The two guests were both wearing blue and white Taoist robes, typical monk attire. One of them looked to be in his forties, with a short black beard, and a rather unkind face; the other looked to be no more than thirty, thin, and had the appearance of a gentle scholar. They were the eldest disciple Chen Qian and the third disciple Chang Jinxin of the Lingxin Sect's head Yue Songting.
The two of them reported their origins, and Gu Jin hurriedly welcomed them to the hall for tea. Even though the Lingxin Sect was a second-rate sect in the cultivation world, it was still far beyond the reach of the Gu family.
The three of them sat down as host and guest. After the servants served tea, Gu Jin smiled and asked, "How come you two noble men have the leisure to come to this mundane place?"
Chen Qian did not answer, but asked directly: "Is there a child named Gu Pinglin in your house?"
Gu Jin was stunned for a moment, and replied, "It is my son. Why are you two asking him? Did he get into trouble?"
Chang Jinxin beside him smiled and said, "This is something that the headmaster specifically instructed. Patriarch Gu might as well ask your son to come out and see him."
Sect Leader? Gu Jin's thoughts raced, and he quickly ordered the servants, "Go call Xiao Jiu out, and ask Ping An and the others to come over to see the distinguished guest, quickly!"
The servant understood and went to inform Gu Ping'an and others first, and finally went to find Gu Pinglin. Gu Pinglin lived in a remote place, and he had just walked halfway when he saw Gu Pinglin walking slowly towards this side.
Today's events were all expected. Gu Pinglin packed everything up early in the morning. He sealed the porcelain bottle containing the spiritual stone milk with soil from a century-old grave mixed with cow dung and dog blood, and put it in his arms along with some necessary items. This kind of rare treasure has its own spiritual energy, and some great repairs can sense it as long as they get close. Although it is unlikely to encounter a great repair, it is always right to take precautions.
When Gu Pinglin arrived at the hall, Gu Ping'an and others were already there. When Gu Pinglin walked in and saw the two people sitting in the guest seats, his heart couldn't help but warm up and he took two quick steps forward.
The eldest senior brother is Chen Qian, and the third senior brother is Chang Jinxin.
Needless to say, Chang Jinxin is kind to others and doesn't take matters into her own hands. As for this senior brother Chen Qian, after I joined Lingxin Sect in my previous life, he made many things difficult for me. Later, when the master passed the position of the head to me, he was also very dissatisfied and contradicted me in public many times. However, when my Dao meridian was abolished and the four major sects came to press on, it was he who stood in front of me and bought time for me to escape from Lingxin Sect. Later, the underground spiritual eye of Lingxin Sect was abolished, the foundation of the sect was destroyed, and he was seriously injured for this.
Although Gu Pinglin knew that he was loyal to the Lingxin Sect, he did not expect him to be so brave. When he met him again after a lifetime, he could not help but feel deeply moved.
Here, Chen Qian and Chang Jinxin were ordered by their master to come and take Gu Pinglin away, but Gu Jin had evil intentions and called all his sons over. Chen Qian was impatient to deal with them, but Gu Pinglin happened to come in, and Chen Qian's eyes lit up immediately.
"Master really has a keen eye." Chang Jinxin praised and waved towards Gu Pinglin.
Gu Pinglin was already familiar with him and walked over.
Seeing that he behaved steadily despite his young age, Chang Jinxin couldn't help but laugh and said, "You look very mature, don't be like the senior brother in the future."
Being teased by him, Chen Qian glared and stood up: "Now that we have found the person, let's go."
Gu Jin vaguely guessed their purpose and was trying hard to recommend other sons. Hearing this, he hurriedly stood up and said, "What are you two..."
Accustomed to his senior brother's style, Chang Jinxin shook his head, briefly explained, and said to Chen Qian: "You should ask the child what he means. How can you take people away without reason?"
"This is his blessing, why wouldn't he be unhappy?" Chen Qian turned to look at Gu Pinglin, "Boy, are you going or not?"
Gu Pinglin nodded: "Let's go."
Chang Jinxin was happy: "Do you know who we are? How can we sell you out?"
Seeing that he was teasing him, Gu Pinglin smiled and said, "I heard that you are cultivators from the Lingxin Sect."
Chang Jinxin was choked.
Chen Qian praised: "Good boy, let's go."
Chang Jinxin sighed: "No matter how anxious you are, you should wait for someone to pack up their things..."
Chen Qian waved his hand to interrupt him: "No need to bring those vulgar things!"
In his previous life, he left without saying goodbye, so Gu Pinglin made preparations early and put the spiritual stone milk on his body. Seeing this, Chang Jinxin stood up helplessly and said goodbye to Gu Jin.
