The years I was in the human world

By the time Lu Zhouxue found the clerk and went back, it was already past noon. Xiao Fengzhuo, who had run out in the morning, leaned against the door frame with his arms folded and looked at him lazily. He glanced at the dust on his clothes and said, "Where did the beautiful Lu go to have fun? You are all covered in dust."

Lu Zhouxue: “…” He is so annoying.

"You talk too much." Lu Zhouxue casually reached into his sleeve and took out a fruit to stuff Xiao Fengzhuo's mouth with. He walked in and didn't see Peacock, so he asked, "Where's Kong Qing?"

"That girl is tired from sword practice and is taking a nap." Xiao Fengzhuo said, reaching out to pat the dust off Lu Zhouxue's shoulders, looking at him with a half-smile, "I left lunch for you, but you turned around and let that little girl eat it."

"I'm already fasting and don't need to eat." Lu Zhouxue said, but he felt a little guilty about saying it.

"Heh." Xiao Fengzhuo chuckled and stopped making jokes. "You're back from Shiqu Pavilion?"

Lu Zhouxue looked at him in surprise: "You followed me?"

"What do you want to follow?" Xiao Fengzhuo pointed at his dusty clothes. "You are a phoenix that just passed away. Where can you go when you are unfamiliar with the place? The place where you might go and there happens to be so much dust is Shiqu Pavilion."

"You even know about Shiqu Pavilion?" Lu Zhouxue looked at him suspiciously. Xiao Fengzhuo was a demon, and was ordered by the demon king to take him back. He should have just arrived in Zhongting not long ago. Although Shiqu Pavilion stored some old things, it was also a major secret. He was not of our race, so his heart must be different. Zhongting even let him go, so there was no reason for Xiao Fengzhuo to come and go freely.

"How could I not know?" Xiao Fengzhuo said nonchalantly, "I first looked around this Zhongting before coming to you. To be honest, the defenses everywhere are not that good."

"Yeah." Lu Zhouxue responded and turned to go to the side hall to look at the documents he brought back. As for where Xiao Fengzhuo went or how much of Zhongting's secrets he had read, he didn't care.

As soon as he arrived at the side hall, Lu Zhouxue was stunned. There were curtains hanging on the beams, and all the indoor furniture such as beds, tables, screens, etc. were available. There was soft bedding on the bed. Just by looking at it, one could foresee the relaxing feeling of lying on it.

"You did these?" Lu Zhouxue turned to look at Xiao Fengzhuo, who nodded and admitted frankly, "Yes, your Phoenix Terrace is so empty that it looks like it has been robbed. Not only the side hall, but also other rooms have been prepared for you."

"Thank you." Lu Zhouxue said. He didn't care about these ordinary trivial matters, nor did he have the subjective consciousness that he should decorate the room well and take care of himself. According to Xiao Fengzhuo's words, he was like a pampered princess who had never done any housework and would starve to death if no one took care of him.

"My dear Miss Lu, I've been working so hard for you, taking care of the children and doing the housework, and this is just a thank you?" Xiao Fengzhuo laughed. He rested his head on Lu Zhouxue's shoulder from behind and blew into his ear.

"Then what do you want?" Lu Zhouxue reached out and pushed him away, rubbed her itchy ears, and moved away a little, completely unable to do anything to him.

"Hmm." Xiao Fengzhuo thought about it seriously, and then said, "I haven't thought about it yet. How about this, you let me live with you, and I will continue to take care of the child for you, what do you think, Miss Lu?"

"Why do you want to live with me?" Lu Zhouxue looked at Xiao Fengzhuo strangely. She couldn't understand what was wrong with him and why he was so eager to work for others.

Considering Lu Zhouxue's limited experience despite having lived for tens of thousands of years, he does not think that there is anything wrong with Xiao Fengzhuo's actions for the time being. After all, Xiao Yueheng took much more careful care of him back then.

"Because I don't want to sleep on the streets." Xiao Fengzhuo said confidently, "I can't go back to my clan, and I have nowhere to live. You don't have to go back with me, but you have to pay for my accommodation."

When Lu Zhouxue heard this, it seemed that there was nothing wrong with it, so she nodded to agree. However, Xiao Fengzhuo raised his eyebrows unexpectedly, pursed his lips, and finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Lu Zhouxue tilted her head, wondering why this Xiao guy was so confused all day long.

"Nothing." Xiao Fengzhuo just smiled without explaining the reason, "I think you are pretty."

