At noon, it is the season when the wheat is ripe, because the half-immortal Taoist foretold that there will be heavy rain in a few days, the yellow landlord hired many farmers to harvest, it is the time to put rice, and the hired farmers sit on the roadside in groups to rest and eat. A strange black shadow appeared on the road not far away, attracting the attention of many people. The dark shadow gradually revealed its true face from far and near, and several familiar hired farmers opened their mouths to say hello. "Xiaodao Chief, why is it so late today?" "Xiaodao Chief, did your master ask you to come out to chop wood again?" It turned out that the black shadow was a child in a Taoist robe, carrying a tall stack of dry firewood on his back. The little Taoist priest looked like he was only five or six years old, thin and small, very white, and a wide Taoist robe swayed with his running. The dry firewood is as tall as three little Taoist priests, and it looks very pitiful when it is pressed on the small back, but seeing that this little Taoist priest is carrying so much firewood, no one stepped forward to help, and no one has any strange expressions. "Well, cut more today, and stay in the temple tomorrow, Master has a guest." The little Taoist priest was very familiar with everyone, nodding and greeting one by one, and his face was also smiling with a mouthful of white teeth, and there was no painful expression on his face with so much firewood on his back. Looking closely, the little Taoist's pace was very fast, and he quickly left this place, turning into a black shadow and disappearing from everyone's sight again. "Alas, he is worthy of being an apprentice of a half-immortal Daoist, at a young age, where is an ordinary child with his kung fu in this body." A middle-aged woman sat on the ground, looking at the disappearing black shadow, patting her knees and sighing. "Erniu's family, since you are so envious, you will also send your son to the temple to apprentice." When a man next to him heard this, he immediately answered. The Erniu family has two sons, and the second son is almost the same age as the little Taoist priest just now. "Haha, how do you know that you haven't sent it, you've sent it several times, and people don't accept it." Another man shouted directly in a loud voice, "Poor people's lives, I still hope to become immortals." "The half-immortal Taoist is an old Taoist priest who lives in a Taoist temple in Qianshan, his hair and beard are all white, and he looks like a fairy wind and bones. I don't know when I lived in front of the mountain, but I have been living in a cave on the mountain for many years, and no one knows. Later, the old Taoist picked up a child to raise, in order to take care of the child, he gradually came into contact with the people in the town, to say that this so-called cultivator, it is really strange, this old Taoist picked up the child, since he was a child, he has been extremely smart, very smart, the export is a chapter, and there is a good kung fu, he was three years old and he was alone outside to chop wood, and now he is only six years old, and he can carry the firewood that a man in the prime of life can carry. Because of this smart child, the old Taoist priest who had no sense of existence in the past gradually became a half-immortal in everyone's mouth. Later, there was another time, the most powerful Huang landlord in the town The old lady was seriously ill, and even the old lady doctor of Zhishi said no, the yellow landlord begged God to worship the Buddha and worshiped the half-immortal, and was cured, so he completely became the half-immortal Taoist in everyone's hearts, as for whether this Taoist has any Taoist numbers or the like, anyway, everyone doesn't care. In Xinlong Town, the Half-Immortal Dao Leader and his apprentice Xiao Dao Chang were famous. After the old lady got sick, the landlord Huang repaired a Taoist temple for the half-immortal Taoist chief in the front mountain, for the Taoist chief to practice, and also sent some offerings every year, someone in the village was sick, and sometimes he would find the Taoist chief to help, one came and went, and the old and the young were completely integrated into Xinlong Town. There is the one who looks at the little Taoist and envy of his good kung fu, and he also wants to send the child to the Taoist chief, but unfortunately he is rejected, and there is that ruthless, he simply does not do two ends, and throws the child directly at the door of the Taoist temple, but unfortunately the child will be sent to the door of the monk temple on the next hill on the second day, so everyone explained that this is also a talent to be a god, and the little Taoist is a fairy who can be guided by a half-immortal, and others should not be extravagant, so the old Taoist and the small Taoist are more sacred in the hearts of everyone. Jingli walked briskly on the mountain road with dry firewood on her back, because there were a lot of villagers, so she had stepped out of a path leading to the Taoist temple, she ran into the Taoist temple quickly, threw the dry firewood into the firewood room, raised her hand and touched her forehead, there was no trace of sweat, and she couldn't help but be overjoyed in her heart, it seems that her skills have improved in recent days. She walked to the door of Master's practice residence and shouted, "Master, the disciple has returned. She was met with silence. So, he shouted again: "Master, the apprentice has gone to practice." Then he walked straight into the next room. The room was very empty, with a set of tables, chairs, a cabinet, a stone bed, and a futon in the center. At first glance, it was empty and deserted, and the stone bed was clean, not even a quilt. Jingli walked straight to the futon and sat down cross-legged and began her routine meditation. She sat all afternoon, until the rumbling of her stomach echoed in the room, and she slowly opened her eyes, it was already completely dark, and it was another day without any