Discussing the Dao with Zhen Yuanzi, the Ginseng Fruit Tree Toppled

"Don't cause trouble, understand?" Xiao Teng called loudly after the retreating Calabash Kids.

"Got it, Daddy!" Their delighted reply drifted back from afar.

Zhen Yuanzi watched the group leave and shook his head helplessly. His feelings were much the same as Xiao Teng's.

Zhen Yuanzi turned to Xiao Teng and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao Teng, please come inside."

"Thank you."

Xiao Teng followed Zhen Yuanzi into the room.

The room was elegantly furnished, with the fragrance of tea curling through the air.

Zhen Yuanzi personally brewed Xiao Teng a cup of tea.

Xiao Teng lifted the teacup and took a small sip. The tea fragrance seemed like a spiritual spring nourishing his heart. He praised, "Excellent tea! Its fragrance fills the air, and its spiritual energy is abundant, as though all the spiritual charm of Longevity Mountain has been gathered into this single cup."

"I grew this tea myself. It is hardly some precious rarity."

Though Zhen Yuanzi spoke modestly, a faint, imperceptible smile still flickered in his eyes at Xiao Teng's praise, and the atmosphere in the room grew more harmonious.

"Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi, your strength is extraordinary, yet little has been heard of you these past years."

Zhen Yuanzi raised an arm slightly, and the horsetail whisk in his hand slowly swept through the air.

"This humble Daoist has always loved the tranquility of Longevity Mountain. I devote myself to cultivation and do not enjoy doing anything grand."

Hearing this, Xiao Teng shook his head slightly and sighed.

"That is rather a pity."

Zhen Yuanzi smiled faintly. "What is there to pity? Others walk their broad sunlit roads; I cross my single-plank bridge. Each settles into his own path, that is all."

Xiao Teng nodded. It truly made sense.

Xiao Teng raised his teacup again, took another sip, and continued, "The reason I came to Five Villages Temple this time was actually to explain what happened earlier at Purple Cloud Palace."

"It is only natural for living beings to contend for opportunities between Heaven and Earth. Fellow Daoist, there is no need for you to explain anything."

Zhen Yuanzi had guessed what Xiao Teng wished to say, though he had not guessed it entirely correctly.

"Please allow Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi to hear my explanation. I stopped the two of you not to contend for an opportunity, but because I did not wish for Fellow Daoist Red Cloud to sit upon that cushion and invite a fatal calamity."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi hastily calculated on his fingers.

His brows knitted tightly. He could only sense that the heavenly secrets were obscured by chaos, making the truth impossible to discern.

"If that is so, then I must thank Fellow Daoist for your aid."

Though Zhen Yuanzi could not verify whether Xiao Teng's words were true, since Xiao Teng had come personally to tell him, the chance that he spoke the truth was surely great.

Zhen Yuanzi's gaze rested on Xiao Teng for a moment, as though he wished to see through him completely.

Then he changed the subject. "Judging by Fellow Daoist's cultivation, you are now not far from the Late Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm. The spiritual power around you is deep and condensed, with faint signs of a breakthrough."

Xiao Teng laughed heartily. "I cannot compare to Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi. I am still somewhat short of a breakthrough. Unlike Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi, who has already reached the late Great Luo realm—truly, congratulations are in order!"

Zhen Yuanzi had remained hidden in Five Villages Temple to cultivate and had never gone out to travel. Yet his realm had always stood among the foremost in the Primordial World. It was truly admirable.

"I have merely gained a little insight. How much does Fellow Daoist know about the path of the Quasi-Saint?" Zhen Yuanzi asked, his eyes bright.

Before long, he would reach Perfect Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, and after perfection, the next step would be Severing the Three Corpses to attain the realm of a Quasi-Saint.

That was why Zhen Yuanzi asked this question, hoping to find a trace of inspiration from Xiao Teng.

Xiao Teng said, "In that case, why do the two of us not discuss the Dao together and verify what we have learned?"

"That would be excellent."

The two sat cross-legged, formed seals with their hands, and began their discussion of the Dao.

They explained to each other their recent insights while jointly exploring a way to Sever the Three Corpses and enter sainthood.

For a time, Dao rhythms flowed around their bodies, wondrous beyond words.

