Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Chapter 180 Cultivation Begins with Cultivating the Mind

Deng Youcai shook his head: "I'm afraid this is not a good idea."

Cheng Mo asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Deng Youcai explained, "There are many immortals in the Changbai Mountain area, each with their own cave and methods of concealment. Even if I tell you the location, you won't be able to find it when you get there."

Cheng Mo understood what he meant: "Brother Deng, could you show me the way? The reward is negotiable."

Deng Youcai waved his hand: "That's not what I meant. I can pass on the message to you first, and we'll talk about it after that person replies."

Cheng Mo cupped his hands in a respectful gesture: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Deng."

Deng Youcai waved his hand: "Hey, what's the trouble? But if that person doesn't agree, don't blame me."

Cheng Mo smiled and nodded: "Of course."

He had also considered the possibility that his Uncle Rat might not want to see anyone. After all, decades had passed, and the old man had forgotten about his sworn brother and had no contact with him at all. It was understandable that Uncle Rat might harbor resentment.

Xia He asked from the side, "By the way, Brother Deng, have you received any news lately? Has there been a sudden influx of unusual people?"

Deng Youcai was taken aback: "I really didn't know that. I basically don't pay attention to things in the world of supernatural beings."

He turned to Ershen and asked, "Shuanzi, what's been going on around here lately?"

The second god is named Zhang Shuan, a name that sounds quite down-to-earth.

Shuanzi thought for a moment and said, "They say there's a broken knife that the Japanese devils left here, and a lot of people are looking for it."

Deng Youcai asked, "Did you find it?"

Shuanzi shook his head: "Not yet. If we really find it, things will definitely get chaotic, and you need to know that."

Deng Youcai was quite surprised: "What kind of broken knife is so attractive?"

Zhang Shuan said, "During the War of Resistance against Japan, this knife killed many of our people. The elder brother of the Lü family was killed by this knife, and I heard that Old Master Gao's father was also killed by this broken knife."

Deng Youcai was taken aback: "Wait a minute, the broken sword you're talking about is the demon sword Hirumaru?"

Zhang Shuan nodded: "That broken knife."

Deng Youcai glared at him: "You worthless bastard, you call that a broken knife? What became of the people who died by that knife? What kind of trash are they?!"

Zhang Shuan paused for a moment, then said, "That's true."

Deng Youcai tapped him on the head: "It's nothing!"

Cheng Mo and Xia He exchanged a glance.

Cheng Mo took out his phone: "Brother Deng, let's exchange phone numbers so we can contact each other if we get any news."

Deng Youcai readily replied, "No problem."

He gave a number, Cheng Mo dialed it, and Deng Youcai's phone rang.

"This must be Brother Cheng's number, right? I'll save it and let you know as soon as I get any news."

Cheng Mo nodded, took his leave, and departed.

……

Inside the hall.

Deng Youcai happily opened the pack of cigarettes and gave one to each of Zhang Shuan and Liu Zhuzi.

The three men lit cigarettes and puffed out smoke.

Zhang Shuan took a drag and exhaled a string of smoke rings: "Brother Youcai, are those two really related to Grandpa Cheng?"

Deng Youcai blew smoke in his face: "How would I know? I'll have to ask Uncle Cheng first."

Zhang Shuan shuddered: "Uncle Cheng has become increasingly irritable in recent years, I dare not ask him anything."

Deng Youcai glanced at him sideways: "Look at your pathetic self. Here's a ready-made gift."

He took a drag of his cigarette and continued, "Besides, didn't you hear that the man's surname is also Cheng? Maybe he really is related to Grandpa Cheng. Among the gray fairies of Changbai Mountain, he's the only one with the surname Cheng."

"If you really want to acknowledge the relationship, then you shouldn't have Old Master Cheng's temper."

Zhang Shuan sighed, "I hope so. Last time I invited Uncle Cheng, I dragged the client around all night, it almost killed me."

