Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

Afterward, Zhuang Xing spent some time teaching her basic knowledge about iron ships, which he used as a way to relieve boredom on the ship.

On the way back to Yidu, the official transport boats stopped twice.

And so, in late July, they finally saw the familiar Yidu.

It has been almost half a year since they came down the mountain.

The two visited old friends in Yidu, went to the Wu family's house for tea, and visited Xiao Moli.

When they went to find Chu Sheng, they unexpectedly met an acquaintance. Bai Yu seemed to come to Yidu often because of the wheat matter. Both of them were agricultural officials, and they had unknowingly become acquaintances.

After staying in Yidu for three days and failing to find out about Yan Huai'an from Granny Qian, Zhuang Xing took Fu Chuan to see the prefect and returned Fu Chuan to him.

"How was your journey, sir?" the prefect asked.

"Very good, thanks to the prefect's special permission, the journey has become much more convenient," Zhuang Xing said.

Zhuang Xing also went to find the old man who sold paper, intending to ask if he had any letters to deliver to the old Taoist priest. However, the old man had no interest in writing letters at all, saying that he was illiterate and wouldn't write any letters. He suggested that if Zhuang Xing wanted to write a letter, he should have that old geezer come over and drink with him.

He is also a person of strong emotions.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the two did not linger and hurried towards the village.

After walking along the newly repaired official road for a day, we finally saw the outline of Manggu Village.

The canal is almost reaching the village. There are many wheat fields outside, planted with wheat, and workers and caravans come and go.

When I got home, my mother was washing my little sister's hair. A basin of water was poured over my little sister's head, and my mother vigorously wiped the water off her with a handkerchief.

"Guess who's back?" Mother rubbed her little sister's cheek.

“It’s Father!” the little sister said.

"You guessed wrong," Mother laughed.

The younger sister then looked up, saw Zhuang Xing's face, and immediately shouted, "Brother!"

That night, Zhuang Xing was having dinner at home with his younger sister in his arms when he heard some news.

“The village chief… he passed away two months ago…” the mother said. “Son, now that you’re back, come with me tomorrow to visit the village chief. When you were little, the village chief took good care of our family. Before this house was built, it was the village chief who took us in.”

The old man's face appeared before Zhuang Xing's eyes; he certainly hadn't forgotten that somewhat shrewd and timid old man.

Although he didn't have much of a relationship with the village chief, he still vividly remembered the old man's voice and appearance. He recalled that the last time he saw the village chief, the old man was still very healthy, but when he returned, he heard the news of the old man's passing.

He looked down and saw his little sister in his arms, shoveling rice into her mouth with chopsticks. He sighed softly and replied, "I understand, Mother. I'll bring some more gifts tomorrow."

At night, he came to the side of the black horse and touched its neck. A white mouse poked its head out of the soil. He bent down and scratched the white mouse's ears. The white mouse was getting fatter and fatter.

He thought for a moment, then took out a flask of monkey wine from his saddlebag. There were five flasks of monkey wine in total; one was given to the emperor, and the remaining four were kept by him.

Chapter 217 The Fish Without Feet

He had discussed it with Yunling, and originally planned to keep one pot at home, take one pot back to give to his teacher, give one pot to his friend Maoxiong, and keep one pot for himself and Yunling to drink slowly.

Of these five jugs of monkey wine, one was a gift from Hundred Flowers Valley, and the remaining four were obtained through their life-giving magic. Originally, each jug of wine was meticulously planned, but upon hearing the news of the village chief's passing, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

The old man with the hunched back who pleaded with Yan Huai'an to stay in the village, the old man who took in my mother and Zhuang Xing on that snowy night, is now buried deep in the soil.

Zhuang Xing looked towards the doorway and seemed to see the old man walking towards him with his hands tucked into his sleeves, trembling.

The first time he visited the new house, the village chief brought him and his mother.

He still remembered that the village chief had put a rooster in the yard to predict good or bad fortune. Later, after the house was built, the village chief gave the rooster to "Master Yan". Zhuang Xing's teeth hadn't grown in yet, so he didn't get to eat chicken, but he did get to drink chicken soup.

Later, the village chief also sent over candied fruits. That year, the village chief's family was undoubtedly the richest family in the village.

Zhuang Xing didn't say much to the old man. He only remembered that when something happened, the old man always frowned and looked worried, afraid that things would get worse. Although he was afraid, he always gritted his teeth and faced the situation head-on.

He hadn't originally planned to give the wine to the village chief, but it wasn't until the village chief died that he realized the old man had helped his family a lot.

And these were things that the old man took for granted when he was alive.

He couldn't help but think that the old man was truly a very good village chief.

He sighed, picked up the white mouse, and rubbed it.

The next day, the family visited the village chief's house together.

Zhuang Xing presented the monkey wine to them, without mentioning how precious or profound the wine was, only saying that it was a fine wine brewed on the mountain and that drinking it could strengthen the body.

The village chief's son greeted them and accepted the wine. He wanted Zhuang Xing to perform a ritual for his father's soul, saying that his father had always respected the Taoist priests at Xuanqing Temple, and he would be very happy if a Taoist priest from the temple could perform the ritual for his father.

