Chapter 466: The Path Once Traveled

"Eat."

Lin Jue sat in the meditation room, with a wooden carving, a big-headed ghost, and several dozen taels of silver in front of him.

The Silver-Eating Ghost looked at him timidly, very uneasy.

"True, Immortal, you have achieved the Dao."

His words were full of uncertainty and worry about the future.

After achieving the Dao, the Spirit Origin Pill was useless. Moreover, most people after achieving the Dao would either go to the mountains for quiet cultivation, becoming a pure mountain Immortal, or be recruited by the Nine Heavens, going to the sky to be granted a clear divine position or a nominal title, enjoying incense while cultivating. In any case, no matter which one, they rarely touched the yellow and white things of the human world again.

"I have indeed achieved the Dao," Lin Jue smiled at him. "But don't worry, I still have Fuyao, my Xiao Shimei, and many junior disciples. I will also take disciples. If you are willing to leave, just tell me at any time and you can go. If you are unwilling to leave, I can continue to provide for you. This is my promise to you."

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..."

The Silver-Eating Ghost's worries vanished, and he became respectful and fearful again.

"But this is indeed my last bit of silver," Lin Jue sighed. "After eating this, if I continue to provide for you, I'm afraid I'll have to rely on my Xiao Shimei to fund it."

"I won't starve if I eat a little less..."

"Hahaha! Eat!"

Lin Jue watched it finish eating, spat out the Spirit Origin Pill, collected it in several white jade pill bottles, prepared to give them to the Eldest Shixiong and Second Shixiong's disciples later, then went out the door and walked into the kitchen.

Reaching out, he grabbed the soaked dried bamboo shoots from the water basin and threw them on the cutting board.

With a flick of his wrist, a flying sword appeared in his hand.

The Daoist's expression didn't change at all. With a light stroke of his hand, the dried bamboo shoots were split down the middle.

Then he pointed at the flying sword and said:

"Cut into slices."

The flying sword moved automatically.

"Duo duo duo..."

The uniform and neat sound rang out, making one feel happy, as if returning to the nights of preparing food at home during festivals in childhood, the firelight reflected on the wall, and the dried bamboo shoots were cut into uniform slices.

Then he took a piece of salted meat and, amidst the water vapor and firelight, placed it on the cutting board with a slap.

"Cut into thin slices."

The flying sword swiped lightly, and the salted meat was cut into thin slices, uniform and neat, each piece almost the same thickness, not sticking to the sword body at all.

"Cut the mushrooms into thin slices too."

The flying sword could slay demon kings and cut mushrooms.

Little Xiao Shimei next to him was kneading dough with a huff and a puff.

Lin Jue was smug: "Automatic cooking."

"Hmm? Shixiong? You?"

"Oh, forgot about you."

"Anyway, make a little more. I'll take two bowls back for my Ziyun and Senior Hua to taste. Otherwise, we are eating and drinking well here, while my Ziyun might be eating who knows what at Senior Hua's place."

"How will you take it back?"

"I can also seal water into ice."

"That works."

Ji Yin and Ji Yang sat in front of the stove together, unable to tell if they were burning fire or playing, because burning fire in a wood stove was a fun and interesting thing.

Little Xiao Shimei was extra serious when kneading the dough, her expression looking as if she were helping.

The pot bubbled, heat rose, adding a different atmosphere to the kitchen.

Ji Yin and Ji Yang looked up and asked:

"Does Eighth Shishu have any secret for making flat noodles? Usually on the mountain, when Master doesn't know what to eat, or doesn't want to eat anything else, he always tells us to eat flat noodles. But Master and Shishu all say that what we make is not as delicious as what Eighth Shishu makes."

"This thing is so simple, what secret could there be?"

Lin Jue stood to the side, motionless, smiling:

"You are all following the recipes I wrote, and the ingredients are the same. It's impossible for me to make it more delicious than you. At most, the heat is different, the saltiness is different, and whether the dough is firm or soft—it's just that the taste is a little different. There is no such thing as which is more delicious. Besides, what I make is different every time. They are just used to what I make. Years later, there will be people used to what you make, thinking about it, and nothing else can replace it."

"We still want to learn from Eighth Shishu."

"Right! Make Master happy!"

"Look at how you've spoiled him..."

Lin Jue smiled and began to explain every step in detail.

How hot the oil should be, how the heat should be, what mushrooms to choose, and how much to use—he explained everything to them.

Before long, pale golden oil floated around the pot, faintly visible was the salted meat that was half bright red and half snow-white, bamboo shoot slices floating up and down, and in the pot were snow-white, wide, and thin noodles, boiled until soft, having absorbed the soup, as if one could imagine its freshness just by looking.

With a wave of the big spoon, there was a bowl.

Bowl after bowl flew out the door automatically.

When Lin Jue and Little Xiao Shimei finally carried the bowls out, several Shixiongs were already sitting under the ancient pine tree eating. In the early morning on the mountain, reflecting a red sun that had just risen and still carried a bit of moisture, amidst the mountain mist and the constantly rising heat, they chatted and laughed.

"After eating this bowl of flat noodles, I am satisfied. I should go see the customs overseas and see if I can find the legendary Long Bo."

The Third Shixiong held the bowl, his mouth full of oil, and said leisurely.

"Tell me if you find him."

"Shidi, quickly give me the remaining half jar of Thousand-Day Wine."

