Chapter 327: Buddhas in the South, Immortals in the North. The Five Immortals are Prohibited From Shanhaiguan!
“Aunt Hong is back?” Yang Tian also gaped at the door with surprise on his face.
A lady wearing a plain red dress walked in. She was around 40 years old. There was a birthmark the size of a palm on the right side of her face. Therefore, she looked rather ugly. She had a little basket in her hand, and it contained many herbs.
“Aunt, you’re home so soon?” As s.h.i.+ Ting went to her happily, she stretched her arm to take the herb basket.
Aunt Hong nodded and lifted her eyes to look at Ye Chen who was standing aside. She frowned and said while seeming upset, “Who’s this?” She had heard Ye Chen’s bragging as soon as she returned. That was the reason why she was secretly upset.
“Aunt Hong, this is my friend, Ye Chen. He’s here to save me,” Yang Tian introduced while smiling.
“Save you?” Aunt Hong said immediately with a stern expression, “Yang Tian, you know more about your situation than anybody. Do you think your friend can save you? That’s pure nonsense!”
As soon as he said that, s.h.i.+ Ting said weakly from the side, “Aunt, Brother Ye has really removed the spell on Brother Yang.”
“What?” Aunt Hong was shocked to learn about that. Subsequently, she walked two steps forward quickly and held Yang Tian’s hand. She looked shocked after checking his pulse. “It’s really been removed.”
“Yeah, I’m alright now,” Yang Tian nodded and said.
Aunt Hong stared at Ye Chen instantly with shock in her eyes. “Young man, how did you do that?”
When she first entered, she thought that Ye Chen was just a regular man. Never had she thought that this regular man could have removed the spell on Yang Tian.
“It’s just removing a spell. How difficult can it be?” Ye Chen smiled calmly.
However, he was secretly surprised because he sensed a faint demonic qi coming from Aunt Hong. Besides that, the demonic qi was strong, and it seemed to be related to the fox immortal behind her.
Aunt Hong looked mysteriously at him and stopped asking her questions. She turned her head and said to Yang Tian, “Since you’re fine, then go. I’ve been nice to you, and that’s enough to repay you for saving Tingting.”
Yang Tian smiled instead of being mad despite seeing the sudden change in her att.i.tude. He knew Aunt Hong’s character very well after having spent a few days together. He knew that she was an ominous person since birth. Her existence in this world had killed her parents while the birthmark on her face had driven her relatives and friends away.
One could say that Aunt Hong went through lots of trouble in her early years. Naturally, it was because the immortal wanted to test her. She must be driven into adversity, then she was eventually chosen due to her despair and having seen through the world. In other words, she was considered to have been enlightened.
Aunt Hong became a chuma disciple later on. Since she had an immortal attached to her, she began showing her abilities, so she was respected and admired by the people.
To put it simply, she looked cold outside but was warm inside, as well as being a lone ranger.
Aunt Hong scoffed, “Don’t go to that Changbai Mountain. Go straight to Tiannan. Remember, the Zhu family can’t do anything to you as soon as you’ve pa.s.sed Shanhaiguan.”
“The Zhu family can’t do anything to me as soon as I’ve pa.s.sed Shanhaiguan?” Yang Tian was stunned, so he asked while feeling puzzled, “Aunt Hong, why’s that?”
Aunt Hong said impatiently, “Haven’t you heard of this? Buddhas in the south, immortals in the north. The Five Immortals are prohibited from entering Shanhaiguan!”
“What does that mean?” Yang Tian was at a blur while Ye Chen could not help but look at Aunt Hong.
From the side, s.h.i.+ Ting interrupted, “Brother Yang, what Aunt said comes from a literary quotation. It’s said that the Qianlong Emperor was made an immortal back then. Within 500 years, the immortals of the northeast wouldn’t be able to pa.s.s through Shanhaiguan.”
“What? Qianlong Emperor was made an immortal? He was still human no matter how powerful he was, isn’t it? How was he made an immortal?” Yang Tian looked shocked.
Aunt Hong glared at s.h.i.+ Ting, blaming her for having spilled too much. However, she said, “Qianlong Emperor was the emperor of the world who conquered the four seas. He could talk to the highest ruler when it comes to the theories of Heaven Dao. He represented G.o.d’s will. Naturally, what he said comes from Heaven Dao. It doesn’t work on regular people but is very useful for immortals and people who are powerful in cultivation.”
Ye Chen secretly nodded upon hearing that.
Although emperors were mortals, there was imperial energy that protected them at all times. Regular people could kill them, but demons and spirits could do nothing to them as they would be suppressed before they could get closer to them.
Naturally, there were exceptions, such as the King Zhou of Shang. He was disrespectful of Queen Mother Nuwa, which had damaged the country’s fortune and destroyed an emperor’s grace. The Queen Mother Nuwa sent the nine-tailed fox to lurk around him, bringing trouble upon him. The nine-tailed fox was merely carrying out an order.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” s.h.i.+ Ting could not help but nod and say, “Shanhaiguan is the No. 1 barrier in the world. It’s said that there are Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals guarding it, so immortals can’t pa.s.s!”
“Nonsense.” Yang Tian shook his head while he looked skeptical. “I guess there are just too many monks and Taoist priests in the south such as some Maoshan people who capture spirits and demons. I think that’s the reason why your immortals of the northeast dare n’t go there.”
Aunt Hong mocked, “No matter what, the Five Immortals are prohibited from going into Shanhaiguan. That’s the iron law. Their magical ability won’t work if they insist on going in.
“I made you stay earlier because you had a spell cast upon you. Now that it’s been removed, leave right away. The further you go, the better. You’ll be fine as soon as you get out of Shanhaiguan.”
Yang Tian could not help but looked at Ye Chen. “Old Ye, what do you think?” He was really scared after what happened to him, and he was eager to leave right away. However, he knew that he must ask for Ye Chen’s opinion.
After all, he had made an agreement with Ye Chen earlier to get to Changbai Mountain and back within three months. If he gave that up, it would mean that whatever hards.h.i.+ps he went through would be wasted.
Ye Chen shook his head lightly. “We can go back, but since the Zhu family did that to you, I must get them to pay since you’re my brother!”
It was Yang Tian’s fault for breaking the secondary forest’s rule. However, that snake was an animal after all. How could an animal compare to a human?
Aunt Hong’s expression changed as soon as she heard that. She said coldly, “Young man, I admit that you’re powerful to have removed the spell on Yang Tian. However, wanting to fight the Zhu family is no different from hitting a rock with an egg.”
“Thanks!” Ye Chen acknowledged her and got up. He walked to the door. “Yang Tian, let’s go!”
“Where are we going?” Yang Tian caught up to him immediately.
“To make them pay of course,” Ye Chen said while walking.
s.h.i.+ Ting tugged Aunt Hong’s sleeve and said as soon as she heard that. “Aunt, they’re going to the Zhu family. What do we do? What do we do?”
“They’re seeking death themselves. What’s that got to do with me?” Aunt Hong retorted while smirking.
As s.h.i.+ Ting’s little face sank instantly, she begged firmly, “Aunt, I’m your only niece. If not for Brother Yang, I might’ve been dead in the secondary forest. Please help them.” Her tears could not stop pouring down her face.
“Alright, alright!” Pity flashed through Aunt Hong’s face. She shook her head and walked to an ancestral hall to pick up three incense sticks before kneeling in front of an image.
“I, Disciple Zhou Hong, am begging the immortal to help!”