After the two landed, the surrounding forest was still quiet, only the miasma surrounding Jiang Lan’s original hut kept surging.
Bai Qiuran looked at several places in the dark, and then said to those places:
“Stand up and come out. It’s us.”
After a while, there was a sound in the darkness, and a group of humans who still had horror and fear in their expressions walked out of the woods.
Bai Qiuran looked at his apprentice. His face was haggard, and the pain of losing his wife made him very sluggish. In a sense, the current mental state of both master and apprentice was not very good.
Bai Qiuran carried Jiang Lan on his back and walked towards them. The other humans stepped back a little fearfully, but Li’s voice comforted them:
“Don’t worry, Master is a human being.”
“It’s good to see that you are all right.”
Bai Qiuran patted him on the shoulder, then looked at the other human races aside.
“Let them come in first.”
Bai Qiuran said, unfolding the picture in his hand. Li looked at the people behind him and nodded to them.
This group of people did not resist. Bai Qiuran took them back into the picture, including Li, then carried Jiang Lan on his back and set off to other settlements on the eastern land.
Killing all the gods near a settlement, collecting all the survivors and the souls into the picture, repeat. Bai Qiuran carried Jiang Lan and went back and forth until dawn.
Bai Qiuran only stopped when it was confirmed that all the people in the nearby settlements had been slaughtered and the gods had also left the earth. He took Jiang Lan and finally returned to Li’s settlement, and took away the ghosts there. Then, he found a hidden valley, and with the help of Wise Immortal, he set up a formation, blocking the surveillance from the sky and the earth.
After doing all this, he cut wood and hunted animals in the valley, built a small house, temporarily placed Jiang Lan on the bed, and then released Li from the picture.
“Master.”
Li now looked a little sad and decadent. He looked at Bai Qiuran and asked:
“Do you need me to do something?”
“Yes.”
Bai Qiuran said to him:
“Come with me for a walk.”
Jiang Lan had already fallen asleep. After she was deprived of her original godhood, even if she was rescued by Bai Qiuran’s Qi Jinqi, her mental and physical strength became no different from that of a mortal.
Bai Qiuran took a look and found that the girl on the bed was breathing smoothly, he closed the door and walked out with Li.
The two did not go far, but only wandered around in the valley. Coincidentally, there was also a small stream in this valley. As the stream passed by, the water converged into a small pool, and Bai Qiuran stood peacefully. On the edge of this pool, they looked at the sparkling waves on the pool.
“What a coincidence.”
Looking at the water, Bai Qiuran smiled and said:
“The first time when you and I met, it was also on the edge of such a pool of water. Later, when I passed on your things, it was also through such a pool of water.”
“Master’s kindness is unforgettable.”
Standing behind him, Li lowered his head and replied.
“I have heard from Lan what happened to you.”
Bai Qiuran turned around, patted the shoulder of his disciple, and asked:
“What are you going to do in the future?”
“I… I don’t know.”
Li replied in confusion:
“According to the rules, this disciple should lead the remaining ethnic groups, continue to find a place to multiply, and then offer sacrifices as much as possible, and ask for forgiveness from the gods.”
“Then, do you want to follow the rules?”
Bai Qiuran asked back.
“This disciple don’t know. The gods came tonight and said that our human race made a big mistake and want to punish us.”
Li said, clenching his fists.
“But, when this disciple looked at those gods and saw them killing and insulting our people, I couldn’t suppress my inner anger. When they wanted to take action against the disciple’s wife and let her die, I finally couldn’t help…”
Shaking, he knelt down to Bai Qiuran.
“I’m sorry, Master, what you taught me is for our human race to protect ourselves from the beast, but the disciple couldn’t help but use it to kill a god.”
As Bai Qiuran’s disciple, Li is aware of the identity of Jiang Lan, and he has also seen Bai Qiuran being surrounded by a group of gods to travel on weekdays.
Bai Qiuran’s shadow covered his sight. He thought that Bai Qiuran would punish or even kill him, but Bai Qiuran only raised his hand and placed it gently on top of his head.
“Well done!”
He praised.
Li raised his head in a daze and asked:
“But, Master, aren’t you and your wife…”
“I have said to you, haven’t I? I am a human.”
Bai Qiuran stretched out his hand to pull him up, and at the same time smiled and asked:
“Don’t you believe in your master?”
“This disciple dare not.”
Li replied.
“I know what you are thinking. Believe in yourself. Haven’t you already used what I taught you to kill a god with your own hands?”
Bai Qiuran sat cross-legged on a rock.
“Returning to the previous topic, what I taught you is really intended to protect the people. But you must know that it is not only for humans to protect themselves from wild beasts and difficult natural conditions, it also lets you protect yourself from the gods… especially from the gods.”
He recalled his senior, the first Heaven Jealousy who died in the abyss of Guixu and angrily cursed Heaven and the gods in his final moment.
“Remember, from now on, our human race will live in this world without relying on Heaven or god, but on our own strength only!”
Bai Qiuran said in a serious confrontation:
“The gods don’t treat us as living beings, slaughtering us as they wish. Then, they are the enemies of our human race. When facing the enemy, we must destroy them again and again until they dare not do anything to us!”
“This disciple understands.”
Li took a deep breath.
“However, compared to the gods, the power of this disciple and the clansmen are too weak, just like ants, it’s not worth mentioning.”
“It doesn’t matter, I will teach you!”
Bai Qiuran said seriously:
“From now on, I will accept you as my true disciple. Before I leave, I will impart everything I know to you and your people without reservation.”
“Thank you, Master!”
Standing facing Bai Qiuran, he bowed.
“What are you grateful for? Being a teacher for a day, being a father for life. If you don’t dislike it, you can even use my surname. My surname is Bai. Your name will be Bai Li from now on.”
Bai Qiuran thought for a while, took out a piece of jade from the storage bag, cut a piece, and then raised his hand to pinch the fire mark, and refined a jade pendant that was exactly the same as later generations, engraved with a “Li” character.
“This thing is for you. This is our sect’s tradition. From now on, you will be my true disciple.”
Bai Qiuran handed the jade pendant to Li’s hand, and there was some unreal feeling in his heart that connected everything together.
He continued:
“The word on this is [Li], which is the same as your name. It is my expectation and encouragement from you. Li. From now on, you will lead the human race to stand up and become a race that stands upright and is not under the gods!”
