The Time Is Not Yet Ripe

"In the year 2018 AD, on the twenty-fifth day of the fourth lunar month, at Three Goat Temple on Yellow Goat Mountain..."

"Offering sacrifices to the Founding Ancestor of Three Goat Temple, Chong Yunzi, the Profoundly Numinous Qinghua Perfected Being, and below..."

Amidst classical music, the ceremony presided over by the temple master finally began. One could see that there were over a hundred Taoist priests participating in the ceremony, not to mention those maintaining order. Besides Three Goat Temple, many people were also brought in from other Taoist temples.

Yellow Goat Mountain was packed with people. The temple was filled with onlookers and curious crowds who had come to witness the event. From the mountain top to the foot of the mountain, there were people everywhere. Even in hidden spots, members of the Abnormal Affairs Investigation Team could be seen lurking among the crowd, observing their surroundings, anticipating the appearance of the scene they expected.

All the Taoist priests at Three Goat Temple were also incredibly excited at this moment. Amidst the swirling incense smoke, everyone knelt down and prostrated themselves, inviting a statue several meters tall onto the divine platform in the main hall.

It was the statue of a Taoist wearing white robes, with a long sword on his back and holding a spiritual tree in his hand. His gaze was indifferent as he looked down at the platform, vividly recreating the demeanor of an immortal on a cloud back then.

Lin Housheng, the master of Three Goat Temple, was now over sixty years old. At this age, he was already in the twilight of his life. The closer he got to this stage, the more intense his desire to pursue Taoist legends and immortals became, especially when he personally witnessed such legendary and mythical existences appear before his eyes.

Decades of piety, faith, and doubt intertwined, instantly settled down and transformed into complete belief.

He looked at the statue of the Founding Ancestor on the platform, his face filled with fervor, kneeling and devoutly calling out the Founding Ancestor's name.

The ceremony lasted for three days and three nights. Lin Housheng, the master of Three Goat Temple, at such an advanced age, knelt and prayed devoutly under the statue of the Founding Ancestor for the entire duration. Even his disciples and followers could not endure such asceticism, but Lin Housheng stubbornly persevered.

On the first day of Three Goat Temple's ancestor worship ceremony, the mountain foot was packed with people. Many stood under the scorching sun for a whole day, yet still did not see any so-called immortal miracles. By the second day, more than half had dispersed.

By the third day, only a scattered few remained.

Inside the main hall, cloud patterns were carved on the red pillars, and dragons and phoenixes adorned the wooden windows. The statue of the Founding Ancestor was placed alongside many immortals and Buddhas, even in the very center.

At night, the green lamps flickered, and the statue cast blurred, elongated shadows under the dim light. Lin Housheng and his disciples wore magnificent Taoist robes, completely different from their usual simple attire.

Lin Housheng wore a ritual robe embroidered with various Taoist auspicious patterns in gold and silver threads. The sun, moon, stars, Eight Trigrams, and auspicious clouds complemented each other. Coupled with Lin Housheng's white hair and long white beard, he appeared ethereal and otherworldly.

However, at this moment, the face of Temple Master Lin Housheng was pale. If not for his faith and conviction in the Founding Ancestor, he would have likely been unable to continue long ago.

In a daze, ripples suddenly appeared before Temple Master Lin Housheng's eyes. He only saw the statue of the Founding Ancestor radiating a brilliant light. The dazzling white light illuminated the entire room, making it appear as white as a sacred immortal realm.

The light was so blinding that Temple Master Lin Housheng couldn't open his eyes. He desperately turned his head and covered his eyes.

But as he opened his eyes, he saw the world spinning. The entire world inverted and changed, the heavens and earth shifting and transforming. He felt as if he was falling from the endless void. Clouds and strong winds brushed past him, whistling.

"Ah!" The strong sense of weightlessness scared Lin Housheng into shouting. Even the Taoist crown on his head scattered, and all his graying hair fell loose.

When he reached the bottom, he felt as if something had held him up. The dizziness made him lose his sense of direction, and it took him a while to crawl up from the ground.

When he stood up and looked around, he saw that he was no longer inside the Taoist temple, but in front of a massive Immortal Mountain Palace. The huge palace and the immortal mountain beneath his feet soared into the clouds, as if floating in the clouds.

In the distance was a boundless ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see. He stood before a heaven-reaching staircase, gazing up at the immortal palace and pavilions. Clouds drifted beneath his feet, and a gentle breeze under the cold moon swept across his face. Everything was so real. As the clouds passed through his body, it felt as if they were soothing his soul, making his entire spirit pure and transparent.

Shock and surprise surged onto his face. He trembled as he took his steps, his entire body shaking uncontrollably, and walked forward without hesitation.

Step by step, he walked up the stairs, reaching the vast square, and looked up at the massive archway in front of the immortal palace.

"Qinghua Palace!"

