Chapter 792 I Want to See

Song Chunxue was helpless.

"It's so uncomfortable not having any water to drink. I wonder where the water in this Taoist temple comes from?"

Lord Zhao leisurely admired the magnificent scenery before him.

"I asked around, and there's a spring in the crevice behind this Taoist temple. You should never doubt the foresight of our ancestors. If there were no water, would they have been able to build a Taoist temple here?"

"Moreover, I heard that even without springs, if you dig a water cellar halfway up the mountain, the water flowing down from the mountain can be collected, settled in a pond first, and then put into the water cellar, which will definitely be enough."

Indeed, Song Chunxue was familiar with the matter of water cellars.

As long as this place doesn't offend the Dragon King, there will always be thunderstorms under its surface every year. A single thunderstorm can fill a water cellar, and if not wasted, it can feed the people for a year.

If we dig two water cellars and don't raise any other livestock, it will be enough to feed five or six people, plus enough for them to wash their hair and bathe every two weeks.

“I originally thought that since you got together with Lord Xie, you would slack off in your cultivation. I sighed about it for a long time. I didn’t expect that you would not be unable to let go of him this time. You were even willing to take the initiative to show us around. I am very pleased.”

Song Chunxue chuckled, "I'm not a little girl anymore, Senior Brother, aren't you underestimating me?"

"That's good." Lord Zhao sat down on the ground. "Sit down. You've been meditating for quite some time now. It's time to learn some more advanced cultivation methods."

Song Chunxue's eyes lit up. "Great! Senior brother, teach me quickly!"

"Although you have good talent in sword cultivation, it is very difficult to break through in the later stages of sword cultivation. I hope you can take more paths, even if it is more difficult. After all, you are the disciple of the Moon-Accompanying Immortal."

Lord Zhao's voice was deep and steady, with just the right amount of intonation, like a clear spring flowing into a field, gentle and nourishing.

Song Chunxue nodded emphatically, “Senior Brother is right. I’m not afraid of hard work, but I’m afraid of not having the right approach or guidance. As long as you think I can give it a try, I’ll give it my all.”

Hmm, this child is teachable.

The two sat on the ground, closed their eyes, and adjusted their state.

"Take a deep breath and exhale slowly..."

Lord Zhao gave gentle guidance, and Song Chunxue followed suit.

At the far corner, Master Han and Wuji were quietly observing.

"Does Master often teach his uncle?" Wuji asked curiously. "I heard that this uncle's time as a disciple was very short, and his time practicing swordsmanship was even shorter, yet he has progressed faster than all of us young juniors in this lifetime."

Master Han played with the Bodhi seed. “I don’t teach her often. In the past, she practiced on her own based on the sword manual left by another Taoist priest or her cultivation notes.”

Wuji was astonished, "You practiced it yourself, aren't you afraid of going into qi deviation?"

“She didn’t know she would suffer from qi deviation, so she wasn’t afraid. Besides, she only started seriously studying and learning to read and write six years ago.” Master Han looked at Wuji. “So your master deliberately let you see how your uncle cultivated.”

Wuji lowered his head, feeling ashamed of his inferiority.

"She learned self-reliance from birth and knew that she had to fight for everything herself. In a cruel environment, there are no shortcuts. When she encountered an opportunity to change things, she just kept her head down and did it."

She understood the principle that "Heaven helps those who help themselves" better than anyone else. Perhaps she had long forgotten that people can be lazy and become useless through constant slackness.

Wuji looked at Master Han and asked, "Are you insulting me?"

"Why am I scolding you? It's all the truth."

"..." Wuji was extremely saddened; the truth is the most heartbreaking.

“Most people are too complacent. They don’t know how to be prepared for danger in times of peace, and they don’t seize the day. They waste their time in hesitation and procrastination.” Master Han raised his hand and placed it on his head. “Of course, this is under the premise of having a goal. Ordinary people are here to waste their time. How they live is how they live. It’s all up to their own happiness.”

Wuji pursed his lips and remained silent. He knew that these words were spoken to him by the two seniors who had traveled a long distance to hear them.

"But we are practitioners. From the day we realized that we were practitioners, we were no ordinary people who did nothing. We found our mission in this life through the inspiration of our souls and countless gods. How can we belittle ourselves and compare ourselves to ordinary ants?"

"Not to mention that some ants are also practitioners. After they are enlightened, they will see which path they should take. They also have souls and will receive guidance from the sages in the dark."

Wuji stood quietly to the side, his soul cleansed.

Over the years, he has indeed become lax, thinking that he has seen through the rights and wrongs of the world, and his attitude towards cultivation has become somewhat passive, even wanting to hide here and waste his time.

Master Han patted the back of his head. “I know you’re still young and your path has been too smooth. You were clever when you were young, and everyone thought it was only natural for you to take this path. You haven’t experienced any setbacks or hardships, and suddenly you’re frightened by the real ugliness of the world. This is so different from the world you’ve been exposed to since you were a child, isn’t it?”

Wuji spoke softly, "That's right, it's like a living hell, yet also like a paradise on earth, making me want to escape."

It's late autumn. The setting sun dips below the mountains and instantly turns cold. The autumn wind is bleak, and colorful fallen leaves flutter in the air. The beauty of their withering leaves lingers in the heart, bringing a sense of desolation.

Master Han placed his hand on Wuji's shoulder; the hand, though not very warm, made Wuji feel cared for and favored.

He immediately burst into tears.

“This is not your fault. Everyone’s path is different. Your master did not blame you, nor did I. I came here today only to point you in the right direction. Suffering is not terrible. There are many precious things in the world, but you are not destined to see them.”

"Born into a chaotic era, your master didn't want you to see the ugliness of the world too early. Suddenly sending you down the mountain with your junior brother to gain experience made him very worried, and he regretted not paying more attention back then."

With tears welling up in his eyes, Wuji said, "It's not Master's fault. It's my unstable mind and lack of resilience."

Master Han turned around and said, "Let's go and see what we're having for dinner. It's already very good that you've managed to keep your true self."

They went to the kitchen, where Wu Bing and Wu Shuang had already chopped firewood and filled the water vat with water.

What do you usually eat?

Wuji scratched his head sheepishly, "Dumpling soup, noodle soup, as long as I can fill my stomach, that's fine. I can never get the amount of flour right when I'm kneading the dough. Either there's too much or too little, and it's either sticky or bitter."

Master Han sighed inwardly, thinking that it was good enough that he could make dumpling soup; at least he hadn't starved to death.

Back in the capital, Wuji never did any of these things. He never lifted a finger, and was waited on hand and foot. The greatest hardship he ever endured was the bitterness of tea.

"Have you decided where you'll go to cultivate in the future?"

Wuji took out two potatoes and a cabbage from the broken jar.

"Didn't you all want me to cultivate with that senior uncle?" he laughed carelessly. "I wasn't sure before, but if I still don't understand after hearing what my senior uncle said, then I've been a disciple of my master for nothing."

"If you don't want to go, you don't have to. You can go back to the capital."

“I’m not going. If I go back to the capital, how will I be any different from before?” Wuji said firmly and stubbornly. “I want to see how Uncle-Master Song cultivates.”

P.S.: It's too cold back home, I didn't have any drafts saved, and I'm behind schedule. It'll be fine in a few days.