Taoist Qingsong and his disciple are not fools after all. Although Mr. Ji did not say anything explicitly, it is obvious enough that these two men in brocade robes are not mortals.
This era is not like Ji Yuan's previous life. There are not so many reliable means of transportation. A silver carp weighing dozens of kilograms from the Tongtian River was carried up the mountain alive. Considering that the fish's face could not be seen clearly, it must be a fairy.
Thanks to this big fish, the kitchen of Yunshan Temple was bustling with activity, from killing the fish to steaming it.
Fortunately, the stove and the pot are big enough, otherwise it would be difficult to cook the big fish head.
When it comes to dinner, in addition to vegetables, fruits and some bacon, the highlight is naturally fish.
Wild mountain ginger, combined with fresh sauerkraut purchased from local residents, old Sichuan peppercorns and a variety of spices called dried chilies, create a fresh, salty and slightly spicy fish head soup.
An octagonal table was set up in the front yard of the dojo. In addition to the dishes arranged in a circle, the most eye-catching thing was a big pot.
That's right, because there was no bowl big enough and they didn't want to ruin the integrity of the fish soup, Taoist Qingsong and his disciple used a spare pot as a serving utensil, put four suitable stones on it, and brought it directly to the table.
This way of eating is quite novel, and the seasoning is also quite good. Coupled with today's good mood, Old Dragon didn't think it was anything special. However, Long Zi Yingfeng ate heartily and thought that Taoist Qingsong's cooking skills were quite good.
For the two dragons, this meal was just a taste, and it was impossible for them to eat their fill.
The dishes were home-cooked, and the wine was the local wine that Huang Xingye brought that day. It was not rare, but the atmosphere was better than that of the birthday banquet in Shuifu. Even listening to Taoist Qingsong's stories of fortune-telling and seeking death made the dinner table more interesting.
By the time we had eaten and drunk our fill, it was already completely dark.
The father and son of the Ying family chatted with Ji Yuan in the courtyard of the temple until very late. The conversation was mainly between Ji Yuan and Lao Long. One had a huge amount of knowledge from his previous life, plus his state of mind and insights in this life, so he could say a few words about anything. The other had his own practice and experience, so he had his own opinions on everything.
Ji Yuan couldn't help but ask about things he didn't know but was interested in, such as the current situation in various regions of the world and listen to Lao Long's opinions on certain things.
Old Dragon would also ask out of curiosity about things he wanted to know, for example, he mentioned the sword mark on the edge of Chunhui Mansion in Jizhou. Ji Yuan then organized his words to tell him about the time when a man flew a sword for thousands of miles in Yizhou to slay demons. Although the words were simple, they made Longzi and the two Taoists fascinated.
Of course, the topic would sometimes wander off. For example, because Ji Yuan casually mentioned the fish for dinner, the topic turned to how to cook water essence like Yinqiaozi, which was quite jumpy.
Ji Yuan became interested in chatting. No matter whether it was his own curious questions or some discussion topics, Lao Long could say a few words. Since coming to this world, he rarely had such a free and easy chat. He felt that Lao Long was in a similar mood.
What's even more rare is that neither of them has any scruples about trivial matters. Their true natures are revealed when they are talking to each other. They can talk about whatever they want, and they can criticize immortals or look down on other dragons.
Then he talked about everything from the stars, the sun and the moon to the growth of all things, from the demons going astray to the right path, from the change of dynasties to the rise and fall of aristocratic families, and talked about everything he wanted.
When discussing some principles, it is inevitable that one will get stuck. At this time, Ji Yuan will often be blessed with inspiration and recall one or two Huang Ting moral sayings from his previous life. The meaning of the sayings will become clear as he blurts them out. As the conversation continues that day, it will feel more and more like a discussion of profound principles.
As the conversation went on, even Longzi Yingfeng didn't dare to interrupt and just listened carefully.
…
"Ah... Hoo... I'm so sleepy... Mr. Ji, you guys chat, I want to go to sleep."
