Chapter 552: Another Golden Age

"Junior Minister, may I ask who that is??"

An official followed behind the old monk, asking curiously, while unable to help but look back at the several figures behind.

The old monk just laughed and said:

"Just an old friend."

Old friend? Such a young old friend?

The official couldn't help but look back again, but with just this short glance, those figures were no longer visible on the long street behind. He couldn't help but stop, stretch his neck to look a few more times, but couldn't find them either.

At the same time, they had already met up with First Third Third Shixiong.

This was a very ordinary Jiangnan courtyard. There were no stone bricks on the ground, just mud. A withered tree was planted in the middle, surrounded by several houses. First Third Third Shixiong had already set up the alchemy room.

Lin Jue walked to the withered tree and looked at it carefully.

"It's a pear tree."

Really good, his "Blooming in an Huakai Qingke" also came from a pear tree at the very beginning.

However, this tree had been unattended for a long time and had already withered and died. In this autumn, which should have been full of fruits, there wasn't even a single leaf.

Lin Jue smiled slightly.

With just this smile, the withered tree regained its vitality. Buds began to emerge on the branches, growing into flower buds, and in the blink of an eye, the whole tree bloomed with pear blossoms like snow.

Not only did it bloom, but it also truly came alive.

The roots quickly turned from dry to fresh and tender, beginning to absorb moisture from the ground, and the dry and brittle bark also began to have a little moisture.

"Third Third Shixiong, refine the pills," Lin Jue said. "We will also hitch a ride with Third Third Shixiong, live in this Jiangnan water town for a few years, and feel the prosperity of Yangzhou, which is different from the capital."

"Mm."

First Third Third Shixiong entered the alchemy room.

Ji Yin followed him in, and the other disciples also followed in at Lin Jue's signal.

With their gradually increasing Dao practice, they were no longer just able to steal lessons and take the opportunity to realize cultivation, but could also help by calling the wind and urging the fire to do odd jobs.

The Xiao Xiao Shimei was still standing in the courtyard, looking down at the ground and then at the tree trunk, and said:

"Is this 'Blooming in an Huakai Qingke' or 'Taking Life and Granting Longevity'?"

"I can't say for sure either."

The one that blooms is naturally "Blooming in an Huakai Qingke," but making a withered tree that has been dead for I don't know how many years and has no vitality at all come alive, turning from death to life, is not something that can be done by "Taking Life and Granting Longevity" alone.

Perhaps there is also some Dao of life and death in it.

This also made Lin Jue realize—

After the immortality supernatural power is cultivated, besides one's own soul dispersing and re-gathering, and the physical body breaking and reconnecting, and vitality and life being endless, it seems that one can also bring others back from the dead.

"Third Third Shixiong's skills are getting stronger and stronger," the Xiao Xiao Shimei said again. "It seems Third Third Shixiong is much more diligent than in the illusionary realm."

Lin Jue smiled without saying a word.

Naturally so.

Relying solely on the immortality supernatural power can at most guarantee not being killed and annihilated by the Fuchi Yili Shenjun, but it cannot protect Fuyao and the people he wants to protect, let alone defeat the Fuchi Yili Shenjun. Naturally, other supernatural powers are needed to assist. He mainly chose "Blooming in an Huakai Qingke," "Taking Life and Granting Longevity," and the "Soul-Extinguishing Technique."

In the days leading up to this, a lot of hard work was spent on this. If it were the future, he would undoubtedly spend more energy on this.

The Xiao Xiao Shimei's eyes were flickering.

Actually, what she wanted to say was not that Third Third Shixiong was more diligent than in the illusionary realm, but that he was not as leisurely and free as in the illusionary realm.

It was because people's thoughts are contradictory: who doesn't know the overbearingness of the Purple Emperor and the oppressive feeling of the Fuchi Yili Shenjun? She also knew that being more diligent was right in itself, and she herself secretly used more effort. She was a person who liked to work hard secretly, but she also understood Third Third Shixiong's character. Seeing Third Third Shixiong worried about the future, how could she not feel heartache?

"This is the dojo of Emperor Yu Jian. Since he promised us, nothing should happen. The three of us, Third Third Shixiong, me, and Fuyao, only need one to guard here," the Xiao Xiao Shimei said. "Work and rest combined, in our leisure time, let's go and stroll around Yangzhou and Jiangnan? We can also call Fellow Daoist Jiang."

"Naturally, we can."

Lin Jue agreed fully.

The fox sat in place, its expression serious and unchanged, but its eyes were flickering—

Three people, leave one to guard here?

Leave who? It's really hard to guess!

Whoosh! Fire had already been ignited in the alchemy room.

Both people and the fox turned their heads to look, but they were already very used to this and didn't pay much attention to it.

A pear blossom drifted down and landed on the fox's head.

This tree of pear blossoms didn't bloom for many days.

When Daoist Jiang descended to the mortal realm, turned into an ordinary female Daoist, and went boating, drinking tea, and playing with Lin Jue and the Xiao Xiao Shimei, the fox and the colored civet were also playing and climbing trees in the courtyard. At this time, there was a piece of tender leaves between the pear blossoms, mixed with the pear blossoms.

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lin Jue and the Xiao Xiao Shimei were sitting in the courtyard cultivating, but a god came from the moon, bringing attendants to send them wine and pastries.

Saying:

"It's not easy for a fellow Daoist to return to us, how can we let the fellow Daoist spend the festival coldly like in the capital?"

She should be talking about when Lin Jue was refining pills in the capital.

When the Xiao Xiao Shimei was refining pills in the capital last time, although they had no friendship with the Purple Emperor's divine system, they had a deep relationship with the mortal Emperor. During festivals, Lord Luo would definitely not forget them, and the tribute wine and pastries from the Imperial Kitchen in the palace were also not bad, which could satisfy the immortals' cravings.

