First achieve immortality, then cultivate immortality.

early morning.

The young Taoist priest of Peach Blossom Temple opened the temple gate and began sweeping the steps with a broom.

At this moment, two people came up the steps, riding the wind.

The young Taoist priest took a closer look and saw that one of them was Wei Wushuang, who had come two days ago, and was now walking obediently behind.

An elderly man was walking in front of him.

The old man was dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe, with a long beard. He looked kind and gentle, and had the air of a sage.

The young Taoist priest quickly tucked the broom under his arm, clasped his hands in a salute, and addressed him as "Taoist Master."

The old man smiled faintly and nodded.

Wei Wushuang shouted, "Quickly announce that the headmaster of Fuling Temple on Mount Luofu has arrived! Greet him at once!"

Upon hearing this, the young Taoist priest readily agreed and hurriedly ran back to the Taoist temple with his broom.

After the old man waited for him to go inside and announce his arrival, he looked at Wei Wushuang and said in a deep voice, "How can you be so rude?"

Wei Wushuang quickly cupped his hands in apology: "Master, please forgive me, you are, after all, the sect leader..."

Master Lingxu sighed: "You don't even understand the principle of 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do'. You still haven't learned how to cultivate your mind and character. You're obsessed with becoming an immortal and asking the Dao, and you're arrogant and look down on everyone."

Wei Wushuang felt embarrassed upon hearing this: "It can't be that bad..."

"Hmph, it's probably even worse than I described. After this matter, you'll be punished by copying scriptures in the library to reflect on your actions," he said calmly.

"Huh? You copied them all..." Wei Wushuang was dumbfounded.

Master Lingxu ignored him and looked into the Taoist temple.

As the bell rang to welcome the distinguished guests, Master Qingsong and his disciples came out to greet them.

The two exchanged greetings and pleasantries, completely unlike Wei Wushuang's attitude of showing off their seniority.

Even though Master Lingxu held a high position and was of a higher generation, he still addressed him as fellow Daoist.

This made Wei Wushuang even more embarrassed. Standing at the back, he dared not look at the expressions of the others. He always felt that the disciples of Peach Blossom Temple were mocking him, which made him restless and angry.

"My disciple's cultivation is insufficient. Relying on his cultivation, he is arrogant and disdainful of everyone, and has offended many people. Please forgive him, fellow Daoist." Master Lingxu took the initiative to bow and apologize.

"This...it's alright, Master, there's no need for such formalities," Qingsong Daoist quickly replied.

He was surprised and flattered by the other party's attitude.

"Sanjie, apologize now," Master Lingxu said in a deep voice.

Wei Wushuang was practically forced to bow and apologize to the people of Peach Blossom Temple, his face extremely stiff.

Master Lingxu sighed to Daoist Qingsong, "It's all my fault for neglecting his upbringing. He was spoiled from a young age and developed this temperament. He's consumed by greed, anger, and ignorance. That's why I gave him the Dharma name Sanjie (Three Precepts), hoping he can rid himself of these three poisons of the heart."

"...The sect leader is also deeply fond of his disciple." Qingsong Daoist could only say this politely.

His position was awkward, and he couldn't comment on Wei Wushuang.

At this moment, Wei Wushuang looked like he was being dragged by his parents to apologize, his face taut, and anyone could tell what he was feeling.

"Master, please come inside and talk," said Qingsong Daoist.

"please."

The two exchanged pleasantries before entering the Taoist temple.

After sitting down in the main room and drinking tea, Master Lingxu explained his origins.

Qingsong Daoren nodded: "A few days ago, the Valley Master of Medicine God Valley informed me. I didn't expect the Sect Leader to arrive so early."

Master Lingxu smiled and said, "After all, my disciple offended me first, so I should show more sincerity."

Because Xu Mu said seven days later, depending on the interpretation, it could be today or tomorrow, so he came today.

Qingsong Daoren nodded and then talked to him about Xu Mu's matter, hoping to act as a peacemaker and mediate between them.

Xu Mu proposed meeting at Peach Blossom Temple based on this consideration.

……

The next morning, when Xu Mu arrived at Peach Blossom Temple, Master Lingxu and his disciple had already spent the night there and had been waiting for a long time.

The atmosphere was quite harmonious during the tripartite meeting.

It looked like three white-haired old men were drinking tea together.

Xu Mu was already the second-generation Valley Master, and after many years he had grown old, so he looked like an old man.

He was indeed an old man, 230 years old this year, older than the combined ages of the two people in front of him.

At the very beginning, Master Lingxu made Wei Wushuang apologize.

This time, Wei Wushuang's apology was sincere, after all, he knew that the gap between them was still very large.

To put it bluntly, it's bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

Xu Mu didn't stand on ceremony with him and said with a faint smile, "Young man, you're too impetuous. Your cultivation is decent, but your temperament is terrible."

Wei Wushuang could only awkwardly accept it, and had to say, "Senior is right..."

Master Lingxu stroked his beard and said, "People can't teach people, but they can learn from experience. I hope he can learn a lesson from you. When he returns to the temple, I will punish him by making him copy Taoist scriptures so he can reflect on his actions."

Wei Wushuang could only nod awkwardly in agreement.

If it were just his master and this senior, he wouldn't be so embarrassed, but with Qingsong Daoist and a disciple from Peach Blossom Temple watching, he felt very ashamed.

Seeing their good attitude, Xu Mu returned the talisman to them.

"Thank you very much, senior." Wei Wushuang accepted it with gratitude.

Xu Mu smiled faintly and ignored him.

Master Lingxu didn't say anything more about him.

After the conversation started with Wei Wushuang, the three people present got to know each other and then chatted slowly while drinking tea.

Starting with the question of what cultivation is and why it is practiced, the three elderly Taoist masters quoted Taoist scriptures and shared their own insights.

Only Wei Wushuang and a disciple from the Taoist temple were listening quietly nearby. Both of them were around thirty years old and had considerable experience.

The debate was quite brilliant; even Wei Wushuang listened intently, and after careful consideration, he secretly praised it as wonderful.

He wanted to chime in, but he held back and tried to be humble.

After all, the main people discussing the Dao were Xu Mu and Lingxu Zhenren, two people he dared not offend.

He was even surprised to find that his master was at a disadvantage, often lost in thought, while Senior Yao could ask key questions with ease, readily quoting various Taoist scriptures and demonstrating his profound knowledge.

In the end, the focus of this discussion shifted to Xu Mu alone, and even Master Lingxu had to adopt a humble attitude and engage in discussions centered around Xu Mu.

"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" Master Lingxu exclaimed in admiration.

"Fellow Daoist's understanding of the Dao is truly insightful. Listening to your words is more valuable than reading books for ten years."

"You flatter me, Master. These are just some personal insights. If they can provoke thought, that's enough," Xu Mu said with a faint smile, still calm and composed, showing no sign of vanity.

Wei Wushuang's gaze was involuntarily drawn to him, her eyes filled with admiration.

This seems to be the person he dreams of being—powerful, knowledgeable, able to easily win over those around him, and yet remaining calm and composed.

"It's getting late, let's go have lunch first, and then we can talk," said Master Qingsong with a smile.

The discussion was pleasant and beneficial to both parties, which was the ideal scenario. He had been worried that the two of them might suddenly turn against each other during the conversation.

It's noon now, so let's break the tea party and have lunch together.

After finishing our meal, it was time to get down to business.

Master Lingxu invited Xu Mu to take a walk in the back mountain for a private discussion.