Twenty-One Gold Platform

  Early morning, Wan Yun Valley.

  Wan Yun Valley is like spring all year round, even in the cold winter season, the cold wind does not bite, blowing gently on the body, it feels warm instead. In front of the Purple Cloud Temple, clouds and mist surround, two young boys stand shoulder to shoulder, their faces solemn, as if waiting for someone.

  After a while, two more Taoist boys came out of the temple, both looking exactly alike, obviously twins. They looked at each other with an air of pride and one of them said: "What's going on? Are you still waiting for that kid? You two are really idle, Master may have told you to wait for him, but he didn't tell you to come out so early to enjoy the breeze. Did you receive some benefits and become a flattering servant?"

  The two Taoist boys at the entrance stood with their backs to them, not saying a word. The two Taoist boys who came later waited for a while and didn't see any response, so they couldn't help but get angry and shouted: "You two, I'm talking to you!"

  The boy at the left side of the gate turned his head and said: "Mingyue, are you talking to me?"

  "That bright moon angrily said: 'Can't you understand human language? I just asked you that.'"

  The boy on the left said, "Unfortunately, I have a problem with my ears and can only hear human speech. I'm deaf to all other sounds like roosters crowing, dogs barking, horses neighing, and donkeys braying, so I didn't hear what you said."

  That Mingyue's face turned bright red, saying: "Alright, you dare to scold me in all sorts of ways? If I don't knock out all your teeth, I'll have been your father for nothing..."

  The left Dao Tong's face turned purple with rage, just about to retort, when he suddenly heard a voice beside him say: "Enough."

  This voice came from two people at the same time, and it was the remaining two who had not spoken yet. After scolding in unison, they said together: "Don't be on familiar terms with him." The little boy at the door turned his head back, exchanged a glance with Daotong beside Mingyue behind him, their eyes flashing with anger, then turned his head back, already calm and composed.

  The boy behind him said: "Mingyue, let's go." Mingyue swallowed a mouthful of saliva and followed him back to the revolving pavilion.

  "That Dao Tong on the left indignantly said: 'Chun Feng, these two fools are becoming more and more impudent. Since several disciples returned from under our Master's seat, they have been like mad dogs, biting whoever they can. Why did you stop me from scolding them just now?'"

  Chunfeng said: "Let's stop here, Huayu. Their opponent is not us. Besides, you were the one who made a move just now, aren't you Mingyue's enemy?"

  Nahua Yu Dao said: "Confronting the enemy head-on won't work, however with my methods..." He had only spoken five words when Chun Feng raised his hand and said: "Shh---they're coming."

  Only then did a slender and elegant young man walk in, all the way to the front of the Taoist temple. Spring breeze had already filled his face with smiles, walking forward and bowing: "Master Cheng has finally arrived, our master has been waiting for a long time."

  That young man was naturally Cheng Jun. He nodded and said, "Trouble you to lead the way."

  "Ah, yes, please follow me." The spring breeze stepped aside and led Cheng Jun into the Taoist temple, passing through the front hall, walking along the corridor, all the way to the largest building in front, leading him upstairs.

  Jing Jun walked all the way, only to see that the Taoist temple was square and flat, with cypress trees surrounding it, its layout exactly like a Buddhist temple. Even though the Buddha niches had been removed from the halls, the incense on the offering tables still wafted up to his nose, and the carvings on the walls were still Buddhist sculptures. Even without the tall pagodas standing behind the temple, anyone would think this was not a Taoist temple. It seemed that Ziyun Temple didn't care at all about its past as a Buddhist temple, it had completely abandoned it.

  Arriving at the central building, Cheng Jun raised his head and saw that the plaque on the pavilion read "Cangjing Lou". The couplet above and below it read: "Turning over the three scriptures is not as good as clarifying one's mind; when unfolding the scrolls, one must first seek purity in this place. Viewing the many peaks from here, those who ascend to the pavilion must strive for upward progress." He almost burst out laughing, thinking to himself: Does this old Taoist understand literature? Hanging brightly is a Buddhist couplet, isn't he slapping his own face?

