Chapter 9 "Treasured Law"

  When Li Anran finished practicing his sword and walked towards Zhao Er's house, he found an old man standing in the courtyard of Zhao Er's house, surrounding the sick cow that was eating tea porridge.

  From a distance, this old man is actually not very old, probably around fifty years old. But with the average lifespan of ancient people, this age is indeed considered an elder.

  Moreover, the war at the end of Sui made people's lives miserable everywhere, and many elderly people could not survive. Being able to live to this age is already quite good.

  "Daozhang, this is our village's elder, Elder, this is the Daozhang I met in the mountains." Zhao Er hastily walked forward to introduce.

  "I've met Daozhang. I heard that a distinguished guest has arrived at Zhao's house, so I came to pay my respects. Please don't mind." said Zhao Qing-shan with a pleasant expression.

  "I've disturbed the elders, I'm new here and may have caused some inconvenience, please forgive me." Li Anran, who had just performed a Taoist greeting, also very politely invited him.

  "Thank you, Master Tao. I heard that as soon as you arrived, you cured the illness of Zhao's family cow. Little old man is thanking you on behalf of Zhao's whole family." said Zhao Qing-shan with a smile, bowing again.

  "Zhao Er has a life-saving favor for me, it's just a small matter and a trivial effort, I shouldn't have thanked the elder of the clan." Li Anran bowed his hands again and said with a smile.

  "I don't know if you have time to spare, but I'd like to ask for your advice on a few matters." Zhao Qing Shan said with a smile, taking the opportunity to size him up.

  "It is what I have always wished for, but I dare not ask."

  It's not unexpected that Li Anran would make such a request, but rather it feels like talking to an ancient person, especially one who appears to be quite knowledgeable, is really tiring.

  After Zhao Qing-shan and Li An-ran walked into the main hall of Zhao Er-jia's house, two bowls of tea water with scallions and ginger were soon brought over.

  "Have some tea."

  "Please."

  Knowing that Zhao Er's family had no tea, this tea was mostly brought by Li Anran from his own family. He picked up the teacup and took a small sip after making a gesture of invitation.

  Although the flavor of this bowl of tea was ruined by those spices, Li Anran still found that it was much better than Zhao Erjia's after careful tasting.

  Li Anran, who was really not used to drinking this kind of tea, knew that the person in front of him had come for a reason and it wasn't just to enjoy the tea together. After taking a sip, he put down his teacup.

  While drinking tea, Zhao Qing Shan still didn't forget to observe a certain person. Upon discovering the other's slightly furrowed brow while drinking tea, an unusual glint flashed in his eyes.

  "What guidance do you have for me this time, Elder?" Li Anran asked with a smile, pretending to be unaware of the other's scrutinizing gaze.

  "I dare not instruct, I'm just an old man who wants to ask, where did the Taoist come from and where is he going?" asked Zhao Qingshan with a smiling face.

  I would like to tell the other party that I, Li Anran, have come from nowhere and gone to nowhere. Of course, it's impossible to say so, so I said: "I am a cultivator of the Xuan De Cave Heaven in Mount Tai Bai."

  "Surnamed Li, named Anran, styled Tongxuan, and nicknamed Chunyang Zhenren. While passing through Chang'an, he was affected by the dragon's energy and fell into a mountain, where he was rescued by Zhao Er. For the time being, he had nowhere to go."

  This introduction is not something that Li Anran came up with on the spur of the moment, but rather was carefully crafted last night based on some knowledge of Taoism.

  Taibai Mountain Xiande Cave Heaven, is the eleventh of the thirty-six minor cave heavens in Daoism, located between Meixian and Taibai counties in Shaanxi province.

  The character "Zi Tong Xuan" was actually designated by Li Gui Chen before his death. As for Chun Yang Zhen Ren, it is the Daoist name used by each generation of Li Gui Chen's lineage.

  Actually, when choosing a grotto heaven, Li Anran originally wanted to choose the Xiyue Huashan Zongxian Grotto Heaven, also known as the Extreme Truth Grotto Heaven, which is ranked fourth among the 36 small grotto heavens of Taoism.

  It's better to think twice, as Mount Hua is very famous since ancient times. It's also a sacred place for Taoism, so it's better for an unknown guy like me to avoid it.

  As for Taibai Mountain being located to the west of Chang'an, and Lantian County being in the southeast direction of Chang'an, if someone were to ask about it, Li Anran had already thought of an answer beforehand.

  The sign of Xī Yuè Huà Shān Zǒng Xiān Dòng Tiān was not dared to be used, but it doesn't mean that another method can't be used. For example, the purpose of this trip is to rush to Xī Yuè Huà Shān Zǒng Xiān Dòng Tiān.

  As for being overwhelmed by the dragon energy of Chang'an halfway, it is secretly a tribute to Li Shimin who has just ascended to the throne, meaning that the opponent is indeed a true dragon son of heaven and has some prestige.

  Facing such an answer, Zhao Qingshan, the patriarch of the Zhao family, although he didn't understand what a Qi Refiner or a Xuan De Cave Heaven was, had heard of Mount Tai Bai.

  At this time, Li Anran was wearing a Taoist robe that he had specially asked netizens to help design and then ordered from a tailor. He held a feather duster in his hand, and behind him was a brocade bag containing a precious sword.

