Chapter 4

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Luo Yuangong received the token of the sect leader with both hands, showing the respect due, and as he returned to his place, he couldn't help but sigh when he looked at Tang Susu and Su Po.

There was nothing to be done; at this moment, Tang Mu was not afraid of any pressure. Even if everyone in the sect opposed him, it wouldn't work. Appointing a successor as the sect leader was a power granted by the sect rules. Who could outplay Tang Mu if he insisted on doing this before his death?

"Everyone, remember, after my death, do not announce it, or it will bring great disaster to the Shangqing Sect!" Tang Mu issued another last command in public.

Everyone looked at each other, not understanding what he meant. The few elders exchanged glances, all showing signs of worry, as if they had sensed something.

After a while, the other inner disciples dispersed, leaving only the three elders, Tang Yi, and Wei Duo in the hall.

At this moment, Elder Luo Yuangong asked in a solemn voice, "Sect Leader, you and Dongguo Haoran led your disciples away, and now you return in such a state. What happened? Who injured you?"

Tang Mu stood there, forcing a calm response, "I am too exhausted. Wait until my junior brother takes over as sect leader, then you can ask him your questions."

Tang Susu's face turned cold, "Recently, there have been rumors that the Shang Mirror has reappeared. Could it be that Sect Leader and Dongguo Haoran were injured while trying to seize the Shang Mirror?"

Mentioning the "Shang Mirror," everyone in the room showed a change in expression, staring intently at Tang Mu.

The "Shang Mirror" was a significant artifact. Although the world was now divided among seven major powers, it was ultimately built on the foundation of the Wu Kingdom. The first great cultivator, Shang Song, could have lived a carefree life, but for some reason, he suddenly got involved in secular affairs, unifying the world and establishing the Wu Kingdom, where he became the emperor. He suppressed all cultivators, claiming it was to prevent conflicts between cultivators and ordinary people. Later, in his quest for immortality, Shang Song violated his original intentions and created a hole in the sky, causing a massive influx of spiritual energy from the heavens, making it impossible for the cultivation world not to flourish. Shang Song's wife, the Wu Kingdom's Empress Lige, remained true to her original intentions and tried to mend the sky, but both of them disappeared in the process.

After the couple's disappearance, the hundreds of feudal states that were once under their rule could no longer be controlled, leading to continuous wars that lasted until the present day.

Legend had it that Shang Song created a set of eight magical treasures. Both Shang Song's breaking of the sky and Lige's mending of the sky were accomplished with these treasures. When the Wu Kingdom collapsed, the magical treasures were scattered among the feudal states. As smaller states were continuously annexed, the world eventually formed a division among eight major powers, each holding one of the eight treasures, which they considered their national treasures. The "Shang Mirror" was the national treasure of the Qin State, rumored to be the key to the set of treasures and the most important of the eight, thus attracting the attention of cultivators and leading to the downfall of the Qin State. When the Qin State collapsed, the "Shang Mirror" disappeared, and despite efforts by various forces, its whereabouts remained unknown.

The key issue was that Empress Lige did not fully mend the sky, leaving a gap. Some believed that the excessive number of cultivators was related to this, and that the more cultivators there were, the more they would compete with ordinary people for resources. They thought that the constant involvement of cultivators in secular affairs was the cause of the ongoing wars. Therefore, some people wanted to gather the eight treasures to mend the sky and cut off the source of spiritual energy, which would naturally offend all cultivators. The representative of this idea was the Grand Marshal of the Yan State, Shang Jianbo.

Unfortunately, some unscrupulous disciples of the Shangqing Sect, like Dongguo Haoran, had connections with Shang Jianbo.

Recently, rumors had spread that the "Shang Mirror" had reappeared. Tang Mu and Dongguo Haoran had taken their disciples out at this time, and the situation had become chaotic. It was hard not to suspect that their actions were related to the "Shang Mirror."

How many cultivation sects stood behind a single state? The "Shang Mirror" was something that could bring about the downfall of a nation. If the Shangqing Sect got involved with it, it would be a cause for concern. The Shangqing Sect was no longer as prosperous as it once was and could not withstand a major storm.

Tang Mu slowly closed his eyes, "You are overthinking it. We were just ambushed by unknown assailants."

The few people present realized that Tang Mu had no intention of revealing the truth. In his current state, he could collapse at any moment, and no one could force him...

The next morning, the temple door creaked open a crack, and an eye peered out through the gap.

The door gradually opened wider, and the Daoist's head poked out, looking around cautiously.

The door opened further, and the Daoist stepped out, tiptoeing to avoid making any noise, continuing to observe the surroundings. He walked around the small temple, ears perked and eyes wide, carefully examining the area.

