At night, Lin Yuan watched SpongeBob SquarePants with Han Shuyu. As they watched, she gradually dozed off and fell asleep on the sofa.
She had probably cried herself tired earlier.
Lin Yuan gently carried her into the room, tucked her in, then lay down alone on the living room sofa.
He took out his phone, opened Feixin, and sent his mom a message saying he would not be home that night. Just as he was preparing to sleep, the messages in the Young Heroes Group caught his attention.
The chat was lively at that moment.
Lin Yuan scrolled through the messages one by one.
"Jade Talisman Grand Ceremony?"
The topic had initially been brought up by Wu Zhongze of Wu Style Tai Chi.
Two days later, Sanqing Mountain would host a grand Taoist fasting and ritual ceremony called the "Jade Talisman Grand Ceremony."
Since one of Wu Zhongze's elders practiced at Sanqing Palace, he invited everyone to attend the Taoist celebration.
He introduced it in the group, saying that many famous Taoists from Yuzhang Province would be there, including Zhang Xuanji from Longhu Mountain, Ge Chongxu from Yuxu Temple on Gexian Mountain, Li Songlin from Chongzhen Palace on Gezhao Mountain, and Deng Hongyu from Ziyang Nunnery on Magu Mountain...
He also said that after the Jade Talisman Grand Ceremony ended, disciples from the various sects would spar with one another to test the results of their cultivation over the years.
"What do you think? Anyone interested?" Wu Zhongze immediately sent another message in the group. "This is a great opportunity to learn."
Yang Wanrou: "What a shame. I have a competition the day after tomorrow. Otherwise, I'd definitely go take a look."
Yang Yikun: "I'm going, I'm going! I'll be the first to sign up. It'll be just the right chance to see what these Taoists are made of."
Wu Zihan sent a disdainful emoji. "You? You won't even get a chance to take the stage."
"How powerful could those Taoists be? They spend every day in the mountains eating plain food. What could they possibly train into?"
Wu Zhongze: "Brother Yikun, you'd be terribly mistaken if you think that way. Let alone you, even I don't qualify to take the stage. Last year, I went to Longhu Mountain with my great-grandfather and sparred with an unknown young Taoist there. Guess who won?"
"Just say it. Stop keeping us in suspense."
"I lost, and my opponent used fewer than ten moves."
Among this group of people, Wu Zhongze's martial arts skills ranked at least among the top five.
His words instantly rendered the group silent.
"Those Taoists who cultivate in the remote mountains aren't that simple. It's just that most of them focus on cultivating the body and mind and don't like competing or fighting with others."
"Brother Zhongze, I'll go too. I happen to have nothing to do at home, and taking a trip to Sanqing Mountain sounds nice," Wu Zihan said. "I hear Sanqing Mountain is known as 'the foremost immortal mountain beneath heaven,' and that there are many spectacular sights there."
"Little Sister Zihan is right. Sanqing Mountain really is an extraordinary place, with many marvels wrought by nature. Once we get there, I guarantee you'll be amazed."
"Is anyone else going?" Wu Zhongze continued asking.
"I'll go too." Dong Yifan, who rarely spoke, suddenly sent a message.
Sun Xuemei immediately appeared. "Little Brother Yifan, you finally decided to come out of hiding?"
"..."
"Little Wu, count me in too."
Yang Yikun: "Sister Sun, don't tell me you decided this on a whim? [Dog Head]"
"What's it to you?"
"Good. So that's everyone, right?"
At that moment, Lin Yuan sent a message. "I'm signing up."
"Brother Lin, excellent. Hearing about you is no substitute for meeting you. This will be a good chance for us to get acquainted."
"[Fist-bump]"
"Great, then it's settled. The six of us will meet at the foot of Sanqing Mountain then. Follow me in; you won't need to buy tickets."
As the Taoist sacred site of Yuzhang Province, Sanqing Mountain was naturally familiar to Lin Yuan.
In the eyes of ordinary people like them, Taoism carried a certain air of mystery.
Although Taoism had not seemed particularly fantastical when he studied history—it was simply a school of thought, like the other Hundred Schools of Thought—
whenever people mentioned it in later generations, they easily thought of concepts that transcended the secular world, such as "nourishing qi for immortality" and "cultivating to become an immortal."
Moreover, Taoism had indeed produced many legendary figures, such as Zhang Daoling, Chen Tuan, Lü Dongbin, Ge Xuan, and Zhang Sanfeng...
So he wanted to go take a look and broaden his horizons.
As the saying went, "Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles." This applied to scholars, and it applied to martial artists as well. They needed to travel more and meet more people instead of always shutting themselves away and training in isolation.
Sanqing Mountain lay on the border between Raoyang City and Yunchuan County.
The area where Lin Yuan's home was located was more than five hundred kilometers from Sanqing Mountain.
There was no direct train, so Lin Yuan had to transfer midway.
They had arranged to meet at seven o'clock in the morning on October 27 at the foot of Sanqing Mountain.
Therefore, Lin Yuan arrived in Raoyang City a day early.
By the time he arrived, it was already nearly eight o'clock at night.
Lin Yuan first went into the city and found a seafood buffet restaurant to fill his stomach.
But he did not get to eat his fill, because he really could not stand the manager's resentful gaze. So after eating only half as much as he wanted, he reluctantly left.
He wandered around downtown Raoyang and sampled some local delicacies.
For example, Dengzhan Fruit and Maciguoe. These snacks were somewhat similar to the rice cakes from his hometown, except that the ones from his hometown were simpler.
Different lands produced different cuisines. Every place had its own distinctive food.
After filling his stomach, Lin Yuan bought several bottles of water, put them in his backpack, and headed straight toward Sanqing Mountain.
He checked the map on an app. The distance from the city to the mountain was roughly eighty kilometers, which was not far.
It was only equivalent to traveling four round trips between Songping Village, where his home was, and the city. So he decided to go on foot, which would also give him a chance to observe the local scenery and terrain.
He set out at around ten o'clock that night.
The city was brightly lit.
Following the map's directions, Lin Yuan headed toward Sanqing Mountain.
With every step he took, the city's shadow gradually faded away, while the scent of nature grew stronger.
The closer he got to Sanqing Mountain, the fewer people he saw.
Lin Yuan ran along the rugged road at an unhurried pace.
At that moment, only the bright moon accompanied him, with the cool breeze for company.
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