Chapter Eighteen Early Class

  In the eyes of the children, the majestic Iron Wing General was like a "god". When they saw the Iron Wing General being humiliated, their eyes blazed with anger, and who knows how many people secretly cursed Wu Mu Dao Ren in private.

  General Iron Wing didn't mind at all, and only after seeing Wu Mu Dao Ren leave did he walk out of the grand hall. Seeing the little children one by one with puffed up faces, he couldn't help but smile slightly and say: "Wu Mu Dao Zhang's knowledge is vast, this general has always admired him. If you have his guidance, you will be one step closer to entering the Jade Cauldron Gate. From today on, all of you must listen to Wu Mu Dao Zhang's orders, do you understand?"

  The children saw the ugly appearance and icy face of Wumu Dao Ren, each feeling annoyed in their hearts, but they also didn't dare to speak out in front of General Tieyi.

  General Iron Wing left behind a dozen or so attendants and maids to take care of the young child's daily life, and also left fifty black iron soldiers to camp outside the Taoist temple. Only then did he lead the crowd away.

  Compared to Wu Mu Dao Ren, Jing Shan Dao Ren, who is in charge of arranging the daily life and meals for the little ones, is much more gentle and amiable. Jing Shan Dao Shi is in his early twenties, with a pale and quiet complexion, living up to his name, always wearing a smile on his face, and has a very good temper.

  Thirty young children lived in a quiet courtyard consisting of more than ten rooms. Among them, six girls were divided into three rooms and taken care of by three maidservants. The boys were four to a room. Jing Shan lived alone in the room next to the gate.

  The little boy who lived with Wang Long, Shui Sheng and Da Niu in the same house was called Sun Qianjun. He was quiet and rarely spoke. If you didn't take the initiative to talk to him, it was pointless to expect him to ask anything.

  Three people, born of water, only looked at the scenery along the way on a sunny day. After entering the Taoist temple, they ran around again, already tired. At night, they lay down on the wide cloud bed, fell asleep as soon as their heads touched it. Sun Qianjun, however, quietly stayed awake for half the night, watching the three people enter dreamland, before carefully taking off his shoes and lying down at the outermost side of the cloud bed.

  On the second day, as soon as the sky was bright, the sound of bells echoed in the YunTai Temple. Shui Sheng got up and found that Sun Qianjun was already standing under the bed with his clothes neat and tidy. The several copper basins for washing had been filled with clear water.

  Shuǐ Shēng looked at Sūn Qiān Jūn, opened his mouth, and was about to say a word of thanks. However, Sūn Qiān Jūn turned around and walked out. "Why is this kid so quick?" Wáng Lóng's voice full of questions sounded from behind Shuǐ Shēng. Dà Niú chuckled and picked up a water basin, walking out of the room while saying: "What's it to us? The place where we fetch water isn't far away. At worst, next time we go fetch water again."

  "Everyone, since you've all arrived at Cloud Platform Temple, you must follow the temple's rules. From today on, you'll be following me in morning classes. After getting up and washing your faces, of course, is breakfast time. After breakfast is the time for morning classes, which will be taught by the various masters and senior brothers in the temple. During morning class time, no one is allowed to be late. If someone intentionally lingers in bed and doesn't get up, or gets up a step late and misses the morning class time, they'll have to go without breakfast."

  Upon hearing this, the sleepy-eyed children hastily ran out of their rooms, carrying copper basins to fetch water from the large water vats at the gate to wash up. Afterwards, a group of children followed Jing Shan into the dining hall specially set up for them to have breakfast.

  After breakfast, the children lined up in an orderly queue and followed Jing Shan into a side hall in the temple. Inside the side hall was a three-meter-tall white-clad middle-aged Taoist standing upright. This white-clad Taoist had a majestic physique, a refined appearance, and wore a seven- or eight-foot-long ancient sword on his back, holding a book volume in his hand, with jet-black whiskers and bright eyes that seemed to see right through everything, exuding an otherworldly aura of a celestial elder.

  Jing Shan bowed three times to the white-robed Taoist statue, turned around and said to the crowd of children: "This immortal is Yu Xu, the founder of the Jade Cauldron Sect. Everyone come and pay your respects!"

  The crowd of children immediately fell to the ground, and everyone in their hearts knew that they would come to Yudingmen to learn from their masters in the future. As for the ancestors of this sect, it is natural to pay respects first. As for the Three Pure Ones enshrined in the main hall, they are vague and elusive to everyone.

  Since this temple enshrines the Yu Xūn Zǔ Shī who founded the Jade Tripod Gate, Yún Tái Guān naturally has a lot to do with the Jade Tripod Gate. A few older children finally understood why General Iron Wing would send everyone to the remote Yún Tái Guān and why he would accompany the temperamental Wū Mù Dào Rén with a smile everywhere, contrary to his usual demeanor.

  Shuǐ Shēng followed behind the crowd, kowtowed three times on the ground, and stood up. Unlike other children who would leave from in front of the statue, he instead opened his mouth to ask: "Jìng Shàn shī xiōng, Yù Xū zǔ shī is how old this year? Is he living on Yù Dǐng Mountain?"