It was mid-winter, and the outside was cold and desolate, with withered grass and trees.

He threw a few stones to test the path, seeing no reaction, and relaxed, straightening his body, which had been hunched in alertness. He took out the polished bronze mirror from his pocket, sighed, and examined his face in it.

He saw a small stream at the foot of the mountain and ran down. Reaching the stream, he jumped onto a stone in the middle, looking at his reflection in the water, and sighed again.

Earlier, he had used the mirror to examine himself in the temple, combining it with his current situation, and realized why the old man had called him "little brother." He had indeed become a young boy.

He squatted on the stone, feeling a pang of self-pity, and his stomach growled, signaling hunger.

Regardless of the relationship between this young boy and himself, the feeling of hunger was real. He stood up and looked around, determined to find something to eat.

He noticed smoke rising from a nearby mountain and, crossing the stream, found a path leading in that direction. He cautiously followed it.

Climbing over a hill and hiding behind a large tree, he saw a village.

The village looked disheveled, as if it had been burned, with many women and children crying. The villagers were clearing the mess.

The Daoist looked at his own dirty and tattered clothes, with a big toe sticking out of a hole in his shoe, and felt a bit pitiful. However, his appearance matched that of the villagers, giving him the confidence to show himself. He walked towards the village, feeling a bit guilty.

As soon as he entered the village, a disheveled woman ran over, wailing and hugging him, "Dao Ge'er, you're alive! We thought those bandits had killed you..."

An hour later, the Daoist understood that the village had been raided by bandits the previous day, resulting in some deaths and injuries. He had likely hidden in the temple to escape the bandits.

The smoke had died down, and the men in the village, who had only eaten a little, began to search the mountains for food. Their main task was to dig up root vegetables or hunt wild animals to help the villagers survive the winter. The village's food supplies had been looted by the bandits, and the little food they had was hidden and not discovered. This small amount of food was not enough to feed the entire village, so it was given to the men who needed to do physical labor. The elderly, women, and children had to endure hunger while cleaning up the village, waiting for the men to return with food.

The Daoist, now known as Niu Youdao, joined the group of men searching for food, despite being a young boy.

His name in the village was Niu Youdao, and he didn't mind it. He didn't know how he had become Niu Youdao, but he wasn't too surprised by this strange turn of events. As someone who had worked in archaeology, he had seen many strange things and was familiar with the concept of souls inhabiting other bodies, which he had read about in ancient texts. While others might consider it superstition, he had always believed that if you believed in something, it existed, and if you didn't, it didn't. After confirming his situation, he was able to accept it calmly.

In any case, he now had a reasonable identity in the village, and he decided to call himself Niu Youdao.

The task of finding food nearby was given to the young boys, while the more dangerous long-distance searches were assigned to the adults.

Under the pretense of searching for food, Niu Youdao slipped away and returned to the temple.

He tore down a hanging piece of cloth, wrapped the old man's body in it, and carried it down the mountain to the river the old man had mentioned.

He entered a bamboo forest, cut down some bamboo with a machete, trimmed the branches, and cut the bamboo to the right length. He soaked some withered vines in water and used them to weave a sturdy three-layer bamboo raft, which was spacious and stable. With his life experience, building a bamboo raft was a simple task.

He used bamboo tubes as rollers to push the raft into the water, placed the old man's body on it, and piled some dry wood on top. He also found a flat stone by the river and placed it on the raft.

He made a simple paddle and a bamboo pole, and brought a hoe from the village.

He cut the withered vines holding the raft, pushed off the shore with the bamboo pole, and the raft floated away with the current.

He didn't stay with the villagers to rebuild their homes for several reasons. First, he had no emotional connection with them, and the villagers, living in the mountains, had little knowledge of the outside world. He had asked them many questions, but they couldn't even tell him about the current situation. He didn't want to stay and farm; he was curious about this world and even more curious about the Shangqing Sect, which Dongguo Haoran, a cultivator with deep inner strength, had mentioned. He had always been interested in cultivation and often searched for related texts in ancient tombs, and he had a strong desire to visit the Shangqing Sect.

Second, this place was frequently raided by bandits, and his family, as a young boy, had already been killed by the bandits. Many others in the village were in similar situations, and he was alone, with nothing to hold him back.

He didn't want to stay long, fearing that he would develop a bond with the villagers and find it hard to leave. So, he quietly departed.

He would repay the villagers' kindness when he had the means, even though they hadn't even given him a full meal.

He brought Dongguo Haoran's body because he thought it would be more prudent to have evidence when he went to the Shangqing Sect, and it might also show his sincerity.

In the cold weather, he believed the body would remain well-preserved and wouldn't be a burden to carry.