"Senior Brother!
"Senior Brother!"
A young girl of fourteen or fifteen was climbing up the mountain. The slope was so steep that she had to use both hands and feet. She showed none of the reserve of other girls her age down below, nor were her movements as delicate as theirs. Calling out as she climbed, she made her way up at a brisk pace.
Suddenly, the view opened up before her. She had reached the summit.
"Senior Brother!"
The girl straightened and looked around.
Though Floating Hill Peak's summit wasn't as narrow as some other treacherous peaks, it wasn't very large either. She could take it all in at a glance—
There were only a few scattered trees and rocks, along with an unusually large, strange old pine. Nothing else.
Well, there was one other thing.
A fox cub no bigger than a palm sat on the ground. Cubs this small grew quickly, changing greatly in just a few days. At that moment, it sat obediently, its tail swaying from side to side as it gazed up at her.
"Not here?"
Wasn't he supposed to be here?
The girl was puzzled. She was just about to head back down when she noticed the little fox cub sitting on the ground, which only confused her further.
"Where's Senior Brother?"
As soon as she spoke, someone stepped out of the old pine.
It was the junior senior brother she had come to find.
"Hm?"
The girl froze. She looked at Lin Jue, then at the old pine, which was thicker than a person. "Senior Brother, how did you—how did you come out of the tree?"
"Wood Escape Method."
Lin Jue answered her plainly.
If he had just arrived at this Daoist temple, he might have avoided the girl or reminded her not to tell their master and senior brothers. But after staying a few days, he had more or less learned the temple's traditions, as well as the temperaments of his master and senior brothers.
These Daoists couldn't be bothered to care about such things.
A leisurely, unrestrained life, and one's own peace of mind, mattered most.
Besides, Floating Hill Temple had no rule forbidding its disciples from learning other spells or studying spells elsewhere. Otherwise, Cloud Crane Taoist wouldn't have let him learn a spell from the abbot of Immortal Source Temple, and Floating Hill Temple wouldn't have any spells beyond the original seven.
Lin Jue could more or less guess that after joining Floating Hill Temple, he would spend most of his time on the mountain. He likely wouldn't have many chances to encounter other spells over the next few years, so learning this one was no problem.
This spell also required practice and further insight.
Lin Jue had only just learned it, and his control was still unsteady. He couldn't use it freely yet and needed to settle his mind before he could escape into a tree. Perhaps because of the Earth Wood Essence and the Spiritual Resonance in the peach gum, he had been able to travel freely through both living and dead wood from the start. But he still couldn't move freely inside a tree. There was resistance, and it took a great deal of effort. And if he wanted to hide inside one, the tree had to be wider than he was; otherwise, the parts of his body that didn't fit would stick out.
It was said that once one reached a high level of mastery, there was no need to worry about the difference between the shape of the tree and the shape of one's body. One could hide inside even a tree as thick as a bowl, or a flat door or wall panel.
Most importantly, if Lin Jue hid inside a tree now, he couldn't breathe in there.
So he couldn't stay long.
That was quite a serious limitation.
In fact, Lin Jue had more or less realized by now that this spell depended on both aptitude and nature. It wasn't something one could master smoothly just by working hard. Even though he was careful when chopping wood and never needlessly harmed or uprooted plants, he could at most reach a high level of mastery. Reaching the legendary level, where one could move through the roots of plants and the branches and leaves that touched one another, was almost impossible for him.
That was only natural.
There were countless spells in the world, and countless people. Everyone had their strengths; how could anyone have the greatest talent in every field? Besides, there wasn't enough time and energy.
Lin Jue was already content.
Still, he had to practice.
And over time, he couldn't keep that practice hidden from the senior brothers and Cloud Crane Taoist.
So why bother concealing it?
"Junior Sister, have you taken the Earth Element Spiritual Charm I gave you?"
"I did. After taking it, I had a strange feeling, as if I'd had many dreams. Master said that when I start learning 'Stone Pulverization,' these insights will come in handy."
"That's good."
"Senior Brother, I came to tell you that Master just said the abbot of Immortal Source Temple, Wang Ji Zi, is going to preach to his newly accepted disciples today. He wants us to go listen in."
