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墨書 Inktalez
Luo Mengqi sat on the windowsill, gazing into the distance. At that moment, the door creaked open, and a person jumped in from outside. Seeing Luo Mengqi lost in thought, the newcomer chuckled, "Sister Luo, are you daydreaming about your husband Sima Chuan?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Mengqi immediately grabbed something and threw it at Yiling. Yiling quickly sidestepped and dodged. "What's wrong? Did I hit a nerve and now you want to silence me?"
Luo Mengqi considered throwing something else but ultimately decided against it. "Forget it, I can't be bothered to argue with you."
"What's going on? My dear sister, do you have something on your mind?"
"No."
"Then why do you look so melancholic?"
"Do I?"
"You really do."
"It's almost New Year, isn't it?"
"Yeah! Just a few days left."
"Isn't Grandpa all alone at home feeling quite lonely?"
"Yes! So... Sister, we should go back and check on him."
"Alright, let's go." With that, she jumped down from the windowsill and pulled Yiling along as they rushed downstairs. Yiling nearly tripped on the stairs.
Geng Erniu saw Luo Mengqi hurrying down and asked, "Hey! Qi, where are you off to in such a hurry?"
Luo Mengqi stopped in front of Geng Erniu. "It's like this, Uncle Geng. With the New Year approaching, I want to go home and see Grandpa."
"That's a good thing! You should go. After all, it's almost New Year, and the shop won't be too busy anyway. But make sure to come back after the Spring Festival; there's something important happening."
Yiling suddenly became interested and asked, "What big event is it?"
"It's the Arena Competition held at Emerald Lake Bay, which takes place every spring. The atmosphere is truly lively; there's really no words to describe it."
"Really? That's fantastic!" Yiling exclaimed, filled with excitement.
Luo Mengqi thought to herself that this was the most bustling time in the city, and nearly everyone would come. It would make finding Sima Chuan much easier.
Luo Mengqi slapped the table and declared, "Alright, I will definitely rush back before spring!" With that, she grabbed Yiling and dashed out.
At that moment, Yang Xiuying came out of the kitchen and asked Geng Erniu, "What's going on? Is Qi leaving?"
"Yes, she's going home to visit her grandfather since the New Year is approaching."
"That's good; she's quite filial!"
"Indeed."
Just as Liu Chuan and the others were training, Liu Bin arrived at the training ground, interrupting their session and gathering everyone together. Liu Chuan, being the one who understood Liu Bin best, directly asked, "May I ask what brings you here, Master?"
"Well! There is indeed something important."
"Grandpa, is it something good?" The attentive Shang Qiong noticed a faint smile on Liu Bin's face.
"Yes, it can be considered a good thing."
"Then hurry up and tell us what it is!" Yu Qin could hardly contain her curiosity.
"Finish training early this morning and get some rest tonight. Tomorrow morning, we will climb One Pillar Mountain." As soon as Liu Bin finished speaking, Liu Chuan and the other six jumped up excitedly, their faces filled with joy as they exchanged enthusiastic words. Meanwhile, Sima Chuan stood there in a daze and curiously asked Liu Chuan, "What is One Pillar Mountain? Why are you all so happy?"
Liu Chuan pulled Sima Chuan up excitedly and said, "Let's train first; we'll explain everything to you tonight."
Perhaps influenced by Sima Chuan, Liu Chuan and the others also began to enjoy sitting on the roof and chatting.
Tonight was relatively quiet, with only a crescent moon hanging above.
"Hey! Liu Chuan, you should tell me about that One Pillar Mountain now," Sima Chuan still hadn't forgotten what happened in the afternoon. However, his endless questioning didn't annoy Liu Chuan and the others; after all, Sima Chuan wasn't very familiar with Fucheng yet.
"Alright, I'll tell you all about One Pillar Mountain." Liu Chuan would definitely answer the questions that Sima Chuan wanted to know. After all, during this time, they had developed into good buddies. Liu Chuan cleared his throat deliberately and then said seriously, "Fucheng was initially just an island nation. In the beginning, this land was covered in primitive jungles. According to human understanding, there were many wild animals here, which posed great danger. However, when humans first arrived here, they strangely found that there were no wild animals at all—though some birds did inhabit the area. It wasn't until thousands of years later that people observed and discovered that this island had once experienced a Destruction; the current flora and fauna only appeared afterward. Of course, in ancient times, people were merely curious as to why there were no wild reptiles."
"You've said so much, but there's nothing about One Pillar Mountain," Sima Chuan remarked curiously, wondering how such a place could have a giant stone pillar over a hundred meters tall. Looking at Shang Qiong and the others, they seemed to be immersed in listening to the story.
"Don't rush me; that was just the setup. I'm getting to it now." Liu Chuan took a sip of water and continued, "Given the current terrain, it's impossible for such a massive stone pillar to exist. This area is jungle with no high mountains or many stones, yet this pillar stands firmly in the east, near Emerald Lake Bay. No one knows what this pillar is for, nor has anyone seriously explored its origins."
"But why are you all so excited when you hear about One Pillar Mountain?"
"That's exactly what I'm getting to." Liu Chuan took another sip of water and continued, "A long time ago, there was a wandering monk named Yi Dao. When he arrived at Fucheng and saw One Pillar Mountain, he wanted to climb it to experience what it felt like to cultivate at such heights."
"What happened next?" Sima Chuan urged.
"Don't be impatient; I'll tell it slowly."
"Okay."
"Not long after he made his decision, he began looking for ways to ascend One Pillar Mountain. He tried many methods at first but failed each time; once he almost fell and got seriously injured. Fortunately, he hadn't climbed too high at that point."
"He wouldn't give up easily, would he?"
"Exactly. After several failures, people began to mock the One Path Monk. Some said that the summit of One Pillar Mountain was a divine throne that mortals could never hope to reach; however, Yi Dao was quite stubborn. Eventually, he adopted a step-by-step approach."
"What do you mean by step-by-step?"
"It means climbing up like on stairs—one step at a time. He sought donations from people and gathered enough silver before starting his plan to ascend One Pillar Mountain again. He bought many iron rods and drove them into the ground around One Pillar Mountain in circles. Finally reaching the summit of One Pillar Mountain, he found that it resembled a platform suitable for serious cultivation. However, since it wasn't safe enough yet, the One Path Monk spent quite some time creating a larger and safer platform. At this point, he began to earn respect and admiration from others." Liu Chuan paused for a moment before asking Sima Chuan, "Do you know how long it took him to transform One Pillar Mountain into what it is today?"
"At least half a year, right?"
"It took him almost a year to complete it."
"What happened afterward?"
"Later on, when the One Path Monk reached the age of 105, he passed away. According to his last wishes, the villagers buried him beneath One Pillar Mountain. Those iron 'sticks' have remained on the stone wall all this time. However, over the years, some of them have deteriorated. Yet, there are people willing to donate money to repair the broken iron 'sticks,' and they conduct regular inspections. They once considered turning One Pillar Mountain into a tourist attraction, but it was deemed too dangerous, so nothing was done. But tomorrow, we will be climbing One Pillar Mountain; I am so excited."
"But I still don't understand why you are so excited."
"Because very few people have climbed One Pillar Mountain, and those who do become warriors, respected individuals; it's also an honor."
"I see."
As Liu Chuan and Sima Chuan finished speaking, Shang Qiong began to tease. "Big Brother, your story is so captivating; why not tell another one?"
"Get lost, go back to sleep; we have to get up early tomorrow." As soon as Liu Chuan finished, he jumped down from the roof.
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