NOVEL WEB Chapter 2: The Teacher is Not Home
In the following days, whenever the children went to fetch water, the woman in floral clothing would wait at the entrance of the village, still repeating the same question, "Is Mr. Lu at home today?"
The children would honestly reply, "Mr. Lu is at home."
However, as time passed, her tone grew more and more impatient, as if she was desperately trying to suppress something.
"Did you meet the bride today?" Lu Yu asked with a slight smile, twirling the two agate stones in his hand. The agate stones, polished to a bright and clear shine, were so attractive that if they were not Lu Yu's beloved items, the old village chief would have asked for them long ago.
"We did," the children replied in unison.
"Was there any change?"
"Today's bride wasn't as pretty as before."
"She seemed a bit fierce, like my mom when she's about to scold me."
"Today her mouth was so big, it looked really ugly!" the children burst into chatter about their impressions of the bride who often questioned them.
After these words, the old village chief was already frowning deeply, asking anxiously, "Mr. Lu, what should we do about this?"
In his heart, he had long determined that this bride the children saw was not human, but merely refrained from acting out of fear of Mr. Lu. However, from the children's words, it seemed her patience was running out.
"No worries!" Lu Yu replied gently, his words carrying a reassuring power that suddenly relaxed the old village chief's tense heart, elevating his regard for Lu Yu greatly.
"Tomorrow when the children fetch water, tell her that Mr. Lu isn't at home," Lu Yu said with a smile, stroking the youngest child's head.
The children suddenly became excited, having wanted to play a trick on this bride for a long time but were afraid of Mr. Lu's reprimand and had thus always told the truth. Now with Mr. Lu's approval, their mischievous hearts began to feel restless.
The next day, the children surged out together, eager to see the bride's reaction upon hearing that Mr. Lu was not at home, hence people of all ages crowded together and headed out of the village.
"Mr. Lu, isn't it too dangerous to let the children go?" The village chief was still somewhat uneasy. The children thought it was just a prank, but he knew that the being outside was not a kind creature.
"No worries, let the children have some fun. He is at a critical juncture right now and doesn't have the time to deal with these children. Let them experience the world a bit," Lu Yu said calmly.
The children rushed out en masse, startling the woman guarding the village entrance. However, she did not mind, as the behavior of children is always unpredictable.
"Children, is Mr. Lu at home today?" It was the same question as before, but her face lacked the friendliness of previous days and, despite trying to suppress it, still appeared somewhat fierce.
But these children were bold, not intimidated by the change in the woman's demeanor. Instead, they cheerfully replied, "Mr. Lu is not at home today."
Upon hearing those words, the woman's tense face suddenly relaxed, and a smile bloomed. However, her grinning mouth kept widening, and then, in the frightened eyes of the children, she disappeared.
Suddenly, a Great Wind arose, swaying the trees chaotically and making creaking sounds, a dark cloud flew from the horizon and instantly shrouded the clear sky. This cloud was extraordinarily thick, as if ink had been spilled in the heavens, stacking layer upon layer, appearing exceptionally dark and terrifying.
The children were terrified by the scene before them, and no longer dared to fetch water; carrying empty buckets, they hurried back to the village.
The Great Wind howled, whisking the dust off the ground into the sky. Yet, despite the dense clouds, there was not a single flash of lightning or a Thunderclap. The air was filled with an oppressive aura, as if something was about to burst forth.
The children dashed into the ancestral hall and saw their teacher, Mr. Lu, calmly standing at the entrance, looking up at the sky with the two agate stones in his hands.
"Mr. Lu, the bride has disappeared!" one of the children shouted.
"Yes, that bride's mouth became so big," another added.
"Right after we mentioned that Mr. Lu was not at home, the bride started laughing, her mouth opened wide, then she vanished, and then a dark cloud covered the sky. Have we caused a disaster?" asked Zhuzi, the eldest child, worriedly.
"Do not fear, children, stand inside the ancestral hall. This is not your concern. Just go inside and study, everything is under my control," Lu Yu reassured the children with a smile, knowing they were frightened by the bizarre scene they just witnessed.
Seeing their seemingly omnipotent teacher speak like this, the children's hearts were instantly free of fear. They returned to their normal selves and frolicked as they walked into the ancestral hall.
"Looking at this situation, it seems a demon is seeking to achieve shape-shifting!" the knowledgeable village chief recognized the situation immediately.
"It seems like it wants to take the path of a disaster god; indeed, it possesses quite some prowess," Lu Yu said with a smile.
Seeking shape-shifting is a unique method of demon cultivation exclusive to Kyushu. Due to the seals in Kyushu, the concentration of Fortune and Destiny in human society is strong, even suppressing incarnated Buddhas, let alone demons aspiring to shape-shift.
At this time, there is what's known as seeking shape-shifting, where a demon on the verge of shape-shifting finds an opportunity to speak to a human. If it receives an affirmative response, it can successfully transform.
Of course, there's another method, which is to use one's Mana to stir up a disaster, breaking through constraints with the fear of humans, and thus achieving transformation successfully. Such transformed demons possess not only the power of their own kind but also power akin to that of a disaster god, making them extremely formidable.
However, the cultivation requirements for the demon are also very high, as they need substantial Mana to stir up such disasters.
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Clearly, this woman in floral clothing was actually a demon, and she was at that moment preparing to unleash a disaster to aid her transformation.
"Judging by this, it seems she plans to bring down hail to damage the crops," the old village chief frowned deeply, his brow furrowed. There could be nothing worse than this. If hail did come, it would destroy this year's harvest, but what was even more terrifying were the few tea trees the village relied on for survival. If those were damaged by hail, it would truly be disastrous for the villagers.
However, seeing the calm demeanor of Lu Yu, the village chief's tense expression gradually eased, and he thought to himself: Mr. Lu is clearly no ordinary person, perhaps he is a Heavenly Immortal descended to earth.
At this moment, with dark clouds blocking the sun, and the Great Wind raging, suddenly two red lights shot out from behind the clouds, sweeping over the land as if searching for something. The villagers, already frightened by this strange scene, had retreated into their homes, locking doors and windows and continuously praying to the heavenly Buddhas, hoping to survive the ordeal safely.