Tao and Heaven

Chapter 241 Xuan Yue Appears
The days in Chenhua City were as peaceful as ever. Gambling houses that made huge profits were opening one after another. From one of the gambling houses, cries of surprise were heard from time to time, attracting onlookers from passers-by, which in turn attracted more people.

Passing through the crowd, you can see mountains of spirit stones piled up next to the gambling table.

Gu Wen played four identical cards, which increased the amount of spiritual stones that had already piled up. The last gambler left the casino, and the Qianfeng Sect deacon behind the gambling house stepped forward.

He first asked the other guests to leave, then bowed to Gu Wen and the other two, and said, "Seniors, our shop is a small business, please be gracious, be gracious."

Akabane frowned and said, "You guys are running your business normally. I'm winning money normally, so why are you showing me mercy? Are you going to default on your debt, and only allow the gambling house to make money, but not others to win money?"

A breath of air pressed towards the gambling house owner, causing him to bend his waist even more. He explained repeatedly: "Of course not, these spirit stones are all considered as a gift to the seniors."

"What do you mean by filial piety? Do you suspect that we are cheating?"

"Don't dare, never dare."

"Don't dare to doubt?"

Before Chi Yuzi could make the Jindan cultivator cry, Gu Wen said, "Let's stop here today. Don't make things difficult for him."

Akabane was still a little stubborn, and said, "We gamble normally, and there is no cheating. The rules of this leaf game are simple and it depends purely on luck. The equipment has the effect of shielding spiritual consciousness, so there is no such thing as having a higher cultivation level to gain an advantage."

They were slandering Gu Wen for cheating in disguise, which she could not tolerate.

"Okay, okay, that's it."

Gu Wen stroked Akabane's head as if he was comforting a tiger. He knew that he couldn't reason with the other party and could only stroke his fur.

To put it nicely, Akabane is fair and strict, she sticks to her word and is very straightforward. If she needs to argue, she is usually the one who is right, so she has to talk about feelings.

"I just came to play a few games. It looked good, and having fun was enough."

Gu Wen looked at the Jindan monk and asked, "Boss, this card game called Leaf Play is pretty good, can you sell me a deck?"

"No need to buy it, I'll get it for you right away."

The Jindan monk nodded repeatedly, then asked someone to bring a deck of light gold cards.

Gu Wen fiddled with the leaf cards, which was similar to the leaf game his ancestors played in his previous life, but simpler.

Luck plays a bigger role, and if there is skill involved, then even without cheating, the person with higher skills will have an advantage.

Only the complete unknown can make it suitable for all ages.

"How old is the shopkeeper?"

"More than seven hundred."

"Have you ever heard of Qinghua Cake?"

The Jindan cultivator seemed to have recalled a long-lost memory. He pondered for a moment and said, "I ate it when I was a child, but time has passed and it has long been lost with the disappearance of the Ninghua Sect."

"The secret recipe has been lost?"

"It should be that the special Qinghua used to make Qinghua cake disappeared. There was not only one family selling Qinghua cake back then, but the only one selling Qinghua was Ninghua Sect, and its incense was sold throughout the thirty-six continents of the human race."

"Thank you."

Gu Wen walked out of the gambling house. Chi Yuzi lagged behind and asked, "Do you need me to capture the heir?"

"Since it's not a secret recipe issue, there's no need to make a fuss about it. She will come back."

At this time, in the noisy streets and alleys, from time to time, you can hear passers-by talking about the Thousand Phoenix Sect.

The heir of Ninghua Sect is being persecuted by Qianfeng Sect, and his position as Heavenly Venerable may be lost. The person in charge of Huajianzhou is about to change.

Akabane naturally heard it, and she asked again: "Will you help that witch? Judging from the current situation, if you don't take action, you will most likely lose your position as the Heavenly Venerable."

"It depends."

Gu Wen's answer was ambiguous. Such an ambiguous attitude made Chi Yuzi irritated. He snorted coldly and said, "You always like to keep things in your heart."

“Hiding one’s mind is also part of spiritual practice.”

"Everything can be related to cultivation. Is searching for this Qinghua Cake also cultivation?"

"Of course." Gu Wen answered seriously, "All living things have emotions, but time is ruthless. When a being lives for tens of millions of years, all his emotions will be worn away by time. Some people get used to it, while others cut off their emotions."

"Yu Hua told me that Qinghua Cake can help one realize the truth of love."

Akabane said with a face full of doubt: "Really? If this thing is really so magical, how could it be lost? I had never heard of it eight hundred years ago."

"Can she still lie to me?"

"Um"

Akabane groaned, then shook his head and said:
"Maybe the specially made Qinghua Cake has this effect? ​​Just like some people use wine to refine medicine, there is also the concept of medicinal diet in the cultivation world. I heard that the best chefs can cook medicinal diet that can help people break through the Return to Void Stage."

