The sun sank in the west, and fishermen sang in the evening as a small boat quietly returned to Linghua Island.
It was just the hour when the fishing boats returned to port with their catches.
Zhao Yi and Wang Qing stood tall at the bow, their blue Daoist robes lending them an elegant, airy bearing.
When the fishermen saw them, they rowed aside and bowed to the two men. Zhao Yi wore a warm smile and returned each greeting.
When the boat neared the pier, the two leaped lightly ashore, formed hand seals, cast the Lightness Spell, and drifted away.
"Senior Brother, don't you get tired returning all those bows?"
"What do you think? That was a miscalculation. We should have come back at night to avoid the fishing boats."
Zhao Yi gave a wry laugh.
At the foot of Linghua Mountain, they gazed into the distance at a sea of gold. The fragrance of rice blossoms reached them from a hundred zhang away. Walking to the spirit fields and looking at the two mu of golden spirit rice, Zhao Yi felt joy blossom in his heart.
He bent down and grasped a handful of spirit rice stalks. He squeezed the stems; they were straight and tough. He felt the ears; they were heavy. Taking an ear, he peeled away the husks. The spirit rice grains inside were all plump and round. He counted carefully: one ear held forty-seven grains.
If every ear was like this one, they would harvest at least two hundred and twenty jin this year.
Not far away, Liu Yu and Chunsheng, who were watching the spirit fields in Wang Qing's place, saw Zhao Yi return and hurried over, one behind the other.
"Senior Brother, look! This ear has at least forty-five grains."
Liu Yu approached excitedly with two spirit rice stalks in his hand, then continued,
"In the eastern mu, each ear has at least fifty grains. Judging by last year's harvest, we should get at least two hundred and thirty jin of spirit rice this year."
"Once the ninth month came last year, Wang Qing kept watch over the spirit fields the whole time, so the rice thieves couldn't damage them. Wang Qing was busy breaking through this year. Liu Yu, were you watching them?"
"Yes, Senior Brother. I watched the spirit fields every day. Chunsheng even brought me my meals."
"Were there many rice thieves this year?"
"Not many. Last winter, you took us out to catch field mice and seabirds. We skewered them on branches after catching them, frightening so many seabirds that they no longer dared fly here. Naturally, there were fewer rice thieves this year."
As the spirit rice neared maturity, there were always little rice thieves trying to steal it. For the sake of the spirit rice, once the grains began filling out, people had to be assigned to keep watch day and night.
The little rice thieves were the field mice in the ground and some of the seabirds flying overhead.
Whenever the spirit rice ripened, these rice thieves became particularly numerous. Though these birds and beasts had yet to awaken their spiritual awareness, instinct told them what benefited them, and they came to steal spirit rice every year.
Among the fellow disciples, Wang Qing was the best archer. Ever since he began tempering his body, he had always been the one to watch the spirit fields.
"In that case, there's no need to keep watching today. Liu Yu, Wang Qing, Chunsheng, let's go back up the mountain and prepare dinner, then get the tools ready. We'll start harvesting tomorrow!"
At the mention of Chunsheng, Zhao Yi looked at the boy behind Liu Yu and almost failed to recognize him.
The boy wore plain, tidy black Daoist robes and a wooden hairpin. His face was fair, his bright eyes shone with vigor, and his sword-like brows gave him a heroic air.
"Chunsheng, how has it been, staying on the mountain all this time?"
"Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother have both treated me very well. Second Senior Brother teaches me to read Daoist scriptures and recognize characters, and Third Senior Brother teaches me boxing and swordsmanship," Chunsheng replied nervously, his little face taut.
"Which Daoist scripture have you been reading?"
"The Complete Explanation of the Fubo Dao Text. I've finished studying that scripture, and now I'm studying the True Explanation of the Yuanhua Dao Text with Second Senior Brother."
Chunsheng stole a glance at Wang Qing before continuing.
Zhao Yi also glanced at Wang Qing and thought, That rascal Wang Qing has been a disciple for ten years, yet he still hasn't finished the second part of the True Explanation of the Yuanhua Dao Text. He couldn't teach Chunsheng even if he wanted to. That boy really is terribly idle.
Still, I can hardly criticize Wang Qing. I've been a disciple for over ten years myself and have only studied two parts. The True Explanation of the Yuanhua Dao Text was passed down by Immortal Venerable Yuanhua. It has a total of 129,600 characters, divided into thirty-six parts of 3,600 characters each. Who below the Dao Foundation could finish studying it?
Among us fellow disciples, Liu Yu has done the best. He's studied four parts and is now studying the fifth.
Rumor in the cultivation world has it that anyone who finishes all thirty-six parts will face no obstacles before the Golden Core. I scoff at that rumor. If someone could understand such a profound Daoist scripture, wouldn't a Golden Core be theirs for the plucking?
"Good, you've learned very quickly. Chunsheng, have you chosen a name for yourself?"
"Not yet. Second Senior Brother said to wait until you came back, Eldest Senior Brother."
