Chapter 172: Sanyin Takes Apprentices, Teaching the Sword Scripture

"Could it be that you need this Temple Master to invite you down?"

Chen Ci gave a cold smile. This person's behavior, to put it mildly, was entering without invitation; to put it harshly, it was trespassing into a cave dwelling. It was only because Sanyin Temple was so poor it rattled, with few valuable items inside, and this person's cultivation was low, that he didn't directly strike to kill and instead gave him a chance.

Sure enough, the moment his voice fell, a figure leaped down from the crossbeam in the hall and lunged outward.

"Master!"

The person stumbled upon landing, but did not stop; after lunging out of the hall, he knelt directly on the ground, his tone somewhat agitated.

"Xian Zhi?!"

Chen Ci was also stunned. Once he saw the person clearly, he felt an inexplicable touch of emotion in his heart. After a moment of silence, he sighed with praise: "You have also stepped onto the Dao path, very good."

This person on the beam was actually his former cheap third Apprentice, Long Xianzhi.

But calling him an Apprentice was really just a term for a servant or menial laborer. All three of them were bandits and great thieves from the mundane world of the jianghu who had run into his predecessor; they were the ones left after the killing. They were lucky not to have died, so he kept them by his side to run errands. How much affection could there be?

"Go do your work first."

As well as the various changes at the Fuhu Altar in Xishan Prefecture.

"Yes!"

He strolled leisurely through the mountains, thinking about his own future cultivation plans.

Chen Ci had originally wanted to ask something, but seeing his state, he smiled dumbly: "Since I have returned to reopen Sanyin Temple, naturally there is nothing wrong. Today, first clean up the main hall and side courtyards. Later, you go to the county to buy a table of food; it will count as a welcome for your master."

"Go burn some hot water first and change your clothes. Since you have become a cultivator, you must have some dignity."

Chen Ci chuckled and waved his hand.

"Get up."

Long Xianzhi bowed three times before rising. Aside from excitement, his expression was inexplicably a bit constrained.

Chen Ci did not care how his Apprentice worked. If such a small matter required Master Chen to worry, what use were they?

Chen Ci shook his head and chuckled. He went out of the temple and instructed Geng Yuanqing, who was waiting carefully outside: "Lead the horses to the backyard stable, then go in and help your Senior Brother Long clean up. From now on, you will also cultivate here. In the short term, ten years; in the long term, twenty years, before your teacher is likely to come back to pick you up."

Long Xianzhi first respectfully agreed and was about to go do the work, but suddenly realized that his master's form of address seemed to have changed, and his body could not help but tremble.

The more he went out and saw the world, knowing the vastness of the cultivation world, the more Chen Ci understood that some people were born as beasts of burden, and some were born in Rome. This saying held true everywhere, and cultivators were no exception.

Long Xianzhi responded heavily and turned to leave, his footsteps even quickening a bit.

Geng Yuanqing was new to the Sanyin Temple area and was quite curious about everything. Although this dojo of Junior Uncle Chen had some gaps from what he had imagined, he was obedient and began to work clumsily. He had been a wealthy young master at Li Fu and had always read books and played chess, never doing miscellaneous chores. If it weren't for the fact that he had succeeded in the breathing technique over the past half month, making his body light and healthy and his ears and eyes sharp, and he was also trying to temper his muscles and bones, he was afraid he wouldn't even be able to subdue these two fine horses.

Chen Ci waved his sleeve to lift him up and instructed indifferently: "Once you enter the Dao path, immortals and mortals are separated. The past is the past; there is no need to bow back and forth from now on."

"Yes."

"Yes, Junior Uncle."

"Yes, Master!"

Previously, Chen Ci had staked his life and fortune on Lin Laohu to gamble on a Dao path. With his future uncertain, he had dismissed the few people in the temple, not expecting the three of them to keep Master Chen in their hearts and live or die with Sanyin Temple.

But today, returning to the dojo, Chen Ci met an old acquaintance as soon as he entered the door. Looking at his clothing and state, it seemed he had been waiting at Sanyin Temple for a long time and dared not make any noise; these days must have been very bitter.

Although the He Mountain Sect was a major heterodox sect, it had barely touched the threshold of Longevity. It was just that only two or three at the top had a tiny bit of hope, while the rest were all poor students—the kind who didn't study themselves and would drag you down so you wouldn't study either. The Dao Foundation was the goal, and the False Core was the end. If you said you were looking forward to Longevity, those fellow disciples would only laugh at you, and might even insidiously pull your leg.

Just like the cultivators of the Fuhu Altar, they also sought the Dao path, but what they sought was definitely not Longevity. The future cultivation environment of Xishan Prefecture would likely not be very stable, and the He Mountain Outer Transmission in various counties would probably have to pick a side. If Chen Ci did not want to get involved, he would have to keep a low profile in his future actions.