Gu Wen said: "We will go to the Ninghua Sect's mountain gate next. Yu Nan, do you know the location?"

Xie Yunan took out a jade slip, read it for a while, and said, "It is just 800 miles away from Chenhua City. As the number of people in Ninghua Sect has decreased, it should be managed by the City Lord's Mansion of Chenhua City. When the descendants become True Lords, they will be returned to Ninghua Sect to avoid bringing them fatal disasters."
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Eight hundred miles away from Chenhua City, there is a snow-covered mountain.

There are forests for hundreds of miles at the foot of the mountain and flowers for hundreds of miles on the mountain.

The entire mountain is covered with pure white flowers, stretching over hundreds of thousands of acres along layers of terraces and thousands of streams.

Gu Wen and the other two flew in from the sky, looked at the flower fields beneath their feet, and smelled a familiar fragrance.

It turned out that the sachet she used was made by Qinghua.

Below, a Jindan cultivator rose into the air, and his aura was actually the Yuqing Sect's skills.

He bowed to Gu Wen and the other two and said, "Fellow Daoists, I wonder why you came to Qinghua Mountain?"

Flying in the sky is a symbol of a Jindan-stage cultivator, while hovering above a sacred mountain is the equivalent of standing at the door of someone else's house and peeking in.

Gu Wen politely bowed and said, "I came here to look for a kind of Qinghua cake. I asked around and learned about the Qinghua here, so I was able to make the Qinghua cake that was made eight hundred years ago."

The Jindan cultivator said, "I am only three hundred years old, and I have never heard of Qinghua Cake. And this is private land, so I cannot let you fellow Taoists explore it at will, please forgive me."

"Why are you dithering? Get out of the way and let me do it. Whose ancestors are polite to the younger generation?"

Chi Yuzi pushed Gu Wen aside and threw out a token from his hand. The token was golden and red in color, with red characters like fire.

The Jindan cultivator was shocked. He looked at the token, then at the five-and-a-half-foot-tall, short-haired girl in front of him. Expressions of disbelief, suspicion, and panic flashed across his eyes.

Then he took out a black iron token from his arms, and a ray of light flew out from it and sank into Akabaneko's token.

In an instant, the Jindan cultivator bowed his hands respectfully and said, "I am Yun Cui, a disciple of Cui Guan, a branch of Yuqing Sect. I pay my respects to Chi Tianzun. Your Excellency has arrived. I do not know your true identity, and I am deeply terrified."

His body was shaking slightly, and he couldn't suppress the excitement in his voice.

The Yuqing Sect had not had a Heavenly Master for eight hundred years, so Chiyuzi naturally took the place of the Yuqing Heavenly Master and was revered by the Yuqing Sect's disciples.

This disciple of the Yuqing Sect had seen the nine-foot-tall golden man, but had never seen Akabane's petite five-and-a-half-foot-tall real body.

Akabane asked, "Is the Yuqing Sect also responsible for managing the inheritance?"

Yun Cui corrected weakly, "Ahem, this is the old place of loyal martyrs, so it is naturally managed by Dao Zong. Otherwise, the descendants would not be at ease if other people came."

Every year, Dao Sect would send a large number of disciples down the mountain to inspect various places, and some of them would take over certain spiritual places. This was to protect the sects that had withered due to the war between humans and demons, and also to deter various parties.

Once anything happens, Dao Zong can know and react.

"Who are these two seniors?"

Xie Yunan introduced himself: "I am a disciple of Zhejian Mountain. You are older than me, so I cannot be called a senior." "Hiss! Fairy, you are Fairy Xie, the number one in Tianxuan and the best of our time?"

Yun Cui's eyes suddenly lit up and she bowed and cheered.

Then he looked at the last ordinary man. He couldn't see through his cultivation level, but since he was traveling with Chi Tianzun, he must not be a small figure either.

He cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask your name, Senior?"

The ordinary man had a friendly smile and a calm voice: "I am a poor monk in the mortal world."

"So it's Senior Hongchen?" Yun Cui's heartbeat almost stopped as she stumbled over and asked, "What's your name?"

"Poor Taoist in the world."

"."

Yun Cui was silent for a while, completely stunned.

Outsiders may not know this Taoist name, but disciples of Yuqing Sect have been hearing it since they entered the mountain gate.

Isn't this the ancestor of our Yuqing Sect? The ancestor just bowed to me. Will he be expelled from the sect when he returns?
Thinking of this, Yun Cui's hands began to tremble. He didn't want to be expelled for entering the mountain gate with his right foot.

Akabane added: "This is your ancestor. Your master would have to kowtow to him when he sees him."

Gu Wen is a disciple of the immortal Qingcang, and is one generation higher than the two heavenly masters Yunmiao and Huayang.

Yun Cui knelt down immediately. Gu Wen tried to stop her, but was forced back by the other party's tearful and frightened face.

If I don't kowtow to him, will my Taoist faith be broken?

"Yun Cui, meet the Grandmaster!"

