Pine Crane Guidance

"Girl, let's go."

An impatient, aged voice called out.

"Coming, coming, Grandpa Daoist, the mountain scenery is so beautiful, why are you so rushed to drink with the mountain wind?"

"What's so good about the scenery? Besides, this mountain is a bit unlucky. If I stay too long, I'm afraid it will diminish my blessings."

The old man spoke with a rather sarcastic tone.

It made people feel uncomfortable.

Lu Wu-bing's heart stirred slightly, feeling the old man was hinting at something, but he didn't pay it any mind.

He just smiled, watching the old man and the young girl bicker, then suddenly noticed something and took another careful look at the old man.

He saw that the man had white hair and a white beard, a ruddy complexion, and was very energetic, showing no sign of his age.

His clothes were tattered and stained with black and yellow dirt of all sorts.

He wasn't clean at all.

He looked like an ordinary beggar one might accidentally encounter in the marketplace, without food or shelter...

Even though his life was a mess, he was happy all day long. He wasn't sad when he was hungry, and when he got money, he would even secretly have a drink.

Ordinary people were all learning to make peace with life.

Since they couldn't change anything, they learned to enjoy it.

After all, life is either happy or painful...

Lu Wu-bing saw this situation in the old man.

But the problem was.

It was too strange...

If he had met him on the street, Lu Wu-bing was sure he wouldn't have glanced at him twice.

But seeing him beside Ji Wenxiu, and knowing that this "Qingyun Daoist" was a rare master, this situation was very abnormal.

He had seen quite a few people on his journey, from common laborers to renowned experts, even commanding generals and underworld powerhouses...

Each of them possessed a demeanor befitting their status.

Some had astonishing physiques, others had vast spiritual energy...

Even if their true depth couldn't be discerned, one could feel from the bottom of their heart that they were not to be trifled with.

This scruffy Daoist in front of him didn't give him that feeling at all.

If he weren't standing right in front of him, Lu Wu-bing would have almost thought there was no one beside him.

At first glance, he was an ordinary, down-on-his-luck old man, more ordinary than any ordinary person.

At second glance, the person seemed to be hidden in the deep mountains and clouds, indistinct.

"Oh, the little fellow's eyesight is quite good, you can actually sense this old Daoist's extraordinary nature?"

A faint light seemed to flash in the old man's eyes, and then he smiled broadly, "Your body is as weak as an infant's, but your soul is as strong as fire. Good heavens, you're rushing straight towards the Bridge of Helplessness..."

"Grandpa Daoist, you're talking nonsense again. Senior Brother Lu is in good health. Isn't a strong soul good? He's energetic and learns everything quickly."

Ji Wenxiu's heart skipped a beat, and she said unhappily.

"Girl, you don't understand. Since ancient times, deep affection leads to a short life, and extreme wisdom leads to harm. Everything should have its limits... Think about it, how many of those geniuses who became famous at a very young age had a good end?

Most of them were sickly. Some say it's because Heaven was jealous, but that's bullshit... It's actually an imbalance between the spirit and the body. A soul that is too strong means a short life!"

"How strange, this brat doesn't seem to have a naturally strong soul. His spirit and body seem somewhat incompatible.

This situation, if not due to a great change, then enlightenment and wisdom, or perhaps..."

The old Daoist became more and more puzzled as he looked, his curiosity clearly piqued.

"Grandpa Daoist, since you can see the problem, you must have a solution, right?" Ji Wenxiu said anxiously upon hearing this.

Lu Wu-bing inwardly screamed, grass is a plant.

The old Daoist's eyesight was too sharp. With just a glance, he had already figured out some clues about his awakening in his past and present lives.

He himself found it a bit difficult to understand.

You have the memories and spirit of this life, plus the spiritual memories of the past life, and the experience and life of two lives combined, so how could his soul not be strong?

It also made sense that it wasn't entirely compatible with his body.

The human body actually contains various life imprints, which often grow in conjunction with the spirit.

No matter how well the body of this life fits the spirit of the past life, there will always be some incompatibility.

The old Daoist glanced disdainfully at Celestial Star Peak upon hearing Ji Wenxiu's words and shook his head, "The disciples and grandchildren of that Hunyuan old man, why would it be my turn, a lowly old Daoist, to guide them? That fellow was quite fierce back then..."

"A jar of Pear Blossom Wine, brewed with a thousand-year-old ancient formula."

Ji Wenxiu directly stated her terms.

"Gulp!"

The old Daoist's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, but he forcefully suppressed the urge to swallow and continued shaking his head. "Three jars, not one less is acceptable. And they must be the Pear Blossom Wine buried on the first day of the lunar new year fifteen years ago."

"Grandpa Daoist, do you know I smashed seven jars of Pear Blossom Wine?"

A flicker of surprise flashed in Ji Wenxiu's eyes.

When she was chosen for the arranged marriage, she had gone to the palace to beg her Imperial Father to retract the decree, but she hadn't even managed to see him.

Those people had hastily prepared her dowry and carriage, and she was to depart immediately.

She had been forced to leave the capital.

Feeling wronged, she dug up the ten jars of Pear Blossom Wine her Imperial Mother had buried fifteen years prior and smashed seven of them. She fell asleep with the remaining three because she was too exhausted from crying.

Later, she didn't know if they had been reburied.

The old Daoist actually knew all about these things... and had even specifically pointed out three jars.

Could it be that he had been watching from the side that day?

But why hadn't he intervened?

"How would I know?"

The old Daoist rolled his eyes, then his expression brightened. "Could it be there are seven jars? I'll take them all."

"Just pretend," Ji Wenxiu said with a cold expression. "There are only three jars left. Take it or leave it."

"Three jars it is, and no backing out."

Having settled on a deal, he immediately became amiable and pleasant, looking at Lu Wu-bing and clicking his tongue twice.

"If that old rascal Hunyuan were still around, your talent, kid, would make you a peerless prodigy for questioning the Heavenly Dao.

Alas, the current Celestial Star Sect is a shallow pond unable to hold a dragon. Being a disciple of that idiot Ouyang Zheng is a waste."

The old Daoist's mouth was too sharp.

He couldn't go three sentences without insulting the Celestial Star Sect.

He wondered if he and Hunyuan Ancestor had some kind of feud.

Could it be that Hunyuan Ancestor had killed his master and destroyed his sect back then?

It wasn't a good question to ask.

One could only say that a sharp-tongued person was kept in check by a foul-mouthed little girl; they were evenly matched.

Neither gained an advantage.

Lu Wu-bing didn't care if the old man's words were pleasant or not; he just listened intently...

The old Daoist was about to reveal something truly valuable, and he couldn't miss it.

He wondered what kind of excellent wine Junior Sister Wenxiu had traded three jars for.

"Kid, I'll only teach you the [Pine Crane Guidance] once. Whether you can learn it depends on your own fortune."

As he spoke, the old Daoist released the reins of the donkey he was holding, struck a pose, bent and straightened his legs, and slightly extended his arms.

Although he merely struck a simple pose, the aura around the old Daoist changed. In Lu Wu-bing's eyes, his appearance transformed.

Before him was no longer a person, but a thousand-year-old pine tree, possessing a profound stillness that had endured wind and snow.

When he tried to observe more closely, looking again, it was as if he saw a celestial crane spreading its wings to soar into the sky.

He could still hear the cries of cranes in his ears, and faint white figures appeared in his vision.

What celestial crane, what ancient pine, had all vanished.

In their place stood only a white-haired old man in tattered clothes, striking a ridiculously comical pose.