Chapter 8

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The town of Junbao was not far from the threshing ground. The convoy left the town and soon arrived.

The headman ran up to the old Taoist and bowed deeply, respectfully saying, "Immortal, as you instructed, I have gathered and brought all sixty-three boys and girls."

The old Taoist, who had kept his eyes closed for several days, suddenly opened them, a sharp light shooting out from his jet-black eyes.

The headman, standing close by, was swept by this sharp light, as if a wild beast had glanced at him. He shuddered, stumbled, and retreated several steps, his heart pounding as if it would leap out of his chest.

The old Taoist flicked his sleeve, stood up, and walked toward the convoy outside the threshing ground.

The headman steadied his nerves and hurriedly followed.

The old Taoist's gaze swept over the entire convoy, quickly counting the number of boys and girls. There were exactly sixty-three, no more, no less.

The old Taoist nodded in satisfaction, and the headman secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid the old Taoist would find Li Wenjun and others too old to qualify as boys and girls. If the old Taoist blamed him, he would have to risk his reputation and take action against the townspeople.

The old Taoist walked to the first carriage, reached out, and grasped a child's wrist, placing his fingers on the child's pulse. After checking the pulse for a while, he shook his head and moved on to the next child, shaking his head again.

Seeing the old Taoist shake his head repeatedly, the headman broke into a sweat. He cautiously asked, "Immortal, may I ask if you are looking for someone with vigorous qi and blood? If so, we have prepared a few for you. You can try to choose from them."

"Prepared for me? Do you know what vigorous qi and blood means?" the old Taoist snorted.

The headman rubbed his hands and smiled awkwardly, "Immortal, in my understanding, vigorous qi and blood means having ample energy, good health, and vitality. The few we prepared for you all meet these conditions. One of them killed a wolf with his bare hands, another once escaped from the pursuit of seven or eight strong men, and another lost his parents when he was very young but has survived until now."

"Hmm, interesting, bring me to see them," the old Taoist ordered.

The headman quickly led the old Taoist to the end of the convoy, pointing to the last two carriages, "Immortal, they are all here."

The old Taoist's gaze swept over the few teenagers in the carriages, focusing on those bound with ropes. He waved his hand, instructing the headman to untie the ropes on these teenagers.

The headman did not dare to delay and quickly ordered his subordinates to follow the old Taoist's instructions.

After the ropes on Li Wenjun and others were untied, the old Taoist approached and checked their pulses one by one.

Each time the old Taoist checked a pulse, the headman would introduce the basic situation of the child to him.

As the old Taoist checked the pulses of the teenagers in the second-to-last carriage, he still did not show a satisfied expression.

The headman's voice grew lower and less confident.

At this moment, the old Taoist suddenly drew in a sharp breath. He released the wrist of a teenager, rolled up his sleeve, and rechecked the pulse.

This time, the pulse-checking took much longer. The headman watched nervously, not daring to breathe heavily, for fear of interfering with the old Taoist.

After a while, the old Taoist released the teenager's hand, stroked his beard, and pondered for a moment before moving on to the next teenager.

When it was Li Wenjun's turn, the old Taoist repeated the process of rolling up his sleeve and checking the pulse.

Li Wenjun was the last of the sixty-three boys and girls. After checking his pulse, the old Taoist pointed to him and the previous teenager, saying to the headman, "Take these two with me."

The old Taoist turned and walked toward the threshing ground. The headman quickly called two people to escort Li Wenjun and the other teenager to the threshing ground.

Li Wenjun was surprised to find that the other teenager was the one who had bowed to the old Taoist a few days ago, begging to be taken as a disciple.

At the threshing ground, Li Wenjun saw the old Taoist standing with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky.

The headman escorted Li Wenjun and the other teenager to the old Taoist.

The old Taoist said calmly, "You two, we have met before, especially you, who once asked me to take you as a disciple. At that time, your destiny had not arrived, so I refused you. Now, I have encountered a difficult task and need your assistance. I do not want to force you, but I hope one of you will step forward to help me complete this task. If successful, I will not promise anything else, but I will definitely take the one who helps me and teach them all my immortal arts. Think about it carefully, and I will ask you again in half an hour."

