darknovel Chapter 3 Where to Settle Down
Chapter 3 Where to Settle Down
Song Quyou slowly opened his eyes, dazedly surveying his unfamiliar surroundings, before fixing his gaze on a golden-eyed black cat standing on his chest, staring blankly at him.
A gentle female voice came from inside, "You're awake?"
"You can talk?"
The woman chuckled and said, "It's the temple's cat, named Black Charcoal, and it can't speak yet."
Song Quyou turned his head and looked around, then parted the curtain by the bed and saw a female Taoist priest. She had her hair tied up and wore a crown. Her face was fair and delicate, and her temperament was gentle. She was suppressing a smile while carefully mending clothes with a needle and thread.
"May I ask where this place is, Taoist priest?"
"This is Shenxiao Temple. You were kidnapped by the evil Taoist Yang Danzi and used as a vessel for him to extract the Crimson Sun Flowing Elixir. It was my senior brother who saved you."
"However, after this ordeal, you have opened your spiritual aperture and gained the aptitude to cultivate immortality."
Song Quyou got out of bed and looked out the window. Clouds and mist swirled around the room, and the mountains stood majestically.
A Taoist priest stood on a rock, making hand seals and chanting incantations. Suddenly, he summoned a bolt of lightning, which made a deafening sound, startling the mountain birds into flight and causing the priest to stumble.
Song Quyou pointed out the window and exclaimed in surprise, "That bolt of lightning..."
The woman bit off the thread in her hand, waved her hand, and said, "It's nothing, he's practicing thunder magic."
Song Quyou, his eyes filled with envy, pressed for an answer: "May I practice this thunder magic?"
The woman put down her clothes, stood up, and gracefully circled around Song Quyou. She nodded and said, "Thunder magic is the true teaching of my Shenxiao Temple. If you want to learn it, you must become a disciple and hone your skills for several years. When your mind is at its peak, I will pass it on to you."
Song Quyou immediately bowed and said, "Disciple Song Quyou wishes to become the Daoist Master's disciple, wholeheartedly devoted to the Dao, and to enter my Xuanmen."
As Song Quyou bowed, the woman suddenly darted aside.
"I cannot accept such a generous gift from you; there is someone else who can take you as my disciple."
Following the woman, they arrived at the main hall of the temple, where they saw a portrait of the patriarch in armor holding a sword hanging in the center. Below him was a long sword identical to the one in the portrait, its surface covered with dragon and tiger patterns, making it exceptionally exquisite.
"Have you thought it through? Do you want to become a disciple of my Shenxiao Sect?"
"Disciple has made up his mind." Song Quyou looked firmly at the Taoist priest in the wide robe before him.
"My master is on a long journey, and I am unable to take on any disciples as I have not yet completed my apprenticeship. Today, I will accept you as my disciple and make you the eighteenth generation successor of my Shenxiao Temple, ranking fifth."
The Taoist priest turned to the side, revealing the portrait of the patriarch behind him. "You should first pay respects to the patriarch, and then perform the apprenticeship ceremony after your master returns."
Song Quyou knelt on the prayer mat and bowed three times to the portrait.
After the ceremony, a loud laugh suddenly came from outside the door, "Hahaha~, great! Now I'm not the youngest anymore, I can be the senior brother too!"
Song Quyou turned around and saw that the person who had come was the Taoist priest who had almost been struck by lightning outside the window.
"Fifth Junior Brother, don't mind him, this is your Fourth Senior Brother."
"Greetings, Fourth Senior Brother."
The Taoist priest, his face gaunt, patted Song Quyou on the shoulder and said, "If you encounter trouble in the future, just mention the name of your fourth senior brother, Xiao Zhuoguang."
If that doesn't work, then mention your second senior sister Su Tang's name. If that still doesn't work, then it'll be your eldest senior brother Wang Xuan. He'll guarantee you can walk with impunity anywhere.
Before Xiao Zhuoguang could say anything more, a pair of delicate hands had already twisted around him, causing him to beg for mercy in pain.
"You never study properly. You've been practicing lightning magic for two years and you still manage to strike yourself. You're really stupid."
"Senior Brother, we still do not know Master's name."
Wang Xuan said, "My master is the Crimson Sky Immortal, named Wang Lingtian."
……
Although Song Quyou could not immediately learn magic after entering Shenxiao Temple, the temple's scriptures allowed him to glimpse a corner of the path to immortality.
The book states: "There are different schools of cultivation, including internal and external golden elixir cultivation, talismans and incense burning, Gu insects and spirit possession, absorbing qi and spiritual energy, and meditation to seek emptiness. The paths to immortality are as numerous as the stars, and all can lead to longevity. The only difference is whether one is hard to kill or hard to die, or merely survives by clinging to life."