  Entering the building, not a single scripture can be found. Instead, one is met with intricately carved beams and pillars, radiant with jewels and treasures, arranged in a grandiose manner. Although there are some Taoist elements, it overall resembles a luxurious and extravagant mansion.

  Cheng Jun followed to the top floor, only to see that it was a four-sided hollowed-out rooftop, with exquisite decorations, including intricately embroidered screens, purple sandalwood and rosewood furniture, various ancient porcelain and bronze artifacts, as well as gold, silver, ivory, and precious stones inlaid on them, for fear of not being luxurious enough.

  Cheng Jun only took a glance, and in his heart, he could only shake his head and smile wryly. He thought to himself: This kind of person is just showing off their wealth on their face, afraid that others won't know they have money. Even if some refined families from the secular world saw them, they would also say they're vulgar. Not to mention those blessed lands and sacred temples, it's a wonder that the couplet in front of the Taoist temple hasn't been ruined.

  Looking again, there was a case in the middle, on which a pure gold incense burner was placed, burning agarwood, the fragrance wafted and formed a small piece of hazy smoke. Behind the smoke sat an old Taoist, wearing a star crown, draped in a crane cloak, with a face like jade, and five willow-like whiskers under his chin. In the midst of the smoke and fire, he indeed looked like an immortal.

  Cheng Jun walked forward, his footsteps neither light nor heavy, yet loud enough to be heard. However, when he arrived in front of the old Daoist, the latter was leaning back with his eyes closed, seemingly lost in thought and completely unaware of Cheng Jun's presence. The young Daoist Spring Breeze, who had led Cheng Jun here, also showed no intention of alerting the old man, simply standing aside like a wooden stake. Cheng Jun stood before the counter, looking at the two men who were treating him as if he was invisible, and couldn't help but smile again: Is this what they call "testing the waters"? It's really quite absurd.

  Just after entering for three moments, he called Cheng Jun to shake his head three times. Even if it was him, he couldn't help but take a lighter look at the purple cloud.

  In his heart, he secretly thought: This Yue Hua is not a significant figure. If the external decorations can be considered as him being humble, then this arrogant behavior is clearly petty. It seems that although the Purple Cloud Temple has its eccentricities, it also has hidden mysteries.

  As for cultivating his energy, could the 900 years of Cheng Jun's life be in vain? If he wanted to remain still and unmoving for several months, it wouldn't be difficult at all. However, he didn't feel like competing with this old Taoist in endurance, so he simply left the desk, put his hands behind his back, and strolled around the pavilion, looking up and down at the dazzling jewels, revealing a very interested expression, treating the old Taoist as if he were nothing.

  After a while, the old Taoist suddenly came to his senses, opened his eyes and saw Cheng Jun, saying: "Ah, fellow Taoist has arrived, I'm slow in receiving our noble guest." He turned around and scolded Chunfeng: "You sly monkey, why didn't you remind me? Being slow in receiving our noble guest, get out and brew some fragrant tea!" Chunfeng nodded and retreated.

  Cheng Jun's face was smiling, but his complexion revealed a few hints of grievance, which then turned into hidden endurance. He waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. I just arrived."

  The old Taoist stretched out his hand in invitation and said: "Fellow Taoist, please take a seat. I am the master of this Purple Cloud Temple, Yue Huadao."

  Cheng Jun sat down in front of him and said: "I am Cheng Jun, I have met Mr. Yue Hua."

  The old Taoist's eyes moved, and he said: "I see that you are practicing the orthodox Taoist qigong, but you use a secular name. Could it be that you are not actually one of us from the Taoist sect?"

  Cheng Jun Dao said: "I am naturally a Taoist, but I'm infatuated with the red dust and live in the mundane world."

