[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-book-of-strange-tales":3,"chapter-the-book-of-strange-tales-the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-560":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Book of Strange Tales",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2317840,4532,"Chapter 560: Seeking the Third Senior Brother","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-560",560,"\u003Cp>The sun shifted from east to west, bathing the clouds in radiance, cycling endlessly; the mountaintop continuously rose with spiritual mist, and the immortal trees hung with dewdrops, glistening and emitting mysterious spiritual light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Day after day, the immortal fruits on the tree slowly ripened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fox transformed into a young girl, clad in a loose Daoist robe, cradling a bamboo basket against her chest, her expression solemn as she followed him and Luo Gong, appearing especially obedient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The immortal fruits ripened at different times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue and Luo Gong moved through the grove, searching for those already ripe, plucking them and placing them in the bamboo basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the time for harvest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though immortals lived long lives and time held no meaning in the mountains, decades still counted as long—decades of cultivation and care had finally reached their harvest, naturally filling them with joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, one could truly sense a hint of the Old Heavenly Elder’s delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s one!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fox girl extended her hand, pointing to the tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue turned his head—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed! A fruit larger than a fist hung at the very top of a branch, its golden hue intensified by the dew, reflecting the sun’s brilliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as when Bao Lin first saw it years ago—he knew at once it was no ordinary thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue reached out, and the fruit flew into his hand, then he placed it in the basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fox lowered her head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One, two, three, four, five, six—six already!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she lifted her head again, body and neck still, only her eyes darting rapidly, scanning the surrounding fruits for their size, luster, and spiritual aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fox teacher had her own standards of judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s another one!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fox extended her hand again, pointing beside Luo Gong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Gong turned and reached out, plucking a fruit, unable to resist bringing it to his nose to sniff before placing it in the basket, then murmuring:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, not only is this place serene, but even your food and lodging are far superior to those in the mortal world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could it compare to what you had before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not necessarily! In food, though the palace receives ingredients from every corner of heaven and earth, in truth, aren’t they all things grown on land, flown in the sky, or swum in water? The rare delicacies offered from distant lands—most of them, seven or eight out of ten, come from deep mountains and vast seas, and those deep mountains aren’t necessarily better than Master’s immortal mountain. Moreover, in my view, Xu Yi’s cooking far surpasses my imperial chefs, and these strange immortal fruits grown here are unmatched in the mortal world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue made no rebuttal, only smiling:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xu Yi is my imperial chef.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the eldest disciple, Xu Yi naturally bore the duty of cooking; such tasks must never be left entirely to a junior disciple or junior sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His cooking was directly trained by Lin Jue himself, possessing insights beyond his era. Coupled with decades of experience as an imperial chef, he had cooked for just as long—if not longer—than any palace chef, and in this skill, Xu Yi truly did not lose to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention these immortal fruits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for lodging, Master has surely seen the imperial palace—though attended by servants, the emperor’s chamber is not large, less spacious than the bedrooms of nobles in gardens and mansions outside the palace walls. I once considered rebuilding it, but thought it too wasteful and taxing on the people; the ancients’ reasoning held merit: an emperor should not waste too much time in his sleeping quarters, so I let it be.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Gong paced slowly, observing the fruits as he spoke:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, no matter how quiet the palace, there are always footsteps, always whispers—that’s human nature, unavoidable. I couldn’t possibly command my maids and eunuchs to speak not a word, or order the palace guards not to patrol—that would be too harsh. Even if there were no sound at all, worries would still linger, sleep would still be troubled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But here, it is precisely the opposite.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even at night, the sound of wind, snow, snapping bamboo, bird calls, or deer cries feels peaceful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even with human voices, the mind remains calm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Moreover, the mountains are clear, the waters pure, the spiritual energy abundant, the pavilion no smaller than the imperial chamber, and far more spacious than the cluttered, overstuffed imperial bedroom—in short, I sleep better every day here than in the palace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke slowly, looked slowly, as if time itself did not flow here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, he was utterly at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least in the palace, someone attends to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve known each other since youth—how could Master not know? I was merely a warrior; even a slight change in a companion’s breathing would wake me—how could I ever grow accustomed to being served?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah! If you say so, becoming emperor sounds like a hardship!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then try it yourself, Master?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I couldn’t possibly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s another one!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two men chatted and amused themselves, passing the time, while the fox girl remained solemn, focused on searching for fruit, pointing them out, and staring at them with puzzled eyes—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why were these two so careless in picking fruit?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eight already!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fox lowered her head to count, then resumed darting her eyes everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only her sharp eyes could find them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she still held the basket tightly against her chest, her ten fingers interlocked, perfectly encircling it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, they picked about twenty fruits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yuanqiu Immortal Trees bore fruit slowly, yet each tree produced many—even if still small, each bore at least dozens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exactly ten Yuanqiu trees had been planted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were more seeds, but this plant required spiritual energy to thrive; though Fengshan was a geomantic treasure, and this spot its spiritual nexus, it still paled beside Yuanqiu Mountain itself—all spiritual energy came from Lin Jue’s cultivation, and even the original Danfruit Tree drew some away; planting ten was already the limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten was not few; as his cultivation grew, he could plant more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were merely the first batch to ripen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Luo, try one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such immortal fruits—surely one is enough?