My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

Lü Yang was stunned.

Then he was overjoyed:

"Immortal Master! Immortal Master! I've succeeded! I can sense it!"

He jumped out of bed, ran to Ye Qingfeng, and held out his hand to him:

"Look! Isn't this Qi? Isn't it?"

Ye Qingfeng opened his eyes and looked down at his hands.

The halo was very faint, almost imperceptible, but it was definitely Qi.

He nodded slightly:

"Um."

Lü Yang was so excited that he trembled all over:

"I did it! I really did it!"

He ran up to Shen Zhaoyue and held out his hand to her:

"Officer Shen, look! Look! This is Qi! I've mastered it!"

Shen Zhaoyue looked down, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, before she regained her composure:

"Congratulations."

Lu Yang was extremely pleased with himself. He paced around the room several times, then ran back to the bed, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to feel the Qi within his body.

The halo was even brighter than before, flowing around him like a victorious general in his battle robes.

Lu Yang was excited for a while before he calmed down a little.

He looked at Shen Zhaoyue and, seeing that she still had her eyes closed, couldn't help but feel smug:

"Officer Shen, can you feel it?"

Shen Zhaoyue did not answer.

After waiting for a while, Lü Yang asked again:

"Say something! Can't you feel it?"

Shen Zhaoyue finally opened her eyes.

Her face remained expressionless; she simply said:

"no."

Lu Yang was taken aback for a moment, then said with a slightly smug smile:

"It's alright. My talent for cultivating Qi so quickly is absolutely unprecedented. When I become an immortal, you can hide behind me and I'll protect you!"

He even stood up as he spoke, looking like he was ready to fight anyone.

Just as I was getting into the pose, a sudden pain shot through my head.

Although no one actually did it, Lü Yang knew it was the Immortal Master who did it.

"He deserves to be hit!"

It was Ye Qingfeng who said it.

Ye Qingfeng was not surprised at all that the other party was able to successfully cultivate Qi so quickly.

After all, he was the reincarnation of Lü Zu, so his foundation was there.

Opportunities to strike Lu Zu on the head are rare, so we must cherish them now!

His gaze was calm at that moment, yet it made Lü Yang feel inexplicably guilty.

Lu Yang awkwardly shut his mouth and asked in a low voice:

"Immortal Master...did I misspoke?"

Ye Qingfeng said calmly:

"Do you know what it's like for those born with the Dao to cultivate?"

Lu Yang was stunned:

"Born with the Dao?"

Ye Qingfeng:

"Some people are born close to the Tao. They don't need to sense the Qi, the Qi will enter their bodies on its own; they don't need to guide the Qi into their bodies, the Qi will circulate on its own."

Once they enter a meditative state, the Qi (vital energy) between heaven and earth automatically flows into their bodies, and a quarter of an hour there is equivalent to a month of arduous cultivation for others.

Lü Yang's mouth dropped open.

Ye Qingfeng continued:

"Even more so, during cultivation, they can draw upon the Qi within a ten-mile radius, like a whale sucking in water, and in a short time, they can absorb the Qi from a hundred-mile radius into their bodies. This is truly a genius of unparalleled talent."

Lu Yang's mouth gaped open even wider, and he couldn't close it for a long time.

He looked down at himself, then at Shen Zhaoyue; his smugness had vanished completely.

"...What are my meager skills compared to those people...?"

Ye Qingfeng did not answer, but simply shook his head slightly.

Lu Yang shrank back sheepishly, not daring to say another word.

Shen Zhaoyue watched this scene from the side, her lips twitching slightly, but she didn't laugh.

She looked down at her hands.

I tried for so long, but I really couldn't feel anything.

It's not that she didn't try.

She tried to calm her mind and sense things as Lü Yang had instructed, but she couldn't sense anything.

She tried again and again, but failed in the end.

She was not disappointed.

I never expected this in the first place.

She raised her head and looked at Ye Qingfeng:

"Master, I have a question for you."

Ye Qingfeng did not open his eyes:

"Um?"

Shen Zhaoyue:

"Can martial arts, when practiced to their highest level, compare to spiritual cultivation?"

Ye Qingfeng opened his eyes and glanced at her:

"You want to compete?"

Shen Zhaoyue shook her head:

"No. I'm just curious."

Ye Qingfeng was silent for a moment, then slowly said:

"Whether it's the path of martial arts or the path of immortality, they are both paths."

"Some people take this path, some take that path. Those who go further will see different scenery."

As for who is superior and who is inferior—

He paused:

"You'll only know when you reach the end."

