A Cup of Wine in Peach and Plum Spring Breeze

The fastest update to Seeking the Dao in the Mortal World!

Qin Yi thought this artist was really interesting.

He must be a very righteous person, to the point of being somewhat pedantic, and it certainly doesn't seem like he's faking it.

But he seems to have some connection with the Myriad Phenomena Asura Sect and is under its protection. How could he and Meng Qingying be the same type of person? They are completely different.

As Jing Ze was drawing, he felt Qin Yi watching him, so he looked up and asked, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Qin Yi asked, "You're hovering on the threshold of cultivation, unable to enter, but with just a little guidance, you could begin. Do you know that?"

"Know."

"The Myriad Phenomena Asura Sect is a first-rate Demon Sect, ranking among the top in the world, did you know that?"

Jing Ze glanced at him again. "I know."

"Since the Myriad Phenomena Asura Sect is protecting you, why don't you learn the Myriad Phenomena Asura Sect?" Qin Yi asked. "Isn't this Immortal Opportunity that most people would kill for? You're right at their doorstep and you won't even learn from them, are you stupid...?"

Liusu: "Pfft..."

Qin Yi blushed and said, "Get out of here, I don't have the trouble of Body Seizing someone's body."

Jing Ze replied, "The Myriad Phenomena Asura Sect is Demon Sect, and its practices are incompatible with mine. If I were to join the sect, I would certainly have to do many things that go against my own wishes. That's why I've refused their repeated invitations."

Qin Yi asked curiously, "So they invited you? They think you're exceptionally talented?"

"It's all because of an ancestral Soul Startling Brush. Using this brush to draw portraits has the power to Soul Hooking and terrify souls, and it aligns with certain Technique Method of the Myriad Phenomena Asura Sect. However, this requires the art of painting, to capture the essence and spirit of the subject. It's meaningless to take the brush away if one doesn't know this art. Of course, I hope that I can join them."

"I see. So the Myriad Phenomena Asura Sect is so easy to talk to, not forcing you but protecting you instead?"

"They probably hope I'm sincere, because they want to take me on as a disciple in this direction, not just a dog. Otherwise, they could just turn me into a puppet, why bother inviting me?" Jing Ze sighed. "So they're just making my life difficult, so sooner or later I won't be able to resist and will join their ranks."

"Interesting. You and the Myriad Phenomena Asura Sect are both quite interesting." Qin Yi clapped his hands and laughed.

Turning around, I saw that the fire at the temple was getting bigger and bigger, and the flames had begun to spread to the nearby peach grove, but they were blocked by some kind of unseen Spiritual Qi and did not burn over for a while.

But it's clear that Jing Ze Painting's protection is too weak; sooner or later, it won't be able to defend itself.

Qin Yi was also reluctant to see such a beautiful peach orchard burned down, so he reached out and made a Method Formula.

Strangely, the flames stopped flaming to the left and right, and instead burned fiercely towards the sky, no longer reaching the peach grove.

Jing Ze looked on in surprise and asked, "Is this move difficult?"

"It's not too difficult. It requires control, not power," Qin Yi said with a smile. "Do you want to learn?"

Jing Ze pondered for a moment, then shook his head and smiled, "The spring breeze is warm now, the evil den has been destroyed, and this peach grove is even more splendid. I see that you are also a lover of beauty; would you like to enjoy a drink with the peach blossoms as an accompaniment?"

Qin Yi glanced at him and said, "You don't seem to have any money."

Jing Ze said, "You can treat me today."

Qin Yi laughed loudly.

Deep within the peach grove, there's a stone pavilion where guests can rest and enjoy the scenery after a spring outing. Today, with all the commotion, the tourists are gone, making it peaceful and Quiet Serenity.

Qin Yi went to a tavern outside and bought some wine. The two sat facing each other in the stone pavilion and drank a little wine.

Jing Ze seemed to have not drunk alcohol for a long time. He only took a small sip and his face became slightly flushed. His expression became more and more distant as he looked at the vast peach grove, as if he was reminiscing.

Qin Yi knew he wanted to tell a story, so he didn't rush him. The feeling of "peach blossoms, spring breeze, and a cup of wine" made him feel a bit like a literary youth, and he was inspired to write poetry, but unfortunately, he had nothing to say and couldn't recite any poems.

"My family has a tradition of calligraphy and painting. When I was very young, my paintings were highly praised by famous artists of the Great Immortal Dao Dynasty, who hailed me as a child prodigy," Jing Ze finally said. "But in reality, although I have some talent, I don't deserve such praise. Because our family's painting skills are not of this world, but rather of the immortals. It would be strange if we didn't become famous by painting with immortal techniques."

Qin Yi then asked, "Your Immortal Dao weren't fully passed down? Are the Method Formula gone?"

"Pretty much. Skilled but lacking in principle." Jing Ze said, "That's why when I was young, I went out to study, apprenticed under famous teachers, and visited famous mountains and rivers, trying to find the true way of painting."

"But you've come back without any improvement?"

"Human painting skills are useless to me... If I want to paint the soul, I must seek the immortals." Jing Ze stared into the distance, lost in thought, and whispered, "It is said that the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace has the Way of Painting, and my ancestor obtained a trace of its inheritance from it. So I went through many hardships and found the legendary Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace."