As for the cultivation resources he needed now, he didn't need Five Elements Divine Sand, Spirit Pearls, or Spirit Pills; rather, he needed large quantities of talisman paper, cinnabar ink, and large livestock and fresh flesh that could be supplied long-term and stably. Some of these things could be solved with silver, but others were hard to purchase even with money, requiring some usable hands to manage them for him.

His Sanyin Temple had too few people. If it weren't for his third Apprentice Long Xianzhi returning, Master Chen would have been a lone commander without a single team, which was pitiful.

"He Mountain Nine Peaks, Fuhu Altar, Quanshan Earth Sha, my own team."

Chen Ci sighed slightly. Wealth, companion, method, and land are the four essentials of cultivation. This 'companion' refers not only to Dao companions but also to teachers, apprentices, friends, and subordinates. Although cultivation is the gathering of great power in oneself, it is a bit naive to think that high cultivation can solve everything. But in his two lives combined, the biggest force he had was in elementary school; he had no experience in building a team.

Fortunately, he was not old, and besides cultivation, he could slowly try.

He would first use Sanyin Temple to test his hand. After all, it was his first dojo. If it could be passed down, it would eventually become a branch of the miscellaneous cultivation forces, which wouldn't be bad. Master Chen felt that even after a thousand or ten thousand years, when he had become an immortal and ancestor, he might not forget his life as a side-door cultivator at Sanyin Temple. After all, the road to Longevity starts from here.

After sorting out his thoughts, Chen Ci had some ideas in his heart. He looked at the thousand acres of fertile land under the mountain, nodded slightly, and turned back toward the temple.

To speak of Chen Ci's Sanyin Temple, although it could not be counted as an immortal cave dwelling, it did not occupy a small area.

The front courtyard, a main hall, left and right side halls, left and right side courtyards, cultivation meditation room, pill room, backyard, and kitchen—at least within Changping County, it could be considered imposing.

It was just that it couldn't house many people; five or six was just right, and eight or nine would seem crowded. However, now with only a few cats and kittens, Chen Ci felt his temple was becoming increasingly desolate.

"After Master left last year, the two senior brothers and I went to Xishan Prefecture together. But half a month later, the Fuhu Altar outside Xishan Prefecture seemed to have some turmoil. The three of us did not dare to stay long, so we split up and ran to outer counties to hide."

At the wine table, the three of them, two big and one small, ate and chatted. Long Xianzhi also told Chen Ci about his experiences: "I don't know where the two senior brothers went. I vaguely felt that the outer counties were not very safe, so I simply took some dry rations and fled into the mountains. When thirsty, I drank mountain spring water; when hungry, I hunted some game and dug up Solomon's Seal and yams. When full, I tempered my muscles and bones and moved my Qi and blood. As a result, I muddled through this winter and stepped into the Innate Realm."

Chen Ci nodded slightly.

Geng Yuanqing was at the age of growing his body, and stepping into cultivation greatly increased his demand for essence and Qi. He listened curiously while eating big mouthfuls of food.

"After I stepped into the Innate Realm, I originally felt that the world was vast and I could go anywhere."

Long Xianzhi thought for a moment and said carefully: "But I don't know why, I felt that it was more comfortable to live in the temple, so I sneaked back. Seeing that Changping County seemed to be fine, I hid in the temple. On weekdays, I drove away wild beasts, insects, and snakes; I couldn't really let the temple go to waste. By the way, some of the rice Master planted in the backyard was eaten by birds and beasts. I gathered the rest, and together with that Corpse Ganoderma, I hid them in the pill room."

Chen Ci's heart moved. Seeing that the wine and food on the table had been mostly eaten by Geng Yuanqing, he smiled dumbly: "Yuanqing, you must not temper your muscles and bones after a full meal. You go and practice the breathing technique, striving to step onto the Dao path and cultivate True Qi as soon as possible."

"Yes, Junior Uncle."

Geng Yuanqing was also clear-minded and knew that his Junior Uncle had something to say to this senior brother, so after eating and drinking his fill, he went to the side courtyard to practice on his own.

Chen Ci tapped the table lightly and nodded: "You have a heart."

Long Xianzhi exhaled a turbid breath and knelt on the ground: "Disciple is terrified."

This time, Chen Ci did not help him up, but only said indifferently: "The three of you were only mortals before. No matter how well you did, you could only be menials or servants and could not be of great use. But since you have reached Zhoutian Consummation, stepped onto the Dao path, and had the heart to return to Sanyin Temple, you naturally have your own predestined fate here. It is just that I currently do not have the qualifications to take apprentices, and your age and aptitude cannot enter He Mountain; even the branch courtyard is a bit far off. Do you understand?"

