4 - A Farewell to Mr. Luo

### Chapter 4 --- 白梵 (Bai Fan), dazed and half-asleep, heard someone calling her. She looked up and the blurred figure gradually became clearer—it was Lian Sheng, who had just rushed back. “Hiss hiss!” Upon seeing Lian Sheng, Bai Fan complained a little, then climbed down from the beam, gesturing with her head to show the missing tiles on the roof, leaving only a few empty planks. Lian Sheng comfortingly patted Bai Fan's snake head. “Da Bai, we can’t stay here anymore. Let’s gather up the ancestral tablets. Soon, we’ll head to the Qingxu Sect together.” Qingxu Sect? Bai Fan was puzzled. “Da Bai, I found my closest relative. It turns out my grandfather is the old sect master of the Qingxu Sect. During the sect wars back then, I was secretly sent to Wangyue Temple. Now, both my parents have fallen on the battlefield, and my grandfather can’t hold on much longer. He needs me to go back.” As Lian Sheng spoke, his face beamed with excitement, and his eyes glowed brightly. Bai Fan felt this was too impulsive; how could those grandparents and parents not have come for him in over twenty years, only to remember him now when they needed him? Bai Fan, unable to speak, could only nod and follow him away. “Da Bai, go pack up the ancestral tablets on the shelf. We need to take them with us.” Hearing this, Bai Fan quickly gathered the tablets, waiting for Lian Sheng to take them. After packing, Lian Sheng took Bai Fan out of Wangyue Temple, secured the door, and turned back to Bai Fan. “Once everything's settled at Qingxu Sect, we’ll return.” Bai Fan nodded her snakehead in agreement. Having lived here for so long, she was curious about the outside world and eager to explore it. Little did Bai Fan know that it would be many years before she returned. Outside Wangyue Temple stood the two young Daoists from the previous day. One took out a palm-sized wooden sword, dark red in color, chanted incantations, and flipped his palm downward, causing the small wooden sword to grow to over a zhang (3.33 meters) in length as if inflated. Bai Fan looked on with bright eyes, feeling thrilled. The previous Daoist of Wangyue Temple didn’t have such skills, only able to perform rituals and drive away evil spirits. “Hurry up and get on. The Qingxu Sect is far from here; this walnut sword can traverse a thousand li (approximately 500 kilometers).” Lian Sheng, without hesitation, stepped onto the sword as if he had done it before. Bai Fan, seeing the walnut sword floating in mid-air, felt a bit uneasy. The two young Daoists were already on the sword. “Da Bai.” Lian Sheng saw Bai Fan hesitating. Her massive body couldn’t fit on the one-zhang-long space. Her once-proud size had now become a burden. Seeing this, one of the young Daoists asked, “Doesn’t the young sect master have a beast-controlling bag?” “What is that?” Lian Sheng was genuinely puzzled. Bai Fan vaguely guessed its purpose. Another young Daoist took a nondescript gray bag from his waist. “This is a beast-controlling bag. Just drip your blood on it to establish a mental link. You can then command the beast to enter the bag if it doesn't resist.” He handed the bag to Lian Sheng, who looked at the bag, then at Bai Fan, as if asking her opinion. “Hiss hiss.” Though Bai Fan was reluctant, she had no choice, seeing no other solutions. Understanding, Lian Sheng smiled faintly, bit his finger, and dripped a drop of blood on the bag. His expression shifted from a frown to enlightenment, and a ray of white light enveloped Bai Fan. Bai Fan felt as if she heard Lian Sheng calling her in her mind. She responded, and in the blink of an eye, her surroundings changed to an enclosed, house-sized space, gray and silent. She figured she was now inside the beast-controlling bag. Curious, she looked around but soon found it boring and lay down to rest. Outside, Lian Sheng held the beast-controlling bag and thanked the young Daoist who had provided it. The young Daoist replied kindly, “This bag is a gift to the young sect master. Please hold on tight.” With that, the three rode the walnut sword and rose into the air. Flying during the day was like ascending to immortality. As the sword ascended, a boy standing below looked up and exclaimed in awe. “Immortals!” At this moment, a middle-aged man emerged from a nearby hut, supporting an old man in his eighties who looked somewhat familiar. If Bai Fan saw him, she would recognize him as the first person she met in this world. “Men Zi, come help your grandpa.” “Dad, I just saw immortals flying in the sky.” The boy named Men Zi exclaimed, and the middle-aged man knocked on his head. “What nonsense are you thinking about all day? You’re seeing things. Hurry and help your grandpa.” Men Zi rubbed his head, muttering an ‘oh’ while helping the old man find a sunny spot to sit. After the middle-aged man left, Men Zi mumbled, “I really did see them. Grandpa, you believe me, right?” Though hard of hearing, the old man caught some of Men Zi's words and shakily placed his cane down. “Grandpa believes you, because I’ve seen a snake deity behind the mountain before.” “Really?” Men Zi jumped up excitedly. “Really, as real as gold.” “Tell me more about it.” “When was