First achieve immortality, then cultivate immortality.

"After a fresh rain in the empty mountains, the weather turns autumnal in the evening. The bright moon shines between the pines, and a clear spring flows over the rocks..."

"These are the verses written by my young master," Li Zhihua said proudly.

"Your young master is amazing!" a young girl exclaimed in amazement.

She was the eldest daughter of the Xiao family, a prominent local family in Taoshan County.

When I visited Taohua Temple to offer incense before, I met the sisters Li Zhiyuan and Li Zhihua. I felt that we shared similar interests, so I often came to Taohua Temple to visit them.

"Of course! My young master is a cultivator favored by the gods, possessing both talent and good looks!"

Li Zhihua made no attempt to hide her admiration and infatuation, constantly referring to "my young master."

Xu Mu originally arranged for them to be junior sisters, but they quickly revealed their true identities in daily life. They claimed that they were saved by the "young master" and became his maids in order to repay his kindness.

The young master was the old immortal's disciple, so the old immortal took them in as disciples as well.

Therefore, although they were the young master's junior sisters, they still preferred to act as maids and serve him in order to repay his kindness.

Xiao Hongying chuckled and nodded slightly. The more she heard about it, the more curious she became about the "young master" the two sisters were talking about.

"Alright, the strings are tuned," Li Zhiyuan said.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongying walked over and said sweetly, "Thank you, Sister Zhiyuan. Sister Zhiyuan is truly amazing; not only can she play, but she also knows how to tune the strings."

Li Zhiyuan smiled slightly: "Living in the valley, you can only rely on yourself."

Li Zhihua chuckled to herself, "Your sister went to great lengths to make sure the young master liked it."

Li Zhiyuan glared at her, feeling a little embarrassed and annoyed.

She was the more reserved type, unlike her younger sister who always talked about her feelings for the young master.

"Is the valley where you live really that nice? Could you take me in to see it too?" Xiao Hongying couldn't help but ask.

Upon hearing this, the two sisters exchanged an embarrassed look.

They always showed off in front of others, but when others actually wanted to see it, they were unwilling, since it was their private little nest with many embarrassing memories.

"Um... without your guidance, young master, we can't get in," Li Zhiyuan said somewhat hesitantly.

"When your young master returns, could you please tell him for me? He's been gone for a year; he should be back soon."

Seeing how persistent she was, the two sisters were in a dilemma and regretted saying too much.

But because they had Xiao Hongying to chat with, they didn't feel too empty and lonely this past year.

"Then let's wait for the young master to return... and see what he thinks," Li Zhiyuan said, forcing herself to speak.

"Yes, yes, it shouldn't be a problem for you to take Hongying into the valley with you, young master," Li Zhihua said with an awkward smile.

In reality, they hoped that Xu Mu would refuse, or that Xiao Hongying would not be there when Xu Mu came back to pick them up, so that they wouldn't have to worry about this issue.

Xiao Hongying, unaware of their conflicted thoughts, simply nodded happily, looking forward to seeing the "Fairy Valley" they had mentioned.

A secluded valley, undisturbed by anyone, tranquil and beautiful, where one need not worry about daily necessities and is almost completely free from worldly troubles.

How could ordinary people not yearn for it after hearing this?

Even the emperor would probably want to stay there if he found out.

Just then, a beautiful female Taoist priest dressed in a dark blue robe burst into the courtyard and said with a smile, "Zhiyuan, Zhihua, your young master has arrived."

"Huh?" The three people present all looked over, unsure whether they hadn't heard clearly or hadn't reacted yet.

The female Taoist priest smiled and repeated, "Your young master has come to take you home."

"Really?!" The two sisters jumped up in surprise.

"Let's go, let's go take a look!" Xiao Hongying seemed even more excited than they were.

The two sisters disregarded everything else and hurriedly said, "Where is he? Take us there quickly."

"Let's pack our luggage first!" Li Zhiyuan thought.

