Peach Blossoms Cover the Head

"With heart to heart, and intent to transmit the Dharma."

Lu Wu-bing's heart was struck like lightning across the sky.

The shadow of the crane and the form of the pine imprinted themselves on his heart.

Without a second thought, he followed the old Daoist and struck the same pose.

A wave of coolness washed over his mind, his spirit as if it had grown wings. A soaring, sharp intent wanted to break through the sky and ascend to the highest heavens.

Before him, the sea of clouds was vast, and the gale winds were like waves.

Lu Wu-bing's heart leaped in alarm. Naturally, he spread his arms slightly, merging into the boundless clouds and water.

The soaring ambition immediately turned back, transforming from form into formlessness, as if he had become a cloud, a drop of water.

The water droplet transformed into fine rain, falling and seeping into the soil. It took root and sprouted, and after a hundred years, grew into an unmoving old pine.

Gazing up at the sea of clouds, looking down at the long river...

"The crane has the ambition to soar, the pine grows by the stream."

The old Daoist, seated backward on a green donkey, slapped its backside and let out a long chant before vanishing in a flash.

Ji Wenxiu turned back to deeply gaze at Lu Wu-bing, who stood in place with his eyes closed. She then turned and mounted a small black donkey, calling out, "Grandpa Daoist, wait for me."

She knew that the old Daoist Qingyun was extremely eccentric. Normally, she could argue with him however she pleased.

But once he made up his mind, even begging would not change it.

If she didn't follow now, she wouldn't be able to get to the capital city by herself.

"So that's how it is."

Lu Wu-bing opened his eyes. Before him, the mountains were silent and empty.

He let out a long breath and murmured, "Practicing the form to resemble the crane's form, beneath a thousand pines, two scrolls of scriptures. I come to ask the Way with no other words, the clouds are in the sky, the water is in the bottle..."

"A good [Pine Crane Guidance]."

After just one practice, Lu Wu-bing felt his spirit become lively and agile.

His formidable mental energy, which had been coiled like a drawn bow, tense and ready to fire all day, now felt abundant and inexhaustible, soft and profound.

Steady and heavy, it could manifest or conceal at will.

[Moving above the nine heavens, hidden beneath the nine earths.]

It could defend and then attack.

Nourishing the soul internally, body and soul became one.

At this moment, Lu Wu-bing felt as if he had taken a comfortable hot bath. His entire body felt an indescribable lightness.

He hadn't broken through anything.

He just felt his mind relax. The sense of urgency and oppression that had existed in his heart since his transmigration had quietly vanished without a trace.

Even the deep-seated ferocity and madness in his heart were almost imperceptible.

"Grandpa Daoist, has Senior Brother Lu learned it?"

Ji Wenxiu closely followed the old Daoist, having abandoned several jars of wine, and asked somewhat unwillingly, feeling like she had gained nothing.

"Learned it? More than learned it! What madness has taken this old Daoist, to be so arrogant as to teach the disciples and grandchildren of the Hunyuan elder?

It's too painful. I shouldn't have taught him the [Pine Crane Guidance] earlier. I could have just taught him the [Hidden Dragon Breathing Method], and it would have been fine. What a loss..."

"Isn't this perfect? Grandpa Daoist, you're already so old, do you really want to take all this skill to your coffin?"

Ji Wenxiu giggled.

Her eyesight wasn't good, so she couldn't tell if Lu Wu-bing had truly learned and mastered it.

But from the old Daoist's expression, she could tell a lot.

"Perfect for what? Some opportunities you get, I don't.

It's destined by heaven, the origin of fate and the end of fate... Now it's like this. I originally only wanted to pass on some superficial knowledge, but he grasped the fundamental essence. In the future, when that treasure grows legs, who knows whose embrace it will crawl into?

The old Daoist became more and more angry the more he thought about it, feeling that he had been tricked by the three jars of wine, and said irritably:

"You girl, you're just like your mother, only knowing how to give.

