Chapter 451

The Zhenjian Palace was still crowded with people, lively and extraordinary.

Different from a few years ago, in these few years, the merchants and people in the capital and nearby thoroughly saw the business opportunities brought by the liveliness of the Zhenjian Palace, so at the foot of the Zhenjian Palace mountain, on both sides of the road, some houses and shops were built, where they could eat, stay, drink tea, and drink alcohol. Every morning, the foot of the Zhenjian Palace was full of vendors setting up stalls, selling everything, which had become a temple fair that opened every day.

Unlike the Guanxing Palace in the city, it was more lively here now, and there was no need to pay the increasingly heavy city entry tax, and the Zhenjian Palace never let them pay stall fees like the Guanxing Palace.

Therefore, many of the vendors outside the Guanxing Palace in the city had moved here.

The back mountain of the Zhenjian Palace was quiet in the midst of the noise.

A pond was dug here, planted with lotus flowers, some wasteland was opened, fruit trees and vegetables were planted, and several small houses were built to store sundries, and a pavilion was built for drinking tea and enjoying flowers.

At this time of year, it is late summer and early autumn, and there are a few lotus flowers in the pond, standing proudly in a piece of green lotus leaves, swaying with the wind.

Lin Jue, Master Jiang, Master Qingxuan, and Ma Ma Shidi were boiling tea and enjoying flowers here.

The tea steam was misty, and the fragrance drifted away.

There was wind at the foot of the mountain today, and the wind was very strong, blowing the lotus leaves and lotus flowers in the pond to sway chaotically, the petals were almost blown away, which not only did not affect the view, but added a sense of freedom and restraint.

"This pond was originally used to plant lotus roots and raise fish, so that we could catch fish and make dishes. I didn't expect that in the summer of that year, the lotus flowers that bloomed were quite beautiful. Our Daoists in the temple discussed it and simply put in their own efforts to build a pavilion by the pond to drink tea and enjoy flowers, cultivate and paint." Master Qingxuan said with a smile, "It's a pity that you came late, the peak flowering period has passed."

"Elegant."

Lin Jue gave an evaluation and continued to look around.

Cultivating in Mount Yishan, how could he not recognize that besides the crops in the fields and the miscellaneous trees on the shore, most of them were dove trees, as well as wild loquat and ice powder fruit trees.

It seems that these Daoists have never forgotten the desserts he made when they were on Mount Yishan years ago.

"How is Fellow Daoist Liu's injury?" Master Jiang asked.

"Much better." Lin Jue said, "She has high Daoist cultivation and high skills, so she heals very quickly."

"So that tiger demon was actually a remnant soul fragment of the Corpse Tiger King. Fellow Daoist Qingyao didn't tell us, and if you didn't say it, we wouldn't know." Master Qingxuan raised his cup, "This is our fault, and we must thank Fellow Daoist Lin and Fellow Daoist Qingyao for helping us again."

"Just thank my junior sister." Lin Jue shook his head, "That Corpse Tiger King has quite a lot of skills."

"In this day and age, most yaoguai that have become spirits have good life-saving skills, otherwise they wouldn't have gone far." Master Qingxuan said, "On the contrary, humans are much worse."

"But it is humans who are flourishing."

"Humans often protect other things."

"What you said, brother, has deep meaning."

"Hu Yan, nonsense." Master Qingxuan laughed, "Then Fellow Daoist, now with Yushan..."

"Old grudges of the sect, we have been at odds for a long time. I originally thought that was the matter of our predecessors, and in our generation, we could resolve it, but now that I think about it, there is a reason for this discord." Lin Jue smiled, not hiding anything in front of these old acquaintances, "Two days ago, Lord Nan came to mediate, it should have been Yushan that went to him."

"What did you say, Fellow Daoist?"

"I didn't say anything. My junior sister doesn't care, and I've vented my anger, so I don't care anymore, let them go and repair the Daoist temple and heal their injuries, anyway, I can't afford that silver."

"Haha, Fellow Daoist's temperament..."

"A few days ago, a Daoist from Yushan also came, it was a Daoist who went to Mount Modu together, and he also wanted to ask Fellow Daoist Qingxuan to mediate." Master Jiang said lightly, "Probably Yushan is also divided into two factions; those who have been to Mount Modu to guard the city and protect the people have been rescued by you, Fellow Daoist, so there is one more point of friendship with you. However, Yushan is too old and outdated, and it is difficult to unify opinions."

"Oh? What did you say, brother?" Lin Jue looked at Master Qingxuan.

"Although brother is willing to do a good deed, he is also angry, and thinking from your perspective, he didn't agree." Master Jiang lowered his head to pour tea.

"Acquaintances have priority, and friendship has depth." Master Qingxuan said with a smile.

Lin Jue smiled and said nothing.

Sitting here drinking tea, the wind makes people unable to open their eyes, but the lotus leaves and lotus flowers swaying wildly are a magnificent sight, which also makes people unwilling to leave.

"This visit, besides not returning for a long time and coming to visit friends, is also to inform several fellow Daoists that I will be in seclusion in the capital for three years, without going out, and I hope you know."

"Three years without going out?" Master Qingxuan raised his eyebrows.

"Exactly."

"You only went for three years, and just after returning, you want to go for another three years. Sure enough, the cultivation of the Spirit Method Sect really doesn't care about the cold and heat of the years." Master Qingxuan shook his head repeatedly, "How can this make me miss you."

"Third Shixiong, don't joke."

"How is it a joke? Do you think no one misses you, Fellow Daoist?" Master Qingxuan said, "I miss you very much!"

Master Jiang next to him ignored him and boiled tea silently.

Ma Ma Shidi also pretended not to hear, just drinking tea with his head down.