  Judging from his appearance alone, he indeed has a somewhat ethereal and elegant temperament. This is also the reason why he was able to complete three major transactions in just half a month.

  After deciding to inherit his grandfather's will, Li Anran thought about how to avoid his own young weaknesses and gain an advantage in competing with his peers.

  After all these years with Li Gui Zhen, he had the "inner skills" of doing rituals, that is, various incantations, mantras, procedures and whatnot, so it was easy for Li An Ran to get familiar with them again.

  After much thought and consideration, I finally decided to put some effort into the "external skills", which is how this unique set of Taoist profession equipment, inspired by online game styles, came about.

  Not only clothes, but also personal accessories such as pouches, shoes, hats, and some ornaments, as well as small tools like the bagua and compass, were all carefully matched.

  Especially that sword I just used, it was a high-end product customized from a well-known and powerful merchant in Longquan through the internet at a great price.

  Such an outfit is enough to make Li Anran look completely different from ordinary Taoist priests. As for the problem of tender skin, it can be attributed entirely to the art of preserving one's complexion.

  Moreover, Li Anran was already twenty-five years old before crossing over. At that age, in ancient times when people could get married and have children at the age of twelve or thirteen, he is absolutely considered an adult.

  Facing such a response, Zhao Qingshan, the patriarch of the Zhao family, was still intimidated by the string of titles, even though he didn't understand what a Qi Refiner was.

  In addition to what was previously learned from Zhao Er's mouth, the object placed in the courtyard that makes a strange noise (alarm) when lightly touched is someone's ride.

  Moreover, this strange-shaped, iron-based mount can move freely without the need for human or animal power and will even produce a loud noise.

  This was something Zhao Qingshan had already heard from those little rascals who fed the pigs, a day before he also learned it from Zhao Er's mouth.

  Feeling the unusual look in his eyes, he knew without guessing that it was Li Anran who had come to probe him, and he reached out to take something from his hundred-treasure pouch.

  The beautifully styled pouch was originally made to match this Taoist robe and was specially made for doing rituals, now it is used to store some important items.

  "What is this thing?" Zhao Qing Shan asked, still somewhat skeptical of the person's identity, after being shocked and looking at the square silver-white object.

  "Oh, this is a portable treasure, called a mobile phone." After finishing speaking, Li Anran didn't explain much and opened the music player to find the "Taoist Music" folder.

  The music of High Mountain and Flowing Water soon flowed out from the high-powered loudspeaker, although it was a knockoff phone, but after being washed by the market, the quality was not bad.

  In terms of sound quality, it's still not as good as those high-end products, but it's also pretty good. At least, it's more than enough to fool Zhao Qing Shan, a big shot from the Tang Dynasty.

  As for why he chose High Mountain and Flowing Water instead of modern music, it's because Li Anran was very clear that the ancients' taste in music is completely different from that of modern people.

  That kind of thing where modern songs are performed in ancient times and still get countless praise and sensation, only happens on those internet platforms that lack common sense.

  Just as the ancient zither music of "High Mountain and Flowing Water" began to play, Li Anran clearly saw a tremble on someone sitting in the front row, with an expression of shock revealed in their eyes.

  It was instantly clear that his arrangements had taken effect. Even if the identity he had created in advance was quite sensational, it couldn't compare to the effectiveness of the current situation.

  After a high mountain and flowing water song was over, Li Anran hastily closed the music player without making any noise, then threw her phone into her bag.

  It didn't seem like much, just a guqin piece, but it was enough to make Zhao Qing Shan look at Li An Ran with a hint of reverence in his eyes.

  In ancient times, a bell ringing by itself without wind was considered a divine sign. Not to mention Zhao Qing Shan being the village elder, even if Li Shimin, who had just ascended to the throne, were brought here, he would still have to kneel.

  "Village elder, to be honest with you, I was thinking of staying in Zhao's village for a while longer, would that be alright?" Li Anran said seriously after putting away the "treasured object".

  "Cough, cough... As long as the real person doesn't mind this village's poverty, it's fine to stay." Zhao Qing Shan, who had come back to his senses, coughed twice to cover up the strangeness in his heart and forced a smile.

  "Very well, thank you, elder." With his first plan finally settled, Li Anran stood up slowly, cupped his hands in respect and said seriously.

  Just then, outside the house suddenly sounded a somewhat panicked voice of Er Gouzi. Li Anran listened carefully and only knew that someone in the village was injured by a wild boar.

  Wild boars are a kind of animal that, even if placed in modern times, still belong to the level of ferocious beasts. In hunting circles, there is talk of group pigs and solitary pigs.

  A wolf pack is a group of fugitives, and there's a saying that "a tiger can't withstand a pack of wolves." But one wolf alone becomes a coward, encountering danger and hastily taking a detour to hide.

  As for wild boars, on the contrary, when they form a group, it's like a loose sand, and once startled, they will only rush to escape. One pig becomes a fugitive, encountering danger will definitely fight with you to the death.

  Wild boars and crossbreeds from farms or domestic pigs are not the same, with sharp tusks on their mouths, let alone humans, even tigers would be pierced and have to kneel.