The so-called spiritual aperture is the foundation of the Golden Elixir path, the pivot connecting heaven and earth. To obtain a spiritual aperture, one either needs to be born with it, or, like Song Quyou, obtain a divine object such as the Crimson Sun Flowing Elixir to transform the body. Of course, ordinary people cannot do this; only those who have awakened their innate wisdom can, and these are the extraterrestrial demons that Yang Danzi speaks of.
The Crimson Sun Elixir is the essence of the sun contained within the great sun of the nine heavens. This substance is round and radiant, possessing the effect of opening the mind and strengthening the spirit, and can be absorbed by those with innate wisdom. Furthermore, by using someone with innate wisdom as a guide in refining the elixir, the person consuming it can open another spiritual aperture and awaken their innate wisdom.
Song Quyou lived a leisurely life in the mountains, spending his days carrying a bamboo basket and walking through the forests, digging for vegetables and picking fruits in spring and summer, and gathering firewood and wandering around in autumn and winter.
The senior disciples in the temple instructed that one should not kill indiscriminately in the mountains, and should not pick all wild vegetables and fruits. If firewood can be gathered, it should be gathered, and if there is nothing left, branches should not be broken. Young seedlings should not be harmed. If a spirit or monster blocks the way, one should say that one is a disciple of the Shenxiao Temple on Xuantai Peak.
However, after three seasons of changing seasons, Song Quyou never encountered anyone blocking his way.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the summer sunlight was gentle.
As usual, Song Quyou carried a bamboo basket into the deep mountains, picking up dead branches and newly sprouted mountain mushrooms.
This was the most rewarding moment of his day. He bent down and straightened up again, and the basket on his back became a little heavier, and his heart became a little more at ease.
The basket was full, and the wild mushrooms were buried in the dry branches, damp and wet. I had already figured out how to cook them so that I could taste the unique freshness of the mountains.
Song Quyou wiped the sweat from his forehead, glanced at the dappled sunlight filtering through the forest, and then looked at the babbling stream outside the gaps in the forest.
It was sweltering. He tugged at his soaked Taoist robe, a longing stirring within him.
The mountain stream is cold and clear.
Following the sound of the water, Song Quyou hurried over, splashed his face with the stream water, and let out a joyful shout that echoed through the mountains.
"Young man, you've disturbed my peaceful sleep. Whose son are you?"
The sudden sound of voices startled Song Quyou, who jumped to his feet and turned to find the source of the sound.
"Stop looking, I'm right at your feet."
Song Quyou looked down and saw a large mouth hidden in the mud and gravel, opening and closing continuously.
"This junior is a disciple of the Shenxiao Temple on Xuantai Peak. And you are, senior?"
"You'll know once you dig me out."
Song Quyou carefully brushed away the pebbles with his hand, picked up a relatively resilient branch from the side, and began to dig the soil.
Until a stone figure was revealed, the figure was no more than a foot tall and was the image of an old man with a cane.
"I have been sleeping here for many years, and it is rare to meet a young man like you. Quickly use the stream water to help me wash away the mud and dust."
Song Quyou did as instructed, washing the stone figurine until it was spotless. The figurine then jumped onto the bluestone beside the stream and became even more lifelike, as if it had flesh and blood.
The old man, leaning on his cane, shakily stepped down from the bluestone and came to Song Quyou's side, circling around and looking him over.
"You say you're from the Shenxiao Temple, but I don't sense a trace of thunder in you."
"I have only been a junior for three years and have not yet learned any magic."
"Three years? Hahaha~" the old man laughed.
"He hasn't learned any magic in three years; I think he's simply not good enough for anyone."
Song Quyou smiled faintly and bowed, saying, "This junior has a poor temperament and dull talent, so I will naturally learn the law later."
The old man narrowed his eyes, and the wisdom emanating from them seemed to see through people's hearts.
"Would you like to learn the law?"
"Of course I would like to."
"Then why don't you become my disciple, and I'll teach you?"
"Thank you for your kind words, senior, but I have already become a disciple. Without my master's permission, it is absolutely impossible for me to join another sect."
"You are thoughtful, but as far as I know, the Shenxiao Temple practices the Golden Elixir and Talisman Dao. To achieve something in this Dao, one must be as young as possible."
Judging from your bone structure, your life is destined for greatness, and I imagine you will achieve little in your lifetime.
"What you say is absolutely right, senior. In any path of cultivation, it is always better to start early than late. But I happened to start late, which is my destiny. Although I am unwilling, there is nothing I can do about it. After all, I am already blessed by the heavens to have even touched the profound path. How far I can go in the future is up to me and to fate."
After hearing this, the old man turned his back, stroked his beard, and remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"You're quite magnanimous. Fine, I'm going to sleep now, you can go back."