This is what an immortal should be like

Chapter 208 Neglected Historical Data
A few days later, in the Tianqing Palace in Tianqing Mountain in Northwest China, a palace and temple whose dilapidation was only slightly better than that of Taiji Temple, Zhuang Lin stood at the gate of the palace and temple and reached out to catch a mountain sparrow that had fallen.

In Zhuang Lin's hands, the titmouse transformed into a paper bird, which then unfolded into a letter—the very letter that Master Ban had sent.

Zhuang Lin was with Liu Hongyu beside him, and they were looking at the contents of the letter together.

Behind the two, in the courtyard of the palace, more than a dozen Taoist priests from Tianqing Palace were sitting cross-legged on the ground, clearly in a state of focused cultivation.

After reading the letter, Zhuang Lin put away the papers in his hand and sighed.

"As expected of the state apparatus, they acted swiftly and with remarkable efficiency!"

The rapid establishment of the Bureau of Extraordinary Observations by the Imperial Observatory was obviously a highly efficient undertaking. However, the rapid allocation of relevant personnel and the green light from various departments were not as simple as they appeared on the surface.

The current events have made Zhuang Lin compare this place with his former hometown, and he can see many similarities.

Liu Hongyu looked surprised.

"I thought it would take a while longer to argue, but I didn't expect that after not contacting them for a while, the Bureau of Investigation had already started its work! It's just tough on Master Ban and Master Gong, as it won't be as easy for them to go home as before."

"It's not as exaggerated as you think. Masters Ban and Gong have already returned to the Great Yan Ancient Museum twice. Apart from maintaining secrecy, they haven't been subject to too much control. After all, they are craftsmen. As long as they don't participate in too much work and are in an indispensable position, that's fine. Later, we can recommend some of their apprentices to help out."

Zhuang Lin smiled as he spoke.

"We don't need to monitor anything all the time; that would be too tiring and unnecessary. We just need to guide them occasionally."

Liu Hongyu nodded; it was essentially a warning to the world.

"However, this is definitely a huge force. If we guide it properly, and if we can really have the power of a nation as our backing, we will achieve twice the result with half the effort in everything we do. Even finding a suitable disciple will no longer be like finding a needle in a haystack!"

Thinking of this, even Liu Hongyu couldn't help but show a hint of excitement.

Zhuang Lin nodded slightly.

"But we can't be too hasty. As I said before, people only believe what they believe. It's better to let them find out the truth for themselves. However, the Bureau of Extraordinary Investigations has acted so quickly that your group's investigation teams should also be more cautious."

Several days have passed since the previous meeting of the Bureau of Extraordinary Investigations, and the results of the meeting were quickly put into action afterward.

Although the internet and computers are becoming more widespread, some information is still not fully networked. Therefore, the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics directly mobilizes a large number of personnel from various regions to provide on-site assistance.

A nationwide census of religions and personal beliefs was launched in the name of the state and quickly implemented at the county level throughout the country.

This, ironically, made some of the Liu Group's operations more difficult.

"Yes, Liu Lei has already made preparations. But that's not a problem. During the years when my father was still healthy, our Liu Group had already participated in many ancient building restoration and reconstruction projects. We were also one of the earliest companies in China to get involved in cultural relic protection. There's always been a traceable history. Even if we do run into one, we'll be there with the purpose of investigating and protecting ancient buildings!"

Zhuang Lin smiled upon hearing this. Indeed, Liu Shih-hao had been very enthusiastic about this back then. However, this was actually closely related to the early "Breaking Illusion Plan," though on the surface it was just as Liu Hong-yu had said.

Moreover, most of the temples and monasteries that the working groups are currently inspecting have historical significance.

Both of them looked at some of the buildings inside the Tianqing Palace. Given their dilapidated state, could it be said that they didn't need repair?
In the courtyard of Tianqing Palace, an ancient pine tree that had almost died was regaining its vitality. A Taoist was meditating under the tree, while the tree above was visibly sprouting new branches and buds.
Currently, dozens of temples and monasteries have been uploaded to that intranet, and Zhuang Lin and Liu Hongyu have already visited a third of them, with remarkable results.

Of the fewer than twenty temples they visited, including the original Taiji Temple and the Tianqing Palace where they were now, five of the Taoist priests were genuinely devoted to Taoism.

This proportion is not low, but very high!

Of course, this does not mean that there are an unusually large number of people in the world who are suitable for spiritual practice. It only confirms what Zhuang Lin thought earlier: in such a rapidly developing and restless era, those who can adhere to the path in their hearts are more likely to enter the path.

"We don't need to look for new ones. Let's just keep the current ones, visit them more often, and strengthen our relationship with those steadfast practitioners."

Zhuang Lin looked at Liu Hongyu as he spoke, and smiled helplessly.

"That's not entirely because of what I just said; it's because we can't afford to nurture that many spiritual roots right now."

"Disciple understands!"

Liu Hongyu responded with a wry smile.

Although making the vase is difficult, Master Gong's skills are constantly improving, and he has no worries about growing old for a long time. His craftsmanship is still being refined, so he can naturally make it.

However, the Purple Cloud Spirit Dew of Hidden Immortal Valley is a rare commodity. Although the efficiency is far greater than before with the help of the rooster, and even if it can be transformed to a certain extent with the help of the clean bottle, there is still a limit. Moreover, it will slowly dissipate its spirituality.