  The old Taoist said: "So that's how it is——" At this time, Chunfeng came in and presented a cup of tea. The old Taoist picked up one cup and handed it to Cheng Jun, then picked up his own cup but didn't drink from it, holding it in his hand as he asked: "Red lotus, white water chestnut, green lotus leaf, I don't know which family you're from? Where do you live, which direction does your door face? When did you start practicing the Tao, who was your master? Which sect of Taoism do you practice during the day, and which temple do you stay in at night?"

  "This string of words came out, one sentence after another, tightly connected. Cheng Jun was not flustered and calmly picked up the teacup in front of him, saying: 'I am from Sheng Tianyun Prefecture, my family has been passed down for three generations. I started learning at the age of five, began practicing Taoism at six, and studied under my ancestor, Mirror Within. The Purple Cloud Palace's Lingming True Person can attest to this. After ten years of practice, I have come down from the mountain to visit fellow practitioners on various paths. Entering Wàn Mǎ Mountain to pay respects to seniors is truly a fortunate event in three lifetimes.' As he spoke, he handed over the teacup."

  The old Taoist nodded and smiled, "So, fellow Taoist's family is the third generation of the Taoist school, I apologize for my disrespect." He raised his tea cup and took a sip, Cheng Jun followed suit, drinking another mouthful. The two put down their teacups together and exchanged a smile.

  Originally, this back-and-forth was a unique etiquette in the Taoist community - "Pan Dao". One side asks and the other side responds about their background and origin. This question-and-answer process has its own rules. If the response is good, then they are fellow Taoists and there will be further interaction. If the response is not good, then subsequent matters will not be easy to discuss.

  However, the rules of this Daoist ritual are that either both parties must be Orthodox Daoists or both must be wandering cultivators. If one party is an Orthodox Daoist and the other a wandering cultivator, then the ritual cannot proceed. Cheng Jun had just "declared his identity", saying that his family had been Orthodox Daoists for three generations, which means that his ancestors were Orthodox Daoists, but he did not say that he himself was an Orthodox Daoist. The implication is that he is a wandering cultivator. If he had just declared himself to be an Orthodox Daoist, then according to the rules, Old Man Yue would absolutely not dare drink that cup of tea.

  Cheng Jun was very fond of the ritual of "Pan Dao" when he first entered the path. Whenever he met fellow practitioners, he would often perform this move, feeling refreshed and proud, thinking it made him look dignified. However, as he grew older, he no longer liked it, finding the Jianghu aura too heavy, losing the elegance of a cultivator. But when he officially stepped onto the stage of the cultivation world, he realized how naive he was back then. The two words "Pan Dao" carried more weight than a thousand catties, and what seemed like an ordinary question-and-answer exchange hid a killing intent that had been buried for thousands of years.

  However, because Cheng Jun was extremely familiar with Pan Dao, he could come up with the most reasonable lies without even thinking about it - he had tried so many kinds of lies in his past life and found this one to be the most useful.

  After the two had sat down, at least on the surface, they had already acknowledged each other as fellow practitioners of the same school, and being individual cultivators, naturally treated each other like family. They exchanged pleasantries, their words warm and familiar, as if they were old friends. Cheng Jun once again thanked Yue Hua for his generous gift, saying that he would repay him when he returned home.

  Yue Hua Daoshi asked: "Cheng Daoyou was born in Sheng Tian Yunzhou, which is the most prosperous place of our Sheng Tian Dao Fa. I suppose you are also from a famous family?"

  Cheng Jun heard this and curled up the corner of his mouth, revealing a few points of complacency, saying: "The Han family is nothing more than having a reputation, compared to those real aristocratic families, it's still far away."

  Yue Hua said: "Since that's the case, why is your luggage so simple and plain? Could it be that the seniors are intentionally tempering you?"

  Cheng Jun's face turned a bit unsightly, saying: "Not..." After a while, he reluctantly said: "Something unexpected happened, and many of our luggage were lost."

  Yue Hua said, "Oh? Fellow Daoist is so unlucky? Encountered bandits? Don't worry, fellow Daoist, within a hundred miles, my words still have some use, perhaps I can lend you a helping hand."