"Nonsense." Lu Zhouxue ignored him and took out the document he had placed in Linghai from his sleeve and started reading.

There are very few written records about Senior Brother Yu Zhao, only one volume, which only records his name and when he became a disciple of the Supreme Elder. He was later expelled from the sect for betraying his master and ancestors. There is not much information, but Lu Zhouxue discovered something very strange. The Supreme Elder was a sword cultivator of the Way of Mercilessness, while Yu Zhao and his brother and sister cultivated the Way of All Living Beings, which were completely opposite paths.

Yu Zhao inherited the Phoenix bloodline and mastered the Phoenix Tempering. Coincidentally, before she became a disciple of the Grand Elder, her senior brother also learned this unique skill by accident due to an adventure in Mount Qishan.

The two people were from the same school, had both learned the Phoenix Tempering, and were both exiled for their crimes, but they both did not die. Lu Zhouxue himself did not believe that there was no trick.

"Lin Xiyang?" Seeing Lu Zhouxue concentrating on reading the document, Xiao Fengzhuo curiously leaned over to take a look, and then laughed, "Why are you reading this guy's document records?"

"Do you recognize him?" Lu Zhouxue tilted her head and asked him.

"I recognize him." Xiao Fengzhuo simply sat down next to Lu Zhouxue. "Chunhui Jun Lin Xiyang was the favorite disciple of the Grand Elder of Changyang Sect. If it wasn't for his master falling in love with him and losing interest in cultivation, the title of peerless swordsman would never have been given to Yu Zhao."

"Ah?" Lu Zhouxue was stunned. He understood every word Xiao Fengzhuo said, and when they were put together, it became... "Like... his master? Isn't this unethical?"

"What's so funny about that?" Xiao Fengzhuo obviously thought Lu Zhouxue's reaction was too interesting. He looked at him with his chin on his hand and smiled, and continued, "That is to say, the so-called righteous people of the human race like these high-sounding ethics, but they have done countless things behind the scenes, such as brothers quarreling with each other and fathers committing incest with daughters."

Xiao Fengzhuo paused and said, "Miss Lu, do you also think that what Lin Xiyang did is extremely rebellious?"

Lu Zhouxue always felt that Xiao Fengzhuo had something else in mind, so she glanced back at him, pursed her lips and said, "I don't know."

"Yes, then it is. No, then it is not. How could you not know?" Lu Zhouxue wanted to avoid him, but Xiao Fengzhuo refused to let him go. He approached him more and more, looking at him with a smile and teasing in his eyes, "Mianmian, your ears are red."

"Don't you have anything else to say?" Xiao Fengzhuo was very close to him, and Lu Zhouxue could smell the scent of dew, osmanthus and nan bamboo on him.

"Yes, I'll take you back." Xiao Fengzhuo said, and he yawned, "But if you don't go back with me, then I really have nothing to do."

Lu Zhouxue had nothing to say, so she put away the documents in her hand, pointed to the bed behind her and said, "If you are really sleepy, go to sleep for a while."

As he spoke, he floated behind the screen to change clothes. When he came out, he was still dressed in white. If the collar of this suit was not pulled up to his neck and the hem was not embroidered with cranes instead of flowing clouds, Xiao Fengzhuo would have suspected that he did not change clothes at all.

"Going out?" Xiao Fengzhuo was still sitting there, resting his chin. When he saw Lu Zhouxue coming out, his eyes lit up and his smile deepened. He immediately praised her generously, "You are truly stunningly beautiful, Miss Lu. If you were in our demon tribe, I'm afraid you would be approached by so many people to propose marriage to you that they would break down the door."

"You start talking nonsense again." Even though Lu Zhouxue had a calm personality, Xiao Fengzhuo's smooth talk made him feel embarrassed.

"This is the truth." Xiao Fengzhuo liked to tease Lu Zhouxue. Seeing that the latter was embarrassed, he became more excited. He licked his lips and suddenly said, "Mianmian, you should smile more. With your appearance, if I were a king, I would give you my kingdom."

Lu Zhouxue was completely speechless. It sounded as if he was some evil concubine who brought disaster to the country. He lowered his eyes to look at the man who was sitting there and smiling at him. He knew that he did it on purpose. He rarely thought about it and continued along with Xiao Fengzhuo's words: "Since you have taken over the country, why not give me three thousand fiefs first? I haven't even seen gold, silver, jewelry, fertile land, or beautiful concubines."

