Chapter 9: The Master of Wudang

  When a group of old men were surprised to find themselves entering a realm they had been unable to break through for a long time, Zhang Huban stopped lecturing. He just quietly watched the white-bearded old men with tears streaming down their faces, and in his heart, he couldn't help but sigh at the hardships on the road to cultivation!

  Finally, the scene that was both sad and joyful, the scene that made people's hearts ache, calmed down. I think anyone who saw a group of old men in their hundreds crying would feel heartbroken. The Taoist priests almost as if they had discussed it beforehand, lined up in front of Zhang Huiban in order of seniority, and bowed deeply to him with great respect. If the gratitude for receiving the elixir earlier was heartfelt, then the gratitude now was from the deepest part of their souls. Earlier, Zhang Huiban had only given people fish, which could only be maintained for a period of time, but now he was teaching people how to fish, which was an skill that would last a lifetime and never run out.

  At this time, Zhang Huban silently accepted the grand ceremony of the Wudang disciples, feeling deeply moved and heartbroken for these Wudang disciples who lacked guidance from their predecessors. In fact, Zhang Huban did not understand that the Wudang disciples were already very fortunate, as Zhang Sanfeng and other seniors had generously passed down many scriptures and artifacts. They only lacked a truly skilled master to guide them. As for other sects, those disciples were even more pitiful, basically relying on their own efforts after being led into the door by their masters, with only some exceptionally talented disciples receiving special guidance, while ordinary people could only cultivate the most basic Taoist skills. This is also why Wudang Sect, with a history of around 700 years, can be ranked among those ancient Xian sects that have been passed down for tens of thousands of years, although it is only at a mid-to-low level, which is already a miracle.

  After going through the formalities, Qingmu walked respectfully to Zhang Houban's side, then "thud thud thud" made several loud kowtows, and said: "Disciple Qingmu, pays respects to his ancestors!"

  Zhang Huban waved his sleeve lightly, and a gentle force lifted Qingmu up. Then Zhang Huban curiously sized up the current leader of the Wudang Sect who was facing the secular world. He had a slender figure, snow-white beard and eyebrows, smooth skin, and surprisingly, he had a few points of an otherworldly aura that seemed to be untouched by worldly affairs. Indeed, he was worthy of being the leader of the Wudang Sect.

  Although Zhang Huban's gaze was gentle, his eyes swept over Qingmu, making Qingmu feel as if he were stark naked in front of him. It was a bit awkward, but after all, Zhang Huban was the current leader of the Wudang Sect. In today's complex society, even if Qingmu had no experience, he became a master of social interactions in front of Zhang Huban and these Taoist priests. With a flicker of his eyes, richly ornate and creative flattery flowed like the Yangtze River, endless and uninterrupted. Although if a modern person were present, they would definitely scold Qingmu for using such outdated and vulgar phrases. However, in Zhang Huban's ears, it sounded like heavenly music, beautiful beyond compare. Those old Taoist priests who heard Qingmu's flattering words all had the idea of smashing themselves to death with a block of tofu. Especially when they saw Zhang Huban happily give Qingmu three immortal pills and three high-quality immortal swords, they thought of having Qingmu hold a cram school to strengthen their learning in this area.

  "Qingwu! I want to go down the mountain and into the world to cultivate, can you tell me about some worldly common sense in the next few days?" Zhang Huban asked Qingmu with a smile.

  Aoki very much wanted to answer well, and in that case, he would definitely get more benefits from the oldest predecessor of Wudang. However, Aoki still had a sense of self-awareness, and the current social changes were huge, it was no longer what Aoki knew 40 years ago. Although the temptation was great, Aoki did not dare to deceive his master or ancestors. He could only honestly report: "Old ancestor, I have not been down the mountain for decades, and I am not very clear about the current situation. However, my second disciple, Mingde, often moves in the secular world, why don't I let him come and explain it to you?"

