Chapter 27: Thunderbolt Fire Technique

  Thousands of Da Luo Tan Dao disciples with high moral standing floated in mid-air, while those with lower moral standing stood on the mountain slope, staring blankly at the twenty or so mountain peaks that had been burned to a crisp. In the back valley of Hui Chun, although there were no important medicinal fields, many wild vegetables and fruits were planted, which were the main food source for the disciples in their daily lives. This fire had burned everything clean, and the twenty or so mountain peaks were still emitting thick black smoke. The head disciple in charge of the kitchen was already crying out loud and rolling around on the ground: "Heavens! What are we going to do about dinner today?"

  The Da Luo Tian Dao itself has nearly three thousand disciples who cannot yet achieve Bigu, and it is impossible to let them all use Bigu Dan. Every day, more than two thousand people will go to the cafeteria for meals. Preparing meals for over a thousand people every day is no small task, but this fire burned the vegetable garden, small plots of farmland, and fruit forest that the disciples in charge of the cafeteria had worked hard to open up, leaving nothing behind, and it was unbearable for the disciple in charge of the cafeteria not to feel sorrowful.

  The Red Dragon Sword has been sheathed by Lin Xiao, and Yao'er is fiddling with her fingers, standing in front of Dan Jingdao, Dan Fusheng, and Dan Xia with a very wronged expression, muttering: "This can't be blamed on Yao'er, if anyone's to blame, it's those few mountain chickens. Yao'er used her sword to chop them, but they didn't stand still and let Yao'er chop them, instead they ran around drilling everywhere. Yao'er didn't notice that they were all drilling into the grass nests and tree thickets... so... one sword strike went down... two sword strikes went down... three sword strikes went down..." Yao'er's fingers flew quickly as she counted, her voice getting smaller and smaller.

  "Hmm?!" Dan Jing Daoren coughed lightly and asked in a cold tone, "Yao'er, how long did you chase those mountain chickens?"

  Yaoyao's eyes rolled over and her head almost buried into her chest: "Woo, Yaoyao chased them, chasing for a moment."

  Dan Fusheng's face twitched, and his head hung low. Dan Fusheng felt a sharp pain in his heart, his own disciple, who had achieved great mastery and learned many spells, was actually holding a flying sword to chase after a few mountain chickens, and it took him a whole minute to still not catch up! If this got out, would he, Dan Fusheng, still have the face to see people?

  Suddenly, Yao'er lifted her head, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Danfeng Dao Ren. With a very wronged expression, she pointed at Lin Xiao and said: "Master Uncle, this is all because of that strange sword of Little Brother's! How did it manage to set fire wherever it struck? I didn't notice either! Afterwards, several mountain peaks caught fire, and by the time I wanted to put out the flames, it was too late!"

  Lin Xiao's face twitched, and his head also drooped. After hearing Yao'er's accusations, he really felt that the Red Dragon Sword was the culprit behind all this. Hmm, if the Red Dragon Sword were an ice-attribute flying sword, it probably wouldn't have caused so much trouble, right? Lin Xiao felt very self-reproachful, very depressed, and very annoyed at why the Red Dragon Sword had to be a fire-attribute flying sword.

  "Heh heh, what's wrong little guy? You like this doll?" A teasing laughter suddenly came from the side. Lin Xiao turned his head and saw Jiang Zi making a silly face at him with raised eyebrows. Jiang Zi looked at Lin Xiao with narrowed eyes and chuckled softly: "Ah, young people these days! Hmm, I was young once too." A hint of nostalgia flashed across Jiang Zi's face, and he patted Lin Xiao's shoulder heavily before disappearing into thin air. Lin Xiao heard a faint voice in his ear: "I won't interfere with your family matters. Tonight at midnight, if you're free, come visit me at my residence on 'Jinxiu Peak'."

  Lin Xiao silently remembered Jiang Ziye's words.

  Dan Jing Dao Ren also made a decision to punish Yao Er: "Face the wall and reflect for a month, during which Dan Xia will be responsible for teaching Yao Er various forbidden spells."

  With a wave of his sleeve, Dan Feng Dao Ren turned to Dan Yu Dao Ren: "Dan Yu Shidi, quickly go out and purchase... hmm, you calculate the food needed for the valley before the vegetable garden and orchard in the back mountain are restored, and buy more." Dan Feng Dao Ren glared at Yao Er fiercely, then intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Dan Fu Sheng and Dan Xia, sighing: "Alas, Dan Fu Shidi, Dan Xia Shimai, you must teach your disciples well, absolutely cannot waste their talent!" After finishing speaking, Dan Feng Dao Ren glared at Lin Xiao with a fierce gaze.

