Volume 1: In those days of youth, a thin green shirt

  Chapter 2: Leisurely reclining on the Immortal Mountain, startled by the moon and dew

  The foolish child lies on the back of Mount Xian, with cold dew all over his body and moonlight on his clothes.

  "Qiyun Rock Wall Inscription"

  Days passed by in a leisurely manner, and every day followed the same route, back and forth between Ma Ti Shan, Ji Jia Private School, Shang Qing Palace Shan Yuan, Li Ji Miscellaneous Goods Store, and that part-time job at Dao Xiang Wine House.

  When he's a bit older, Old Zhang will be even older, and when he can no longer do heavy labor, Xingyan should inherit the ancestral property of this desolate mountain, dig for food in the wilderness, hunt and track animals across mountains and streams. Once he saves up some silver coins, he'll marry the daughter of a neighboring family, the Zhuang's, as his wife. From then on, he'll be far away from school, far away from the beauty at the general store, and become a rustic husband who only knows how to play with children in the fields.

  Perhaps, if not for that unexpected event, Shao Nian Xing Yan's life would have been just like the Zhang family ancestors, passing by in a dull and unremarkable way, leaving no mark on the legend to come.

  This unexpected event that changed the young man's life forever happened in the summer of his sixteenth year.

  That day, it was sweltering hot, and the loquat trees on Horse Hoof Mountain that Old Zhang had painstakingly planted were somehow infested with insects. Normally speaking, these loquat trees had a certain aura about them and weren't easily prone to pests. But on this particular day, when Old Zhang went up the mountain to inspect the loquat grove that his whole family relied on for food, he discovered some unfamiliar moths fluttering around the tree clusters.

  This made Old Zhang anxious, and he hastily called his son and wife to join in the fight. But it was not easy to thoroughly kill these agile flying insects. Seeing this situation, the three of them could only use their clothes to swat at them, trying their best to drive these strange bugs away from the loquat forest.

  After a whole day of hard work, I finally managed to get rid of these strange insects in the loquat tree cluster. As the main force for driving away the insects, he had been jumping up and down all day long. Even though he was a young man with plenty of energy, by the end of the day, he was exhausted.

  In the evening, he was too lazy to move, so he called Er Lao to return first, and he himself rested on this mountain, watching if these insects would come again. Anyway, in such a summer night, sleeping in the thatched cottage at home was also hot and unbearable, it's better to rest on this mountain, and it's cooler at night. When hungry, you can pick some wild fruits to fill your hunger, just right to save a dinner.

  Then the two old men went back first. Zhang Xingyan lay down on a white stone slab on the mountain slope that was often used to rest his feet.

  This white stone slab was naturally formed, with an appearance similar to a sleeping bed. Although the horseshoe mountain occupies a large area, it is actually not high, and the trees are sparse, so it can only be considered a barren mountain. Old Zhang had intended to sell it and exchange some silver for a water field on the edge of Raozhou City, but no one asked about it.

  The only thing worth mentioning about Ma Ti Shan is this half-buried, bed-shaped white stone. The stone is roughly the length of a person and just the right size to lie down on. The surface of the stone bed is smooth, although there are a few slight protrusions in the middle, but if you lie on it for a while, you won't notice them.

  This white stone bed has a strange place that only wakes up to know, that is, every time it catches up with the farm, on the mountain, working tired, lying on this white stone to sleep and rest, waking up after feeling refreshed, brain also seems to be more agile. Even, there are often urges to make a long sigh.

  But perhaps this can't be considered anything special; sleeping on a cool stone, getting up afterwards is probably supposed to feel like this. The thoughtful boy was afraid of being laughed at by others if he said it out loud, so he never mentioned it to anyone.

  When the words were spoken, he lay down on this natural white stone bed again. A bright moon had already jumped to the top of the eastern mountain. In the unique clear wind of the mountains and fields, the young man stretched out his limbs and fully enjoyed the coolness of the white stone.

  After a long time, I feel a bit bored, so I quietly gaze up at the starry sky above.

  Looking up at the faint silver river that spans the sky, the young man's heart involuntarily thought of that rural proverb:

  "The Milky Way stretches east and west, every family eats rice."

