Chapter 20: Same as Disciple, Lecturing on Dao Rock

  Time is the most elusive thing in this world.

  A fairy crane at the foot of Tianyun Mountain, elegantly cleaning its feathers with its head lowered, completely forgetting about time. When it lifted its head, it was surprised to find that the sky had already darkened.

  In the town of Chaoyang, Ning Feng raised his head, and three days had passed.

  "Father, I'm going back to the mountain."

  Ning Feng explained some trivial matters, then said: "This time I may not be able to come back for a while. The child has already instructed two Zhao brothers to take care of things in the town, and the disciples of our sect who are on duty will take turns to look after home."

  Ning Caichen nodded repeatedly, just about to put on a fatherly air and give some advice, when he suddenly slapped his forehead, remembering something: "My son, how did you get up there?"

  He pointed up at the sky, and Tianyun Peak was indeed flying in the air.

  Ning Feng's mouth twitched, and he realized this problem when he listened to the song "Feng Lai Yi". If Chen Xiawei hadn't been right in front of him, he would have had the idea of hugging the crane's leg and refusing to let it fly.

  "Don't worry, the child has his own plans."

  He said that, Ning Caichen immediately believed it, "Oh" and said kindly: "Then my son will go quickly, don't miss the time."

  While speaking, Ning Caichen looked towards the back of the house, to be precise, in the direction of the store that had already been renamed "Ning".

  Look at him like that, it's a bit annoying, hurry up and leave, he wants to start getting busy.

  "That child has gone back up the mountain."

  Ning Feng shook his head, somewhat uncertain whether it was right or wrong to let his own father have something to do.

  Bidding farewell to his father, he left Chaoyang Town and headed towards Tiandu Mountain. He arrived at the outer gate of Shen Gong with ease, grabbed an elderly outer gate disciple, and whispered something in his ear.

  The other side was surprised and delighted, the next moment, a stream of light rushed straight to the Tianyun Peak...

  ……

  "Big brother, how did you come?"

  At the foot of Tianyun Peak, Ning Feng hadn't landed yet, when a figure in a wide robe with large sleeves and a warm smile appeared before his eyes.

  Shen Zhaoxuan had been waiting here for a long time.

  Ning Feng bid farewell to the outer sect disciple who had been caught and conscripted, exchanging a few pleasantries before hurrying off towards his own guide, Shixiong.

  "My brother has nothing to do and comes here to take a look at the sea of clouds, and also welcomes his younger brother."

  Shen Zhaoxuan spoke lightly and walked towards the mountain with Ning Feng's arm.

  It's been a few days since we last met, but the two brothers didn't feel any strangeness, instead they felt even more affectionate.

  If Ning Feng really believed Shen Zhaoxuan's words, he would be as naive as the crane playing with water beside him.

  "Big Brother is clearly afraid I'll delay Master's lecture, that's why he's waiting here."

  "If time is almost up and I still haven't arrived, Master must have come down the mountain looking for me immediately."

  Ning Feng remembered Shen Zhaoxuan's kindness in her heart, but didn't mention it out loud. Along the way, she only talked about the interesting things that had happened over the past few days.

  Like the Fourth Brother's capacity for drink, which was as vast as Mount Tai, Ning Feng felt uncertain about visiting his cave; and again, like the Zhao brothers, who were so alike that it was impossible to tell which one was Zhao Da and which one was Zhao Er...

  "Hmm, senior brother, what's going on here..."

  Ning Feng followed Shen Zhaoxuan all the way here, only to realize that the direction they were heading in seemed wrong.

  It's not towards Shuiyunjian, nor is it towards the direction of Tianyunfengdian, but rather seems to be circling around to the back of the mountain.

  Shen Zhaoxuan's expression turned solemn, and he said, "Younger brother, Master is lecturing on the Dao in the Lecture Hall of the Dao."

  "Preach the rock?"

  "I am a descendant of Tianyun, and all the ancestors in our lineage have been lecturing on the Dao at the Lecturing Platform on Mount Dao. For thousands of years, this has never changed."

  Shen Zhaoxuan's usual gentle and elegant demeanor changed, his expression solemn and stern, as if he were attending a sacred ceremony.

  "Jiang Dao Yan is on the sunny side of the mountain, in the midst of the heavenly clouds and seas. According to our temple's rules, apart from our own Tian Yun sect, other mountain masters can also bring one disciple each to listen in."

  Shen Zhaoxuan seemed to react, without explaining the situation clearly to his own junior brother, and hurriedly told Ning Feng about the scene that would appear later, in order to give him a psychological preparation.

  "Our Shifu is usually taciturn and not good at speaking, but when it comes to lecturing on the Dharma, he is unparalleled in the Jade Palace. The various mountain masters have always made it a point to attend."

  "This time it's for three junior brothers and sisters to start, they will definitely bring new junior brothers who have a good relationship with them, and the junior brother will see many familiar faces."

