Several Hundred Years
For the first ten years or so, Tianxi watched Fang Zelin cultivate, but couldn't figure out what was going on. She just focused on protecting him.
As time went on, she could vaguely sense a different kind of fluctuation.
Time is clearer at night or at dawn.
As she spent more time observing, Tianxi gradually began to subtly perceive the unique Daoist charm within.
Countless large ships frequently sail across the sea.
Hundreds of years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the ships coming and going have changed constantly.
Some large ships have become even larger than before, and their appearance has also undergone subtle changes.
The wooden boat beneath Tianxi was now dilapidated, with several planks missing from its bottom.
On this day, a rather luxurious-looking large ship sailed from afar.
Tianxi glanced up, and after determining that the ship wouldn't approach, she ignored it.
Over the years, some ships can no longer get close to this area.
Any ship that tries to get closer will be affected by something unseen and gradually drift away from this spot.
The captain of the ship was unaware of this.
When his eyes turned to Fang Zelin in front of him again, he couldn't help but frown slightly.
"How long have you been here, young master? It seems to be over 580 years, hasn't it?"
Tianxi did some calculations in her mind, and suddenly her brows furrowed slightly.
It's been so long that she's almost lost track of how many years it's been.
The reason she was able to calculate how many years had passed was mainly because some passing ships had given her information.
For example, the words about how long Emperor Zhongtai of the Great Qian Dynasty had been dead gave her a rough idea of how much time had passed.
"Does cultivation for immortals always take this long?"
Tianxi looked at Fang Zelin carefully, only to find that she was becoming increasingly unable to understand him.
Shaking her head in her heart, Tianxi closed her eyes again, sensing the invisible fluctuations that permeated the surroundings.
And all these subtle fluctuations originated from Fang Zelin.
At this moment, Tianxi could no longer sense how far this wisp of Spiritual Qi covered.
In earlier years, one could still sense it to some extent.
But now, the area covered has long exceeded the size she can explore.
"This junior, Yunya from Jade Void Mountain, has come to pay my respects to Senior Fang. May I request an audience with you, Immortal Master?"
Outside Yingping Peak, a disciple came to the foot of the mountain and called out loudly.
"The immortal has gone on a pilgrimage and has not yet returned. Please return."
Upon seeing the arrival of the Daoist Sect disciples, a white deer slowly emerged from the white mist in the mountains, glanced at the Daoist Sect before it, and then spoke.
Hearing the same answer as always, the Jade Void Mountain disciple who came was filled with helplessness. Seeing this, he could only cup his hands and ask, "When will Senior be able to return?"
"When the Immortal Master traveled, he only said he would travel to all corners of the world, without mentioning when he would return. This humble demon is unaware of this matter. You have come dozens of times over the past ten years. If the Immortal Master were to return, this humble demon would certainly inform him of this."
The white deer remained as gentle as ever.
They did not become impatient despite the other party's frequent visits.
Having spent so many years cultivating alongside Fang Zelin, he has made considerable progress in his character.
"Now we understand."
Yunya nodded, then waved and they flew away separately.
The white deer walked away from the Daoist Sect disciples and then returned to Yingping Peak.
Inside the mountain gate, the Xiao Xiao apprentice was still diligently tending to the medicinal herbs and spiritual fields.
"Hurry up, what's the rush! How could your grandpa have the ability to summon clouds and rain? That's the ability of immortals. If you think I can't take good care of you, go find the immortals!"
"Really, you guys are hungry, but I'm hungry too! The Immortal Master has been gone for so long, and I haven't had a single drop of Spirit Rain yet!"
The medicine boy plucked a small hair from his body, placed it in his hand, and it instantly turned into a Xiao Xiao medicinal whisker.
Then it was crushed and scattered into the pool.
The once crystal-clear pool water instantly turned a lush green.
In the distant rice paddies, the stalks of rice rustled gently in the still air.
This is the other party expressing their dissatisfaction.
This discontent reached the medicinal herb field, prompting many disgruntled voices to echo from there.
This action immediately caused the medicine boy to jump up and down in anger.
If the immortal hadn't told him to take good care of these medicinal herb fields before leaving, would he have plucked his own tendrils and watered these plants every few days?
This is outrageous!
"You're talking nonsense! How dare you slander someone's innocence out of thin air!"
Then, when the message from the rice paddy reached the ears of the medicine boy, he became even more anxious and scolded him.
At this moment, the white deer slowly walked back. After hearing the arguing, it found a place to lie down, its posture extremely elegant.
"I testify that you did indeed secretly keep Lingyu and drank it alone there."
Bai Lu's cultivation has deepened day by day, so she naturally understood the argument between the two sides.
These sacred rice plants have now developed some semblance of sentience.
Seeing that the medicine boy had secretly drunk the hidden spiritual rain, they exposed him directly.
The apprentice medicine boy naturally denied it repeatedly, saying he hadn't done it.
Unfortunately, not only did the white deer know what the medicine boy had done, but the tiger demon standing nearby also knew.
The tiger demon raised its head and glanced at the scene, then lay back down and continued to exhale smoke.
You can't just say things like that!
When the young apprentice heard Bai Lu say this, he became somewhat anxious.
The white deer lay lazily to the side, scoffing at the words. "Should I go in and find the Spirit Rain you've been hiding?"
Upon hearing this, the young apprentice's eyes lit up.
He naturally knew best whether what the other party said was true or not.
Knowing that arguing about this would be detrimental to him, he quickly changed the subject, saying, "The Daoist Sect disciples have come again? Did they say what they wanted?"
"I don't know what it was about, it seemed quite urgent. The Immortal Master wasn't here, so I didn't ask."
The white deer shook its head.
The Daoist Sect disciples have come looking for us several times; it seems something serious has indeed happened.
The fact that the other party expressed a desire to see the immortal master meant that even if it knew something, it was probably powerless to do anything about it.
"I don't know where the immortal has gone. He's been gone for hundreds of years and hasn't returned. If he doesn't come back soon, I'll starve to death."
Thinking of this, the young apprentice couldn't help but touch his own stomach.
He had secretly kept a small amount of the spiritual rain for himself.
However, those spiritual rains were collected and hidden away by the immortal when it learned of the immortal's departure.
There wasn't much to begin with, and besides, the immortal hadn't returned for several hundred years, so it was drinking it little by little.