Chapter Eight Heritage

  I had three baskets of steamed buns and two bowls of noodles at the breakfast shop, and I finally felt my stomach was 30% full. I still feel like I can eat another two portions this much.

  However, Jiang Le was no longer dared to eat.

  This eating habit is likely to spread rumors in the neighborhood that Jiang's son has become a foodie.

  Hurriedly pretending to be full, Jiang Le smiled and paid the bill before quickly running off.

  After turning two streets away from his residential area, Jiang Le entered another breakfast shop and had a bowl of noodles and two steamed buns.

  So Jiang Le changed four breakfast shops in a row and finally finished the noisy Wutang Temple fair.

  But seeing half of his money gone, Jiang Le wanted to cry but had no tears.

  This is too exaggerated, with this kind of eating habit, how can I hold on myself.

  No way, I'll have to find Master tonight and ask him clearly, or else I might have cultivated a deviation.

  With a nervous heart, Jiang Le arrived at school, found the head teacher of Class 37 and asked for three days off, then rushed to the antique shop.

  At this moment, a white mourning banner had already been hung outside the antique shop. The familiar neighbors on both sides were very thoughtful in handling Mr. Jin's funeral affairs.

  Jiang Le was very grateful and thanked him before starting to busy himself inside and out.

  Although Old Jin had no relatives and the funeral wouldn't be very grand, Jiang Le still insisted on holding a big ceremony for him.

  At the funeral home farewell ceremony, he thanked on behalf of his family.

  Invite guests, all of whom are fellow shops on Antique Street. No gift money is required, but people must attend to add to the funeral atmosphere.

  So for the whole day, the entire process was still handled very generously.

  After sending Old Jin for cremation in the afternoon, the whole process finally came to an end.

  Jiang Le once again thanked and sent off the people who came to mourn, then brought back Jin Lao's ashes to the antique shop.

  The urn was naturally placed in the Jin family ancestral hall spirit tablet row, placed at the very bottom.

  He is still short of a spirit tablet, which Jiang Le has also entrusted someone to customize, and it will take several days to arrive.

  But looking at dozens of golden ancestral tablets, Jiang Le couldn't help but sigh.

  This Golden Gate of the Jin family has been passed down for hundreds of years and will end here.

  He also couldn't understand why Old Jin hadn't left any descendants for the family. He didn't seem like someone who couldn't afford to raise a daughter-in-law.

  "Many have practiced the Tao and met with disaster, how many of those who wore the official hat have returned home? This old man's family was scattered, his life was tumultuous, but in his later years he had someone to see him off, which is far better than most of his peers who died in the wilderness, without a place to be buried." A red light flashed, and Mao Xiaofang suddenly popped out of Jiang Le's backpack, exclaiming in admiration.

  Jiang Le turned his head and looked at Mao Xiaofang, unable to help but ask: "Master, why do you think Old Jin didn't leave behind any descendants?"

  Mao Xiaofang was stunned by the question, fell silent for a moment, and suddenly looked somewhat melancholy.

  Jiang Le looked at him with confusion and uncertainty.

  After a long while, Mao Xiaofang sighed and said: "To be honest, I also have no children left."

  Jiang Le was shocked and wondered how this could be. Did entering the Taoist sect mean he had to learn from the monks and abstain from sex?

  I'm going, how can this be?

  As a child from a single-parent family, neither his will nor morality allowed him to give up on colours.

  "Master, does learning Taoist magic require abstinence from lust? If so, can I quit being your disciple?" Jiang Le asked weakly.

  Mao Xiaofang's anger was rising, and this kid had no idea where he was going. With a displeased finger flick, a red light dot hit Jiang Le's head, causing him to grit his teeth in pain.

  "If you dare say anything about quitting being a teacher again, I'll destroy you."

  Jiang Le was so scared that he shrunk his neck, but his eyes were fixed straight on Mao Xiaofang.

  I also can't give up lust, this is a basic persistence. If I even gave up on lust, life would lose half of its fun.

  "Hmm, don't worry, the Taoist sect doesn't have a rule against lust." Mao Xiaofang gave Jiang Le a reassurance pill and continued: "However, it's not easy for people in the Taoist sect to find a wife either."

  "This can't be, right? After learning Taoist magic, you're so handsome and powerful, subduing demons and monsters, showing off your superior demeanor. With a flick of your wrist, golden light flashes, and the girls all scream and rush over like moths to a flame. How could you not find a wife?"

  "Unless Master doesn't like women."

  As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Le was suddenly startled and retreated several steps back, cautiously staring at Mao Xiaofang.

  Mao Xiaofang was crying with laughter, this stinky little brat, the more he spoke, the more outrageous it became, daring to use his master as a shield?

  "Hmph, you don't understand. As a cultivator, our bodies have undergone rigorous training and have long surpassed those of ordinary people. It's extremely difficult to conceive a child. At our level, finding a wife must be someone from the same path, only then is it possible to bear children. However, female cultivators are scarce in the Daoist community, and accomplished ones are even rarer. Alas, the competition is too fierce, it's all just tears.

  Mao Xiaofang's face was filled with sorrow, deeply grieved by the imbalance of yin and yang in the Daoist community. Many Daoist practitioners were left without hope, and those who wanted to bear a child with decent innate abilities to inherit the Daoist lineage were all filled with regret."

  Jiang Le suddenly realized and his face didn't look good either.

  In the era when Shifu's Taoist sect was still prosperous, good female Taoists were hard to come by. Now in this era where male Taoists are also rare, how can I find a wife?

  "I suddenly feel that entering Taoism may not be a very ideal choice after all, is it still possible to regret now?" Jiang Le said with a mournful face.

