Chapter 39: Little Lu is such a simpleton; I am afraid he will get lost again.

"Patriarch Lu, is it truly you?"
"They didn't lie to me?"
Li Lin stared at Lu Ge, his expression filled with disbelief.
"They?"
"Who are 'they'?"
Lu Ge frowned, his intuition immediately piqued.
Li Lin gestured as he spoke. "Just a few days ago, officials from the imperial court came here, asking about you. They claimed you were still alive and wanted to verify if you truly existed over two hundred years ago, and whether you had indeed cultivated the path alongside the Sage."
Shen Dao, after careful reflection, spoke up: "Master, I suspect news of you slaying the King of Zhao and annihilating the Zhao army has spread throughout the land. The State of Chu must have sent people to investigate your past, likely seeking to gain a deeper understanding of you. That way, whether they intend to win you over or eliminate you, they will have the upper hand."
Lu Ge nodded slightly, smiling. "They probably harbor one more expectation in their hearts: that I never actually followed the Sage to learn the Dao two hundred years ago. If so, they could use that to blackmail me."
He then mimicked a nasal, affected voice: "Master Lu, surely you wouldn't want the world to know you've been masquerading as a direct disciple of the Sage, would you?"
Shen Dao gave Lu Ge a strange look. *The Master seems a bit off,* he thought. *That dead-on impression was exactly like those palace eunuchs.* Shen Dao cleared his throat, wanting to try it himself. No, he couldn't quite master that wretched tone. It had to be the Master; his learning ability was truly extraordinary.
Listening to their exchange, Li Lin grew nervous. "Are you saying the imperial court intends to harm Patriarch Lu?"
Li Lin had never doubted Lu Ge’s identity. The fact that the court had sent people to inquire was proof enough. "Patriarch Lu, have... have I brought disaster upon you?" Li Lin was filled with panic, his eyes brimming with anxiety.
Lu Ge waved a hand. "It is of no consequence. My actions throughout my life have been open and upright; there is nothing I fear telling others. Even if they learn of my past, what can they possibly do to me?"
Only then did Li Lin feel a bit more at ease.
"By the way," Lu Ge suddenly recalled something. "Where is your ancestor, Li Da, buried? Now that I have returned home, I must pay my respects."
Li Lin pointed toward the distant woods. "He is buried in those mountains. My ancestor said he first met you in those very woods. That is why, after his death, he refused to be buried in the family plot, wishing instead to guard that mountain. He also said he was afraid that you... well, that you were a bit scatterbrained and didn't even know the way. He worried that if you ever returned and got lost in the mountains again, he would still be there to lead you out."

*Thump...*
Li Lin’s words struck Lu Ge’s heart like a heavy hammer. Lu Ge gazed toward the distant forest, a deluge of emotions flooding his heart, constantly battering against the restraint of his "Taishang Wangqing" (Supreme Emotional Detachment).
"Take me to him."
Li Lin dared not delay and immediately turned to lead the way. The three of them headed straight for the forest. After winding through many paths, they finally arrived before a grave in the woods.
"This is the grave of my ancestor."
Lu Ge slowly stepped forward, looking at the desolate, withered mound. Tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. Parting in life is merely a minor sorrow; parting through death is the greatest grief.
"Brother Li..."
Lu Ge’s fingertips lightly brushed the stone tablet. To Lu Ge, following Lao Dan out of the Hangu Pass had been only two or three years ago. But for Li Da, a hundred years had passed in the blink of an eye. He had waited until his death, yet never saw Lao Dan or Lu Ge return.
"When Patriarch Lu and the Sage went west, they did not return for a long time," Li Lin said softly. "My ancestor thought you had met with misfortune. Even now, in the Li family ancestral hall, your spirit tablet is still enshrined. My ancestor said that as long as one member of the Li family remains, we must never fail to offer you three sticks of incense."
Lu Ge stood rigid, his feelings beyond description.
Shen Dao sighed, "Your ancestor was truly a man of deep loyalty and righteousness, worthy of our respect as descendants." Setting aside the matter of incense, the fact that Li Da chose to be buried in a desolate mountain to wait for Lu Ge was enough to move him.
Li Lin sighed. "Back then, when my ancestor entered the mountains, he was hunted by a fierce tiger and, in his panic, hid in a crevice between the rocks. The villagers heard the news and came to save him, but upon seeing the tiger, they all fled in terror. Only Patriarch Lu did not retreat a single step; you drew your sword in anger and summoned the starlight of the heavens to slay the beast. That is how my ancestor survived. Without Patriarch Lu, our lineage would have been severed long ago. Even if my ancestor hadn't left instructions, we descendants would still offer our respects day and night, never daring to be negligent."
Lu Ge shook his head slightly, his voice raspy. "What I did was merely what I ought to have done. When I first arrived here, I was lost in these woods. If Brother Li had not led me out and shared his food with me, I would have long since died of hunger or thirst, or become food for wild beasts. It was through his recommendation that I was able to follow the Sage to learn the Dao. It was also because of him that I luckily obtained the first supernatural ability of my life. I only regret that time is fleeting, and now we are separated by the veil between life and death."
Shen Dao stepped forward and said softly, "My condolences, Master."
Lu Ge turned to look at Shen Dao and Li Lin. "Shen Dao, you should find a place to stay and head back with Li Lin first." He looked back at the grave. "He waited for me for two hundred years. Now that I have returned, I will keep him company for a while. I will not be coming down the mountain for the time being."
Li Lin hurriedly said, "How can we let Patriarch Lu be here alone..."
Before he could finish, Shen Dao pulled him away. "The Master is mourning an old friend; let us not disturb him. Come, let us go."
As they left, they looked back to see only a thin, lonely figure standing before the tombstone.
Days and nights passed, and time flowed on. Shen Dao and Li Lin came every day to deliver food, but Lu Ge seemed oblivious to the world, sitting idly and whispering to himself. After listening closely, they realized he was recounting old memories. Shen Dao dared not interrupt, leaving the food and departing with Li Lin.
A day, ten days, a hundred days. A reed hut had been built in front of the grave to shelter him from the wind and rain. Three years had passed before Lu Ge realized it.
"Master."
Shen Dao arrived with food as usual, his eyes full of worry as he saw Lu Ge still deeply immersed in his thoughts. In these three years, Lu Ge had become like a shut-in, sitting motionless day after day. *Is the Master going to waste away like this?* he wondered. *That shouldn't be. The Master is not that fragile.*
Suddenly, Lu Ge spoke.
"How much time has passed?"
Shen Dao looked up at Lu Ge. Though the voice was hoarse, it sounded like heavenly music to his ears. "Master, it has been three years."
Lu Ge’s eyes moved, the dullness gradually fading as a luster returned to them. "Has it been so long?"
As he spoke, he slowly stood up. Shen Dao rushed to assist him. In these three years, Lu Ge had eaten little and slept little, leaving his body extremely frail.
"Master, have you finally emerged?" Shen Dao’s face was filled with joy. He had initially thought this was just a simple memorial for an old friend, never expecting the Master to almost lose himself in the process.
Lu Ge sighed softly. "My friend has passed; though I am grief-stricken, I would not be consumed by it. I have cultivated the path of Supreme Emotional Detachment with my teacher for decades, suppressing the seven emotions and six desires in my heart. That day, the immense sorrow struck, and the emotions suppressed for years surged back in a sudden wave. It has taken me three years to sort them out and bring them back under control."