The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

"What a fine example of mutual loyalty! Do you know that this woman is a manifestation of an alien? The reason she has never spoken is because she has not yet overcome the tribulation of her throat bone, and her seven orifices are incomplete, so she cannot speak human language."

The old Taoist's words startled Wang Zhenhuan. He turned to look at the somewhat reserved woman standing to the side. The woman's eyes held a hint of inferiority, and she lowered her head, not daring to look Wang Zhenhuan in the eye.

She hid her hands behind her back, her face flushed, like a child who had done something wrong. Seeing this, Wang Huanzhen felt a surge of pity. He looked at the old Taoist priest and asked...

"So what if you're a different kind of person? Aren't all living beings born equal? ​​Although you are a different kind of person, your kindness is no less than that of any other human. And those golden men, though human, how are their actions any different from those of beasts?"

The old Taoist priest laughed heartily upon hearing Wang Zhenhuan's words, his eyes filled with admiration. After laughing, he said to Wang Zhenhuan, "Young man, the equality of all beings is a Buddhist concept."

Our Taoist school emphasizes the importance of preserving life and achieving immortality. How can there be any equality among all beings? People are born with distinctions of nobility and lowliness. Are the children of commoners and the children of officials raised in the same environment from birth?

"According to the Taoist priest, wouldn't ordinary people never be able to seek the Dao and cultivate immortality in their entire lives? After all, the Dao values ​​life, how can one value life without money?" Wang Zhenhuan was displeased upon hearing the old Taoist's explanation.

"The distinction between noble and lowly is not based on the amount of money or status one possesses. If that were the case, wouldn't all the rich people have become immortals? This is the standard by which we Taoists judge a person."

The distinction is based on virtue, which refers to a person's morality and conduct. A virtuous person, even without official rank or wealth, is a noble person. Conversely, a person without virtue, even if incredibly wealthy or powerful, is a lowly person.

While explaining to Wang Zhenhuan, Daoist Luo Puzi held Lin Qingyan's hand and used his spiritual energy to remove the poison from her body caused by the arrow. At this time, the metal contained many impurities.

After entering the body, it will carry a small amount of poison. It's manageable for a short time, but Lin Qingyan has been wounded by the arrow for so many days, relying entirely on a talisman to survive. At this moment, Daoist Luo Puzi...

She was using her own spiritual energy, instead of talismans, to construct a spiritual energy barrier to envelop the arrows. However, because she was operating within her body and Lin Qingyan had never practiced Qi cultivation, she had to proceed slowly and methodically.

Wang Zhenhuan, who was standing to the side, had a sudden realization after listening to the old Taoist's explanation. So that's what "the immortal path values ​​life" means. That's right, it's the most precious thing a person has.

Isn't it his morality and character? That's precisely why he treated that woman with such respect and never looked down on her. Thinking of this, he smiled and said to the old Taoist priest.

"If that's the case, then isn't this lady's virtue a great blessing to me? Does it mean that you people of Gezao Mountain look down on those of different births?"

"Haha, you're so wrong. Of the three branches of Taoism, only the Shangqing branch allows non-Taoists to enter and cultivate. The Shangqing branch worships the Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun."

The core principle is education for all, regardless of background. That's why my Shangqing lineage has the most disciples. How could I possibly look down on her just because she's an anomaly?

For some reason, he found the old Taoist priest to be a very pleasant conversation. It even gave him the feeling of meeting an old friend, as if two long-lost friends had reunited.

Wang Zhenhuan was also infected by the old man's smile, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face. He cupped his hands in greeting and was about to speak when he suddenly heard a faint sound of footsteps.

At first, he thought he had misheard, until the old Taoist frowned and looked at the woods not far away, then he was certain that he hadn't been hallucinating. Sure enough, from the woods not far away...

A group of Jin soldiers in armor ran out. The leader, upon seeing the crowd by the pool, seemed very excited and shouted something to those behind him.

Immediately, the soldiers lined up and, without a word, drew their bows and fired. Wang Zhenhuan was startled and instinctively turned to look at the old Taoist priest beside him. He saw that the old Taoist priest's expression had turned cold.

Facing the rain of arrows flying in, he waved his free left hand in the air. The arrows seemed to encounter an invisible barrier, and were all blocked, as the old Taoist waved his hand again.

The arrows all changed direction and flew back at high speed towards the Jurchen troops. In an instant, the unsuspecting Jurchen soldiers were shot down, their bodies falling to the ground, and cries of agony filled the air.

Wang Zhen, standing to the side, couldn't help but clap and cheer. At the same time, he became even more certain of his guess: such ability to redirect arrows and control objects from a distance was something even immortals couldn't match.

The old Taoist priest said he wasn't a god. How could a mortal do something comparable to a god? This effortless ability to withstand thousands of troops with a wave of the hand ignited a fire within him.

The Jin people seemed surprised to find an old Taoist priest in the mountains. The leader of the Jin people squinted, tilted his head, and whispered something to a soldier beside him. The soldier then turned and ran down the mountain.

"Master, that golden man must have gone back to call for help!" Wang Zhenhuan said anxiously to the old Taoist priest upon seeing this.

The old Taoist priest remained expressionless, holding Lin Qingyan's hand tightly without letting go. He glanced at the golden figures and said casually, "It's alright, let them go."

Seeing the old Taoist priest so calm, Wang Zhenhuan felt much more at ease. He thought to himself that he had indeed made a fuss over nothing; how could someone who could block a rain of arrows with a wave of his hand be afraid of a few Jurchen soldiers?

Just as the two were talking, the leader of the golden men spoke up. Although his words were not very clear, the general meaning was still understandable.

"Master Daoist, why have you come to our Jurchen territory? Our Imperial Preceptor and your Daoist Celestial Master have already established a peace treaty. Do you Han people intend to break this treaty?"

To everyone's surprise, after the leading golden man finished speaking, the old Taoist priest ignored him completely, not even glancing at him. He kept his head down, intently caring for Lin Qingyan. Seeing this, Wang Zhenhuan wanted to laugh but dared not.

"Master, these golden men are so arrogant, should I teach them a lesson?"

"How do you want to teach them a lesson? Go and fight them to the death?" the old Taoist priest asked jokingly after hearing Wang Zhenhuan's words.

Wang Zhenhuan blushed and muttered under his breath, "I definitely can't beat them in a fight, but I can at least vent my anger by cursing them a bit..."

"Then go ahead and curse."

"Hmm... Huh? Ah?" Wang Zhen thought he had misheard and looked up at the old Taoist priest. The old Taoist priest winked at him playfully, then lowered his head to continue healing Lin Qingyan.

Although Wang Zhenhuan didn't understand his gaze, he was deeply shocked. He immediately stood up from the ground, pointed at the leading middle-aged golden man, and shouted:

"Hey!! That old bastard!!"