I was selling peach wood swords on a live stream, how did I become a Taoist ancestor?

Chapter 38 The Son of the Celestial Master, Kunlun Snow Peak! (Two chapters combined, please continue reading)

The Qingwei Sect Leader, accompanied by his disciple Mingxin, slowly ascended the mountain path.

The mountain breeze, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees, ruffled the old Taoist priest's white beard and hair.

Mingxin followed behind her master, holding the box of tea and several pieces of jade in her arms, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"Master, isn't it too presumptuous of us to come directly to your door like this?" he asked in a low voice.

"After visiting an old friend, what is there to presume upon?" Master Qingwei asked without turning his head, but slowed his pace.

"Besides, when I was young, I received guidance from Senior Xuanzhen. Although he has long since passed away, the bond of friendship remains."

He paused, then said with emotion, "If it weren't for Senior Xuanzhen's sacrifice in the Battle of Kunlun, the Daoist sect would have lost countless more talents. I will always remember this kindness."

Mingxin listened with a sense of understanding but not quite.

He had only heard that his master had participated in a major battle with the Maoshan elders when he was young, but he had never heard his master tell him the specific details.

"Master, what happened to Senior Xuanzhen afterward?"

After a moment of silence, the Qingwei Sect Leader slowly said, "Senior Xuanzhen sacrificed himself, drawing upon heavenly lightning to perish together with the enemy, leaving no trace of his remains."

"At the time, we thought the lineage of Qingfeng Temple had been broken, but unexpectedly—"

At this point, Sect Leader Qingwei sighed.

Mingxin then understood why her master had reacted so strongly upon hearing the name Qingfeng Temple.

As the two were talking, they had already arrived at the entrance of Qingfeng Temple.

The old mountain gate was dilapidated, the walls were mottled, and a few old trees swayed in the wind in the courtyard.

Everything looked so ordinary, even a bit shabby.

However, the Qingwei Sect Leader, standing at the door, dared not show the slightest disrespect.

He took a deep breath, straightened his Taoist robe, and then gently knocked on the door knocker.

In the courtyard, Li Jun was helping his master prepare vegetables.

Hearing the knock, he looked up and headed towards the gate.

"Knock knock knock".

The sound was soft and rhythmic.

Li Jun frowned. It was almost lunchtime. Who would come up the mountain?

Could it be that Jin Hao is back again?

No, he just came down the mountain not long ago.

"Jun'er, go see who's here."

Zhang Shouqing's voice came from the kitchen. The old man was chopping vegetables, and the cleaver made a rhythmic sound on the cutting board.

"understood."

Li Jun responded and walked to the courtyard gate.

Squeak.

The old wooden door slowly opened.

Two people were standing outside the door.

An old Taoist priest and a young Taoist priest.

The old Taoist priest looked to be in his seventies or eighties, with completely white hair but a ruddy complexion. He wore a faded gray Taoist robe and held a whisk in his hand, giving him an air of otherworldly elegance.

The young Taoist priest was only eighteen or nineteen years old, about the same age as me. He was wearing a brand-new blue Taoist robe, carrying a large backpack, and his face showed curiosity and nervousness as he secretly sized me up.

Li Jun's self-illumination lingered on the old Taoist priest for a few more seconds.

This Taoist priest—

He's not quite the same as his master.

My master usually dresses very casually, just in an ordinary cotton Taoist robe, and sometimes he even rolls up his sleeves while working.

But the man in front of me, though his Taoist robe was old, was meticulously dressed, even the handle of his whisk was polished to a shine.

And that look in his eyes—

Sharp, profound.

It's as if you can see right through someone at a glance.

Li Jun's heart skipped a beat.

broken.

Could this be aimed at me?

As soon as Jin Hao left, two Taoist priests arrived.

Could they be from the Night's Watch?

Or is it—the Taoist Master Qingxu from Maoshan that Jin Hao mentioned?

The person in front of me is the right age.

Just as Li Jun was lost in thought, the Qingwei Sect Leader outside the door looked at Li Jun and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Good looks!

With sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, regular features, fair skin, and a well-proportioned figure, he exudes an elegant and refined air.

What shocked him even more was that Li Jun's aura was too clean, as clean as a blank sheet of paper, without the slightest fluctuation of spiritual energy.

It's completely unbelievable that it's capable of swallowing spiritual energy from hundreds of miles away.

Master Qingwei sighed inwardly, realizing that his cultivation was indeed too low, and he couldn't possibly see through this person's depths.

However, he showed no outward sign of it, bowing respectfully and speaking in a gentle tone: "Amitabha, I am Qingwei from Maoshan, accompanied by my unworthy disciple Mingxin. We have come to pay our respects to an old friend. May I ask if Daoist Zhang Shouqing is in the temple?"

Qingwei?

Li Jun was taken aback.

Not Qingxu?

They're all from Maoshan, probably fellow disciples or something.

etc----

"Descendants of the deceased"?

Li Jun was even more confused.

When did Qingfeng Temple become acquainted with Maoshan?

His mind raced, but he dared not show it on his face. He quickly returned the greeting, saying, "Please come in, Daoist Master. My master is in the temple."