After speaking, the old Taoist picked up a small, bulging cloth bag from the ground. He reached into the bag and took out a round disc about a foot in size and several colorful triangular flags. Then, he took out a pile of bottles and jars.

Li Wenjun, the other teenager, and the headman stared with wide eyes. If they had not seen it with their own eyes, they would not have believed that such a small bag could contain so many things. This was definitely another magical technique of the immortals, which was impressive to watch.

The old Taoist then took out a large enamel basin and carefully poured the contents of several bottles and jars into it. These included several powders of different colors, two liquids with a pungent smell, and a bottle of dark red blood that was particularly eye-catching, emitting a strong, nauseating odor.

The old Taoist mixed these ingredients solemnly. After a moment, the enamel basin contained a liquid as dark as ink, with a strange and eerie feeling. Just looking at it made one dizzy and disoriented.

The old Taoist took out a piece of cloth, covered the enamel basin, and then looked up at Li Wenjun and the other teenager, "What do you think?"

Li Wenjun shook his head. He felt a certain evil aura from the old Taoist. Even if the old Taoist had great powers, he did not want to learn from such a person. More importantly, what kind of ritual was the old Taoist planning? Would it be harmful to him?

If the old Taoist truly wanted to take disciples, he should have answered these questions first. However, the old Taoist did not intend to explain, indicating that his sincerity in taking disciples was questionable.

Seeing Li Wenjun shake his head, the old Taoist's face showed a hint of malice. He then looked at the other teenager and asked, "What about you?"

The teenager's expression changed a few times, then he bent his knees and knelt before the old Taoist, saying, "I am willing to be your disciple."

The old Taoist laughed, "Good, good, it's not in vain that I have put in so much effort. There is still someone who understands. Very well, I will give you a taste of it first. I will take you as a named disciple. After I set up the Seven Stars and Nine Palaces Array, we will hold a formal ceremony, and you will be my official disciple."

"Thank you, Master. Master, please accept my bow," the teenager said with a smile.

The old Taoist stroked his beard and nodded, "Alright, stand up. By the way, I haven't asked your name. What is your name?"

The teenager hurriedly replied, "Master, my name is Cao Yu. I am from Shifupu, Dingfeng County, Guangning Prefecture. I lost my parents at a young age and lived on charity. My hometown suffered a great drought, so I had to flee and ended up here..."

The old Taoist did not have the patience to listen to Cao Yu's background. He interrupted him, "You assist me in completing this entire process of setting up the array and performing the ritual. Afterward, I will teach you all my immortal arts. With my guidance, you will surely have a long and successful journey on the path of immortality."

"Yes, Master," the teenager said respectfully, his lips curling with a smile that could not be hidden, but a hint of unusual calmness could be seen in his eyes.

The old Taoist beckoned to Cao Yu, "Take the enamel basin and follow me."

The headman quickly asked, "Immortal, do you have any other instructions?"

The old Taoist glanced coldly at Li Wenjun, "Watch him, don't let him run away. The Seven Stars and Nine Palaces Array depends on him. If he runs, it will be a minor issue that I cannot set up the array, but if the town of Junbao suffers a once-in-a-century drought, it will be your own fault."

The headman's expression turned serious, and he hurriedly said, "Please rest assured, Immortal, he won't run away." The headman waved his hand, and two men rushed over to tie Li Wenjun up again.

The old Taoist did not even glance at Li Wenjun, who was tied up like a dumpling. He took out a brush, dipped it in the ink he had prepared, and began to paint on the threshing ground.

After a long time, the old Taoist's hard work covered the threshing ground, which was over an acre in size, with intersecting lines and strange symbols. No one except the old Taoist knew their meanings.

After finishing the last stroke, the old Taoist casually threw the brush away, looked up at the sky, and muttered, "The time is almost right. Success or failure, it all depends on this. I hope the heavens help me to succeed and extend my life by several decades."

The old Taoist turned his head and looked at the headman, who was waiting outside the threshing ground, and ordered, "Go! Prepare a sumptuous meal for these sixty-three boys and girls to eat well."

The headman shuddered. The old Taoist, who was an immortal, called the boys and girls brothers and sisters, which sounded strange and made him feel a chill. However, he did not dare to question the old Taoist and quickly instructed someone to prepare the meal.