So the two hurriedly went back into the house and took all their belongings with them.

"Please come in," the female Taoist priest said with a smile, gesturing with her hand.

Xiao Hongying followed along, emphasizing that she hoped the young master would take her to see the Immortal Valley.

Upon hearing this, the female Taoist priest immediately wanted a spot as well.

The two sisters lived here for a year and naturally became familiar with the Taoist priests in the temple. Many of the priests also longed for that Immortal Valley.

The two sisters could only nod nervously and hurried on their way, hoping to see the young master as soon as possible.

……

Xu Mu was being received by Qingfeng Daoist in the main hall.

At this time, he was young and apologized for not being able to visit his "master". He lied and said that he was injured and would personally visit to thank him after he recovered.

At the same time, he brought gifts to the Taoist temple, some incense he had made himself that could calm the mind and soothe the spirit, packaged in a sandalwood box.

"This incense is suitable for both meditation and falling asleep, please don't be shy about using it."

After some polite exchanges, seeing that he couldn't refuse, Qingfeng Daoist had his disciple accept the gift and sent someone to invite the sisters Li Zhiyuan and Li Zhihua.

When the two sisters arrived, they couldn't help but cry tears of joy, hugging their instruments and rushing into the man's arms.

This scene caused bystanders to avoid looking at it.

Xiao Hongying blushed shyly, while secretly glancing at the young master the two sisters were talking about.

"Alright, alright, what kind of behavior is this in public?" Xu Mu patted the two women on the back with a smile to comfort them.

The two sisters wiped their eyes, blushing with embarrassment, and stepped away from his embrace.

Xu Mu cupped his hands to Qingfeng Daoist and said, "Thank you for taking care of my two junior sisters."

"Just my junior sister?" Qingfeng Daoren joked with a smile.

Xu Mu wasn't embarrassed at all, and said with a faint smile, "She's not really a junior sister, what matters is that we understand each other and are content with what we have."

Master Qingfeng stroked his beard and said with a smile, "You've truly mastered the essence of Taoism by following your master."

"You flatter me, Daoist Master. I'm just showing off my superficial knowledge," Xu Mu said modestly.

"Alright, they've been eager to go home for a while, so we won't keep you any longer," said Qingfeng Daoren.

It was already afternoon, and everyone had already eaten lunch, so there wasn't much to offer for the guests to stay.

"Thank you for taking us in, Taoist priest." The two sisters bowed politely together.

Xu Mu bowed to everyone present to express his gratitude for their care, and then prepared to leave with the two sisters.

Xiao Hongying watched longingly.

Li Zhiyuan felt a little embarrassed and had no choice but to bring up the matter with Xu Mu.

Xu Mu was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, that's a secluded place for our sect's cultivation, and it's not convenient for outsiders to disturb us."

These words sounded very cold-hearted, but they completely extinguished Xiao Hongying's hopes.

The two sisters secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but seeing the disappointment on Xiao Hongying's face, they felt somewhat ashamed.

If they hadn't brought it up to show off, things wouldn't have come to this.

"Alright then..." Xiao Hongying forced a smile, and could only watch them leave with regret.

Xu Mu nodded calmly, ignoring her emotions, and took his leave with the two sisters.

After leaving the Taoist temple, he glanced at the two sisters and asked, "What did you say to her?"

The two of them lowered their heads like children who had done something wrong.

"I'm sorry, young master, we said many things we shouldn't have..."

As they spoke, the two added to each other's stories, truthfully recounting what they had done over the past year.

Actually, I just couldn't help showing off to my girlfriends how happy I am living in the valley.

However, it cannot be said that it was out of a desire to show off. They are not the kind of people who like to show off. Perhaps it was a more complex longing that made them unable to help but express it in this way.

Thinking of this, Xu Mu patted their heads affectionately: "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Yes!" The two sisters, their eyes filled with tears, wept with joy, eager to go home and express their longing.