Chapter 240 The First Visit to Longhu Mountain

Wei Yuan cast an invisibility spell to avoid ordinary people and made his way to Longhu Mountain.

The old Daoist had already told the young Daoist A Xuan to wait at the foot of the mountain.

Green mountains, thin mist, a sea of clouds, and the rising sun.

The handsome young Daoist held his hands in his sleeves, which were damp with mist.

Only the mark of a flame between his eyebrows was even more vivid.

Seeing Wei Yuan walking up the steps from the foot of Longhu Mountain, the young Daoist's eyes lit up. He jogged over, the air of a banished immortal vanishing completely as he laughed, "Curator Wei, you're here."

"My Shixiong told me to wait for you here."

A Xuan seemed very happy to see Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan ruffled the young man's hair.

A Xuan led Wei Yuan up the mountain to Zhang Ruosu's residence. As soon as they entered, they saw Daoist scriptures piled high everywhere, and the old Daoist sitting amidst them. A strong aroma of tea filled the air. The old man's eye bags were heavier than the last time they met, but he was in good spirits.

"You're here? Sit..."

Wei Yuan glanced at the Yangqi (nourishing Qi) incantation on the table.

It was covered in dense annotations, and he mused, "Daoist Zhang, have you been staying up late working on this?"

Zhang Ruosu said, "What else would I be doing?"

Wei Yuan pondered, "Staying up late playing video games?"

The old Daoist was choked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He waved his hand, annoyed, "Nonsense, I haven't been online for two weeks. Because you guys are so unreliable, I have to do it myself in the end."

"And you don't even consider how old I am."

Wei Yuan smiled and saw the big tengu, Longhu Mountain Number One.

Surprised, he picked up the 'cat' and casually said, "When did you get a cat?"

"Oh, right, Daoist Wei, this cat's temper is a bit..."

Zhang Ruosu was about to say that the cat had a bad temper, but before he could finish, he saw Wei Yuan easily lift Longhu Mountain Number One by the scruff of its neck, and the cat didn't even resist. Wei Yuan turned his head and smiled, "Daoist Zhang, what were you saying?"

"Come to think of it, this cat... looks familiar..."

The tengu's body stiffened, and its eyes became vertical slits.

Its four paws hung down stiffly.

Its whole body was like a salted fish frozen in the dead of winter.

Its eyes stared straight at the Eight-Sided Han Sword behind Wei Yuan.

A series of images flashed through its mind.

It recalled black-armored warriors holding sharp blades, and iron eagles flapping their wings on the sword hilt.

It recalled the unprecedented 'fireworks' that had erupted on Sakura Island not long ago.

It, and the golden-faced, white-haired nine-tailed fox, had fled from the Central Plains during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

It was these people back then.

Who had smashed their temples...

A fierce glint flashed in the tengu's eyes. As long as it raised its paw and extended its claws, it could tear apart this human's neck.

Old and new grudges, all in this moment!

Wei Yuan seemed to sense something and glanced at it.

His brown eyes were cold, seeming exactly like a fair-skinned youth from its memories.

The tengu stiffly raised its paw and said:

"Meow... meow..."

Zhang Ruosu: "............"

.....................

Finally, Wei Yuan casually released the tengu, which darted away in a flash. Wei Yuan laughed, "It's a little timid, quite cowardly."

Zhang Ruosu said helplessly, "It seems quite afraid of you."

"Really? I'm so kind and benevolent."

The old Daoist rolled his eyes and said, "Tell me, what brings you up the mountain? What do you want to say?"

"Can't I come up the mountain for a cup of tea if there's nothing wrong?"

"So there's nothing wrong?"

Wei Yuan said solemnly, "There is something."

The old Daoist's lips twitched, nearly splashing the cup of tea on the young man's face.

Wei Yuan smiled, "Firstly, it's about the Crouching Tiger matter. I need to discuss with you how to proceed. To be honest, I don't have that much time and energy to manage this group of Crouching Tigers, and I might not even be able to manage them well."

"However, the Crouching Tiger's methods, divine powers, and martial arts, I can teach them."

Zhang Ruosu nodded and said, "Yes."

"I'll tell my disciples to select a group of experienced and skilled disciples from the Special Operations Team down the mountain, and then you'll have to guide them. This is just a preliminary discussion. It will take some time to actually do it."

Wei Yuan hummed in agreement, then coughed and said:

"Besides this matter, there's another thing."

"What is it?"

"Well, that little girl from the Feather Clan, didn't she come with me?"

"And then..."

"Ahem, her food, clothing, shelter, and transportation aren't free."

"So?"

Seeing the old Daoist pretending to be confused, Wei Yuan's lips twitched. He silently took out his phone, placed it on the table, and stated frankly, with the audacity of a rogue, "I'm out of money."

Zhang Ruosu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, shaking his head and saying, "You, you..."

"Fine, since you're going to reorganize the Crouching Tigers and subdue so many demons, of course, I'll give you money."

"You should have said so earlier. The disciples over there thought you were a Daoist master, indifferent to fame and wealth, and never thought about giving you money..."

Wei Yuan's lips twitched, "I'm grateful to him for that."

Zhang Ruosu took a sip of tea and slowly said, "However, it's not so easy to get this money from me."

"Hmm??"

The old Daoist threw out two books on Yangqi (nourishing Qi) techniques and smiled, "I heard you haven't finished annotating them yet."

"I happen to be short on manpower here. You stay here and finish all this with me."

"If you succeed, I'll give you the money."