"Good. Once we return to the mountain and finish dinner, you'll formally take a master. We'll give you a name then!"
"Thank you, Eldest Senior Brother!"
Standing to one side, Chunsheng heard Zhao Yi arrange for him to formally take a master that evening. His face flushed red with excitement, and even his voice trembled a little.
"Come on, back up the mountain!"
The four headed up the mountain one after another. In the light of the setting sun, their four shadows gradually overlapped.
On the sixth day of the tenth month, after dinner, the four gathered in the Ancestral Hall on the mountain.
The Ancestral Hall was simply furnished. Two portraits hung on the wall facing the entrance. The one in the center depicted Chen Changdao, Linghua Island's first-generation cultivator, while the second depicted Chen Yihua, its second-generation cultivator.
Chen Changdao was tall and burly, with loose hair and the attire of an itinerant ascetic, murderous aura spilling from him.
Chen Yihua, by contrast, was thin, with a long wisp of beard beneath his chin. Serene and refined, he had a thoroughly scholarly air.
Zhao Yi pointed to the first portrait and told Chunsheng, "This is Grandmaster Chen Changdao. A hundred years ago, he established our foundation on Linghua Island."
He then pointed to the second portrait.
"This is our master, Chen Yihua. Several decades ago, he took over Linghua Island from Grandmaster and protected it ever since. Last year, we encountered an attack by Demon Cultivators on Azure Cloud Island. To save me, Master was unfortunately struck by a Demon Cultivator's spell and passed away on the spot."
"Chunsheng, kneel three times and kowtow nine times!"
After Chunsheng performed the ritual, Zhao Yi continued, "Liu Yu, Wang Qing, and I are Linghua Island's third-generation cultivators. Chunsheng, from this day onward, you too are a third-generation cultivator of Linghua Island."
He then added, "Today, I am accepting a disciple on Master's behalf. Chunsheng, you are now Master's fourth disciple. Remember Master's full name: Chen Yihua."
"I'll remember, Eldest Senior Brother. I am a third-generation cultivator of Linghua Island, and my master is Chen Yihua!"
Chunsheng bowed, his little face flushed red and a resolute light shining in his eyes. Clenching his fists tightly, he spoke in a clear voice.
"Come offer incense to Grandmaster and Master."
Zhao Yi handed Chunsheng a stick of incense. Chunsheng accepted it with both hands, strode forward, bowed, and offered the incense.
Zhao Yi then picked up a turtle shell from the incense table, which rattled with the wooden slips inside. It had come from a sea turtle their master had once slain and had been made into a divination implement. The wooden slips inside bore surnames.
"Chunsheng, shake it a few times. Whichever character falls out will be your surname."
Chunsheng took it and shook it three times. A wooden slip fell out. Zhao Yi picked it up, read it, and said, "Chunsheng, from this day onward, your surname is Li."
"Now that your surname is settled, what about your given name? Would you like to choose it yourself or use divination?"
Chunsheng thought for a moment before saying, "Eldest Senior Brother, I was born by the sea and grew up by the sea. I want to use the character Hai, for sea."
"Hai? Li Hai? Li Hai!" Zhao Yi repeated it silently a few times.
Liu Yu picked up the thread at just the right moment and said approvingly, "Li Hai is a fine name. The sea accepts a hundred rivers; its capacity makes it great. 'Hai' symbolizes boundless acceptance and depth. On the long road to immortality, only with such a broad heart can one accommodate the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and comprehend the true essence of the Daoist arts."
Wang Qing nodded as well.
"In that case, Chunsheng, you will be called Li Hai from now on."
With that, Zhao Yi smiled at Liu Yu and Wang Qing. They both nodded in turn and smiled faintly.
Zhao Yi reached into his robes and took something out. A closer look revealed a conch shell.
Walking up to Li Hai, he placed the conch shell in his hand and said, "Li Hai, this is a Wondrous Sound Conch. Hold it to your ear, and you can hear beautiful sounds. Mortals all say it is the singing of an immortal maiden. When you feel bored or down, you can take it out and listen."
"Thank you, Eldest Senior Brother!"
Next, Liu Yu stepped forward, took out a wooden sword, and handed it to Li Hai. "I happened to find the remains of a lightning-struck tree on the mountain. I cleaned it up and carved this wooden sword from it. There's nothing special about it except that it's exceptionally hard and heavy. You can use it to practice swordsmanship."
"Thank you, Second Senior Brother!"
Last came Wang Qing. He walked over grinning, clapped Li Hai on the shoulder, then slipped an arm around him and handed him the item he held: a jade bead.
"I don't know what this is either. I found it while playing by the sea as a child. It's icy in summer and warm in winter. Keeping it on your bed makes things very comfortable. Now that I've entered the Meridian Opening stage, I'm giving it to you."
"Thank you, Third Senior Brother!"
"Ha ha!" Hearing himself addressed as Third Senior Brother, Wang Qing laughed aloud with delight.
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