Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

After absorbing the innate golden qi, the Long Spear flashed a sharp cold light, clearly becoming much stronger.

Liu Qingyun gently caressed the Long Spear in his hand and murmured to himself, "Yuan'er, is this the gift you gave to your master?"

"Good, stimulate the Five Qi. From today onwards, Qingyun will also be among the Immortals," Lu Yu said with a tone full of contentment. It was only after overcoming the challenge of the Five Qi that one truly stepped onto the path of the Immortal Dao.

Liu Qingyun looked at his joyful master and felt an overwhelming sense of emotion. In the past, he was unaware, but now, being a mentor himself, he finally understood his master's painstaking efforts.

He had also once asked his master why he did not take a junior disciple, to which his master only smiled without speaking. Now he understood that the bond between a mentor and disciple was not so easily formed.

The longevity of Immortals sometimes meant that the troubles and pain in their hearts would accompany them for life, which was why he now appeared middle-aged, having experienced the world, with a heart no longer youthful.

Years passed quietly, time flowed like water, and after great chaos came great order, and then endless darkness ensued.

The Barbarians' upheaval disrupted the empire, leading to the southern migration of the nobles, with countless People of Han crying and shouting.

White Skeletons appeared across the fields, and over a thousand miles, no roosters crowed. The cold wind swept across the barren plains, gathering dead twigs and leaves, howling as it passed, a single blade of dried grass drifting in the wind, much like the state of the northern Han people today.

The dried grass was swept up by the cold wind and landed on an old man's head, to which he was completely oblivious; although the weather was cold, he ran, drenched in sweat and gasping for air.

Behind him followed a dense crowd— the young and strong formed a circle on the outside, while the women and children were protected inside; each face was filled with a grim and woeful expression, full of despair for life.

"Dad, where are we running to? Everyone is about to give up," a young man couldn't help asking.

"Don't ask, the household deity came to me in a dream yesterday. The Barbarian Cavalry is on its way; only by running this direction can we survive," the old man gasped, out of breath as he spoke.

"Just because of a dream, everybody is running for their lives without even a glimpse of the Barbarians," the young man was somewhat skeptical, truly exhausted from not stopping a moment all day.

"Hold your tongue. This was the household deity coming to me in a dream. I'm running for my life, so what do you have to complain about? Our village's deity is remarkably responsive, especially visiting us in dreams—how could we take it lightly?" the old man grew angry, his saliva nearly spraying onto the young man's face.

After scolding his son, he imperiously surveyed the people around him and said with a heavy heart, "I know it's hard for all of you, but we must not stop. You all know how efficacious our household deity is; since he himself came in a dream, it has to be a matter of life and death and cannot be taken lightly."

The faces of the crowd were filled with fatigue, but hearing the old man mention the household deity, each face showed respect. Ever since they had worshipped this Ghost Deity in their village, they had avoided countless disasters.

The younger generation might not know, but those a bit older were well aware of the efficaciousness of this household deity, so any objections were quickly quelled, and the crowd continued on their way.

After a while, a robust man suddenly stopped in his tracks. Knowing that this man was a hunter from the village with exceptional hearing, the old man turned his head to ask, "Da Zhu, is there something unusual?"

The robust man did not reply but instead laid down heavily on the ground, pressing his ear to the soil, quietly listening intently.

"A large troop of Cavalry is coming this way, sounds like they're coming from our village," Da Zhu said gravely, his expression stern.

Everyone looked at each other apprehensively. In this era, they all knew too well what a large troop of cavalry represented. Ever since the Noble Clans had moved south, the People of Han in the north hardly had any cavalry left. Thus, the arrivals could only be the Barbarians.

Inwardly, they breathed a sigh of relief, thinking how fortunate it was that their household deity had warned them; otherwise, the entire village might have been slaughtered by these brutal beasts devoid of humanity.

"Keep moving, don't stop. If these Barbarians discover our tracks, they are likely to chase after us," the village elder quickly realized the gravity of their situation and spoke in a grave tone.

Only then did everyone realize the crisis was not entirely over, and they still needed to flee desperately. However, seeing the scroll carried by the village elder, they felt a surge of reassurance. Their household deity was with them, and at this moment, a powerful life force erupted from them, allowing them to flee at an incredibly fast speed.

As night fell, and dark clouds covered the sky, not a single light was visible. The people, unable to discern their direction, were suddenly heartened by a red lantern that appeared unexpectedly before them.

"The household deity has manifested! Follow the lantern quickly," the village elder exclaimed excitedly.

The people hurried to keep up, the red lantern piercing through the darkness in their hearts and warming their souls, long since chilled by the troubled times.

The people did not know how long they had run when the urgent sound of hooves reached them from behind, causing their hearts to pound in terror. Human legs could ultimately not outrun horses, and despair was written all over their faces.

With tears streaming down his face, the old man clutched the scroll and cried, "Oh, household deity, we could not escape after all, and now we can no longer worship you."

The Barbarians' cavalry was almost upon them, and the old man thought he could already see their sinister, bearded faces.

Just then, a barrage of arrows fell from the sky, and the thundering sound of hooves resounded. A troop dressed in various garments appeared ahead, and familiar faces and attire told everyone this was an army of the Han people.

The approaching cavalry of the Barbarian Tribes were scattered by the arrow rain, and the few remaining Barbarians attempting to flee were slaughtered by the large force behind them. Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire

The people stared dumbfounded at the army, feeling a peace they had never felt before. This was the army of the Han people, their own army.

Cries of "mercy" reached the elder's ears, and he could not help but weep, having not seen the flags of the House of Han for a long time.

"Elder, do you know where these Barbarians came from?" a robust voice called out. The soldiers immediately cleared a path. A bearded man walked out from among them and asked gently.

He was dressed in worn armor, stained red with blood. Many patches showed through the tattered spots, yet even this dilapidated armor seemed imposing and majestic on him.

The elder pointed in the direction of their village and said, "They came chasing from over there."

A cold, murderous intent flashed across the big man's face. He yelled to his soldiers, "My children, the Barbarians are still ahead, killing, looting, slaughtering our kinsmen, seizing our wealth, and butchering our families. What do you say we should do?"

"Kill the Barbarians, kill the Barbarians!" The people roared back deafeningly, their shouts echoing across the wilderness and stirring the old man's heart. This was the true spirit of the men of Han.