Chapter 23

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On the 15th of August, the osmanthus fragrance fills the air, wishing you a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

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The moonlight was hazy, the cool breeze gentle, the tree shadows swaying, and the night was tranquil.

This should have been a good time for a leisurely stroll or a moment of solitary reflection under the moon, but someone was walking hurriedly with quick steps. The light from the torch flickered in the darkness, and the solitary figure appeared somewhat lonely and desolate.

The terrain gradually rose, and the forest became dense.

Unconsciously, a row of thatched huts suddenly appeared on the hillside ahead.

These were the huts Gaoqi mentioned?

Wujiao approached and raised the torch to take a closer look.

A row of thatched huts was half-buried on the hillside, low and small, fitting the name "huts" quite well. They had two doors facing south and a row of small windows on either side. No matter which direction, they were dark and quiet.

Wujiao hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward. When he pushed open the door, he saw two rows of wooden beds inside. Although it was somewhat dark and damp, the space, about ten zhang long and two to three zhang wide, was spacious. However, the entire hut was empty, with not a single person in sight.

What the heck! Where are the people?

There were no other huts in any direction, so this must be his only destination. No matter, let's set up camp. It's better to be undisturbed; this young master prefers solitude!

Wujiao stuck the torch into a pillar in the hut and walked to a corner.

The wooden beds were arranged in rows, forming a large communal bed. The mats on top were relatively flat and clean, suitable for sleeping.

He threw his bag onto the bed, then kicked off his shoes and jumped up, sitting cross-legged. He reached out and turned the bag upside down. With a "clatter," a pile of items appeared before him.

A pair of boots, two sets of blue cloth clothes, a piece of animal skin, a luminous pearl, a white jade tablet, a sheathed short sword, a two-foot-long exquisite leather bag, and daily items such as earthen basins, earthen jars, earthen bowls, bamboo chopsticks, and towels.

"Looks like I'm running a general store!"

Wujiao muttered, taking off his tattered shirt and putting on the new one.

The blue shirt was a bit short, making him look like a waiter; the boots fit well and were soft and comfortable; the animal skin had the rules of Lingxia Mountain and the regulations of the Yu Jing Ling Mine written on it; the luminous pearl was for lighting; the white jade tablet had cloud and mist patterns, with "Lingxia Yu Jing" engraved on one side and a name on the other, which should be a token for the immortal sect, used for identity verification; the short sword, with an animal skin sheath, was about a foot long, very delicate, and similar in size to the short sword at his waist, but could be easily drawn, with a sharp, cold light; as for the leather bag, its purpose was unknown for now.

"Hard labor and such treatment?"

Wujiao looked at the scattered items on the bed and shook his head in surprise. After all, even a luminous pearl is worth a lot of silver. If he wasn't bullied, had food and drink, and a place to stay, life could be bearable!

Just as he was consoling himself, someone scolded, "Since you are a disciple of Yu Jing, why belittle yourself!"

Someone swayed in, not unfamiliar, it was the yellow and thin man he had met before, named Zongbao. After speaking, he continued with a mysterious expression, "To become an immortal, one must endure hardships and strengthen the will. When the day of soaring to the clouds comes, the many trials of life will be laughed off!"

Wujiao tidied up and was about to get off the bed to bow.

Zongbao walked over and casually waved his hand, "No need for formalities!" As he spoke, he sat on the bed, suddenly grinning and gloating, "I guess you also failed in cultivation and were sent here. I don't know how to address you or where you come from..."

There are people who are naturally friendly and easy to get along with, just like the one in front of him.

Seeing the other's casual manner, Wujiao also relaxed and reported his name, smiling, "I'm new here, please guide me..."

Zongbao put both feet on the bed, sitting cross-legged, completely at ease, "I'll answer any questions and fulfill any requests, after all, I'm your senior brother!" His face was thin, and when he smiled, it was full of wrinkles, but his eyes sparkled, making him look very spirited.

With a senior brother out, the master was still unknown.

Wujiao asked curiously, "Who is our master?"

Zongbao's smile grew wider, "Ha ha, Junior Brother, you're really amusing..."

Wujiao awkwardly spread his hands, "I'm not joking, I'm really clueless!"

Zongbao patted his chest, "Then you've really come to the right person. There's nothing I don't know about Lingxia Mountain..."

Wujiao, full of questions, hurriedly bowed in thanks and then, without being polite, humbly sought guidance.

Zongbao indeed answered all questions and was eloquent—

"Hehe, anyone with a spiritual root and a recommendation can join the immortal sect. I was recommended by an elder from my clan, but after years of cultivation, I made no progress, so I ended up here..."

"How big is Lingxia Mountain? It's not very big, only about a thousand miles in diameter, but it has a unique and mysterious landscape! The most famous are the Purple Mist Peak, the Red Mist Peak, and the Crimson Mist Peak, each with its own characteristics. The Purple Mist Peak is where the sect leader and the elders reside, with the densest spiritual energy; the Red Mist Peak is where the various halls are located, and the Crimson Mist Peak is where most of the disciples gather..."

