Chapter 39: A Gift from Heaven
Lin Tianlu’s eye twitched, his expression a mixture of amusement and confusion.
Judging by the charred state of the locust tree… it had suffered quite a bit.
He stepped closer and saw scorch marks and cracks covering the trunk, extending all the way down to the flower bed, turning the surrounding plants to ash. Smoke rose from the blackened wood.
Could it be that his angry outburst had actually summoned divine punishment?
He had shouted at the sky on Mount Taiyi, and it had taken half a month for a response. Now, it seemed like he had a 5G connection to the heavens, the reaction so swift.
And the lightning hadn’t even struck him, it had hit the tree in his courtyard…
Had it missed its target?
As Lin Tianlu pondered, he suddenly frowned.
—Something wasn’t right.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Thinking back, the thunderclouds had formed before he had shouted at the sky.
He had been focused on rushing to the clinic and hadn’t paid much attention to the sky, but he had seen the reflection of the lightning, and it had seemed unusual. And hadn’t he specifically told the thunder to strike the tree, to get it over with?
He murmured to himself, “Could it be… I really have the power to make things happen with my words?”
He had dismissed it as a joke before, attributing Hua Shuya’s appearance on the mountaintop to mere coincidence.
But now…
Perhaps there was something more to it.
“Sir, since the tree has been struck by lightning, why don’t we remove it from the courtyard?”
Mao Ruoyu’s voice broke the silence, her expression a bit awkward.
Her mind was also racing.
Locust trees belonged to the Yin element. Planting them in a residence could disrupt the feng shui. She believed that the tree had been struck by lightning because its Yin energy was too strong.
As for the tree’s origin…
She had planted it herself.
Mao Ruoyu felt both regret and relief.
To facilitate her absorption of the residents’ Yang energy, she had set up several formations within the mansion, all designed to gather Yin energy and enhance the effectiveness of her long-range Yin techniques.
But after meeting Lin Tianlu, she had repented and secretly removed most of the formations. But this tree…
She didn’t know what to do with it.
So a few days ago, she had tried to climb the tree, hoping to suppress the Yin energy it had accumulated, to prevent it from clashing with the Yang energy in the house and harming Hua Shuya and Lin Tianlu… Although her attempt had led to a rather embarrassing misunderstanding.
Now, seeing the tree destroyed, she quickly suggested removing it, secretly relieved.
“You’re right, Madam. It’s not appropriate to have a charred stump standing in the courtyard.”
Lin Tianlu put aside his thoughts for now and decided to remove the charred locust tree.
He would find some seeds and plant a new one later.
“—Hmm?”
But as his fingers touched the tree’s surface, his expression changed, and he quickly withdrew his hand. “Madam Mao, wait.”
Mao Ruoyu stopped, looking at him in surprise. “What’s wrong?”
“It seems there’s still some residual electricity within the trunk.”
Lin Tianlu’s eyes narrowed, and his vision shifted, the world transforming into an ethereal painting, shimmering with light.
Within the charred trunk, strange arcs of electricity flickered.
“This lightning seems to contain some kind of…”
Suddenly, as if finding an outlet, the strange lightning surged outwards!
Boom!!
A deafening explosion, like a thunderbolt, echoed for miles.
The sudden roar startled Mao Ruoyu, and she collapsed to the ground, her face pale with fear.
“S-Sir?!”
Lin Tianlu was enveloped in dark lightning, sparks flying everywhere!
Mao Ruoyu’s eyes widened in horror, and she scrambled to her feet.
Even a glimpse of the lightning made her heart tremble. The air around her crackled with energy, making her body stiffen. If she were struck directly, even metal would be charred!
—Danger!
She gathered her strength, preparing to use her Yin techniques to save him.
But as she formed hand seals, the sight before her made her freeze.
Lin Tianlu patted himself down, and the lightning vanished like a bubble, leaving only wisps of smoke rising from his clothes.
“Y-you’re alright?”
“I’m fine.”
Lin Tianlu turned to her with a smile. “Despite its ominous color, this lightning wasn’t that powerful.”
