Chapter 1

Jinling, located in the eastern region of China, in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, is close to the river and the sea.

Since ancient times, Jinling has been known as the place where "the wealth of the world comes from the southeast, and Jinling is its hub." It has a history of over 6,000 years of civilization, nearly 2,600 years of city-building, and almost 500 years as a capital, making it one of the four ancient capitals of China. It is known as the "Capital of Six Dynasties" and the "Metropolis of Ten Dynasties," and is an important cradle of Chinese civilization.

Jinling is surrounded by mountains, with the Purple Mountain, Niushou Mountain, Mufu Mountain, Qixia Mountain, Tangshan, Qinglong Mountain, Huanglong Mountain, Zutang Mountain, Yuntai Mountain, Laoshan, Lingyan Mountain, and Maoshan, among others. There are also Fugui Mountain, Jiuhua Mountain, Beijige Mountain, Qingliang Mountain, Lion Mountain, and Jilong Mountain scattered throughout the city, forming a landscape characterized by numerous mountains, waters, and hills.

Among these famous mountains, there is a small, inconspicuous mountain covering only a few square kilometers, called Fangshan. Fangshan is a flat-topped mountain that looks like a seal from a distance, hence its ancient name, "Seal Mountain." Although not very high, it still stands majestically on the plain.

In the dense forest of Fangshan, there is a very inconspicuous Taoist temple. If it weren't for the sign at the main gate, which bears the characters "Shangqing Palace" with marks of chiseling and burning, even the Three Pure Ones themselves would not recognize it as a place where mortals offer incense.

As the saying goes, "A mountain need not be high, as long as there is a fairy, it will be famous." However, although there is a Taoist temple on Fangshan, there are no fairies to be found. The temple was once burned down during the ten years of turmoil and later collapsed due to neglect, becoming even more dilapidated.

"Ah, ah, why isn't it working?"

A young man in his late teens, dressed in a Taoist robe, was sitting on the steps in front of the temple, tapping a radio in his left hand. However, the radio only emitted static and no other sound.

"Boundless is the Heavenly Master, I just changed the batteries yesterday. Do I have to take it to the city to get it fixed again?"

The young Taoist muttered irritably, raised his hand to throw the radio away, but hesitated and put it away. After all, this thing had been with him for ten years, and he had relied on it to pass many lonely times.

"Annoying, even you are bullying me?"

Hearing the cicadas chirping from the tree above, the young man frowned. Suddenly, he leaped, kicked the tree trunk three times, and as he was about to fall, he slapped a branch, extended his right arm like a long-armed ape, and caught the cicada in his hand before it could fly away.

"Hehe, let's see if you can still chirp now." After landing, the young man opened his hand and looked at the cicada in his palm, a smile spreading across his face, and the unpleasantness caused by the broken radio dissipated.

"Alright, let you go..."

After talking to the cicada for a while, the young man raised his hand and let it fly away. The sunlight filtered through the dense branches and leaves, illuminating his face, revealing a handsome face with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes.

"Other Taoist temples are called Shangqing Palace, and you are also called Shangqing Palace, but this palace is not that palace, and there's not even enough food to eat..."

The young man turned his head and saw the sign of the temple, a bitter smile appearing on his face. The last grain of rice in the temple had been used to make porridge the day before yesterday, and even that thin porridge was gone after three days. The young man was now out of food.

Compared to the famous Shangqing Palaces on other mountains, the Shangqing Palace on Fangshan was undoubtedly a place that sold dog meat under the sign of mutton. With only a few dilapidated rooms, it dared to call itself Shangqing Palace. For over ten years, there had been no incense offerings. If it weren't for the herbs and venomous scorpions he traded with the farmers at the foot of the mountain, the young man would have starved to death long ago.

"Boundless is the Heavenly Master, the deadline for leaving the mountain set by my master is in three days. Could I really starve to death?"

The young man's eyes darted around, looking at the smoke rising from the villages below, and he couldn't help but swallow. However, he hesitated for a while, then sat back down on the stone steps in front of the temple.

"That stupid rabbit, why don't you appear again?"

A scene appeared in the young man's mind. Two years ago, perhaps due to the harvest at the foot of the mountain, a fat and large rabbit was driven up the mountain and died by colliding with the temple. The young man had a good meal that day.

