Chapter 56: Great Terror of Life and Death
"I'll go and have a look."
In the peach blossom forest, Xiao Ai said so, so she left Qian and chased along the direction where the White Ape disappeared.
However, after she left the peach forest, she couldn't see the trace of the White Ape.
In the morning, the mountains were silent. The White Ape didn't leave footprints. She didn't know where it had gone.
Xiao Ai searched in the mountains for a while, but she still couldn't find it. She had to return to the peach forest to accompany Qian to pick peach flowers.
Shortly after Xiao Ai returned to the peach forest, not far from the peach forest, the ground with dead leaves slowly and suddenly raised a small piece. Then a White Ape quietly emerged from the hole covered with dead leaves.
Holding a handful of peach blossoms tightly in his hand, he looked at the peach forest not far away with worry and fear. After confirming that the little girl didn't catch up, he left here quietly.
The White Ape's pace was light, and he ran in the mountains without making any sound.
Soon, it left the main peak and dove into the more wild and primitive dense jungle behind the main peak.
In this dense and primitive jungle, wild animals are entrenched and snakes and insects are rampant. Even the hunters in Shuisheng village are often unwilling to go deep into this place to hunt because the terrain is too rough.
But the White Ape is light and fast through the jungle and climbs the cliff. This primitive jungle, which is complex and difficult for human beings, is as familiar as its own home.
At last, the White Ape reached a dark cave.
Neither Lu Heng nor Xiao Ai had been there. The cave was hanging on the cliff, and no beast could come up except the clever monkeys in the mountain.
As soon as the White Ape climbed into the cave, there was an outburst of squeaky ape cries in the small cave.
All the monkeys in the cave gathered around and looked curiously at the handful of peach blossoms held by the White Ape.
The White Ape angrily pushed away the monkeys and walked to the center of the monkeys. There, an old monkey lay quietly.
"Ji! Ji!" The White Ape held up the peach blossom in his hand and shouted excitedly at the old monkey.
However, the old monkey could not answer it, but lay there weakly, reluctantly opened one eye and exhaled a heavy turbid breath.
"Ji! Ji!"
The White Ape shouted excitedly. No matter how the monkeys around reacted, it ran to the old monkey, stuffed all the peach blossoms in its hands into the old monkey's mouth, and then shouted, "Ji! Ji!"
The White Ape can feel that this blooming peach blossom contains a strong spirit Qi of life. If these spirit Qi can be eaten by the old monkey...
It stretched out two hands, grabbed the old monkey's already weak and thin arms, and constantly put weak spirit Qi into the old monkey's body.
"Ji! Ji!"
The White Ape shouted loudly, trying to use his spirit Qi to guide the old monkey to absorb the spirit Qi of life, just like the girl taught him to cultivate at the beginning.
However, the spirit Qi in its body is too weak. No matter how hard it tried, it can't do what the girl did when she taught it to cultivate.
The weak old monkey was still lying there lifelessly, and there was no spirit Qi entering the old monkey's body.
Even after the old monkey reluctantly chewed and swallowed the peach blossom, it didn't become better.
Gradually, the old monkey's breathing became heavier and heavier, and the time between breaths became longer and longer. No matter how hard the White Ape tried, the faint spirit Qi in its body could not help the old monkey.
"Ji... Ji..."
In the cave, the White Ape's confused cry rang out.
It sat dumbly beside the old monkey, watching the female monkey who raised it from childhood gradually lose her breath, her body beginning to lose warmth. He was a little flustered.
After the old monkey stopped breathing, the White Ape was even more flustered and afraid. It shook the old monkey's body desperately.
But no matter how much the White Ape shook her body and shouted, the old monkey didn’t move and would never open its eyes again.
Inside the dark cave, the voice of the White Ape gradually lessened.
In the end, it suddenly turned into a bitter howl, which spread far away in the mountains...
……
Lu Heng was still practicing in the underground temple when he heard the noise of the commotion.
The incarnation of the soul, suspended in midair, slowly opened his eyes with a slightly surprised expression.
After a thought, Lu Heng's soul avatar appeared in front of Wolf God Temple.
Under the bloody sunset, a White Ape was kneeling in front of the Wolf God Temple, howling and kowtowing desperately.
And in the arms of the White Ape, holding a completely cold monkey body.