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s incorrect. Only the first fruit yields the strongest effect; the second is greatly diminished. But even if it had no effect at all, it’s still a fruit—delicious to eat.” Lin Jue smiled and handed him one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Makes sense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Gong reached out and took it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three—man, old man, and fox—each took one; the laborers enjoyed first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue calculated the time—it was nearly at a crucial moment:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the illusion, only one had truly attained Dao—the Third Senior Brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had mocked himself for forgetting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since their single meeting years ago, the Third Senior Brother had vanished; it was said he wandered endlessly, seeking traces of Long Wang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was truly envious of the junior brother and of Long Wang of Fuqiu Temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But such beings as Long Wang might be encountered once or twice in chaotic times, yet were far harder to find in peaceful eras.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His attitude was simple: find him if possible, otherwise treat it as a journey across the world—he had horses, companions, palaces, pavilions, maids, and attendants; after sailing the seas for over twenty years, seeing countless lands only described in books, he finally found the legendary Longwang Kingdom shortly after the Purple Emperor’s first campaign against demons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet here, one immortal sea demon had attained Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the illusion, the Third Senior Brother said several Long Wang had wished to follow him, yet barely escaped death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This left him severely wounded, hindering his cultivation until, on his deathbed, he suddenly awakened and attained Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But because of this, his cultivation remained shallow; without consuming a Golden Core or the blessings of the Five Elements, his combat abilities were limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How curious—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if guided by a shared intuition, just as Lin Jue thought of him, a five-colored auspicious cloud drifted from the horizon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior Brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the cloud stood a figure, looking down at him, while a cat’s head cautiously peered from the cloud’s edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little Flower has come?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When will we go find the Third Senior Brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fate has its own design. Since you’ve come today, shall we go today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perfect!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a flash, the fox girl looked up at her—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This person is imitating Little Flower’s speech!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fresh Yuanqiu fruit, just picked—try one.” Lin Jue turned, took a fruit from the fox girl’s tightly clasped arms, and tossed it into the air, “Let me make arrangements before we leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group rode the cloud down to the pavilion below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xu Yi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The latest ripened Yuanqiu fruits—the first batch.” Lin Jue reached out, lifting the basket from the fox girl’s arms, glancing inside, “Count how many people are with your Grand Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother, and also your Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Senior Brothers—go deliver these to them, let them taste.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Figure it out however you like.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue took a few more immortal fruits from the basket before handing it to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Yuanqiu fruits on the mountaintop are ripening gradually—keep a close watch; don’t let the mountain’s demons or spirits steal them. If any mortals with destiny find their way here, giving them one fruit is fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue paused:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you yourselves grow hungry, you may pick and eat them too—but control yourselves—don’t eat them all. Leave at least half. These Yuanqiu fruits are rare; perhaps other True Ones elsewhere may be interested, and you could trade them for spiritual gold or treasures to forge your artifacts—useful when you travel the world, or for things like Golden Essence or Fire Ginseng, which you’ll need too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>High-grade Golden Essence, thousand-year Fire Ginseng—precious before immortality, yet for True Ones or Immortals who had long attained Dao, they were not unheard of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuanqiu fruits were rare enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, they existed only in the Yuanqiu Immortal Realm, within the Old Heavenly Elder’s domain; even if True Lords or Divine Spirits entered the realm and planted seeds, they did so only in the Nine Heavens, never transmitting them to the mortal world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In terms of benefit to mortals, no high-grade Golden Essence, thousand-year Fire Ginseng, or Dragon Whiskers and Phoenix Feathers compared to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It depended on whether these immortals needed them—or cared at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would still be more than enough to exchange for some Spirit Gold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How to help his disciples go as far as possible, even assist them in glimpsing the True Dao, had been a matter Lin Jue pondered for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pitiful is the heart of every master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yi nodded solemnly—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, convey this to Senior Sister: tell her to visit Elder Brother and bring him and his disciples some Immortal Fruits to taste; also tell Third Sister and Younger Brother to go to the mountain peak and cultivate using the spiritual aura of the fruits, nourished by the celestial qi, the essence of sun and moon, and the wind, frost, rain, and dew, and meanwhile watch over the fruit grove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the way, to be safe, it would be best to invite Master’s friend Bai Lu as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it sleeps in the trees anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What tree isn’t a tree?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An Immortal Tree would be even better!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Luo, we must sail out to sea to find one of our senior brothers and help him out of a bind,” Lin Jue said to Luo Gong. “I may be away for a while.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go ahead. I still have Lei Gong, Master Jia, and your young disciple to keep me company.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue quickly packed, summoned the fox girl, and instead of summoning Thunder Clouds, rode upon Third Sister’s five-colored auspicious cloud as they flew eastward.\u003C\u002Fp>",1973,"2026-06-20T14:45:37.804Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5e4bc21c55c5c09300c012198d1a7ab0aaaed5351cd45341dd5de232b83fa949","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-561","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-559",608,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-book-of-strange-tales-cover.jpg"]