gain. Touching her hungry belly, she jumped up with a swish, her legs and feet were not sore, and she shouted: "Master, the apprentice is going to prepare food, you should come out!" Jingli rushed to the kitchen refreshed, jumped on the stove in a few steps, lifted the lid of the pot, and there were leftover pancakes in the pot, and when he poked his fingers, it was a little hard, so he jumped off the stove and steamed the pancakes. There are only two of them in the temple, and the net glass is only as high as the stove, so every time they cook, they have to jump up and down, the master explained, this is called practice. Although Jingli felt that this was just an excuse for the master's laziness. The master doesn't know how to cook, when he picked her up, he didn't know how to raise, so he had to go to the town every day to find food, and then she was a little older, and the landlord Huang repaired this Taoist temple again, and basically the cooking was done by her. It's a pity that her skills are also limited, so they are two masters and apprentices, and they often go to the town to play the autumn breeze, give people a batch of eight characters, forecast the weather or something, and life is still passable. The water was boiling, and the bread was steamed, and he took a pickled radish from the jar and cut everything, and supper was ready. Holding the pancake in one hand and the plate in the other, Jingli kicked open the closed front door. The Half-Immortal Dao Master was already sitting upright on the table. The half-immortal Taoist is said to be Xuyang, a completely thin old man with white hair and beard, the wrinkles on his face can trap mosquitoes, his eyelids are a little drooping downward, and his eyes are slender and slender, which is quite a bit of fairy wind and bones, if the greasy Taoist robe can be clean, it will be even more meaningful. Ahem, big night, who can see that the oil is not greasy, it is forbidden to spread rumors. Xuyang looked at the pickled radish and pancakes on the table, looked at Jingli with a blank eye, and asked, "Just eat this?" Jingli rolled her eyes and replied, "Otherwise, what else do you want to eat?" Xuyang picked up the pancake and tore a small corner, looked at Jingli carefully, and said flatteringly: "It's easy to choke on eating this." "Bang! A teacup fell on the table, and Jingli stood on the stool with the teapot and poured a cup of hot tea. "Drink this, this is specially found for you by the landlord Huang, it is tribute tea." Xuyang took the teacup, took a sip, and then said flatteringly: "Apprentice, we haven't eaten meat for a long time, you are growing your body, you need to eat more meat." Jingli gulped down the cake and pickled radish, her mouth was full, and she muttered: "We immortal cultivators, how can we love to eat meat, Master, it's not good for you to be like this." The corners of Xuyang's mouth twitched, picked up a piece of radish, and sighed: "We are not monks, we are cultivators, why can't we eat meat, don't you listen to the group of bald donkeys next door, you still have to eat meat." Jingli pursed her lips, and said in her heart that you obviously wanted to eat meat, but she still compromised: "Wait for your bald donkey friends to leave tomorrow, and I will hunt a few pheasants the day after tomorrow." Hearing that there was a pheasant to eat, Xuyang finally became happy, and his face was smiling like a chrysanthemum, and he couldn't drink a lot of tea. In the evening, after brushing the pots and pans, Jingli pushed open the door of Xuyang's room. Xuyang has been sitting on the futon in the inner room to meditate, compared to the pure glass room there is a stone bed, Xuyang's room in addition to the futon is a set of tables and chairs, and there is a painting hanging on the wall opposite the futon, painting a woman in Tsing Yi holding a fan, standing Tingting. It is said that this woman is her short-lived teacher. "Master." Jingli opened his mouth and interrupted Xuyang's cultivation. Xuyang slowly opened his eyes: "Have you encountered a problem with your cultivation?" "No, Master, it's still the same as before, I meditated all afternoon according to the cultivation you said, but I still don't feel anything, I still don't feel any heaven and earth aura." "Then continue to meditate." Xuyang slowly closed his eyes again. "But ......" "Go back and practice hard." Jingli left the room in frustration. She has been practicing according to Master's method for 3 years, and since she was three years old, she has meditated every afternoon, but she still can't feel the so-called aura, if it weren't for knowing that Master is indeed very cultivated, she would feel that she has been deceived by Master. Compared to Master's cultivation method, it is far less useful than the other set of foreign boxing techniques she is cultivating, at least now she can be called infinitely powerful and as light as a swallow. Under the moonlight, in the courtyard, Jingli practiced the boxing technique twice more before returning to the room. At the window, Xuyang, who saw Jingli's actions clearly, couldn't help but sigh deeply, touched the emerald green ring on his finger, and his eyes were filled with deep despair that was completely different from the optimism in the daytime. Watching Jingli return to the room, Xuyang walked to the table and sat down, took out a huge night pearl, and began to write hard. When the sky was bright, Jingli was already awake. She washed up quickly, dragged a big broom and began to sweep the floor, then carried a bucket about the height of herself, and headed straight for the small river outside the view. After a few rounds, when the sun outcropped, she had already washed the temple clean. Today, a guest of the Master is coming to the door, so the Taoist temple is specially cleaned. Looking at the still wet road with satisfaction, after putting the bucket away, Jingli shouted at the main gate that was still closed: "Master, I'm going down the mountain to buy ingredients, you should be