Gu Jin was very disappointed. Seeing that the other sons were all looking at him, he pretended to hesitate: "We have always had a deep relationship as father and son. I am afraid that Xiaojiu cannot leave for a while. I hope you two gentlemen can help me and let him stay at my house for two more days..."
"Deep affection?" Chen Qian sneered, glancing at Gu Pinglin. The child's clothes were far inferior to those of his brothers, and not much better than those of the servants.
The irony in his words was too strong, and Gu Jin's face turned red: "After all, he is my child, and he can leave at any time. This..." Before he could finish, Chen Qian threw something out. Gu Jin subconsciously took it in his hand and looked at it, and asked in surprise: "Bone Cleansing Pill?"
After the third stage of Qi Refining, the cultivator will be able to cleanse the bones and form an external pill. This bone cleansing pill is very helpful for successfully forming an external pill. It is not rare in the big sects, but it is very rare in the Gu family. Gu Jin was so happy that his face turned red. He knew the other party's intention and hurriedly changed his words and said, "It is a blessing for my son to be able to join your sect. I am just worried that he has never left home since he was a child, and he may not do something right. That's all. I would like to trouble you two to give me some guidance and discipline him."
He pretended to show concern for Gu Pinglin and said sternly, "Study hard and don't be lazy. Always remember that you are a member of the Gu family."
Chen Qian was already impatient and walked straight out of the front hall. Chang Jinxin hurriedly bowed and said goodbye to Gu Jin, and followed him with Gu Pinglin.
As soon as the three of them left the house, Gu Pingsheng inside shouted, "That maid's son can join a big sect, why can't we?"
"Shut up!" Gu Jin growled.
…
Hearing the noise behind her, Chang Jinxin shook her head and sighed, then gently patted the back of Gu Pinglin's head.
Gu Pinglin didn't mind it at all. Knowing that he was just trying to comfort himself, he just smiled calmly without looking back.
Chen Qian praised: "On the path of Taoism, one should not worry about worldly matters."
Chang Jinxin also nodded: "Big Brother is right, you have excellent aptitude, as long as you practice hard, you will achieve great success."
"This level of talent is nothing," Chen Qian suddenly changed his attitude, raised his eyebrows and sneered, "Once you enter the mountain gate, you will know that there are mountains outside the mountain."
In his previous life, Gu Pinglin was the most talented among this group of new disciples. He said this on purpose. Gu Pinglin understood his good intentions and replied, "I understand."
Chen Qian was surprised to hear that. Seeing that he really didn't look unwilling at all, he was even more surprised and didn't know what to say.
Two golden eagles were strolling leisurely at the entrance of the village. They were spiritual birds trained by the Lingxin Sect. Each was more than one person tall, with shiny fur, attracting many people to watch. The spiritual eagles naturally disdained mortals, and only bowed their heads when they saw Chen Qian and the other two. Chen Qian mounted the eagle's back, and Chang Jinxin and Gu Pinglin rode one. The spiritual eagle spread its wings and flew away with the three of them.
The three of them traveled during the day and stayed in random inns at night. Chang Jinxin was very careful and fed Gu Pinglin some pills regularly to fill his stomach. Ordinary mortals would still be hungry if they didn't practice Qi. After walking for a few days, Gu Pinglin didn't complain or ask any more questions. Chen Qian and the other two were secretly surprised. They came out this time to select new disciples. They came to Gu Pinglin only after completing the task, and now they have to pick up those dozens of people.
Not long after they set out on this day, they suddenly encountered a group of monks riding on magical cranes.
Spirit cranes are top-notch mounts in the world of cultivation. Not only are they fast and have great endurance, their appearance is also the favorite of cultivators, and it makes one look like an immortal. It is rare for an ordinary sect to have one or two spirit cranes, but the other party has more than a dozen, which is a big deal.
"It's that bastard again." Chen Qian snorted and tried to avoid him.
Xuanming Sect is a well-known first-rate sect in the world of cultivation. Most of its disciples are arrogant and look down on second-rate sects such as Lingxin Sect. However, the two sects are not far from each other, and the disciples of Lingxin Sect have suffered a lot of bullying for no reason.
Chang Jinxin didn't want to get involved and was about to leave when a female cultivator in the team suddenly called out, "Is that Junior Brother Chen from the Lingxin Sect?"
The female cultivator looked to be in her twenties, and had a clean and neat appearance, with a pair of lively big round eyes on her oval face. This woman was Yan Feixiu, one of the direct disciples of the Xuanming Sect's leader, Zhan Renjie. She had been in the Xuanming Sect for a hundred years, and her cultivation had reached the Qi Transformation Realm, which was quite remarkable.
