Chapter 151

On a summer evening, the horizon was a sheet of golden red.

The Daoists were sitting under the pine tree eating.

Today on the table was a large basin of braised meat with dried bamboo shoots, made from tender bamboo shoots dug up on the mountain during the new spring, using only the bamboo shoot skins, braised with three-layered pork belly, glistening with oil and water, the aroma of meat mouth-watering. A plate of stir-fried wild vegetables with ham; he forgot which pilgrim from down the mountain had sent the ham, but the quality was good. Plus a pot of fish head tofu soup, fish caught by the seventh senior brother, tofu made by the junior sister, all dishes that went well with rice.

It was a pity that the master was missing today; he was in seclusion meditating.

Lin Jue took the opportunity while eating to tell the eldest senior brother and the sixth senior brother about his failure to seek a Planchette Immortal, and asked: "Did the eldest senior brother and sixth senior brother also have to look many times when finding a Planchette Immortal?"

"How could I look so many times?" The eldest senior brother said whatever came to mind. "I only looked once."

"I only looked twice."

"Hmm?"

Lin Jue showed a look of confusion.

The junior sister beside him was shoveling rice, making a clanging sound.

The third senior brother was also adding rice and turning his bowl, saying at the same time: "It's over, junior brother, it must be that your character is not good, your heart is not sincere, and your five energies are mixed; you are a bad person, that's why it's like this."

"Because the seven techniques of our Fuqiu Peak are ancestral, any demon, monster, or ghost in Mount Yishan suitable to be a Planchette Immortal almost knows us. Even some Planchette Immortals were originally Planchette Immortals of our ancestors, and now that they are bored, they become our Planchette Immortals again, or the predecessors of the Planchette Immortals were Planchette Immortals of our ancestors." The sixth senior brother directly ignored the third senior brother and said to him, "Naturally, it's very easy to find a Planchette Immortal."

"Tell me in detail, where did you invite the Planchette Immortal, how did you recite the invitation to the immortal, what did you say, tell me everything."

The eldest senior brother also put down his chopsticks and looked at him with concern.

Lin Jue then recounted the process in detail, and only then said:

"I originally thought it was because Fuyao was beside me, making the Planchette Immortals think I had broken the rules, and thus they were unwilling to associate with me, but later I went up the mountain alone again, yet it was still the same as last time."

"Is there a possibility? That the news of you breaking the rules has spread among the demons, monsters, and ghosts of Mount Yishan, and they have all agreed not to pay attention to you anymore?" The third senior brother speculated while eating.

As soon as he finished speaking, he received a roll of the eyes from the eldest senior brother.

The junior sister also silently took a spoon, scooped a large spoonful of dried bamboo shoots and pork belly, and dumped it into his bowl, wanting to block his mouth.

"This is indeed strange." The sixth senior brother said, "After eating, I can ask my Planchette Immortal for the reason."

"No need to rush, patience is good; the Planchette Immortal should be about fate, and it must never be forced." The eldest senior brother said, "Besides, even if it really doesn't work, there are many Planchette Immortal seniors in our temple who are familiar with us. For example, the master's old friend is of the same clan and lineage as my Planchette Immortal and the sixth junior brother's Planchette Immortal. When the time comes, I'll ask them for you to see which one of their clan is willing to be your Planchette Immortal."

"Good."

Lin Jue then felt relieved.

Actually, it wasn't that urgent.

After eating, he took a folding chair, sat under the eaves of the main hall, thought of nothing, watched the sunset glow in the distance quietly, and played with the fox's tail with his hand.

After a while, there was a movement beside him.

It was the junior sister who brought another chair, placed it next to him, and went to get two bowls of brown sugar cold cakes, one for each of them, and sat down to eat.

Some senior brothers were pacing in the courtyard, some were tinkering with their own things, swallows were chasing each other in the sky, bat wings were flapping with heavy sounds, cats were playing or sitting and yawning; this scene reminded Lin Jue of the first day he and the junior sister went up the mountain.

That night also had such a beautiful sunset glow, and the temple was also so quiet and indifferent.

How could one not like and miss such time?

Only, looking around, he didn't see the master's figure.

Night had already fallen.

A lamp was lit in Lin Jue's room; there was no lamp oil, and the lamp smoke didn't irritate the eyes, so he continued to write by the lamplight.

The fox was still watching him beside him.

By now, he had already finished writing the Stone Transformation Method and had started on another technique.

This process was indeed rewarding, as if it were another careful realization of the technique; during the writing process, there would be new discoveries and insights, which was undoubtedly another way to improve besides practice.

When he finished writing, he was already a bit tired.

He stretched and went to bed.

Even in summer, the nights on the mountain were still a bit cool, and since he was lying on a bamboo mat, it felt even cooler.

Now he was covering himself with the bear skin blanket, which was soft and comfortable.

