Chapter 10: In Qingwei Palace, parting for two days

Bright moonlight, secluded deep mountains.

Beside the gurgling stream, Jiang Lai sat cross-legged on a blue stone, shoulder-length short hair, soft bones and slender form, clear eyes flowing with expectation, as if the deep valley was deep, revealing a few bits of spiritual and delicate air.

Zhang Fan remained silent. This was the third time he had met Jiang Lai...

Every encounter was often in an incredible situation. Looking up, he always felt that such a woman was not stained with human fireworks, ethereal to the point of being somewhat illusory.

"Last night... was the big snake we met real?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask the question in his heart.

"Primordial spirit leaving the body."

Jiang Lai raised her beautiful eyes slightly, her tone cold, just saying four words.

"Did I really glimpse the primordial spirit? Cultivation is real..."

Zhang Fan thought thoughtfully. Since entering Zhenwu Mountain, everything he encountered was incredible. Although he already had guesses in his heart, when he heard the four words "primordial spirit leaving the body," his heart was still surging.

"Then I just now..."

Zhang Fan raised his hand, looking at his right arm, recalling the changes just now, and couldn't help but reveal a look of hesitation.

"Primordial spirit gathers moonlight essence, energy interaction, dragon and snake change..."

Jiang Lai's gaze swept over Zhang Fan, as if observing.

After the initial movement, it is manifestation. By nourishing and refining the primordial spirit, refining all yin dregs, the body produces all kinds of incredible changes, possessing strange power.

Dragon and snake change is equivalent to successful foundation establishment, equivalent to the 【Qi Worker】 rank among the nine major ranks of manifestation.

"Cultivation is so magical..."

Zhang Fan thought thoughtfully. He felt that his body was indeed much lighter at this time, his strength seemed to have become much stronger, his ears and eyes were sharp, and he could even hear the sound of insects crawling in the mud...

"My arm seemed to have grown scales just now, I won't turn into a snake, will I..." Zhang Fan recalled his own changes just now and couldn't help but worry.

"Embrace the One as the style of the world..." Jiang Lai lowered her eyelids and whispered softly.

Embrace the One as the style of the world, follow nature, and all methods are born.

Can be as soft as an infant, like a turtle and snake breathing, like a pine and cypress longevity, like a mayfly life and death... in the end, all methods return to one, finally reaching the Dao.

The methods are different, but that is not the most important thing. Only "Embrace the One," no matter what Daoist lineage, no matter how it changes... in fact, there is no difference.

"Embrace the One as the style of the world..." Zhang Fan muttered softly, chewing on this sentence.

"Go."

Just at this moment, Jiang Lai stood up slowly.

"Where to?"

"Qingwei Palace."

As she spoke, Jiang Lai jumped up, like a little deer in the forest, sweeping toward the vast night.

"Wait for me."

Zhang Fan followed closely behind, but in a moment, the dilapidated and ancient palace appeared before his eyes, exactly the place he and Li Yi wanted to enter but couldn't.

"This is Qingwei Palace?"

"You will be very safe here..." Jiang Lai said lightly.

Once this was said, Zhang Fan subconsciously looked back. Since it was a place of Zhenwu Mountain, the Gan brothers shouldn't be able to chase him here.

Whoosh...

Just at this moment, Jiang Lai jumped over the wall and entered directly.

"No... you..."

Zhang Fan saw this, stepped on the ground with both feet, and actually rushed into the wall more than three meters high directly. If it were before, he would have had to step on Li Yi to get in.

He felt pleasantly surprised by his own changes.

In the front courtyard, the ancient well stood alone in the wild grass. Under the moonlight, Zhang Fan could see the stone strips pressed on the well mouth, with complex talisman carvings on them.

"How come there is no one?" Zhang Fan followed Jiang Lai all the way to the rear hall courtyard.

"It is said that this is the place where Zhenwu attained the Dao... few people come here on weekdays..." Jiang Lai said lightly. "Such a big name?" Zhang Fan was stunned and couldn't help but look at this ordinary palace.

"Why not package it and open it to the public?"

The place where Zhenwu attained the Dao, just such a name, with a little publicity, would truly be like Qin Shi Huang eating peppercorns, winning completely.

"Would you open your family's ancestral grave as a scenic spot to the public?" Jiang Lai said lightly without looking back.

"If the ticket is two hundred and eighty... it's not impossible to consider."

"..."

"Who is it?"

Just at this moment, a majestic shout came from afar. The lights in the courtyard lit up abruptly. Immediately after, one tall and one short, one fat and one thin, two Daoist priests walked out, holding flashlights, the dazzling light shining toward Zhang Fan.

"Don't misunderstand... one of our own."

Zhang Fan hurriedly raised his hand to block the dazzling light and turned to the side: "Jiang Lai, explain to them..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Fan was stunned. There was no one beside him, where was Jiang Lai's shadow.

"Who are you? In the middle of the night, daring to trespass on Qingwei Palace?"

The tall and thin Daoist priest held a flashlight, revealing a look of vigilance in his eyes.

"Take him down first."

The short and fat Daoist priest took a step forward, the wild wind rose, like a tiger down the mountain. In an instant, he was already in front of Zhang Fan, his fleshy palm grabbing toward Zhang Fan's shoulder.

Hum...

Almost at the same moment, Zhang Fan reacted instinctively. His body shrank abruptly, and he retreated backward. In the blink of an eye, he was like a swimming snake, dodging the short and fat Daoist priest's capture.

"Dragon and snake have changed... truly a person of the Daoist sect..." The short and fat Daoist priest's face changed slightly.

Such a reaction, such speed, being able to dodge his capture, is not something that ordinary human physical fitness can do.

At least it is a person who has entered manifestation, dragon and snake change, and reached the 【Qi Worker】 rank.

"Stay."

Just at this moment, the short and fat Daoist priest held his fists with both hands, actually in a posture of embracing, immediately after, his throat wriggled, and he let out a violent shout, but it was like a bell ringing, deafening.

"Startling Bell Roar!!!"

Among the Daoist methods of Zhenwu Mountain, there is the 【Twelve Roar Methods】, which, when combined with hand seals, specializes in intimidating the power of ghosts and gods... 【Startling Bell Roar】 is one of them.

In an instant, Zhang Fan's face was pale, only feeling his brain buzzing, his thoughts difficult to concentrate. In the moment of losing his heart, the short and fat Daoist priest had already bullied him and grabbed his clothes, lifting him high.

"Stop."

Just at this moment, a calm voice rang out in the night.

The short and fat Daoist priest paused slightly, then slowly put Zhang Fan down.

"Senior Brother, he..."

"Wu You, Wu Wei... you two retreat first. This is Zhenwu Mountain. Whoever comes is not worth the consciousness spirit being so restless. Where have your daily cultivation of energy gone?"

That calm voice rang out again. Zhang Fan felt it was familiar. He steadied his mind, looked up, and saw a familiar face.

"Pojie Daoist!?"

A few days ago, Zhang Fan and Li Yi peeked at Qingwei Palace, and it was this Daoist who kindly advised them and drove them away.

"Hmm!?"

Pojie Daoist was called out by Zhang Fan, first stunned for a moment, then looked at the latter up and down, paused slightly, and then remembered.

"Is it you? You... how could you..."

Just at this moment, Pojie Daoist's face changed drastically. He stared at Zhang Fan with wide eyes. Even though he had practiced for many years, his heart was surging and difficult to calm down.

He remembered that two days ago, Zhang Fan was just an ordinary tourist, a mortal who mistakenly entered the palace...

It had only been two days, how could he...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 11 =====