hungry in the morning and eat at noon." After shouting, without waiting for Xuyang's reply, Jingli went down the mountain empty-handed. Why are you empty-handed, of course, because you lack something, you go directly to the Huang landlord's house to get it, anyway, his wife has already enshrined the portrait of the master at home, and it is trivial to go and get some ingredients. Besides, Master's friends who came today are all monks, who eat little and are vegetarians. Jingli walked briskly on the mountain path, and even half of the birds didn't wake up. In fact, she has always been very curious, since she can remember, the master has never been far away, but there are often friends of the master come to visit, all kinds of strange people, and even some so-called demon cult people in the martial arts, the most of which are monks. Master rarely introduced her to her friends, and she rarely asked. Every time, the master was mysteriously locked in the room with people and gods, and never let her listen, which made her more and more curious. It's a pity that the master has cultivated quite deeply, and she has never succeeded in eavesdropping. Carrying a bag of food prepared by the yellow landlord and the yellow landlord's wife, holding a jar of newly pickled radishes from the housekeeper's wife, Jingli walked happily towards the Taoist temple. There were already hired farmers working in the fields on both sides of the road, and when they saw the clean glass walking by, they all greeted each other. "Xiaodao Chief, I went to get something again." "It's so early today." "Xiaodao chief, my mother is a little uncomfortable, I want to go to Guanli tomorrow, it's inconvenient for the half-immortal Dao Changfang?" "Xiaodao Chief, my newly pickled tender cucumbers are delicious, I'll send some to you tomorrow." Baby cucumbers? Jingli stopped with a whoosh. She looked at the man with a smile and replied happily, "Yes, yes." He looked at the person next to him who was going to send his mother to see a doctor, "Tomorrow my master is free, although I am not available." "I'm going to fetch a few pheasants for the greedy master tomorrow, and she hasn't had meat for a long time. It's all to blame on the bald donkey on the hill next door, she happened to meet the bald donkey in the temple next door last time, the bald donkey said that cultivators should not eat meat, it will affect Taoism, although she knows that their cultivation methods are different from herself, but she still can't help but think, she has not been able to practice the exercises given by the master, could it be that she has eaten too much meat, thinking about it, she doesn't dare to eat more. Damn bald donkey, monks are different from Taoist priests, monks are different from Taoist priests, hypnotizing themselves with pure glass chatter, running all the way to the mountain. While chattering like this, oops, there were just two slow bald asses next to me. With a whoosh, Jingli stopped. This is already the way to the Taoist temple, and these two people should be the friends that Master came to visit today. Thinking like this, she turned her head and smiled brightly at the two of them: "Are the two mages here to visit the Rising Sun Daoist?" "These two monks are old and young, the older ones are relatively short, the body is round and jade, and the face is oily, looking very kind, and the younger ones are tall and thin, wearing monk clothes and looking empty, but the face is very delicate, which inexplicably makes people feel close. The contrast between the old and the young is very stark and very interesting. The short monk laughed when he heard this: "It's Jingli, it's a little older." As soon as these words came out, Jingli was stunned. Jingli Jingli is naturally a girl's name, and this Xinlong Town knows its name, I'm afraid there are only two people, her and the master. You must know that everyone in Xinlong Town calls her Xiaodaochang, everyone thinks she is a little boy, if you know her name, your true gender will be exposed. Maybe it's because she started running around with dry firewood on her back at a very young age, so no one ever doubted her gender, so she just pushed the boat and didn't deliberately correct it. Unexpectedly, the monk in front of him actually knew his name. The short monk smiled sheepishly: "When your master just brought you back, I saw you once, and you were still in swaddling clothes. As they spoke, the two of them had already walked to Jingli's side, and the tall monk reached out and took the large jar she had been holding in front of her. Huiyuan, this child is practicing, and he doesn't have much burden on her. The short monk explained loudly when he saw that the tall man was interested in helping. Originally, he was also a little surprised, but there was not a trace of sweat on this child's face, and it was obvious that he was just practicing. Daoist Xuyang is a person with a lot of cultivation, and he trains his apprentices, but he has a very good set. The tall monk did not speak, but reached out and took off the sack from her body, carried it on his back, and walked briskly towards the mountain. "Okay, okay, since you're insisting, so be it. Xiao Jingli, let's be lazy today. Seeing that the tall man didn't care about his words, the short monk shook his head helplessly, touched Jingli's little head, and followed with steps. Jingli, who was shocked by the actions of the tall monk, tilted his head and looked at the figure in front of him holding the jar with a sack on his back, only to feel that the sack and the jar were actually not big at all on the adult. She has been in Xinlong Town for so many years, and it is the first time she has met such a nosy person, and she has an indescribable feeling. After being stunned for a moment, he saw that the two were already some distance away from him, so he hurriedly accelerated and followed. When the three of them walked to the Taoist temple together, Daoist Xuyang seemed to have a premonition and was already standing at the gate of