The night faded into the darkness, and the light of the morning sun pushed across the city walls and the lake. A flock of ducks swam out from the reeds swaying in the wind, flapping their wings and creating ripples.
Gaga... Ah gaga...
On the straight road paved with white rocks on the river bank, the Taoist priest, carrying his bag, said hello to the soldiers on duty nearby, then walked through the mountain gate and went up the stone steps. His voice was heard before he reached the top.
"Master Lu, wake up. I'm back. Come and greet me!"
In the attic, Lu Liangsheng walked to the open window frame, stretched lazily in the morning light, and saw Lao Sun coming up with a bag below. He kicked his feet, tapped on the desk, passed through the window, and floated down below.
Seeing the Taoist's dusty appearance with a bag on his shoulder, he couldn't help but smile. He walked over, put on the Qianyang Palm, and slowly started to fight, while asking:
"Why did you bring back some local specialties when you went to Chengyunmen?"
"hey-hey!"
Sun Yingxian turned her head slightly and looked around with a sly look. Seeing that no one had stood up, she lifted the hem of her robe and jumped onto the stone table next to her. She took the bag with her backhand and patted it in her arms.
"My master is originally from Chengyun Sect. After checking the relationship, I found that he is of a higher generation. The old man persuaded me to give him a Taoist robe and a handwritten copy of the secret book. This trip was worth it."
The bundle was untied, revealing a neatly folded blue-grey Taoist robe inside, on which lay a coverless book. The paper was a little yellowed, but the handwriting on it was indeed authentic, and one could vaguely make out some descriptions of Taoism.
"So you are considered a disciple of Chengyun Sect?"
Lu Liangsheng was happy for him, but he didn't know whether Old Sun, who was used to a free and easy life, could adapt to the boring training in the mountain gate. The Taoist soon dispelled his worries.
He jumped down from the stone table, threw the Taoist robe and the Taoist secret book, and said, "I am just a Taoist priest over there. Whoever is stupid enough to practice in the mountains will probably say nothing."
As he said this, he yawned, carried his bag and walked to the attic, carrying the scholar on his back, and waved his hand twice.
"Go take a nap first, and don't call me for lunch!"
Then... He kicked the door sill with brisk footsteps and fell to the ground with the bag in his hand. He quickly got up, brushed the dust off his robe, looked back at the scholar who turned his head away, and went upstairs quickly.
Seeing him leave, Lu Liangsheng continued to perform a set of Qianyang Palm with a smile on his face. As his palms slowly flipped and danced, air surged, and the nearby hanging branches also followed suit and slowly stroked. After a moment, he gathered his energy and calmed down, then went back to the room. Taoist Toad was lying on the couch, still snoring.
Without going over to disturb and wake him up, Lu Liangsheng went over to tidy up the desk and put the book about Lu Yuan's life into the pile of books for the time being, preparing to look at it later when he had time. As for the other two books, one was "The Magical Powers of Yin and Yang of Heaven and Earth" and the other was the annotations to the magical powers. He flipped through two chapters at random. They not only recorded the magical powers, but also the ways to break other kinds of spells. For example, the illusion that the scholar was best at also had the fastest way to break it.
'According to Lu Yuan's life records, he spent the second half of his life exterminating almost all demons and ascetics, so he must be familiar with their magic. This book of magical skills is probably a hodgepodge...'
Sure enough, when I flipped through the book "The Magical Powers of Yin and Yang in Heaven and Earth", most of the contents were compendiums of various spells and general explanations of spell fingerprints. I even saw the "Nine Ding Mysterious Text Scripture" of Chengyun Sect, but it only talked about it briefly and there was no real method of cultivation.
However, the further Lu Liangsheng read, the more he realized that this book was not something he could learn now. The content afterwards was mostly about magical skills, which were completely different from those that could not be practiced. It required a very high level of cultivation, and the whole book was divided into two parts: Yin and Yang.
