The next morning, before dawn, all the disciples went down the mountain. As they had been told, they did not make any big noise. Chen Qian and Chang Jinxin agreed to go together, and Bu Shuihan led a few disciples to Danghun Mountain as planned. Gu Pinglin had a secret in his heart, so it was inconvenient to bring too many people. He only secretly contacted two disciples, both of whom he had observed and confirmed to be reliable.
In fact, most disciples are unwilling to join the team. Finding inheritance is a sensitive matter in itself, and there are too many people and too little food to go around. It is better to act alone and try your luck.
The night was still dark and the mountain wind was cold. Gu Pinglin stood at the mountain gate, his black cloak fluttering. The hem of his cloak was sometimes lifted, revealing the tip of his black boots. His fellow apprentices would stop and greet him when they passed by, and he would occasionally return the greeting.
The other two people in the team were named Jiang Ruoxu and Leng Xu. Jiang Ruoxu was not talented enough and looked to be in his forties. It was estimated that he could only make an external pill in his lifetime. Leng Xu was much younger and had just entered the third stage of Qi Refining. The two stood behind Gu Pinglin, busy saying goodbye to their fellow apprentices.
All the travel items were placed in the storage bags, and the disciples left with nothing but empty hands, looking quite elegant. Unconsciously, an hour passed, and at dawn, the mountain gate became empty again.
Jiang Ruoxu stepped forward and reminded: "Junior Brother Gu, shall we set off as well?"
Gu Pinglin looked ahead: "Wait a moment."
Leng Xu asked: "Junior brother, are you waiting for someone?"
Gu Pinglin said "hmm" without further explanation. After another cup of tea, the agreed time had come, but Duan Qingming still hadn't shown up. Gu Pinglin wasn't disappointed, and ordered them to set off. The three of them flew away on their swords.
The so-called sea realm is a strange secret realm deep in the East China Sea. There is no obvious boundary between the world of cultivation and the human world, but the naked eyes of mortals are blocked by the mountain protection array, so they can't easily see those secret valleys of the sacred mountains. The journey to the sea realm is long, and the sword-controlling and air-controlling techniques consume too much mana. Originally, cultivators usually use mounts to travel when they go out, but there are not many golden eagles in the Lingxin Sect. Gu Pinglin has just come out of seclusion, and he doesn't have enough feather coins to buy a mount. Moreover, if he buys a mount, he needs to feed it with spiritual herbs and poultry meat, which costs more. Gu Pinglin is not in a hurry. He takes the two of them on foot from the human world, and collects spiritual herbs to make pills by the way. However, there are few large spiritual beasts and fierce beasts in ordinary mountains and forests, so they can't make much money. Occasionally, when they see demons and ghosts haunting people, the three of them will help to deal with them, which is also to gain reputation for the Lingxin Sect.
The three of them traveled during the day and stayed in an inn at night. After about a month, they finally arrived at Yecheng. Yecheng was not far from the East China Sea. Gu Pinglin planned to take a short rest here and did not stay in the inn. Instead, he took the two of them to find the local Lingxin Taoist Temple.
It costs a lot for the sects in the world of cultivation to support so many disciples. Many sects have industries outside, such as spiritual herb gardens, medicine shops, weapon shops, etc., and the goods are mainly sold to the monks who come and go. As for the Taoist temples, the monks dare not intervene in the wars in the world because of the heavenly tribulation, but they can do good things such as selling medicine to cure diseases, slay demons, exorcise ghosts, eliminate disasters and ensure safety. For mortals, being able to do these is already amazing, so the monks are highly respected. Many dignitaries and royal families will offer sacrifices to the Taoist temples. Of course, the sects will not care about the money and goods offered. The establishment of Taoist temples is actually for the reputation of the sect. Just imagine, if people have never heard of your sect, why would they send their children to become disciples? In this way, good disciples will inevitably flow into other sects, and the subsequent strength is the foundation of the sect's survival.
