Chapter 21: Returning Home

Daoist Zhenwei had been the master of Yulin Temple for more than forty years. Some said the old master was over eighty, some said over ninety, and some said over a hundred.

The old master had white hair and beard, long eyebrows and crane hair, a style of immortal bones.

Everyone knew that the old master was approachable and profound in truth on weekdays. However, no one knew that the old master actually walked out of the Three Pure Ones Xianshan.

Eighty years ago, when the old master was in his teens, he also passed the entrance examination of the Three Pure Ones Immortal Sect, also successfully ate Qi, and also practiced on Mount Xiaowan.

However, the old master was stuck on opening the mansion all his life.

In those years, the old master was registered on Mount Toujian, determined to be a sword immortal, and intended to open the Gold Mansion first, but he never got the essence of refined gold all his life.

At the age of forty, the old master finally accepted his fate, took the initiative to resign from the Three Pure Ones Mountain, brought only a personal treasure sword that he never left, returned to the mortal world, and chose to stay in Yulin Temple to enshrine the Three Pure Ones. After the previous old master passed away, he stood out and succeeded as the new master.

On this day, the old master stood alone in front of the Ge Xian Hall again, looking devoutly at the Immortal Weng statue. His gaze seemed to pass through Ge Xian again, through the hall wall, across the heavy cloud barriers, and fell on the Three Pure Ones Xianshan.

"Thump!"

A sound of heavy objects falling to the ground attracted the old master's attention, and it seemed to be mixed with human pain. At that moment, the old master's eyes were sharper than a hawk, which seemed to show some of the sharpness of the old master when he was young.

However, it was only for a moment. The old master's face returned to a kind expression, and even brought joy. Which little thief dared to come to the Three Pure Ones Mountain to make trouble? It must be that someone came out of the mountain gate again, or it was the first time, it must have fallen out of the water mirror. I don't know that this kind of teleportation array has a height difference, and I don't know that this array landing point is in a big tripod.

The old master walked into the Ge Xian Hall with a smile, and turned into the alchemy tripod side hall where few people came on weekdays. Behind the side hall, in a giant tripod, he really saw a young Daoist.

This young man was sitting in the tripod with his limbs spread out, wearing a lake-blue outer robe, with a mountain mist pattern on his chest, a gossip pattern on his back, a light peach-colored inner garment inside, a purple one-character towel tied on his forehead, a red crown with cinnabar beads, a fire cloud hairpin, and a pair of cloud-patterned white cloth shoes on his feet, carrying a bulging large bundle diagonally.

The old master smiled and narrowed his eyes. Sure enough, Daoist robes still looked good on young people.

Looking closely again, the old master was happy. He was very familiar with this little gentleman. He was a baby in Zhangxiangzhen at the foot of the mountain, a famous prodigy. He entered the Three Pure Ones Mountain here last year.

The old master stepped forward, helped the young man up, and said with a smile, "It's Yunqi who is back."

Cheng Yunqi saw that it was the old master, and naturally knew where he was. Seeing the master so indifferent, he thought that there must be many people taking this shortcut on weekdays.

He climbed out of the tripod, tidied up his robe, clasped his fists and bowed, his eyebrows smiling, "Seen the master."

The master pointed to the bundle on Cheng Yunqi and asked, "Not staying in the mountain, where are you going?"

"I intend to travel out of the mountain. Before leaving, I want to come back and see."

The master said good repeatedly, and pulled Cheng Yunqi out.

"You entered the mountain in the grain rain last year, and today is just the summer solstice, it has been more than a year."

Cheng Yunqi nodded, "Yes, more than a year."

"Which area of Mount Xiaowan do you live in now, and which mountain head are you registered on?"

Cheng Yunqi was shocked when he heard this, and looked at the old master in surprise. Then he understood. He had heard Feng Jihu say that people who could not open the mansion in the mountain gate all year round either did some idle work in the mountain, such as sweeping and helping in the kitchen, or returned to the mortal world, relying on the skills learned in the mountain, it was not difficult to be a rich man, some became sword knights, and some were registered in the Daoist temple to enshrine the Three Pure Ones.

It seemed that the master was the latter.

"The little boy lives in the Qian-Three area and is registered on Mount Meizhi."

The old master stroked his beard with his hand, "Mount Meizhi, amazing, the lineage with the fewest disciples in the mountain gate, accepting disciples is extremely looking at the bones and fate. You can enter Mount Meizhi, it is your great opportunity."

Cheng Yunqi also nodded, "Truly benefited a lot."

"I was registered on Mount Toujian at that time."

The old master said voluntarily.

Cheng Yunqi followed the old master's words and said, "I have a good friend named Deng Wanchun, who is also registered on Mount Toujian."

Cheng Yunqi couldn't help but smile when he thought of Deng Wanchun. This big brother was truly honest, treated people very sincerely, and most of his sword skills were taught by him. Before leaving the sect, he heard that he had taken a fancy to the snail he had found, and he insisted on giving it away. It was Cheng Yunqi who insisted on exchanging it with talisman talismans, which made him blush.