"How many people are in the immortal sect? There are about four to five hundred, mostly hidden in their caves for cultivation, so you rarely see anyone..."

"What are the halls? You don't even know this, poor Junior Brother, you're really a fresh recruit. Let me explain: Lingxia Mountain is divided into five halls, each governed by an elder. They are the Supervisory Hall, the Scripture Hall, the Ritual Hall, the Law Hall, and the Cloud Water Hall. Each has different responsibilities, such as supervision, scripture preservation, internal and external affairs, cultivation inheritance, and recruitment, and they are further divided into different departments, such as the scripture library, storage, kitchen, and the Yu Jing Ling Mine..."

"Speaking of the five elders, they are truly remarkable. Why? Our sect has no leader, so the five elders are in charge. Among them, the elders of the Supervisory Hall and the Law Hall have the highest cultivation, said to be true immortals. Remember, they are Senior Miao Yuan and Senior Miao Shan. The other three elders have slightly lower cultivation but are still outstanding among the foundation builders, namely Senior Miao Min of the Scripture Hall, Senior Miao Yin of the Ritual Hall, and Senior Miao Yan of the Cloud Water Hall..."

"Why is there no leader? It's said that none of the five elders will submit to the others, so the position of leader has been vacant. If you want to know the reason, it's not something we can understand..."

"The disciples of Lingxia Mountain are ranked not only by cultivation but also by seniority. There are fourteen characters: 'Heaven, Earth, Mystery, Subtlety, Endless, Concealment, Ling, Xia, Immortal, Edges, Crossing, Eight, Directions.' The foundation builders in the sect are all of the 'Mystery' generation, and you and I... sigh, have no seniority yet!"

"Why do we have no seniority? To be honest, although we have spiritual roots, we have failed in cultivation. Without cultivation, we are no different from ordinary people! Only when we achieve success in cultivation can we be true cultivators and be accepted by the immortal sect. Of course, by right, we should be of the 'Miao' generation..."

"What is a spiritual root? You're deliberately testing my knowledge, aren't you? Haven't you heard that a spiritual root is the essence of immortality, cultivated through the five elements, the fundamental of the universe. There's a poem that says: 'The clear water of the jade pool nourishes the spiritual root, and true immortality is achieved through longevity and freedom'..."

"Who is our master? Ha ha, didn't I say that as Yu Jing disciples, we can only take heaven and earth as our teachers. Since we are fellow cultivators, we should call each other senior and junior brothers. Why am I your senior? Do you understand the rule of seniority...?"

In the hut, the two sat facing each other. One gradually became anxious, while the other, still clueless, had more questions.

Even though Zongbao was very patient, he gradually couldn't keep up with Wujiao's continuous questions. Especially when Wujiao asked about the origins of cultivation and the levels of immortal cultivation, he finally jumped off the bed, waving his hands, "Junior Brother, even if I talk for three days and three nights, I can't explain it. It's hard to imagine that you know nothing about the path of immortality..."

Wujiao hurriedly followed, laughing, "Don't go! We hit it off at first sight, why not talk all night? I need to ask about the Yu Jing Ling Mine, where everyone has gone, and what this leather bag is for... and more, and more..."

Zongbao quickly dodged and slipped out the door, "It's almost midnight, we need to get up early tomorrow. We'll talk later, there's plenty of time, please stay... " His voice faded as he disappeared into the night.

In the hut, Wujiao was left alone. He walked back and forth between the wooden beds, still full of energy.

From Zongbao's words, he learned the general situation of Lingxia Mountain. As he said, this young master was the only ordinary person on the mountain without a spiritual root. This was all thanks to Fairy Zishan's favor; otherwise, how could he have mixed in the immortal sect? Whether to cultivate or not doesn't matter, just don't disappoint the fairy's kindness! Right, the fairy also entrusted Daoist Xuanyu to send a gift...

Wujiao hurriedly returned to the bed and took out a small jade bottle from his waist. He removed the stopper and turned it upside down, and a green pill appeared in his palm, round and smooth, with a fragrant aroma.

An immortal pill? Could it be that Zishan knew I don't have a spiritual root, so she sent me an immortal pill to transform my body, so we can be together...

Wujiao's lips curled up, his heart blooming with joy. Without much thought, he reached out and put the pill in his mouth, swallowing it without savoring it. He hurriedly sat cross-legged, waiting for a dramatic change. But after a while, nothing happened. He was surprised for a moment, then gave up, tidied up the bed, and noticed that two things were missing: the bedding and the pillow.

The hut was damp, and it was cold at night. Without bedding and a pillow, how could he sleep?

A gust of wind blew through the window, and the torch, which had burned to the end, slowly went out. The hut instantly fell into darkness, and a cold chill silently crept in.

Wujiao shivered and quickly jumped onto the bed, hugging his knees and curling into a ball.

After a while, boundless silence filled the air.

He calmed down and slowly sat up straight. Perhaps cultivators don't sleep, so he decided to try meditating.

Hmm! Everything is so new... Mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

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