Chapter 1264 Changing one's mind is comparable to changing one's face.

Song Chunxue brought her senior brother back to that cave.

Zhang Chengxuan walked ahead and, seeing some pebbles on the ground that hadn't been picked up, turned to look at Song Chunxue.

"Was this specially saved for me?"

Feeling guilty, Song Chunxue turned her head away and hummed in response.

"You're clearly just too lazy to carry that much. Do you even know how precious this stuff is?"

"How precious is it?" Because she didn't know, she picked up two baskets and then stopped while she was ahead.

"More expensive than gold."

"What?" Song Chunxue exclaimed in disbelief, "I've never seen so many gold nuggets before!"

"I've never seen this thing before, I've only read about it in ancient books!" Zhang Chengxuan pointed at her. "What about the others?"

"Don't get excited, it's in my storage ring. I'll give it to you when we get back." Song Chunxue looked around. "Take a look and see if there's anything unique about this place, or if there are any other stones like this."

Beneath the red soil lies a massive rock, surrounded by white basalt marks, proving that there was once a spring in this cave, or rather, a salt spring.

A moment later, Zhang Chengxuan carefully put the remaining ten catties of scattered strange stones into his storage ring.

"It looks ordinary and there's nothing special about it. I can't detect a trace of abundant spiritual energy."

"Could this stone have been placed here by someone else? If we take it like this, wouldn't that be considered stealing?"

"When you came, did the stone look like it had been temporarily placed there by someone else?"

Song Chunxue recalled carefully, "It doesn't look like it. Instead, it looks like it grew here. Look at those small, inconspicuous pits. That's where they used to be. I had to use some effort to pull them out."

“That’s right.” Zhang Chengxuan raised his hand and set up a barrier. “Let’s go back. Master will come here to find the answer in the future. He might know it.”

To avoid being seen, they kept sticking invisibility talismans on their clothes.

Back home, Zhang Chengxuan was about to say something when he heard the sound of the courtyard door opening.

Who else is in your family?

So early in the morning, could it be some man?

"I just found it yesterday, let's go take a look."

Judging from her senior brother's expression, Song Chunxue felt that he had begun to have wild thoughts and suspect her of infidelity.

As we walked into the courtyard, we saw an elderly woman with white hair leaning against the doorframe at the entrance to the north house, her eyes closed, seemingly doing something we couldn't tell.

She opened her eyes when she heard footsteps.

"Master Song." She released her hands, straightened up, and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for saving my life, Master Song."

"You're awake. Would you like something to eat?" Song Chunxue pointed behind her. "Let's go outside for tea."

"Okay, thank you." She walked down the steps slowly, her steps a little unsteady.

Zhang Chengxuan whispered, "It's rare to see you bring a woman back."

"When did I pick up a man?" She felt that her senior brother had a lot of prejudice against her.

“That’s true.” Zhang Chengxuan smiled, thinking to himself that there were simply too few female cultivators.

"This senior brother is..."

"Master Zhang is also my senior brother."

"Greetings, Master Zhang." She bowed to Zhang Chengxuan.

"Eat something first." Zhang Chengxuan was not at ease with this female cultivator of unknown origin, despite her full head of silver hair and the jade pendant at her waist.

He could sense that this person's aura was not very friendly.

Only my junior brother is so carefree, daring to let anyone into his home.

While they were drinking tea and eating, Zhang Chengxuan was always the one asking questions, and the white-haired woman was the one answering.

It turns out that her name is Deng Kui, and she is a woman who has been practicing Buddhism for many years, having studied under a Taoist priest from Mount Song in the Central Plains.

However, her cultivation made no progress and she had no hope of forming a golden core. Her master advised her to stop being so persistent, but she was the most persistent. She had been wandering alone in the mortal world for more than 20 years, always wanting to find a way to break through.

"So, by chance, I learned that there was a very powerful Taoist priest here who, after only ten years of cultivation, was already able to fly on a sword and travel the world, so I came here to pay him a visit."

The woman stood up, her thick silver hair piled up behind her head, her face showing obvious wrinkles, looking about sixty years old. The fabric she wore was one that Song Chunxue had never seen before, with subtle embroidery of the same color.

“I am eighty-nine years old this year. Last night, I suddenly felt light all over. It seems that the heavens have guided me here. Please guide me and help me to form my core.” She choked up and said, “I know this is as difficult as ascending to heaven, but I don’t want to give up. I want to live. Otherwise, in two more years, I will return to dust.”

People who are afraid of death feel fear as they watch their own death approach.

Song Chunxue also stood up, "Senior, you flatter me. I haven't even formed my core yet, how could I possibly..."