"I have a use for it."

"Sigh..."

"I'll share half with you at most."

"That works too."

Master had been visited, the Mountain God had been visited, and the increasingly elderly Daoist Wangji had also been visited. When the red sun rose higher, many Shixiongs went down the mountain and left.

Some used the Spirit Movement Art, light as a swallow, wind under their feet, stepping on branches and grass tips to go down the mountain. Some leaped and turned into different birds, flying in different directions against the mountain mist and morning light, leaving only empty bowls on the long wooden table under the ancient pine in the temple, not even a drop of soup left, placed in a mess, to be cleaned up by the juniors.

A huge white egret flew leisurely in the distance.

Lin Jue stood on the clouds, riding the clouds.

A fox stood by his feet, followed by a white swan and a sparrow. The sparrow was clever; as it flew, it approached the Daoist and landed on the fox's head.

The fox couldn't help but look up. In the process, its head would turn, and the sparrow had to move its feet, as if performing acrobatics on a rolling ball.

After the fox realized its purpose, it stopped moving.

"Shixiong, are you going back to the capital?"

The swan turned its head and said to Lin Jue.

"I'm not going back to the capital yet."

"Then where are you going first?"

"I'm going to see the road I traveled before. I don't know why I suddenly remembered it. And Shu Village," Lin Jue thought for a while and said. "Since I've obtained the Thousand-Day Wine, I'll take it to Zhong Mountain to visit the Daoist Xuanming who once cultivated in the Nine Dragon Temple, as well as those Immortals who gave us gifts that day."

"The road you traveled before? Then I'm going too!"

"Good," Lin Jue said. "Are you tired from flying?"

"Not tired! It's interesting!"

A moment later, the swan stood on Lin Jue's head.

But this swan was very large and hard to stand on; it had to constantly move its feet to stand steady on Lin Jue's head.

Even so, it stubbornly refused to go down.

After leaving Yishan, the road quickly became familiar.

Lin Jue saw the ocean of bamboo forests all over the mountains, rippling when blown by the wind, and also saw a winding official road in the mountains, as well as a temple by the road.

It wasn't that after achieving the Dao, one had to return home in glory, go back to see, find old things, and pick up memories. Rather, when he went to collect the East Sea morning glow Qi, he stayed in a temple by the sea, and at that time, he remembered the temple he had stayed in at night when he first left the village and passed through the mountains.

He had once felt the first ray of kindness from the monks in the courtyard here because he was young and honest, and he had also obtained the first bit of silver on his journey here.

Since he thought of it, he would come back to see.

Isn't the so-called achieving the Dao and being free and unfettered just being able to do whatever you think of?

"When I first left the village, I walked this road. Because it rained, I was delayed, so I met a demon named Huang Quan. He wanted to scare me, but ended up being scared away by me instead."

Lin Jue pointed to the mountain road below and said to the swan on his head.

"A yellow dog?"

The swan adjusted its posture while moving its feet, multitasking in its busy schedule, and replied to him.

What came out was Little Xiao Shimei's voice.

Over the years, her attainments in this spell had become higher than Lin Jue's. At least when Lin Jue turned into a white egret and spoke, his voice was different from normal, but hers was exactly the same as usual.

"It was indeed a yellow dog," Lin Jue said to her. "That night, I stayed in this temple. The masters of the temple were kind and scooped me thicker porridge, and even gave me the attic to stay in."

"I remember this place! There are ghosts in the attic! Master and I passed by and stayed here for one night too, and heard about you and those two ghosts. Master even told it to you."

"That was his test for me."

"That's right!"

Xiao Shimei seemed to become excited too.

"Let's go down and see."

"Good."

The white clouds fell into the mountains, turned into a mass of mist, and returned to the sky.

Under his feet, the soft white clouds turned into hard land. The surrounding bamboo forest brought coolness even in midsummer. The swan turned into a female Daoist, and the sparrow turned into a colorful cat.

The white fox turned into a bean fox and jumped back onto Lin Jue, and the colorful cat turned into a bean cat, also climbing up along Xiao Shimei's Daoist robe and drilling into her sleeve.

"It's a pity it's not night."

Lin Jue stepped forward, looking as he walked.

A temple soon appeared in front of him.

"Zhubian Temple."

"Kindness is a treasure that can never be used up in a lifetime; the heart is a fertile field that can be cultivated for a hundred generations..."

Lin Jue recited the name of the temple.

Xiao Shimei recited the couplets on both sides.

There was a rustling sound inside.

"Duo duo!"

The light courtyard door opened quickly.

Inside was a slightly chubby old monk, wearing a somewhat tattered monk's robe, holding a broom and looking at them.

"What are the two Daoists..."

"I heard that one can stay here?"

"Yes... one can stay here," the old monk said to them. "However, however, there are very few who come to stay during the day. They all come in the late afternoon and evening. It is still morning now. The two, the two Daoists only need to walk forward for half a day to reach the city."

"We don't want to walk anymore. Can we stay here for a day and rest a little?" Lin Jue said, taking out his ordination certificate. "We are not bad people, but Daoists cultivating on Yishan."

"Yishan..."

The old monk showed a thoughtful look.

It seemed he had some impression.

In recent years, after the world became chaotic, it seemed that the words "Yishan" could be heard from time to time.

He had heard it less before.

As for when he first heard it, he had no impression. ===== CHAPTER 467 =====