Late Qing dynasty...
When the turbulent era arrived, it was a time when demons and malevolent spirits ran amok. The twilight years of the dynasty could truly be described as a chaotic dance of all kinds of fiends.
Zhong Family Village.
Overnight, the once peaceful and prosperous village was now frighteningly quiet, faintly permeated by a dead aura.
Sorrowful, sobbing sounds spread one after another from every household.
Meanwhile, in an open space at the entrance of the village, sixteen-year-old Zhong Bai had expressions of deep sorrow and intense disbelief in his eyes.
I've been in this world for a year now, and although I don't have a very deep bond with the two of you elders.
Still... the two of you ultimately showed me the grace of raising me!
Zhong Bai's eyes were bloodshot, and flashing within those crimson pupils were both the fortune of surviving a disaster and lingering fear.
He truly never expected that in the turbulent late Qing era, a demon would actually slaughter a village!
Yes, there were demons and malevolent spirits in this world, and last night a wolf demon entered the village.
The entire village suffered a calamity, countless villagers died, and the slaughter only stopped at dawn.
Zhong Bai had good luck and managed to survive.
Yet at this moment, looking at the graves of the two elders, Zhong Bai also fell into a daze.
With heaven and earth so vast, where was home?
Being in such an era is misfortune, and wanting to survive is not easy.
Since that is the case, why not head up the mountains in search of the Tao?
With a decision made in his heart, Zhong Bai's originally dazed expression gradually grew clear.
Taking a deep breath and heavily kowtowing before the graves of the two elders, Zhong Bai quietly departed.
Several hundred li away from Zhong Family Village was Zhong Bai's destination for this trip: Mount Mao!
As one of the Three Talisman Sects, Zhong Bai had heard plenty about its wondrous nature.
As for Longhu Mountain, which lay a thousand li away, although its reputation was even more resounding, it was also much further from Zhong Family Village.
Setting out from home, Zhong Bai understood that every extra day spent walking on the road brought an extra fraction of danger.
The imperial highway.
All along this journey, Zhong Bai traveled by day and lodged in small towns at night.
The clothes on his body appeared exceptionally worn out, and his face was covered in grime.
Looking at him, he was practically a match for the beggars on the roadside.
Traveling away from home, one should not flaunt one's wealth; Zhong Bai didn't have much money anyway, but he still had to act with caution.
Although this outfit was a bit sloppy, for three days straight Zhong Bai didn't encounter any danger.
In the twilight years of the dynasty, demons were certainly dangerous, and human hearts were no better.
Walking with unsteady steps, night fell.
Inside the small lodging inn in the town, looking at his worn-out and blood-stained straw sandals, Zhong Bai gave a helpless, bitter smile.
I've only walked about two hundred li, and my feet have ended up like this. This really is...
He shook a head.
Fetching a basin of hot water, Zhong Bai first washed his feet clean, then used the half-flask of distilled liquor provided by the innkeeper to wipe and disinfect them.
Gritting his teeth to finish it all, Zhong Bai was already drenched in a cold sweat.
Entering the night, lying on the hard wooden bed and falling into a deep sleep, the exhaustion of the day was eased.
As the dawn of the next day arrived, Zhong Bai began another day of traveling once more...
Ten days later.
Maoshan Town.
As a town at the foot of Mount Mao, it naturally received Mount Mao's protection.
The town was bustling and extraordinarily lively; it was precisely noon when Zhong Bai arrived there.
With the blazing sun high in the sky, Zhong Bai had just arrived at a tea shed intending to dispel some of the summer heat when he heard the people who had come to drink tea inside the shed discussing something that interested him.
"I heard that tomorrow the Daoist priests on the mountain will open the mountain to accept disciples."
"I wonder whose child will be fortunate enough to become a disciple among them this year. That is a place to seek immortality!"
"Bah, Old Three Wu, you're worrying blindly."
"That's right, you, Old Three Wu, don't even have a wife."
"Instead of caring about Mount Mao accepting disciples, you'd better hurry up and find a wife."
"You're already in your thirties; Second Liu next door to you is about to have a grandson by now!"
Although they were just chatting about mundane domestic matters, the fact that Mount Mao was opening its mountain to accept disciples tomorrow was truly something Zhong Bai had not expected.
Originally, he had only planned to try his luck when he came to Mount Mao, using his sincere heart to see if he could move the Daoist priests of Mount Mao.