  Jing Shang was taken aback for a moment, then touched the small head of Water Born and smiled slightly, saying: "The Ancestor has been in seclusion since he attained enlightenment and founded the Jade Cauldron Sect on Jade Cauldron Mountain over 1,800 years ago. As for his age, I don't know either, Brother. You have a shallow destiny and no spiritual roots, so you can't cultivate on Jade Cauldron Mountain, and naturally, you wouldn't know if the Ancestor lives in the mountains. If this young brother can formally join the Jade Cauldron Sect to cultivate, when he returns to our temple, he might as well tell me the truth, so I can gain some insight!"

  Another young boy, not far from the water's edge, chuckled and took over the conversation: "Pure Goodness Brother, look at him, can he really join the Jade Cauldron Sect? He wants to see the Ancestor Master? Dream on! But don't worry, brother, once I've cultivated my immortal skills, if I pass by the temple, I'll definitely tell you the truth about your ancestor!" This young boy was dressed in brocade clothes and looked around 12 or 13 years old. He was the tallest among the children and his attire was the most luxurious.

  Behind the young man in brocade, five or six little boys followed and echoed his voice. Seeing Shui's face start to turn red, one of the thin yellow-shirted boys said in a sharp voice: "Hey, this black-headed country boy is getting angry. Hey! Do you think that just because you can eat more and run faster than others, you can enter Yuding Gate to practice immortality? You should take a closer look at your own appearance! If all of us were like you, able to eat so much, wouldn't Yuding Gate be bankrupted?"

  The children couldn't help but burst into laughter, at breakfast time, Shui had eaten more than ten buns in one breath and drank three large bowls of porridge, leaving a deep impression on everyone.

  His name was Huatian Yu, the youngest son of Huasen, the head of Nanyang County. Not only Longyang City, but the entire Nanyang County were under his father's rule. With this background, Huatian Yu naturally felt superior to others everywhere he went. Moreover, with his exceptional talent and photographic memory, he was arrogant and looked down on everyone.

  In the initial few rounds of selection, Huatian Yu was far ahead of all the other children, even Wang Long, who came from a family with a strong background in martial arts. However, in the subsequent trials, whether it was running, jumping, climbing, crawling, strength or technique, Huatian Yu was consistently surpassed by Shuǐshēng, who was several years younger, and had to settle for second place, feeling extremely discontented and looking for opportunities to provoke a fight along the way.

  The crowd of little kids behind Huatianyu seemed to have discussed it beforehand, taking turns to mock Shuixing, and finally even dragged in Daniu and Wanglong. The more they talked, the happier they became, and the more energetic they got. However, Shuixing and Daniu and Wanglong behind him were getting angrier and angrier, initially able to restrain themselves, but eventually unable to control their rage, they clenched their fists and charged forward, fighting with Huatianyu and his helpers.

  On the other side, Tie Xin Tang rushed over quickly and shouted: "Hua Tian Yu, you're really shameless! If you have the guts, fight a duel with Shui Sheng alone!" Hua Tian Yu snorted and said: "A country bumpkin like you dares to fight with me? Brothers, let's beat up these three country bumpkins! Tie Xin Tang, I'm curious, did you fall for this black-haired kid on the way here?"

  Tie Xin Tang's face suddenly turned red with rage, and she shouted loudly: "You dare to interfere in my affairs? Don't you want to live anymore?" She raised her sleeve and charged forward. Hua Tian Yu didn't know the depth of Shui Sheng's abilities, but if there was anyone among the younger generation who could make him feel a little intimidated, it would probably be Tie Xin Tang alone. Seeing Tie Xin Tang charging towards him, he hastily hid behind the group of children. Xiao Juan, however, shouted from behind Tie Xin Tang: "Sister, beat him, beat him!"

  A group of children rubbed their fists and wiped their palms, wrestling together in a big hall.

  The mountain is quiet and still, rarely bustling with activity. Seeing the children playing and laughing together, Jing Shan initially watched with a smile, feeling joyful. However, as the children's play became more rowdy, they started throwing things around, including the cushions on the ground. One child was even beaten until his nose bled, and he wailed loudly. Jing Shan couldn't help but frown inwardly.

  Just as the situation was about to get out of hand, Jing Shan's expression turned stern and he said in a severe tone: "Are you rebelling? You're really not afraid of being punished by the Ancestor for causing trouble in front of him. Are you not afraid that when we reach Yuding Mountain, the Ancestor will use his divine powers to expel you from the mountain gate?"

  Everyone saw Jing Shangfan get angry, and also mentioned Yu Xu Zushi. One by one, they were worried that the ancestor with great divine power would detect them and punish them, so they immediately let go of their hands and closed their mouths. For a moment, the main hall was silent as a cicada. However, there were also several young boys who secretly glanced at Yu Xu Zushi's motionless figure, seeing that the face of this tall wooden carving Taoist priest did not show any unusual changes, which made them feel much more at ease.

  Jing Shanyan effortlessly took down all the young children with a single move, feeling extremely pleased in his heart, but not showing it on his face. He pretended to cough lightly twice and said: "Alright, today is the first day of morning class, I won't blame you this time. From now on, if anyone dares to fight during morning class, regardless of who's right or wrong, they will be punished by copying the 'Tao Te Ching' a hundred times before bedtime!"

  A dozen or so noisy children each looked serious and became more obedient.

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