Chapter 10

"Lin Jue, out to cut grass so early?"

When Lin Jue came down the mountain with a basket of grass on his back, he happened to run into the story-loving village elder upon returning to the village.

So he hurriedly stopped his steps and answered:

"Yes."

"Didn't you usually go to the academy in the morning to study and listen to lectures, and only go to cut grass in the afternoon?" The village elder, who originally took pleasure in strolling and watching the crops in the early morning, also stopped to look at him, his expression somewhat serious. "I only heard from the teacher yesterday that you haven't been to the academy much these past few days. You must know, the village lets you cut grass to feed the ox because they want to give you something to do, but they don't want to delay your studies; you must not neglect your schooling."

"Grandpa Shu is right." Lin Jue said truthfully, "It's just that that night at the Heng Village ancestral hall, I inhaled the smoke spat out by that demon, and for these past few days, I've felt my head somewhat dizzy and dazed; even now, I feel exhausted all over just thinking about reading, which is why I've taken a temporary break."

"Then you must get some good rest."

"I know." Lin Jue paused. "The Luo Immortal Temple Fair is in the city for these three days; why isn't Grandpa Shu going to look around?"

"How could I walk that far? Besides, it's just a temple fair; it's not like I haven't seen enough of them when I was young. When you reach my age, you'll also feel there's nothing much to see." The village elder paused. "Did you go?"

"I went once to buy medicine for my uncle."

"Anything worth seeing?"

"I saw a conjurer who could cut off his hand and reattach it; it was truly magical."

"Some things do indeed have their wondrous aspects."

"Does Grandpa Shu know of Mount Qiyun?"

"How could I not know of Mount Qiyun? It's not like I've never left the village."

"May I ask Grandpa Shu, where is Mount Qiyun? And what kind of place is it? I heard from people at the temple fair that there is a Taoist assembly at Mount Qiyun?"

"Mount Qiyun is a very famous Taoist immortal mountain; it is said that the temples on it are very efficacious, and the resident Taoist priests are all Celestial Masters." The village elder said, revealing a thoughtful look. "As for where it is, I remember it's in the opposite direction of the county seat, probably four or five hundred miles away. Tsk, it's not too far; if you can walk out of this village, it takes about seven or eight days of steady walking. If you can't walk out of this village, you'll never reach it in a lifetime, and you might never even have heard of it."

"And the Daoist assembly?"

"What Daoist assembly?"

"The Taoist assembly at Mount Qiyun."

"I haven't heard of that; where did you hear it?"

"I heard it from those conjurers."

"You lad, you must know that among the three teachings, Confucianism is supreme; the highest human character in heaven and earth is still reading. Reading is the most important thing; don't put your mind on those places. Study hard, and when you ascend to the Son of Heaven's hall, you will be an honored guest no matter which famous mountain or immortal cave you visit."

"I have been taught."

The village elder went back, leaning on his cane.

Lin Jue also walked away with the grass on his back.

"Mount Qiyun..."

It seems it is indeed a famous place.

With such a great reputation, one doesn't know if it's true or false, nor if it lives up to it. Judging by the fact that even the traveling conjurers want to go to Mount Qiyun to join in the fun, I'm afraid it must have at least some real skills.

It's just that for such a highly famous place, I imagine that regardless of whether it has real substance, there will certainly be no shortage of people at its gates; if I were to go and seek learning openly, it would likely not be easy.

And that great ritual called a Daoist assembly can attract conjurers to travel thousands of miles just to join in the fun; I'm afraid there will be no shortage of strange people and talented individuals there.

It's just a pity that, firstly, my uncle is still lying on his sickbed, and according to the etiquette of this world and this era, as a nephew, I should not easily travel far, and my aunt would certainly not be at ease letting me go. Secondly, I don't even know the specific time, let alone how much travel money would be needed for a round trip of at least half a month.

I'm afraid I will have to miss this opportunity.

However, such a grand assembly certainly doesn't happen only once; it must have a cycle and regularity.

Lin Jue walked back home and began to decoct medicine for his uncle.

He moved the small stove outside, put in firewood and kindling, and patiently lit it.

Lin Jue was very focused; seeing thick smoke rise in the stove, he blew a breath gently, and the thick smoke was blown away, revealing the blazing fire inside, and blowing out a few sparks. Soon the thick smoke returned, covering the firelight again, yet faint firelight still shone through the smoke, as if energy were gestating within, eagerly waiting to be released.

"Hoo..."

The accumulated firelight burst forth, burning fiercely.

Lin Jue watched earnestly, even reaching out his hand to place it over the fire to feel the temperature.