Zhuang Xing agreed. He changed into his Taoist robe, took out his long sword, and the village chief's son led Zhuang Xing and his family to the village chief's grave to burn paper money and light incense.

The little sister rubbed her eyes and yawned in her mother's arms. Zhuang Xing bowed three times, watched the embers drift away with the black smoke, and followed the rituals of Xuanqing Temple. He placed his sword horizontally in front of the tombstone and recited Taoist scriptures for the village chief's salvation.

The village chief's eldest son poured a bowl of monkey wine onto the tombstone and said, "Father, Aunt Zhu's son has come to see you. If you are watching from heaven, drink this bowl of wine and have a safe journey."

On the way back, the younger sister skipped and hopped along, holding Zhuang Xing's index finger.

She didn't care about the ritual just now at all, and only asked her brother where they should go to play later.

She was still a child who didn't understand anything.

...

Zhuang Xing spent the Mid-Autumn Festival at home. The bright moon hung high in the sky, and a table of food was set out in their courtyard, including fish, meat, and chicken, which was very plentiful.

"Brother, brother, the moon is so round."

"It's perfectly round."

"Brother, is Chang'e dancing on the moon?"

"possible."

"Brother, when can I go to the moon?"

"You can go up once you fall asleep."

"Brother, can't you take me to the moon?"

"I'd like to, but you're too fat, I can't carry you."

"Hmph, I'm not fat! Hehehe!"

Zhuang Xing pinched his little sister's face and pulled her into a smile. She also stretched out her little hand and stretched Zhuang Xing's face.

...

After spending the Mid-Autumn Festival at home and taking a short holiday, Zhuang Xing and Yunling prepared to return to the temple.

The little girl was reluctant to leave. If she were a bit older, Zhuang Xing would be willing to take her up the mountain to play, but she was too young. Such a young child could not be separated from her parents' care at all, let alone travel far.

The little sister was no longer teary-eyed as before, but she still whispered in Zhuang Xing's ear, "Brother, please come back early during the New Year to play with me, okay?"

Zhuang Xing agreed, then patted her on the back, returned her to her family, said goodbye to his family, and embarked on the journey back to the temple with Yunling.

He had already told Yunling about giving the monkey wine to the village chief's family. He said that the wine was their joint property, and that he would definitely compensate her in other ways in the future.

It was already the end of August when we returned to the foot of Qingxuan Mountain.

Zhuang Xing took Wuzhui back to the stable. Once inside, Wuzhui trotted happily towards a small mare, which was probably Xiaocui, but Xiaocui wasn't a green horse; she was a white horse.

The path up the mountain was still the same, unchanged. On this blue stone staircase, some Taoist priests went up and down the mountain, wearing the same Taoist robes as the others.

The road and people were no longer unfamiliar. Although I didn't know the names of some of the senior students, I felt much more at ease looking at their attire, as if I had found a place to belong.

After passing through the Taoist gate, the two went to Qiluzhai to find the old Taoist priest.

Zhuang Xing placed a neatly folded Taoist robe and the black sword tassel placed on the robe in front of Master Qingxu.

The old Taoist priest, who was drinking tea, was stunned and stared blankly at the black sword tassel.

"Where did you find this sword tassel?"

"It was found in the palace."

Zhuang Xing told the old Taoist everything he had found out about his senior brother Song Yu.

The old Taoist listened quietly, his wrinkled hands holding the sword tassel, a hint of regret in his eyes.

The old Taoist poured himself another cup of tea and placed it beside his Taoist robe, as if inviting his fellow disciple to drink tea.

He recalled some old stories. Many years ago, there was indeed a little boy sitting in that spot, drinking tea with him.

The little boy was restless and had no proper posture, looking around and glancing left and right.

"Pah, pah, pah, Master, why is the tea you brewed bitter?"

"You're the first person to say this tea is bitter."

"It's bitter to begin with, it doesn't taste good at all."

"You drank it all even though it didn't taste good. Hey, why did you eat the tea leaves too?"

"Maybe the leaves are sweet, ah, or they're so bitter."

...

That little boy had also accompanied him to Yidu.

"Master, Yidu is so much fun! Look, there are boats over there! It's the first time I've ever seen a boat!"

"This wall is so high! Master, how did you build it?"

"Master, why are we staying in a monks' temple? Aren't we Taoists? Why don't the monks kick us out?"

...

......

The child is nowhere to be seen; only this Taoist robe and a sword tassel remain.

The old Taoist looked at Zhuang Xing in front of him and felt that some things overlapped, but there were also many differences.

"Child, do you think the scenery along the way is beautiful?"

"It's neither good nor bad," Zhuang Xing said, "but it's very interesting."

The old Taoist priest laughed: "Your senior brother Song Yu also said the scenery was interesting. You wouldn't happen to be like him and quietly descend the mountain in the future, would you?"

“How could that be?” Zhuang Xing said matter-of-factly. “If I’m going down the mountain, I certainly won’t do it secretly. I will definitely go down the mountain openly and honestly.”

The old Taoist priest's smile widened, and he took out two pieces of candy, handing them to the two people in front of him.