  Cheng Jun revealed a proud expression and said: "No need, I have seniors in my family."

  Yue Hua didn't get annoyed, but instead smiled and changed the subject, saying: "As a fellow practitioner from a renowned family, you must have seen and known much. I have a treasure here that has been treasured for a long time, but its origin is unclear. Would you be willing to take a look?"

  Cheng Jun's expression turned interested, and he said: "I don't dare say I've seen a lot and know a lot, but following my family's ancestors, I've also seen a few things. Fellow Daoist, if there's something you don't understand, let me take a look, maybe I can recognize it." Although his tone was humble, the self-confidence in his words almost overflowed.

  Yue Hua Daoren burst out laughing and said, "I was just about to ask for your guidance, fellow Daoist." As he spoke, he stood up, turned around the screen, and returned after a while, carefully holding a small ebony frame in his hands. On the frame lay a long sword, measuring four feet from hilt to tip, with a dull black color all over, not a single glint of light on it, completely unremarkable, looking like a piece of dry wood at first glance.

  Yue Hua Dao Ren placed the long sword and its scabbard on the table, his expression very solemn, saying "Fellow Taoist, please take a look, what is the origin of this object?"

  Cheng Jun stepped forward, held his breath and watched, saying: "Indeed, it is made of spiritual wood." He stretched out his hand and gently stroked the wooden sword.

  Yue Hua Daoren seemed to be unintentionally watching him, his eyes fixed on the movements of his fingers without blinking, and said: "I also know that it is made of spiritual wood, but what kind of wood it is, I am not sure. After all, this spiritual wood does not seem to be a variety from Sheng Tian or even Beiguo. In my opinion, this is either Yinsen Wood or Longgu Mu..."

  "Friend, you're wrong. This is a rare material from the southern state of Yu, called Feng Qi Mu. It's extremely difficult to obtain and can be used to refine even higher-grade artifacts. Although this wooden sword uses a section of the tree that isn't considered the best quality, it's still a precious treasure in the mortal world..."

  Yue Hua Daoren laughed and said: "So, fellow Taoist thinks this is a treasure?"

  Cheng Jun shook his head and said, "What a pity! This wood is good, but the craftsmanship is wasted. The wooden sword was made with inferior techniques, extremely rough, what a waste of materials! Fellow Taoist, may I say something that might be impolite?"

  Yue Hua said: "It's alright, fellow Taoist, just speak your mind."

  Cheng Jun Dao said: "This treasure is a pity, it can't withstand great use, it's better to chop it up and burn it as firewood."

  Yue Hua's mouth twitched involuntarily, revealing a subtle expression of suppressed emotions. After a while, he calmed down and said, "Fellow Daoist is joking, such a precious thing, wouldn't it be a waste to burn it?"

  Cheng Jun smiled and said, "That's not the case. This artifact has wasted its materials, with a quality that is lower than low. It can't be used in battle, nor can it defend against attacks. Even as an ornament, it's too ugly to look at. What's the point of keeping it around? Instead, put it into the furnace and use the earth fire to extract the remaining essence of the wood element, dispersing it into other artifacts to raise their quality by one or two grades. Wouldn't that be a great benefit?"

  Yue Hua's face became even more crooked, and he forced out a smile, saying: "Fellow Daoist is indeed extraordinary, I admire you, I admire you."

  Cheng Jun's sensitive nature picked up on his sarcastic tone, and he said: "If you don't believe me, just go to Yunzhou and I'll introduce you to a few real masters of equipment refinement. See if what they say matches up with what I've told you."

  Yue Hua said in a depressed tone, "Let's talk about it again." He showed a hint of embarrassment, suddenly turned his head, and smiled at Cheng Jun, saying: "Cheng Dao friend, we can be considered old friends who have met again. I heard that you are still living in the Mountain God Temple, how is this possible? Why not move to the Purple Cloud Temple to rest, and we can drink tea and discuss Tao every day, wouldn't it be a wonderful thing?"