One side warm and one side cool, suitable for entering a dream.

Tonight, there was indeed a dream.

The dream was a mess; first there were strange and mysterious techniques, then there were magnificent and steep mountain landscapes, there was a gorgeous sunset glow, and then he flew on the wind; perhaps his hair had also been carried away by birds on the mountain.

Finally, what he dreamed of was the past.

It was a past even earlier than when he came to this world.

But Lin Jue unexpectedly discovered that, although a few years wasn't too long, the past in the dream was very blurry and ethereal, even more blurry and ethereal than those strange and mysterious techniques, and the sunset glow and mountain scenery that could only be seen on Mount Yishan, and flying on the wind.

Even when he woke up and sat on the bed, recalling the past, the memories were actually so blurry.

It was true that "the closer things are, the clearer they are," but it was still hard to avoid feeling a sense of loss, and hard to avoid feeling sentimental and bewildered.

He sat blankly for a long time before getting up.

The sun dispelled the morning mist on the mountain and gradually rose into the sky. One person and one fox left the temple again and came to the mountain.

But they didn't go up, but down.

At this time, the road was full of enticing fruit fragrance.

By the time Lin Jue sat down in the mountain forest, he was already at the foot of Fuqiu Peak. He was sitting on a piece of dead wood, and the fox was standing beside him, stepping its front feet on the dead wood, standing up and looking up into the forest.

A strange sound came from deep in the forest:

"Why are you in such a mood today?"

The fox's ears immediately moved, turning forward and then backward, while twisting its head in all directions, searching everywhere for the source of the sound.

"The junior had a dream last night. The things in the dream were originally real, but they were too blurry, as if they weren't real, and as if they were already very far away from me. Therefore, after waking up, I felt lost and unable to distinguish between true and false."

Hearing the Daoist beside him respond, it turned its head back and looked at Lin Jue following the sound.

"What do you mean by unable to distinguish between true and false?"

"I don't know if the senior has this feeling. Sometimes when recalling past events, because it has been a long time and it is far away, it seems like a past event, and also like just a dream."

"Everyone in the world has this feeling."

"I see..."

"The matter of dreams is inherently mysterious. Past life, present life, future life, who knows which life they are in at this moment, and which life they are in in a dream?" The voice in the forest answered. "In ancient times, there was a sage who dreamed of a butterfly, vivid as if real; couldn't he distinguish whether the butterfly was a dream, or if this moment was a dream? Did he dream of the butterfly last night, or did the butterfly just fall asleep and dream of itself at this moment?"

"What does the senior think?"

Lin Jue looked into the distance following the sound.

"The Buddhist theory is wrong! If you think about the past life, you will delay the present life; if you think about the next life, you will neglect the present life. According to me, only the two words 'the present' are truly precious!"

"Makes sense!"

Lin Jue stood up and said to it: "On this trip, the junior also wants to ask the senior a question."

"Hmph! Who are you? And who am I? Why should I let you ask just because you want to?"

"..."

Lin Jue smiled and continued to recount:

"Recently, the junior has been learning the Planchette technique in the temple. However, the junior invited several 'immortals' on the mountain using the Planchette invitation technique, but they only looked at me, or talked to me for a sentence or two, as if they had discovered something surprising, and left without even saying hello. The junior has been troubled for a long time and doesn't know the reason."

"You still don't know the reason? Truly dull!"

"Please enlighten me, senior."

Lin Jue put on a humble and sincere posture, but heard the voice in the forest say bluntly:

"Why should I tell you?"

"Could it be that the junior's five energies are not pure?"

"Then you guessed wrong! Although your five energies are not as pure as a sage's, among the disciples in your temple today, you are considered to be at a medium level. The only ones who can have purer five energies than you are your junior sister, your eldest senior brother, and your fourth senior brother who cultivates animal taming."

So he only ranked fourth!

It seems the temple's ability to "know people and destiny" is truly not bad.

Thinking like this, his mouth didn't stop:

"Then what is the reason?"

"Why don't you ask yourself?" The voice said. "What kind of Planchette Immortal do you want to find? And what do you want the Planchette Immortal to help you with?"

"This..."

"If you still don't know! Then I will ask you, what abilities do you think those 'Planchette Immortals' who responded to your invitation and came to the appointment should have?"

"Naturally, they should be good at answering questions and solving doubts, and calculating and divination."

"If you invited a Planchette Immortal, what would you ask them?"

"Is that so?"

"And what about yourself?"

"So that's it."

Lin Jue faintly understood; there was a flash of light in his mind, and following this light, he suddenly realized.

