This is what an immortal should be like

Chapter 192 Unwavering Cultivation Leads to This Day

Leng Zhiheng experienced flying again this time. Compared to the last time, he was no longer so excited that his hands and feet trembled, but he had a different feeling.

This time, the wind was not as fierce as the last time. After arriving at the mountain, Leng Zhiheng almost couldn't feel his own body for a while, as if he were the wind itself, blowing along with the boss and Master Zhuang to the Taoist temple in the mountains.

By the time Leng Zhiheng came to his senses again, he was already standing firmly in front of the ancient hall of the Taoist temple.

Leng Zhiheng had barely realized what was happening when he looked around and saw the old Taoist priest looking towards the main hall. He subconsciously smiled and waved to him as a greeting.

The old Taoist priest's expression shifted from astonishment and confusion to a hint of horror in just a few breaths. He even involuntarily propped himself up on the stool, opening his mouth as if to speak but unable to utter a word.
Apart from the person waving, the old Taoist priest could see the other two people, but there was a sense that they were neither truly present nor absent.

This feeling is like strolling through the mountains every morning, like the flowers, trees, rocks, and flowing water around you, like the changing seasons and weather – it's a feeling of being one with nature.
No ordinary person!

The old Taoist priest's mood, like the expression on his face, underwent a turbulent change, as if all the cultivation of his inner energy over a lifetime had completely crumbled at this moment.

It's an extremely complex feeling that's difficult to describe accurately.

Just like an innocent child who has seen the most beautiful things in the world!
That beautiful thing is so close, and I want to grasp it, but it is also so precious that it is beyond the reach of an ordinary child. Even taking a second look at it seems like a luxury.

It's like a poor child standing in front of a colorful and gorgeous shop window, only daring to look, or like observing a beautiful butterfly up close, not even daring to speak loudly, as if making a sound would disturb the butterfly and turn this beauty into a dream.
Do they really exist here? Or am I hallucinating?

"Master, what's wrong?"

Suddenly, someone spoke up in confusion near the kitchen. This made the old Taoist priest's heart skip a beat. He glanced at the kitchen and then immediately looked towards the main hall.

However, the two figures did not disappear; instead, they became even more real in the old Taoist priest's eyes at this moment.

As the people in the kitchen finished asking their questions, they subconsciously followed the old Taoist priest's gaze and finally saw the three people in front of the main hall. They were slightly taken aback at first, and then their gaze moved from the two people in ancient costumes to Leng Zhiheng.

The man suppressed the name he almost blurted out and immediately went to call the others. They came out amidst whispers of shock and saw Leng Zhiheng.

When Leng Zhiheng saw the five people in the kitchen staring at him with wide eyes, he couldn't help but find it amusing.

However, it was clear that the old Taoist priest was no longer paying attention to the expressions of the five people by the kitchen, nor could he see Leng Zhiheng. All his attention was focused on Zhuang Lin and Liu Hongyu.

At this moment, Zhuang Lin and Liu Hongyu stood one in front of the other outside this main hall.

The dusty, old wooden beams, the peeling and cracked paint on the old wooden pillars, the uneven bluestone slabs inside, and the various wooden railings that have long lost their color—all these tell the story of the building's age.

The hall was small, with an interior of only thirty to fifty square meters. It housed an old painting of the Three Pure Ones, but there were no offerings, only a few sticks of incense burning in the incense burner with rising smoke.

But this is a special place, seemingly a very quiet place. This quietness is not just a physical tranquility, but also a subtle energy that has been formed over a long period of time.

Leng Zhiheng didn't speak up easily, because neither the boss nor Master Zhuang had said anything.

The five members of the research team stood frozen in front of the kitchen door, afraid to utter a sound, lest they say something wrong.

The old Taoist priest dared not speak easily. Although his heart was filled with excitement and the ethereal feeling seemed to have become real, he was afraid of disturbing people.

Zhuang Lin simply observed everything in the hall, took a gentle breath, and wisps of faint, invisible smoke drifted down from above the hall, meandering towards the door, where he inhaled them through his nostrils.

This is a very serene and faint scent of incense, but it is quite different from the incense in ordinary temples that is driven by desire, and it is not just a temporary incense offering.

Zhuang Lin was not greedy for incense offerings, but rather he sensed a feeling from the scent of incense, and could even feel the dedication of the people in the temple who had cultivated themselves over many years.

Images flashed through Zhuang Lin's mind, as if he had merged into the Tai Chi Temple and become one of the Taoist priests within it.

Some things seem very distant, while others seem very close. Kneeling incense, practicing meditation, growing vegetables, living life—from childhood to old age, from restlessness to tranquility, and even choosing to leave and then returning.
The incense smoke did contain desires, quite frequently, but they ultimately transformed into peace and tranquility, allowing the atmosphere within the Tai Chi Temple to remain pure and serene.

