Fairyland Sunshine

Chapter 200: The Great Road Outside the Mountain
It is the Silkworm Month.

Spring has arrived elsewhere and everything is renewed, but in Kunlun Mountains, snow is still falling like waterfalls.

The undulating ridgeline was once again covered with white snow, making it even more difficult for those climbing on it.

He looked up, but could not find the mountain top until the end of his sight. In the wind and snow, this towering snow-capped mountain seemed to extend to the sky.

This seems to be a never-ending road, and persisting on it is bound to be fruitless.

But he just exhaled a breath of hot air, pulled his hat down again, and continued to climb with his lips pursed.

……

Half in the cloud and half in the sky, someone hid in the wind and snow. Looking down at the mountain ridge, he couldn't help but sigh.

"This person has been climbing for three days and three nights, and he still won't give up?"

There was another person accompanying him, who said, "If you climb to the top of the mountain, you can become a disciple. With such an opportunity, if you really want to seek the truth, you can persist even for ten days and ten nights."

"That being said..." The former shook his head: "Could it be that he couldn't see that he hadn't made much progress from the beginning to the end?"

"This mountain top is not something he can climb."

The latter was silent for a moment, and then said, "This has nothing to do with us. If he can't hold on, just send him down the mountain."

Upon hearing this, the former could only nod slightly. Although the job of guarding the mountain gate was boring, it was really not strenuous. There was even a lot of free time to study, so it was indeed a good job.

As the two were chatting, the snow seemed to gradually subside, and the whistling sound of the wind also gradually weakened.

But the two of them didn't feel at peace, and suddenly they looked at each other, and the former asked: "Brother, did you hear anything?"

The senior brother did not respond, but looked up and saw a flash of light suddenly appear in the sky, and then in an instant -

It seemed like just a flash, and then the ray of light suddenly blew up and turned into a rainbow a thousand feet long, rushing towards us through the wind and snow in the sky.

"Who...?" The thought had just occurred to him, and he had not even had the chance to ask his senior brothers who had such an escape technique, when the long rainbow and flying clouds appeared before his eyes in the blink of an eye.

At this time, the two of them suddenly heard the sound of thunder in the distance, like waves piling up, and when they got closer, the sound was so loud that it could stop the moving clouds.

"Is this, the sound of sword energy and thunder?!" They both raised their heads and saw a long rainbow turning in the sky, with flowing flames flying like feathers, and a young Taoist walked out from it.

"She is graceful and elegant, a natural beauty, with a mysterious aura that overflows from her brows. She looks like a banished immortal."

The senior brother was full of admiration and felt that such a demeanor must be extraordinary, so he quickly drove the cloud magic to approach, bowed and asked, "Which senior brother is this?"

This is the territory of the mountain gate. Although it may seem like there is nothing unusual here, it is actually covered by a large formation. Without the sect's token, it would be difficult to even find the way in, let alone fly here directly.

Therefore, although this Taoist priest looked unfamiliar, he must be a senior brother in the sect without a doubt.

As expected, the Taoist just smiled slightly when he heard the voice, and returned the greeting, "I am Xu Heng."

When the two heard the name, they were both shocked. The elder brother was still calm, but the younger brother could not help but ask, "Xu Heng? Could it be Brother Xu Heng, the famous four-character commentator who defeated Qing Hong Jian under Master Qiao?"

This Xu Heng, naturally, would not be anyone else. Ever since he had the thought of returning to the mountain, he never gave up. He traveled under the moon and stars all the way and finally returned to Tianchi Mountain. He did not expect to see his fellow disciples, but to hear such words, he could not help but smile.

It turned out that his fame and deeds had spread to the Great Snow Mountain and even to the Tianchi Mountain.

Although reputation was nothing more than an external thing to him, he didn't need to treat it like a worn-out shoe. Xu Heng replied, "That's right."

The junior brother immediately became excited. Fortunately, the senior brother who was in the lead remained calm and stopped him from talking. He bowed and said, "Cui Qi greets you, senior brother. This is my junior brother Guan Quan. We are both disciples of Master Xiao."

"So it's Junior Brother Cui and Junior Brother Guan." Xu Heng returned the greeting. Cui and Guan felt flattered. Cui Qi then said, "We all learned swordsmanship from Master Xiao. When we met to discuss, we always heard Senior Brother Zheng Jian speak highly of you. Later, we heard that you became famous in one battle, and we felt that you were even more extraordinary."

"So we have all admired our senior brother for a long time."

Xu Heng just smiled when he heard this, and asked about Zheng Jian's current situation. Cui Qi answered honestly, "Seven years ago, Senior Brother Zheng had achieved great success in Gangsha, but now he is looking for an opportunity."

"I see." Xu Heng nodded. He was happy for this fellow disciple. He chatted with the two for a while, learned some changes in the sect, and then prepared to leave.

But before he set off, he suddenly saw the man climbing the mountain ridge, so he pointed down and asked, "Excuse me, my two junior brothers, what's going on here?"

Cui Qi was slightly surprised and was just trying to organize his words when Guan Quan interrupted him and said, "Let Senior Brother know."

He pointed diagonally, "This man came to Tianchi Mountain to learn Taoism from a master, but he had already exhausted his potential since he was involved in the secular world. The sect was unwilling to accept him, so they sent him to climb the mountain ridge..."

Cui Qi coughed lightly, interrupting Guan Quan's words, and said, "The sect is testing his fate. Senior Brother Xuan Ye said that if he can climb to the top of the mountain, he is destined to be with you and can be accepted as a disciple. Otherwise, he is not destined to be with you, so please ask him to go down the mountain on his own initiative."

"Really?" Xu Heng asked thoughtfully.

Although Cui Qi's words sounded nicer, he was obviously not optimistic that this person would be able to climb to the top of the mountain and become his disciple.

I'm afraid that in their hearts, both of them thought that this test was just a way to get rid of people.

However, Xu Heng felt that if the sect really did not want to accept disciples, there was no need to find a reason. Since they were willing to conduct the test, there must be a reason.

However, this matter was not his concern. After Xu Heng understood the reason, he did not want to say more. He just nodded to the two of them and said, "We have hurried back to the mountain and are waiting to return to the cave to rest. I will not accompany you any more."

Cui Qi hurriedly said, "We still have to guard the mountain gate, so we can't see you off, brother."

Xu Heng smiled and waved his hand, without any other movement, a breeze rose from his feet, and he walked leisurely towards the door.

Over the years, the Tianchi Mountain has changed a lot. There are new temples built in the mountains, and water lilies are blooming everywhere in the Tianchi. There are bright lights on the distant peaks. I don’t know which fellow disciple has made great progress in Taoism...

But Xu Heng felt that there seemed to be no changes in Tianchi Mountain.

People in the mountains keep their pace as usual, practicing, performing magic, talking about mysteries, discussing Taoism, growing herbs, refining elixirs, brewing tea, appreciating the snow, watching the clouds rise and fall, and seeing the mysterious world as if they were isolated from all the troubles of the earthly world.

The return of the 'famous' Xu Heng to the mountain did not actually cause any big waves. Some acquaintances who met him by chance were surprised, but they just smiled, exchanged a few words, and then hurried to the library.

Xu Heng suddenly understood something. It turned out that the only thing that remained unchanged in Tianchi Mountain was spiritual practice.

(End of this chapter)