The Lingxin Sect happened to have a Taoist temple in Yecheng, and the outer disciples were in charge of the temple. These disciples had poor aptitude, and most of them had not reached the Qi Refining Realm, so they were sent out to manage worldly affairs. For them, although they could not progress far, they could fight for opportunities for their children and grandchildren, and they could also be taken care of by the sect, which was much better than ordinary people.
Yecheng connects the four main cities with the East China Sea. It has a unique geographical location. Many first-class sects have set up Taoist temples here. The Lingxin Sect is not famous in comparison. Gu Pinglin originally thought that the temple was very deserted, but the result was unexpected - the gate of the temple is high, the steps are clean, and the outer wall has been renovated not long ago. Occasionally, there are pilgrims coming out, which shows that the incense is very good.
Two Taoist boys in their teens stood at the door, greeting and seeing off guests very politely.
"A glimpse of the whole picture reveals the whole picture." Gu Pinglin sighed secretly. Even the Taoist boy was like this, which showed how attentive the temple master was in running the temple.
Leng Xu stepped forward and called out, "The Taoist boy, quickly ask your temple master to come out and meet the guests."
There were many guests who came to visit, but few were so arrogant. The two little Taoist boys were very smart. They exchanged glances with each other, and one of them stepped forward, bowed, and asked carefully: "May I ask where the three donors are from and what their names are? I can also inform you."
A child in his teens who wanted to act like an adult was kind of cute. The three of them found it funny. Leng Xu was about to reveal his identity when a voice suddenly rang out, "Little Taoist, place an order!"
The one who came was an old Taoist with a kind face, black beard and black hair, and a fluttering khaki Taoist robe, looking like an immortal.
Most of the people who called "hanging orders" were monks, and they could not be offended. The two little Taoist children had been taught and hurried down the steps to greet them and bowed: "May I know what is the name of the senior monk?"
Seeing who was coming, Gu Pinglin was shocked. He quickly gestured to stop Leng Xu from talking and quickly gave the two men a look. The three of them quietly retreated to the side. Just then, several pilgrims came out. The three of them were wearing ordinary clothes. The old Taoist didn't notice them for a while and smiled, "I am a disciple of Feijian Palace. My surname is Wang. Do you have any vacancies in your temple?"
Feijian Palace is the leader of the eight major sects. The two Taoist children stood in awe. One of them said attentively, "It turns out to be Master Wang. There is a vacant room. Master, please follow me."
"You're a clever boy," the old Taoist praised, and followed him up the stairs, glancing back casually.
Gu Pinglin said to the Taoist boy, "Zhao family, we are here to offer sacrifices. We have something else to trouble the abbot of the temple."
The Zhao family was a wealthy family in Yecheng. Upon hearing this, the Taoist boy smiled and said, "So you are Mr. Zhao's people. Please follow me in and have some tea."
Seeing this, the old Taoist didn't doubt it. He turned around and went to the room to hang up the sign with the little Taoist boy.
Gu Pinglin and the other two entered the temple shortly afterwards, but saw the following inside: the treasure tripod in the courtyard was grey, the ancient lamps in the stone building reflected the setting sun, smoke lingered over the Sanqing Hall, and the whole courtyard was filled with fragrance despite the absence of flowers or trees.
Three or five Taoist priests were cleaning the steps in front of the temple. A young Taoist priest in his twenties with a handsome appearance stood beside them. When he saw the little Taoist boy, he said angrily, "Quanzhi, how did you get in?"
The little Taoist boy Quanzhi stopped walking when he heard this and answered respectfully, "Uncle Gan, these three are from the family of Mr. Zhao and want to see the abbot."
The young Taoist priest had already seen Gu Pinglin and the other two. A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes. He smiled and bowed his head: "So you are honored guests. I am willing to bow my head to you."
Gu Pinglin just nodded.
Gan Li hesitated for a moment, then told Quan Zhi: "Since this is the case, you can report to the abbot." Then he said to Gu Pinglin and the other two, "Please go inside and have some tea."
The name seemed familiar. Gu Pinglin remembered it after thinking about it for a moment. He pursed his lips slightly and followed him into the side hall without making a sound.