  Shen Zhaoxuan seemed to be afraid of Ning Feng's tension, so he said in a gentle tone.

  His mind was not there, and the three words "Jiang Dao Yan" kept swirling in his mind. He couldn't help but feel a sense of reverence for this sacred place where the ancestors of the Tianyun sect had lectured on the Dharma for generations.

  All the way from the foot of the mountain, it was desolate and uninhabited, but after turning to the sunny side of the mountain, Ning Feng continuously encountered many Shengong disciples, and the sudden change left him momentarily stunned.

  "Are there so many people on Tianyun Peak?"

  In the past few years, Ning Feng saw only a handful of people wearing Taoist headdresses.

  "Does Shifu have many disciples?"

  Ning Feng withdrew his gaze and followed Shen Zhaoxuan's footsteps, curiously asking.

  As Shen Zhaoxuan said earlier, the other mountain masters can only bring one personally transmitted disciple, and these outer sect disciples who are dressed up are naturally from Tianyun Peak.

  "No..."

  Shen Zhaoxuan subconsciously responded and immediately reacted, laughing: "You're talking about them?"

  He pointed at those hastily passing by, full of expectation, outer sect disciples and smiled: "They aren't the Master's formal disciples."

  "Huh?"

  Ning Feng was about to ask again, but found that those outer sect disciples, upon seeing Shen Zhaoxuan, all had smiles on their faces and bowed in greeting.

  。

  These people didn't come over to disturb us; they would just bow and then hurry on their way.

  "Brother, you're quite well-liked by them."

  "Can you spare some time to teach your junior brother?"

  When Ning Feng joked around, he couldn't help but think of his father's few loose hands that he had learned, and after a few days, he still felt an uncontrollable urge to laugh.

  Shen Zhaoxuan burst out laughing and patted him on the shoulder, saying: "It's not that they're being polite, nor do they have a good relationship with me. They're definitely not paying respects to me."

  "Is there anyone else?" Ning Feng thought Shen Zhaoxuan was being modest, and jokingly said: "Not to Shifu, could it be to me?"

  He himself laughed first after finishing speaking.

  Shen Zhaoxuan patiently waited for Ning Feng to finish laughing before saying slowly: "It's just about my junior brother."

  "Hmm..."

  Ning Feng's footsteps paused for a moment, almost tripping over his own feet. Shen Zhaoxuan's tone didn't sound like he was joking at all.

  Shen Zhaoxuan held onto Ning Feng's arm and continued forward, saying: "Master has rarely lectured in recent years, except for us, his direct disciples. It's not easy for others to hear Master's lectures."

  "This time, your master has accepted you three and specially lectured on the Great Law to guide your future cultivation."

  "They have just had the opportunity to attend this grand occasion, shouldn't they be grateful to their younger brother?"

  Shen Zhaoxuan snorted at those outer sect disciples, raising his chin, "So they're grateful, they pay their respects, it's all for my younger brother, and has nothing to do with me."

  He has personally experienced what it means to "carry a stone and hit his own foot".

  "Also..."

  "Among those people, there are disciples with a recorded name by the master, and more of them have a relationship with our direct-line disciples."

  Why are there more people on the top of Tianyun Peak than imagined? Ning Feng had been curious about this since he first set foot here, and he quickly collected his emotions and listened carefully to Shen Zhaoxuan's words.

  "The Taoyang Shen Gong has a convention that all major disciples have the qualification to receive affiliated followers."

  "Vassal?" Ning Feng's eyes widened, this term was something he had never heard of before.

  Outside and inside the house, are indeed two completely different worlds.

  "Not bad, vassal." Shen Zhaoxuan smiled slightly and pointed to himself, "As the eldest brother is the most lazy, there are also three vassal younger brothers."

  "By the way, outsiders refer to our fellow disciples as 'tong zhi' (fellow brothers)."

  "What is meant by 'same as a fellow disciple' is that these vassals, apart from not having a name and not enjoying the protection and benefits of the sect, enjoy treatment similar to that of a fellow disciple. For example, they can live in the inner gate, and when the main vein lectures on the Tao, they can go to listen."

  He seemed to have thought of something, and reminded him again: "Junior brother, regarding the transmission of Gongfa to affiliated brothers, there are other rules. The master will explain it later, we as disciples cannot be late than the master, so let's not mention it for now. When you plan to recruit affiliated brothers in the future, remember to pay attention."

  。”

  Ning Feng regained his composure and indeed found that there was not a single person around, he tilted his ear to listen to the distance, the entire Tianyun Peak fell silent, as if everyone was eagerly waiting for something.

  "The master said, it's about to begin."

  Ning Feng took a deep breath, his first ever lecture on the Tao was filled with anticipation, he had no idea what kind of grandeur and surprises awaited him.

  Two brothers turned over a mountain valley with lush flowers, and in front of them was a vast expanse of cloud sea undulating like waves, swarming and slapping against the sun-facing platform of Tianyun Peak.

  Lecturer Rock, I'm here.