Gu Wen said helplessly: "Take us in."

"Yes, Master."

The three of them entered the Ninghua Sect's headquarters unimpeded. The former mountain gate was now desolate, and the clusters of caves on the mountain were empty.

Yun Cui introduced the past of Ninghua Sect to them along the way. After the initial shock and panic, he became extremely excited.

Perhaps he could take this opportunity to enter the main lineage of Yuqing for further study. With the experience of leading the legendary Yuqing Tianzun, his threshold to Dao Sect might be trampled down by the elders even if he returns.

With this thought in mind, I calmed my thoughts and tried my best to answer Master's questions.

The Ninghua Sect is in decline and its disciples are dwindling.

The Ninghua Sect lost a large number of strong men in the battle between humans and demons, and the only remaining True Lord and several elders died of illness after the war. As a result, they lost the ability to train disciples, and even if Dao Sect protected them, they could not recruit any cultivators.

Nowadays, spiritual practice has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and no one will choose a sect without a True Lord.

Therefore, Dao Zong took over the mountain gate and allowed its descendants to enter the big sect for further study.

Yun Cui said, "This spiritual land used to have a top-grade spiritual vein, but it became a mid-grade one after Dao Zong took over. The elders from the sect came to investigate, but they couldn't find any reason. Dao Zong can only give it to Ninghua Sect as a top-grade spiritual vein, and in the future they will have to compensate Ninghua's heir with a mid-grade spiritual vein."

"Will the spiritual vein drop in grade?"

Xie Yunan was very confused and said, "Spiritual veins are like wells. They draw spiritual energy from the earth veins and generally won't fall."

Yun Cui shook her head and said, "That's why Dao Zong has never been able to figure it out. I heard that Yun Miao Tian Zun also came to see it, but he couldn't find anything abnormal."

Akabane couldn't see anything unusual and turned to look at Gu Wen.

If Tianzun can’t do it, Xiaosheng can at least do it.

Gu Wen pondered for a while, as if he was in a trance. Everyone waited for a long time.

"The spiritual veins and spiritual marrow have been dug out."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the side road. A road extended downwards from where there was no road originally, leading all the way to the deepest part of the spiritual vein.

Everyone followed closely behind, the thick soil parted in front of them, and the vertical passage slowly fell down.

I have seen the sea divided, but I have never seen a mountain opened.

After going through a thousand feet of thick soil, the view in front of us suddenly opened up, and what came into view was a cave of a hundred acres.

A spiritual vein as crystal clear as colored glass hangs high above, emitting a soft spiritual light, illuminating the spiritual fields below.

There is a thatched house in the very center, as if someone lives there.

"How can there be such a big hole in the ground?"

Yun Cui couldn't believe it. He had stayed in the Ninghua Sect's mountain gate for decades and had thought about finding out the reason and using this merit to be promoted to the main lineage.

But it has not been discovered until today. How could the cave, which is obviously hundreds of acres in size, avoid exploration?

Chi Yuzi's expression suddenly became serious, and he said to Yun Cui and Xie Yunan: "You two go outside first."

"Yes."

The two of them took off into the air and flew out of the cave.

When Gu Wen and Chi Yuzi landed on the ground, they saw many beautiful flowers, the fragrance emanating from them was even stronger than that outside.

He plucked one and savored its aroma, feeling as if an old friend was still in front of him.

Thoughts climb like vines, and emotions are like buds about to bloom.

When he opened his eyes again, the indifference in Gu Wen's eyes was less, and his aura was calmer, more like an ordinary person.

Akabane obviously didn't notice this change. In her opinion, Gu Wen hadn't changed at all. He was still the heartless bad guy. But after Gu Wen became a saint, there was a gap between him and all things, and he came to the other side.

The world in his eyes is different from that of ordinary people. He can see the essence of all things and understand the true meaning of the Tao.

On the contrary, people, like bones, are nothing more than the product of the effects of the five elements, yin and yang, and all other laws.

Pure flowers do contain the spirit of love.

"The flowers are fragrant, but you should not smell them too much."

A voice came from the thatched hut, and then the door slowly opened, and an elegant Taoist priest walked out.

He was dressed in a green and red Taoist robe, with Lingshui across his waist, and his chest was glowing red.

He looked at the two of them in a daze and said, "Eight hundred years have passed since we last met, and the child back then has become a powerful man who stands tall in the world."

"Xuan Yue."

Chiyuzi revealed the Taoist's identity, he was the founder of Liuyun Sect, and the half-immortal who helped them deal with Chiling.

It was also in the end that he fell out over his lifespan and showed them what immortality meant.

"We should have had a good relationship, but fate played tricks on us."

Xuan Yue smiled widely, and he had returned to his original calmness, no longer resembling the ugliness he had shown when he was old.

He opened his arms, a wisp of aura emerged, and he had already become an immortal.

"Now I am a true immortal."

(End of this chapter)