In another world far away from the demon world,
The mountains within the Guiyuan Sect's gate are covered with golden flower fields.
A female cultivator, holding up her skirt, walked slowly into the flower field under the watery moonlight.
The swaying sea of flowers was startled by her, and a sky full of golden butterflies floated up. It turned out that this was not a sea of flowers, but a resting place for countless butterflies.
The female cultivator opened the brocade bag in her hand, made a hand gesture, and the butterflies flapped their gold foil-like wings and flew into the small brocade bag in groups.
The small brocade bag resting on the female cultivator's hand seemed to have infinite space, and it only stopped after it filled with thousands of butterflies.
"Okay, that should be about right. Let's send it to the front."
The female cultivator walked up to the edge of the field and handed the brocade bag to a younger girl. On the girl's arm was a green bamboo basket filled with brocade bags of various sizes.
In these golden hills, there are many monks coming in and out, doing the same work as them.
The little girl jumped and followed her sister: "Sister, every time this season comes, do we have to pick so many butterflies and send them to Huayu Hall?"
"Yes, there are many brothers and sisters there. On this day, each of them has to be responsible for several towns of mortals. It is harder than ours. I hope we can find more talented children this year."
"But this is too troublesome." The young sister said, "I heard that many sects use simpler instruments. Children only need to reach out and touch to know the number of immortal roots. There is no need to cultivate so many Xumu butterflies, and isn't it cheaper?"
Her senior sister looked back at her and asked: "Do you still remember the first lesson after entering the sect?"
"I remember, I remember." The little sister straightened her chest and recited the first lesson. "If those who cultivate the nature abandon their lives, they will lose themselves in emptiness. If those who cultivate their lives abandon their nature, they will become wild and unrestrained. Only by cultivating both nature and life can one unite the virtues of heaven and earth and become one with the great void. But, what does this have to do with using the Xumu Butterfly to select disciples?"
The senior sister stretched out her white fingers and gently caught a butterfly flying in the air. "The Xumu butterfly is also known as the 'Golden Dao', which has the ability to inquire about the heart and the way. You have to know that people in this world are often not just superficial. Some people have experienced hardships and are in the quagmire, but their hearts are still warm. Some people are righteous and dignified, but in fact they are full of filth and dirt. But the original color revealed by these people in the illusion will eventually appear clearly on the butterfly wings.
We, the disciples of Guiyuan Sect, have learned the supreme and wonderful method of cultivating both the body and mind. Aptitude and Dao heart are equally important. Therefore, the first step in selecting disciples, no matter how troublesome it is, is to use this "Golden Dao Question" to explore Dao heart. "
The little sister covered her face, "What should I do? When I got the butterfly, I dreamed of the day I returned to my grandmother's house and ate chicken legs for the first time in my life. In my dream, I was only concerned with eating a lot and didn't show any excellent character. I really don't know why Master chose me."
The female cultivator walking in front laughed loudly: "Perhaps, Master thinks that you can be like Senior Sister Miao from Xiaoyao Peak and achieve enlightenment through food."
At this moment, in the demon world where Mu Xue was,
Mu Xue, who had just arrived home, was a little worried. She was holding Cen Xiaoshan in her arms and carrying a bunch of things in her hands. Looking at the messy house, she had a headache and didn't know where to put this little thing covered with wounds.
Because she lived alone for many years and was obsessed with the art of refining weapons, the courtyard where she lived had only one extremely spacious and tall house, except for the fire room and toilet.
The room contained a smelting furnace, a forging area, various chemical arrays, large and small workbenches, and countless cabinets for storing raw materials and books. The only place to rest was a suspended bed and a meditation mat.
A few days ago, she was making the magic weapon customized by the Lei family. She felt it was particularly easy to do. For a moment, her thoughts and mind were connected, and she entered a mysterious state. She was busy for a long time without distraction, and indeed, she created a rare masterpiece.
Of course, the house was left in a mess.
When I came back, I had almost no place to stay.
Mu Xue looked for a long time and found that only the corner where she usually meditated was relatively clean. There was a large mat there. Mu Xue used her luck to control the objects and grabbed a few pillows from the air, intending to put the person down first.
Although he slept soundly all the way, Cen Xiaoshan woke up immediately when Mu Xue gently put him into the pile of pillows.
He suddenly stood up from the pile of pillows, with messy hair, a face full of alert and caution, and his beautiful eyes full of coldness and hostility, like a wounded lone wolf in the wilderness.
Until he saw Mu Xue and the surrounding environment, he was a little confused at first, and then he immediately restrained his coldness and sharpness, lowered his eyelashes, showing a gentle and submissive look, and slowly lay down on the mat according to Mu Xue's wishes.
The skinny boy looked particularly small among the pile of pillows. He subconsciously hugged one of his arms and curled up slightly, only putting his bloodstained right foot as far as possible outside the mat.
Mu Xue lifted his ankles and gently tore open the strips of cloth, and the boy's fingers gripping his arm tightened immediately.
I don't know how long those blood-soaked strips of cloth have been tied, and they have long been sticky to my skin. If I pull them off, it will be too painful.
Mu Xue frowned. If Cen Xiaoshan was a cultivator, then it would be relatively easy to treat such an injury, whether with medicine or magic.
But this child is just a mortal, and mortals are troublesome to Mu Xue. No matter whether it is potion or magic, if they take a little bit too much, they may not be able to bear it and explode to death.