Shen Zhaoyue nodded and said nothing more.

She looked down at the sword at her waist, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

Lu Yang listened from the side, seemingly understanding but not quite, but he didn't ask any more questions.

He simply continued to feel the warm Qi within his body, circulating in circles through his meridians.

Very comfortable.

The night is still long.

......

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, there was movement in the yard.

Lu Yang was still fast asleep, clutching the sword, snoring loudly.

Shen Zhaoyue leaned against the wall, heard the noise outside, opened her eyes, stood up, and stretched her limbs.

Ye Qingfeng remained seated cross-legged by the window, having not slept all night, yet showing no signs of fatigue.

Soft footsteps came from outside, followed by a woman's hushed voice:

"Master, keep it down, don't wake our honored guest."

The man with the thick beard also kept his voice very low:

"I know, I know, I'll just chop some firewood and start a fire to cook in a bit."

Then came the sound of an axe chopping wood, one dull thud after another.

The little girl's voice rang out, still groggy from just waking up:

"Mother, is that uncle in the gray clothes still there?"

The woman quickly shushed her.

"Don't make noise, let your uncle sleep a little longer."

Ye Qingfeng's lips twitched slightly.

The uncle in the gray clothes...?

He looked down at himself; his bluish-gray Taoist robe was indeed dusty and drab.

But this is the first time I've ever heard the term "uncle" used to address someone.

He stood up, pushed open the door, and went out.

In the courtyard, the bearded man was squatting in the corner chopping wood. When he saw Ye Qingfeng come out, he quickly put down his axe and stood up.

"Master! You're awake? Did we disturb you?"

Ye Qingfeng shook his head:

"It's alright."

The woman was busy at the stove, something was bubbling in the pot, and a fragrant aroma of rice wafted out.

Upon seeing Ye Qingfeng, she quickly wiped her hands and said somewhat hesitantly:

"Master, breakfast will be ready soon, please wait a moment..."

Ye Qingfeng nodded slightly, walked to the old locust tree in the courtyard, and stood with his hands behind his back.

The little girl peeked half her head out of the house, secretly watching him.

When she noticed that Ye Qingfeng was also looking at her, she quickly shrank back.

A moment later, she poked her head out again, this time with a small stool in her hand. She moved it shakily to Ye Qingfeng's side, placed it at his feet, and then looked at him expectantly.

Ye Qingfeng looked down at the small stool, then at the small face, but didn't sit down.

The little girl blinked, not understanding why he wasn't sitting.

Inside the room, Lü Yang's voice rang out:

"What's that smell? It smells so good!"

Then came a flurry of footsteps, and Lü Yang rushed out, clutching the sword, and peered into the stove:

"Sister-in-law, what are you cooking? It smells so good!"

The woman was startled and quickly said:

"It's...it's just plain congee with some wild vegetables..."

Lü Yang swallowed hard.

"Even plain congee tastes delicious! I haven't had plain congee in ages!"

......

Breakfast was served.

It's called a table, but it's really just a wooden plank placed on two tree stumps.

There weren't many dishes: a pot of plain porridge, a dish of pickled vegetables, a few multigrain pancakes, and a small bowl of sauce that I couldn't tell what it was made of.

But for the hunters in the mountains, this was the best they could offer.

The man with the thick beard rubbed his hands together, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Master, we're just a country folk, we don't have anything fancy, please don't look down on us..."

Ye Qingfeng sat down at the table and picked up his chopsticks:

"very good."

Lu Yang couldn't wait any longer. He picked up the bowl and shoveled the food into his mouth, wincing from the heat, but still couldn't bear to put it down.

Shen Zhaoyue ate slowly, one bite at a time, very politely.

The little girl sat beside her mother, holding a bowl bigger than her face, and sipped her porridge.

She would glance up at Ye Qingfeng every now and then, then quickly lower her head again.

Ye Qingfeng glanced at her and suddenly asked:

"What's your name?"

The little girl paused for a moment, then whispered:

"Yaya".

Ye Qingfeng nodded, then asked:

How old are you?

The little girl held up five fingers:

Five years old.

Ye Qingfeng looked at her small face and then at her thin body, and suddenly reached out and gently patted her head.

The little girl was stunned.

She looked up at Ye Qingfeng, blinking her eyes, wondering why this "uncle in gray clothes" was touching her head.

The bearded man and the woman exchanged a glance, both somewhat flattered.

Ya Ya was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed, her eyes curving into two crescent moons.

......