  Tan Feng remained silent, but Tan Xia gave Tan Jing a cold stare. Tan Xia despised Tan Jing's method of taking advantage of the situation, and she vaguely sensed that Tan Jing was jealous of Lin Xiao and wanted to use the medicine to stir up trouble and make a move on Lin Xiao. How could Tan Xia tolerate such a thing?

  With a cold smile, Danxia pulled up Yao'er's hand and nodded: "Yao'er, face the wall for a month. The master will teach you some commonly used sealing techniques, and in the future, you won't make the same mistake as today. Hmm, Xiao'er, starting tomorrow, you'll also listen to the lecture with Yao'er. Hmm, the master hasn't formally taught you yet." Danxia said with a hint of meaning: "Originally, these things are the responsibility of your master and mistress, but there's no need for others to interfere! Hmph!" With a light stomp, he crushed a nearby boulder into dust, and Danxia led Yao'er towards the direction of the cold pool in the back mountain.

  Dan Fusheng raised his head and gave Dan Ying a strange smile.

  Dan Jing Daoren crooked his mouth, slanted his eyes and glanced at Dan Fusheng for a moment, hummed a few times, beckoned a cloud to fly over and stepped on it, drifting away.

  As Danfeng Dao people have already made a decision about the big fire on the back mountain, the disciples of Daluo Dan Dao scattered in a mess, leaving only the kitchen staff and the white-clothed Taoist children, looking at the twenty or so mountain heads that were burned into a white land with tears in their eyes. The punishment for Ya'er to face the wall for a month was already severe, they wanted to reopen the vegetable garden and orchard on these twenty or so mountain heads, without half a year's hard work, how is it possible? The person who caused the trouble didn't get much punishment, why does it feel like they are being punished instead of those who did nothing wrong?

  Lin Xiao also shook his head, carrying his long sword and retreating with a flutter. He didn't have the heart to listen to these unfortunate fellow disciples' laments. "Hmmm, Master Dan's words do make sense. If Medicine Sister learns various forbidden spells, won't it be easier for her to catch mountain chickens and wild rabbits in the future?" As he lightly jumped between the mountains, Lin Xiao pondered over Dan Feng Dao Ren's strange order. Was this a punishment for Medicine or was it actually helping her achieve her goal of secretly eating meat?

  But no matter what Dan Jing Dao Ren's starting point was, in short, Lin Xiao really liked the Da Luo Dan Tao. He had even fallen in love with this sect full of human touch. Unlike the cold and unfeeling cultivation sect he had imagined before, the Da Luo Dan Tao was indeed a warm place. Even, Lin Xiao felt from here the taste of home that Hui Chun Tang had never given him before.

  That night, Lin Xiao set up a long table in front of his small wooden hut and solemnly placed the Lin family's genealogy and dozens of large and small plaques on it.

  Below the family tree of the Lin family is the memorial tablet of Lin Shan, next to which is the memorial tablet of Lin Yao. Following below are the memorial tablets of Hu Zhute and Wei Xiansheng and other elderly people from the Hui Chun Tang. Lin Xiao has placed fresh fruit and several mantou, as well as a jug of water wine, along with three incense sticks, to hold a memorial ceremony for these deceased people. As for Hua Guiniang, Lin Xiao had long deliberately forgotten her. Although the person is dead and the hatred has dissipated, Lin Xiao still hasn't magnanimously gone to pay respects to an enemy who poisoned his own mother.

  At the end of each month, Lin Xiao would light incense and offer a sacrifice to express his heartfelt feelings.

  Lin Xiao still didn't know if people would go to another world after death, but he always remembered what Lin Shan had told him: the ancestors of the Lin family must have descendants to worship them.

  Kneeling down on the ground, Lin Xiao bowed his head to those memorial tablets and kowtowed several times. He prayed silently: "Father, elder brother, uncles, your grudges have been avenged by our sect. You can rest in peace under the nine springs. In the future, I will not let you lack incense and fire for worship." On the long table, a stone basin was placed, Lin Xiao burned several sheets of paper money in the basin, then slowly stood up, his eyes scanning each of those memorial tablets one by one.

  He bowed again to the long case, and Lin Xiao retreated a few steps back, looked up at the sky, unfolded his body method, and rushed towards the southeast Jinxiu Peak as fast as a running horse.

  A small whirlwind suddenly appeared in the flat ground, and two Taoist priests, Ming Xin and Ming Xing, suddenly appeared in front of Lin Xiao's wooden hut. The two walked to the long table, carefully examined the memorial tablet on it, and a sneering smile appeared on their faces. Ming Xin said slowly: "Guihua City Huichuntang? Hehe, interesting, interesting."

