Countless smiling faces swayed before my eyes, and the faint music of Taoism mixed with the noisy voices.
Jade buildings and jade palaces, the bright moon in the sky, golden butterflies and jade leaves floating in the sky.
Mu Xue, however, had the illusion that she was detached from the bustling world.
For a moment, I was at a loss as to which one was real: the illusion just now or the world in front of me.
Although his consciousness was clear, his heart was still bound by thousands of thin threads and he couldn't break free.
The present world is peaceful and stable. It has everything that was missing in my childhood. Life is comfortable, family members love me, and the sun is shining.
There is no endless ice and snow here, and no demons appearing at any time.
But at this moment, Mu Xue found that deep in her heart, she still missed the snow-covered courtyard, the big house with warm lights, and the little boy in the house.
When I died that year, Xiaoshan must have been very sad, right
Above the square, the magnificent flock of golden butterflies gradually disappeared, and the entire square became dim again.
Among the tens of thousands of shadowy figures, there are only two or three bright butterflies left, still shining with enviable golden light in the vast dark night.
The dense crowd around them parted like a tide, and several government officials hurriedly led a gorgeous sedan chair and ran towards here. The first person ran to the big pillar, stretched out his hand to adjust his hat, and politely raised his sleeves to bow.
"Congratulations, Mr. Yuan, congratulations, young immortal. My surname is Yin, and I am the local county magistrate. I wonder what the name of this young Mr. Yuan is. Where do you live?"
Dazhu worked as a helper in Yunxi City and was considered the most worldly man in the family. That was why he took Mu Xue to attend the ceremony. However, the highest official this young farmer had ever seen in his life was at most a street runner.
Now the biggest official in the county spoke to him in a friendly manner and called him "Yuanwai". The 17 or 18-year-old farm boy was so frightened that he didn't know where to put his hands and feet. He said with sweat dripping down his face: "My name is Zhang Dazhu. This is my sister, Er... Erya. I live in Zhangjia Village, ten miles south of the city."
The Yao family has three boys and two daughters, named Dazhu, Erzhu, Sanzhu, Daya and Erya respectively.
Mu Xue pinched her nose and watched the clerk respectfully register the three big words "Zhang Erya" in the register.
Someone came with drums and gongs, and rushed all the way to the Zhang family with documents issued by the county government to announce the good news.
Amidst the congratulations, Zhang Dazhui carried Mu Xue into the sedan chair.
The cushioned carriage, the green drapery,
Pretty boys and beautiful girls were serving on both sides, and the sedan chair was carried by bearers and strong men.
When he came here, he was reluctant to even ride in a bullock cart that cost three copper coins. He never thought that he would be able to enjoy such a good life thanks to his sister. He was both proud and excited.
"Oh, am I dreaming?" His palms were sweaty as he held his sister's soft little hand. "Are you scared? No, I'm not nervous."
His sister sat quietly in his arms as usual, her eyes were clear and calm, and she patted his shoulder with her little hand, trying to comfort him and tell him not to be nervous.
Erya has been very lovable since she was born. She is fair, pretty, quiet and sensible, and has a sweet smile. She is so lovable.
Dazhu still remembers that when his younger sister was just born, he, Erzhu, Sanzhu and the eldest sister always liked to rush to hold his younger sister. They would hold the snow-like younger sister in their arms and take her out to play, for fear that she would be bullied by others.
It turns out that a little sister like this wants to be a fairy.
Can't stay at home anymore.
My mother will definitely cry when I go back this time, and my two sons will probably make a fuss.
What should I do? I didn't even think of that. I didn't even bring a piece of clothing for Erya. My sister is so soft-hearted. Who knows if she will be bullied when she goes up the mountain.
Dazhu felt sad, and those words of compliments and congratulations suddenly became meaningless to his ears.
The crowd separated into different paths, and three children holding Psylocke were escorted to the city wall.
At the foot of the city wall, the young monk was holding a pen, bending over and drawing a crooked arch on the wall.
The pen falls and the door opens.
A doorway suddenly appeared on the solid bricks of the city wall. Inside the doorway, there were slender green pines and orchids, and an ancient stone path ascended along the mountain. The first steps, filled with moonlight and mossy, lay quietly behind the doorway.
The monk stopped writing and turned around. He was wearing a plain robe and casual shoes, with a Taoist bun on his head. His young face had a natural and hearty smile. If it weren't for the attention of so many people and the halo around him, he would just look like an ordinary boy next door.
He pointed at himself and introduced himself to the three selected children: "Ye Hangzhou from Xiaoyao Peak. After you enter the mountain gate, if you have any questions, come to Xiaoyao Peak to find me."
Then he pointed to the doorway and said, "Go in. There will be other brothers there to meet you. I still need to go to the next place."
The crowd in the square looked at the ordinary stone steps in front of the doorway with envy.
In their minds, if one passes through this magical doorway and steps onto the stone steps, they will be lucky enough to ascend to the sky and become immortals.
Unfortunately, the child who was chosen was very young. He only realized now that he was about to leave home for a long journey. He no longer cared about bringing honor to his family and becoming an immortal. He burst into tears and grabbed his family members' necks, refusing to let go.
Their families probably never thought that their children could stand out from tens of thousands of people, and they were also at a loss. For a while, they cried and tried to persuade them, and the situation became chaotic.
Ye Hangzhou started to help comfort the child, "It's okay, it doesn't mean I won't be able to see my family anymore.
As long as your family members go to Qingxu Temple at the foot of Jiulian Mountain to deliver their name cards, you can meet them at any time. On Mid-Autumn Festival Eve and when the sect is on holiday, you can also go home to reunite with your family."
