"Hurry up, hurry up, get the wooden bowls ready."
Aze was the chef, and the other cooks handed over their wooden bowls, and Aze served them mushroom rice soup. There were a lot of mushrooms, and everyone's bowl was filled to the brim.
This was the most comfortable meal they had had since entering the mountains. In fact, they had not had a full meal for a long time. Even though they had been constantly looking for wild vegetables and fruits, they were lucky to be able to make it here.
A big pot of rice bran stewed with mushrooms was eaten up by five people in the end, not even a bit of bran was left.
After eating, the five people sat next to the fire, leaning against the corner of the mountain wall and looking at the blue sky. Even though they knew that such weather was suitable for traveling, no one stood up, and they all enjoyed the comfort of sitting quietly after eating.
"Brother Aze, do you think there are really gods in heaven?"
"My grandfather said yes, he never lied to me!"
"But... Grandpa Zhuang has always said that good and evil will be rewarded, so why are those bad guys fine while our village is in trouble? If there are immortals and gods, why don't they punish them?"
Aze looked at the sky, not angry, and was silent for a moment before answering.
"My grandfather once said that if good deeds and evil deeds don't receive retribution when you are alive, there will definitely be retribution after you die."
Everyone stared at the sky in a daze, and a companion suddenly said.
"Grandpa Zhuang used to tell us stories, saying that it's hard for us who dig for food in the fields to imagine the life of the nobles. So what kind of life do the gods live? Some people say that gods don't need to eat, so why do we have to go to the temple to offer sacrifices with fish and meat?"
Obviously this young man cannot distinguish between immortals and gods, or in fact many people are like this.
Aze looked at A'long beside him and teased.
"You can't even imagine the life of a prince or noble, and you want to be a god? Anyway, it must be very powerful!"
"Who said that? I know a little about the lives of princes and nobles. My pot has been repaired seven or eight times. My mother always complains when she cooks. She says that if it was a daughter-in-law from a wealthy family, she would definitely only repair it once, or just replace it with a new one!"
The youngest child laughed “Hahahaha…”
"Brother A'long, Grandpa Zhuang once said that the wives of the richest families never cook!"
Aaron was stunned for a moment.
"Ah? You don't cook? Then you won't starve to death?"
"Silly Aaron, have you forgotten what Uncle Qiao used to do? He worked as a long-term worker in a rich family in a big city, sweeping the floor and cleaning. Rich families must have hired someone else to be their cook!"
"Oh, it's true when I think about it, hehehehe..."
"Ha ha ha ha… "
Everyone laughed for a while, and soon fell silent again. The more they thought about the past, the stronger their sense of loss and sadness became.
"You guys should go around through the Qingtian Mountain to Duyang. It should be stable there. As long as you have hands and feet, you can always have food to eat."
Qingtian Mountain is the No. 1 mountain in the Central Plains and is said to be the No. 1 mountain in the world. The mountain range occupies an extremely vast area, with high mountains, deep forests and is shrouded in clouds and mist all year round. There has never been a unified saying about how big it is. We only know that few people have explored it clearly, or no one has explored it at all. There are also many legends about immortals.
The steep Qingtian Mountain is an insurmountable natural barrier, but if you pass through it from one side, you can quickly reach Duyang, the prosperous city of Dongsheng Kingdom, which is much faster than taking the normal official road. The prerequisite is that you can pass through the Qingtian Mountain, which even hunters are unwilling to go too deep into.
"how about you?"
Hearing his companion's question, Aze answered naturally.
"Of course I will go find the immortal. If I can find the immortal, I will ask him to save the villagers and then come back to find you."
"What if we can't find the immortal?"
"Aze, don't think about the immortals. Those who went into Qingtian Mountain to look for immortals never succeeded, and many never came out again. We have been walking in the mountains for so long, and everyone knows that we can't find them."
Aze shook his head.
"Mr. Changdong succeeded. He entered Qingtian Mountain alone and headed east without looking back. Everyone thought he was dead, but many years later someone saw him in his hometown. He came back in fairy clothes and brought wealth to the neighbors who helped him back then! Everyone has heard of that play!"
The story of a man from Duyang going to Changdong to search for immortals is a widely circulated folk story in Dongsheng. People call him Changdong Gong. There is a Changdong Gong Temple in Duyang. It is a fairy tale with some traces. It is widely used to encourage people to persevere in doing things. Of course, it also makes many people try to go to Qingtian Mountain or other famous mountains to search for immortals.
Hearing what Aze said, A'long next to him directly refuted.
"But you are not Lord Changdong! According to legend, Lord Changdong was born with jade in his mouth. He has a photographic memory and only needs to learn once. They say he is a god and does not belong to the mortal world! Ah Ze, shall we go to Duyang together?"
Aze shook his head.
"Grandpa said that regardless of whether Lord Changdong's quest for immortality was true or not, he definitely could not be a natural god born with jade in his mouth. He was all beautified by a yang man later. If one's mind is firm, everyone is no worse than Lord Changdong!"
Aaron was a little anxious.
"Look at your face, your hands and feet, they are all wounded! There are ferocious beasts and poisonous insects in the mountains. You will die if you can't find the immortal!"
"I won't. I will find the fairyland and the immortals. We all saw the fairy light from the Qingtian Mountain more than three months ago. We all saw it!"