the temple and waiting. "Dao Chief, I haven't seen you for a long time, but I'm still so spirited." The fat monk greeted him with a smile. "Fuchi." Xuyang nodded at the fat monk, then looked at the tall monk and shouted, "Huiyuan is also here this time." Huiyuan carried the sack, held the altar, and nodded at Xuyang, which was regarded as a greeting. Then he walked straight to the temple and sent the things into the kitchen. Sure enough, I've been here before, so I'm familiar with this place. Jingli, who has been following behind him, can't help but think of it when he sees this scene. "Jingli is lazy in cultivation today, so you can prepare lunch today." When Xuyang, who had entered the wing room with Fu Zhi, passed by her, he commanded loudly. Hearing this, Jingli's mouth was high, and she couldn't help but want to hum him, as if you had prepared lunch on weekdays. It's a pity that Xuyang didn't look back at her expression at all, took Fuzhi into the room, and closed the door with a wave of his sleeves. Although thinking like this, she obediently walked towards the kitchen, only to see that Huiyuan had already squatted on the ground and cleaned the vegetables. "I'll do it." She hurried over, crouched down, and was about to reach out and grab the leaves from his hand. "We Buddhas don't eat for lunch, and when you are ready alone, I'm afraid we will break the vows." Huiyuan's voice is very cold, compared to the appearance that makes people feel good at first sight, the voice is quite distant. I finally spoke. Although she thought so, she still accepted his help, after all, if she was asked to prepare meals for four people by herself, it was estimated that they were indeed going to break the vows. Although she is not a Buddhist cultivator, she also knows a lot of precepts for Buddhist cultivation. Their Taoist cultivation is much easier, she has never heard any precepts from the master's mouth, although the master also said that she has not entered the door of Taoist cultivation at all now, at best, she is a so-called martial arts practitioner among the people. "When I look at your cultivation, it seems a little strange, giving people a sense of rootlessness and lack of connotation, why is this?" Huiyuan, who was originally silent washing vegetables, suddenly asked out loud, so that Jingli, who was in deep thought, accidentally sat down on the ground directly. "Huh?" She looked at Huiyuan in surprise. "Xuyang Dao Elder cultivation is very high, didn't he guide you?" Huiyuan lowered his head and continued to ask questions, as if he had no feeling for Jingli, who was already sitting on the ground, and cared about her cultivation. Jingli stood up, rubbed her little buttocks that hurt a little depressedly, and asked depressedly, "I didn't repair the inside, is it really that obvious?" Hmph, Huiyuan snorted from his nose and said with disdain: "For those who have practice, you can see through it at a glance, you are practicing ordinary kung fu, not cultivation at all." Jingli's little face wrinkled, and she took out the beans that had been soaked in advance and began to grind the beans in a depressed manner. I also want to, but I've been practicing for three years, and I haven't touched the doorway, and the master said that there is no hurry, let me practice martial arts and cultivate my body with peace of mind. Hmph, another muffled snort of disdain, which made Jingli even more depressed. She angrily spun the millstone, and the millstone creaked and spun rapidly. Halfway through, she seemed to suddenly remember something, reached out and grabbed the handle, let the grinding disc stop rotating, looked at Huiyuan expectantly and asked, "Master Huiyuan is young, and his cultivation is so high, why don't you point me out." "Who knows if your cultivation is high, but since you dislike me, teach me." You have such a good master who doesn't ask, what's the use of coming and asking me. Huiyuan shook the washed leaves and put them on the cutting board. Master told me not to worry, but I heard that internal cultivation is the basis of external strength, and I don't have the method of cultivating the mind, which is equivalent to only having stupid strength. Jingli slowly turned the grinding disc in a depressed manner. She also knew that she couldn't do this, but she meditated and recited the scriptures according to the master's requirements every day, but she couldn't touch the slightest doorway. But since she cultivates, she naturally doesn't want to cultivate to become a reckless man, not to mention, she is still a daughter, and it is very sad to think about it like this. Besides, even if you are a man, you can't just cultivate to become a reckless man, even if you can't become an immortal, at least you have to be like the master, become a half-immortal. Seeing that Jingli was so depressed, Huiyuan was a little embarrassed, and felt that he had opened a bad topic, so he said: "I am practicing Buddhism now, and the results and ways of practicing Buddhism and Taoism are completely different, but I think in the end they should all end up on different paths." For example, when I encounter a problem with cultivation, I either ask for a book or ask a teacher, since you are so anxious, it is better to copy the Taoist classic "Tao Te Ching" a few times, or you may have something to gain. "Tao Te Ching? What is that? Jingli asked suspiciously. As soon as this question came out, Huiyuan's hand holding the knife was crooked, and he almost cut his finger. "Don't you know the Tao Te Ching?" "Should I know? Shouldn't the scriptures be read by your Buddhist cultivators? Jingli continued to ask. No, I just heard that the Tao Te Ching is a classic of Taoism, and most of the people who cultivate the Tao are those who have comprehended the Tao Te Ching, but I just heard it, and it seems that this rumor is wrong...... "Seeing Jingli ask like this, Huiyuan was a little suspicious of herself, after all, Jingli and her master are the real Taoist cultivators. "I've never heard of it." Jingli