The spiritual energy was restored, and he became a mortal immortal in two days.

May 5th, the beginning of summer, was sunny.

"A single word or two can reveal profound truths; why bother with countless recitations of sacred texts?"

The next day, early in the morning.

Chen Xuan woke up at eight o'clock sharp, just like always.

I didn't go down the mountain for my morning exercise today because it's an important day.

The Taoist temple welcomed pilgrims on its first day after reconstruction.

After breakfast, the gates of the Taoist temple opened, and Chen Xuan, dressed in a white Taoist robe, with an air of otherworldly elegance, sat before the incense table to welcome the worshippers.

Zhao Laisheng made a special trip here once to inquire whether Qingcheng Mountain should be closed off as the exclusive Taoist temple of Xianyun Temple, prohibiting outsiders from entering or leaving.

Chen Xuan resolutely refused.

The mountain is closed, there are no pilgrims, what's the point of keeping the Taoist temple open?

[My disciple, you must remember this: if you ever achieve success in your cultivation, always keep in mind the rules of Xianyun Temple.]

Master, what are the rules?

In prosperous times, one cultivates oneself diligently; in chaotic times, one helps the common people!

On that day, it was Master's 70th birthday. He was drunk, holding a wine bottle up to the sky, full of heroic spirit.

But soon, he gave up again.

Because he cultivated for a lifetime but never achieved any real mastery. At most, he could only improve his physical health and struggle to even fight off a couple of thugs when he went down the mountain. How could he possibly talk about saving the common people?

"Master, this Taoist temple is as you wished."

Chen Xuan looked up at the first pilgrim who had walked up the long staircase, his eyes filled with emotion.

I'm afraid that by the end of his cultivation, Master had given up hope and never imagined that Xianyun Temple would one day open its doors to worshippers and solve their problems.

The first person to come up today was a butcher.

He put ten yuan into the donation box, lit three long incense sticks, and then knelt down to worship the statues of the Three Pure Ones in the main hall.

Then, he walked towards Chen Xuan, his expression slightly suspicious.

What a young Taoist priest! Is it really useful to ask him for help?

Lu Yao stood to the side and smiled gently, "Butcher Tang, what do you want to ask for? Tell me."

This butcher specializes in slaughtering pigs for the village. Lu Yao sometimes goes to his stall to buy groceries, so they are quite familiar with each other.

Butcher Tang grinned, his words like a bolt from the blue, "Taoist priest, which direction should you kowtow to to make money?"

Lu Yao's expression froze instantly.

Chen Xuan said in a serious tone, "If I knew, you definitely wouldn't be able to beat me."

puff!

Lu Yao spat out the water she had just drunk.

She never imagined that her senior brother, who was always aloof from worldly affairs, could be so humorous.

Butcher Tang grinned even louder, "Taoist Master, I knew it. You're no ordinary person, not just any ordinary person, but exceptionally serious."

"Okay, I was just joking earlier."

Butcher Tang's expression turned serious. "Taoist Master, I have only one question to ask you."

As he spoke, he took out the pig-slaughtering knife hanging from his waist.

"I've been a butcher my whole life, and the number of people who have died by this knife is at least several thousand, if not ten thousand."

"My question is, since I've killed so many living beings, will I really go to hell after I die?"

"I'm afraid that after reincarnation, I'll be reborn as an animal."

At this point, Chen Xuan's expression became very serious: "Don't worry, you won't go to hell."

Butcher Tang was somewhat pleased and asked, "Why? According to Buddhist teachings, the sins I have committed are too grave, and I will be cast into the eighteenth level of hell."

Chen Xuan: "Because there is no reincarnation at all."

Butcher Tang: "Huh?"

Lu Yao: "Huh?"

The two spoke almost in unison, expressing their shock at the sudden shattering of the common sense they had been taught.

"Don't be shocked, there really is no reincarnation. I've been to the underworld."

After a moment of stunned silence, Butcher Tang shook his head with a laugh. This was too far-fetched; he didn't believe it.

No one who has been to the underworld can ever come back. This Taoist priest is definitely lying to him.

As he spoke, he put down another twenty yuan and prepared to go down the mountain.

