Chapter 18: Who Buried You in the Past?

This meal cost Zhu Daodong almost half a month's salary. Watching the Daoist Wuming, who was walking ahead with a round belly, holding four bottles of Laobai, Zhu Daodong couldn't help but laugh and cry. It wasn't that he was heartbroken, but after such a feast, for at least half a month, the two of them wouldn't be able to touch alcohol.

His salary wasn't high, only a little over two hundred a month. Every month, he would send one hundred back home as soon as he received his salary, and the rest was for his own use. Now, this meal had cost him nearly a hundred, and he could only manage to get by with the school cafeteria for the next half month.

"Old Daoist, I won't be able to visit you for the next few days. Even if I do, I won't have any alcohol, just some food at most," Zhu Daodong said, seeing Daoist Wuming walk with a waddle, and he was really worried about letting him go back alone.

"It's fine. My Great Turtle Breath Technique is profound. Besides, before I met you, I lived just fine," Daoist Wuming glanced at him, satisfied with today's feast, and he could go without food for ten to fifteen days without any problem.

Seeing the Daoist speak so heartlessly, Zhu Daodong could only shake his head and laugh. He swore that he would never take the Daoist to Haozailai again. Half a month's worth of firewood was burned up in one go.

"Come on, come in and sit for a while," Daoist Wuming said, standing at the entrance of the Daoist temple, just as Zhu Daodong was about to leave.

"You ate so much, aren't you going to sleep?" Zhu Daodong stared at his belly, which looked like he was three months pregnant, and asked.

"Because I ate so much, I can't sleep right away. Come in quickly, let's continue drinking," Daoist Wuming walked leisurely to the side room.

Others drink tea after meals, but they drink alcohol. If someone found out, they would probably think they were both crazy.

"Although you did a good job hiding it today, I can see the sadness in your eyes. It's quite heavy. Is it about love or family?" Daoist Wuming had noticed the sadness in Zhu Daodong's eyes when he first came to the temple, but at that time, they weren't close enough to talk deeply. Now, Daoist Wuming considered Zhu Daodong like a nephew. For a cultivator, sadness can harm the body and even the cultivation. Now that his Great Turtle Breath Technique was only slightly accomplished, if something caused it to regress, it would be a great pity.

"When did you become a fortune teller?" Zhu Daodong laughed. In fact, ever since he saw Tang Taojiang, this sadness had gradually taken root. Although the incident had been half a year ago, he still couldn't completely let go of Tang Xiaoli.

"Let's be serious. Now is a critical time for your cultivation of the Great Turtle Breath Technique. You can't afford to be careless. Otherwise, you might really regress. You can't keep stuffing cotton in your ears every day, can you?" Daoist Wuming huffed, looking very serious, which made it seem quite real.

"It's nothing much. My girlfriend dumped me," Zhu Daodong saw Daoist Wuming being serious and didn't dare to joke anymore, slowly recounting his story with Tang Xiaoli.

"Romantic love is a part of human nature. Perhaps it was destined that you and she were not meant to be together," Daoist Wuming sighed. He was a blank slate in matters of love, but he knew a bit about Daoist scriptures, Buddhist teachings, and the three teachings and nine streams, so he could think of some ways to help.

"Yes, but the first love is always beautiful. Even though I know we can't be together now, I still think of her often," Zhu Daodong said, troubled.

"Have you heard a story before?" Daoist Wuming searched his mind for a long time and finally remembered a story he had read somewhere.

"What story?"

"Who buried you in the past? This is the most classic love story in my Daoist scriptures," Daoist Wuming said with a profound air. The first part was true, but the latter was fabricated. As a Daoist, he had to relate the story to the Daoist scriptures.

"Who buried me in the past?" Zhu Daodong found it a bit funny, but seeing Daoist Wuming's serious expression, he didn't dare to laugh.

"Once upon a time, there was a scholar who had agreed to marry his fiancée on a certain day. On that day, his fiancée married someone else. The scholar was so devastated that he fell ill and could not be cured by any means. He was on the verge of death. At that moment, a wandering Daoist passed by, learned of the situation, and decided to enlighten him.

The Daoist went to the scholar's bedside and took out a mirror from his sleeve, showing it to the scholar. The scholar saw a vast sea, and a naked woman lying on the beach, having been murdered. A passerby saw her, shook his head, and walked away. Another passerby took off his clothes, covered the woman's body, and walked away. A third passerby came, dug a hole, and carefully buried the body.

Confused, the scene changed. The scholar saw his fiancée. On her wedding night, her husband lifted the veil...

The scholar was puzzled.

The Daoist explained: 'Did you see the woman's body on the beach? That was your fiancée's past life. You were the second passerby who gave her a piece of clothing. She fell in love with you in this life to repay you. But the person she ultimately repaid for a lifetime was the last one who buried her, and that is her current husband.'

The scholar was enlightened and sat up from his bed, fully recovered."

"Do you mean I'm like that scholar? In the past, I only gave her a piece of clothing?" Zhu Daodong was moved by the story.

"It's just a story, but the principle is the same. You should be like that scholar, let go of the past, and only by focusing on the present can you find true happiness," Daoist Wuming advised.

Zhu Daodong was enlightened. Yes, what's the point of dwelling on the past? The important thing is to look to the future.

Seeing Zhu Daodong's thoughtful expression, Daoist Wuming knew he had completely freed him from his inner demons. Although he was troubled by his hearing, he didn't realize that it was a great skill. If he used it properly, his future achievements would be boundless.

That night, Zhu Daodong had the sweetest sleep since he came to Shumu Ridge Middle School. After learning the simplified version of the Great Turtle Breath Technique, he had slept well, but there was always something blocking his heart. Now, with all the barriers gone, he felt completely at ease, and all his troubles were gone.

The next morning, when Zhu Daodong woke up, he found himself different from usual. The most noticeable change was in his control over his hearing. If before, using the Great Turtle Breath Technique was like having a volume control for his ears, now that control had become a continuous variable.

Originally, controlling his hearing had only a few settings: high, medium, and low. Now, from one to a hundred, he could control his hearing at will, making it more flexible and convenient. Although he was still far from the realm of complete control, compared to before, it was a significant step forward. Now, when Zhu Daodong heard external sounds, he could adjust in real-time, making him almost indistinguishable from an ordinary person most of the time.

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