"Have you all had enough time to rest?"
After a long while, True Person Yuyang opened his eyes and smiled at everyone.
"We're ready, True Person."
General Liu was quick to respond.
Seeing this, True Person Yuyang nodded and immediately led the way. "The Celestial Master's Mansion serves its vegetarian meal at two in the afternoon. Before then, let's have you benefactors choose your own Lay Disciple Dojo. What do you think?"
The group had no objections.
They had already been sitting for a long time, and now they were climbing a mountain. Their stomachs were churning.
Eating a little later was no problem.
"You can look through these booklets first. They show the locations and surroundings of some of the Lay Disciple Dojos."
Just then, a young Daoist took out several booklets and handed them around.
Lu Yuan got one, too, and started looking through it as they walked.
The descriptions were very detailed.
There were several locations, each with its own setting and scenery.
Put simply, a Lay Disciple Dojo was a place of one's own within Longhu Mountain. It was like renting a house, where one could live and go about one's daily life. The term was usually ten years, but nothing inside could be moved, since it all belonged to the Celestial Master's Mansion.
Most people who made donations chose a Lay Disciple Dojo to build good relations with the Daoists of the Celestial Master's Mansion.
Of course, for the more superstitious, it also offered a measure of comfort.
Ordinary people might think it foolish.
But the wealthy saw things differently. After all, their fortunes had often been made through less-than-honest means.
"These Lay Disciple Dojos are all quite nice. Lovely scenery, perfect for a relaxing getaway."
"Not bad. We could even come here to discuss business when we have some free time."
"I think we should choose a place close to the Celestial Master's Mansion."
The wealthy men chatted among themselves, and they all thought the options looked good.
Longhu Mountain was a famous tourist destination to begin with, and its scenery was naturally much better than that of a big city.
So they were all pleased with the Lay Disciple Dojos on offer. They only had to decide which one to choose. General Liu thought they should pick somewhere close to the Celestial Master's Mansion, so they could soak up some of its immortal aura.
"True Person, can we visit these places in person?"
At that moment, Lu Yuan spoke up with a question.
He wasn't sure where the Wordless Stone Tablet was, and the only way to find out was to see for himself.
"Of course. Please, follow me." True Person Yuyang smiled, then led the group up Longhu Mountain.
They visited the Lay Disciple Dojos one by one along the route, with a young Daoist on hand to introduce each one.
They had all been built by the Celestial Master's Mansion and came with everything needed for food, clothing, housing, and daily life.
Most importantly, the surroundings were quite lovely.
Each dojo also had a collection of Daoist scriptures, which one could browse in one's spare time.
As the wealthy men inspected the locations, they began making their choices, each selecting a Lay Disciple Dojo of his own. For the next ten years, they could come and go as they pleased, and they would also have opportunities to speak with some senior Daoists.
That was only to be expected. Everyone present had paid a hefty sum.
Before long,
they had finished inspecting all the Lay Disciple Dojos prepared by the Celestial Master's Mansion.
Everyone had made their choice.
Only Lu Yuan still hadn't decided.
"Xiao Lu, hurry up and choose. Do you know what time it is? I think Green Mountain Residence is quite nice." General Liu couldn't help speaking up.
The other wealthy men nodded. They thought Lu Yuan was taking far too long. The Lay Disciple Dojos were more or less the same; there was no need to agonize over the choice. It was just a matter of how close each one was to the Celestial Master's Mansion.
Everyone was hungry and wanted to eat as soon as possible.
But Lu Yuan didn't answer.
After thinking for a moment, he turned to True Person Yuyang. "True Person Yuyang, there's a place called Carefree Residence on Longhu Mountain. Could you take me to see it?"
From his memories of his previous life, he vaguely recalled that the Wordless Stone Tablet had appeared there.
Of course, he'd only heard about it back then.
But now,
after searching many places without finding it, Lu Yuan could only give it another try.
"Carefree Residence? Well..." True Person Yuyang frowned and kindly warned him, "Benefactor, Longhu Mountain does have such a place, but it's rather remote and hasn't been cleaned in many years. It's overgrown with weeds, so it wasn't included among the Lay Disciple Dojos. Why don't you take another look?"
"It's fine. Please take me there, True Person." Lu Yuan shook his head.
In the end, True Person Yuyang agreed.
After all, Lu Yuan was a guest.
And he'd paid so much money. This was hardly too much to ask.
General Liu and the other wealthy men exchanged glances but said nothing. They went along, too.
In truth, they had already made up their minds. If Lu Yuan still didn't decide, they would leave without him.
Carefree Residence really was rather remote.
They walked for a full half-hour before they made out a crude little wooden hut among the trees in the distance.
The area around the hut had gone untouched for years. With no one to trim or tend to it, it was choked with brambles and strewn with jagged rocks.
The path underfoot was especially uneven, and they had to watch their step with every stride.
Otherwise, they could easily trip and fall.
"I can't believe there's still a place this wild near the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain."
"It's so desolate. Could there be snakes, ants, or poisonous insects?"
"Don't scare me. Maybe we should go?"
The wealthy men were all successful businessmen, long accustomed to the comforts of life. Every one of them was getting impatient.
But Lu Yuan was different. He kept going, his steps steady.
When he reached the hut, he looked carefully around.
The moment he spotted a direction stone tablet hidden among the weeds, his eyes lit up. He crouched down and ran a hand over it.
There were no words on the tablet, and he couldn't tell how old it was. But he could tell that it was no ordinary stone.
The reason was simple. After having his body tempered by the essence of medicinal pills, Lu Yuan's physical condition had become exceptional in every way. He could clearly feel that the stone before him was incredibly hard. It had stood here for years, battered by wind and rain, yet showed no sign of damage.
This had to be the Wordless Stone Tablet he was looking for.
Without a moment's hesitation, Lu Yuan turned to the others and said, "True Person, this is the one I want for my Lay Disciple Dojo!"
Before True Person Yuyang could answer, General Liu and the others exchanged stunned looks.
They were clearly astonished.
"Xiao Lu, you really want this place?"
"Yeah, that's far too rash. Green Mountain Residence was so much nicer."
"Kids these days. This place is too remote, and it's far from the Celestial Master's Mansion."
The wealthy men wondered if something was wrong with Lu Yuan's head. Carefree Residence might have a nice name, but it was far too desolate. There wasn't even a source of water nearby, and the wooden hut couldn't compare to the places they'd chosen.
If it were up to them, they wouldn't last even one night there.
At last,
True Person Yuyang spoke, too.
"Benefactor, you donated ten million to Longhu Mountain. You could choose a much better place."
"No need, True Person. I want this one." Lu Yuan shook his head, his expression resolute.
From the very beginning, he had come for the Wordless Stone Tablet.
Now, he had achieved his goal.
There was no way he would give it up.
Before you continue