The side hall was obviously a place to receive guests. There were two rows of black lacquered tables and chairs, which were neatly arranged and clean. A portrait of the founder of the Lingxin School was placed on the main wall. In the front altar were incense burners, candlesticks, water bowls, fruit plates and other items. In the middle, there was a black stone the size of a palm, which was inconspicuous.
Gan Li asked the three of them to sit on the chairs on the right, and he sat on the second chair on the left. After the Taoist boy brought them tea, he asked tentatively, "I wonder what brings you here?"
Leng Xu glanced at Ping Lin and said, "This matter is serious, we must meet with the abbot to discuss it."
He refused to say anything, and Gan Li didn't get angry: "You three aren't members of the Zhao family, right?"
Jiang Ruoxu asked curiously: "How do you know we are not from the Zhao family?"
Gan Li said politely and reservedly, "The abbot has been in poor health in recent years, so he has handed over the affairs of the abbot to me. Although I am not very talented, I do have some knowledge of magic. If you three have any urgent matters, why not tell me first?"
It turned out that he was the one in charge of the temple, and the Zhao family had already known about it. The three of them didn't know the details, so they asked to see the temple master.
Gu Pinglin secretly praised this person for his carefulness, and said slowly: "Let's wait until we meet the abbot."
Gan Li finally showed obvious doubts.
Gu Pinglin asked: "Is the abbot your great-grandfather?"
Gan Li was stunned for a moment, then replied, "That's right, Your Excellency..."
Before they could finish their words, they heard footsteps outside. The three of them stopped talking at the same time and turned around to see an old man walking in from behind the screen.
The old man's hair and beard were completely white, his eyes were cloudy, and his movements were a little unsteady. It was obvious that there was no hope for him to break through and his life span was about to end.
Gan Li quickly stood up to help him and whispered a few words.
The old man showed a little surprise, and smiled at the three people and said: "I am the Taoist Gan Min, the master of this temple. I am old and have difficulty walking, so I was unable to come and greet you. I hope you will forgive me."
None of the three stood up. Gu Pinglin said, "Master Gan, you are too polite."
Seeing how arrogant they were, Gan Min did not dare to sit down: "Which immortal mountain did the three senior cultivators come from?"
Gu Pinglin did not answer, but stood up and walked to the altar. He stretched out his left hand and pressed on the black stone, using the Lingxin School's skills. Not surprisingly, the black stone emitted a faint colorful light.
Gan Min's expression froze, and after carefully examining him for a moment, he stepped back again, but bowed deeply: "It turns out that it is you, the inner sect senior brother, who has come to visit. I am sorry for being rude, but please do not blame me."
Gan Li reacted and hurriedly followed suit.
There are different levels in every sect. Outer disciples are one level lower than inner disciples. This is the default rule. Otherwise, there will be no order of superiority and inferiority, which is very detrimental to management. Gu Pinglin accepted this great gift and turned back to his seat: "Since we are from the same sect, there is no need to be so polite. Master Gan, please take a seat."
Gan Min came forward and sat with him, and asked Jiang Ruoxu carefully, "What are the names of the three brothers?"
Jiang Ruoxu introduced with a smile: "My last name is Jiang, and that's Junior Brother Leng." He paused and said, "This is Junior Brother Gu, who is a disciple of the headmaster. I think you have heard of his name."
"It turned out to be Senior Brother Gu!" Gan Min was moved and was about to stand up to greet him. "I just heard of your great name the day before yesterday. I didn't expect to have the chance to meet you. I am so lucky."
The fact that Gu Pinglin had modified his technique was public, so the outer disciples had naturally heard about it. Gu Pinglin stopped him from being polite and said, "We are passing by here, and we want to stay in your temple for a few days to recuperate. Thank you for making the arrangements."
Gan Min knew that he had the highest status, so he quickly agreed, but he couldn't help showing a hint of disappointment.
Gu Pinglin saw this, picked up the teacup, and said casually: "Your great-grandson is quite good."