On this morning in mid-spring, Lin Jue was wearing so little clothing that he was always a bit cold, so burning a fire at this time could be considered a kind of enjoyment.

Besides enjoying the warmth, by staring so intently at the fire, he was also following the book's instructions, carefully experiencing the fire in the stove, watching it brighten and dim, sway and flicker, rise and fall, sensing the spiritual aura of the fire.

Suddenly, he leaned over, opened his mouth, and took a sharp breath.

"Inhale..."

Just like that old man from yesterday.

Naturally, nothing happened.

He had only inhaled a mouthful of hot air.

"Haha..."

Lin Jue laughed, turned around, and took the pot.

White smoke began to rise, and the fragrance of medicine drifted through the house.

Day after day, it was mostly like this—

Waking up just as the sky was beginning to brighten, carrying a basket to the streamside on the mountain, sitting in meditation and breathing at the transition between night and day, then cutting grass and returning, always meeting one or two fellow villagers, always exchanging a few words.

Returning to eat breakfast, then decocting medicine for his uncle, sensing the spiritual aura of fire. By the time it was decocted, his cousin would have almost returned, and he would feed it to his uncle. Lin Jue would then go to help his aunt burn the fire and cook lunch; this was a more convenient time to sense the spiritual aura of fire, then do some chores in the afternoon, and go to sit in meditation again at dusk.

This life of waking up before dawn, sleeping at dark, and having things to do from morning till night every day—at first, Lin Jue wasn't used to it, but after adapting, he actually found it quite fulfilling and self-contented.

Only, things were gradually becoming different.

About a few days later, when Lin Jue was breathing, he could already clearly feel the process of inhaling the five energies of heaven and earth; at this time of year, there shouldn't have been fog in the morning, but with every breath, there was an extra touch of white.

Returning to decoct medicine, he would inhale, and sometimes he could actually draw the flames up, nearly burning himself.

Another half month passed.

Lin Jue was in meditation in the mountain valley and could clearly feel the spiritual aura of all things in heaven and earth around him.

By now, every day when he decocted medicine alone, after lighting the fire, he would take a deep breath and could already draw the flames into his mouth and nose, turning them into fire energy and storing them in his abdomen, which could last for several moments.

Exhaling the energy would produce a burst of bright flame.

Even though he had expected it in his heart, when he succeeded for the first time, Lin Jue was still deeply shocked—

A burst of flame spat out from his own mouth; this feeling of mastering a spell and the extraordinary still constructed an extreme sense of wonder in his heart, ethereal like an illusion, suddenly like a dream.

This feeling was undoubtedly hard to resist.

Unknowingly, two months passed.

This world had gone from mid-spring to early summer.

Although the medicine prescribed by that divine physician was expensive, its effect was truly good; his uncle's illness was visibly improving, and he could already get out of bed, even stubbornly going out to do some farm work these past few days.

However, for the Lin family, this only solved an urgent need.

Lin Jue was a scholar, and the consumption of studying was inherently high; before his uncle fell ill, the family was barely maintaining, and now, even if his uncle recovered completely, it would only be returning to the original situation.

Yet, the prevailing filial piety and etiquette here not only constrained the younger generation but also the elders; as long as Lin Jue stayed in the village, his uncle and aunt had to support him, and they couldn't let him give up studying, nor could they let him do much farm work, otherwise, in this Shu Village, there would be accusations and gossip.

Of course, besides filial piety and etiquette, family affection also had a significant constraining effect.

This was also a problem Lin Jue often pondered recently.

Life still went on as usual.

"Splash, splash..."

The stream flowed endlessly; the youth let the green ox graze nearby while he caught a few small fish, skewered them with bamboo branches, and picked up a pile of firewood.

Facing the firewood, Lin Jue didn't take out a fire starter; he just looked around left and right, then lowered his head and spat.

"Hoo~~~"

A mouthful of flame spat out, continuous and steady.

Not long after, the firewood was ignited.

Lin Jue placed the fish over the fire to roast, his gaze fixed on the flames, gradually becoming lost in thought.

The green ox nearby was somewhat surprised and looked at him a few more times.

Practicing according to that ancient book, although the speed wasn't at the extreme, it could be considered quite fast.

Now, even though Lin Jue hadn't reached the point of self-generating fire energy, one mouthful could already inhale a large amount of fire energy, which could be stored in his body for a day and a night without dissipating. In terms of the distance and frequency of spitting fire, it was even further and more than that old man from that day.

Lin Jue mostly understood that perhaps that old man was one of those Jianghu people mentioned in the book who had no talent for practicing spiritual arts, and thus could only bitterly practice breathing techniques; after practicing for most of his life, his attainments were limited.