Long Xianzhi's body trembled slightly; he just bowed and did not dare to answer.

After waiting for a long time, Chen Ci glanced at him and said slowly: "Although I cannot pass you the He Mountain method, I have two Loose Practitioner inheritances in my hands. If you seek Longevity, that is absolutely impossible, but if you want to roam the jianghu martial arts world and be a loose practitioner sorcerer, it is more than enough. I am prepared to take you as a Registered Disciple of Sanyin Temple. Today, I want to ask you, are you willing?"

"Disciple is willing!"

Long Xianzhi responded loudly. The feeling in his heart was both excited and somewhat disappointed, but in the end, he was relieved.

In the eyes of Long Xianzhi, a former jianghu expert and greenwood hero, an Innate Master was a big figure who could be called a 'Master'. Ordinary sorcerers who knew some Evil Methods were no match for a Master. Since he could step into the Innate Realm, he could make a name for himself anywhere in the Liang Kingdom; even going to the government to be a consultant would be enough.

But he had also spent some years by Chen Ci's side, so he naturally knew that the so-called 'Innate Master' was truly not worth mentioning in front of a real immortal disciple.

A Registered Disciple is a Registered Disciple; as for this so-called Longevity, to tell the truth, apart from occasionally thinking about becoming an immortal while dreaming, he did not actually understand what this so-called Longevity was really like.

"Good!"

Chen Ci stroked his chin, stroking nothing but air, then pulled a small booklet from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and said, "I will tell you beforehand, this 'Baiyang Sword Solution' is considered a first-class, sharp inheritance among Loose Practitioners. If you can cultivate a strand of Lung Metal Sword Qi, ordinary Side Door Cultivators might not be your match. However, this method harms the body; one careless move could damage your lungs and viscera. If your foundation is ruined, your path of the Dao will be gone. Are you willing to learn?"

"This Apprentice is willing to learn!"

Long Xianzhi said respectfully, "This Apprentice dares not be overly ambitious, and I know what kind of quality I possess. To be able to receive the Great Art from Teacher and serve by Teacher's side is already enough to satisfy my heart; I dare not ask for more."

"You can fool others with these words, but don't fool yourself."

Chen Ci smiled faintly, not looking at the slight change in Long Xianzhi's expression, and waved his hand to stop the words he was about to explain: "Cultivators like us must either seek Longevity or seek to live freely; otherwise, what is the meaning of this cultivation? If one does not live happily, how can one's thoughts be clear?"

Glancing at the Registered Disciple kneeling on the ground who seemed to have realized something, Chen Ci continued, "To tell the truth, I am not belittling you; if you seek Longevity, it is truly like scooping the moon from the water or drawing water with a bamboo basket—you will exhaust your whole life, and it will all be in vain."

Chen Ci was indeed not saying this to suppress his own Apprentice; entering the Dao only in his thirties, without a proper inheritance, and being merely a Registered Disciple of an Outer Transmission of a Side Door, practicing the methods of a Loose Practitioner, he would at most reach a cultivation of Thirty-six Apertures of True Qi—how could he possibly seek Longevity?

He didn't have a cheat.

"Teacher, I am going to cultivate bitterly at Sanyin Temple. I took you in partly out of selfishness, wanting you to handle chores for me. But once your cultivation has some success and you have gained some ability, you might stay in the temple for ten, twenty, or thirty years, but could you really stay for fifty, sixty, or seventy years?"

Chen Ci shook his head and chuckled: "If you don't go out and venture, you will feel worse than dead. When the time comes, if master and apprentice turn against each other and things get ugly, why bother?"

"Teacher, I..."

When this sentence came out, Long Xianzhi was truly panicked, not understanding what his Teacher meant by taking him as a Registered Disciple and yet saying these words.

"It is nothing. This 'Baiyang Sword Solution', when cultivated to a profound level, can open Thirty-six Apertures of White Sun True Qi and nurture six strands of Lung Metal Sword Qi."

Chen Ci said calmly, "I took you as a Registered Disciple, and I do not expect you to provide for me in my old age. You must manage the chores of Sanyin Temple, so you shall naturally receive a salary: two catties of Five Elements Divine Sand every year, plus this method as compensation. After thirty years, you should have achieved success in your cultivation, and I will let you go into the Jianghu to make a name for yourself. Whether you go or stay, whether you leave or return, you may choose for yourself."

Long Xianzhi's heart beat violently, countless thoughts rising and falling. Finally, he suppressed the thoughts in his heart, performed three kowtows and nine bows respectfully, and held his hands up slightly: "Registered Disciple Long Xianzhi pays respects to Teacher."

(End of this chapter)