However, this "waiting for a rabbit to hit a tree" scenario only happened once in three years. Every day for three years, the young man would look at the tree, but each time he was disappointed. The stupid rabbit never appeared again.

"Yi, are you there? I'm here..."

Just as the young Taoist was hungry and preparing to go up the mountain to catch some venomous scorpions, a shout came from the path below. With the shout, a figure appeared on the uneven stone steps.

This figure was somewhat fat and broad, making the mountain path seem even narrower. However, being fat did not mean being clumsy. The person's movements were quite agile, and he climbed up the steps, which were about eighty meters high, and only panted slightly when he arrived.

"Hey, fatty, why are you so late? I've missed you so much..."

Seeing the person, the young Taoist's face showed a hint of joy, and he spoke without any reservations of a Taoist.

"Don't come on, I think you're about to starve to death and want me to bring some food..."

The fatty walked closer, and it turned out he was not much older, probably around twenty years old. His small, squinting eyes were very sharp, giving him a shrewd look, but this shrewdness disappeared when he smiled, making him look very honest.

"Here, a rabbit my father caught..." The fatty raised his left hand and said, "Don't say I'm not loyal. I just got home yesterday and brought you the rabbit this morning. What are you doing?"

The fatty had just raised his left hand when he found that the rabbit he was holding had changed hands. The young man, without waiting for him to finish speaking, turned and ran into the temple, disappearing from the fatty's sight in an instant.

"What a state this kid must be in..."

The fatty shook his head with pity. He knew that the young Taoist, due to the temple rules, could only move within a few square kilometers around Fangshan. His daily necessities were exchanged with the villagers at the foot of the mountain, and running out of food was a common occurrence.

"Hey, you're too fast..."

When the fatty walked into the temple and reached the back yard, he found that the rabbit he had brought had already been gutted, skinned, and skewered on a large branch. The shallow pit on the ground was already filled with burning wood.

"Brother, I've been hungry for three days..."

Looking at the rabbit meat being roasted, the young Taoist couldn't help but lick his lips and said with a sad voice, "Fatty, you're not being fair. You've been gone for over a year, and I've been waiting for you to bring food every day..."

"Don't come on, you won't starve to death without me..."

The fatty snorted at the young man's words and shook his head, saying, "I've been in the army, and I can't be a farmer forever. I went out to work this time. By the way, you're younger than me, so don't act like you're older. You should call me Big Fatty, got it?"

"Ha, who said I'm younger than you? You were born three days after me..." The young man said seriously, "Even if it's just a few hours, I'm still your older brother. If you don't believe me, go ask your fat father..."

Although both were in their late teens, they were clearly very concerned about who was older. The fatty, irritated by the young Taoist, blurted out, "Don't come on, you don't even know when you were born..."

"Ah, I... I didn't mean to, Yi, I... I'll call you brother, okay?"

After saying this, the fatty realized he had misspoken and quickly raised his hands, looking at the young man cautiously. They had grown up together, and naturally knew each other's weaknesses.

"That's what you said, I didn't force you..."

Hearing the fatty's words, the young man's face stiffened for a moment, but he quickly smiled. However, the fatty, who had grown up with him, noticed the young man's unnatural expression.

Actually, the fatty was right. The young Taoist really didn't know when he was born.

When the young man was adopted by his master, he was still in swaddling clothes. His master, although old and skilled in divination and the five elements, had never had children and didn't know how old the young man was when he was adopted.

Since he was found at the temple gate, and the temple was on Fangshan, the old Taoist gave him the surname Fang. When the young man was adopted, he was sleeping soundly, so the old Taoist gave him the name Yi, making him Fang Yi.

Of course, the old Taoist refused to admit that he had given Fang Yi his name so casually. According to him, the surname Fang was to hope that the young man would be upright, and the name Yi was to hope that he would be extraordinary and stand out.

At that time, Fang Yi was probably only two or three months old. The old Taoist took him down the mountain and had the fatty's mother, who had just given birth, feed him. However, the countryside was very poor, and after three months, the old Taoist took Fang Yi back to the mountain and fed him porridge.

However, because of this, Fang Yi and the fatty had shared the same mother's milk, and they naturally felt close. They grew up together and had a very good relationship. Sometimes, when the fatty's father went into the mountains to collect herbs, he would leave the fatty at the temple, and the two children grew up together.

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PS: New book uploaded, you all know the drill. First, add to your collection, then give a recommendation. I miss you all!