The reason I came up here is because ten years ago, the old Taoist priest in this temple often drank and joked with me. When I heard that the temple was being rebuilt, I came up out of curiosity to take a look.

That said, the old Taoist priest had it tough too, taking in so many orphans. He would give away a few pieces of pork he had left over after selling it.

"Butcher Tang, how have you been sleeping lately?"

Just then, Chen Xuan stood up, asked him a question, and smiled slightly.

How did you know I wasn't sleeping well?

Butcher Tang said in surprise, "It's really strange. Lately, I often have trouble getting up. I'm fully conscious and want to get out of bed, but I just can't."

"Then every day when I wake up, my back aches and my waist hurts, as if I'm carrying a heavy weight on my body."

Chen Xuan: "Put away the butcher's knife and place it by your pillow."

As he spoke, Chen Xuan naturally handed back the butcher's knife that had been left on the table.

"Huh, how did I forget my eating utensils? I haven't been sleeping well lately."

Tang the butcher muttered to himself, then descended the mountain in a daze.

Lu Yao asked with a worried expression, "Senior brother, what's wrong with him...?"

"It's nothing, I'm just being haunted by the pig demon's resentment, and I'm experiencing sleep paralysis."

Chen Xuan waved his hand, indicating it was a minor issue.

Just now, without realizing it, he had already branded an inscription onto the butcher's knife.

After tonight, Butcher Tang's house will probably be cleaner than the Taoist temple, and any evil spirits and demons will be invisibly dissipated.

Watching Butcher Tang leave, Lu Yao finally came to her senses and quickly asked, "Senior brother, is there really no reincarnation in this world?"

"Of course, I didn't see it anyway."

Chen Xuan poured himself a cup of tea, his gaze tinged with reminiscence. "After Wang Chunyang died, I slaughtered all the demons, and then went to the Yellow Springs Hell, hoping to retrieve a few people."

"However, there is only the River of Oblivion there, with the banks of which are covered with spider lilies, and there are no other living beings."

As Chen Xuan recounted his story with regret, Lu Yao listened intently, her eyes wide with astonishment.

Is this spoken in human language?

If someone is a good person who has gone to the underworld, can they still be reviewed, and can a few people be brought back?

As time goes by.

Several pilgrims arrived one after another, but their conversations with Chen Xuan once again broadened Lu Yao's horizons.

"Master, how can I abstain from lust?"

Chen Xuan: "It's alright. I often read it when I was young, to confront my own inner self."

"Master, why don't you go down the mountain to exorcise the ghost?"

Chen Xuan: "My master once went down the mountain with his sword and was fined several hundred yuan. He was almost laughed to death by ghosts."

"Master, I've heard that the purple robe represents the strongest Taoist master. When will you wear it?"

Chen Xuan: "I don't like wearing purple robes, but that doesn't stop me from seeing others wear them."

.......

These questions and answers left Lu Yao speechless, completely shattering the image of her senior brother as an immortal being in her mind.

Chen Xuan smiled and said, "Don't look at me like that. Every version of me is a part of my past life."

In his more than nine thousand years of cultivation, he has had too many identities to remember them all.

"Junior sister, you must remember, the true master of cultivation is formless."

Lu Yao asked, puzzled, "What is 'formless'?"

"Without a specific state or personality, unrestrained and free, carefree and at ease, able to express oneself however one pleases."

"In other words, if I want to cultivate Taoism today, I am a Taoist priest of the Three Pure Ones; if I want to cultivate Buddhism, I am a Bodhisattva or Buddha; if I want to cultivate Confucianism, I am a Confucian sage."

"All methods of Taoism follow only my own will."

Lu Yao looked bewildered, her mouth agape, indicating her incomprehension.

"It's okay, you don't need to understand, I'm here for you."

Chen Xuan was mentally prepared. Not to mention Lu Yao, even the former founders of the three religions couldn't understand him and even labeled him as a heretic.

As the sun set, the Taoist temple closed its doors, and Chen Xuan and the others ate and rested inside.

That very night, Qingzhou welcomed a group of people from an ancient sect.

The leader among them was named Su Yanhan, and he wore a jade pendant from the Xianyun Temple at his waist...