  Ming Xing shook his head and said, "This has nothing to do with our Yin Gui Gate. This is a problem for the Ji Mo Gate, don't bother with it."

  Ming Xin nodded and smiled faintly, "Indeed, indeed. An 18-year-old Golden Core stage expert, if he can survive this time, it will also be a trouble for the Jiemo Gate."

  Ming Xing smiled slightly and said calmly: "In that case, there's no need to remind them."

  Ming Xin nodded and smiled: "Only fools remind them, just need to report to the master of the door." The two looked at each other and smiled, raised their swords again, and continued to patrol the mountain.

  Huichun Valley faces southeast towards 'Brocade Peak', a place of clear water and beautiful scenery. A clean and elegant emerald peak, at the foot of which lies a small lake about 200 square meters in size. The lake's water is extremely clear, with a bottom of clean white sand, from which thin strands of aquatic grass emerge through the gaps between rocks, gently swaying with the ripples of the water, creating an interesting sight. Fish swim back and forth inside the lake, occasionally jumping out of the surface, creating flashes of light on the water, crisp sounds echoing, adding a touch of vitality to this serene Brocade Peak.

  By the lake at the foot of the mountain, in a dense forest of slender phoenix-tail bamboo, there are over a dozen small and exquisite pavilions. The pavilions are made entirely of white jade, constructed using Taoist rituals and refinement techniques, with not a single seam visible anywhere, their shapes novel and extraordinary, with a hint of an immortal's aura. This is where the Great Luo Dan Dao welcomes its honored guests, a place that is usually rarely visited by people.

  When Lin Xiao arrived at Jinxiu Peak, he happened to see Jiang Lao Dao wearing a raincoat, holding a fishing rod, and hanging a small fish basket from his waist. He walked out of the bamboo forest with bare feet. Seeing Lin Xiao, Jiang Lao Dao nodded slightly towards him, indicating for Lin Xiao to follow him. The sky was moonless, but starry, and the bright silver light illuminated everything. Lin Xiao silently followed behind Jiang Lao Dao, treading on the soft white sandy path, slowly heading towards the lake. Gradually, Lin Xiao unknowingly matched his pace with Jiang Lao Dao's walking frequency.

  Jiang Lao Dao walked step by step with extreme stability, and his footsteps hid a certain kind of mysterious flavor. Lin Xiao didn't notice at first, but gradually he came back to himself, and he seemed like a wooden puppet, following Jiang Lao Dao's steps, almost completely imitating every small movement of Jiang Lao Dao's. A clear and cool air suddenly surged out from the sea of consciousness, washing Lin Xiao's body and mind from top to bottom. Lin Xiao let out a clear cry, and suddenly stopped his footsteps. 'Hum', a circle of fine wind energy spread out from around Lin Xiao, blowing the surrounding grass and trees into a rustling sound.

  Jiang Lao Dao looked back at Lin Xiao with a surprised expression, nodding in approval: "I used the 'Virtual Shadow Divine Seal' to control you, originally thinking that you would follow me like a puppet all the way to the lake. Who knew that after only 35 steps, you woke up." Jiang Lao Dao nodded repeatedly: "Little one, your foundation is truly profound, something I have rarely seen in my life."

  Lin Xiao took a step back, his eyes narrowing slightly as he bowed and said, "Senior, why are you teasing me?" Having worked at the Hui Chun Tang for so long, Lin Xiao was no longer a naive young man. He had heard many stories from patients about the cunning tricks of the jianghu, and understood various human hearts' complexities, which were also applicable in the world of cultivation.

  "No need to be afraid. The old Daoist just likes to play jokes on you young people." Jiang Lao Dao's eyes flashed with golden light as he smiled and said: "In the past, Dan Rong Xiao Niu was also controlled by my 'Virtual Shadow Capturing Spirit Technique', following me foolishly for a whole day and night before waking up. Little doll is much stronger than Dan Rong. Hmm, if not for the spiritual energy being scarce in the cultivation world nowadays, I think..."

  He shook his head and continued walking towards the lake, saying: "The heavens are unpredictable, the heart of the heavens is unpredictable. These things can't be said to be good or bad. You can cultivate to the realm of Mahayana, refine your spirit to the highest state, and ultimately transcend the mundane world and ascend, but it's not necessarily better than now. In these three thousand feet of red dust, in the billions of worlds of Yama, living beings struggle and lament their suffering, yet they don't know that even if they transcend, things might be good or bad. Who can say for sure?"