It is precisely because they have seen the fairy light that these young men and children who escaped the war want to go into the mountains, both to avoid disaster and to find the fairies.
But the past three months have worn away everyone's fantasies, and only Aze still believes so. So when A-long heard what Aze said, he stood up immediately.
"Yes, we all saw it, but so what? Maybe we just saw it wrong? Who do you think you are? You went into the mountains alone, and there was no one to take turns to keep watch. Can you stay awake all night?"
"My grandfather said..."
"Grandpa Zhuang himself is dead!"
"you!"
Aze suddenly became angry and stood up and pounced on A Long.
"You are not allowed to say that, you are not allowed to!"
Aaron was also very angry and started wrestling with Aze.
"That's right, that's right. If Grandpa Zhuang were alive, he would definitely stop you!"
"He will live, he will live, when I find the immortal, he will live!"
"Stop fighting, stop fighting!"
"Stop fighting, wuwuwu..."
…
Half a day later, the five of them set out on their journey together, heading east, no longer heading towards the depths of Qingtian Mountain, but instead heading towards Duyang.
It's strange to say, but originally the weather became worse as we headed deeper into the mountains. It was either windy and rainy or there were thunder and lightning. It was cold and damp. There were thorns blocking the road and wild animals roaming around. But after changing direction, everything became smoother. The road seemed easier to walk on, and mountain springs and streams could be found from time to time. Even the weather was mostly sunny and the direction was naturally easier to discern.
About half a month later, the group of five finally reached the eastern edge of Mount Qingtian.
But after the brief excitement, no one cheered. Aze, carrying his hemp rope, resolutely turned around and went into the mountain again. The other four companions just stared at his back as he walked away.
They have already experienced the persuasion, scolding, crying and even beating, and everyone knows that Aze will not change his mind.
…
Only a day and a half had passed on Jiufeng Mountain. At this moment, Yunxia Garden seemed to be the same as usual, and even the door of the guest hall was open, but in fact, a large formation had been set up, and all the disciples of Jiufeng Mountain were told not to approach Yunxia Garden. Of course, this time they were not refining magic weapons, and there was no intention of the Samadhi True Fire that would make everyone unable to stay on Xianlai Peak. They just didn't want to approach Yunxia Garden.
This time, the desk was equipped with all the four treasures of the study, and there were more than a hundred small characters shining with a faint golden glow, surrounding Ji Yuan. Unlike the usual noisy ones, the small characters were arranged neatly and quietly, appearing to be very measured.
Ji Yuan had been thinking with his eyes closed for a long time. At a certain moment, he opened his eyes, dipped the pen lightly in ink, and then wrote directly on the paper.
"The void is divided into yin and yang, the reality is divided into the five elements, and this is the way of the creation of all things in the world..."
As Ji Yuan began to write, the small characters around him began to form a formation, dissolving into faint glows around the desk. The hundreds of small characters changed very quickly, and if you looked closely, the formation formed just the right shape for every word Ji Yuan wrote. At this time, the guest hall of Yunxia Garden was ablaze with light, as if every time Ji Yuan wrote a word, the same but larger golden characters would appear in the air around him.
Ji Yuan's state at the moment was very magical. On the one hand, he devoted great energy to the writing of the book on the paper, and on the other hand, he seemed to transform into the huge body in the artistic conception, standing on Xianlai Peak, looking at Yunxia Garden, and also looking at himself who was writing on the paper.
It seemed that only Ji Yuan himself could feel this giant Dharma image, and most of the monks in Jiufeng Mountain were unaware of it.
'Perhaps after the weapon refining book is completed, the second half of 'The Wonderful Law of Heaven and Earth' will also have some clues!'
Originally, Ji Yuan believed that the most important part of "The Wonderful Law of Heaven and Earth" was the creation of heaven and earth in the first half, but this time the five refiners' discussion on Yin and Yang and the Five Elements once again broadened Ji Yuan's horizons. At the same time, this discussion was actually very much in line with the will of heaven and earth, and one could also comprehend the wonders of heaven and earth. The second half of "The Wonderful Law of Heaven and Earth" was not as simple as Ji Yuan had thought before, not to mention the insights related to Taoist songs, which might be integrated into it.
Because of these connections, it is not difficult for Ji Yuan to imagine that those who truly practice the complete "Wonderful Law of Heaven and Earth" will probably be able to better understand the true meaning of the weapon refining book. After all, to some extent they are from the same source. Of course, the so-called easy is only relative, and it will definitely still be very difficult to really learn it.
The illusory Dharma image was like another perspective and another state of mind of Ji Yuan, surrounding the four directions and embracing the heaven and earth. When Ji Yuan was writing non-stop, the Dharma image suddenly looked downward in the south-side direction.
It was a strange feeling, like vision but not vision. It was as if I could see the bad weather in the distant mountains, and I could also feel a strong obsession.
In addition to the Taoist platform on the top of Tiandao Peak of Jiufeng Mountain, there are also places for practicing Taoism further down. At this moment, the head of Jiufeng Mountain is standing outside his meditation room with his hands behind his back, gazing at Xianlai Peak in the distance. He seems calm but his eyes are actually full of thoughts.
When Ji Yuan Fashang was looking sideways, the head of Jiufeng Mountain also turned to the distant south.