Chapter Four Initial Enlightenment

  At this moment, in a nameless deep mountain in the south of China, a woman in all black descended from the sky. As soon as her toes touched the top of a bare mountain peak, the scenery around her suddenly rippled and changed like water waves, and after the ripples in the air disappeared, the woman's figure had vanished without a trace.

  The entire mountain peak is actually a mysterious formation, and the clouds dance and turn in an instant, emerging from the formation to appear in a valley with lush green trees and strange flowers everywhere. The valley is surrounded on all sides, resembling a wooden barrel. The bottom of the valley is vast and flat, with a clear stream winding its way through it. The trees along the stream are continuous, with falling petals scattered everywhere. Walking through the valley is like entering a painting.

  Yunwu Hua's sleeves fluttered lightly as she moved swiftly and silently, like a ghostly figure gliding across the valley. The valley was dotted with dozens of small cottages, where people could be seen tending to their daily chores - some farming, others gathering herbs, or practicing swordplay. As soon as they saw Yunwu Hua, they hastily put down their tasks and paid their respects. Yunwu Hua merely responded with a faint smile, her eyes fixed on a elegant mansion located in the center of the valley.

  Everyone was already accustomed to Yun Wu Hua's coldness, and today her face was gloomy, with a faint aura of icy killing intent emanating from her body. Even those who were familiar with her for a long time did not dare to approach her and say more than a few words. After the ceremony, they quickly bowed their heads and busied themselves, fearing that they would provoke her.

  Two white-clad women stood at the round archway of the courtyard, with elegant eyebrows and high hair buns, jade pins hanging askew. They were also lovely and charming. When they saw Yun Wu Hua arrive, they bowed and said: "Elder Sister Yun, Master Gu is already waiting for you."

  Yunwu Hualei hummed a soft tune, like a gust of wind that swept into the courtyard and disappeared behind the screen wall. The two women in white exchanged a stealthy glance, their eyes both hiding a venomous color.

  The courtyard is quiet and serene. Turning around the screen wall, you see a flower tree with sparse branches, bees flying and butterflies dancing, a courtyard with green bamboo and flowing spring water, which has a feeling of being in Jiangnan. In front of the courtyard stands a delicate and elegant blue-brick tile house, built according to the "three houses one wall" pattern, with a main hall, two side rooms, and a screen wall.

  This main hall is not as luxurious as those wealthy families, with gold and jade inlays, but it has a simple and elegant charm. The mottled sunlight shines through the carved wooden windows, casting a warm glow inside. The room is decorated with a clear and elegant style, without losing its ancient flavor. On the wall hangs a landscape painting in bold brushstrokes, with a majestic atmosphere; on both sides are several scrolls of wild cursive script, dancing dragons and phoenixes, all of which are masterpieces of famous artists from previous generations. The two bronze cloud-shaped incense burners at the corner of the house have a strong and rugged beauty, exuding an ancient charm that is unmistakable at first glance. A bamboo curtain hangs in the middle of the hall, and through the curtain, one can vaguely see an old man sitting behind it, with two maids slowly fanning him.

  The moment Yun Wu Hua entered the door, the entire room suddenly dimmed and became much colder. She couldn't see the old man's face behind the curtain, not because her eyesight wasn't sharp enough, but because the faint floral pattern on the bamboo curtain was actually a Five Elements Escape Array, and the bamboo curtain itself was made of Nan Huang dripping blood bamboo. Even if Yun Wu Hua's cultivation was twice as high, it would be absolutely impossible for her to see through this bamboo curtain.

  Yunwu Hua knelt down on one knee and said, "Wu Hua has failed to fulfill the entrustment of Gu Zhu, unable to bring the person back, and is ashamed before Tian Quan Gu Jian." At this point, she briefly recounted the situation that day.

  The old man remained silent for a long time after hearing this, and then let out a soft "hmm" before saying: "Let's not mention the Dao De Zong bunch of old mixed hairs, but the few old ghosts from Zhi Kong Shan have some skills. As for the seven saints mountain, those heavenly lords aren't very impressive, but Tong Xuan Tian Jun has long been famous for his divination skills in yin and yang. It's not surprising that they can decipher this heaven's machine. However, Mr. Fu Shi's swordsmanship is good, but if you say he also knows how to calculate yin and yang, I won't believe it no matter what... unless... unless the old guy behind him isn't dead. But just now, when you spoke, there were more than 20 schools present that day, which is really strange. Could it be that I'm ignorant and narrow-minded, and there are so many high-ranking people in the Daoist world that I don't know about?