"But I'm not a king. I'm just an insignificant little demon under the demon king." Xiao Fengzhuo blinked his eyes, stretched out his hand and made a "small" gesture. After thinking for a while, he still conjured up a string of golden bells and tied them to Lu Zhouxue's hand. "I don't have any gold, silver or jewelry. This is the only thing I have."

"Vague." Lu Zhouxue looked down at the golden bell on her wrist and sneered, but her eyes curved slightly, "I don't want to talk nonsense with you anymore. I have to go out for something. Kong Qing, please take care of it for me."

"Yes, Miss Lu!" Xiao Fengzhuo said, without asking Lu Zhouxue what she was going to do.

When Lu Zhouxue walked out of the door, he hid the golden bell and the red jade hairpin that Xiao Fengzhuo had given him into the spiritual sea. He melted an ice hairpin to tie up his scattered hair again, and then went to look for Ye Jin. At that time, the latter was practicing sword in the courtyard of his residence. When he saw Lu Zhouxue coming, he hurriedly asked the servants to prepare tea.

"Senior, what's the matter that brought you here today?" Now that Lu Zhouxue had arrived, Ye Jin stopped practicing and sheathed his sword and handed it to the servants to put away properly. Because he was practicing swordsmanship, the clothes he wore were convenient for movement. His two arms were exposed, with small blood-red wounds.

Unconsciously, Lu Zhouxue stared at it for a while: "What is this in your hand...?"

"This, many years ago, I was not good at martial arts and was injured by the evil spirit in a ghost den." Ye Jin said indifferently, "It looks scary, but the wound has healed long ago. Senior, don't worry too much."

Lu Zhouxue said "hmm" and looked away as if nothing had happened. At this time, the servant came up with tea. He took the opportunity to open the lid of the cup and took a sip. The doubts in his heart were all hidden in the mist. He didn't tell Ye Jin that the wound was not healed. The reason why it was blood red was because of the residual evil spirit. But evil spirit, that is something that only exists in Buzhou Mountain, why does it appear in the human world?

The Way of Heaven has no control over the Land of Silence. Similarly, except for the gods in Mount Buzhou, evil spirits cannot invade the human world under the protection of the Way of Heaven.

"Senior, what are you thinking about?" Seeing that he didn't speak for a long time, Ye Jin frowned and asked, "But is there any problem?"

"No." Lu Zhouxue shook her head, put down the teacup gently, took out an old document from her sleeve and put it on the table, looking at Ye Jin with a sharp gaze, "I don't have time to be hypocritical with you, tell me the truth, do you dare not investigate, or do you not want to investigate?"

Lu Zhouxue's words were a little confusing, but it didn't stop Ye Jin from understanding. He tightened his hands on his legs, subconsciously thinking that Lu Zhouxue might know something, but he pretended to be calm and said, "What are you talking about, senior?"

Ye Jin's reaction was also within Lu Zhouxue's expectations. He pointed at the bamboo slips under his palm with his fingertips and said lightly: "The evil in Dongshan is caused by Chunhui, not Yu Zhao."

Ye Jin remained silent, and Lu Zhouxue was not in a hurry, and continued to speak slowly: "Mr. Chunhui, Phoenix Quenching, and the Way of All Living Beings, am I right?"

"Senior, what else do you know?" Ye Jin's pupils shrank, and he suddenly stared at Lu Zhouxue with wide eyes. He looked like a drowning man who had grabbed the last straw to save his life. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something. His emotions were suppressed to the extreme, but in the end, he relaxed and bent down dejectedly, and finally answered Lu Zhouxue's question, "I dare not investigate. It's not just a frame-up. The whole thing is a huge conspiracy."

"I don't even dare to investigate further. My father took the position of the sect leader, but he was also powerless." Ye Jin said, admitting that he was useless and unable to save his mother who was trapped in the Phoenix Terrace. This was a very sad thing. "We don't even dare to tell the truth."

Lu Zhouxue listened to Ye Jin's story of being helpless, and was rarely able to make any comments. Originally, he should have ridiculed Ye Jin for being hypocritical and cowardly, because he couldn't save his mother, at least he could be kind to his sister. But now he couldn't say anything. How similar was the situation between him and Ye Jin to the situation when Xiao Jin pleaded with him for the truth about Xiao Yueheng's death?

How similar are he to Ye Jin? They both lack courage. Ye Jin watched Zhu Huang's Nirvana helplessly, and so did Lu Zhouxue. He watched Xiao Yueheng being pointed at by thousands of people, having his divine bones taken away, and being cut into pieces...