The heavy gates of the immortal palace opened. A strong wind swept through his body, pulling him through the square paved with white jade, spinning him through the magnificent golden and jade main hall, crossing the ancient and elegant corridors. Layers upon layers of painted paper doors brushed past him, finally reaching the cliff edge behind the palace.

He saw two figures sitting cross-legged under a divine tree with white leaves, laden with immortal fruits. The immortal fruits emitted spiritual light. Just taking a whiff made his soul feel light and airy. Inside the fruits, a spiritual infant sat with a solemn and dignified appearance. The divine tree, laden with immortal fruits, radiated boundless divine light.

The cold moon hung in the sky, illuminating the sword peak immortal mountain.

On the cliff edge shrouded in clouds, two immortals were playing chess under the immortal tree. The immortal tree emitted spiritual light, like a river of glowing light swirling around it. The two immortals sat under the tree, as if sitting on the Milky Way.

One had silver hair and a youthful face, wearing a moon-white long robe. This was the Chong Yunzi whom Lin Housheng believed to be the Founding Ancestor of Three Goat Temple.

One looked like a girl of eight or nine years old, but her face was indifferent and cold, as aloof as a female immortal in the clouds. She wore a magnificent feathered robe, as thin as cicada wings, with countless layers overlapping, moving without wind under the moon.

Just by sitting there, their bodies involuntarily emitted a faint light. Compared to the high mountains and vast ocean, they were like dazzling stars, dancing with the silver moon.

The chessboard was clearly divided into black and white, but upon closer inspection, it felt as if the Milky Way was contained within. Each piece that fell was like a star swaying and falling.

At this moment, upon seeing the Founding Ancestor, Lin Housheng was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes. The veins on his neck bulged, as if decades of faith had finally been acknowledged.

He immediately knelt before the two of them: "Disciple Qing Yun, the seventy-second generation master of Three Goat Temple, secular name Lin Housheng, pays respects to Founding Ancestor Chong Yunzi!"

But when he raised his head, he saw that the two seemed to ignore him, still playing chess under the moon. Lin Housheng knelt again, performing three kowtows and nine prostrations.

"Disciple Qing Yun, the seventy-second generation master of Three Goat Temple, secular name Lin Housheng, pays respects to Founding Ancestor Chong Yunzi!"

He still received no response. The two immortals seemed to be engrossed in their game at this moment, paying no attention to the words and desires of a mere mortal like him.

Lin Housheng crawled forward step by step, kneeling with each step, until he was prostrate at the feet of Founding Ancestor Chong Yunzi, under the immortal tree.

"Founding Ancestor! Founding Ancestor! This disciple has come with sincerity, seeking the Dharma with all his heart!" The further Lin Housheng moved forward, the more excited he became. His body trembled like a sieve, and his voice was hoarse and trembling.

"Please... please... Founding Ancestor, reopen the immortal gate and guide us into the path of immortality!" Lin Housheng prostrated himself under the immortal tree, his old tears streaming down his face. He kept hitting his head against the stones beneath his feet, his voice choked with sobs.

"This disciple... has dedicated himself to the Tao for over sixty years. I entered the Tao in my youth, sincerely pursuing the path to longevity, traveling through thousands of mountains and rivers in search of it, but could not find it. Today, I sincerely pray to the Founding Ancestor to impart the Dharma and bestow upon me the great method of longevity!" The sound of Lin Housheng saying these words while prostrate on the ground seemed to carry blood in every word, so mournful that saliva constantly splattered from between his teeth.

No matter how he pleaded and cried out, Founding Ancestor Chong Yunzi did not shift his gaze to look at him. Those eyes contained the stars and the moon, the great Tao of heaven and earth, but they did not contain him.

When he raised his head again, he saw that the two immortals under the tree had dispersed with the wind, turning into smoke and vanishing into the air.

The chessboard flowed like a river of stars, swallowing all the pieces, leaving only three white pieces on it, which transformed into three green pills.

"Founding Ancestor! Founding Ancestor!" Lin Housheng stood up excitedly, constantly looking around, searching for the figure of Founding Ancestor Chong Yunzi, but still received no response.

The scene just now was like a beautiful dream he had imagined, a gentle poke, and it instantly turned into foam and vanished!

"How could this be! How could this be!" Lin Housheng shouted in despair, standing under the immortal tree that emitted spiritual light, speaking mournfully.

After a long time, he finally noticed the chessboard, his soul lost.

He gently picked up the three green pills left on the chessboard. The pills emitted a faint spiritual light, looking less like medicinal pills and more like three beautiful jade stones.

As he picked up the pills, he saw a vertical line of text appear on the chessboard, flowing like dew and condensing like clouds and mist.

"The time is not yet ripe!"

The world spun, the sea of clouds changed color, and in an instant, Lin Housheng opened his eyes. Only then did he realize that he was still sitting in the main hall of the Three Goat Temple. Everything that had just happened felt like a fleeting and ethereal dream, a fantasy born from his longing and exhaustion.

But when he loosened his grip, he saw three green pills in his aged palm.