As he spoke, he stepped aside.

Master Qingwei nodded slightly and stepped into the courtyard.

Mingxin followed behind her master and couldn't help but steal another glance at Li Jun.

As soon as the three entered the courtyard, Zhang Shouqing came out of the kitchen.

He was still holding a kitchen knife in his hand, and when he saw the two leaders of Qingwei Sect, he was stunned for a moment.

Qingfeng Temple is a small, unassuming place, and no fellow practitioners have visited it for decades.

The last time a Taoist priest came to our door was twenty years ago, when people from the Taoist Association came to register.

"This Taoist priest is—" Zhang Shouqing looked at Li Jun with a puzzled expression.

Li Jun quickly introduced, "Master, this is Master Qingwei from Maoshan. He said he has come to visit the descendants of an old friend."

"Descendants of an old friend?" Zhang Shouqing was even more puzzled.

The Qingwei Sect Leader stepped forward and carefully examined Zhang Shouqing.

Upon seeing this, he immediately formed a plan in his mind.

The old Taoist priest in front of me showed no energy fluctuations; he was just an ordinary old man.

He is exceptionally healthy, much stronger than his peers.

He must be Zhang Xuanzhen's disciple.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Shouqing." Sect Leader Qingwei bowed respectfully. "Many years ago, I received a favor from Senior Xuanzhen, and I have come here today—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

Zhang Shouqing's body trembled violently!

The kitchen knife in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter"!

The blade struck the bluestone slab, sending up a few sparks.

"Master—Master!"

Li Jun was startled and quickly stepped forward to support Zhang Shouqing: "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

Zhang Shouqing completely ignored him.

His eyes were fixed on the Qingwei Sect Leader, his lips trembling, and it took him a long time to finally utter, "You—you know my master?"

At this moment, eighty years of time seemed to flow backward.

Zhang Shouqing remembered the gaunt old Taoist priest.

He was seven years old that year. He begged his way to the outside of the temple and fainted from hunger at the gate.

His master saved him, gave him a bowl of hot porridge, and took him as his disciple.

His master named him "Shouqing" and said that Qingfeng Temple would be handed over to him in the future.

The second year —

He remembered it clearly; it was an autumn morning.

After arranging everything in the temple, the master stood at the door and said to him, "Child, I will be back in two or three months at most, or at most half a year."

"You stay here and guard the temple. When I return, I will buy you some braised pork hock from the foot of the mountain."

Zhang Shouqing stood at the door, watching his master's back.

I felt both reluctant to part with it and filled with anticipation.

Reluctant to see Master leave.

Looking forward to the braised pork knuckle that Master will bring when he returns.

He remembers nodding vigorously: "Master, I'll wait for you!"

Then he began his long wait.

One day, two days —

One month, two months —

One year, two years —

From childhood to old age.

From youth to old age.

He waited eighty years.

I can't even remember what the braised pork knuckle tasted like anymore.

But his master never returned.

"You know my master?"

Zhang Shouqing broke free from Li Jun's support, stepped forward, and repeated it again.

Before he could finish speaking, two streams of tears had already slid down his cheeks.

The eighty-year-old man was crying like a child.

Upon seeing this, the Qingwei Sect Leader was filled with mixed emotions.

He stepped forward to help Zhang Shouqing up, his voice gentle: "Fellow Daoist Shouqing, don't be sad."

"I was fortunate enough to accompany Senior Xuanzhen north to Kunlun. Senior Xuanzhen passed away on the snowy peak of Kunlun. I only recently learned that Senior Xuanzhen still has a lineage to pass down."

"I am making this unannounced visit today only to return the relics of my predecessor."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shouqing's body trembled again!

He suddenly grabbed the arm of the Qingwei Sect Leader: "His—his remains? My master's remains?"

"Yes." Sect Leader Qingwei nodded and looked at Mingxin behind him.

Understanding the situation, he quickly put down his backpack and took out two wooden boxes from it.

The box wasn't big, and it looked quite old, with peeling paint on the surface.

Mingxin opened it carefully.

Inside a box was an old copy of the Tao Te Ching.

The pages are yellowed and the edges are worn, clearly indicating that it has been read frequently.

In another box, there was a piece of wood.

The carving was crooked and uneven, but you could barely make out that it was a long, narrow object, thick at one end and thin at the other.

Li Jun leaned over for a look but couldn't recognize what it was.

It looks a bit like a chicken leg, but not quite.

The carving is really bad, it's practically kindergarten level.

But when Zhang Shouqing saw that piece of wood, he was terrified!

With trembling hands, he carefully picked up the wooden carving.

I looked at it again and again, and touched it again and again.

Then, he held her in his arms, tears streaming down his face.

"Master—Master—"

Li Jun watched from the side, completely baffled.

What's wrong with Master?

But he didn't dare ask, and could only stand by anxiously.

The Qingwei Sect Leader sighed and said softly, "This is the last thing Senior Xuanzhen carved before he passed away."

Zhang Shouqing cried even harder.

He recognized him.

This is a carved pork knuckle.

It was the braised pork hock that his master had promised to buy for him.