"Yes, me too… "
The yawns of the two people brought the topic to a temporary halt.
Qi Xuan and Qi Wen could only understand a little bit of many things, and were mostly confused by what they heard. At first they could still sit with the audience out of curiosity, but now they could no longer resist the sleepiness.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't go, don't go. It will be good to listen to you. You two Taoists don't know what's good for you. Do you know how many high-flying guys in the world can't even beg for help in this match tonight?"
Long Zi Yingfeng forcibly pulled Taoist Qingsong and Qi Wen to stop them from leaving. The two yawning people had no choice but to ask Ji Yuan for help. They were not fools and of course they could tell the strangeness of some of the contents, but it was fine at the beginning. The more they listened, the more confused they became and they really couldn't hold on any longer.
"Let them go to sleep. The two Taoist priests are not as strong as you, Your Highness."
Since Ji Yuan said so, Long Zi had no choice but to let go of his hand, and looked at Qi Xuan and Qi Wen with regret in his eyes.
After the two Taoists left, Longzi, who was expecting to continue listening, found that his father and Uncle Ji stopped talking.
Lao Long slowly stood up and bowed to Ji Yuan.
"I had a great conversation with Mr. Ji all night, and I benefited a lot from it!"
Ji Yuan also stood up and returned the greeting solemnly.
"Same here. Ji has also gained a lot."
Longzi was a little dazed. He looked towards the east. Although it was still gray, he felt that dawn was approaching. It turned out that a night had passed without him noticing.
At this moment, Lao Long and Ji Yuan had already left the table.
"It's almost time for me to leave. Next time I brew new ambergris, I will be the first one to come and drink with Mr. Ji."
"Well, next time I will go to the garden shop and buy some aged Qianrichun so that the old gentleman can taste it."
"It's a deal!"
"It's a deal!"
The old dragon smiled and looked at his son who was still sitting at the table.
"What are you still standing there for? Let's go!"
"Oh, ah? Dad, why are you in such a hurry to leave? There is no sister in Tongtian River. You are not the God of the River."
The old dragon shook his head and ordered his son to be grabbed and fly away. If he stayed, his son would probably be shameless and ask for help.
Ji Yuan watched the dragon shadow fly away, feeling extremely happy. After chatting that night, the old dragon said that he benefited a lot, and so did he, Ji.
I plan to go see the sunrise, but before that there is one more thing to do.
Ji Yuan jumped lightly and stepped out of Yunshan Temple like a floating catkin, and landed directly in front of a bush beside the kitchen outside the temple. He bent down, reached under the bush and fumbled around, and then he took out two small creatures with gray and white fur.
These two minks had not yet healed from old injuries and had fallen asleep.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you two are lucky. But if you fall asleep here and get eaten by mountain cats or birds, it will be too tragic. Find another place to sleep."
He stood up again and jumped into Yunshan Temple. Ji Yuan used his soft power to throw the two little minks into the kitchen of the Taoist temple and threw them under the firewood pile. Then he stepped on the clouds and went to the Sun Peak of Yunshan Temple.
When the sky is bright, you can watch the sun rise above the sea of clouds. The power of the sun attracts the strong heart fire, the heart fire gives birth to stomach earth, the stomach earth gives birth to lung metal, the lung metal gives birth to kidney water, the kidney water nourishes the liver wood, and the five elements circulate endlessly.
. . .
Ji Yuan realized that his practice was diligent and unobstructed, and he practiced in the mountains and clouds to comprehend the magical techniques. Sometimes he was at Yanxia Peak, sometimes at Guanri Peak, and sometimes at other peaks.
Sometimes in the early morning, you will experience the rising white mist and sea of clouds; sometimes in the evening, you will experience the changes in yin and yang when the moon and the sun are in balance.
When there was no one to disturb him and no other thoughts, it would often take several days to experiment with the idea of conveying the spirit through the breeze. Ji Yuan would even walk on the clouds and chase after a breeze like a child, trying to replicate the essence of it.
And constantly trying to draw out the Samadhi True Fire is not something that can be done overnight.