  Mao Xiaofang coldly snorted: "You've already become an apprentice, there's no chance for regret now. If you dare to slack off, I'll destroy you, rather than see a good seedling that can't be cultivated, it's too infuriating."

  Ginger hair is all black.

  It seems that he was also afraid that Jiang Le would really give up, so Mao Xiao's expression eased a bit and said: "Actually, you don't have to worry too much, when you first enter the Taoist path, it's better for you to maintain your chastity, pure yang is not lost, it will be very beneficial for your cultivation. When you have achieved success in your cultivation, you can find some women with potential and cultivate them into dual-cultivation partners, this is also a good method."

  Jiang Le's eyes lit up, sounding pretty good, self-cultivation, does this count as wife cultivation? There's potential in this.

  No, this old man is deceiving me. By the time I've cultivated to success, who knows how many years will have passed? Even if I do cultivate it, it'll be for someone else's benefit anyway. Ugh, life feels so bleak and hopeless.

  "Alright, stop thinking about this and that. You need to put aside your distractions and focus on cultivating your magical powers. If you can't even do that, you won't be able to get in the door. Anything else is just a joke." Ma Xiaofang scolded.

  "Speaking of which, I almost forgot," said Jiang Le with a pout. "Master, after practicing for one night, why was I so hungry when I woke up in the morning? You don't know how much I ate, it's terrifying to say it out loud. Is this what they mean by 'going off track' in cultivation?"

  Mao Xiaofang, however, was full of praise: "Not bad, not bad. You can already stimulate your vital energy in the first practice. You really are a natural-born Taoist body. I believe that within three days, you will be able to feel the vital energy inside your body and then control it."

  "Stimulate your vital energy?" Jiang Le frowned and said, "What does this have to do with my empty stomach?"

  "Essence and energy are the foundation of the body. When essence and energy are sufficient, the body is strong. If you practice for one night and feel hungry in the morning, it means your essence and energy are insufficient. If you supplement with nutrition and your essence and energy are full, how can you possibly feel hungry?"

  Jiang Le's eyes widened and he flexed his arm, feeling quite sturdy. How could he not be strong? Was I trying to fool him?

  "You'd better believe me, to condense your magical powers, you need a huge amount of vital energy. You look fine now, but once you mobilize your vital energy, you'll find it's insufficient. So you need to replenish it greatly. It's just that last night you just heard the Dao decree and entered a state of cultivation, I didn't even have time to tell you."

  "Is that so? Doesn't that mean, as long as I cultivate, I'll definitely have to eat and drink a lot?" Jiang Le's small face fell, eating and drinking require money. What Ge lacks the most is also money.

  Mao Xiaofang smiled and said, "This isn't just you, anyone who has just started on the path of Taoism will lack spiritual energy and need to replenish it. However, relying on food to supplement spiritual energy is the most undesirable method. The five grains and miscellaneous cereals can nourish people, but they are not enough to nurture spiritual energy. Generally, sects or families use ginseng, yellow essence, and other spiritual medicines to refine elixirs for new disciples to replenish their spiritual energy."

  Jiang Le was startled, this meal can't even be eaten, and you still want me to eat ginseng and yellow essence?

  Forget it, this cultivation thing is not something I can handle.

  "Master, this isn't my fault for retreating, I really can't cultivate anymore. You should find a rich second-generation disciple instead." Jiang Le said bluntly.

  "Despicable thing, you're intimidated by this little thing? A cultivator defies the heavens, how can you casually give up? I don't want to hear this again, or I'll annihilate you directly."

  "But I'm really poor now, can't even afford to eat this meal. And you're talking about ginseng and yellow essence? I've lived for 18 years and still don't know what they look like."

  "You fool, didn't Old Man Jin give you the inheritance? Since he had his heart set on taking you as a disciple, he must have left you with some cultivation resources."

  Jiang Le was taken aback, then his eyes sparkled brightly.

  That makes sense.

  The old man Jin can't just give away a house for nothing, since it's an inheritance, there must be something else to it.

  "Wait a minute, let me look for it." Jiang Le excitedly said a sentence, then quickly entered Jin Lao's room.

  After a good search, Jiang Le finally found a hidden compartment in a cabinet, and when he pulled it out, he discovered a red cloth package inside.

  When he opened the red cloth package, Jiang Le saw five things inside.

  The same tree root as the roots of the trees.

  A book.

  A jade pendant.

  A bank card.

  There is another letter.

  When he saw the letter, Jiang Le was stunned.

  On the envelope was written: "Jiang Le personally opened."

  Is this a letter that Old Jin wrote to me? Did he leave this will behind long ago? Did he know all along that his days were numbered?

  His face slightly moved, Jiang Le opened the envelope and watched silently.

  After watching, Jiang Le's eyes sparkled with excitement and he felt inexplicably moved.

  The letter was brief, and Old Jin had a premonition that his days were numbered, leaving behind a preventive measure. If he was still around, the letter would be burned; if he had already passed away, then this letter would be the legacy he left for Jiang Le.

  The letter mainly writes about how he observed Jiang Le, discovered Jiang Le's talent and temperament, decided to take Jiang Le as his apprentice, pass on his legacy to Jiang Le, and hoped that Jiang Le would work hard to cultivate himself and not let the legacy be cut off. In addition, there is a will signed by friends of both families and an introduction to the contents of the red cloth package, which is a list of cultivation materials he had reserved for Jiang Le.

  These things, Jiang Le held in his hand, felt very heavy.

  He just came here to work and earn money, but unexpectedly became the person this lonely old man had his eyes on for inheritance. This feeling of being noticed and expected, he hadn't felt it many times since he was young.