"Sounds good! When?"
"Master said we don't need to go back first. We can head straight there. He's already spoken with the abbot of Immortal Source Temple." Junior Sister hurriedly explained, "He asked a crow to guide us, and told me to come get you."
She patted the satchel at her side.
"I've already packed food for the way. It's quite far, so we have to hurry."
"Then let's go."
Lin Jue glanced back at the little fox, then followed Junior Sister down the mountain.
Sure enough, a crow was waiting on a branch below. When it saw the two of them and the fox coming down, it immediately beat its wings and flew along the path people could walk, leading them toward Immortal Source Temple.
Mount Yi was vast, stretching dozens of miles from east to west and north to south, and nearly a hundred miles across in places. More than a hundred peaks had names, and there were quite a few Daoist temples as well. Immortal Source Temple was relatively close, but the slopes were steep and the roads rough, so the journey still took a great deal of time and energy.
The two and the fox were practically running.
The girl was extremely lively and had grown familiar with her senior brother. Even at that pace, she still had plenty to say.
"Senior Brother, look! There's a pine tree over there, green on one side and red on the other! Do you know why? Third Senior Brother told me yesterday that the Mountain God's messenger touched it, and whatever the messenger touches turns red."
"Maybe he was drunk."
"Oh..."
The slopes were steep, and they were soon panting with exhaustion.
But Immortal Source Temple appeared before them.
It stood on a perilous yet breathtaking peak, as if an impressionist painter had splashed it haphazardly into a landscape painting. Yet in the weather after the rain had just stopped, the mountain emerged from the mist and entered the real world. Perhaps it was often like this, or perhaps they were simply lucky: a radiant halo hung around the sun above them, making the place look even more like an immortal realm.
A cluster of buildings covered the mountain. Unlike Floating Hill Temple, which was laid out as a single compound, its palaces and pavilions were scattered across the mountainside and linked by stone steps. It was an imposing sight.
At that moment, wisps of incense smoke curled through the temple, mingling with the clouds until the two were indistinguishable.
"So big."
Junior Sister couldn't help saying.
Then she turned to explain to her senior brother:
"Master said Immortal Source Temple is the largest hidden Daoist temple on Mount Yi. It has many disciples, but they just cultivate. They hardly ever get incense-burning visitors from the foot of the mountain."
"Then let's go."
Lin Jue started forward.
The gates of Immortal Source Temple stood open, with Daoists in robes coming and going inside. Lin Jue and Junior Sister hadn't had their robes made yet, so they wore ordinary clothes. The Daoists looked at them with surprise and didn't seem to think they were visitors who had come to burn incense.
Mount Yi was remote to begin with, and this was deep in its interior. The Daoists had built their temple here so they could cultivate in peace. It was difficult for even people who loved mountains and rivers to make their way here, let alone pilgrims.
"May I ask who you are...?"
"May the Dao be compassionate." Seeing that the Daoist who had spoken was quite young, Lin Jue returned the courtesy. "We are newly accepted disciples of Floating Hill Temple, which has friendly ties with your temple. We heard your abbot is preaching to his new disciples today, so our master sent us to visit and listen in."
"So you're fellow Daoists from Floating Hill Temple. The abbot is preaching over here. I'll take you there."
"Thank you, Daoist Brother."
Since the other party was so warm and courteous, Lin Jue used a more familiar form of address.
"Thank you, Daoist Brother!"
Junior Sister imitated his tone almost exactly.
The two followed the young Daoist for a dozen yards, then went up a flight of stone steps on the left and came to a large hall.
Its doors were open too, and blue smoke curled within.
A dozen or so meditation cushions were laid out on the floor. A dozen young Daoists sat on them, most of them in their teens, with two or three in their twenties. All wore brand-new robes. An old man sat at the front, patiently answering the questions of the young Daoists.
"The Dao is mysterious, yet it is not. The natural principles behind all things are the Dao. Since you came into this world, everything you have seen and heard, everything around you, has been the Dao. Yet understanding the Dao is another matter."
The old Daoist looked somewhat younger than Cloud Crane Taoist.
"Abbot, can we begin the lecture?"