Mu Xue was very surprised to hear this. She had always heard that the spiritual world emphasizes the elimination of human desires and the preservation of the laws of nature. It is important to be pure in heart and desire, and to cut off worldly feelings. There are even requirements to abandon the flesh and blood, end worldly relationships, and concentrate on practicing the great way in the mountains.
But listening to this person's tone, it seemed that the world was very different from what he had imagined.
Almost every city has such a farewell scene. Ye Hangzhou touched his nose and waited patiently.
As for my junior brothers and sisters, it’s understandable. When they first went up the mountain, none of them didn’t cry for several days.
He suddenly felt something strange and looked down. He saw a little girl of about six or seven years old, wearing a half-worn homespun jacket, standing quietly by the doorway waiting just like him.
Seeing him looking over, the little kid also looked up at him. He had black hair, a white face, lively eyebrows, clear eyes, and a tender little hand raised. A glowing butterfly landed on the back of the hand, flapping its golden wings. It was one of the three children selected from Yunxi City.
"You... aren't you going to cry?" Ye Hangzhou couldn't help but ask.
This is the first time I have seen a child from an ordinary family so calm.
"Ah, are you all going to cry?" There was a trace of confusion on the little girl's face. She seemed to be reflecting on her own unusualness and thinking about how to deal with such a situation.
"Not really. I, your senior brother, never cried back then." Ye Hangzhou was amused by her expression. He asked her name and looked at the butterfly in her hand. "This color is pretty. I'm sure the teacher will like it."
Mu Xue keenly grasped the information from his words and saluted with her hands crossed: "After entering the sect, are there any other assessments? Brother, tell me quietly."
The little girl with small arms and legs saluted him chubbyly and called him "senior brother" in a crisp voice. Ye Hangzhou felt that he was very cute, so he squatted down and whispered something in her ear.
"After entering the mountain gate, new disciples live in Huayu Hall. The teachers from the main peaks will take turns to give lectures there. This is when you should pay attention. If you like a particular uncle's unique skills, you must show your best in front of him. Maybe he wants you to become his direct disciple."
After saying that, he stood up and winked at Mu Xue, signaling her to keep it a secret.
An ordinary six-year-old child might not be able to understand much from these words. But for Mu Xue, these words contained too much information.
It turns out that the sect is divided into two parts, the inner and outer parts, and only the inner disciples can receive true inheritance from the master.
The way teachers select disciples is, firstly, to look at the color of the Xumu butterfly, and secondly, to look at the performance of the disciples when they first start practicing.
Tracing the origin of the illusion, Jindie asked,
Mu Xue could never have imagined that the Taoist sects in this world would be willing to use such an expensive method to select disciples.
Directly pursuing the origin in the illusion, you cannot hide it even if you want to.
She looked around quietly and found that the butterflies in the hands of the other two children were dazzling, obviously more dazzling than the one in her hand.
When I was in the Demonic Spirit World, I heard that the Taoist sects were extremely strict and dogmatic, requiring their disciples to have the best character, love others, sacrifice themselves for others, and be upright.
Medical practitioner Uncle Nian often said, "Bah, those Taoists say that they are saving the world and saving people, and they are upright and pretend to be decent people. But in fact, they kill people and steal treasures, and snatch immortal opportunities behind the scenes, without mercy at all."
"Nature is destiny, and following nature is the way. It is still the true right way for us demon cultivators to follow nature."
Everyone who heard this at the time, including Mu Xue, agreed loudly, sneering at the legendary pretentious Taoist practitioners and criticizing them as worthless.
Mu Xue recalled what she had done in the illusion. Fortunately, she did not recall her dark history of cheating and using unscrupulous means at that time.
If you count carefully, you will find that there are so many times when you show indifference, utilitarianism, ferocity and other emotions that should not meet the standard. Mu Xue was depressed to find that with her own temperament, it would be difficult for her to meet the standard of being a Taoist disciple.
At this point, all they can do is pray to the faintly glowing butterfly in their hands. The overall level of this batch of disciples is not good enough if they pray with their minds.
Once I get to Huayu Hall, if I am careful and try my best, I might be able to get in.
The remaining two children finally stopped crying, and, reluctant to leave and with tears and snot running down their faces, they stepped into the doorway leading to the fairy mountain.
Mu Xue walked through the doorway and stepped onto the mossy stone steps.
The pavilions and terraces, the bustling world disappeared in an instant. In front of me was a green mountain valley with fragrant grass. At the end of the stone steps, the clouds and mist were lingering, revealing a corner of red walls and green tiles, and the majesty of the ancient temple.
Mu Xue walked upstairs and heard someone calling her from behind.
She looked back and saw a smooth doorway standing out of thin air on a small formation plate on the mountain path. Inside the doorway was the bustling Yunxi City.
Her brother Zhang Dazhui stood in the doorway, rubbing his hands, looking at her eagerly, and forcing a smile, but his eyes were already red.
"Sister...sister. I heard that practicing in the mountains is not easy." The boy didn't know what to say. "If you can't stand it, just come back home. You still have your parents and brothers at home."
He desperately seized the last moment and waved his arms, "Take care of yourself, eat more, and wait for your brother and parents to come and see you."
The doorway closed, and my brother disappeared. My bustling hometown was cut off thousands of miles away.
The mountain was silent, the moon was bright in the sky, the wind blew in the pine trees, and several crying children were walking along the mountain road.
Mu Xue looked at the array plate that had lost its light on the stone steps in front of her, and a strange emotion surged in her heart, making her feel bloated and a little sour.
Such emotions were completely unfamiliar to her.
She had no home, no blood relatives, and was unrestrained on the road. She kept running and practicing hard.
I have only lived in this world for six years. Has that earthly home left anything in my heart