Chapter 69 Chapter 69
By this time, the sun had completely set and the sky was dark. Without the light of the formation, the entire temple would have been pitch dark.
The faint light from the formation shone on Su Yun's face. Her expression did not change, and there was no panic in her eyes. She just watched the old Taoist's actions calmly.
The old Taoist was more satisfied: "You are indeed a fully cultivated celestial being. Even with a new body, your spirit is stronger than that of a mortal. I, an old man, will remember to make good use of your new body. The new body your parents chose for you is made of better materials than the one chosen by that coward Ziyuan."
"Aren't you too anxious? I'm not a mortal now." Su Yun asked him with a smile.
"It doesn't matter. You're almost recovered. I'll catch you earlier while your parents are not around. They will be afraid to go against me." The joy on the old Taoist's face could not be acted out.
Su Yun clenched the folding fan in his hand, guarding against the old Taoist's attack, and continued to ask: "Then how can you be sure that I will definitely let you catch me obediently? Have you ever thought that you can't catch me even if you arrange all these?"
The old Taoist shook his head and said, "No, ever since I knew you were resurrected, I have been observing you very carefully. I have to thank Master Ziyuan for attracting all your attention. According to my observation, everything about your body is fine, but you have borrowed too many things from God. If you borrow too much, you must return it naturally, so you can't be too free."
Knowing even this, Su Yun's heart sank. If others met her, at most they would think that she had turned into a good-for-nothing, or an ordinary mortal. But the old Taoist knew that her body just hadn't had the right time yet, which meant that he had been observing her for a long time. Maybe she was already there when Ji Weitong and Su Yiling went to rescue her.
The formation was still running, but because it was too large, Su Yun could not see all the patterns and did not know what its specific function was. She did not feel anything for the time being. Besides, Lin Lang and the others had probably noticed something was wrong by now and would rush over sooner or later, so she was not panicked.
Su Yun still wanted to get more out of him, so she asked directly, "You are so sure, it seems that you have followed me for a long time. Can you let me know? From then until now, I know that it is because of my physique that I have attracted so many coveted people, but when did you find me?"
Perhaps these things have been on the old Taoist's mind for a long time, and Su Yun is indeed standing in his own formation. He has confidence in this formation, so he spoke confidently: "At the beginning."
"At the beginning?" Su Yun didn't understand. "The year I was born?"
The Taoist priest waved his hands and said, "No, no, no, then how do you count the beginning? I mean, starting from the earth dragon."
Su Yun, who had been calm since meeting the Taoist priest, suddenly opened her eyes wide. She was really shocked to the point of being speechless. If the time was closer, she could accept it. But starting from the Earth Dragon, how far in the past was that?
Seeing Su Yun's emotions fluctuate, the light of the entire formation became brighter. The old Taoist was so happy that he almost laughed out loud: "I have lived for so many years to be able to make you have such emotions and break your spirit of defending yourself."
Su Yun vaguely recalled the worship portraits he had just seen in the hall. Those portraits did not look like modern styles. The brushstrokes and images were very old. With the changes of the times, the appearance of those gods had long been changed beyond recognition. After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the positions and images of the gods became fixed and were not like that at all.
However, the funeral homes all base their offerings on categories. Some of the images were very old when they were decided. Ji Weitong and Su Yiling did not replace them with modern versions out of respect, so Su Yun did not notice the time difference and thought they were antiques when he saw the signature on the portrait.
Now, based on the old Taoist's words, Su Yun finally confirmed that it was something passed down from ancient times.
Looking at the old Taoist's smile and eyes, you can tell that he is not lying. Instead, he is very proud of what he has done.
The formation was moving faster, but Su Yun still didn't feel much. She wasn't sure if this formation was a boiling frog or if it really had no effect on her. Now that she was awake, she continued to ask, "You've lived for three thousand years?"
The old Taoist chuckled, "No, but I was born earlier than Master Ziyuan. In fact, you should thank him for your birth. Similarly, I should thank Master Ziyuan for everything in my life."
Seeing Su Yun looking at him like a lunatic, the old Taoist didn't get angry. Instead, he asked gently, "Little girl, you have been to the underground palace and seen the earth dragon. Do you have a question you are curious about?"
Su Yun responded subconsciously: "What?"
"The Speaker of Heaven bestowed blessings on Monk Ziyuan, allowing him to encounter the remedy for immortality time and time again. He just failed, not that he did not find it. So who was the one who finally got the remedy for immortality?" the old Taoist asked softly.
This answer shocked Su Yun so much that she couldn't even react. It turned out to be such a long time ago. The cause and effect of her death had to start from the ancient times when people were naked. Everything she encountered after waking up was telling her the answer.
The old Taoist spoke in a cheerful tone; he was really so happy that he relaxed his guard a little and told stories that he had never told anyone before.
Everything in the world has two sides. Dilong and Ziyuan Jushi only see the surface. Behind the scenes, there is another person who is watching them and picking up the little favors that slip out of their hands.
The old Taoist was already alive before Master Ziyuan came to the Earth Dragon Guard Tribe. He was a Taoist from ancient times. It was much easier to seek immortals and ask for the Tao in that era than it is now. Things nowadays cannot even become spirits. Almost all the spirits and monsters that can be seen in modern times were already recorded in the list in the past, but they just didn't transform into human form.
To be honest, no matter when, people practice Taoism only for cultivation and longevity. The old Taoist priest became a monk halfway through his life. According to modern terms, his original family was unfortunate and there was nothing to be nostalgic about, so he became a monk to live a free and lonely life.