Then he heard the voice in the forest continue:

"It's normal that other demons, monsters, and ghosts around you don't recognize the fox, but how could those who cultivate in this Mount Yishan and can be Planchette Immortals not know or guess it? If you found a Planchette Immortal, and you asked them about that ancient Great Saint Jun Niangniang, asked them about that Lord Yi Li, asked them about the Emperor and the Heavenly Lord, how would they answer? If they answered, would they be sought out? And what reward can you give them?"

This "Refuting Third Shixiong" made a lot of sense.

Especially the last sentence—

What reward can you give them?

The sixth senior brother compared the Planchette Immortal to a strategist; in fact, it was just an analogy for one aspect, to let Lin Jue understand the situation of the process of inviting a Planchette Immortal in that environment. If one really wanted to compare, the two were very different.

For example, it is very difficult for a Planchette Immortal to "share wealth and honor" with a practitioner of the Dao.

If it is a person who invites a Planchette Immortal down the mountain, most of the initiative is taken by the Planchette Immortal, and the planchette medium makes a living and also seeks incense for the Planchette Immortal, so the Planchette Immortal benefits.

But the Daoists of Fuqiu Peak are not like this; they do not travel around for money and livelihood to perform planchette writing for others, so naturally, the incense they seek for the Planchette Immortal is not much, so the relationship between the Daoists of Fuqiu Peak and the Planchette Immortal is even more indifferent.

Many Planchette Immortals are just for entertainment, to dissolve the boredom and bitterness in life, and associate with Daoists according to their hearts, somewhat like the friendship of a gentleman being as light as water.

Lin Jue, however, wants to seek the Dao and longevity.

But even if he seeks the Dao and longevity, it is difficult for the Planchette Immortal to become a great power because of this, or to become an immortal along with him.

However, associating with him, once his Daoist practice is high, what is involved must be major events, and the things asked of the Planchette Immortal will naturally be major events. Not to mention whether the Planchette Immortal knows, even if they know, speaking it out involves great risk.

"Sigh..."

Lin Jue couldn't help but sigh: "Looking at it this way, it is very difficult for the junior to find a suitable Planchette Immortal."

"Good that you know!"

Lin Jue chatted with it for a few more sentences; the time was not long, truly because this "Refuting Third Shixiong" seemed to like interrupting, but actually didn't have much patience, and would want to drive people away as they spoke, or simply wouldn't speak at all.

"Then I will take my leave."

Lin Jue had no choice but to stand up, take the fox, and walk up the mountain step by step.

There were some thoughts in his heart.

The thoughts were truly hard to stop, so he didn't walk far before he stopped on the mountain road slanting upward and turned around:

"Actually, the junior still has some thoughts."

"I know even if you don't say it! It's your master whose lifespan is about to end, right?"

"That's right."

Lin Jue nodded and thought while saying:

"There is no need to say more about my master's affairs. However, after my master's lifespan ends, we will have to go down the mountain, and the fate between the junior and the senior will probably end here."

There was silence in the forest, with no response.

Lin Jue then continued to say:

"Originally, coming down the mountain today to find the senior was to ask if the senior is willing to form an immortal bond with the junior. Inviting the Planchette Immortal yesterday was actually an attempt to test the technique. But after hearing what the senior said today, the junior feels it is not good, so I am leaving."

Pausing for a moment:

"But just after walking a distance and thinking for a long time, my heart is unwilling; I am unwilling for the fate with the senior to end here, so I still want to ask the senior, are you willing to form an immortal bond with the junior?"

Lin Jue did not bow, just stood there.

It was truly for fear of burdening it with a bow, or appearing to urge it.

There was silence in the forest for a while again.

Finally, the voice sounded again:

"Truly dull! We have known each other for so long, yet you don't know that I am not the kind of person who dares not speak?"

"It is precisely because the junior once asked the senior about Jun Niangniang Yao Hua, Lord Yi Li, and the Corpse Tiger King, and the senior answered, knowing that the senior has more courage, that I turned back to ask."

There was silence in the forest for a long time again.

"I am not willing to be your Planchette Immortal. But the mountain is lonely, and knowing you is considered rare, so I can give you a talisman. You can use this talisman to talk to me through the Planchette technique."

As he spoke, a talisman flew over.

"Thank you, senior."

Lin Jue took this talisman.

Seeing it was gray-brown all over, like wood and stone, without shape, and without any characters on it, as if it had just been picked up from the mountain or snapped off a tree, he felt a bit strange in his heart.

This was the Planchette Talisman.

As a Daoist of the Lingfa Sect, this might be one of the few opportunities in his life to possess and use a talisman.

And this "Refuting Third Shixiong" said he was unwilling to be his Planchette Immortal, but gave him a Planchette Talisman, and let him talk to him through the Planchette technique using this talisman; if this isn't a Planchette Immortal, then what is?

He could be considered to have found a Planchette Immortal.

Lin Jue thought this way, only then put away this Planchette Talisman, and bowed to the forest.