Chapter 31: Exchanging with the Gentleman

Taking back his gaze, Lin Jue looked to the side.

The old Daoist sat cross-legged under the pine tree, and the young girl sat beside him honestly gnawing on a cake. Seeing Lin Jue wake up, she raised her head and stared at him.

"Little lay Buddhist is awake?"

The old Daoist also opened his eyes and said to him: "Your "Thousand-Day Wine" was finally drunk a bit too much. The Mountain Lord and his guests had already left. They wanted to call you up early in the morning, but you didn't wake up. It's not a good thing to force you to wake up, and the sun was getting higher and higher. If it gets higher, it won't be easy to rush on the road, so I had to salute you and leave one after another, saying that if I meet you in the future, I will definitely thank you."

Lin Jue heard this, and the picture of many spirits and monsters saying goodbye to him when they left last night appeared in his mind again.

It was truly dreamy...

He felt around beside him. The Thousand-Day Wine was still there, placed in the grass, which seemed to show that everything last night was true. The book basket was placed on the ground beside him. The banquet itself was very casual.

"Is the Immortal Master waiting for me?"

"How dare I accept the title of Immortal Master? Just call me Daoist priest." The old Daoist first corrected his wording, then said, "It just happened that I didn't wake up long ago, and I just finished breakfast. Do you want to go down the mountain together?"

"That would be best."

These two were the only ones who participated in the banquet last night and stayed by his side. Not to mention other connections, Lin Jue also wanted to walk with them. It seemed that as long as he grabbed them, he grabbed the things last night. And if they also left, maybe he would go down the mountain, and as he walked, even he would start to doubt the truth of last night.

"Don't rush, don't rush, little lay Buddhist, eat something first."

"It's okay to eat while walking."

"Better eat first."

"Also good."

Lin Jue took out a cake from the book basket, asked them if they wanted to eat, took the water bottle in his hand, bit and tore, and a few mouthfuls were a cake down his stomach.

Then he carried the book basket and went down the mountain.

Not long after walking, there was movement below.

He saw the grass half a person high shaking, obviously a road was pushed open, and it seemed that some animal was walking through it quickly.

Suddenly the grass paused, and what stood up from it was a man in gray-white clothes.

"Sniff, sniff..."

The man looked at them, his nose sniffing constantly.

Then the man saluted clumsily and asked: "Two... fellow Daoists, are you here to attend the Mountain Lord's banquet?"

Lin Jue knew he was not a human, but he also knew that this was the Mountain Lord's territory, and spirits and monsters would not easily make trouble here. Seeing that the old Daoist didn't speak, he answered:

"Exactly."

"Is the Mountain Lord's banquet still going on?"

"You are late. It passed last night. By this morning, all the guests had already left. We are the last ones to go down the mountain."

"This..."

The man froze immediately, opening his eyes wide.

Then he showed incomparable annoyance.

He thought that the Thousand-Day Wine with the essence of the sun and moon added indeed had a huge temptation for many spirits and monsters. Lin Jue could only feel sorry for him.

"May I ask if the Mountain Lord is still there?"

The man still pursued and asked unwillingly.

"At least not on this mountain top. We woke up and couldn't see the Mountain Lord's figure."

"Do you know where the Mountain Lord is?"

"I don't know either."

"Thank you! I have to go find the Mountain Lord!"

"Why are you so persistent? The banquet has passed, and the wine has been drunk. Even if you find the Mountain Lord, there is no Thousand-Day Wine with the essence of the sun and moon added to drink." Lin Jue couldn't help but kindly remind him.

"Don't worry about these things, fellow Daoist! I am seeking the Mountain Lord to save a life!"

"Hmm?"

Lin Jue was naturally puzzled, so he asked: "How do you say that?"

"It's useless to say more! I'm going to find the Mountain Lord!"

The man's expression was hurried. After speaking, he lay down, and a black smoke exploded with a bang. His body deformed visibly, and he actually turned into a big wolf.

Seeing this, Lin Jue couldn't help but take a step back, but still said: "Why don't you tell me about it?"

"Woo?"

The big wolf paused, looked at him suspiciously, sniffed, and suddenly his eyes lit up:

"Do you still have spiritual wine on you?"

"Listen to it first."

"Bang..."

The big wolf turned into a human again, his expression excited, but he also tried hard to endure it, saluting him:

"Fellow Daoist doesn't know. Many years ago, I was just a

"However, not two years later, I accidentally attained the Dao and became a spirit. Brother Crow is inherently more intelligent than I, yet for some reason, he has been slow to attain the Dao. I have sought out many rare treasures to extend his lifespan, hoping he would attain the Dao so we could continue to roam the mountains together, hunting and cultivating, but my wishes have never been fulfilled. I happened to hear that the Mountain Lord here was holding a banquet, and that there was spirit wine and immortal brew at the feast; if an ordinary animal drinks it, they can attain the Dao and become a spirit."

"However, the Mountain Lord's banquet requires a gift, and I was far away. I spent quite some time trying to find a gift worthy of the banquet, never imagining that by the time I ran here, I had already missed it."

"But if I cannot obtain the Mountain Lord's spirit wine, my old friend..."

"Will have to die."

The man was deeply affectionate and loyal; his emotions changed with every sentence he spoke, and by the end, he was already overcome with grief.

Lin Jue did not comment, only asking, "And what gift did you prepare for the Mountain Lord?"

"A piece of Earth-Wood Essence."