What did I say back then? These matters of romance, you shouldn't get involved at all, you'll suffer a great loss sooner or later.

You, that kid clearly has peach blossoms covering his head, and you still go near him. Don't you know what the word 'death' looks like?"

"Hmph, Grandpa Daoist, stop talking about romance or anything else. Senior Brother Lu and I have nothing like that, we're just friends, loyal and trustworthy, you know?"

Ji Wenxiu shot him a sideways glance, her face filled with disdain, and added:

"If Grandpa Daoist understood this 'love' thing, you wouldn't be this old and still not have found us a Grandma Daoist. These years, in the desolate mountains and wild lands, in the third watch of the night and the fifth watch of the cold, it must not have been easy, right?"

"Pah, pah, this Daoist doesn't want to find one."

The old Daoist yelled in anger, but he couldn't refute it.

She was right, after all.

He felt a mix of shame and annoyance. He did two somersaults on the back of the green donkey, his beard bristling with the wind.

It was noon.

Lu Wu-bing entered Mingyang City, casually tossed a couple of copper coins, and asked for directions.

He found the Gold Jade Hall in the south of the city.

Here, the buildings stretched on, packed densely together. From afar, he could already hear the sounds of shouting and training coming from the Shen Residence.

"Uncle-Master Shen has indeed established quite a grand enterprise in Mingyang City. Senior Sister Xiaolan mentioned that the Shen Residence covers hundreds of mu, is overflowing with gold and silver, and has disciples as numerous as ox hair.

Furthermore, he owns many shops, mines, and restaurants, making him incredibly wealthy. He even has the esteemed nickname 'Shen the Half-City'... I can't tell about anything else for now, but the sheer scale of this courtyard is already quite intimidating."

Lu Wu-bing looked up at the size of the Shen Residence. As he understood the situation, he also began to grasp why Senior Sister Xiaolan's expression had been so strange when she spoke of the Celestial Star Sect's three branches.

Based on his experiences on the mountain these past few days.

The Gazing Sky Cliff branch, despite being the Sect Leader's main lineage, lived a life of poverty and self-restraint.

Their daily meals weren't exactly insufficient, but they were certainly ordinary.

Even common medicinal meals were only reserved for direct disciples, with ordinary disciples not even getting a taste.

Clearly, the Gazing Sky Cliff branch hadn't received any significant financial resources.

Most likely, they only received some tokens of respect when accepting disciples, or perhaps a small gratuity for upholding justice in the mortal world.

Speaking of which, though the three branches shared the same sect, it seemed they each lived their own lives.

Like Uncle-Master Shen Liancheng, he lived quite comfortably, essentially focusing his main energy on matters outside the mountain and not concerning himself much with affairs within.

As for Uncle-Master Li Feiying, whom he had met that day, with his imposing presence and fierce aura, he seemed more like a military general than a martial arts master. He likely focused his attention on politics and the military.

"Gathered, they are a blazing fire. Scattered, they are a sky full of stars..."

This Celestial Star Sect, it seemed, was in a precarious situation.

"However, this doesn't seem to concern me too much.

As long as they don't openly attack or contend with each other and maintain a semblance of harmony, my cultivation journey will still proceed smoothly."

Lu Wu-bing did not go to visit Uncle-Master Shen Liancheng immediately.

After glancing at the grandeur of the Shen Residence twice, he skirted around the flow of people entering and exiting and turned left.

He walked along the long street for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, finally spotting a small courtyard with two camphor trees in front of the entrance.

The plaque above the door read "[Lu Residence]".

In the bluestone courtyard in front of the residence, a carriage was parked. A servant was waiting nearby, and it was unclear if there were guests.

This was where the Lu Family had moved to reside in Mingyang City.

"Uncle Gui!"

Lu Wu-bing shouted at the top of his lungs.

He didn't see the steward come out, but a small figure, with short legs, hurried out of the house, looking around.

Upon seeing him, she joyfully exclaimed, "Young Master."

It was his personal little maidservant, Feicui.