  "That's good! You bring him over tomorrow, and for the next few days, I'll lecture on the Tao in the mornings, and in the afternoons, Mingde can tell me about some worldly matters. You might as well bring the other young Wudang disciples to listen too! Let's disperse like this, and take the opportunity to thoroughly comprehend today's lecture on the Heavenly Way!"

  As they returned to their respective rooms for cultivation, Qingmu also happily went back to Yu Gong Palace. Once in his own room, Qingmu dismissed the little Daoist who was attending to him and had Song Feng called over. Looking at this elegant and refined second disciple, who understood human emotions and worldly affairs, Qingmu had the idea of passing on the position to Song Feng for the first time. Previously, he had always disapproved of Song Feng's excessive enthusiasm for worldly things, wasting his precious cultivation time. Now that his eldest disciple, Mingwu, was about to reach the Xiantian realm, only one step away from entering the Cultivation Realm, while Song Feng remained stagnant at the same level as ten years ago, without any progress. However, just now he felt for the first time that understanding human emotions and worldly affairs had its advantages - not to mention the superior quality of the immortal pills and artifacts they possessed, which was evident from the envious, no, jealous eyes of his fellow cultivators! If he himself had spent more time in the mortal world recently, he would have had more opportunities to be with their ancestors, and as a result, they would have obtained even more superior immortal pills and artifacts. He didn't know what kind of luck his second disciple had stumbled upon, but it seemed that Song Feng was fortunate enough to teach their ancestors about worldly affairs. Thinking this, Qingmu's eyes seemed to see piles of immortal pills and treasures accumulating like mountains, and he thought that Song Feng's future prospects were boundless! Suddenly, Qingmu's gaze turned into a warm and gentle smile as he looked at Song Feng, his voice filled with an unusual warmth: "Mingde, how is your relationship with our master?"

  "Master treated me with great kindness, if it wasn't for Master, I would have frozen to death on the streets a long time ago!" Song Feng replied with deep emotion, despite finding his master's behavior today somewhat unusual.

  "What if you have a treasure, would you share it with your master?" Qingmu heard Song Feng's answer and was secretly pleased that he had taken in a good apprentice. He continued to ask gently. If there were children around now, they would definitely shout "Big Bad Wolf", because the current Qingmu was no longer elegant and refined, but rather resembled some kind of cunning and greedy animal.

  Unfortunately, how could Song Feng suspect his master who had raised and taught him martial arts since he was a child? "Of course!" Song Feng replied without hesitation. However, after years of contact with modern society, Song Feng's reaction and insight were extremely surprising. Regarding Master's unusual questioning and attitude today, he suddenly realized that someone might be manipulating right and wrong in front of Master. Although he had always gotten along well with other Wu Tang disciples, he couldn't rule out the possibility that someone was jealous of his frequent trips down the mountain. So Song Feng asked hesitantly, "Master, did someone tell you that I obtained a treasure or something in the secular world? This is a great injustice! If the disciple obtains any treasure in the secular world, he will definitely report it to Master!"

  "No, no Master, why would you suspect me?" The face of the hundred-year-old Qingmu actually also showed a hint of blush, which made Song Feng puzzled.

  "What I mean is, if you've recently had the chance to obtain some treasures, could you let me choose two of them?" As soon as he finished speaking, Qingmu nervously stared at Songfeng.

  Poor Song Feng, who had been rolling in the world for decades and was considered a veteran, would not have believed that a miracle would soon be discovered on his body, and treasures would fall from the sky. Moreover, it was something that could make his master, who was already considered a god by worldly people, call it a treasure, which was even more unlikely to happen. Even if he were given another head, he wouldn't have believed it. As for getting two such things, it was an blessing accumulated from past lives, and Song Feng, who had grown old and cunning, naturally knew that his master was eagerly waiting for his response at this moment. Although he found his master's abnormal behavior today strange, and even suspected that people might have a midlife crisis after turning 100, his master was still the person he respected the most. So, despite some doubts, he replied without hesitation: "If such a thing really happens, I will definitely follow your orders, Master!"