Suddenly, the two of them turned to look at her at the same time, their eyes full of doubt.

"What's wrong?"

"You reached the Core Formation stage last year, and you didn't even know it?" Zhang Chengxuan raised an eyebrow and questioned, "Then do you know what realm you're at?"

"Isn't it at the Sword Master level?"

Zhang Chengxuan sighed, "You cultivate both spiritual and martial arts, didn't you know?"

"..." She had never heard such a powerful term before. Someone had explained the realms of sword cultivators to her before.

"When you meditate, do you not notice anything different about your body?"

Song Chunxue was a little embarrassed. "Senior brother, you know perfectly well that I've been cultivating in a daze, and you've never mentioned anything about forming a core."

"Never mind," Zhang Chengxuan shook his head. "You have a bad memory. It's a good thing you're quick to understand, otherwise you would have been beaten up long ago."

Deng Kui was surprised, "You didn't even know you were at the Core Formation stage?"

She was deeply shocked, thinking, "What about all my 50 or 60 years of arduous practice?"

“It’s because you’re not quick to understand,” Zhang Chengxuan said bluntly, without trying to comfort her. “Your master sent you to the mountain to cultivate in seclusion for your own good. Being too attached to things is what makes you have inner demons.”

Deng Kui lowered her head, her face pale.

Her voice suddenly sounded several years older.

“Yes, I have an inner demon. If it weren’t for this inner demon supporting me, I might not be alive today.” With that, Deng Kui knelt on the ground. “Please, both of you…”

"Get up," Zhang Chengxuan said sternly. "Kneeling before us will shorten your lifespan."

They will have their lifespan shortened.

Therefore, Zhang Chengxuan's brows were furrowed deeply.

Song Chunxue was as quiet as a chicken, afraid of getting scolded.

How could she not know how obvious her senior brother's dissatisfaction was with her taking in this person?

He himself is clearly a nice guy, but he only allows officials to set fires while forbidding ordinary people to light lamps.

But what can you do when he's your senior? You have to keep it to yourself.

Deng Kui stood up. "Master Song, I've come to find you. Please guide me; I'll accept any conditions..."

"Have some tea first," Zhang Chengxuan said coldly. "Go find my master; he's in Jincheng."

"Your master is..."

Thinking of his master, Zhang Chengxuan felt that the old man would definitely not care.

But since he's a senior, it wouldn't be appropriate to refuse him outright.

He took out three copper coins. "Or, I can cast a divination for you."

The implication is that if you're not destined for it, you should give up as soon as possible.

Deng Kui nodded slowly, "Alright."

Looking at her snow-white hair, Song Chunxue couldn't help but wonder if she had possessed such courage in her past life...

"Clang~"

Three copper coins fell on the table, one of which rolled to the ground.

Deng Kui stood aside, looking at the copper coins on the ground, her face turning pale.

She picked it up immediately and placed it on the table with both hands.

Zhang Chengxuan threw it again and got the Kun hexagram.

"Huh?" Zhang Chengxuan couldn't help but look at Song Chunxue. "You really are her benefactor."

He pushed the coins in front of Song Chunxue, saying, "You toss them a couple of times; it should be used to cast a divination for your family."

Song Chunxue threw it twice.

Although she remembered it, she still didn't want to use her brain and left it entirely to her senior brother.

Anyway, her senior brother was much better at divination than she was.

"Hiss~"

Zhang Chengxuan stared at the position of the second copper coin, stroked his chin, and looked up at the two women in front of him.

It seems he was not very satisfied with the divination result, or rather, it was contrary to his expectations.

Song Chunxue asked with a smile, "What, should I help this senior?"

Zhang Chengxuan held the copper coin in his hand, weighed it thoughtfully, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Deng Kui was a little anxious, "This Taoist priest..."

Zhang Chengxuan stood up and paced back and forth on the ground.

“Junior brother, this is… quite something,” he said earnestly, looking at the ground. “It’s up to you. Help if you want, I won’t interfere.”

"Thank you so much, Master Zhang!" Deng Kui was overjoyed, the wrinkles on her face smoothing out. "Then can I stay, Master Song?"

Song Chunxue spoke frankly, "I can fool my disciples who are in their twenties, but you have been cultivating for many years. I would really mislead you. But you can stay for a few days."

"No, you should take her in, recognize her as your junior brother, or even your disciple."

Song Chunxue was astonished and stared at him with wide eyes, "Senior brother, you changed your mind too quickly!"

“It’s not that I changed my mind,” Zhang Chengxuan said, looking at the poplar trees on the mountaintop. His tone was distant, and he had noticed a subtle change. “It’s that your fortune changed quickly.”