Sure enough, the old master wanted to talk to people about mountain talk. He immediately asked, "Then this Deng little friend is registered under which Daoist?"

"It is Daoist Jianheng."

Cheng Yunqi looked at the master's expression and added, "Daoist Jianheng's secular name is Zeng Wenshan."

Cheng Yunqi went to Mount Toujian much more often than Mount Meizhi in the mountain. On the lecture day of the first ten days of each month, he always spent most of his time there, and he was very familiar with the people on Mount Toujian.

"It's Wenshan!"

The old master's eyes suddenly burst into light, "I know he will definitely succeed! He accepted a disciple, then he must have opened the Jiang Palace and entered the second realm."

Cheng Yunqi didn't speak again.

The old master was emotional for a while, and then looked at Cheng Yunqi, "Have you practiced sword arts on weekdays?"

Cheng Yunqi nodded, "I have also played, and I like sword arts, but practicing sword is really energy-consuming and money-consuming. I haven't eaten Qi for long, and I am shy in my purse. On weekdays, I mainly focus on breathing and condensing spirit."

The old master suddenly stopped, staring at Cheng Yunqi blankly.

Cheng Yunqi stopped, looking at the master staring at him, a bit puzzled, did he say something wrong?

The master was stunned for a while, then came back to his senses, his old voice trembling a little,

"Yes, yes! Sword arts are vast. The old Daoist was obsessed with sword art techniques when he was young. I practiced sword day and night, but left the fundamental Qi-eating and breathing behind. At that time, I always thought about practicing sword first today and practicing Qi tomorrow, but the days passed day by day, seeing fellow disciples open the mansion one by one, but I was addicted to sword moves and enjoyed it.

I remember one day, a fellow disciple used Qi to control the sword, fast and strong, hitting far, easily breaking my sword moves, and I suddenly woke up, then devoted myself to practicing Qi, but at that time the old Daoist was anxious, the more anxious to practice Qi, the more I couldn't get the essence. One step wrong, every step wrong. It's really a good child that you understand this truth."

Cheng Yunqi was silent, really didn't know what to say. The Three Pure Ones Mountain is like this, basically free-range before opening the mansion, pointing out the general direction, all the big truths are written in books, if you don't make progress or sink into external objects, no one can help.

"Haha!"

The old master suddenly laughed again, "You said practicing sword is expensive, it's really true. The old Daoist dried medicine, helped in the kitchen, carried water, and collected stones at that time, I don't know how much work I did, and all the money and things I earned were exchanged for gold essence grinding stones, all used to feed the treasure sword."

Cheng Yunqi also smiled, "Sword cultivators are all poor ghosts, who doesn't know."

The master laughed at the sky.

Fortunately, the rain was heavy today, and there were no pilgrims or tourists in the temple, otherwise, seeing the respected True Person Zhenwei laughing like this, they would be surprised.

But even so, some passing Daoists and children saw it and were curious about what happened to the master today, and when did the elegant and luxuriously dressed young Daoist come?

"You were smart when you were young, with outstanding talent. Do you remember when you were young, your father always brought you with him when he came to me to play chess? At first, you were just watching, and you learned to play chess after watching a few games. In less than a year, your chess power was above me and others.

"Your father didn't know how many times he told me who should teach you when you grow up. He was from the Hanlin, and he was also a prefect. How profound his knowledge was, you actually made him have nothing to teach. Now, you can reach this step, he should be the happiest. The six-thousand-year-old Three Pure Ones Mountain, teaching you should be enough."

Cheng Yunqi nodded lightly. Yes, if his father were here, he should be the happiest.

"Are you in a hurry to travel far this time?" The old master asked.

Cheng Yunqi shook his head, it was not urgent,

"Then you should also find time to come sit at the temple these next few days."

The Temple Master said quite cordially.

Cheng Yunqi agreed. He thought the Temple Master likely wanted to find someone to talk about his time in the mountains years ago. His own travels were not that urgent, and staying at home for a while longer would be nice.

The Temple Master was very happy and asked if Cheng Yunqi would like to stay at the temple a while longer and wait for the rain to stop before leaving.

Cheng Yunqi shook his head this time; in this plum rain season, once the rain starts, it simply won't stop.

He borrowed an umbrella from the Temple Master; after all, having returned to the mortal world, using a water-repelling technique in front of others would be too flashy.

————

Bidding farewell to the Temple Master, Cheng Yunqi raised his umbrella and walked out of Yulin Temple, stepped onto the familiar mountain path on the south slope, crossed the stone bridge over Jin Sha Creek, and soon, Cheng Yunqi returned to Zhangxiangzhen.

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The town was no different from before; nothing had changed.

When he left, it was the drizzling spring rain; when he returned, it was the lingering summer rain.

The rain was too heavy, and there was not a single person on the road.