The wolf demon reached behind his back and pulled out a green object.

"What is this?"

"It is the essence of heaven and earth, naturally nurtured within the mountain forests. It appears to be an inanimate object, yet it flows naturally through the mountains. It took a great deal of effort for me to 'catch' it."

"What is it used for?"

"Earth-Wood Essence, the spiritual aura of the Five Elements; it helps one perceive the spiritual resonance of the Earth and Wood elements. I heard that although the Mountain Lord absorbs the energy of Yin and Yang, he excels in Earth-element supernatural powers, which is why I brought it, hoping it might move him."

"Give it to me."

Upon hearing this, the wolf demon suddenly widened his eyes.

"A gentleman delights in helping others achieve their goals. I dare not call myself a gentleman, but I happened to receive an extra cup of 'Thousand-Day Wine' from the Mountain Lord. As it happens, this wine is most effective the first time it is drunk, and much less so the second time. It would be difficult for you to get what you want by seeking the Mountain Lord now; why don't we just exchange?"

"Really?"

"How would I dare to deceive you?"

Lin Jue unslung his book satchel and took out a small porcelain bottle.

He reached out to take the Earth-Wood Essence and handed over the porcelain bottle. While the wolf demon was still in a daze, the exchange was already complete.

"Hiss! What a fragrant scent! That fellow Daoist truly did not deceive me! Many thanks, fellow Daoist!"

"You are welcome."

This worked out perfectly.

Lin Jue said nothing more, put it away, and said to the wolf demon, "I have heard that although spirits and monsters of this world walk the path of Yin and Yang, they mostly absorb Yin energy and are not suited to moving about during the day. You had best return quickly."

"Good! I live on Zhou Mountain. If you come to Zhou Mountain, fellow Daoist, you can come find me! Farewell for now!"

"Farewell..."

The demon was quite decisive; he swallowed the porcelain bottle, transformed back into his original form, turned his head, and left, disappearing into the wind-blown sea of grass in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, Lin Jue also relaxed his guard, put his book satchel back on, turned to look at the old Daoist priest, and continued walking forward.

"The little lay practitioner has a kind heart."

"It was just a fair exchange."

The old Daoist priest continued to walk behind him. Hearing this, he just smiled and asked, "I observe that the little lay practitioner's method of nourishing Qi is quite authentic, surpassing the tricks of many sorcerers in the world. I wonder where you learned it?"

"I obtained it by chance."

"That is quite a stroke of fate."

"May I ask in which immortal mountain or cave dwelling you cultivate, Daoist?"

"My Daoist temple is on Fuqiu Peak."

"Fuqiu Peak..."

"And you, little lay practitioner? Where do you intend to go next?"

"I originally planned to go to Qiyun Mountain to take a look, and then go to see Mount Yishan." Lin Jue was unsure for a moment, so he had to answer truthfully.

"Qiyun Mountain is a famous Daoist mountain, while Mount Yishan is very remote. You are a scholar; why, instead of seeking out famous academies and great Confucian scholars, do you insist on going to such places?"

"To tell you the truth..."

This old Daoist was not only not an ordinary person, but very likely the high-level cultivator he was looking for. Since they had come together to attend the Mountain Lord's banquet and had drunk the Thousand-Day Wine, there was naturally nothing to hide from him. He said truthfully: "I accidentally saw a demon in the ancestral hall of a neighboring village and witnessed the wonders of the world and the magic of supernatural arts, so my heart is no longer on fame and career. I only wish to seek the immortals, ask about the Dao, and learn supernatural arts. Plus, that spirit told me that my heavenly soul is somewhat unstable and I need to find a method to calm the soul. My uncle and aunt can no longer support my studies, so I did not hesitate to leave home and travel far to seek the immortals and ask about the Dao."

"But why do you seek the immortals and ask about the Dao, and learn supernatural arts?"

"Naturally, for freedom and longevity."

This was Lin Jue's sincere inner thought, and he had his own sufficient reasons, so naturally, there was nothing to hide.

What is, is; what he has, he says.

The old Daoist nodded upon hearing this, offered no evaluation, and only said: "Most people in this world who seek the immortals and ask about the Dao cannot escape the four words 'freedom and longevity.' It is just that the vast majority of people—whether they are royalty and nobility, emperors and generals, or those scholars and poets destined to be remembered for a thousand years—have no affinity for the immortals. Even if they climb famous mountains to search, they have merely climbed a mountain and left behind a few poems."

Who could deny that?

This made Lin Jue fall into thought; it was a question he had been pondering since yesterday—

Although he has an ancient book and can learn supernatural arts, supernatural arts cannot be learned just by looking at them. Now it seems that the other party's magic must be applied to him, that is, receiving the spell, or he must clearly see the operation of the other party's magic. Both of these bring limitations.

At the same time, the ancient book only contains supernatural arts, but no cultivation system outside of them, no accompanying knowledge, and it cannot help him understand the cultivation system of this world or truly enter this world.

Therefore, he might still need a master.

At least to help him finish this initial stretch of the road.

This is not a reckless matter.

Should he continue as he previously thought, going to Qiyun Mountain and Mount Yishan first? Or should he ask this Daoist right here if he can take him as a disciple? If he goes to Qiyun Mountain and Mount Yishan, can he find the immortal Dao he wants? If he doesn't go to Qiyun Mountain and Mount Yishan, would this Daoist be willing to accept him?