'Heaven and earth refer to everything, and yin and yang are the divisions. Now you can understand why it is named this way.'
The pages that Lu Liangsheng was reading were still in the Yin chapter, which was full of stories about seducing souls, entering the underworld, capturing dreams, summoning ghosts, and exorcising gods. However, the Yang chapter was fundamentally different.
Most of them are because he knows what is in the mind, has a thousand-mile vision, has a sharp ear, can change the weather, distinguish good from evil, can call the wind and rain, and can summon thunder from the five directions...
At the moment, Lu Liangsheng's Nascent Soul realm only has one magical power of leaving the body. To learn all these, I'm afraid his realm is not enough. Sure enough, when he turned to the back, there was a line of neat fonts, which must have been added by Lu Yuan on purpose.
—If you are not at the spiritual level, you cannot learn it easily.
"The Divine Realm..." The scholar put down the book, frowned slightly, and recited softly.
At this time, the words of the Toad Taoist came from the side: "The Divine Realm is another great realm after your Nascent Soul. If you want to reach it, you will need at least fifty years. Don't even think about passing the first two small realms."
Toad woke up at some point, stood on the edge of the bed with his flippers on his back and yawned, "To reach this level of cultivation, elixirs alone are not enough. The Nascent Soul must be struck by heavenly thunder for 749 times. Only after the tribulations are over can it be considered a cultivator in the Divine Realm."
"Master, how do you know so much?"
"Uh... When I was a demon, I accidentally ate one or two spiritual masters..." Toad explained, waved his flippers, changed the subject, and walked to the small closet, saying as he walked:
“…Don’t think too much. Come and see what clothes the Master is wearing today. It will make him look more dignified.”
Accidentally ate one or two? No one would believe it.
Lu Liangsheng randomly pointed out one thing to his master and passed the time by flipping through the book again. Even if he couldn't learn it, it would not hurt to take a look at it. By accumulating knowledge, he would have a strategy to deal with such magical skills in the future.
I watched for a long time without realizing it, until Yan Chixia and Li Sui'an came and knocked on the door. Then I realized it was time for lunch. Then I packed up, carried my master on my shoulders and went downstairs together.
At the same time, outside the Wanshou Temple, a group of horsemen dismounted at Quchifang and walked over. Yang Guang led a few personal guards to look around, holding on to the stone pillars and fences and looking at the shimmering lake.
"I heard that there is a dragon in this lake that Lu Liangsheng raised."
The guards following closely behind him stared at the calm lake nervously, "Yes, Your Highness. I also heard that when the evil star was in the sky, there was a flood, and it was this dragon that rescued many people and saved their lives. Now they are planning to build a temple for him."
"How could anyone who follows Mr. Lu be bad?"
After looking for a while, Yang Guang reluctantly withdrew his gaze, led four guards into the mountain gate, walked along the stone steps faster and faster, and saw a donkey leisurely passing by in the woods on one side, and bowed respectfully.
The old donkey, wagging its tail, looked at the young man who was saluting, shook its ears, chewed some grass, left a donkey's butt for the other person, and went straight into the depths of the forest.
“Your Highness, what are you doing…” a guard asked in confusion.
"This is the sir's mount, it's a Qilin..." Yang Guang waved his hand and said, "Forget it, forget it. You won't understand even if I tell you. Don't talk when you get on top."
In an instant, he walked up the last section of the stone steps and bowed respectfully towards the attic in front of him.
"Yang Guang pays homage to the Imperial Master."
The sound came to the attic. Lu Liangsheng put down his bowl and chopsticks, turned his head to look at the half-open hall door, and saw the young man bowing outside. He smiled and said to Yan Chixia, "Fellow Daoist Yan, you eat first." Then he got up and walked out.
In the afternoon sun, the leaves of the camphor and cypress trees drooping from the branches sway gently in the wind, and the annoying cicadas chirp one after another along with the swaying treetops.
It is the end of summer and the beginning of autumn.