tapped the ground bean juice with her fingers and prepared to make her own tofu. "Then let's just let me say it." He opened his mouth to question Jingli's cultivation, but he pointed out indiscriminately, Huiyuan felt very embarrassed, and his fair face flushed, fortunately, Jingli was dealing with the ground bean juice wholeheartedly, and he didn't see him. "Since you don't read the Tao Te Ching, what books do you usually read?" After a long time, Huiyuan, who had recovered his state, asked curiously. "I meditate and practice every day according to Master's requirements, recite the mantras taught to me by Master, and don't read books. Do you think that book is a scripture for all monks to see? Jingli asked curiously. Buddhist cultivation is trouble, and the monks in the monastery on the hill next door are also like this, they don't leave the scriptures all day long, but except when she was very young, the master never taught her to read anything except to teach her to read, and he didn't mention the books to read for cultivation. "I just heard that since your master didn't mention it, it must be a wrong rumor." Huiyuan replied disapprerovingly. Is it really because I didn't study? Because there was no progress in cultivation, Jingli was secretly confused. Since the monks all have to read the scriptures, why don't you read them yourself? Thinking like this, Jingli repeated the title of the book mentioned by Huiyuan several times in her heart, and decided to go to the Yellow Landlord at night, the Yellow Landlord is known as the most knowledgeable person in Xinlong Town, and he should be able to find him, even if he doesn't, let him help find a copy. Soon a hearty brunch was ready, and the two who had been talking behind closed doors finally opened the door. Monk Fuhui praised Jingli with a smile, and Huiyuan turned into a gourd with a saw-mouthed mouth, and once again did not say a word. After eating, Xuyang and Fuhui closed the door to discuss again, and Huiyuan was directly sitting in the courtyard meditating and chanting. After some time, she felt as if someone was watching her, and slowly opened her eyes. Sure enough, I saw Huiyuan standing at the door of her house, the tall and thin figure blocking the sunlight behind her, and the face standing in the backlight couldn't see the expression clearly. "I'm leaving with Master." Huiyuan threw down this sentence lightly, and the figure disappeared from the door. When Jingli reacted and chased out the door, he only saw the master standing at the door to say goodbye and the two backs, one tall and one short, one thin and one fat. Xuyang leaned against the door, and at this time, he seemed to have lost the immortal wind bones of the past, and was more old and tired. "Master?" Jingli looked at him in surprise and reached out to support Xuyang's arm. Xuyang shook off her support, threw down the sentence "Don't eat dinner, eat meat tomorrow", and walked straight into the house. Leaving Jingli alone in the wind, Master, how much meat are you going to eat, you don't even eat dinner, do you want to empty your stomach? Because Xuyang didn't eat dinner, Jingli, who was happy, remembered the book that Huiyuan had mentioned, so he ran to the town happily, looked at the sun by the way, and could have a meal at the Huang landlord's house. So, when the landlord Huang finished directing the hired farmers to collect the grain collected today into the granary, and returned to the account room with a smile to keep the accounts, he saw that in the account room, a little Taoist boy wearing a Taoist robe smiled and showed his upper teeth, looking at him with expectant eyes. Scared, the landlord Huang was instantly uncomfortable, didn't this little doll just scrape a sack of things in the morning and leave? "Chief, why are you here? Why are you still sitting here, really, and no one has served you tea? Landlord Huang rubbed his hands and asked flatteringly. In any case, this old and young Taoist priest can be regarded as the benefactors of his own family, and he should have something to eat, and he should have it, and the landlord Huang comforted himself silently. "Landlord Huang, you can help me find a book. Is it called the Tao Te Ching? "Tao Te Ching? Isn't that a Taoist classic? "Ah, you know, I really should have taken a look. Have you seen it? Jingli sat on the seat of the yellow landlord's weekday bookkeeping, shaking her little feet, staring at the yellow landlord with anticipation. Of course, of course. Landlord Huang hurriedly walked into the study in the inner room and began to look for it, "Since the half-immortal Dao chief cured my mother's illness, I have often looked for it. Landlord Huang handed a thin blue book to Jingli's hand and asked, "Is Xiaodao going to be enlightened?" After asking, he said as if talking to himself: "It's time to enlighten, it's time to enlighten, the little Taoist is also six years old." Jingli groped for the pages, it turned out to be such a thin book, then I would be able to read it soon. Ignoring the broken thoughts of the yellow landlord, he jumped off the stool directly with the book and ran out of the house. "Landlord Huang, give me this book, and you can find another one yourself." While running, he finally gave an explanation to the yellow landlord. She was literate at the age of three, and who was like his stupid son, who couldn't write at the age of eight. Seeing that little figure running out of sight, the yellow landlord finally breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately, he only needed a book. At night, Jingli lay on the table, set up the night pearl, carefully opened the pages, and read carefully. "It's a good way, it's a very good way. The name is famous, and the name is not very famous. The beginning of the nameless world. The mother of all things. ......" has a profound meaning in every word, and after reading it carefully, I only feel that I have found another world. When the sun has shone through the roof of the Taoist temple, Jingli is unaware, still