Chapter 12

Hu Yang Ferry is located upstream on the Ximin River, about three hundred miles from Lao Ya Ridge. The ferry is named after the three poplar trees by the river, which the locals call "Three Thousand Years," referring to the saying "living for a thousand years without dying, standing for a thousand years after death, and remaining unrotted for a thousand years after falling."

North of Hu Yang Ferry, across the Ximin River, lies the majestic Kunlun Mountains.

In mid-July, the weather turned cooler. On the eighth day, Wei Shizhi arrived at Hu Yang Ferry alone, gazing at the Ximin River flowing eastward, feeling a sense of emotion.

The ferry was built along the river, with a dozen or so food shops and inns scattered around. Wei Shizhi chose the most bustling Hu Yang Old Shop, ordered a pot of wine and three to five pounds of beef, and enjoyed the river view while slowly finishing his meal. He then called the waiter to settle the bill and asked casually, "Has a disheveled old Taoist come by recently?"

The waiter smiled and said, "A guest asked about the disheveled old Taoist yesterday—this old Taoist lives in the land temple and only arrived the night before last. He carries a scorched yellow gourd and came to our shop to fill it with wine before leaving."

"Does he eat vegetarian or non-vegetarian food?"

"He doesn't abstain from alcohol or meat. He comes every day to buy wine and beef. Not to boast, but our shop's beef is the best, famous far and wide. Some guests travel dozens of miles just to taste it."

Wei Shizhi nodded and asked the waiter to cut ten pounds of beef, wrap it in oil paper, and buy a small jar of good wine, tying it with hemp rope. He left a piece of silver, holding the wine jar in one hand and the beef in the other, and left the shop for the land temple.

The land temple is at the western end of Hu Yang Ferry, facing the river, in a dilapidated state. Inside, spider webs hung from the beams, and the clay statues had collapsed. A disheveled old Taoist sat on the ground, leaning against the altar, with an empty gourd lying at his feet. Behind him stood a man, who was none other than Yue Zhiwan from Zhao Mansion in Xinyang Town.

Seeing an acquaintance, Wei Shizhi nodded to him, placed the wine and meat in front of the old Taoist, and bowed, saying, "Wei Shizhi greets the Taoist Master."

The disheveled old Taoist rolled his eyes, which were mostly white, and his appearance was somewhat fierce. He said in a high-pitched voice, "Is this wine and meat your offering to the old Taoist?"

"Yes, please accept it, Taoist Master."

The disheveled old Taoist lifted the wine jar, broke the mud seal, and took three sips, then sighed deeply, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and praised, "Good wine!"

He squinted his eyes and looked at the iron ring on Wei Shizhi's right index finger, asking, "Who gave you the iron ring on your hand?"

"Daoist Deng from the Xiandu Sect."

"Is it Deng Yuantong or Deng Shouyi?"

"It's Daoist Deng Shouyi."

The disheveled old Taoist was somewhat surprised, "It's Little Stool again—come closer, sit down, and let me take a look."

"Originally, I didn't know that Deng Shouyi had such a nickname. I wonder if he meant 'Little Stool' or 'Little Deng.'" Wei Shizhi thought to himself, stepped forward, and sat down next to the disheveled old Taoist. He was tall and long-legged, making the old Taoist look like a child. The old Taoist looked up at him without any displeasure, instead praising, "Big guy, what a fine physique! Come, come, come, extend your right hand—"

Wei Shizhi complied, thinking, "Will he say that I have a unique bone structure..."

The disheveled old Taoist grabbed his wrist, and his dirty nails pierced into the skin. Instantly, primordial energy surged into his body, like a scalding hot current, quickly circling through his meridians and disappearing. Wei Shizhi frowned slightly, feeling that when the primordial energy passed through the spirit platform acupoint on his back, it paused briefly, leaving a small amount in the acupoint.

The disheveled old Taoist exclaimed, "Hmm," and asked with a stern face, "What cultivation method have you practiced?"

Wei Shizhi knew that the abnormality in his body couldn't be hidden from him. He took out a piece of animal skin from his pocket and said, "I found a piece of animal skin in the bear den at Heisong Valley on Lao Ya Ridge and practiced the method written on it, but I'm not sure if it's correct."

Hearing this, Yue Zhiwan couldn't help but feel regret. If he hadn't rushed down the mountain to report to Manager Deng, he might have had a share of the cultivation method on the animal skin.

The disheveled old Taoist glanced at it, not bothering to take it for a closer look, and sneered, "Such a clumsy method, not worth practicing."

Wei Shizhi awkwardly put the animal skin away, feeling somewhat uneasy.

The disheveled old Taoist released his hand, stroked his goatee, and pondered for a moment before saying, "Although it's a clumsy method, it's good for strengthening the body. You have an affinity for earth and have opened one acupoint, which is passable. Since you've offered the old Taoist wine and meat, you can stay."

Wei Shizhi breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and bowed to him. The disheveled old Taoist waved his hand and said, "Stand to the side and wait, don't block the way."

As he spoke, another young man confidently entered the temple, with a face like a jade crown, wearing white clothes, and exuding a noble aura. He introduced himself as someone and the disheveled old Taoist rolled his eyes, asking where the iron ring on his hand came from, telling him to come closer and sit down. He grabbed his wrist, let go after a moment, took off the iron ring on his index finger, and waved him away.

The young man was struck as if by lightning, fell to his knees, and repeatedly bowed, begging the immortal master to show mercy and accept him. The disheveled old Taoist slowly asked, "You have no acupoints open, a mere mundane being. What makes you worthy of joining the Xiandu Sect?"

Wei Shizhi's heart stirred, sensing from the disheveled old Taoist's tone that the Xiandu Sect might accept mundane beings if the right price was paid.

The young man was stunned for a moment, then suddenly had an idea, saying that his family owned vast fields, immense wealth, and numerous servants, and he was willing to offer ten thousand taels of gold and ten pairs of young boys and girls... The more he said, the more absurd it became. The disheveled old Taoist listened for a long time, seeing that he wasn't getting to the point, and impatiently pushed him away. Without any effort, the young man flew out of the temple and tumbled to the ground.

Yue Zhiwan sighed inwardly, feeling a sense of empathy. In fact, he was also a mundane being with no acupoints open. Because Deng Zhang failed to remove his name from the registry, he felt guilty and sought help from Deng Shouyi. Deng Shouyi gave him a few pointers, and Deng Zhang secretly handed over a piece of black iron he had hidden for decades, bribing the disheveled old Taoist, to barely stay.

After that, thirteen more people came to the land temple. The disheveled old Taoist accepted three of them and left ten iron rings. By midnight, no new arrivals appeared.

The eighth day of the seventh month passed in this way.

---

(End of the page)