The flying ship traveled swiftly, covering at least twenty thousand li a day without stopping. Even so, three days had passed by the time they reached the Heavenly Dao Sect's territory.
"Heh heh, look. We're now within the Heavenly Dao Sect's territory. As one of Northern Mystic's foremost immortal sects, everything within several hundred thousand li belongs to us."
Shen He pointed below them with a smile.
"Wow."
Zhao Ting and the youngsters leaned over the railing, gazing in awe at the magnificent mountains and rivers before them.
Chen Xun, meanwhile, leaned against the railing, dozing peacefully.
"Deacon Shen, where's the sect?"
Zhao Ting hurriedly asked.
Over the past few days, Zhao Ting had grown considerably more familiar with Shen He. He now addressed him by his position instead of calling him Immortal Master every time.
Yu Zheng and the other youngsters were curious as well.
Shen He shook his head with a smile. "Zhao Ting, don't be impatient. The sect sits atop an immortal mountain. We'll see it after flying another thousand li at most."
Zhao Ting nodded. Glancing down at the empty landscape, he asked the question he had been holding back for two days:
"Deacon Shen, why haven't we seen any towns since yesterday?"
One of the disciples took over, explaining with a smile, "Senior Brother Zhao, you may not know this, but cultivation sects generally choose secluded paradises for their grounds to keep themselves apart from the mortal world. Aside from recruiting disciples every few years, they rarely venture into the mortal world. The many rogue cultivators are much the same, seldom interacting with mortals. That's why ordinary people in the mortal world rarely get to see cultivators like us."
Shen He smiled without speaking. That was exactly right.
Zhao Ting and the others felt their horizons broaden, inwardly realizing that this explained everything.
No wonder they had so rarely seen Immortals growing up.
At that thought, Zhao Ting and the others grew even more eager.
"Hee hee hee, what's all this about mortals and Immortals? If you ask this humble scholar, you cultivators just fancy yourselves too lofty and pure."
Chen Xun had woken at some point and was grinning, laughing madly.
The air fell still.
Zhao Ting's expression shifted slightly, and he quickly looked toward Shen He and the others.
Sure enough, the smiles gradually faded from Shen He and his disciples' faces, their expressions turning somewhat sour.
Looking worried, Zhao Ting hurried over and said softly, "Brother Chen... stop talking."
Zhao Ting hadn't expected Chen Xun to speak up so suddenly either. Wasn't he mad?
Oh, right. He was mad, not stupid. Raving nonsense was perfectly normal, but this really wasn't the time or place...
Chen Xun looked indignant, however, and muttered, "What? This humble scholar didn't say anything wrong. Don't cultivators fancy themselves lofty and pure? Which cultivator didn't start out as a mortal? They gain a tiny bit of cultivation, then set themselves high above everyone else, thinking they've truly become immortals and no longer sparing mortals a glance. Little do they know, they're still far from it. They're still mortals, just mortals with a few tricks."
"If you ask this humble scholar, you can't shut yourself away from mortals if you want to attain the Great Dao. On the contrary, you ought to experience their lives closely. Ah, there's such a wonderful saying: the smoke and bustle of the mortal world soothe mortal hearts best. Oh, yes indeed."
Had Chen Xun been lucid at that moment, he would have been utterly astonished.
This bout of madness differed from his previous ones. Though he was still deranged, he occasionally displayed some logical thought.
His previous bouts had left him constantly mad and witless.
Of course, Chen Xun would only discover this three years later, when he regained his clarity and recalled these scenes.
"Uh..."
Listening to Chen Xun, Zhao Ting's mouth fell slightly open. He was inwardly stunned, because he actually thought those words made a great deal of sense.
"You, you, you..."
Shen He's face flushed red. Pointing at Chen Xun, he seethed with anger.
He wanted to berate him and teach him a lesson, but out of consideration for Zhao Ting, he could only hold himself back.
Whether Chen Xun had struck a nerve or something else, Shen He felt as though he was about to go mad with fury.
But he soon caught himself. Startled, Shen He quickly drew a deep breath and calmed his emotions.
He had actually let a madman anger him. Clearly, his cultivation was still lacking. All these years of cultivating immortality had gone to the dogs.
Still, Shen He gave a cold snort in rebuttal. "Hmph, what could a mere mortal like you understand? Naturally, we cultivators aren't being aloof. Frequent contact with mortals would only expose us to all manner of influences that affect our spiritual essence. You're spouting mad nonsense... forget it. You wouldn't understand even if I explained. Uh."
While Shen He was speaking, he suddenly noticed that Chen Xun had leaned back against the railing and promptly fallen asleep. He froze, anger flaring again, then hurriedly suppressed it once he caught himself.
Shen He sighed. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he last grew angry, yet today a madman had angered him twice in such a short span.
"Deacon Shen, given Brother Chen's current condition, some of his words may be unfair, but I believe he certainly didn't mean any offense. Please don't take them to heart. If Brother Chen has upset you in any way, allow me to apologize on his behalf."
Zhao Ting bowed slightly and clasped his hands, smiling wryly.
Shen He's expression softened, and he smiled helplessly. "It's fine. I'm not so petty as to hold a grudge against a madman."
Only then did Zhao Ting breathe a sigh of relief.
The flying ship continued onward, but after Chen Xun's little episode, silence settled over it.
Zhao Ting looked helplessly at Chen Xun.
The four youngsters looked bewildered and lost.
The six disciples cast covert glances at Chen Xun, silently nursing their displeasure. Truth be told, if not for Senior Brother Zhao, they would have dearly liked to teach this madman a lesson. But he happened to be Senior Brother Zhao's friend, so they didn't dare.
As for Shen He, he stood at the bow with his hands behind his back. At some point, his expression had grown solemn. He occasionally looked at the heavens and earth, then turned to glance at Chen Xun, an unusual light flickering in his eyes.
Could I really have been cultivating immortality the wrong way?
Shen He did, after all, possess the highest cultivation of anyone present. Once he calmed down and recalled Chen Xun's words, he suddenly felt there was some truth in them, viewed from a strikingly unusual angle.
The smoke and bustle of the mortal world soothe mortal hearts best...
Shen He murmured inwardly. Unable to make sense of it, he eventually lowered his head, shook it, and laughed at himself. He truly must have gone mad to keep turning a madman's words over in his heart.
Throughout the cultivation world's history, immortals and mortals had always been separate. This had long been an unspoken convention in every cultivator's heart.
He had actually come close to letting that madman Chen Xun's words lead his Dao heart astray. How laughable, how laughable.
"Look at that immortal mountain ahead, towering into the clouds!"
Some time later, the young Yu Zheng suddenly pointed ahead and shouted excitedly.
"Wow!" the other three boys and girls exclaimed as well.
Zhao Ting quickly rose to look. His pupils slowly contracted, and his heartbeat quickened.
In the distance stood a majestic immortal mountain, towering into the clouds. Mist drifted around it, resembling swirls of immortal aura beneath the sunlight. It was a magnificent sight.
They could also see numerous streaks of light crossing the sky before vanishing into the immortal mountain. Around the mountain, many immortal cranes soared, completing a serene scene fit for immortals.
"We're back."
The six disciples exchanged smiles. Their trip with Deacon Shen to recruit disciples in the mortal world's Clear Sky City had taken several days. Naturally, the sect was more comfortable, with its abundant spiritual energy.
Shen He stroked his beard with a smile and said:
"Heh heh, children, welcome to the Heavenly Dao Sect."
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