Ji Yuan would spend a small portion of his time sleeping in Yunshan Temple, and most of his time he would just sit in the mountains. It was not that he didn't want to sleep in a bed, but it was easy for him to forget the time while comprehending the mysteries of the magic, and he really "forgot to eat and sleep."
Sometimes, without noticing, time would actually jump by ten days, and a year or two would pass in the blink of an eye. Ji Yuan couldn't help but sigh: "There is no time in the mountains."
During this period, there were also trivial matters such as Huang Xingye's visit to Yunshan Temple again, but they had nothing to do with Ji Yuan.
As the person involved in the evil-inviting incident, Huang Xingye still has a lot of troubles. Even if the Earth God didn't give any special instructions, Huang Xingye didn't intend to publicize the matter of ghosts and gods. However, he still had to give an explanation to Changchuan Prefecture about Chu Mingcai's death in Huang's family, and he also needed to deal with all matters of the government.
Even though there were some troublesome and annoying things in the middle, Huang Xingye was generally at peace because his life was no longer in danger.
After everything was settled, Huang Xingye once again brought people to visit Yunshan to express his gratitude. Even though he knew that the person who went down the mountain with him was not Taoist Qingsong, he had asked Yunshan for a savior after all, so he had to be polite and made up his mind to send gifts to Yunshan during every festival.
. . .
As spring goes by, cicadas chirp at the summer solstice; as summer goes by, and as autumn comes, the golden wind blows.
It was the autumn of the second year of Ji Yuan's retreat in Yunshan. Far away in Ning'an County, Desheng Prefecture, Jizhou, he lived in a small pavilion. This year, the jujube tree was in bloom but without bearing fruit.
In fact, the jujube tree in Ju'an Pavilion bloomed profusely last year but produced very few fruits. Yin Qing climbed up the tree and counted them countless times when he had nothing to do. Including the jujubes that were still on the branches, there were less than a hundred fruits.
These dates were all big and red and very tempting, especially the earliest batch of fire dates that were saved two years ago, which were as bright as fire. Sometimes Yin Qing would have the illusion that the fire dates glowed at night.
On this day, Yin Qing was sitting at the stone table in Ju'an Pavilion reading a book, because under the jujube tree, he felt it was easier to concentrate and breathe more freely. Moreover, at this time of summer and autumn, there was always a faint breeze blowing under the jujube tree, making it very cool.
Yin Qing had already memorized a book called "Etiquette" by heart. He put the book down and looked up at the tempting dates on the jujube tree.
"Ah...it's been almost two years and you haven't let me pick even one, you're so stingy... Daddy was a top scholar, but in the end he couldn't stay in the capital and went to Wanzhou to be a prefect. My mother went to Wanzhou with her but I can't go. If I go, who will clean the house and the pavilion, who will take care of the jujube tree? You, I'm working so hard, can't you just give me a jujube to comfort me!"
Yin Qing said a lot, the jujube tree just swayed with the breeze without any reaction, just like an ordinary fruit tree.
"Hey... I'm going to college soon, so I won't be able to visit you every day. I can only come back once every two weeks or a month, hey..."
Sighing, Yin Qing looked up quietly again. The jujube tree was still swaying in the wind.
"You are a big date tree, you have a heart of stone, no, a head of wood!"
As he was speaking angrily, Yin Qing lowered his head and suddenly noticed a flash of red rushing in from the half-open gate.
"Little Fox!"
A sound of surprise burst out from Yin Qing's mouth, but before he could say the next word, he suddenly found a bright red date falling and hitting the fox right on the head.
"Boom~"
The red fox immediately jumped away as if frightened, holding its head and looking up, just in time to see another jujube enlarged before its eyes.
"Boom~"
"Woo..."
The fox rubbed his nose with his paw. Before he could catch his breath, there were three more "dong dong dong..." sounds above his head.
Yin Qing stared at the scene in amazement, pointing at the jujube tree with trembling fingers.
"You...you are biased! You are so biased!"