"When I am in seclusion to refine pills, it is not good to be disturbed, but the world is in chaos and the situation is uncertain. In troubled times, people and gods often lose their etiquette and ignore the order. Although I have invited some protectors, if there is a situation they cannot handle, please help me, brother and fellow Daoist." Lin Jue said sincerely.

"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist." Master Qingxuan heard this and also became serious instantly, "You have helped us more than once or twice, Fellow Daoist."

"It seems this is a critical time for you, Fellow Daoist." Master Jiang did not look up, but his voice came out, "My Husheng Husheng Zhenjun's promise is worth a thousand gold; your contribution to my Husheng Husheng Zhenjun has not been used yet."

"Thank you, two fellow Daoists."

"What do you think of this scene, Fellow Daoist?" Master Jiang asked suddenly.

"This scene?" Lin Jue turned his head to look, only to see the wind blowing the lotus, and the world was cool and free, "It's a good scenery."

"Cultivating here the day before yesterday, I suddenly had an interest and painted this place, which is quite similar to today's scenery. Why not give it to you, Fellow Daoist, as a return gift? Hang it in the room when you are in seclusion, so as to relieve the stuffiness in the room and add some freedom of mountain wind." Master Jiang said. "Oh? You can paint, Fellow Daoist?"

Master Jiang was boiling tea, so he asked Ma Ma Shidi to take the painting.

Whoosh! Open the painting and hold it in the chaotic wind!

It is a light ink painting.

The lotus leaves painted with ink tilted chaotically, as if swaying and dancing in the chaotic wind, the lotus flowers in the middle were colored, more than today, and also dancing chaotically in the wind, the blooming ones had their petals blown away, and the unopened ones were blown open by the wind, the whole pond was rippling, although the wind was not seen, the wind was in the pond, I think if someone sat in the painting, they would also be squinting in the wind.

It is really the same as this situation.

"Good painting..."

After Lin Jue took it, he looked up and down.

Besides the painting, there was nothing on the paper.

Master Qingxuan saw this and had the same idea as him, and said with a smile: "The painting was just made, it hasn't been titled or stamped, and no poem has been written. Ma Ma Shidi, why don't you go and get the pen and seal for your Third Third Shixiong Jiang."

"My learning is shallow, I can't write poems or titles." Master Jiang shook his head.

"Writing a few lines of long and short sentences is also fine." Master Qingxuan said, "Then write the year, month, location, and the junior brother's name in small letters in the corner, and give it to whoever it is."

!

"I can't do it well."

"Then it's better to think about it for a few days, anyway, now that the words are titled and the signature is dropped, it won't dry immediately." Master Qingxuan said, "When you go to the city to buy things in a few days, send it to your residence, Fellow Daoist."

"That's fine."

Master Jiang nodded, so he put away the painting again.

Ma Ma Shidi, who had just stood up, sat down again.

Lin Jue smiled and didn't say much.

Sitting until dusk, he left.

The junior sister's injuries gradually healed.

Lin Jue was also prepared in the courtyard.

Because of Master Fan Tian's departure, Lord Pan had rarely returned in recent years, and this courtyard was almost vacant, so Wan Xinrong and the others asked the Ministry of Rites and all moved into this courtyard.

Dozens of armored soldiers kept getting bigger, standing in the courtyard.

A wooden pill was enshrined in the niche of the main room.

The junior sister, the colored civet, and the white egret were all in the courtyard.

At this time, Lin Jue had already sat in the quiet room.

The quiet room was also changed, replacing bamboo and wood with more fire-resistant materials, and a large pill furnace was placed in the middle.

Lin Jue even asked the fox to go to the Fourth Third Third Shixiong's Mount Shimen and borrow the Fourth Third Third Shixiong's fire-resistant clothes—although after going down the South Mountain, his physique was significantly enhanced, but in this seclusion for a thousand days, facing the spirit fire of the furnace every day, it was more comfortable to wear fire-resistant clothes.

In the quiet room, besides a wooden shelf, there were a thousand taels of gold and various pill materials, and there was only an ink painting hanging on the wall.

On the painting were lotus flowers in the wind, lifelike; when people saw it, it seemed as if they could blow the gale of a cloudy day in late summer, and their hair would flutter with the lotus leaves and lotus flowers, forming a sharp contrast with this stuffy quiet room.

A poem was written on it, written casually but appropriately:

The sour wind messes up the lotus flower clothes, with the intention of showing me the true meaning.

Summer has reached autumn, could it be that fallen leaves send spring thoughts?

Below is Master Jiang's title, signature, and seal.

Lin Jue stood in front of the painting, looking carefully.

The time in his hand had reached a good day and auspicious time.

Lin Jue then withdrew his gaze and turned around.

"Fuyao."

"Ying!"

The fox's expression was serious, and it immediately opened its mouth:

"Hoo..."

A mouthful of fierce flames rushed into the pill furnace.

The whole room instantly became scorching hot.

Lin Jue sat cross-legged on the ground, concentrating on it.

Seeing that the heat was appropriate, he waved his hand, and the thousand taels of gold were the first to be thrown into it, little by little becoming soft and melting, then turning red and bright, turning into golden water, and being held in the furnace tripod.

There are many people in the world who use refining pills to collect wealth, or who are superstitious about gold, silver, lead, and mercury; where do they know that in refining this Golden Core, the least valuable thing is this thousand taels of gold. And in this thousand taels of gold, only the unique essence and spirit rhyme in the gold are taken, and the rest are dross.

And this kind of refining will take about fifty days.

If you say it outside, it is forty-nine days.

The person who burned the fire changed from the fox to the junior sister, and then rotated back, only Lin Jue was always here, concentrating as one.

Occasionally distracted, it was to blow the free mountain wind in the painting on the wall.

(End of chapter)