When Pu Lu knocked his head to the ground, he heard a distant voice from above say, "Rise."
Pu Lu carefully raised his head and saw an immortal standing amid a field of starlight, though he could not make out the figure clearly. Clusters of jade mist swirled around him, specks of stardust drifted and circled from time to time, and the faint sound of celestial music carried through the air.
After thinking for a moment, he bowed again and said, "I beg the immortal to impart the Dharma."
Originally, he had not known what cultivating immortality or transmitting the Dao meant. But while those cultivators had been nearby, they had spoken among themselves without the slightest care for these mortals. He had overheard quite a lot and gained a rough understanding.
Zhang Yu looked at him and asked, "Why do you seek the Dao and its methods?"
Pu Lu thought for a moment, then said, "So I will not have to endure hunger, so I will not be bullied, and so Father, Mother, and my younger brothers and sisters can live good lives!"
Zhang Yu nodded slightly. "Go to the pool on your left."
Pu Lu turned to look and saw a pool some thirty feet across not far away. Its waters were clear and rippling, and a lotus floated within it. The lotus leaves were emerald-green, fresh and pleasant to the eye. He did not know how to describe it; he simply found it beautiful and comforting.
After bowing once more, he rose and walked into the pool. The moment he entered, the icy water chilled him to the bone, making him shudder. Yet it quickly became pleasantly warm.
He rubbed his arm, and the grime upon it vanished, while a layer of dead skin peeled away. His