha, fortunately you met me. Just now when I was chasing after her, I forced her to reveal her true form and she escaped into a crack in the rock. Alas, this little demon is so weak, I didn't want to pursue her too strongly, so I turned back to check on you. As it turns out, you're not a demonic creature after all, nothing to worry about! Nothing to worry about, haha, the clouds will disperse and from now on just be more careful with your cultivation." As he spoke, he patted Cheng Jun's shoulder with a loud slapping sound.

  Cheng Jun thought to himself, "This monk is really easy-going." He said, "Then I should thank the master for saving my life." When he said this, he had a somewhat playful tone. The monk, however, was completely unaware of it and said, "No need, no need, it was just a small effort." He stood up and said, "I think you've been frightened. Come, sit by the fire."

  Cheng Jun couldn't help but say, "Where did you see me get frightened?" He smiled and said, "Trouble." Watching him walk to the edge of the bonfire, only to hear the monk exclaim, "Ah, that little demon came at a very inopportune time. I've ruined my leg!"

  Cheng Jun walked over and saw that on top of the flames, a simple frame made of branches had been set up, with a greasy game animal strung up to roast. The monk tore off a leg and took big bites, saying: "Indeed, it's been roasted for a bit too long, but fortunately it hasn't been charred. Come, you have two mouthfuls too." As he spoke, he tore off another leg and handed it to Cheng Jun.

  Cheng Jun felt that the monk was a bit unrefined, but he was indeed straightforward. Seeing the meat arrive in front of him, a wave of fragrance wafted up to his nose, and he smiled, saying "Thank you." He took it with both hands and took a bite.

  The monk himself also broke off a leg, took a big bite, and said with relish: "You little brat is quite enjoyable. Unlike some people who are picky eaters, the monk gives them meat to eat, but they still complain about this and that, and say something about the Bodhisattva being angry... How's the roasted meat?"

  Cheng Jun chewed for a few mouthfuls, saying: "It's wolf meat, the fire is just right, not rough at all. The salt is sprinkled just right, savory and delicious. I love using pine branches to roast it, there's a hint of great fragrance."

  The monk was overjoyed and said, "So it's a foodie! Good, good, I've won the bet. To be honest, I don't like eating wolf meat either, it's too tough and not fragrant. You know, they look similar, but why is dog meat so delicious?" He took another bite, then pulled out a gourd from his waist and took a big swig, saying "What a pity you're just a kid, can't drink wine, otherwise I'd let you try this rare good wine too."

  Cheng Jun smiled and said: "Is this wine brewed by yourself? It smells like fruit wine, but I'm afraid it's not strong enough."

  The monk was furious upon hearing this, and threw the gourd at Cheng Jun, saying: "You try it! I've traveled to so many places and tasted the wine of monks without number - nearly a thousand, or eight hundred, anyway - and no one has ever said that my wine lacks punch."

  Cheng Jun took a big gulp with his head thrown back and laughed: "Indeed it's good wine."

  The monk looked at him sideways and said, "What do you know about good wine as a young kid? Tell me what's good about my wine?"

  "This wine is brewed from several kinds of fruits such as grapes, green plums and loquats. It's thick and strong, but the key lies in its water quality. There isn't such cold water in Sheng Tian. It must be the icy spring from the snow mountain in Bei Bian, and it's best to get it from under the ice cap at the top of a ten-thousand-meter-high peak."

  The monk was overjoyed and, stepping over the fire pit, gave Cheng Jun a hearty slap on the shoulder, saying: "You're not bad, kid! You must have been sneaking drinks since you were little. Good boy, you've got a future ahead of you - just like me when I was young!" As he spoke, he increased his strength and slapped Cheng Jun's shoulder several more times with loud cracks.

  He clapped a few times, and the monk suddenly withdrew his hand, shouting: "Ah, no, I used too much force." Seeing Cheng Jun still holding the wine gourd with a smile, he exclaimed: "Little boy, you have a sturdy body. Your Taoist cultivators cultivate internally but not externally, their energy does not overflow, it's rare to have such good bones and muscles."

  Cheng Jun smiled, he hadn't tempered his body, the Taoist school cultivates the inside but not the outside, and he didn't deliberately cultivate both. He was already a fourth-level cultivator now, but he was used to suppressing his cultivation level, so only three levels were visible on the surface. The monk had misjudged his cultivation level, and naturally also misjudged his physique.

  The monk became excited, sat beside Cheng Jun, tore and ate wolf meat while drinking wine. After a long time, the sky darkened, and the two had drunk all the wine, eating more than half of the wolf's head.

  The monk wiped his mouth and stood up, saying: "It's getting late, spending the night in this big forest is quite something. Let's go. Do you live around here?"

  Cheng Jun Dao said: "Now living in the mountain peak behind." He pointed that way.

  The monk said: "Ah, you're a local? That's great. As it happens, I have something to ask you. Do you know if there is a Wan Ma Temple in this mountain?"