The residents of this town made a living by making incense and renting out houses; few people farmed. On rainy days, people hid in their homes. No one looked at the road, and no one noticed a Daoist priest had come to town—in this town near Yulin Temple, the one thing they were not short of was Daoist priests.

Cheng Yunqi arrived in front of Green Tile Alley. The rainwater had washed the green tiles clean, adding a touch of brightness to this gray curtain of rain.

Standing at the entrance of the alley, he specifically took a look; every courtyard gate had the doorplate he had left behind hanging on it.

The ground was wet from the rain. Although Cheng Yunqi's shoes repelled dust, they did not repel water, and the soles were wet. He was in no rush to pay visits and prepared to return to his own courtyard first.

He arrived in front of his gate. The doorplate outside his own eaves had also been washed clean by the rain, and the handwriting on it was still very clear.

It read:

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a step, may joy and fortune come."

Cheng Yunqi smiled knowingly and pushed the door open to enter.

The courtyard was very clean. After passing through all four seasons, there were surprisingly no fallen leaves or weeds on the ground. The few leaves present were still emerald green, clearly knocked down by the rain today. It seemed the neighbors must have come to sweep frequently.

He pushed open the room door again; the furnishings inside were all as they had been, as if he had never left.

The youth walked into the main hall, put down his luggage, and went to check the bedroom, kitchen, and incense room. His gaze fell on the floor, on the tables and chairs, on the mirror, on the cabinet, and on the windows.

In the hall, the tables and chairs were clean. It was kind of the neighbors to come and sweep often. The neighbors found it difficult to enter the rooms, so quite a bit of dust had accumulated inside.

Likely to prevent dust, the windows were all closed and had not been opened. With the rain outside, the room was very dim.

Cheng Yunqi opened the windows to let in light and air, and then performed a Dust-Repelling Technique. This minor spell consumed very little magic power. Cheng Yunqi thought about drawing a few Dust-Repelling Talismans later to keep posted in the house for a long time.

Cheng Yunqi was about to tidy up the bed when he heard shouting from outside the courtyard.

"Where did this petty thief come from! This is the courtyard of the Cheng family immortal, how dare you come to steal!"

"I'll block you today and break your dog legs!"

"Catch the thief, someone is stealing!"

A dozen men and women rushed in, holding all sorts of things like kitchen knives, laundry clubs, chisels, and shoulder poles. Hearing the commotion, Cheng Yunqi hurriedly rushed out of the room, and the two groups bumped into each other right at the entrance of the main hall.

"Uncles, aunts, what is this for?"

Cheng Yunqi had already guessed and asked with a smile.

The dozen baring-teeth men and women froze on the spot upon seeing him, and didn't react even after hearing Cheng Yunqi speak.

Looking at the young Daoist priest in bright clothing, one of the women was the first to react. With a clatter, she dropped her kitchen knife and hugged Cheng Yunqi, "It's Yun'er who has returned!"

With a clatter and a bang, everyone dropped the things in their hands.

Three or four women surrounded Cheng Yunqi, pinching him here and there, touching him all over, muttering that he had grown thin.

By the Three Pure Ones, Cheng Yunqi didn't just swallow wind and drink dew at Mount Sanqing; he hadn't missed a single meal or medicinal supplement. Except for the first few days after entering the sect when he really had no money and gnawed on white cakes, he never ate them again. The fact that he hadn't saved up a few copper coins until now was inseparable from his gluttony for supplements. Plus, with daily exercises and occasional fist and sword practice, he was all lean muscle—where had he grown thin?

Several men stood where they were, rubbing their hands, repeating, "It's good that you're back!"

One man mumbled and tugged at his wife, "Slower, slower, the young scholar is now an immortal master."

Once these words were spoken, the previously lively scene suddenly quieted down. An aunt who was still touching Cheng Yunqi's face stopped her hand instantly and retracted it like lightning.

Cheng Yunqi laughed loudly, "Aunt only sees that I've grown thin, but doesn't see that I've grown taller? Uncle Wang, let's compare."

The one Cheng Yunqi called Uncle Wang was the man who had just spoken. Cheng Yunqi went behind him, stood back-to-back, straightened his chest, and asked, "Uncles and aunts, am I taller or is Uncle Wang taller?"

Aunt Wang glared at the cowering man and slapped him on the chest, "Stand up straight!"

The man scratched his head, grinned, and hurriedly straightened his back.

The man was sturdy, over six feet tall, while Cheng Yunqi was still a bit short of six feet, slightly shorter than the man.

The woman stood on tiptoe, pressed the man's headscarf down hard, and also counted the cinnabar bead on Cheng Yunqi's hair crown. She looked satisfied, then loudly announced her verdict:

"Cheng Yunqi is taller!"

The surrounding crowd looked in agreement and nodded one after another. The sturdy man also smiled and nodded, "The young scholar is taller."

And they never mentioned the "immortal master" talk again.

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(End of chapter)