Kurosawa Prefecture, some barren mountain.
"It should...it's here."
Xu Changqing wore a straw hat and a straw raincoat, carrying a bamboo basket, and looked at the clouds in the deep mountains: "Grandpa... According to those people in the market, this unknown deep mountain seems to be living in seclusion with real Taoist people who practice."
"Well, you can go and explore, but you must also be careful."
Sulu reminded calmly.
After the last careful matter was resolved, Xiaozhai Village had no other external troubles.
Xu Changqing's cultivation has reached the point of refining gods, and there is no way to martial arts, so he must embark on a journey of seeking immortals and seeking Taoism.
In this regard, Sulu gave him two suggestions.
The first one is to join the government!
The Daluo court can suppress the Jiuzhou and serve immortals. There should be no shortage of internal immortal cultivation techniques. After joining the Demon-Suppressing Department and other institutions, they will gradually accumulate merits and will be exchanged sooner or later.
However, Xu Changqing just killed a ninth-rank inspector, and was guilty, and he didn't have much affection for the government, so he refused directly.
The second suggestion is to find some sects of immortal cultivation.
Sulu has no good clues in this regard, so he can only let Xu Changqing search for the traces of immortals in Kurosawa Prefecture.
If you can't find it in the mansion, you can only expand the scope to Lingzhou.
"To be honest... it's so dangerous in the wild, especially in this kind of deserted mountain, is there really anyone living there?"
Xu Changqing was inexplicably shuddered when he thought about his experience in the wild these days.
If I hadn't been refining my spirit, plus the old man's tips and some luck, I might have been buried on the roadside.
This also gave him a deep understanding of why the villagers of this era were unwilling to migrate.
"Of course not, ordinary people, exceptions are for monks!"
Sulu replied: "I just hope it's not the rumors like the previous few times..."
This is not the first place Xu Changqing looked for. He had found several Taoist priests who were said to have cultivation.
But after testing, I found that most of them were charlatans. Occasionally, a few of them practiced martial arts, and even he couldn't beat them, which made Xu Changqing speechless.
"This should be a bit real, otherwise I wouldn't dare to live in the wilderness and mountains."
Xu Changqing stepped into the foggy mountain range: "And... the legend about this old Taoist has been circulating for decades... A woodcutter said before that he had met him. It seems that he might have really mastered the secret of immortality?"
"Yes or no, you can tell at a glance."
Sulu remained silent.
There is no path in Wuming Mountain, but Xu Changqing's martial arts skills are already good. He walks through many strange rocks, like walking on flat ground.
Half a day passed quickly, and he stopped by a spring without any gain.
"The feeling of this mountain is not right, so it's best not to use local things..." Sulu reminded.
"yes."
Xu Changqing put down his hand that was about to scoop spring water and turned to grab the wine bag around his waist.
In ancient times, the alcohol content was very low, and it was not easy to get drunk or deteriorate. It was a good backup option when it was inconvenient to get water on long-distance travel.
He took a few sips of wine and felt the stimulating smell go down through his throat. His body, which was originally attacked by the cold, suddenly became a little warm.
After a while, Xu Changqing found a stone and sat down, preparing to eat the dry food he brought.
After gnawing a few bites of steamed buns, his ears twitched and he heard a song:
"The appearance of Confucius is that Tao follows. Tao is a thing, but it is vague..."
This means that virtue is determined by Tao. However, the "Tao" has no fixed form.
"This is a Tao song!"
Xu Changqing became energetic and stood up to chase the song where it came.
Not long after, he saw an old Taoist priest.
The other party was wearing a dark and tattered Taoist robe and walking through the mountains and forests with a wooden stick.
"Please stay, please stay!"
Xu Changqingfei flew in front of him and stopped the old Taoist, but was shocked.
The Taoist man had a half-black and half-white hair, his cheeks were protruding, his teeth were sparse, and his facial features such as his eyes and nose were somewhat subtle and inconsistent, just like someone put them on at will, and it was indescribable.
But he was just surprised and saluted respectfully on the surface: "Xu Changqing, I have seen Zhen Xiu!"
"I am not a true cultivator... I am just a seeker living in the deep mountains." The old Taoist priest spoke, his voice hoarse and slow, as if he was a broken bellows: "What's the matter if you come to find me?"
"Seeking immortals! I want to learn the method of cultivating immortals!"
Xu Changqing looked firm.
If you don’t cultivate immortality? How to recover the blood debts of Xiaozhai Village?
"Immortal?" The old Taoist priest smiled softly: "In your opinion, what is an immortal?"
"This..." Xu Changqing couldn't answer, followed Su Lu's suggestion and asked back: "I'd like to ask my father-in-law for advice."
"Immortals are Tao! The so-called seeking immortals is actually just seeking Tao!" the old Taoist priest said solemnly.
"What is 'Tao'?"
"The Tao is a thing, only vague. It is vague and vague, and there are images in it; it is vague and vague, and there are objects in it; it is dark and dark, and there is essence in it, and its essence is very true and there is faith in it. From now on, its name has not been removed, so I can read the whole world..."
The old Taoist chanted and said, "We are just humble, small and ignorant people... why are we close to the Tao? Only by seeking the "outer pill"! I think you have some strength to contribute to the "outer pill" refined by the old Taoist. Are you willing to help me?"
"willing!"
Xu Changqing said without hesitation.
"Good!" The old Taoist brushed his sparse beard and smiled: "On the day when the elixir is completed, I will give you one to help you get the shortcut."
...
"Grandpa..."
Following the old Taoist and recalling his smile, Xu Changqing actually felt that the other person's face was a little blurred.
He asked in his heart: "Is this person a real monk?"
"Who told you that he is human?"
Sulu asked a question.
"Not a human?!"
Xu Changqing's hair stood up and felt that there was something terrible hidden under the other party's dilapidated Taoist robe.
"Mr. Xu?"
The old Taoist turned back as if he was aware: "What happened?"
"No...it's okay."
Xu Changqing reluctantly responded, feeling that as the sky was dim, the horror on the other party was constantly reviving.
...
The old Taoist priest built a hut in the nameless deserted mountains, and his residence was a thatched hut.
He took Xu Changqing to the thatched hut and shouted: "Qingfeng, bright moon!"
Two Taoist boys came out of the thatched hut and called him Master.
Their lips and teeth are white, their eyebrows are a little cinnabar mole, and their smiles are innocent and brilliant, which makes Xu Changqing feel much more relaxed.
The old Taoist priest took him to an alchemy furnace and said, "The old Taoist wants to refine the 'outer alchemy', but he lacks a few medicinal herbs and uses flint. It depends on how much strength you have..."
"Please rest assured that all the firewood, charcoal and fire are required, I will take care of it."
Chapter completed!