immersed in the world of the book, and has never left. Xuyang put down the pen in his hand, put away the night pearl, looked up at the sun outside the window, and found that Jingli had not been out of the door today, and was a little puzzled, so he put away the pen and paper and walked to the door of Jingli. Feeling the sound of breathing inside the door, he finally breathed a small sigh of relief, at least it wasn't an accident. So he pushed open the door with more and more curiosity. I saw Jingli's small body, and the whole person was almost lying on the table, his fingers sliding around on a book, and there were words in his mouth. "Li'er?" Xuyang shouted. Seeing that Jingli didn't react and still lowered his head to read, he walked directly forward and picked up the book on the table, and the words "Tao Te Ching" on the cover came into view. Jingli was immersed in it, but the book in front of him suddenly floated, so he subconsciously reached out to grab it, and finally took a step slower, and when he looked up, he saw his master's face. "Master, why are you here?" Jingli asked differently. "The teacher is here to find pheasants." Xuyang's face was full of dissatisfaction, and he shook the book in his hand, "You can forget to sleep and eat for this, but you can't be a teacher." Jingli smiled awkwardly, she scratched her head embarrassedly, and said apologetically: "I'm sorry, Master, it's all bad for apprentices." Looking at the sun hanging high outside the window, he added helplessly: "Why don't we eat fish today, catch a few fish in vain, hunt a few rabbits, and eat pheasants tomorrow." "It's best to hunt pheasants at night, so she used to go out before dawn, but now it's almost noon, and it's much more difficult to hunt pheasants. Hearing this, Xuyang's expression softened a little, and he reprimanded: "Don't go quickly!" Jingli looked at the book in Xuyang's hand nostalgically, and decided to wait until lunch was over to invite the teacher, so he jumped down from the stool and went out in a hurry. There is a small river not far from the temple, and the most abundant fish on weekdays are plump. The water in the small river is not deep or urgent, probably only to the knee of an adult, but it is a bit deep for Jingli. She looked at the trees around her, and happened to see a branch that was very suitable, so she jumped up, broke off the branch, shed the leaves, looked at the shape of the branch, and nodded in satisfaction. Standing lightly on the stones, Jingli stood in the middle of the creek, her eyes scanning a circle of fish swimming leisurely nearby, apparently they did not have any sense of danger. She took a breath, lifted the branch in her hand, quickly inserted it, and then quickly lifted it. A fat, large fish with its head firmly nailed to a branch, its body still swaying from side to side, making a final struggle. She took the fish off, reached out to the shore, and looked down at the fish. The rest of the fish didn't seem to notice what had just happened, and were still swimming leisurely in the water, and when they saw this, Jingli couldn't help but smile even more. So the branches went up and down in the water several times, and after catching more than a dozen fish, she returned to the shore satisfied. He put the dead fish in a net and carried it on his back, as if he were walking in the depths of the forest. Jingli placed the net under a tree, picked up two more stones, weighed them, and then jumped to the big tree next to her with agility. The branches shook and soon fell silent. She stood on a branch, leaning against the thick trunk and closing her eyes. The sounds of the surroundings kept pouring into the ears, the sound of the wind blowing the leaves, the sound of snakes and insects crawling across the ground, the sound of birdsong...... Suddenly, she caught the sound she wanted, her fingers moved quickly, and the two stones flew straight in both directions, and the dull sound of a sharp weapon hitting the flesh came, and she opened her eyes and flew happily in the direction of the stone. Two stupid rabbits, who were ignorant and knew how to go out to find food, were already lying on the ground. Carrying a rabbit and a net of fish on his back, Jingli quickly ran towards the Taoist temple. She squatted in the kitchen and handled both the rabbit and the fish. He also smeared the excess fish with salt, skewered it with wire, and hung it in the kitchen. Now the weather is starting to get cooler, but the sun is still relatively sufficient, so you can dry some fish and prepare for winter. Having prepared everything that needed to be prepared, she walked towards the back of the Taoist temple with a bundle of firewood. Finding a relatively open place, pulling out the weeds around her, setting up a shelf, raising a fire, and smearing the skinned rabbit with oil, putting it on the shelf to roast, she shouted in the direction of the Taoist temple, "Master, it's time to eat." After a while, there was the sound of the door being pushed open, and Xuyang walked to the fire with a heavy face, sat down, and said nothing. Jingli looked at Xuyang's face suspiciously, Master was so unhappy that he didn't eat pheasants. The seasoning was brushed to the rabbit layer by layer, and soon the rabbit meat exuded an attractive aroma, Jingli sliced the rabbit meat with a knife, put it on the plate, and handed it to Xuyang's hand. Xuyang took the plate silently, but did not eat it directly, but asked with a serious expression: "That book was given to you by Huiyuan?" "Huh? Does it refer to the Tao Te Ching? "I took it from the Huang landlord's house, Master Huiyuan said, it is a Taoist classic. Master, we're cultivators, aren't we, why have you never shown me this? Jingli asked cautiously. Although she thinks there is a reason why Master did not show her the book, she still wants to ask what the reason is. Xuyang refused to answer anymore, he put away his serious expression and shook his head, raised his chin at Jingli, and ordered, "Eat first." The two