He himself should be able to practice spiritual arts, and his talent was estimated to be quite good.

Plus, being young was also an advantage.

It's just that he didn't know what spiritual arts really were.

At the same time, he also discovered the limitations of the ancient book—

Although so far, whether it was breathing, the Fire-Aversion Art, or the Qi-Nurturing Method, the ancient book explained them very completely and thoroughly, but it was, after all, an inanimate object.

If Lin Jue could fully understand the content it explained, then it was fine, but whenever Lin Jue had something he didn't understand, or had other related questions that needed answering, it couldn't respond.

Therefore, sometimes Lin Jue needed to find someone to ask what a certain acupuncture point was or what a certain term meant, and sometimes he had to grope his way forward, always worried about practicing incorrectly and becoming possessed, so he was extra cautious.

If not for this, his progress would have been even faster.

"Heh..."

Lin Jue suddenly thought that if he went out now, even if he performed tricks on the street, he shouldn't starve to death.

If he mastered the tricks of the trade, knew where there were temple fairs, and how to stir up the emotions of the patrons, he might even earn quite a bit of money.

Thinking this, his heart sank again.

The idea of leaving this small mountain village and going outside to see this vast world became increasingly intense.

Gradually, he smelled a fragrance.

By the time he finished eating the string of small fish, the green ox nearby was also almost full; Lin Jue let it play in the water for a while before leading it back.

It happened that at the dinner table, he heard his cousin ask: "Have you seen Shu Datou recently?"

"I saw him a few days ago."

"He left today; I guess we won't see him for a long time."

"Where did he go?"

"He went to the neighboring county to study."

"Why go to the neighboring county to study?"

"They say our village lacks talent, and after so many years, not many have passed the imperial examinations; a few days ago, an official from the neighboring county retired and returned home and was taking on students, so he went there to apprentice."

"Going out to seek learning..."

Shu Datou was a descendant of the Shu family in the village, his family was relatively wealthy, and he was about the same age as Lin Jue and his cousin; plus, being from the same village, they often played together when they were young, until they grew up and contact became less frequent. His cousin's tone was somewhat strange when telling him this; it must have been the sighing of a youth.

Lin Jue, however, suddenly felt that this gave him a reason that his uncle and aunt would find easier to accept.

"I also want to go out to seek learning."

"You want to too? Why? Where to?"

Lin Jue put down his chopsticks and explained earnestly:

"Firstly, the family is poor, my cousin hasn't married yet, and my uncle has just recovered from a long illness; continuing to support my studies is truly unsustainable.

"Secondly, perhaps the village really lacks talent; in recent years, few have passed the exams, and there aren't even many who have passed the preliminary examinations. We aren't like the great Shu clan with connections in the county; if this continues, I'm afraid it will be hard to succeed. It would be better to go out.

"Finally, I have pondered for a long time; what that person at the Wang family ancestral hall in Heng Village said that night shouldn't be a lie. I fell into the water and escaped, and it is reasonable that my soul is unstable; if I don't go out, I won't find a method to calm my soul."

Since there is going out to seek learning, there is naturally also traveling for study.

Throughout history, many famous people have traveled for study. Some already had deep knowledge and traveled to visit famous teachers to enrich themselves; some traveled under the name of study to enjoy the mountains and rivers and make friends; others simply traveled to visit famous teachers, hoping for guidance or help in human connections to pass exams and enter officialdom.

Lin Jue had no heart for reading now; his heart was full of immortal Dao and longevity, and seeing the wondrous and unique side of this world. Staying in this village was both a torment to himself and a burden to his uncle and aunt.

Not to mention what that person said that night:

His soul was unstable, and he needed to find a method to calm it.

This was indeed a good reason.

And it just so happened that someone from the same village had paved the way.

It's just that at this time, especially here, the clan etiquette is truly too strict; wanting to do this is not that simple.

At the very least, he had to make it clear to the Shu clan elders and familiar neighbors in the village that he was voluntarily going out to travel for study, otherwise, once he left, his uncle and aunt might be subject to gossip.

In addition, he also needed to obtain a travel permit.

Once Lin Jue made up his mind, he was very decisive.

Over the next few days, he first explained the pros and cons, citing the example of Shu Datou from the same village and the precedents of ancient people traveling for study, to persuade his uncle, aunt, and cousin. Then he went door to door to thank and bid farewell to his neighbors, informing them in detail of his thoughts and the reasons for doing so, while avoiding mentioning things like the family's burden.

He also had to return the books he had borrowed.