At this time, the pear tree in the courtyard was already lush and green.

When it came to the cold winter season, other pear trees in the city had already withered and fallen. It happened that Yangzhou had its first snow, and snow fell on the branches. Suddenly, like a spring breeze coming overnight, thousands of pear trees bloomed.

The fox and the colored civet were rolling in the snow in the courtyard again.

At this time, the pear tree in the courtyard was full of fruits, without insect pests or diseases, not pecked by birds, and nourished by spiritual energy, it grew exceptionally well, emitting wisps of faint and alluring pear fragrance.

Pedestrians kept passing by the courtyard, occasionally smelling a little, and were all very surprised.

But even if a naughty child approached the small courtyard and looked in through the crack of the door, they could only see a desolate courtyard.

"Click..."

Lin Jue stood under the tree, reaching out at will, and could touch a heavy and fragrant pear. With a light force, it was a plump fruit. Just holding it in his hand, he could feel its juiciness.

He just wiped it on his Daoist robe and took a bite.

"Crunch!"

It was indeed full of juice.

Their own fox, Xiaohua, and Xiao Xiao Shimei all gathered around.

Lin Jue picked two more, handed them to them, and said: "If you can't finish it, you'll get a beating."

The Xiao Xiao Shimei picked one herself, wiped it casually, and took a bite.

Lin Jue asked her: "How is it?"

"Delicious! It's like the pears from Dangshan back then!"

"Haha..."

Lin Jue called the disciples out to pick pears.

Cultivating to this point, even if it were Xu Yi or Pu Mei, they would be high-level Daoist cultivators if placed in the outside world. Xian Zhu became a disciple later, but first, she had Dao practice when she became a disciple, and second, her talent was also very good, and she already had not shallow Dao practice skills. However, the joy of harvesting and picking fruits is something even the Celestial Lord would be addicted to. This group of "high people" had also watered and thinned the fruits for it, and they were also full of interest.

In the sky full of snowflakes, the courtyard was full of joy.

This tree of pears filled two large baskets.

After picking the fruits, the tree slowly shed its leaves.

In the freezing cold, some small demons who had just entered the city searched for unoccupied houses and courtyards to live in. They accidentally ran here, thinking that this courtyard was unoccupied. As a result, as soon as they entered, they inexplicably walked out again. The iron-headed and stupid ones didn't know the reason and wanted to try a few more times. After coming a few more times, they got the taste of it. Some fled in terror, some bowed and apologized for mercy, and only then did they thank and leave.

There were also thieves who came at night, and they also walked out as soon as they entered the courtyard, as if entering the door was leaving the door.

After reacting, they were not much different from those small demons.

By the next spring, the growth pattern of this pear tree was the same as other pear trees in the city. The pear fruit fragrance in the winter became a mystery that the nearby people couldn't solve.

Outside Yangzhou city, there were households, a piece of green mountains, and a few thatched cottages. During the transition between spring and summer, they were full of bitter neem flowers, light purple and gray like smoke, quiet and gentle.

An old man was taking his grandson in the courtyard.

The old man's surname was Tang, and he was originally from Huizhou. He liked strange arts and immortal stories all his life. When he was young, although the previous dynasty already had a twilight atmosphere, it was relatively peaceful. He watched people perform magic on the streets of Yi County, Huizhou. There were Daoists who rubbed grass into fireflies and scattered wheat into butterflies, Daoists who spat fire into dragons, and Daoists who turned stones into faces with their hands. Later, when he arrived in the capital, he personally saw True Person Lin subdue a stone horse on the street, returned from eliminating demons in Jinping County, secretly recorded many stories of True Person Lin, and because of some literary fame in the capital, he worked as a historian in the palace and personally saw True Person Lin fight with the Great Zu Dharma Master in the palace.

In his later years, after several twists and turns, he went to Jiangnan to be an official, passed by his hometown in Huizhou, and also visited Flying Mountain.

His heart had accumulated countless strange immortal magic stories. At this moment, it was the time to retire to the countryside and enjoy his later years, so he told them in detail to his grandson in the courtyard under the sunset.

The child was naturally listening with relish.

It was just that neither the old man nor the child knew that at this moment, on the small path outside the courtyard, also under a few bitter neem trees with light purple flowers like smoke clouds, there were two Daoists, a man and a woman, leading a paper donkey from their youth, carrying a wine gourd and walking slowly past.

Summer flowers and autumn leaves, Jiangnan in various weather, three years passed in the blink of an eye.

First Third Third Shixiong refined pills here, which took three years.

Then Second Third Third Shixiong refined pills for another three years.

Time passed leisurely, truly like flowing water.

Dharma Master Yun Chan in Jiangnan was getting older and older, so old that he could almost no longer walk. The old man surnamed Tang outside the city had already passed away, and Second Third Third Shixiong's Golden Core was refined at this time.

It happened to be the transition between the old and the new. On New Year's Eve, Yangzhou was incomparably lively. People were crowding people on the street, everywhere were colored lanterns and torches, romantic young masters, scholars, young ladies who hadn't been out for a long time, high-ranking officials, and even demons and ghosts mixed in the city showed their figures. There were also gods from the Nine Heavens who came down to the mortal realm to watch the lantern festival at this time and share the mortal feast.

There was also a group of Daoists standing on the side of the street. Although they were not gods, they were like gods, watching the demons, ghosts, and local gods in the darkness.

It was just that they didn't manage the demons and ghosts, nor did they manage the local gods, just watching the people coming and going in front of them and the joy on people's faces, couldn't help but sigh:

"It's already a golden age again!" ===== CHAPTER 553 =====