The girl named Xiao Ai is standing on the ladder in front of Wolf God Temple to stop the White Ape from entering.
The expression on her face was both distressed and angry.
"I said, Lord Wolf God can't help you! Birth, aging, and death are the orders of heaven and earth, which can't be changed!"
"Don't mess around here, will you?"
"If you disturb the cultivation of Lord Wolf God, you can't atone even if I strip your skin off!"
The girl's words were fierce, but the White Ape in front of her turned a deaf ear to the scolding, and just desperately scampered to Wolf God Temple, howling bitterly and hopelessly.
The shrill howl spread far away in the mountains, sounding inexplicably sad.
When Lu Heng came out, he saw such a scene...
A few seconds later, Lu Heng sighed slowly and said.
"Well, Xiao Ai, you don't have to blame it."
Patting the girl on the shoulder, Lu Heng said, "Let me listen to the White Ape's wishes."
Xiao Ai was startled by the sudden appearance of Lu Heng.
She hurriedly retreated to one side, a little panicked, "Lord Wolf God, sorry for disturbing your cultivation..."
"It's all right. It's time to come out and have a look after staying underground for a long time," Lu Heng smiled at the girl. Then he looked at the White Ape kneeling at his feet and looked serious.
"Do you want me to save it?" Lu Heng looked at the dead monkey in the White Ape's arms and asked directly.
The White Ape was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly nodded desperately, "Ji! Ji!"
Lu Heng looked at it and asked, "Why do you want to save it? It's important to you?"
"Ji! Ji!" The White Ape shouted excitedly and told the Wolf God about the Old Monkey raising it from childhood.
Under the bloody sunset, the White Ape, who was holding the old monkey's body, desperately shouted, constantly gesticulating, and whose voice was already hoarse, looked so helpless and pathetic.
However, Lu Heng's expression remained unchanged.
He stood in front of Wolf God Temple, quietly listened to the White Ape finish all the words, and then slowly said.
"This old monkey is very important to you, so you immediately come to me to ask for help after it dies. But there are dozens of monkeys in your monkey group in the mountains, including even your children. These monkeys are also very important to you."
"If they die tomorrow, will you also bring them to beg me for help?"
Lu Heng's inquiry completely stunned the White Ape.
It held the body of the old monkey in its arms and knelt there dumbly. For a moment, it didn't know how to answer.
Lu Heng looked at it and sighed softly before saying.
"Birth, old age and death are the order of heaven and earth, which cannot be changed. When you saw that I saved Xiao Ai once, you thought I had the ability to bring back the dead, so after the old monkey died, you thought of coming to me at the first."
"But have you ever thought that if I can really save all dead creatures and bring everything back to life, can the world still maintain its current appearance? Wouldn’t those who come back from the dead be everywhere?"
Lu Heng's inquiry confused the White Ape.
It knelt there stupidly, not knowing what to say.
Lu Heng continued, "In other words, if I can revive the dead at will, why didn't I revive Xiao Ai's uncle? Why didn't I revive the dead old people in Shuisheng village?"
Lu Heng looked at the White Ape with his eyes and said softly.
"At the beginning, you saved Xiao Ai's life, so Xiao Ai wanted to repay you, so she taught you the method of cultivation, hoping to lead you into the path of demon cultivation, get rid of chaos and ignorance, and live longer."
"In those days, she was so exhausted physically and mentally, but she didn't dare to give up easily... Why did she have to work so hard?"
"If I can really revive the dead at will, Xiao Ai just needs to watch you play in the mountains. When you die, she will hold you in front of me and let me revive you. Can't you also continue to play in the mountains and be carefree after that? Why must Xiao Ai try her best to teach you the way of immortality?"
Lu Heng said softly, without any criticism in his eyes.
However, in front of the Wolf God Temple, the eyes of the White Ape who was kneeling gradually became dull.
It understood the meaning of Lu Heng and clearly realized that the monkey in his arms would never open its eyes again.
Slightly confused, the White Ape lowered his head and stared at the body of the old monkey in his arms.
The afterglow of the sunset reflected the monkey's old and tired face.
The White Ape suddenly found that the body in his arms was so heavy that he almost collapsed.
It howled in despair and cried in pain. Kneeling in front of Wolf God Temple, it kowtowed heavily to Lu Heng.
"Ji! Ji!"