It's carved so ugly, so unsightly.

But it was the last thing his master left him.

After a while, Zhang Shouqing slowly stopped crying.

He wiped his face, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Please excuse my poor appearance, Taoist priest."

"It's only human nature," Headmaster Qingwei shook his head.

Zhang Shouqing carefully put the wooden carving back into the box, and then picked up the book "Tao Te Ching".

The book was turned to reveal pages filled with annotations.

The handwriting is messy, and some parts are even illegible.

But Zhang Shouqing recognized him at a glance.

It's my master's handwriting.

"Daoist Master—" he looked at Sect Leader Qingwei, "Could you tell me about my master?"

"Of course it's possible." Master Qingwei nodded.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shouqing smiled.

He turned to Li Jun and said, "Jun'er, go and prepare a good meal. We're having Daoist Qingwei stay for dinner today."

Li Jun quickly replied, "Yes, Master."

The Qingwei Sect Leader also gave Mingxin a wink: "Mingxin, go and help Master Li."

"Yes, Master." Mingxin nodded obediently.

He was actually a little nervous.

After all, this Master Li in front of them was someone even their master couldn't see through.

But his master had given him orders, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go ahead.

Li Jun took Mingxin to the kitchen.

Zhang Shouqing then invited the Qingwei Sect Leader into the guest hall.

The door was closed, and the two elderly people sat facing each other.

The sunlight outside the window was perfect, streaming in through the old window frame and casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Zhang Shouqing's emotions have stabilized.

"Master, please speak." Zhang Shouqing took a deep breath and prepared himself mentally.

The Qingwei Sect Leader nodded, his gaze becoming distant, as if he had returned to eighty years ago.

"Senior Xuanzhen, his real name is Zhang Xuanzhen."

"He is the third son of the previous Celestial Master Zhang of the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain."

Zhang Shouqing's eyes widened.

Master—is he from Longhu Mountain?

And he's the son of a Taoist master?

Why has he never said that?

Qingwei continued, "Senior Xuanzhen has extremely high talent and is highly regarded by the Celestial Master at the time. He has already been designated as the next Celestial Master."

"But for some reason, when he was twenty, he chose to leave Longhu Mountain and travel alone."

"Later, he built Qingfeng Temple in Luxian County."

Zhang Shouqing listened intently.

Master never mentioned these things.

He only said that he was a wandering Taoist priest who passed by this place and, seeing the serene mountains and rivers, built a hut to live there.

So that's how important Master is.

"And then what happened?" Zhang Shouqing pressed. "Why did Master—he—go down the mountain?"

The Qingwei Sect Leader was silent for a moment, then his voice deepened: "Later, in the late summer of 45..."

"The Sakura Shinto sect and the Nine Chrysanthemums faction, seeing that their plan to substitute one thing for another had completely failed, turned out in full force."

"They went to Kunlun, intending to sever the source of the Great Xia's dragon vein, a desperate act of mutual destruction."

Zhang Shouqing breathed into the room.

Dragon vein?

Severing the dragon vein?

He had only heard these words in folk tales.

"When the Taoist sects received the news, all the elites from various factions set out and headed north to Kunlun."

"That battle was brutal."

"I was eighteen or nineteen years old when I went there with my master."

"The two sides fought a great battle on the snow-capped peaks of Kunlun, which lasted for seven days and seven nights."

"In the end, we thwarted the cherry blossom's conspiracy and preserved the dragon vein."

"but----"

He paused, a look of pain flashing in his eyes: "Senior Xuanzhen, you drew upon heavenly lightning with your own body, perishing together with three high priests of the Divine Dao Sect."

"Death brings the annihilation of one's spiritual essence."

"In that battle, all sects of Taoism suffered heavy losses, with more than half of their elites lost."

"Many traditions have been lost."

After Qingwei finished speaking, the guest room fell into a deathly silence.

Zhang Shouqing sat there blankly, his face expressionless.

But tears flowed silently down her face.

He finally understood why his master hadn't returned.

It turns out that his master didn't abandon him after all.

They're not coming back.

"Master—Master—"

Zhang Shouqing choked up, unable to speak.

The Qingwei Sect Leader sighed and patted him on the shoulder: "Senior Xuanzhen is a hero."

"What he protects is not only the dragon vein, but also the destiny of the Great Xia Dynasty and the peace of hundreds of millions of people."

"Fellow Daoist, you should be proud of him."

Zhang Shouqing nodded emphatically, wiping away his tears: "I am proud, I have always been proud of my master."

He just—missed him terribly.

I've been thinking about this for eighty years.

The Qingwei Sect Leader then recounted some details from back then.

For example, how brave Zhang Xuanzhen was on the battlefield, and how he forcibly summoned heavenly lightning despite being severely wounded.

For example, various sects of Taoism fought one after another, refusing to retreat.

Each passage stirred Zhang Shouqing's emotions, yet also brought him to the brink of despair.

It turns out that ghosts and gods really do exist in this world.

It has regained its spiritual vitality.

There is also the option of sacrificing one's life for righteousness.

PS: Thank you to the generous donor "琅琅天上" for the 500 reward!

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