finished their meal in silence, but Xuyang did not leave directly as before, but helped Jingli to clean up before returning to the Taoist temple. Holding the remaining firewood, Jingli was a little apprehensive. Master's performance today is very strange, it seems that he is not happy because of the rare meat, but his face is expressionless, and his mood is very heavy, he shouldn't listen to Huiyuan's words, a monk is a monk after all, could it be that reading that book will affect his practice? It's really not a long memory, I was actually cheated by a stinky monk twice, well, the first time was to make her cut off meat for a few days. But she obviously thinks that the "Tao Te Ching" is quite profound and worthy of careful study. Is it going crazy? Thinking like this, Jingli's mood couldn't help but become heavy. She put away the dry firewood, walked to Xuyang's house, and knelt in front of Xuyang. Xuyang closed his eyes and seemed to be meditating, with the "Tao Te Ching" in front of him, obviously waiting for the pure glass. "After watching it all night, have you finished reading it, what are the gains?" Feeling that Jingli had already knelt down, Xuyang still closed his eyes and asked. "It's not completely understandable at the level of Jingli. Jingli read it three or four times yesterday, but I only felt that it was quite good and I couldn't understand it all. Jingli was a little frustrated. She has been able to remember since she was a child, and she was able to read smoothly in just two or three days when she began to read, and her comprehension skills were also very good. The last time she couldn't understand it was the scriptures collected in the monastery next door. If it is really like what Huiyuan said, this is the so-called Taoist classic, but he can't understand it, is he not suitable for cultivation after all? Thinking of these years of meditation without any breakthrough, Jingli only felt more and more depressed. "Ugh." Xuyang sighed deeply, opened his eyes, and reached out to flip through the book in front of him, page by page rustling. It's just that sigh, but Jingli mistakenly thinks that she is disappointed in herself, she only feels a sore nose, she doesn't hate cultivation, and she doesn't hate meditation, but why don't you have talent. "This book is not exactly the same as what I have taught you, and you need not be discouraged." As if he had discovered Jingli's thoughts, Xuyang comforted in a low voice, "Since I chose you, it is naturally because you were born a cultivator, and there is no need to doubt yourself." I originally wanted to tell you something later, but now that I see you going to the doctor, it seems that I am in a hurry, and in that case, I will explain a little more to you. Hearing Xuyang's comfort, Jingli's mood immediately improved. Sit down, too. Jingli, who was kneeling on the ground, hurriedly stood up, took a futon from the side, sat down cross-legged, and listened carefully to Xuyang's teachings. Such opportunities have been rare in the past two years, and most of the time she has been carrying her heart over and over again. "We are indeed called Taoists. Xun Xian asked, the ultimate pursuit is to ascend to the immortal to find the avenue, if it is said by a worldly person, it can also be said to be the way of immortality. It's just that the teacher thinks that the so-called Great Dao is by no means just the way of eternal life, and now your cultivation has not even entered the door, and the master is too far away from the cultivation of the poor, so the teacher can't explain it to you, you just need to remember what the Great Dao is, you need to think about it yourself in the future. Xuyang paused, saw Jingli looking at himself with a serious face, and continued, "There is no problem with the cultivation method given to you by the teacher, and you are by no means a person without talent, on the contrary, you have the talent that many immortal cultivators dream of, as long as you find a suitable cultivation method, it is easier to become an immortal than ordinary people." Just ......" "Just what? "Jingli is very nervous, since he is very talented, why can't he even enter the door." Li'er, the teacher can only tell you that it is not your reason, but because the aura here has been lost, and it is no longer a suitable place for cultivation. What you need to cultivate is aura, but there is not even the slightest aura here, so naturally you can't cultivate. "What is Reiki, Master?" Jingli asked anxiously. Seeing Jingli's anxious face, Xuyang closed his eyes and continued: "As a teacher, I don't know if it was right to take you on this road back then, but as a teacher, I still want to tell you that maybe in this life, you won't be able to enter the gate of cultivating immortals." The last sentence gave Jingli a thunderbolt, and she opened her mouth, but she didn't know what to say. After a long time, she said softly: "But Master, although I can't feel the aura you said, and cultivation is not really nothing, I can now walk without alarming sparrows, catching fish without alarming fish, I can only be six years old to carry dry firewood that adults can't carry, in the village, no one else in the village can do it......" Jingli's words made Xuyang even more sad, he has often struggled over the years, I don't know if it is appropriate for him to implicate innocent children in this fate, he reached out and touched the top of Jingli's head, Looking at the hope in those bright eyes, he was speechless. Eventually, he whispered softly, "Li'er, you know, that's not the ...... of cultivating immortals," and at that moment, he thought that maybe everything would end here. In fact, he regretted it more than once, regretted why he let his despair and pain have one more feeling, regretted that he would raise this child because of loneliness and momentary surprises, but now it was too late. In pain, he looked at Jingli, and unexpectedly, the eyes that had lost their light began to gather again, and finally, the firmness in those eyes