After all, Taoist sects valued affinity when accepting disciples; it was truly not something ordinary people could enter, let alone Mount Mao, one of the Three Talisman Sects!
"Go against the current to become an immortal, go with it to remain a mortal."
"Whether it succeeds tomorrow or not, giving it a try with all my might is always right!"
Making up his mind, a cup of green tea went down his throat, and an instant sensation of coolness welled up in his heart, gradually dispelling the summer heat.
Zhong Bai still needed to hurry and find a lodging today to clean the grime from his body.
Those who came to pay respects at a mountain gate ought to be immaculate and dust-free.
Early the next morning.
At the foot of Mount Mao, Zhong Bai looked at the endless stone steps before him.
Gazing at the youthful faces arriving in twos and threes just like his own, his heart suddenly turned exceptionally tranquil.
"Whether it succeeds or fails, everything hinges on this single move!"
With that said, Zhong Bai stepped forward.
An hour passed quickly.
At this moment beads of sweat covered Zhong Bai's forehead, and the other youths who had come along were also in a rather wretched state.
Panting heavily, he raised his head.
That was a tall and heavy stone gate, inscribed with the words: Shangqing Maoshan Dao Sect!
The strokes were bold and vigorous, accompanied by the sounding of a light, ethereal note.
An elderly man in green Daoist robes holding a whisk then appeared before Zhong Bai and the others.
His hair was completely white, yet he lacked no vigor or spirit; he looked aged yet his face was free of wrinkles, and his movements were casual yet fully manifested natural ease.
Hah, with just a single glance, Zhong Bai understood that the old Daoist before him was definitely not one of those deceptive phonies of later generations!
The accompanying youths widened their eyes one by one.
They were evidently much clearer than Zhong Bai about the process of Mount Mao accepting disciples.
"This junior Zhang Wanming pays respects to the old immortal!"
"This junior Liu Yu pays respects to the old immortal!"
The sea of youthful figures scrambled and sincerely knelt down, attempting to use this method to move the old Daoist before them.
As for Zhong Bai...
Ahem, he was still somewhat dazed. What kind of madness were these people acting out?
Taoist sects valued affinity in accepting disciples. If they acted so humble, wouldn't that seem overly utilitarian?
Well, the Buddhist sects might like disciples like that—sincerity?
Unlike him, Zhong Bai.
He took a deep breath. He didn't kneel, because he knew it wasn't time yet; instead, he bent over and executed a Daoist bow with folded hands.
"Disciple Zhong Bai has long heard of Mount Mao's mighty reputation. My parents met with disaster and were harmed by demons; in this life, I only wish to dedicate my body to the Dao, to learn the Daoist arts of demon slaying and sweep away the fiends of the Nine Provinces!"
"May the senior show compassion and accept this disciple!"
Zhong Bai's words were filled with steadfast determination, and these words of his were by no means feigned.
For both public and private reasons, he had to avenge the departed elders.
Of course, making a grand vow to sweep away the demons across the Nine Provinces of the world in the process was just by the way.
Hah, no matter who picked at it, they wouldn't be able to find fault.
A trace of bright light flashed across True Immortal Qianyuan's eyes. He paid no attention to the youths who had knelt, but instead stared fixedly at Zhong Bai, who had bowed with folded hands.
His gaze was profound, as if he wanted to see right through Zhong Bai entirely.
Yet this lasted merely for an instant.
A moment later, True Immortal Qianyuan's expression ceased to be stern.
Instead, he gave a light, gentle smile and said, "Your name is Zhong Bai? You little fellow are quite clever."
"However, if you think you can sweep away the demons of the Nine Provinces relying on this glib tongue of yours, it appears rather laughable."
"This old Daoist has cultivated up to now for a full century."
"Not to mention the lands of the Nine Provinces, even for the territory of just a single province, this old Daoist would not dare utter such boastful words..."
"Very well, if a young man lacks a bit of youthful spirit, he is nothing more than someone idling away his days."
Having spoken these words, True Immortal Qianyuan once again looked toward the kneeling youths, the profound meaning in his eyes self-evident.
"Those who wish to enter Mount Mao, go on in. Whether you can enter the mountain depends entirely on your own abilities!"
With that, True Immortal Qianyuan gave a grand wave of his sleeve.
Right before the previously empty mountain gate, an ancient courtyard wreathed in clouds and mist instantly appeared.
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