  Yunwu Hu suddenly said: "Master, you didn't mind consuming your true yuan to break the ancient sword Tianquan into my hands, and you didn't mind offending all the sects. Was it just for that little kid? I think he has mediocre qualifications, is a slippery person, and has a bloody aura on his body. How could he be the reincarnation of a celestial being?"

  The old man hummed, seemingly slightly angry, and said: "Wu Hua, how many times has the master told you this? You are extremely intelligent, but when it comes to worldly knowledge, you are still clueless! Even if the master's cultivation is not enough and his judgment is wrong, can't Purple Micro True Person's cultivation be insufficient and his calculations inaccurate as well? Not to mention other things, just look at the three true persons of the Dao De Sect arriving together, what kind of formation is this? To say nothing of just snatching a person, even if they were to wipe out all of you, it would still be more than enough! The Dao De Sect prides itself on being a renowned sect of the righteous way, always speaking of benevolence, righteousness, and morality, yet their actions are shameless and despicable. This time, they have obviously come prepared, offending so many sects, just to snatch a small servant from a guest house?"

  This time, Yun Wu was speechless. Although she was proud and arrogant, the Purple Micro True Person had already shaken the world thirty years ago before he closed his door. This time, who would dare say that his measurement is not accurate? However, every time she recalled the scene at that time, especially when she looked at that little fellow, she always felt vaguely that there was something wrong with it. This is purely an intuition, and there is no reason to talk about it.

  The old man slowed down his tone and said with a sigh, "The banished immortal's descent into the world is a major event in my hundred years of cultivating Taoism. Let alone just being a teacher to me, losing some of my true yuan, offending some sects on the Taoist path, as long as I can get the banished immortal, any price is worth paying! Hmph, the Dao De Zong is not a monolith either, and this matter has not been settled yet. The banished immortal is eighteen years old, just at the prime of his youth, and there are many outstanding female disciples in my valley who may be able to lure him over in the future, it's hard to say."

  Yunwu Huameng suddenly raised his head and said, "Master, you once told me that a cultivator should only observe their own heart, and attain the Tao without relying on external objects. I think that not thinking about how to make progress in the Great Tao, but instead engaging in such a costly struggle for the Demon Immortal, is indeed an act of abandoning the root and pursuing the branches!"

  The old man was furious, shouting: "How dare you! You have a great talent, and on the way here, there were no major setbacks. How would you know that the path is difficult? This banished immortal is not an ordinary opportunity! Otherwise, why would Purple Micro, that old mixed hair, come out halfway? With this opening, at least he will miss his ascension by thirty years! I think your training is still too little. From now on, go to the back mountain's Xuanbing Cave to reflect and face the wall. Don't come out until you've cultivated the 'River Styx Sword Record' to the fifth level!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, the old man made a grasping motion in mid-air, and the ancient sword Tianquan let out a long, mournful cry as it leapt off Yunwu's back, passing through the bamboo curtain without any hindrance and landing in the old man's hand.

  Yunwu Hualeng snorted and stood up, walking towards the Xuanbing Cave to face the wall. The old man saw that she still didn't obey, and was so angry that his whole body trembled, unable to speak for a moment. A woman in plain clothes behind him put down her feather fan, gently patting his back while saying: "Valley Master, your temper is too big. This time entering the Xuanbing Cave, she'll probably be out in over a year, isn't this punishment too severe?"

  The old man said slowly, "Hong Hua's ambition is too high and her murderous intentions are too heavy. If she continues to act recklessly like this, she will suffer a great loss sooner or later. Letting her stay in the Xuanbing Cave for a year would be good, it can temper her temperament."

  He stood up again, pacing back and forth in the room, his eyebrows tightly furrowed, clearly with a difficult decision on his mind. After circling around for who knows how many times, the old man suddenly stopped and said: "Send word to Third Madam that from today onwards, she is to teach Su Su the 'Dragon Tiger Great Mystery Classic'!"

  The woman in plain clothes was shocked and hastily said: "Master Gu, isn't... Miss Su only twelve years old?"

  The old man waved his hand and said coldly, "My mind is made up, no need to say more! This competition has not ended yet. If we let the banished immortal go like this to Ziwei that old mixed hair, what can we use to fight against those hypocritical guys from Daode Sect in the future?"

  The woman saw the old man's true anger and didn't dare say another word, quietly retreating.

  A monk can do what others cannot.