"You impetuous boy! How can one cultivate the Dao in such a hurry? You must understand that this is the one thing in the world where rushing gets you nowhere." The old Daoist spoke, then looked toward the three people outside. "I told you disciples from another temple were still on their way. What harm is there in waiting patiently for a while? Besides, here they are now, aren't they?"
The young Daoist who had led Lin Jue and Junior Sister there stood at the doorway and bowed. After addressing the abbot, he said, "Two fellow Daoists from Floating Hill Temple have come to visit. They said they came to hear the abbot's lecture."
Lin Jue quickly stepped to the doorway and bowed inside as well.
"Greetings, Dao Master Wang Ji Zi."
"Greetings, Dao Master Wang Ji Zi."
The old Daoist's brows shot up. "Only the two of you came?"
His voice held unmistakable displeasure.
"Only the two of us."
Lin Jue answered from outside.
"Hmph! In the past, when disciples from your Floating Hill Temple came to listen, at least the first time, your abbot would come along to pay a courtesy call. Now that old Cloud Crane can't even be bothered to walk a few steps?"
Junior Sister lowered her head as she listened, sensing that something was off. She stood at the doorway, unsure what to do, and could only flick her eyes toward her senior brother.
"Master isn't well."
Lin Jue wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation either.
"Hm? What happened? Since you're already here, why stand in the doorway talking? Come in and sit down!"
The old Daoist waved his sleeve, stirring the blue smoke in the hall.
The dozen or so young Daoists all turned around to look at the two from another temple who had kept them waiting so long. Some were curious, some displeased. Some wondered why the newcomers weren't even wearing Daoist robes, while others couldn't help feeling unfriendly because of their abbot's attitude.
Lin Jue led Junior Sister into the hall.
There were exactly two empty cushions.
Lin Jue knew they had been left for the two of them, so he and Junior Sister went over and sat down.
"Why did your temple take in two disciples this time? Didn't taking one fill your quota?" Daoist Wang Ji Zi continued.
"I don't know either. Maybe it was fate."
"What fate? You just had a good pair of eyes. How is your master's health now? Is he really unable to walk even a few steps?"
"To be frank, Dao Master, ever since Master returned to the temple, his health has indeed seemed to get worse and worse."
Lin Jue chose to answer honestly.
Perhaps sincerity really was the best approach. Wang Ji Zi's voice had held some displeasure before, but after hearing this, he fell silent for a moment, then sighed.
"He brought this on himself!"
"..."
"In his youth, he cultivated too impatiently and threw his Yin and Yang out of balance, yet he was greedy for progress and stubbornly refused to spend time correcting it. Naturally, the imbalance left him with a chronic illness in his old age. I heard he went to visit an old friend a few months ago. He probably forced himself to muster some Vital Energy. Now that he's returned to the temple, his Vital Energy has declined. And after seeing that old friend, with his heart's affairs settled, he's naturally just waiting to die.
"That's why he sent you to listen to me preach.
"If he can't even put himself right, how can he preach to others?"
Wang Ji Zi paused, then remembered to caution the young Daoists below.
"Some of you are impatient by nature. Take this as a warning. Remember, Yin and Yang must never fall out of balance. You must understand that losing balance between Yin and Yang is the path of cultivation for monsters and spirits. If humans imitate it, they will surely suffer the consequences."
The young Daoists below all murmured their agreement.
Lin Jue couldn't help glancing at Junior Sister. At almost the same moment, she turned to look at him. Her face was fair and her features delicate; her eyes were wide open, yet she still seemed a little dazed.
Their eyes met. They had learned why their master was unwell, and both took Wang Ji Zi's warning to heart.
"Enough idle talk. Today I'll tell you about the Five Qi of Heaven and Earth and the Yin Yang Spiritual Charm. You two from Floating Hill Temple, listen carefully too. How much you gain is up to you."
Wang Ji Zi sat cross-legged and swept his sleeves.
The young Daoists below had kept glancing at Lin Jue and Junior Sister. At the sound of his voice, they immediately sat up straight and pretended to listen attentively, though some still let their attention drift toward the visitors, unsure whether they were looking at Lin Jue or at the rather delicate and fair-faced Junior Sister.
Before you continue