Chapter 75: The Immortal Alliance’s Reward, I’ve Booked It
With the dual efforts of planting and purchasing, Qi Huang received Ghost Tomatoes almost every day, and her Spiritual Sense was steadily improving.
A month later, Qi Huang received a death notice: Madam Shen, the ancestor of the Liu family, had passed away. The reason was that she refused to take medicine, causing her condition to deteriorate rapidly.
“Why did she refuse the medicine?”
Qi Huang inquired with Liu Yingyue through the Thousand Li Sound and Voice Transmitter, as Madam Shen had left a profound impression on her, a truly wise elder.
“Because, like everyone in the Liu family, she still harbored resentment towards Wang Chun, that promiscuous woman, and didn’t want to owe her any more favors,”
Liu Yingyue explained mournfully.
Qi Huang suddenly understood. Thinking from her perspective, she likely wouldn’t forgive the woman who betrayed her grandson either.
A few days later, Liu Yingyue returned to attend the funeral. Qi Huang, fearing unexpected incidents, disguised herself as “Chen Yuzhu” and escorted her for part of the journey. However, compared to the last time, this trip was much smoother, as no one caused trouble.
Upon returning to the HongHua Sect, Qi Huang continued planting. At the same time, she didn’t forget to continue seeking a solution for her split personality in her “dreams.”
Finally, that evening, Qi Huang saw Cheng Ling’s memories again. Unfortunately, most of them were about the “Lu Yao” dreamscape. At this point, she was certain that this girl must be related to the red patches on the human skin mask.
…
One day, Lu Hua returned home. Due to long periods of living arduously and the torment of his illness, he appeared completely drained of spirit and had lost a lot of weight.
“Daddy, why don’t we slaughter a chicken to eat? Look how thin you’ve become,”
Lu Yao’s daughter suggested with concern.
Lu Hua pondered for a moment, then said, “Yaoyao, we won’t slaughter livestock anymore!”
“Why?”
Lu Yao asked with some confusion.
“Haven’t you heard the village gossip? They say our family members repeatedly suffer from terminal illnesses because we’ve done too many bad things and are receiving heavenly retribution.”
Lu Hua replied.
“But we haven’t done anything bad? You and Mommy always told me to be kind to others since I was little,”
Lu Yao couldn’t help but question.
“Perhaps we’ve done things unintentionally? If it’s not heavenly retribution, why would our family suffer such misfortune? So, from now on, we must never kill any life. We should even go around ants and try our best to do good deeds. If we can atone for our sins, Heaven will no longer punish us. Do you remember?”
Lu Hua instructed earnestly. Since he couldn’t find the reason, he could only try every possible method.
“Okay!”
Lu Yao obediently nodded her little head. Naively, she truly believed it.
From that day on, Lu Yao remembered her father’s words. To “atone for her sins,” she tried her best to do good deeds every day, hoping everything would get better.
Not long after, Lu Hua’s father’s condition worsened, and he could no longer go out.
Lu Yao didn’t want to give up, so she tried her best to go to the county to fetch medicine.
“Child, don’t bother. I know my condition best. When I went to the county to see the doctor that day, I didn’t completely pass out, so I heard what the doctor said.”
Lu Hua smiled freely.
“Dad!”
Lu Yao’s tears welled up again. She never dreamed that it wasn’t her hiding things from her father, but her father hiding things from her.
“Child, don’t be sad. I heard that after death, we become ghosts and can see your grandparents and your mother. Father is still very happy. I’m just worried about you! You’re still so young, what will you do if I leave?”
Lu Hua gently stroked her little head with affection on his face.
Lu Yao cried uncontrollably, tightly grasping her father’s large hand.
Time passed, and another half month went by. Lu Hua was bedridden, needing care for all his needs.
Lu Yao served by his bedside every day. As long as her father had a breath left, her spiritual pillar would not collapse.
One night, Lu Yao drowsily heard strange noises from behind the room. Puzzled, she got up to check, only to find that her father had somehow gone out.