  Lin Xiao didn't understand Jiang Lao Dao's complaints, after all, his days of cultivating Taoism were too short, and many of the most basic 'Taoist principles' were unclear to him. However, he sensed that Jiang Lao Dao had no malicious intentions towards him, so he lowered his head in thought for a moment, then stepped forward again to follow Jiang Lao Dao. With Jiang Lao Dao's reputation and status, he wouldn't design something against someone of lower seniority like himself, would he? Moreover, this was Hui Chun Valley, the place of Da Luo Dan Tao, and Jiang Lao Dao had invited him out at midnight; along the way, Lin Xiao had also encountered several groups of mountain patrol disciples, all of whom were clear about his destination. Jiang Lao Dao wouldn't be foolish enough to do something unfavorable to Lin Xiao here. Thus, Lin Xiao relaxed and followed behind Jiang Lao Dao, two zhang away, with his hands clasped behind his back.

  He walked slowly to the edge of the small lake, and with a light shout from Jiang Lao Dao, the sand and stones on the lake's edge churned and condensed into a small stone stool. Lin Xiao's eyeballs almost jumped out of their sockets - a single shout could stir up the power of Wu Tu to condense into shape, and yet Lin Xiao hadn't even sensed a hint of magical energy fluctuation; this old Daoist's cultivation was indeed profound and unfathomable, truly worthy of being one of the three most renowned scattered immortals in the cultivation world. Lin Xiao admired him for a moment before plopping himself down on the sandy ground beside Jiang Lao Dao with a thud.

  Mr. Jiang slowly and carefully put bait on the fishhook, gently swung his fishing rod, and cast the hook into the lake water.

  Jiang Lao remained silent, and Lin Xiao also remained silent. The starry sky was radiant, and Lin Xiao sat with his hands clasped around his knees, his chin resting on them, quietly gazing at the float on the lake's surface as it gently rose and fell.

  One o'clock, two o'clock... one hour... two hours...

  The starry sky faded, and a fish belly white emerged in the east. Jiang Lao's raincoat and Lin Xiao's hair and clothes were all covered with dew.

  "Hmm!" With a soft hum, Old Ginger suddenly jerked the fishing rod, and the long transparent fishing line drew out a long arc in the air. The morning wind blew by, causing the line to vibrate lightly, emitting a faint humming sound. On the hook, three large fish were tied together and pulled out of the lake water, the three struggling fish drawing an arc as they flew into Old Ginger's basket on the lakeside. The basket swayed gently a few times, and Old Ginger had already reeled in the rod and line, casually leaning it against his side.

  "Hmm, you see how calm and composed I am while fishing, my eyes are clear and spirited. You don't know why I asked you to come here, nor do you know why I'm fishing by myself, but I can still maintain this demeanor... Hmm, not bad, little guy! Again, praising Lin Xiao for a moment, Jiang Old Dao suddenly laughed and asked: "Now that you're cultivating in the Great Luo Dan Dao, do you know what you're seeking?"

  "What is it that you want?" Lin Xiao looked at Jiang Lao in surprise, just wanting to answer him, but suddenly his voice caught, and he was stunned there.

  "What is being sought?" The question was simple, but Lin Xiao couldn't answer it.

  What is it that one seeks in self-cultivation?

  Or, what have I been seeking for all these years?

  Lin looked at Jiang Lao in a daze, his whole body covered in sweat, and was actually thrown into chaos by just one sentence from Jiang Lao.

  "Late... late junior doesn't know what late junior is asking for." Lin Xiao opened his mouth and finally answered Jiang Lao's question honestly.

  "Old Dao also thinks so." Jiang Old Dao pouted, nodded and said: "At first glance, I was amazed by the good pure gold jade, Da Luo Dan Dao is indeed lucky this time, having a disciple with a good aptitude like you. However, when I see your body, it's as if you're muddle-headed, without any fire or thought, seemingly empty and hollow. This mindset is suitable for cultivating the Dao, yet also not suitable for cultivating the Dao, that's why I'm reminding you."

  Lin Xiao stared blankly at Jiang Lao Dao, unsure of what to say.

  "With your current state of mind, having an empty and hollow heart is good in a way, at least you won't be afraid of the demon in your heart. However, having an empty and hollow heart isn't entirely good either. Cultivating the Tao is going against the natural order, if you don't have even a hint of attachment in your heart, it's easy to break through boundaries. But if you don't have any attachment at all, when faced with difficulties on the path of cultivation, you'll easily give up, which isn't good either."

  "Thus, those who cultivate the Tao must have a heart as clear as a bright moon that is not stained by even half a speck of dust, yet they must also retain some attachment to be able to muster the motivation to traverse the endless path."