  Unfortunately, there is no good paddy field in our own home.

  The young man lying on the white stone always felt that the starry sky above his head was never enough, as if every day was different. When he looked at the stars in the sky for a long time, it seemed as if his own gaze, and even his entire body, were being drawn into this mysterious and endless starry expanse.

  Lying still like this, without moving. Only at this time is he the happiest, what troubles and worries are tomorrow's things, no need to worry about them now.

  Time slowly passed by. The moon moved silently, and before I knew it, the round moon had already risen above my head. The snow-like moonlight poured down gently like soft water, flowing onto my quietly sleeping body.

  "The moon is so round tonight... Is it the 15th again? I'll have to ask mom when I get home..."

  He was lost in thought, his mind wandering aimlessly. Just then, he suddenly felt the white stone beneath him come to life, as if a powerful force had burst forth from it and surged into his body.

  In an instant, the reclining youth seemed to be thrown upwards, flying into the infinite, unfathomable depths of the cosmic starry sky...

  "Oh no! I've run into a ghost too!"

  The first reaction was to feel like I had encountered the evil spirits that foolish women and men often talk about! I didn't think that my usual flippant attitude towards ghosts would finally bring me retribution today!

  At this point, Xing Yan was not prepared to lie down and wait for death. He was about to struggle, but unexpectedly, the originally weak and insubstantial Ruyue suddenly became substantial. The snow-white moonlight shone directly on the white stone where Xing Yan lay, as if the essence of the moon that filled the entire sky had gathered in an instant on this small patch of land, and together with the force of the white stone beneath him, it struck Xing Yan's body, lingering endlessly.

  Under the entanglement of these two inexplicable forces, the young man felt as if he was being grasped by two giant claws, sometimes squeezing and sometimes tearing. His entire body seemed to be out of his control, like a small leaf in a storm, tumbling without autonomy. Unfortunately, he didn't have the numbness of a leaf; for a moment, he felt as if his whole body was being bitten by countless ants, with immense pain and itching. It was as if he was falling off a cliff, knowing that death was near but having nothing to rely on! At this time, he was shocked into staring blankly, unable to shout out loud, wanting to get up and escape but unable to move an inch!

  But the boy's unexpectedly stubborn nerves allowed him to retain a thread of thought under this inhuman torture:

  "Ah, those bitter and laborious days I spent before were actually so happy and blissful!"

  Just as he was about to "die on the spot" as Old Man Ji had said, while still in a state of painful terror, he gradually discovered that the terrifying pain had receded like the tide, and the two massive forces were now merged into one, like a flowing stream, slowly surging through his body yet rushing ceaselessly - he himself didn't know how he could have these two contradictory absurd feelings at the same time. However, by this time he was gradually recovering from his panic; after another moment, he finally knew that the previous suffering had passed.

  As this stream of water flowed over me, all the aches and pains in my body gradually disappeared, replaced by a refreshing coolness.

  As the clear stream washed over his body again and again, Xing Yan seemed to have a third eye, gazing down at "Xing Yan" on the white stone, watching as "he" gradually became clear and ethereal...

  ………

  ……

  It's also unknown how much time passed, but the "third eye" quietly watched this flow of water, becoming more and more formless as it circulated, until finally it dissolved into his limbs like a mountain spring flowing back to its source. Until the young man could no longer grasp - first the formless flow of water, then gradually that strange "third eye".

  However, that lingering aftertaste of youth in his body, both mellow and agile, made it hard for him to let go for a long time.

  The words transitioned from the initial pain to the current reluctance, gradually forgetting the initial terror and lingering on this unprecedented feeling. The youth remained in this posture, lying on the now calm boulder, hoping for the reappearance of this strange phenomenon, unaware of the dawn breaking in the east.

  "That little brat has gone mad!"

  The next day, the neighbors in Raozhou City who were familiar with Xingyan spread the news early in the morning, laughing and talking about it.

  No wonder, young Zhang Xingyan started from the next morning and went home early, all the way to Raozhou City, where he was active, and often pulled familiar people to ask the same question:

  "Did you see the white light outside the east city last night? Do I look different today?"

  As a result, the questionnaire was unanimously denied by his parents and others, who gave him strange looks; if he encountered particularly caring people, the boy would often have to be touched on the forehead to confirm whether he had a fever or not.

