Bamboo Case Chapter 27: Winter Thunder

The stone island hovering above Qianjing City was fracturing bit by bit, raining down heavy debris from the sky.

Lu Yun had returned to the academy in Qianjing, but for some reason, the plaque above the entrance was becoming increasingly blurred; the characters "Taiping Academy" were no longer legible. Lu Yun felt a creeping terror, as even the memories of Taiping Academy within his own mind were beginning to dissipate.

What on earth was happening?

"Eldest Senior Brother, Shancong..."

Hongyu stumbled out of the courtyard. She looked up at the fragmenting stone island, her expression contorted in pain. "Why did you stop me?"

...

The massive boulders crashed down from the heavens. Qianjing City, already a ruin, was reduced to nothing more than shattered walls and rubble, losing all resemblance to the capital of a kingdom.

A woman in Taoist robes walked barefoot across the ruins, her expression filled with pity. "What is an Immortal?"

She gazed toward the still-towering Hundred Flowers Pavilion and murmured, "To become a Heavenly Immortal, one must perform one thousand and three hundred acts of benevolence..."

At the top of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, Lady Deyue leaned against the wooden railing, meeting the gaze of the Taoist woman from afar.

"Since the past has become a dream, whose body shall I inhabit hereafter?"

Lady Deyue closed her eyes and leaped from the pavilion. The Taoist woman drifted upon the wind, rising to meet her. Their figures gradually merged, erupting in a brilliant radiance.

...

"Junior Sister, Little Junior Brother."

A somewhat mocking voice reached Lu Yun’s ears. Hongyu immediately lunged forward to grab the man’s Confucian robe, but her hands passed through empty air. The red-haired woman stared blankly at her hands as they glided through her senior brother’s body, and her tears flowed even more uncontrollably.

"Senior Brother..."

"There, there, don't cry." Guan Yuan smiled, gently stroking Hongyu’s hair before turning to Lu Yun. "Little Junior Brother, I know you never truly considered Taiping Academy your home, nor did you ever call me Senior Brother. None of that matters."

Lu Yun opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Don't force yourself." Guan Yuan shook his head, then looked toward the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, frowning. "Though I despise such methods, Yuan Feng’s plan was correct."

The one thousand and three hundred demon clans in Qianjing City were a deliberate arrangement made by Yuan Feng, utilizing the ideals of Crown Prince Yuan Mo. She had turned Qianjing City and the entire Baiyuan Kingdom into a place of a radically different nature from the rest of the Savage World, constantly harvesting hard-won acts of goodwill to eventually offer them as a sacrifice. Thus, a true Immortal-realm entity was forged.

"In the future, to repay this karmic debt, she will protect the Baiyuan Kingdom for at least several hundred years. Hongyu, you can stay here and assist Crown Prince Yuan Mo. This nation might truly be capable of changing the entire world." Guan Yuan sighed. "It is a pity I realized it too late and intervened too late; those ordinary demon folk have simply perished."

...

Shumenzi looked up at the stone island and waved his hand gently.

In the next moment, the stone island that Zhou Mi had spent such effort to craft—the vessel carrying Taiping Academy—vanished in an instant, beginning to feed its essence back into the land. The vast Baiyuan Kingdom began to tremble; spiritual energy surged, the climate softened, and life flourished across the mountains and rivers.

Guan Yuan sighed and bowed to Lu Yun. "Lastly, I ask you, Master Lu, to remember Taiping Academy, and to remember Shumenzi."

Lu Yun returned the gesture, bowing even lower.

Shumenzi suddenly smiled. "Living in such a world must be very happy, right?"

The youth froze in place. What did he mean?

Shumenzi only smiled, offering no further explanation. He turned to Hongyu, instructing her, "There is no need, nor any reason, to blame yourself. I have entrusted Shancong to a senior; he will be fine..."

"But I am also a disciple of Taiping Academy, your junior sister..." Hongyu said miserably.

"That is my and Shancong’s own selfishness. After all, how could we let our little junior sister put herself in harm's way? Besides, Junior Sister, as long as you and the big guy are alive, Taiping Academy will exist forever."

Shumenzi took a deep breath, stepped back a few paces, and bowed. "Then, goodbye."

The scholar said no more and turned toward the Hundred Flowers Pavilion. Behind him, figures began to emerge—disciples of Taiping Academy, ordinary citizens of Qianjing City... As the scholar walked further away, the procession grew vast. Finally, he stopped before the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and looked up at Lady Deyue—or rather, the Mistress of Deyue Tower, the woman in the Taoist robes.

"With my current ability, this is all I can do. I ask you, Lady, to send them into the cycle of reincarnation."

Deyue bowed gracefully. "It is my honor."

The scholar nodded with a smile, then suddenly looked somewhat melancholic. He tucked his hands into his sleeves and murmured, "I truly wish I could see the world of the Savage after this."

The heavens and earth were filled with sorrow; winter thunder cracked, and a great rain fell. In the rain, the scholar Guan Yuan bowed to the Savage World one last time.

"New rain heralds the spring; I shall wait until this day next year to hear the drums and pipes thunder."

Meanwhile, in the Vast Heaven, a man standing atop a high tower suddenly felt a longing to return to his homeland.

...

Before the gates of Qianjing City, an old dog was soaked through by the rain. Unable to endure such an indignity, the old dog leaped up, intent on opening its maw to swallow the entire city.

Suddenly, a woman leaped onto the crumbling city wall and looked down at the old dog.

The old dog felt a tremor in its heart and muttered, "What is going on these days? An inexplicable heavy rain, an inexplicable Immortal-realm presence..."

"No, wait! Where are you going!" The old dog realized something and hurriedly bolted in a certain direction.

...

The youth carried Dong Sangeng on his back, his pace never faltering, but he soon discovered that behind him appeared... a dog running through the rain.

"Senior, that is an Ascension-realm entity!" Lu Yun gritted his teeth. He knew that if Dong Sangeng returned to the Sword Qi Great Wall, this dog would definitely interfere!

"Don't worry." Dong Sangeng made a slicing motion. The next moment, space cracked open; Lu Yun took a fierce step forward and vanished.

"Damn it, damn it!" the old dog roared. "Don't think you can escape me!"

...

Zhi Cui City.

The schoolteacher from the north of the city had long since disappeared. City Lord Lu Cui had utilized the sword qi left behind by Dong Sangeng to slay the leading Golden Core demon, barely stabilizing the situation. Lu Yun carried Dong Sangeng through the city gates and straight into the City Lord's mansion.

The mansion was empty. Lu Yun stood frozen in place.

"Sister?"

No one responded.

"Sister?!"

Still, no response. Lu Yun immediately set Dong Sangeng down and began ransacking the house. On a wooden table, he found a map depicting all the mountains and rivers of the Savage World.

"It is Feifei." Dong Sangeng looked at the paper and said in a low voice, "She controls all the water transport of the Savage."

"Feifei..."

Lu Yun’s face darkened; he had never felt such fury before.