Pain came from the palm of his hand. It turned out that he clenched his fist too hard, and his nails pierced his skin. The flesh turned inside out and blood was dripping. Lu Zhouxue hid his hand in his sleeve as if nothing had happened, restrained all his emotions, and turned back into the cold and distant Suimo God. He nodded and said, "I understand. How much do you know about Chunhui Jun?"

"What aspect are you talking about, senior?" Ye Jin asked. Lu Zhouxue had seen through his deepest thoughts, so Ye Jin simply tried to hide it.

"Phoenix Tempering." Lu Zhouxue said, "Other things may not be important, but Phoenix Tempering must be related to your mother's unjust case."

"Phoenix Tempering..." Ye Jin frowned and thought about it. Lin Xiyang's past was too long ago. Even Yu Zhao might not know it clearly. Moreover, he was a junior. He actually knew very little about Chunhui Jun and Phoenix Tempering. However, he still said what he could say. "I don't know much about Chunhui Jun. I only heard my mother mention it casually when I was young."

"Chunhui Jun is a pure human cultivator. His Phoenix Tempering was inherited from Phoenix Ridge in Qishan." Ye Jin said, "But according to my mother, Phoenix Ridge in Qishan is a very large secret place. At that time, tens of thousands of cultivators went there together to seize the opportunity. Almost all of the cultivators of Changyang Sect went there, except for the Sect Master, who is now the Grand Elder. But in the end, only Chunhui Jun was able to obtain the Phoenix Tempering."

Ye Jin: "Or rather, he was the only one chosen by the Phoenix Tempering."

Lu Zhouxue thought thoughtfully: "What is it about Phoenix Tempering that is worthy of so many people flocking to it?"

"Phoenix Tempering is not an attacking technique." Ye Jin found that he didn't know how to describe it to Lu Zhouxue. "Let's put it this way. Wherever Phoenix Tempering passes, dead grass will come back to life, sins will be cleansed, the dead will be resurrected, and bones will grow flesh. Most importantly, Phoenix Tempering can refine the soul, allowing cultivators to continue practicing without a physical body. They may even be stronger than cultivators with physical bodies. It is a true technique to reverse life and death."

Reversing life and death, Lu Zhouxue's brows jumped. Under the way of heaven, perhaps cultivators can change their destiny through practice, but life and death are the most fundamental laws, laws that cannot be violated. Life and death here can only be changed by gods from a higher world.

The Phoenix Tempering is very similar to the rebirth of all things in the Dongjun Flower Dynasty, which should be a power belonging to God.

To put it simply: a god created a world, and the people living in this world followed the rules set by the god to build city-states and establish dynasties; some of them touched the rules and were able to feel the world more deeply, and they became cultivators.

Practitioners can flexibly use the rules to change their fate and extend their lifespan which is only a hundred years long; they can also use their own strength to save or kill others at will. Although such behavior of harming others for no reason may not be liked by the gods, it is allowed by the rules of the gods and does not violate the authority.

However, it is very difficult for cultivators to change the rules set by the gods. For example, the gods stipulate that cultivators cannot bring the dead back to life. Then once a cultivator dies, no one else can resurrect him no matter what. The only ones who can change these rules are the gods themselves, or the workers promoted by the gods to help them manage the world.

Here, the Heavenly Dao is the immortal, and the gods of Mount Buzhou are the immortal's employees. Although the Heavenly Dao has the same power over them, it is not as absolute as the Heavenly Dao over cultivators. It is more like a relationship between superiors and subordinates who can come and go freely.

Then again, when Lu Zhouxue heard Ye Jin bragging to him about how rare and exquisite the Phoenix Tempering was, he probably guessed the source of the Dongshan case. Phoenix Tempering was not a martial art, but a flame planted in the soul of a cultivator, more like a magic weapon. The Dongshan disaster was tragic, it was nothing more than killing people and stealing treasures. Lin Xiyang was expelled from the sect, so naturally he set his sights on Yu Zhao, who also had Phoenix Tempering.

But Lu Zhouxue still didn't understand one thing. Since Lin Xiyang was the first to receive the Phoenix Tempering, he was expelled without the protection of the sect, so it was obviously easy to deal with him. Why did they go to so much trouble to set up a trap to deal with Yu Zhao? You have to know that from Lin Xiyang's expulsion, the Grand Elder's retreat to the Dongshan Old Event, there was a gap of nearly a hundred years.

Now, more than a hundred years have passed, where is Chunhuijun?