Neun Lieder - Kapitel 138
"Let that kid look at his hand and see if there's an unsightly red line on his palm."
With a flick of her palm, Rongyue, just a few steps away, could clearly see the dazzling and eerie red line.
His body swayed a few times, and a fear stemming from loss overwhelmed him!
With a heavy thud, Rongyue's knees buckled as she leaned forward against the old Taoist priest: "Please, Taoist priest, save them!"
"Mistress!" Seeing Rongyue kneel before others for his sake, Tuoba Chen's eyes stung. He strode over and grabbed Rongyue's arm.
She then pulled Tuoba Chen down with her, making them both kneel on the ground.
After kowtowing, Rongyue earnestly pleaded, "I beg the Daoist Master to grant my request!"
Sneaking a glance at Chu Xuyao, who looked rather uncomfortable beside him, the Taoist of Tianshan snorted coldly and said in a muffled voice, "Why should I save them? They're not my disciples."
"As the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. As a Taoist, one should be compassionate and set an example for the world by saving lives and helping the wounded. How can one ignore difficulties and refuse to help those in need? Moreover, people say that the Taoist of Tianshan is benevolent and virtuous, and is renowned throughout the world for his compassionate heart. If one sits by and does nothing at this moment, wouldn't one be ruining one's own reputation?"
“Girl, flattering me won’t work! I’ve always done things my own way, based entirely on my mood. Today I’m neither in a good nor a bad mood. How about this: if you can give me a reason to save them that I’m convinced of, then I’ll save them, how about that?”
So this is no benevolent path! Like master, like disciple!
Gritting her teeth and suppressing the raging storm in her heart, Rongyue thought for a moment and gave a reason that even she herself found far-fetched: "Tuoba Chen is the beloved son of the emperor of Nansha Kingdom. If he ever finds out that you have failed to save his beloved son from death, he will definitely lead his army north and crush your Eastern Dynasty!"
Seemingly amused by what he had heard, the old Taoist priest twitched his white beard with delight: "Then this old Taoist priest will await the arrival of the Southern Clan army!"
"What about Dongfang Yao? He's your disciple's younger brother. You can't just stand by and watch him die, can you?"
"Ah, girl, why lie to me? Don't you know best whether he's Lie'er's brother or not? But I reckon my disciple should know the truth by now..."
Upon hearing this, Rongyue was shocked, and so was Chu Xuyao. Chu Xuyao kept turning back to look at Dongfang Yao lying on the bed, lost in thought, his hawk-like eyes flashing with changing emotions.
Seeing the old Taoist sigh and about to leave with Chu Xuyao, Rongyue quickly pulled Tuoba You up and blocked their way.
“Girl, if I want to leave, even ten or a hundred of you can’t stop me.”
With her arms crossed, Rongyue glanced at the Taoist of Tianshan with disdain: "Could it be that you can't cure them, so you're making excuses and refusing to treat them? In my opinion, you old man are nothing but a fraud, a charlatan!"
His two old eyes widened in disbelief: "You little brat, how dare you spout nonsense and insult my abilities! I, the Taoist of Tianshan, have lived to such an old age and have never encountered anything that can stump me! Let me tell you, there is nothing in this world that I, the Taoist of Tianshan, cannot do, only things I don't want to do! A mere little poison, how could it possibly be a problem for me? Little girl, you wait here, I will go and cure their poison right now, and you will be convinced of my incompetence!"
He angrily turned and rushed towards the bedside, but after taking only two steps, he suddenly realized something, turned around, and looked enlightened: "Oh—girl, so that's what you were planning! I almost fell for your trick! Hmph, trying to provoke me into detoxifying? No way! Chu disciple, let's go!"
"Wait! Taoist Tianshan, didn't you say there's nothing you can't do in this world? But right now there's something you can't do, and it's precisely this that I can do."
"Little girl, what trick are you up to now?"
"Could it be that you, Taoist Tianshan, are afraid?"
"Fear? I've never even known how to write that word! It seems you won't give up until I show you my abilities! Alright, tell me, what can't I do?"
"Alright, since you're so straightforward, let's take a gamble! If you can do it, you can leave; if you can't, you have to save the person."
"Alright!" This girl is too arrogant. I'm going to teach her a lesson today!
He led the old Taoist to the desk, took out two thin sheets of paper and two silver brushes, dipped them in thick ink, and handed them to the old Taoist.
"Draw a circle with one hand and a loop with the other, let's begin!" Your behavior is just like that of an old rascal. Since the old rascal couldn't do it, I reckon you probably can't either!
"That's all?" The old Taoist priest, his white beard twitching with disdain, snatched two brushes, channeled his inner energy, and with a gust of wind, wielded the brushes across the paper...
The time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the time it takes for a cup of tea to brew, and a quarter of an hour to pass. A thick layer of used paper has been piled up on the ground, and the old Taoist priest on the desk is waving two silver brushes dripping with ink as if possessed.
swish swish —
Two thin pieces of paper, like fallen leaves in the autumn wind, swayed and drifted down from the table, slowly joining the ranks of the paper-cutting pile.
"Paper! Where's the paper!" Her eyes gleamed with hunger as she stared intently at the two thin sheets of paper in Rongyue's hand.
He gently shook the papers in his hand: "There are only these two left. If you use them, I won't have any left."
His small, old eyes flickered with a struggling light. After a while, as if he had made up his mind, he gritted his teeth and reluctantly handed the two silver brushes to Rongyue: "Fine, you draw for me! I really don't believe that even I, the Daoist of Tianshan, can't do it, and you, a mere immature girl, can do it!"
Approaching the desk, I held my breath, composed myself, picked up the silver brush, and focused intently...
As if struck by a blow, the Taoist of Tianshan opened his small eyes wide and stared blankly at the square and circle on the paper, not blinking once for a long time.
"I, an old Taoist priest, was actually defeated by a young girl!" He pounded his chest and stamped his feet, his face full of pain and resentment, as if he regretted his actions deeply.
"Alright! Now that you've lost, you should go and save them!"
Save him? If he saves him, won't he lose face completely?
With a quick glance, an idea came to him.
"Ha, save people, yes, save people. That little girl, do you want me to save whom?"
"Hmm?" He frowned. "Are you trying to renege on your debt? Saving people means saving both of them!"
"But you only said you were saving people, not that you were saving them all! Girl, since you didn't make it clear beforehand, you can't blame me for this, can you? How about this, let's add another competition. If you still win, I'll save the last person, how about that?"
So you were just being stubborn! In that case, things are easier to resolve.
"Then you have to save someone first." Po was angry because of the loss. In a fit of rage, he grabbed Chu Xuyao and disappeared without a trace. Wouldn't she have no way to reason with him then?
"Then, little girl, who do you want this old Taoist priest to save first?"
As soon as she finished speaking, two eager and inquisitive gazes fell upon her.
Rongyue naturally knew the significance of her answer at this moment.