Wei Yuan was silent for a moment, feeling as if he was being forced to stay in the classroom to do his homework. His eyes shifted slightly, and he coughed, "Daoist Zhang, I suddenly remember I have something to do at home."

"Another day, another day for sure."

He stood up, intending to escape first.

Old Daoist Zhang stretched out a hand and said slowly:

"I'll offer this much."

Wei Yuan: "............"

............

A moment later, in the inner sanctum.

"Daoist Zhang, the Qi circulation in this section can actually be slightly changed to make the foundation more solid..."

"And this part here, I think it can be..."

Mr. Wei had no choice but to give in to the wails of his wallet.

He worked with Zhang Ruosu. Although he originally intended to help, he never expected that his trip to Longhu Mountain would turn out like this. It was finally over, and it was already four in the afternoon.

A Xuan brought them two cups of tea and some dried bread slices sprinkled with chili powder.

Wei Yuan took a sip of tea and looked at the papers covered in writing on the table. Before he helped, the process of integrating the styles of various Daoist schools and improving the basic Yangqi (nourishing Qi) formula was already in its final stages. It was hard to imagine that Zhang Ruosu had done it all by himself.

The old Daoist looked at the annotations left by Wei Yuan and sighed:

"The comprehension of Daoist magic is ancient and profound."

"It is different from today's, yet it points directly to the Great Dao. Daoist Wei, it seems I don't have to worry about the Dharma discussion in half a month. With you here, the revival of the Taiping lineage in China is just around the corner."

Perhaps this was Zhang Ruosu's own plan.

Wei Yuan looked at the improved Yangqi (nourishing Qi) formula and said, "This should be considered a success, right?"

The old man's face showed fatigue, but also relief, and he smiled, "Yes."

"Next, as long as we promote it on a small scale and let the soldiers practice it first, then further modify it based on the problems that may arise, we can try to popularize it in China. At that time, we can relax a bit."

Wei Yuan nodded and thought of a question, "I'm curious, why haven't any sects started accepting disciples directly?"

"The resurgence of spiritual energy, this is a great opportunity."

Zhang Ruosu said, "There must be some who are accepting disciples."

"But how many people can a mountain gate pass on its Daoist magic to?"

"Just find a few successors."

"In such a great era, it's too narrow-minded to only talk about sects. Confucianism speaks of governing the world, so we should think of ways to universally popularize it and benefit all. If we establish mountains and sects, wouldn't that be planting the seeds for future conflicts? The strife between sects should not happen again..."

"Besides, let's not talk about the martial arts world. To master the profound techniques of Buddhism and Daoism, one must be proficient in Daoist magic and Buddhist teachings, which takes time to comprehend. I've always felt that there are merits to both Daoist magic and Buddhist teachings."

"But if the world wants to move forward, it doesn't need so many Daoists or so many monks."

"If everyone goes to cultivate the Dao and speak of Buddhism, who will study and maintain the operation of society?"

"The right way is to make this Yangqi (nourishing Qi) method as simple and ordinary as running and playing ball. If we use the cultivation method to establish a mountain gate and widely recruit disciples, that would be inferior, that would be making cultivation special. This will inevitably bring contradictions and conflicts."

"Interrupting popularization is like interrupting compulsory education and setting up private schools in the past."

"It is a stupid thing to cut off the future of China and fatten oneself for one's own benefit."

Wei Yuan was thoughtful.

Then he smiled, "Speaking of which, Daoist Zhang, are you hungry?"

Zhang Ruosu was slightly stunned.

Wei Yuan pointed to the door, "A Xuan has been staring over there for a long time."

Zhang Ruosu was stunned and saw the boy turning his head away, laughing:

"Then let's eat."

This time, Wei Yuan showed off his culinary skills using Daoist magic, which made A Xuan and Zhang Ruosu stare blankly. Before Wei Yuan even brought out the dishes, A Xuan had already found a few small bowls, scooped out the rice, set out the chopsticks, and two small plates of Longhu Mountain's secret pickled vegetables.

Then he sat obediently on the side, his eyes bright, staring at the dishes Wei Yuan brought out.

Wei Yuan couldn't help but slander in his heart.

A Xuan, should I introduce you to an older sister?

You must be very compatible.

The tengu was caught by A Xuan, but it was afraid of Wei Yuan, so it huddled beside A Xuan.

Zhang Ruosu sighed, "Using Daoist magic for ordinary things is very good."

He picked up a vegetable and two crisp pickled radishes, eating and casually saying:

"Otherwise, after I retire, you can be the Heavenly Master, it feels quite suitable."

Wei Yuan served a bowl of soup to A Xuan, "Forget it."

"I'm not suitable for this, it's too tiring."

"That's true."

Zhang Ruosu nodded and then said:

"This dish tastes really good, Wei Yuan, where did you learn it from?"

Wei Yuan hooked the corner of his mouth and said solemnly:

"It's innate."

The two chatted casually, while the tengu, Longhu Mountain Number One, was already stunned.

This, this, this...

Is the matter of the next Heavenly Master something that can be mentioned so lightly and rejected so lightly?

Wei Yuan picked up a pickled vegetable, it was indeed crisp and refreshing, and decided to ask the old Daoist for a jar later.

Then he thought of something and casually said, "Oh, right, I happened to go to the Shanhai world." (Classic of Mountains and Seas)

"Zhu Jiuyin asked me to help kill his son Gu's resentment."

"Daoist Zhang, can you help me out?"

At a table, the movements of the two humans and one beast eating suddenly froze.

ps: Today's second update... three thousand four hundred words, a buffer chapter~