Liu Zhuzi, who had been silently smoking nearby, shivered.

Last time, it wasn't just the customers who were dragged along.

He had stayed up all night playing games the day before, hadn't rested much during the day, and then stayed up all night running. He almost went with his client.

……

After leaving the church.

Xia He linked arms with Cheng Mo, asking as they walked, "Little Taoist priest, are you afraid to use inner vision divination anymore?"

Cheng Mo shook his head: "It's not that I don't dare to, it's just that I feel that asking about everything inside the scene is not only boring, but also affects my state of mind."

Xia He remembered that Cheng Mo had said that he almost got stuck in his inner world when he asked Zhang Chulan about it last time, and thought that the little Taoist was just being stubborn.

She thought for a moment and said, "I think you might be throwing the baby out with the bathwater?"

Cheng Mo looked at her.

Xia He continued, "I think it's similar to how a sorcerer asks about cause and effect to predict the future, just like how ordinary supernatural beings practice and spar. You might get injured while practicing, but you're more likely to get injured while sparring. In fact, you can't even say you might; you'll almost certainly get injured while sparring."

"But if you want to grow, you can't do without practicing. If you want to improve your combat ability, you can't do without sparring."

"What do you think, little Taoist priest?"

Cheng Mo fell silent.

Although Xia He's deduction was wrong, the logic in her words was correct.

After a moment, Cheng Mo nodded: "We shouldn't rely entirely on the inner vision, but we can't completely ignore it either, since it's quite useful."

He stopped in his tracks: "Then let me figure out where my martial uncle is."

Xia He quickly waved her hand to stop her: "Let's not get involved! I'm afraid you'll get trapped and won't be able to get out."

"???"

Cheng Mo was completely bewildered: "Didn't you ask me to do the calculation?"

Xia He said leisurely, "Look, when we spar, we need to find someone of similar strength, or like the two of us, you train me in moves. But it's different in the inner realm, no one trains you in moves."

Cheng Mo didn't understand: "I was just asking about my martial uncle's location, nothing else."

Xia He glared at him: "Have you forgotten what Master said? The karmic consequences of sealing off the area within Shanhaiguan Pass are immense! Isn't that far more terrifying than the Eight Extraordinary Techniques?"

Cheng Mo thought about it and realized that it was indeed true.

This is a question of a higher level than Feng Baobao's, so let's not ask it for now.

"Then let me ask where the demon sword Hirumaru is?"

Xia He nodded: "Okay, I'll protect you."

The two found a secluded corner.

Cheng Mo sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and focused his mind, letting his consciousness sink down.

When I opened my eyes again, I was already inside the interior.

The interior had changed somewhat since his first visit.

The first time, he created a virtual world according to his own ideas. Later, when he had enough of it, he broke the world and let the interior reveal itself.

What was the interior like back then?

The mountains, rivers, grasses, and trees grow freely, yet the landscape is desolate. The sky is cloudless, and the sun remains motionless, like an incandescent bulb.

It now has a lot more vitality.

The sky is filled with clouds, which drift and change shape with the wind.

A stream flowed among the mountains, rivers, grass, and trees, its waters babbling and crystal clear. Fish swam leisurely in the stream. A cat crouched by the stream, watching the fish in the water, and rabbits grazed on the grass.

None of this was done intentionally by Cheng Mo; it was a natural occurrence.

Cheng Mo guessed that perhaps the inner world's growth was also related to his own state of mind.

He didn't pay much attention to the interior environment, but wondered: Where is the demon sword Hiruma now?

A ball of light appeared in mid-air in an instant.

Cheng Mo was startled.

The ball of light was about the same size as him!

How could it be so big? Is this thing involved in a huge causal chain?

Cheng Mo carefully reached out and, as usual, probed into the sphere of light.

A series of messages surfaced in my mind.

The sphere of light dissipated.

Cheng Mo frowned.

Why are there two positions?