  In the treacherous terrain of Mount Xihua's Moganshan, it is extremely difficult to build a small wooden house that can withstand the mountain winds, let alone construct a magnificent palace comparable to the heavenly city. However, the grandeur and splendor of the Taishang Daoist Palace far surpass what ordinary people can imagine. Moreover, on the twelve surrounding peaks of Moganshan, where the nine veins reside, there are also exquisite palaces built, which have been expanded over three thousand years, their beauty is comparable to that of the Taishang Daoist Palace.

  The Taoist sects are spread all over the world, and every year each sect and the Taoist priests stationed abroad must carefully search for children with spiritual potential, layer by layer screening, and those with good qualifications will be sent back to the Taoist sect's headquarters for training. The Taoist sect is in a superior position, rarely entering the secular world, but every disciple who enters the world has considerable cultivation. If there are selected spiritual children, they only need to show a little bit of Taoist law, no matter which child comes from a poor or rich family, eight or nine out of ten parents will be willing to send their children to Mount Xihuan.

  The first thing these children did when they entered the mountain was to read and recognize characters. This year, 115 children selected from various places by Dao De Zong will receive enlightenment from Master Ji Ru Chen together.

  The Taishang Daode Palace is used for reading and interpreting the classics, and it is much more luxurious than the main hall of an ordinary wealthy family. This large hall has flying eaves and carved beams, with intricate windows and painted rafters. The four walls are all made of black nanmu wood carvings, featuring auspicious patterns such as cranes, unicorns, fish jumping through dragon gates, and golden turtles supporting mountains. They also feature carvings of pine, plum blossoms, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, which symbolize nobility and purity. Each wall is adorned with four couplets, all written in the handwriting of past masters.

  Inside the hall, above the dust, gold lacquer painted a picture of Taoist true people and group immortals' banquet tour. The gods, immortals, god kings, powerful men, golden boys, jade girls... in the picture are either glaring with anger or quietly floating, or looking around... all vividly lifelike, as if one were personally present. In addition, the corridor pillars and wooden doors inside the hall also carved various stories of gods. The floor of the hall is paved with a single color of water-milled bluestone slabs, and the tables and chairs are all made of red wood. The whole large hall is solemn but not lacking in elegance, rustic yet having a scholarly atmosphere.

  At this moment, the old master sat upright on a purple sandalwood carved flower chair, with a jade-inlaid tiger-patterned desk in front of him, and all four treasures of the study were complete. Look at the old master wearing a Zhuangzi scarf, wearing a blue-purple wide-sleeved Taoist robe, with long whiskers fluttering, eyes shining brightly, and one could see that he was a man of great accomplishment. Below the platform, more than 100 children sat quietly in the hall, waiting for the teacher to begin his lecture. Due to the large area of this main hall, which can accommodate five hundred people reading together, the interior of the main hall seemed empty and deserted.

  When the old man cleared his throat, picked up the book on the table and was about to start lecturing, Ji Ruochen quickly walked into the main hall. With a rustling sound, those six or seven year old children all turned their heads at once, countless eyes falling onto Ji Ruochen's body in an instant. Seeing that Ji Ruochen also held several new books in his hands, apparently coming to learn to read like them, over a hundred children suddenly made a commotion, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

  "Wow! Is he also here to learn how to read and write at his age?"

  In Ji Ruochen's eyes, these children were innocent and pure as water. But for some reason, such a bright gaze falling on himself was like fire, scorching his heart with pain, his face burning hot.

  The old man on the stage saw a commotion below, and in anger, his whiskers fluttered wildly as he slammed the sounding board, shouting: "All of you be quiet! What's all this noise about? What kind of discipline is this?! Ji Ruochen, go sit down at the back row. The pursuit of sagehood doesn't depend on time. As long as you work hard and make progress, it won't be difficult to achieve success!"

  Ji Ruoxuan nodded slightly, lowered his head slightly, and quickly walked to the back row to sit down.

  The old gentleman opened the scroll and began to read aloud: "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. The Nameless is the origin of heaven and earth. The Named is the mother of all things. Therefore, always desireless, one observes its wonders..."

  This moral religion teaches apprentices and will not start with ordinary books or private schools, taking what "Thousand Character Classic", explaining the text from the beginning. The first lesson is "Tao Te Ching".

  Ji Ruocheng took a deep breath, expelling all distractions from his mind. The heat on his face gradually dissipated. He calmed himself, opened the book, and began to read aloud in the old man's rhythmic tone. It had been ten days since he left Longmen Inn, and Ji Ruocheng still felt as if he was in a dream at times. Until now, every time he recognized a character, he would feel that the dream had become a little more real.