became as bright as daylight. Jingli raised her arm and touched Xuyang's eyes, as well as his frowning brow because of sadness, and she said in a firm tone, "Master, I won't give up." You said 'maybe,' right, you just said 'maybe,' which means that I have a chance to continue practicing. Xuyang looked at the eyes that turned firm, and suddenly smiled with relief. In an instant, the originally solemn atmosphere suddenly changed. Seeing Xuyang's smile, Jingli seemed to understand something, and she also smiled: "Master, were you testing me just now?" Xuyang smiled and nodded: "Being a teacher is indeed testing you, because if you want to go far on the road to immortality, it is essential to have a firm Taoist heart, if you are desperate, or retreat, being a teacher will also make you give up now." Suddenly, his tone became serious, "However, what Master Wei just said to you is not lying to you, you can't embark on the path of cultivating immortals here." Jingli nodded: "I understand, Master, but I won't give up easily." She could feel that her master was a cultivator, and since Master could practice, she would definitely be able to. Many years later, when she really touched the door of cultivating immortals, she understood how Master had spent her life alone, and what kind of pain and expectation she had adopted. Xuyang nodded with satisfaction, and then said: "The book you read is actually just a fragment, so it's normal that you can't understand it. The Tao it tells has a slight connection with what the teacher will teach you in the future, or it can also be said that it is in the same vein, but it is impossible to understand it only by reading this book, and the teacher also saw this book back then, and felt that it was not of much benefit to you, so he didn't mention it, but he didn't expect Huiyuan to tell you. Since you have finished reading, keep it in your heart first, and if you can't read it, you will naturally understand it when you have something to experience in the future. Jingli nodded obediently. It turned out that she was reading a fragment of the book, no wonder she always felt that something was missing, but now what she should be most worried about is not this book, but finding a way to allow herself to continue cultivating, she clenched her fists hard, and secretly made up her mind. At that time, she even forgot to ask, since it was impossible to cultivate here, how did the master cultivate. Looking at the back of Jingli leaving, Xuyang's old eyes were filled with tears, is it really right to do this, do you really want to let this child go on this road, in case she can't find a way to leave here in her life, do you want to let this child be as lonely as herself. His time was running out, and he had to do what he could. After talking about that day, the master and apprentice returned to their old lives, and Jingli returned the "Tao Te Ching" to the yellow landlord, and kindly told him that this was a remnant, and then left in the eyes of the yellow landlord. It is still a daily chopping wood, cooking, meditating, and practicing martial arts. She didn't intend to give up the path of cultivating immortals, if she wanted to find a way to make herself cultivate, she had to make herself stronger. And Sunrise, since that day, has left the room even less, in contrast, there are many carrier pigeons that fly out of the temple every day. After seeing a group of carrier pigeons that were obviously tired and thin, Jingli understood that the master was also working hard for himself, so he worked harder to memorize the mental method, as if in this way he could find a way to cultivate faster. Jingli, who works hard every day, didn't notice the strangeness of her master, and later she also regretted that if she had discovered the strangeness of her master earlier, even if she didn't have the ability to change the result, at least, their master and apprentice could get along more. That day, it just appeared out of nowhere. When Jingli was making breakfast and yelling outside the house, but no one responded, her heart swelled with a sense of foreboding, and when she eagerly pushed open the door, she was greeted by the emptiness of the room. Nothing has changed, except for an old figure and a painting. On the desk was a thick stack of paper pressed by a jade ring, and on the paper was familiar handwriting...... What she was thinking at the time, when she had time to think about the day, she couldn't remember. She only remembered that she was not desperate because of sadness, as if she had been mentally prepared, as if she had already understood that this road was originally lonely. Despite Master's instructions, she did not leave the temple immediately. When Landlord Huang and the residents of the town who came to seek medical treatment asked her suspiciously, she smiled and told everyone that her master had attained the Tao and ascended to immortality. She kept smiling in the midst of everyone's congratulations, because she really believed it. After the master left, Jingli lived alone in the temple for another year, collected herbs according to the master's teachings, made a lot of pills, and wrote out all the prescriptions that the master had studied and gave them to the landlord Huang. Huang Landlord, although he is a little picky, is actually a kind person. Master, who doesn't care about these things, never gives the prescription to others, in fact, hopes to leave her a way out, but now that she has decided to leave, these are no longer important. After distributing all the pills to the townspeople, she left the place where she had grown up amid the blessings of everyone. Those who said goodbye to her thought that she was going to ascend to immortality with her master, and she firmly believed that even if she couldn't do it now, sooner or later, she would become an immortal. Many years later, she remembered her naïve thoughts about the word "become an immortal", but she just lamented her naivety.

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