First achieve immortality, then cultivate immortality.

"This trip will probably last a long time, maybe one or two years."

"If I'm not here, there's not much to eat or do in the valley, so I'd like to send you to stay in the county town first, and I'll pick you up when I get back," Xu Mu said softly to the two sisters.

"Let's stay in the county town..."

The two sisters looked at each other, their expressions hesitant.

"We can stay here and wait for Young Master to come home. There's no need to go to the county town. Although it will be lonely without Young Master, it's okay. We still have the little animals to play with," Li Zhiyuan said softly.

"Yes, after living here for so long, suddenly going to live in a crowded place..." Li Zhihua hugged Xu Mu's waist tightly, her eyes full of unease.

They are already heavily dependent on Xu Mu, and they will feel insecure if they leave him.

It's better in the valley, since it's my own home and no one can come in and disturb me.

They have always lived in seclusion and have had almost no contact with outsiders for so many years. It is inevitable that they would feel resistant if they were suddenly asked to return to the mortal world.

Xu Mu sighed softly and said, "I understand how you feel, but I'm not sure when I'll be back, and there's even a possibility of something unexpected happening."

If I'm gone for too long, it will be very inconvenient for you to stay here.

This is, after all, a remote mountain forest. Although the tiger king and monkeys will hunt for you and provide meat and fruit, and you can also grow vegetables in the fields, there is a lack of coarse grains, and the seasonings will run out.

Without me bringing back desserts from time to time, my mouth would be less sweet, and I would definitely feel more depressed.

From a cultivation perspective, this is not human territory. You are just ordinary people. Living here, you cannot communicate with the outside world, and your "qi" will be constantly depleted. If this continues, it may be dangerous.

Hearing this, Li Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently and said understandingly, "Alright, we'll listen to you, young master. You might encounter danger when you're out and about; we can't let you worry about us anymore."

"I see, alright then..." Li Zhihua could only nod in agreement, so as not to distract Xu Mu from worrying about it.

"I will definitely come back as soon as possible," Xu Mu said softly, hugging them both and pressing them close together intimately.

The two sisters hugged him tightly, their faces filled with reluctance and unease.

Xu Mu sensed their emotions, thought for a moment, and said, "Since you don't like staying in crowded places, how about I arrange for you to stay in the Taoist temple? It's safer that way too."

"The Taoist temple is good." Li Zhihua nodded immediately.

"It would be better if there weren't too many people." Li Zhiyuan nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I'll make the arrangements for you before I leave."

So early the next morning, Xu Mu disguised himself as an old man and went alone to Peach Blossom Temple to visit Qingfeng Daoist.

He didn't really want to go into the Taoist temple, but the elders of the sect wouldn't be idle enough to spy on ordinary people, so it was generally safe.

When he arrived at the Peach Blossom Temple on Peach Blossom Mountain, the sun was high in the sky, nearing noon.

Two years had passed since their last meeting, but when Qingfeng Daoist learned of his visit, he immediately had the welcoming bell rung and solemnly invited him into the Daoist temple.

"Fellow Daoist, how have you been?" Xu Mu greeted him with a faint smile and cupped his hands in a respectful bow.

"All is well, and you still look as dashing as ever, fellow Daoist," Qingfeng Daoist said with a cheerful smile.

As they talked, the two went to sit in the pavilion on the back hill.

Xu Mu did not rush to state his purpose, but instead acted as a proper guest, offering incense and prayers upon entering, visiting the Taoist temple, and then chatting with the Taoist priest.

"Brother Dao, it's a rare treat for you to come all this way. I wonder if you could preach the Dharma to my disciples and grant them a great opportunity?" Qingfeng Daoren said sincerely.

The teachings mentioned here actually refer to explaining the principles of life recorded in Taoist scriptures, not the methods of cultivating immortality.

Taoist priests in the mortal realm usually study Taoist scriptures, which contain the same content as the Taoist canons collected by immortal cultivation sects. They use these scriptures to cultivate their minds and character, and even if they cannot achieve immortality, they will benefit immensely in their future lives.

During his years at the Qinglan Sect, Xu Mu listened to Master Chen Xuan preach, and he himself was quite well-read. Therefore, preaching to these mortals who could not cultivate immortality was not a difficult task for him.

"Since you have extended such a warm invitation, how can I refuse?" he said with a faint smile.

"Thank you so much, fellow Daoist!" Qingfeng Daoist immediately bowed with delight.

"It's nothing, just a small favor," Xu Mu said with a smile, stroking his long beard.

Given his current appearance, it would be more than enough to call him a highly accomplished Taoist master in the mortal world.

So he didn't go home that day, but stayed there overnight.

The next day, he gave a sermon in the lecture hall, and his room was filled with disciples.

Almost all the disciples were present, and even Daoist Qingfeng was listening attentively with a respectful expression.

Xu Mu sat upright above, imitating the manner of Master Chen Xuan, speaking in a calm and unhurried tone, quoting scriptures effortlessly without even needing to use any books.

After hearing this, everyone's admiration grew even stronger.

……

As dusk approached, Xu Mu finished his lecture and it was time for him to take his leave.

"Brother Daoist, why don't you stay a couple more days?" Qingfeng Daoist was still trying to persuade him to stay.

Xu Mu smiled and said, "No, I have family waiting for me at home."

"Oh? So you're not cultivating alone on the mountain, fellow Daoist?" Qingfeng Daoist was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

"Haha, wouldn't it be lonely to live alone in the mountains for a long time? A few years ago, I happened to save a disciple and a pair of sisters. They had suffered a great calamity and lost all their relatives. They had no more attachment to worldly affairs, so they came with me to live in seclusion in the mountains to cultivate and serve me."

"I see, that's quite a stroke of luck." Daoist Qingfeng nodded.

It would be strange to just say that there were two sisters, so after considering all aspects, Xu Mu fabricated a disciple.

Then, feigning hesitation, he said, "Speaking of which, I'd like to take my disciple out for a trip in a few days, but I'm not entirely comfortable leaving the two sisters alone in the mountains..."

Upon hearing this, Daoist Qingfeng immediately smiled and said, "Brother Daoist, you are welcome to send them here to stay temporarily, so that our temple can fulfill its duty as hosts."

Xu Mu hesitated, "But those two women might disturb your esteemed temple."

"Oh, fellow Daoist, you worry too much. We have several female Daoists in our temple. How could it be inconvenient to take care of the two ladies?"

Taoist temples are not Buddhist monasteries; there have always been female practitioners there, so there's no need to avoid them.

Xu Mu had been waiting for these words, so he cupped his hands and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you to take care of me, fellow Daoist. I may not be able to return for another year or two after this trip."

"No problem, Brother Dao, please go ahead and do your work." Qingfeng Daoist agreed with a smile, not paying much attention to it.

Xu Mu breathed a sigh of relief and said nothing more, simply stating that he would send them over in a couple of days before bowing and taking his leave.

When he got home, the two sisters were worried because he hadn't come home the night before.

Xu Mu had no choice but to soothe him gently.

With their departure imminent, the two sisters wanted to spend more time with him.

Xu Mu longed to live out his life like this, but he had already seen through the meaning of life and the true essence of love. If he were to abandon his spiritual practice for this reason, it would only be indulging in fleeting affection.

Even if the sisters have limited lifespans, he cannot be bound to them because of that.

Fireworks fade quickly, beauty withers easily; everything is but a passing moment.

Only by moving on and not dwelling on the past can we continue to move forward.