Mu Xue hasn't been in contact with mortal life for a long time.
He had to get some medicine for mortals, some clothes, and maybe a bed. Oh, he was only a mortal, and he had to eat three meals a day.
Mu Xue looked at the little mountain curled up in the pile of pillows and realized that her life, which she had lived alone for decades, seemed to be disrupted by this little thing that broke in unexpectedly.
It would be best to come up with a simpler solution.
She rummaged through the cabinet for a long time, found an old Qiankun bag, and took out a small golden toad from it.
"Found it. Something from such a long time ago is still here." Mu Xue showed the bronze golden toad to Cen Xiaoshan.
She twisted a small spring on the toad's back, and the toad opened its mechanical jaws and made a croaking sound.
"The toad light bathes the body, and the form is refined and cleansed." Mu Xue recited the formula.
The golden toad croaked and jumped forward one step, then croaked again and continued to jump forward one step. It did not stop until it circled around Cen Xiaoshan step by step. Wherever it passed, a circle of soft light lit up, just encircling Cen Xiaoshan.
Cen Xiaoshan sat up and looked at Mu Xue with a little confusion.
"This is a magic weapon I made when I first learned how to refine weapons. Its only function is to create a magic array to stop bleeding, nourish qi, and heal injuries. It's just right for you. You can lie in it for a few days, and even the most serious injuries should be healed."
Mu Xue clapped her hands, happy that she could think of such a simple and convenient solution.
This time when she went out, in addition to bringing back Cen Xiaoshan, she also bought a piece of mermaid skeleton.
This was a refining material she had never touched before. Seeing that Cen Xiaoshan's injury was no longer a concern, she couldn't help but pick up the demon bone and sat down at the operating table to study it carefully.
I forgot about time while sitting here.
Outside the window, the night snow gradually stopped and roosters crowed. When Mu Xue came to her senses, it was already bright outside.
Today is a rare sunny day.
She raised her head from the pile of broken bones and turned to look around the corner.
The bronze golden toad was still squatting quietly on the ground. The circular toad light array was emitting a faint light, but there was no one in the light circle.
Mu Xue looked around and did not see Cen Xiaoshan.
But the messy house has changed its appearance. The scraps of various refining materials have been slightly sorted out and placed together according to categories.
The garbage was sorted into a basket and placed to one side. The used containers and equipment, though not cleaned, were neatly placed on an empty shelf.
The wooden floor, which had not been cleaned for many years, was carefully wiped and became so smooth that one could almost see a person's reflection in it.
Mu Xue let out a cry, not quite knowing how to express her feelings at the moment.
She stood up and walked out of the house, opened the door and stuck her head out.
A clothesline was set up in the spacious yard, and the cleanly washed sheets and pillowcases fluttered in the wind in the light sunlight after the snow.
A young man was hanging clothes on a rope with his sleeves tied up with his sleeves raised. He heard the door open and turned to look over.
The moment he turned his head, it was as if a bright moon suddenly appeared in the sky and jade-like snow covered the entire courtyard.
The bleak and dim courtyard in winter became lively and bright because of this small figure.
Ruan Honglian once said that this was a beautiful child. But Mu Xue did not expect that Cen Xiaoshan could be so exquisite and beautiful.
Just by washing off the dirt and tying up the messy hair, the amazing splendor of pearls and jade could no longer be concealed.
There is no shortage of beauties in the world of cultivation. No matter what kind of beauty, it can be achieved through elixirs and magic. Mu Xue even refined a magic weapon that can use external force to adjust the contours of the facial features, thereby achieving the effect of beautifying the face.
But even a face that has been meticulously sculpted and modified is doomed to pale in comparison to the icy and graceful figure of this young man.
Mu Xue finally understood why Liangzi was so reluctant to sell him out to her.
Mu Xue felt in a good mood.
Everyone loves beauty. Compared to a big and fat cook, having such a handsome boy living at home will certainly make people feel happier.
What's more, this child is so sensible and hardworking.
Cen Xiaoshan saw Mu Xue and walked over quickly.
"Is your foot healed so quickly?" Mu Xue looked at him and found that he was holding a makeshift crutch made of branches under his armpit, and his ankle was still wrapped with the tattered cloth strips, but it was no longer bleeding.
He didn't even have a pair of shoes and was using a cane. He didn't know how much time he spent doing so many things in one night.
Even if she was heartless, Mu Xue still felt a little embarrassed. "You should take a good rest for a few days. You don't have to be busy with these things. Clothes and so on... I can wash them myself."
This child was diligent and sensible. Without asking Mu Xue, he sorted out things but knew not to move them randomly. He washed towels and bed covers but did not move underwear.
In fact, Mu Xue could certainly use magic to solve these chores, but whether it was the Dust Avoidance Technique or the Object Control Technique, it also required energy and time. It was not like what was circulated in some stories in the mortal world, where a snap of the fingers would automatically clean the entire courtyard.
That's why Ruan Honglian suggested to Mu Xuecai, who had no time to take care of her life, to buy a few servants.
Cen Xiaoshan quietly looked at Mu Xue's expression. Seeing that she was not unhappy, he relaxed a little and said tentatively, "The hot water is ready in the kitchen. Does the master need to wash up? I'll go get it right away."
"No, no, no, you take a rest, I'll go by myself." Mu Xue stopped him.
She was not so cruel as to ask a boy with a broken leg to bring her water for washing her face.