  Although this was the case, the young man still didn't give up and even grabbed onto Li Xiaomei's sleeve, asking her the same question again, until he had completely flustered the unfamiliar girl, who finally managed to shake him off with great effort and rushed towards the back hall. After that, only half of the isolated sleeve was left, being grasped in Xingyan's demonic claws.

  The man was caught red-handed, and naturally, the owner of the grocery store, Mr. Li, sternly warned him not to take advantage of his daughter's naivety. Fortunately, Mr. Li had already heard about Xingyan's strange behavior that morning and had witnessed the whole process of the young man harassing his daughter, so he roughly understood what was going on. Therefore, although his tone was severe, it seemed like there were a few hints of suppressed laughter in it.

  The words that came back were so sharp that they immediately caused a big red face, and all that was left was the half sleeve of clothes with lingering fragrance, turned around and fled in disarray.

  Mr. Ji, who was strolling around Qingtai Street to digest his breakfast, happened to witness this farce of his disciple and exclaimed in an exaggerated tone:

  "Do you know that young master has a habit of cutting off his sleeves?"

  He shrugged and smiled like a penguin.

  Unfortunately, under the circumstance of being unpopular and having few people who appreciate it, except for the old man himself, no one else on the street could understand what this joke was about.

  Actually, everyone thought that the usually somewhat eccentric Xingyan was up to some kind of trick again; so everyone cooperated more unanimously than ever before, as if they had agreed in advance to generally deny Xingyan's problem - except for the old immortal Qinghe.

  When the young man finally cast his pleading gaze at Lao Dao Qinghe and asked him the same question, his voice had become much softer. Due to the successive blows he suffered this morning, the young man's confidence was almost completely depleted. Moreover, what was even more terrible was that now even he himself almost believed that last night was just a strange dream after all. If he continued asking like this, he would probably start thinking that he himself was ill.

  The more he looked at this clear sky and bright day, the stronger this idea became.

  Now that it has come to this, the battered and bruised words have decided that if even Qinghe, an old Taoist priest who is also somewhat of a charlatan, were to deny it as well, then it could be completely assumed that he had simply had a ridiculous and absurd dream the night before.

  It seems that Qinghe Lao Dao has been waiting for a long time in this auspicious shop, with an air of guarding the tree and waiting for the rabbit. When he heard the young man's inquiry, the old Taoist carefully sized him up from head to toe, ghostly and divine, before finally speaking softly after a long while:

  "There's definitely some changes!"

  Wow! ~ After being tormented for half a day and losing sleep for most of the night, this young man has gone through countless hardships and suffered all kinds of humiliation in the world. Finally, after enduring all the bitterness, he found someone who understands him!

  The soft voice of Qinghe Lao Dao, though not loud, was like the resonant sound of a great bell in the ears that had been tormented by the same answers to the same questions for thousands of times.

  Looking at Xing Yan's excited and expectant expression, Qinghe Lao Dao continued in a slow and measured tone:

  "Now, heaven, you are indeed different—"

  "You're especially silly today! Hahaha!"

  The wicked old Taoist burst out laughing after finishing speaking; listening to the crazy laughter that seemed to last for three days, it was estimated that this old man had been suffocated for a long time!

  "I'll strangle you, you stinky Taoist!"

  The young man was greatly annoyed by this and made a gesture as if he wanted to pounce. However, after his tantrum, he had already completely given up and only thought faintly:

  "Oh, so it was just a dream after all... But this dream is really strange, it feels like I've experienced it in person!"

  After a while, he suddenly seemed to think of something and said to Qinghe Lao Dao, who was dodging:

  "Master! Please accept me as your disciple! Consider it a small compensation for mocking me just now!"

  So, with this daily conversation of paying respects to the master as a starting point, young Zhang Xingyan's life seemed to return to its normal track. The commotion that morning was just treated as a joke, becoming a minor topic of conversation among the common folk when they gathered in the evening to drink and cool off. Perhaps within two days, this matter would be forgotten by everyone.

  But that night, the white stone that had moved and the strange moonlight, would they really let Zhang Xingyan's life continue on its original trajectory?