  He let out a sigh, and Jiang Lao Dao shook his head: "There are countless people who cultivate the Tao, but they all have various attachments in their hearts. Some seek immortality, some seek power, some seek high positions and wealth, and there are countless strange and bizarre attachments. And you, little one, don't even know why you're cultivating the Tao - how absurd is that?"

  Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat as he recalled the words Lin Shan had told him. He wanted to explain it clearly to Jiang Laodao, but suddenly felt that what Lin Shan had instructed him was somewhat embarrassing to say out loud. So he lowered his head and remained silent. He thought of the family tree and Lin Shan's memorial tablet placed on the wooden table in front of the hut, and said to himself: "This should also be an obsession?"

  Then his thoughts naturally turned to Ya Ru.

  As soon as he thought of Yao'er's face and that slightly silly gaze, Lin Xiao's heart melted into a warm liquid. The warmth lingered in his chest, and Lin Xiao suddenly lifted his head, saying in a low voice: "Actually, I... nowadays..." As he spoke, Lin Xiao felt a pang of embarrassment, somewhat lacking confidence, and lowered his head, his handsome face already flushed red.

  The old man's eyes sparkled, and he chuckled softly: "Little guy, you also have your own thoughts. That's good! Hmm, liking a woman and then cultivating to be with her for eternity, this idea isn't bad either. Moreover, cultivating for love is subject to less interference than other ideas. The feelings between men and women, if they don't change, are originally the purest obsession in this world, it's great, great!"

  Appreciating Lin Xiao with a glance, Old Jiang took out three palm-sized jade pieces from his sleeve and handed them to Lin Xiao, saying calmly: "This is the Thunderfire Technique, most suitable for people of pure fire attribute to cultivate. After refining it, the aura will naturally bring thunder and lightning, and the sword light will have the power of subduing demons like a shadow. Moreover, there is a powerful 'Thunder Summoning Technique' that can use pure yang true fire to summon the mighty thunder of heaven and earth to strike the enemy. You take it back and contemplate carefully, old Jiang has only seen a few young people who are worthy of his attention in this life, this is also your destiny, but you don't need to thank old Jiang for anything."

  One hand grasped Lin Xiao's shoulder, and Jiang Lao Dao threw him out like a handful of straw. Lin Xiao let out a loud "Ah!" as he felt his body float away uncontrollably, flying through the air before gently landing on the ground, right in front of his own wooden hut.

  "What a formidable means!" Lin Xiao was stunned, holding the three jade pieces and staring blankly. He had no idea why Jiang Lao Dao had given him the Xuanwu Ring after chatting with him for half the night, only to give him the Thunderfire Technique later on. The fact that Jiang Lao Dao praised the "Thunder Summoning Technique" as extremely powerful was a testament to its immense power. Why did he want to treat himself so kindly?

  By the small lake, Old Ginger slowly and carefully placed the fishing rod under his arm, picked up the fish basket, and slowly stood up, preparing to return to the Bamboo Forest Temple, where he would stew three large fish into a pot of fresh and delicious fish soup.

  One of his five disciples, a Taoist, emerged from a wisp of green smoke and bowed respectfully to Jiang Lao Dao: "Master, why are you treating this child so generously? The mysteries of the Xuanwu Ring have not even been fully comprehended by you, yet you reward him with it. And as for the Shangqing Lei Huo True Manual, which is a secret scripture obtained from the ancient divine communication cave after nine deaths and one life, why did you also impart it to him?"

  Gong Lao Dao gazed at the person with a faint gaze, his voice cold: "The heavens are unfathomable, under the heavens, we are all just ants. The will of heaven is most benevolent, even if it's the destruction of the Hong Huang, in the heavenly mechanism there will always be a thread of life left behind. As your master, I am doing this to leave behind a thread of life for the Da Luo Dan Dao. Disciples, you must remember, as cultivators, we absolutely cannot act too extremely."

  With a stern expression, Old Ginger warned, "To be ruthless to others is to be ruthless to oneself. Leave some leeway in what you do, and there will still be room for compromise later."

  With a long sigh, Jiang Lao Dao raised his head to gaze at the gradually brightening sky, muttering in surprise: "As I observe with my divine eyes, all of the people from the Great Luo Dan Tao have a patch of dead energy on their foreheads. Why does this child alone have a brilliant red light between his eyebrows, an auspicious sign of a long and prosperous fate? I left him a thread of life, but he actually managed to escape this fatal calamity?"

  The Taoist stood respectfully on one side with his hands clasped together, but a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.