Moreover, both Doctor Mu's research on medicinal use and the various medicinal gardens within Hidden Immortal Valley have a considerable demand for Purple Cloud Dew.

Therefore, Zhuang Lin's statement that he couldn't afford to nurture spiritual roots is indeed a reality.

Fortunately, the existence of these temples and monasteries is like a small gathering point for Hidden Immortal Valley in the present world, a kind of small blessed land. Their main purpose is to prepare for attracting and recruiting new disciples in the future. Later, they can naturally enter Hidden Immortal Valley and ancient places where spiritual energy is relatively abundant, without worrying about overcrowding. "Master, how can we guide the Bureau of Investigation? After all, the spiritual energy in this world is depleted; we can't very well guide them to places like Taiji Temple and Tianqing Palace, can we?"

"If we can't achieve anything, the Bureau of Extraordinary Investigations will fall into the same predicament as their predecessors. Gradually, national resources will stop being allocated to it, and it will be shut down again. We've gone to great lengths to get to where we are today. You certainly don't want things to turn out this way, Master, do you?"

Liu Hongyu's words reflect the objective reality. After all, the spiritual energy in the world is depleted, and even if the Bureau of Extraordinary Investigations turns the world upside down at this stage, how far can they find out, unless they come into contact with the few places in the world that still have spiritual energy?

Zhuang Lin's eyes lit up upon hearing this, especially the first part. He looked at Liu Hongyu and nodded.

"You're a promising young man. What you said is indeed a good idea. We can gradually reveal unsolved mysteries through places like Taiji Temple. However, not now. At this stage, we just need to let them discover secrets that were previously overlooked!"

"A secret that was once overlooked?"

Liu Hongyu frowned slightly.

"What is it? Master Ban didn't mention it in his letter."

Zhuang Lin smiled.

"Your thinking is still not broad enough. If you don't have a license, you can make one! Secrets that were once overlooked are simply those that were never discovered or were lost. With so many old files in the Bureau of Extraordinary Investigations, it's not difficult to find some useful information among countless useless contents. Aren't Master Ban and Master Gong still in Kyoto?"

Liu Hongyu's eyes widened again. The thinking of enlightened people was indeed quick. He had never thought of this aspect before.

Once this idea was opened up, Liu Hongyu's face went from surprise to joy, and his mind started working at lightning speed.

"Excellent, excellent, just as it should be. The many secrets and dangers of the cultivation world can also be put into the files in a piecemeal and gradual manner, allowing the people of the Bureau of Extraordinary Investigations to understand this part of the information that was once overlooked."

Liu Hongyu's expression showed a hint of excitement.

"This will also allow the Bureau of Extraordinary Investigations to gradually understand that the ancient immortals' backup plan has always been right beside them, revealed in the details and the messages passed down in the mortal world, but it has been overlooked before! Through this information, they will gradually deepen their impressions and understand deeper secrets. In this process, they will gradually come into contact with what they perceive as supernatural things, and ultimately be guided onto the right path."

Liu Hongyu then looked at Zhuang Lin.

"Master, is this true?!"

You're quick-witted, kid! You've thought really deep. I hadn't even considered that far ahead!

Thinking of this, Zhuang Lin still smiled and nodded. How to put it, even though he seemed to have led his personal disciple astray a little, he felt inexplicably at ease!
"Dulu lulu. Dulu lulu"

Liu Hongyu's phone rang. When he saw the caller ID, he thought to himself, "Oh no, it's Director Zhou calling. I've forgotten about him for a while!"

Zhuang Lin glanced at them, then his gaze returned to the Taoist priests under the tree. He strolled away leisurely, pretending not to have seen them, leaving his disciple to deal with Director Zhou's phone call alone.
The Bureau of Astronomical Observation has its own staff dormitory, and different staff members receive different benefits depending on their rank.

Master Ban and Master Gong, as top-tier experts, enjoy very comfortable living conditions, practically living in a villa. However, no matter how good their conditions are, the two of them are not very comfortable right now.

"Sigh, the New Year is almost here, and I'm thinking of going back to Hidden Immortal Valley!"

"Yes, I still have things waiting at my kiln. I wonder how that slow-fire refining kiln is going. If those bastards' firing is off by too much, half a year's hard work will be wasted. I haven't been back in a long time."

"Let's just bear with it a little longer. The Bureau of Investigation isn't putting us under house arrest. Let's wait for Mr. Zi'an's reply."

"Chirp."

Birdsong came from outside, accompanied by the sound of flapping wings, and both Ban and Gong laughed.

"Hehe, speak of the devil and he appears! The letter has arrived!"

Master Ban reached out, and a swift bird flew in and landed in his hand.

The two of them unfolded the letter and looked at it together, but the more they looked, the wider their eyes widened, their reaction even more exaggerated than Liu Hongyu's before.

"You... you can do it like this?"

"No wonder Mr. Zi'an said that even that great director had to discuss things with him back then. So what are we waiting for? Let's get started. By the way, is this easy to handle?"

Master Gong smiled.

"We have all the paper from Shenggongfang. As for aging it, that's a piece of cake!"

"Hehehehe." "Hahahaha."

The two old men huddled together and laughed!
(End of this chapter)