Qin Yi stopped asking, clearly indicating that Jing Ze was somewhat disappointed by the trip to the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace.

Sure enough, Jing Ze said, "In the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace, there are indeed those who have attained Dao through music, poetry, calligraphy, and painting, but..." He paused, then sighed, "They are not quite what I imagined."

"How so?"

"It's full of bookworms, painting fanatics, music fanatics, chess fanatics, even foodies, gamblers, and lechers. Everyone's obsessed, everyone's mad, claiming to be the epitome of all things in the world. There are also those who claim to be obsessed in the human world, but compared to them, they're on a completely different level. You can't see them doing anything else; it's as if they exist solely for those things. Brother Qin, you're a cultivator, do you think this is a place for immortals?"

Qin Yi smiled wryly, "What kind of cultivator am I... I'm at most an explorer, and I'm also very curious about what an immortal is."

Jing Ze resolutely said, "In my opinion, those who call themselves immortals are no longer human. They are neither the Immortal Dao in my heart nor the Painting Dao in my heart. I was young and impetuous at the time, and after saying that, the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace refused to accept me. I have no regrets and went back to my hometown on my own."

At this point, he downed his drink in one gulp and laughed, "More than ten years of confused exploration, only to hesitate on the path, have ultimately led to stagnation in my Painting Dao. I have failed my predecessors."

Qin Yi raised his glass in a toast. "I think you're almost at the pinnacle of enlightenment."

"Hmm?" Jing Ze shook his head. "To be honest, Brother Qin, I am truly lost and cannot find the way in."

"What you seek is no longer skill, but the Way. And there are countless paths to the Way, it is perfectly normal for other people's paths to not align with yours. As long as you have your own Way, just keep walking it."

"My own path..."

"Brother, you disregard praise or blame, gain or loss, do not associate with Evil Dao paths, and do not concern yourself with worldly matters. You only wish to leave a mark on the beautiful scenery in your heart. Although you are not as obsessed as those of the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace, your dedication is unwavering. How can this not be the Way?"

"So this is the Way..." Jing Ze stared blankly at the peach blossoms in the distance. "I have my own Way, so why should I seek someone else's? I was just looking for a donkey while riding one without even realizing it."

He suddenly pulled out a half-finished peach blossom painting from his painting basket and then took out a shimmering paintbrush.

Colors splashed across the canvas, like scattered stars, and thousands of branches bloomed from the scroll. It was as if the phantom of peach wood slowly rose within the scroll, then grew densely and vigorously, casting the shadow of a peach grove in the sky, as radiant as rosy clouds.

Qin Yi watched as the immense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi entered Jing Ze's body, then materialized, filling his Dantian, opening all three gates, causing his Niwan upper dantian) to move, and his soul to land.

The Heart of the Harp Triple Dance Fetal Immortal, and the nine breaths shine brightly in the night.

This painter, who hadn't even started practicing Qi cultivation, had actually forged Dao Embryo and achieved a musical heart...

Qin Yi was speechless, but not too surprised.

Because although he appears to have never cultivated, he has actually been cultivating for a very long time, and his starting point is not the same as that of an ordinary mortal.

Whether or not one has undergone Law Power cultivation is unimportant to this path, because this is merely a painter who preserves beauty, not a fighter.

He has attained enlightenment.

Jing Ze stood up and bowed deeply to Qin Yi: "Thank you, fellow Daoist. If my painting is ever successful, it will all depend on your words."

Do you still think you've accomplished nothing? Just in terms of cultivation level alone, you've surpassed me, okay... Is it you who's cheating, or am I cheating?

Qin Yi wanted to complain, but he also knew in his heart that if he did it for the sake of achieving success in cultivation, he might end up achieving nothing.

This is a different path.

Liusu was saying, "Very interesting, Qin Yi, I'm getting more and more excited about the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace. This place must be very interesting."

Qin Yi then asked Jing Ze, "Brother Jing, I'm on my way to the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace. Do you want to go and take another look? Perhaps if you go now, you'll gain new insights."

Jing Ze thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "I'll go. But I'll go slowly, painting the beauties I've missed before, so I won't travel with Brother Qin."

"Very well. We are both on Immortal Dao path to immortality, and we will meet again in the future. I hope that by then, Brother Jing, your painting will have reached the divine level." Qin Yi bowed, turned around gracefully, his sleeves fluttering, and disappeared into the peach grove, gradually vanishing from sight.

Jing Ze watched his retreating figure, pondered for a moment, then unrolled the scroll and quickly painted a picture.

The painting depicts Qin Yi, dressed in a blue robe and cloth shoes, exuding a carefree and elegant air as he gracefully walks through the peach grove, like an immortal.

On the day of Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects), heaven and earth come to life, all things flourish, and immortals appear.

It is called "The Immortal Trace Picture".

What puzzles later generations the most is that the immortal in this Immortal Trace Picture is holding a Wolf Tooth Club for some reason. Logically speaking, such a crude weapon should completely destroy the immortal atmosphere, but it looks surprisingly harmonious in the painting, as if it would be wrong if it were not there.