But just as the two had immersed themselves so deeply that they forgot all else, a thunderous crash suddenly shattered the tranquil atmosphere.

"What happened outside?" Zhen Yuanzi abruptly opened his eyes, turned to the Daoist boy attending nearby, and demanded sternly.

The Daoist boy trembled in fright, his face turning deathly pale as he hurried outside to inspect the situation.

Not long afterward, another Daoist boy rushed in, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Oh no! Oh no! The Ginseng Fruit Tree has been pushed over!"

Zhen Yuanzi and Xiao Teng rose at the same time.

Zhen Yuanzi's face was filled with shock. It was as if he had been struck by lightning in an instant; he stood frozen on the spot, his eyes full of disbelief.

He had tended his treasured Ginseng Fruit Tree with meticulous care, regarding it as the temple's greatest treasure. He feared even wind and sun might harm it in the slightest, yet it had suffered such a catastrophe.

Xiao Teng was just as shocked as Zhen Yuanzi.

What shocked him was that those troublesome Calabash Kids had surely caused another enormous disaster.

The two did not have time to think. Moving as swiftly as flying, they rushed toward the rear courtyard.

When they charged into the rear courtyard, the sight before them was heartbreaking.

The enormous Ginseng Fruit Tree lay toppled on the ground. All the fruit on the tree had vanished, having fallen into the soil.

Though the Ginseng Fruit Tree resembled a tree, it was not truly vegetation.

The Ginseng Fruit Tree was restrained by the Five Elements: it fell upon encountering metal, withered upon encountering wood, dissolved upon encountering water, scorched upon encountering fire, and entered the earth upon touching soil.

Thus, when the fruit fell to the ground, it went directly into the soil.

"What exactly happened here?"

Zhen Yuanzi's eyes blazed wide with fury, his voice booming like a great bell. The force of his shout made the surrounding air hum.

Da Wa's face was filled with shame, his head hanging so low it nearly sank into his chest. His hands anxiously twisted the corners of his clothes as he stepped forward, his voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "Daddy, I'm sorry. I was the one who pushed it over."

"Why did you push over the Ginseng Fruit Tree?" Xiao Teng was furious.

Before setting out, he had repeatedly warned them to follow the rules and not cause trouble. Yet now, they had thrown every word to the wind and even toppled the Ginseng Fruit Tree.

Seeing Xiao Teng lose his temper, the Calabash Kids' usual liveliness instantly vanished. They stood silent as cicadas in winter, not daring even to breathe loudly.

At this moment, Red Cloud came over and persuaded him, "Fellow Daoist Xiao Teng, do not be angry. This matter is all my fault."

"Tell me, what exactly happened?" Zhen Yuanzi asked.

Red Cloud began, "I had wanted the children to see what Ginseng Fruit looked like. But the children wanted to eat Ginseng Fruit and were so greedy for it that they kept staring longingly and pleading at the side."

"In a moment of softheartedness, and thinking it amusing, I made a wager with them. I said that if they could pull this Ginseng Fruit Tree up by its roots, I would treat them to the fruit."

"Who would have thought that Da Wa really pulled the Ginseng Fruit Tree out of the ground!"

Zhen Yuanzi stared at Red Cloud in stunned disbelief, his face full of exasperation at his failure to live up to expectations. "You—what am I supposed to say about you?"

Red Cloud flushed with embarrassment under the scolding and scratched his head.

"I never expected this child to be so strong that he really pulled the Ginseng Fruit Tree up by its roots. I truly did not do it on purpose."

"Enough, enough. Now is not the time to assign blame." Xiao Teng forcefully suppressed his anger, drew a deep breath, and urged, "The urgent matter is to find a way to save this tree."

The Ginseng Fruit Tree was one of the ten innate spiritual roots. Naturally, it could not die merely from being uprooted, but restoring it would likely require no small amount of effort.

"I have a bottle of Three Lights Divine Water here. It should be able to save it."

As he spoke, Xiao Teng took out a crystal-clear jade bottle. A faint glow flickered over its surface, and Three Lights Divine Water was stored within.

Zhen Yuanzi accepted the divine water, surprise appearing on his face. He truly had not expected Xiao Teng to possess so much Three Lights Divine Water.