Chapter 233: Beginning of the New Year
At the break of dawn, the first ray of sunlight pierced through the gloomy clouds and fell upon the vast white earth.
In Shuisheng Village, the smoke from the morning hearth gradually rose.
Although the New Year's Eve had just passed and the children who kept vigil until midnight were still fast asleep, the happy children got up early and ran out of their homes to show off their new clothes to their little neighbors.
For the children, new clothes and sumptuous food were the greatest joy.
Even the host, upon seeing the abundance of grains and rice and the newly added furniture at home, couldn't help but show a happy expression.
In the Hanyu mountain, a girl named Xiao Ai pushed open the door and walked outside.
What she saw was a vast expanse of white.
Though not thick, the snow had turned the area in front of the Wolf God Temple pure white.
Gu Yan and the fat bird were standing shoulder to shoulder on a treetop, sound asleep. However, after a night of snowfall, their heads and bodies were covered in snow.
"Um..."
Xiao Ai looked somewhat bewildered at this scene, subconsciously looking up at the top of her head.
In the sky, the huge vortex cloud was still slowly rotating.
But there shouldn't be snow under this vortex cloud, yet there was a heavy snowfall now?
Xiao Ai hesitated and looked towards the white clothed man standing with arms behind his back within the snowy scene, carefully calling out.
"Wolf God, this snow..."
"Hmm, I made it snow," Lu Heng turned around with a smile and said, "How about it? Isn't the snowy scenery beautiful?"
Xiao Ai nodded instinctively, but still felt puzzled.
"But how could there be snow under the dark clouds...?"
Could it be that the Wolf God scattered the dark clouds last night?
However, there was a great commotion when the dark clouds gathered and dispersed. She could not have been unaware.
The little girl was still puzzled.
Lu Heng explained with a smile, "These dark clouds bring a wave of spiritual rain every few days. Although it is good for the mountains, it happened to be the time for rain last night."
"On New Year's Eve, if there was a heavy rain, wouldn't it be a dampener everywhere?"
"Fortunately, I have recently derived some insights into the Heavenly Thunder Method, so I temporarily transformed the rain into snow. Now that a heavy snow has fallen overnight, the Hanyu Mountain is finally in sync with this winter."
"And didn't you say before that the snowy landscape is beautiful?"
Smiling, Lu Heng said, "Now you can see the snow scenery in the mountains, which can be considered a New Year's gift from me to you."
Lu Heng's words made the little girl blush slightly.
She mentioned that sentence on the way to purchasing New Year's goods in Luoye City, while walking among the snow and ice-covered mountains, and talking to the Wolf God.
Unexpectedly, the Wolf God remembered it...
The little girl clutched her sleeve, her emotions tumultuous as her complexion became increasingly rosy.
Lu Heng chuckled and glanced behind Xiao Ai, saying, "Oh? Has Sun Yan woken up too?"
In front of the Wolf God Temple, a white ape with fur all over its body crouched on the wooden stairs, looking hesitant and bewildered at the scene before it, seemingly stunned by the snowy landscape.
Lu Heng waved to Sun Yan with a smile and said, "Come over here, I have something to tell you."
Lu Heng's call made the white ape hesitate for a moment. It stole a glance at Xiao Ai not far away and saw the silver-haired girl with beast ears had resumed her usual aloof demeanor, so the white ape cautiously ran to Lu Heng's side.
Lu Heng looked at the girl and the ape in front of him and said with a smile.
"New Year has come after the New Year's Eve has passed."
"Next, I am going to seclude myself in meditation."
"But this time, the seclusion is somewhat different from before. I might not have the energy to take care of the affairs in the mountain. Therefore, during my seclusion period, all the affairs of the mountain will be managed by you, Xiao Ai."
"You must supervise Sun Yan's cultivation."
"Of course, this monkey is not like you, he's just an ordinary beast cultivator, unable to cultivate continuously for twelve hours without stopping."
"Therefore, for its leisure time after training, you should also relax appropriately, not always watching it like a prisoner. In your free time, you should also give it a recreational and restful space to play."
Lu Heng said, "For all living beings, the happiest time in life is when they are ignorant and only focused on playing. We shouldn't erase this nature and take away their joy."
"Of course, Sun Yan, you monkey, can't be lazy. During my seclusion, you must cultivate yourself well, and don't make Xiao Ai angry, otherwise she'll skin you and I won't care... Hmm, hopefully when I come out of seclusion, there won't be an extra monkey fur coat in the house."
The words that Lu Heng spoke with a smile made Sun Yan, who had just been delighted, turn pale and made him unable to laugh.
Because it could feel that after Xiao Ai heard the words of the Wolf God, her eyes became subtly colder...
After finishing with Sun Yan's affairs, only then did Lu Heng turn to Xiao Ai and said, "During my retreat, if there are any visitors, we need to entertain them well."
"After the news of the South Sea incident spreads, there may be some cultivators who come with various intentions."
"These visitors from beyond the mountains, I leave them in your capable hands."
"But good hospitality doesn't mean compromising or giving in. If you come across impudent individuals, you may chase them away."
Lu Heng chuckled, "If Yin Dragon and Jiu Mie come, please inform me and I will personally receive them."
"However, other than these two individuals, I entrust other visitors to you."
Between the snowy ground in front of the Wolf God Temple, Lu Heng carefully explained a series of matters to Xiao Ai that needed attention.
For a child of her age, many matters were too complex.
However, Lu Heng was very reassured about Xiao Ai.
After explaining the matters of seclusion, Lu Heng took Sun Yan and Xiao Ai to the peach garden behind the mountain and buried the Elder Tao's life-repairing peach wood cane within it for thousands of years.
This peach wood cane contains a rich vitality and its source is similar to that of the peach trees in the peach garden.
After using sky thunder to generate cracks on the peach wood, Lu Heng now buried the cane underground. Through the cracks generated by the sky thunder, the vitality inside the cane will continuosly diffuse and nourish the peaches in the orchard.
In this way, perhaps it will accelerate the ripening of the entire orchard's peaches.
The protector of the Peach Orchard was entrusted to the lazy fat bird by Lu Heng.
Gu Yan and Sun Yan are too rebellious, it's impossible for them to guard the peach garden.
Although Xiao Ai has a mild temperament, she is in charge of all the mountain affairs, she cannot always focus on the small peach garden.
Therefore, Lu Heng handed over this peach garden to the lazy fat bird.
The fat bird had no objection to this.
Even if Lu Heng promised to give it the biggest peach when the fruits were ripe, the lazy fat bird remained indifferent.
That's how Lu Heng left after giving all the instructions and returned to the divine palace underground.
This time, he must open the heavy heavenly gate and step into the realm of true cultivation...
