Chapter 431: The green incense that cannot be lit, the fate that cannot be returned

Hearing this, the old man said nothing and sat down on the gray cushion next to him.

Seeing this, the young man did not ask any more questions. He took out three green incense sticks from his bag and inserted them into the incense burner in front of him. Then he took out two flints.

With a gentle rub, the flame was ignited, but no matter how he lit it, he could not light the three incense sticks for worship.

I tried several times, but it wouldn't light.

"kindness?"

"Is the incense damp?"

The young man muttered to himself and checked the incense, finding that it was not damp.

He took three green incense sticks in his hand and lit them successfully.

The moment he stuck it into the incense burner in front of the statue, it went out instantly!

Very weird.

He took it down again, held it in his hand, and relit it. As soon as he put it on the incense burner, it would go out immediately.

I tried it several times and it was the same every time.

"No need to light it. It won't burn for the time being."

The next second, the old man's faint voice was heard.

"Why?" The young man was very puzzled.

Green incense can burn normally when held in the hand, but it will go out instantly when used for worship.

He took out some incense paper from his bag again, placed it in front of the statue, and tried to light it with the flint, but the situation was still the same; it would not catch fire no matter how hard he tried.

According to folklore, when worshipping a deity, one must light green incense and incense paper, and then kowtow devoutly before the deity will appear.

But now, even the incense paper can’t be lit, so how can we worship?

Then wouldn’t this trip be in vain?

"Grandpa, what should we do?" the young man asked the old man who was sitting on the mat.

"Sit down."

Hearing this, the young man also sat on the futon: "And then?"

"wait."

The old man looked at the statue in front of him and muttered.

wait??

What are you waiting for?

The young man was confused. It was getting dark and the snow outside was getting heavier. If he didn't finish the worship and get down the mountain early, the mountain would be blocked by snow and he wouldn't be able to get out.

Moreover, it is said that there are many ferocious wild beasts on the Black and White Divine Mountain, and some of them seem to have some powerful abilities. Once you encounter them, you will surely die.

"Wait for him to decide the winner."

The old man looked at the statue in front of him, the candlelight reflected in his eyes, swaying and flickering.

"Determine the winner?" The young man frowned slightly, wondering if he had heard it wrong: "Who are you waiting for to decide the winner?"

After hearing this, the old man did not answer, but looked at the statue in front of him calmly, waiting.

call--

Outside, the wind and snow were howling, blowing the wooden door and making a creaking sound.

The snow is getting heavier and heavier.

A gust of wind blew into the Taoist temple and blew out two of the three candles lit by the old man.

Suddenly, the temple became dark.

Seeing this scene, the old man looked at the last candle flame, dark rays flashed in his pupils, and it could be seen that his breathing was a little disordered.

Suddenly

A strong wind suddenly blew the wooden door and blew out the last candle.

The entire Taoist temple was plunged into darkness.

The next second, the statue glowed with golden light, illuminating the entire Taoist temple.

Seeing this, the young man was shocked. Is this... a manifestation of the gods? !

Han——

A sound of shattering was heard, and it was particularly clear in the quiet Taoist temple.

A crack appeared on the statue that was emitting golden light.

Soon, the cracks spread to the entire body of the statue, including the sacred tree platform under his seat, which was split in half.

In an instant, the statue dimmed.

The snow outside the Taoist temple also stopped at this moment.

The old man stared at the shattered statue, as if petrified, and stood there in a daze. It was so quiet that the only sounds were his increasingly heavy breathing and the sound of the ice and snow melting outside.

The young man looked at the old man's back, and in a trance, he seemed to see the old man also emitting the same golden light as the statue.

After looking carefully, the golden light disappeared, and the old man's back disappeared into the darkness.

Here, it became quiet.

The young man didn't say anything, not daring to disturb him. He also noticed that something was wrong with the old man, so he just looked at him quietly.

A long time passed.

The old man slowly turned around and limped out of the Taoist temple. With every step he took, his body swayed, as if he would fall to the ground in the next second.

The young man also stood up and followed the old man.

The old man walked out of the Taoist temple and found that the outside of the temple was covered with thick white snow.

He walked step by step onto the thick snow, which was melting.

He was silent for a long time, then slowly turned around and looked at the bewildered young man in front of the Taoist temple, and slowly said: "I can now answer the question you just asked me."

“No matter how powerful an immortal you become, no matter how high up you are, you cannot control your own destiny.”

"So, don't practice Taoism. It's the wrong path."

Hearing this, the young man was stunned. He didn't expect the old man to say such a thing.

Because in his memory, the old man had been trying to make him worship him as his master and teach him how to cultivate immortality, both overtly and covertly.

But now, why would someone say that cultivating immortals is a wrong path?

Although he is young, he is very smart and extremely intelligent, otherwise he would not have been favored by the old man.

Because of his intelligence, he could hear the sadness mixed in the old man's words.

Although the old man is very calm now, he can feel that he is very sad, a silent grief.

“Actually, you’re on the right path.”

“It should be said that they are all the same.”

Although the old man was looking at the young man, he seemed to be talking to himself: "Someone has gone very high on the road of cultivating immortals and has already stood at a very, very high position."

"But in the end, I still can't control my own destiny."

"Some people are just ordinary mortals who go to the capital to take the imperial examinations, gain fame and honor, and live an ordinary life. Although they cannot control their own destiny, they will become insects if they meet powerful immortals."

"But, even that great immortal who stands so high up is still just an insect in the eyes of some more powerful beings, isn't he?"

"They are all insects. The only difference is that one is a big insect and the other is a small insect. They are all the same. In the end, they still cannot control their own destiny."

The old man's words seemed to be answering the boy's doubts, but in fact he was also speaking to himself, answering the doubts in his heart, and even making fun of himself.

"So, just follow your own heart and live your life well."

"Whether you want to be an ordinary mortal or embark on the path of cultivating immortals, you must remember that it is the same. You cannot control your own destiny."

"Just follow your heart, that's enough."

Having said that, the old man paused and slowly turned around.

"I'll take you down the mountain. I have to leave."

Then he raised his right hand.

Hearing this, the young man called out to him, "Master, where are you going?"

(End of this chapter)