Dawn was just breaking when Xu Han strapped a basket, a bucket, and a bamboo cage to his back and left the courtyard.
To Old Xu, none of these three items were superfluous.
The basket was for collecting medicinal herbs, the bucket for holding Golden Juice, and the bamboo cage for wild vegetables—each had its specific purpose.
Walking on the mountain road, when he saw a shepherd’s purse plant, it was certainly to be placed in the bamboo cage.
Walking in the woods, when he found a mushroom, it too was to go into the bamboo cage.
Next to the mushroom grew a mullein—this was a medicinal herb and had to be gathered in the basket.
Beside the mullein was a patch of unkempt grass. Crouching in the grass was a man named Gong Ziming, a disciple of the Saint; he had to be put into the Golden Juice bucket.
Old Xu jabbed Gong Ziming with his fork. As Gong Ziming wailed, Old Xu dragged him closer. "My friend, you’ve spied on me in these mountains for many days. Now you’re leaving without a word? Don’t you think that’s a bit disrespectful to Mr. Xu?"
Gong Ziming waved his hands frantically. "This junior was merely passing by and disturbed your tranquility. I hope you can forgive me."
Xu Han sighed, "You’re not being honest."
As soon as he spoke, the bucket behind Xu Han suddenly enlarged and widened, resembling a bathtub.
Old Xu stirred the glittering liquid with a shovel and was about to throw Gong Ziming into it when Gong Ziming shouted, "Spare my life, Old Xu! I was sent here by Sage Peak, under my Master’s orders, to pay you a visit."
His words were euphemistic, calling surveillance a visit, but they were indeed the truth.
Previously, when the Saint’s Disciple Zhong Huairen was infected with Greenwater Beggar’s affliction, Old Xu placed Zhong Huairen in the bucket and soaked him in Golden Juice for three days. Zhong Huairen didn’t survive and died in the bucket. Old Xu then sent two Eggplant People to return Zhong Huairen’s body.
From beginning to end, Old Xu felt he hadn’t breached any etiquette. Yet, the Saint became angry and ordered Gong Ziming to surveil Xu Han. Thus, Gong Ziming had been watching until today.
But from his first day there, Old Xu had already been aware of him.
Old Xu asked, "What’s the rush to leave?"
Gong Ziming replied, "Surveilling Old Xu here was overreaching on my part. You’ve spared me these past days, giving me a chance to live. Even I, dull as I am, know when to advance or retreat, the difference between life and death. Seeing as you haven’t truly lost your temper yet, I was preparing to flee straight back to Sage Peak, hoping to save my life."
Old Xu asked, "Won’t your Master blame you when you return to Sage Peak?"
Gong Ziming sighed, "No matter how my Master punishes me, I have to preserve my life first."
His words were impeccably logical, without a single flaw.
Old Xu exclaimed, "Your lies are so well-crafted, I truly admire your wit!"
After speaking, Old Xu, still gripping Gong Ziming with the fork, attempted to immerse him in the bucket again. Gong Ziming shouted, "Old Xu, spare me! I’ll tell you the truth. Two days ago, my Master sent me an order to return to Sage Peak immediately, saying there was an urgent matter to discuss with me."
Old Xu asked, "What urgent matter is it?"
Gong Ziming sighed, "Old Xu, you should be aware of my Master’s temperament. He only instructs us to carry out tasks; he definitely wouldn’t elaborate on the details."
"Didn’t you try to inquire with your fellow disciples?"
"That was a command from my Master; how could I dare to inquire rashly? Even if I did ask, my fellow disciples would not tell me."
Old Xu smiled, "By the sound of it, do you not trust your fellow disciples, or do you not trust me?"
"Old Xu, I’m telling the truth, the whole truth..."
THUMP!
Gong Ziming was tossed into the bucket and bobbed in the Golden Soup for a moment. As he tried to leap out, Old Xu poked him back in with the fork.
"Old Xu, spare my life, I’m telling the truth, GLUG GLUG..."
Old Xu pulled back the fork. After Gong Ziming coughed and wheezed for a while, he said, "My Master brought Knife Ghost Ridge right next to Sage Peak, intending to turn it into an army. But something went wrong with the Knife Labor Ghost; not only did it refuse to be controlled and kill many of our brothers, but it also stormed down from Knife Ghost Ridge and besieged Sage Peak. The situation for my Master is dire now. The Arrays of the Mountain Stacks have all been broken. He’s recalled all the outside disciples back to Sage Peak to fight against the Knife Labor Ghost with all their might."
Old Xu shook his head and sighed, "Having been out of power for so many years, he’s also lost his sense of proportion, daring to move a place like Knife Ghost Ridge right next to his home. However, it’s strange. The Knife Labor Ghost rarely leaves Knife Ghost Ridge, yet now it has stormed Sage Peak. Indeed, its temperament has changed."
Gong Ziming said, "Old Xu, I offended you previously because I was carrying out orders; it was truly a matter of having no alternative. Now, the survival of my Master’s Sect hangs by a thread. As his disciple, I just wish to return to Sage Peak and risk my life to repay my Master’s kindness in teaching me. Old Xu, this is my only wish. I hope you will be generous and grant it."
Xu Han sighed, "What kind of person do you take me for? How could the grudges of our generation involve you? I do have some issues with your Master, but now that he’s faced with such great danger, I cannot just sit idly by. You wait here for a moment; I’ll be back soon."
Old Xu left Gong Ziming in the bucket and walked away. When Gong Ziming saw Old Xu had gone some distance, he tried to jump out of the bucket several times but failed.
In the Golden Juice, there seemed to be an invisible force tightly binding Gong Ziming. The more he struggled, the tighter he felt the bonds.
Old Xu went to the field, planted eighteen Eggplant People, and wrote eighteen letters, stuffing them inside the Eggplant People’s stomachs.
Each letter conveyed the same message: first, it described the situation on Sage Peak, and then it offered the recipient a suggestion.
Old Xu’s suggestion was: The Saint was once a ruler of a nation. Now that he is in dire straits, you all cannot just stand by and watch.