Liu Hongyu, standing to the side, seemed to understand something. He also took a light inhale, just like his master, and a faint fragrance of incense wafted over, giving him a similar feeling amidst the aroma.

Zhuang Lin looked at Liu Hongyu, who had just come to his senses and smiled. Zhuang Lin nodded slightly to him.

I originally just came to take a look, but it turned out to be such a pleasant surprise!

Liu Hongyu was overjoyed to see his master nod, and turned to look at the Taoist priest who seemed a little lost and uneasy.

"Old Taoist Master, you say that people in the world do not recognize the true Tao, but do you recognize it?" When these words reached the old Taoist Master's ears, he finally felt the real existence of the two people over there, and was finally able to confirm that it was not an illusion in his mind!
The old Taoist priest's breathing trembled slightly, but his agitated emotions gradually calmed down. He took one step, two steps, three steps forward, then formed the Zi-Wu mudra with his hands and bowed deeply to the two people in front of him.

Although they did not speak, their actions spoke volumes.

"Disciple Xu Ming pays respects and humbly requests guidance from the two immortals on your cultivation!"

The old Taoist priest did not use his Taoist name, but greeted him by his real name. Not only did he bow, but he also knelt down and kowtowed as soon as he finished speaking!
This scene startled the five people in the kitchen. Leng Zhiheng was also surprised that the old Taoist priest knelt down, so he quickly moved away. Even Liu Hongyu took a step to the side.

When the old Taoist priest raised his head, he saw that the two people in front of him were still there and had received his greeting, and he was overjoyed.

When an invisible, gentle force lifted the old Taoist priest to his feet, he was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. It was not an illusion, nor was it his own delusion!

My cultivation has never ceased, and this day has finally come. This must be the celestial being who has come to guide me!
"Old Taoist priest, how old are you this year?"

Zhuang Lin finally spoke, and the old Taoist priest quickly replied.

"I have spent most of my life in ignorance and foolishness, and my progress in cultivation has been slow. I am ashamed of having wasted so many years. Now I am eighty-four years old!"

Zhuang Lin nodded slightly, a faint spiritual light appearing at his fingertips, which gradually became more pronounced as he focused his energy.

The old Taoist priest on the side watched all this with wide eyes. His vision was enough to show that he could really see the existence of spiritual energy. Until a certain moment, the spiritual energy at Zhuang Lin's fingertip seemed to form a drop of blue water that was invisible to the naked eye.

Then Zhuang Lin flicked his finger, and the water droplet flew out instantly, disappearing directly into the old Taoist's brow.

Although it was only a single drop, at that moment the old Taoist priest felt as if a clear spring from the heavens was pouring down from the top of his head, continuously flowing down from the center of his body. It was cool but not cold, warm but not hot, and his whole body felt as if it were being constantly nourished by a spring.

At that moment, the old Taoist priest's body began to glow faintly in the eyes of Zhuang Lin and Liu Hongyu. Even Leng Zhiheng, who was standing to the side, could vaguely see that faint light, which amazed him.

Zhuang Lin smiled.

"To have such physique and energy at eighty-four years old is already quite remarkable. You don't need to call us immortals. We are all cultivators on the path to immortality. Since you seek guidance on cultivation, let's talk about cultivation matters."

Zhuang Lin and Liu Hongyu entered the main hall of the Taoist temple one after the other. The old Taoist priest, who had just come to his senses from the surprise, followed them in with a sense of awe and excitement.

The three of them simply sat on the prayer mats in the corner and started chatting, or rather, Zhuang Lin and Liu Hongyu were talking, while the old Taoist priest sat on the prayer mats attentively like a young student learning the Tao.

Although no more magical powers were displayed, the matters discussed were anything but simple. The narrative began directly with the severing of the Heavenly Connection, seemingly without any intention of concealing anything.
Leng Zhiheng lay outside the main hall without going in to disturb them, while the five people from the kitchen unknowingly approached.

"President Leng!" "Hello, President Leng!"

"Mr. Leng, why did you come in person?"

"When did you arrive? We didn't see you come in."

"shush"

Leng Zhiheng gestured for the five to be quiet, and they immediately shut up. However, Leng Zhiheng asked a question in a low voice.

"Is this old Taoist priest very powerful?"

"He's just a kind old man, but he's acting rather strange today!"

"Yes, they just knelt down without warning. Who are those two people in ancient costumes? Did you come with them, Mr. Leng?"

Leng Zhiheng grinned and looked at the five people around him; each of them had a face like that of a curious child.

"You don't even have the right to kneel!"

Don't even mention you guys, I'm so envious!
Although Leng Zhiheng seemed carefree, he wasn't stupid. This kneeling signified the difference between immortals and mortals, so he understood that this old Taoist priest was no ordinary person!

However, Leng Zhiheng quickly put his other thoughts aside and listened attentively to the words coming from inside. Since they didn't avoid me, I could listen, right?

(End of this chapter)