Gu Pinglin naturally recognized her, he thought to himself.
Calculating the time, Duan Qingming has already followed his aunt into the Xuanming Sect...
Although the Xuanming Sect is annoying, Yan Feixiu is really good, and she seems to have some interest in Chen Qian. Chang Jinxin hurriedly bowed in return: "It turns out to be Senior Sister Yan."
Chen Qian turned his face away and pretended not to see it.
Yan Feixiu smiled at Chang Jinxin and said, "Yesterday I met Junior Brother Ren from your sect. They were taking a group of children back to Lingxin Sect. I guess you guys were also going there to pick them up. In that case, there's no need to go."
It turned out that the new disciples had been allowed to be taken away. Chang Jinxin hurriedly thanked them: "Fortunately, Senior Sister told us, otherwise we would have made another wasted trip." As he spoke, he motioned for her to look at Chen Qian and deliberately raised his eyebrows.
Yan Feixiu laughed and said, "You little Chang, you are playing tricks on me. I will see how I will deal with you someday!"
"Junior sister, why bother with those trivial matters? Hurry up and get going!" the person in front urged.
Chen Qian snorted coldly.
Yan Feixiu pursed her lips, nodded apologetically to Chang Jinxin, and followed the team.
The two sects often meet, Chen and Chang are both well-known, how could the other party not recognize them? It was clearly intentional. Chen Qian was not really stupid, and he resisted the urge to conflict with the other party, but his face was not good. Since the new disciples had been taken away, the two turned around and returned to the sect.
After walking for another seven or eight days, a vast mountain range appeared in front of us.
Looking from afar, there are peaks surrounded by green forests, white clouds circling waterfalls, and abundant spiritual energy. Two branches stretch out like entangled dragons, majestic and magnificent. There are countless houses hidden on the mountain, which is the location of the Xuanming Sect.
This mountain range is none other than the famous Qianyang Mountain Range in the world of cultivation. It is one of the eight sacred mountains. With the blessing of heaven and earth, it has grown countless spiritual veins and spiritual eyes. Although the two major branches are occupied by the Xuanming Sect, there are many small branches on the branches. Many second- and third-rate sects are built nearby, and have benefited from it to some extent. The Lingxin Sect is located on one of the branches, and there happens to be a spiritual eye underground, so it has benefited a lot.
The spirit eagle brought the three people down and stopped outside the mountain gate. Most sects have rules that one must walk after entering the mountain gate to show respect. The three people got off the eagle's back, and the two eagles went up the mountain by themselves to find food and play.
Chang Jinxin carried Gu Pinglin on his back and climbed up the mountain. This was a small branch of Lingshan Mountain. Along the way, many exotic flowers and plants could still be seen. The environment was quiet and beautiful. Chen and Chang had reached the state of Qi transformation. They walked on leaves and flew several feet in one go. In less than a cup of tea, they reached the gate on the mountainside.
There was a wide platform outside the door. Chang Jinxin put Gu Pinglin down and pushed him with a smile: "You have many companions, go in and take a look."
Gu Pinglin of course knew who was inside and nodded.
In front of me, a row of wide stone steps extends upward to lead to a tall gate. The four-character plaque on the gate "Spiritual Heart Enters the Dao" is so intimate and familiar, as if I had seen it yesterday.
In this life, I will also start my journey here, and everything will start all over again.
Putting aside the old memories, Gu Pinglin took a deep breath and followed the two people up the stone steps. The main gate was usually closed, and the two gatekeepers hurriedly came up to greet Chen Chang and the other two, inviting the three to enter through the small doors on both sides.
Walk around the familiar large stone screen in the hall and go out the back door, and the view in front of you will suddenly open up.
The towering hall opposite was the Lingxin Hall. In the middle was a large square that could accommodate thousands of people. Many stone cushions were neatly placed in front, some of which were already occupied by monks. In the open space behind stood dozens of young men in different outfits, in groups of three or five, talking excitedly. There was no doubt that they were the new disciples recruited by the Lingxin Sect this time.
Gu Pinglin stopped suddenly and stared at one of the familiar figures. The shock in his big eyes could no longer be concealed.
He was taller than two years ago, and even though he was wearing only plain clothes, he stood out among the young men. He was chatting and laughing with a dozen young men and women, with his face slightly tilted. The setting sun shone obliquely on his curved lips, adding a layer of warmth to his smile, making him look really gentle, amiable and approachable.
Only the handsome nose silently carved a cool and deep shadow in the sun.