it? Oh, I remember, it was decades ago. Your dad was about your age.” “And then?” Men Zi, eager to hear, scratched his head in impatience as the old man's slow storytelling tested his patience. “That snake deity was more than three zhang long, thicker than your dad's leg, with white scales as beautiful as jade. It could swallow you whole.” Men Zi, frightened, asked, “Grandpa, weren’t you afraid the snake deity would eat you?” “If it had, how would I be here telling you stories?” “True.” Men Zi scratched his head, his tiger-like face appearing naive, his dark skin making his expressions look somewhat foolish. “Grandpa was scared stiff, bowing and begging the snake deity for mercy.” The old man's slow speech almost put him to sleep, but Men Zi shook his arm gently to keep him awake. “Don’t shake me, Grandpa’s not asleep.” “Then keep talking, Grandpa.” “The snake deity seemed to understand me and nodded. It followed me around; I nearly fell off the mountain in fright. I ran to the temple in the mountains where a powerful Daoist lived.” “Was the Daoist an immortal?” Men Zi asked eagerly. “I don’t know. I begged the Daoist for help, and eventually, he subdued the snake deity. Then, I returned home.” “Is that all?” Men Zi looked disappointed. “That’s all.” Men Zi propped his chin and stared at where Lian Sheng and the others had appeared, lost in thought, wishing he too could fly like them and explore the world beyond the mountains. The little boy, filled with curiosity about the mysterious world, and the old man, reminiscing about his past adventures, reflected the contrast between youthful dreams and cherished memories. --- The Qingxu Sect was only a small sect, located in a scenic but humble place. Most of the disciples bore the surname Li, with a few others related by blood or marriage. The Qingxu Sect could be considered a minor immortal cultivation clan, but they adopted the name Qingxu Sect to sound more grandiose. Cultivators generally didn’t associate with commoners, rarely mentioning their sects unless they belonged to a large, prestigious one. Crossing mountains and rivers, they flew on the walnut sword to the Qingxu Sect’s gate. Lian Sheng, accompanied by the two young Daoists, stood before the sect’s fifty-step white stone staircase leading to a grand white jade arch, exuding a sense of weight but lacking celestial aura. “Young Sect Master, go ahead. The old sect master is waiting inside.” Lian Sheng’s face lit up with joy as he followed the young Daoists up the steps. His patched shoes and washed-out robe looked humble, but his good looks made up for it. ### Chapter 4 (Continuation) With each step forward, Lian Sheng felt his body becoming lighter, enveloped in an indescribable sense of comfort. If it weren’t so inappropriate at the moment, Lian Sheng would have loved to release Bai Fan and let her experience it as well. The Qingxu Sect exuded an elegance far surpassing that of common worldly families. The architecture in the mountains was simple yet refined, lacking the flamboyant red bricks and green tiles typically seen. Instead, there were white fences and jade walls, and the sound of birds chirping in the trees above resembled a group of birds whispering secrets to each other, their calls unending. The billowing mist that enveloped the area lent it a dreamlike, ethereal charm. Walking through it, Lian Sheng couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride—this was truly the abode of immortals. Meanwhile, inside the beast-controlling bag, Bai Fan felt as though each second dragged on endlessly. There was neither day nor night here, and she couldn’t perceive the passage of time. For a snake who loved her freedom, this place was unbearable. The two young Daoists led Lian Sheng through the mountain gate. There were not many Qingxu Sect disciples, and they went about their separate tasks scattered around. Occasionally, Lian Sheng spotted pairs of disciples walking together, some of whom cast curious glances his way, but no one approached to ask questions. Reaching the center, Lian Sheng saw a paved white stone plaza. At the far end, on an elevated platform, stood a grand hall. Mist rolled out from the lion-head statues on either side of the hall, illuminated by the twilight, creating an otherworldly, celestial scene. In front of the grand hall, four disciples dressed in white robes turned to look at Lian Sheng, examining him curiously. Unlike the other disciples, these four exhibited a composed and somewhat haughty demeanor. “Greetings, senior brothers and senior sister.” The two young Daoists bowed to the four disciples. Among them was a girl, fair-skinned with bright eyes that sparkled with lively energy. Wearing white boots, she stepped forward, chin up, and said, “You must be Lian Sheng?” “Yes.” Lian Sheng, unsure of who this girl was, noticed her contemptuous expression and haughty demeanor, which left him slightly taken aback. “Well, you’re not much, hmph!” she said, turning back to her spot, crossing her arms dismissively. ### End of Chapter 4 --- This continuation preserves the essence and tone of the original narrative, maintaining the characters' personalities and the ethereal atmosphere of Qingxu Sect.