He had been startled at first, but as the lightning struck him, he realized…
He had been electrocuted?
Although it had looked terrifying, the energy within the lightning wasn’t that strong. He had easily dispersed it with a few pats.
It was like static electricity in winter?
Of course, Lin Tianlu wouldn’t mistake this lightning for mere static electricity. What kind of static electricity was purple-black?
“Could it be… a heavenly tribulation?”
Lin Tianlu glanced at the sky curiously.
He had been living in Changling County for over ten days, and he was starting to understand that his body, now filled with potent spiritual energy, might attract heavenly tribulations, just like in cultivation novels.
Like when a cultivator advanced from the Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment stage, or from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation… Although he had a whole mountain inside him.
He just couldn’t figure out the color of this tribulation lightning.
After all, novels often depicted lightning in various colors, like a rainbow, making it difficult to determine its type and level.
And the power of this lightning was indeed underwhelming. It had only destroyed a tree in his courtyard, not even damaging the house. It was quite a letdown.
The only thing remarkable about it… was its noise.
Was this the so-called “all bark and no bite”?
Lin Tianlu shook his head.
It was an embarrassment to heavenly tribulations.
“Are you sure you’re alright, Sir?”
Mao Ruoyu rushed over, anxiously checking his body for any injuries.
Lin Tianlu chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, Madam, I’m fine.”
Seeing that he was unharmed, his clothes barely even scorched, Mao Ruoyu finally relaxed.
“You scared me, Sir. Where did that strange lightning come from?”
“I have no idea.”
Lin Tianlu bowed slightly and said gently, “But the tribulation has passed. Why don’t you go back to your room and rest, Madam? I’ll clean up the courtyard.”
“I… Eh?”
Mao Ruoyu blinked her eyes, staring at the charred locust tree in surprise. “Sir, look at the tree—”
Lin Tianlu quickly turned around.
The charred bark of the locust tree was peeling away, revealing a layer of fresh, undamaged bark beneath it!
“What… is going on?”
Lin Tianlu murmured.
As soon as he finished speaking, a gentle breeze blew past, and the charred bark turned to ash, revealing a strange locust tree with its trunk twisting and spiraling upwards!
It was smaller than before, its branches bare, devoid of leaves. But the branches were smooth and jade-like, shimmering with a faint glow under the sunlight.
But the most surprising thing was…
A sword hilt was protruding from the center of the twisted trunk!
Lin Tianlu was stunned.
Could a lightning strike really create a sword inside a tree?!
He calmed himself down and reached out, grabbing the hilt and pulling it out.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—!
Sparks flew from the trunk as if an extraordinary blade was being unsheathed.
But after pulling the sword out, Lin Tianlu was surprised to find that it was also made of wood, but with a golden sheen. It seemed quite sturdy, faint sparks of lightning still crackling on its surface, etching mysterious patterns on the blade.
Mao Ruoyu was also astonished, covering her mouth with her hand. “Heavenly lightning, a sword born from a tree, imbued with the power of thunder and fire… How is this possible?”
In her twenty years of life, she had never heard of such a strange phenomenon. It wasn’t even mentioned in those fantastical novels and tales.
Mao Ruoyu quickly regained her composure, then a joyful smile spread across her face.
Could this be a gift from heaven for Lin Tianlu?
“This sword descended from the heavens and appeared in your home, Sir. It must be a sign of destiny. Why don’t you give it a name?”
“A name?”
Lin Tianlu flicked the blade with his finger and chuckled. “How about ‘Thunderfire Sword’?”
“Thunderfire…”
“Ahem! Just kidding. If we’re being serious, let’s just call it ‘Locust Sword’.”
“That’s a simple and straightforward name, but also quite meaningful—”
Seeing the beautiful woman lost in thought, Lin Tianlu chuckled softly and inserted the wooden sword back into the tree trunk.
Mao Ruoyu looked surprised. “Sir, what are you doing?”
“I don’t usually use swords, and carrying one around would be troublesome. If you like it, Madam, you can keep it for self-defense.”
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