Lu Yao lit the oil lamp and went to the back of the house. She saw her father digging the ground with a hoe. After every few digs, he would lean against a tree to rest.
‘Father can get out of bed, and even weed!’
Lu Yao was thrilled to see this scene, believing a miracle had occurred.
“Daddy, why are you out here weeding so late at night instead of sleeping?”
Lu Yao walked over and asked.
“Child, Father… Father is not weeding!”
Lu Hua took a deep breath and then explained, “Father is digging a pit for himself. Now, the villagers avoid us. If I die, you probably won’t even find someone to help. So, I must finish this myself while I still have the strength. Then, you can just push me in, and you won’t have to beg anyone.”
Hearing this, Lu Yao froze on the spot, tears streaming down again. She thought a miracle had happened, only to realize it was merely her father’s last burst of energy.
Lu Hua ignored his daughter and focused on digging his own grave, knowing his time was short.
Lu Yao cried for a while, then went to help.
It took the father and daughter an hour to finish digging the pit.
Lu Hua, having exhausted his last bit of strength, slumped against the wall to rest.
Lu Yao walked over and snuggled against her father, feeling the familiar warmth.
“Child, don’t be afraid! Even if Father dies, I will stay by your side with your grandparents and mother.”
Lu Hua gently stroked his daughter’s hair and then took off his outer coat to shield her from the wind.
Lu Yao nodded obediently, her emotions gradually calming down. Being tired and sleepy, she drifted off into a daze.
“If I die, put the yellow dress that your mother used to wear on me and bury it together, understand?”
“Also, remember what Father said. From now on, you must always do good deeds. We are dead, but you are still young, and the future is long.”
“Oh, and usually when you’re home alone, if someone knocks on the door, make sure to confirm their identity before letting them in, understand?”
…
In a daze, Lu Yao heard her father’s instructions and instinctively responded with a “mm.”
The next day, Lu Yao woke up feeling refreshed from her dream, only to find that her father’s embrace had lost its warmth, with only a trace of warmth remaining on his outer coat.
Lu Yao quickly realized what had happened and began to weep sorrowfully. Only after her tears had dried did she struggle to push her father’s body into the pit he had dug the previous night. She then fetched her mother’s yellow dress, placed it inside, and began to bury him.
Lu Yao was small and weak, so she didn’t finish burying her father until sunset. Not a single villager came to check on her during the entire process.
…
Qi Huang woke up from the dream. Compared to previous times, her heart was filled with anger in addition to sympathy. If a person’s destiny was truly predetermined, she really wanted to ask Heaven on Lu Yao’s behalf, what wrong had the Lu family committed to receive such punishment?
Unfortunately, Qi Huang couldn’t see Lu Yao, nor could she question Heaven, so she could only feel indignant in her heart.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a month passed. The Immortal Alliance in Yongning Prefecture announced the rewards for the next Evergreen Convention.
“Golden Back Heavenly Sunflower, Red Feathered Umbrella, Dragon Lotus Basin, Heavenly Gate Grass!”
Qi Huang was stunned when she heard these medicinal ingredients, as they were all spirit herbs and medicines that cultivators needed to break through to the Huashen realm. They were almost entirely monopolized by the Immortal Alliance and were completely unavailable on the market.
“If I hadn’t known beforehand, I would have thought this was the reward for the first-place winner of the Xihui Dynasty’s Immortal Seed Ranking,”
Xu Mei exclaimed in amazement.
“Good heavens, the Immortal Alliance has gone to great lengths to deal with me, but I’m afraid they’ll end up losing more than they gain!”
Qi Huang chuckled mischievously.
“With these rewards, the next Evergreen Convention in Yongning Prefecture will surely attract many geniuses from other regions and even other countries. The competition will likely be extremely fierce,”
Qin Quan’s expression became increasingly serious.
“They don’t stand a chance. The Immortal Alliance’s rewards? I’ve already booked them,”
Qi Huang said with her usual confidence.