The thought of immortality had never occurred to him. When he met the earth dragon, the old Taoist was just an ordinary monk passing by, asking for a bowl of water to drink and a tree to rest on. There was no conflict at all.
Until he met the first generation of Sky Speakers who made decisions for the tribe, the old Taoist became curious and secretly entered the Sky Speakers' dreams to ask them whether they had any prophecies for him.
The Sky Speaker only gave eight words: stick to your heart and let nature take its course.
Who among those seeking immortality or enlightenment doesn’t know these eight words?
It sounded like a perfunctory nonsense, and the old Taoist was not very satisfied. However, after the Sky Speaker gave the prophecy, it was considered an answer, and he was expelled from the dream.
In a fit of anger, the Taoist priest left the tribe and continued traveling.
When he came back many years later, he happened to meet a mortal asking about immortality. As a Taoist practitioner, the old Taoist ages very slowly. He is now over a hundred years old, but looks like a middle-aged man in his forties.
Because of the perfunctory prophecy of the Sky Speaker, he disliked this place very much. However, when he passed by it on his way back, he thought of leaving without stopping. However, he met a large group of people who came to look for the Sky Speaker, so he stayed and watched.
Things are different now. The old Taoist has improved his cultivation. Although he still doesn't understand why the Sky Speaker treated him perfunctorily back then, he thinks he is very powerful when looking at others. Among those who are carrying the sedan chair, he sees a young man with a fair face and no beard, bright eyes, and a face that has a bright future.
The old Taoist saw many opportunities in this young man, which was very strange. How could a person have opportunities all the time and for thousands of years?
Out of curiosity, the old Taoist began to follow the young man and saw that he became a monk not long after he returned, in a temple with few worshippers. At that time, he was not yet called Ziyuan Jushi, but only had a Taoist name Weiqing.
Later, he died of old age and the government took away his documents and temple. He was no longer considered a proper Taoist priest, so he named himself Ziyuan Jushi and embarked on the path of seeking immortality.
In fact, immortality is much easier for talented practitioners, just like the old Taoist priest. He was born with few relatives and made fast progress in cultivation. After practicing Taoism, his mind and nature became stable, so he aged more slowly.
There are very few people who are as obsessed with immortality as Master Ziyuan. It is very strange that he does not even care about his cultivation and asks about immortality everywhere.
Following Master Ziyuan, the old Taoist also met those people who answered Master Ziyuan's questions. They all advised Master Ziyuan not to regard immortality as a goal, but to regard it as a gift. Once one has reached a certain level of cultivation, immortality will naturally be given as a gift.
However, Mr. Ziyuan had a strange idea. Perhaps he had seen the earth dragon too early. He did not pray for immortality because he really wanted to live so many years. What he prayed for was fairness. From the moment he met the earth dragon, he felt it was unfair.
He thought that if he could achieve immortality, he could at least make up for this injustice a little bit. He could stand on the same starting line as the earth dragon, and perhaps he wouldn't be so... jealous.
Finally, Master Ziyuan made his way to the Earth Dragon's tribe. Having seen too many people, Master Ziyuan was no longer the servant he used to be. He wanted to see the Earth Dragon and the Sky Speaker, and he wanted fairness.
When Mr. Ziyuan was debating with the Sky Speaker, the old Taoist was listening from afar outside the tribe. They each held an opinion and had their own views and stance. The Sky Speaker had not much time left, so he gave Mr. Ziyuan a blessing and asked him to see for himself.
Before this, the old Taoist had no feelings about Ziyuan Jushi’s thoughts. He was just examining whether he was suitable to be his disciple. If so, he would help Ziyuan Jushi seize all the opportunities he encountered in the future, as long as they were useful to him. After thousands of years of opportunities, the old Taoist felt that he would be able to use less than one-tenth or one-twelfth of them, so he would regard it as Ziyuan Jushi’s filial piety to him.
But when he heard the blessing from the Sky Speaker, the old Taoist was so angry that he wanted to kill them all - the first generation of Sky Speaker just gave him nonsense, and now the second generation of Sky Speaker actually gave Master Ziyuan a blessing after the debate, why?
What is the difference between him and Lay Buddhist Ziyuan? Why didn't he bless him? Instead, he gave it to a young boy like Lay Buddhist Ziyuan?
Everyone has jealousy in their heart, but ascetics believe in following their heart. They should avenge all enemies and repay all kindnesses on the spot, unless they are not capable enough, in which case they can run away. It would be better for me to let my fellow Taoist die than for myself.
The old Taoist was very angry. He directly cursed the tribe of the Sky Speakers. Since the first generation of Sky Speakers did not bless him and treated him differently, then let the prophecy become part of the differential treatment.
This curse was not too severe, it would just cause a deviation in the prophecy. When the Taoist priest cast the curse, he did not deduce what the result would be, he was angry. However, the current state of the underground palace many years later was enough to show that the situation became what it was later, which was due to the fulfillment of the Taoist priest's curse.
The executor was Mr. Ziyuan, but the one who connected the cause and effect was the old Taoist.
After receiving the blessing, Mr. Ziyuan started to search. He first got a rare and lost book that recorded various methods of longevity. The old Taoist took a peek and found that the methods recorded in it were actually true, but whether each method could be successful depended on the person who tried.
After all, there are thousands of elixirs, but there are always some people who find that they don't work.
Ordinary people take elixirs and if one doesn't work, they try another one. There will always be one opportunity that belongs to them. But Monk Ziyuan is very strange. Every time he encounters an opportunity for immortality, he fails.
The first few times the old Taoist just watched, his jealousy had not yet subsided and he didn’t want to help. After a few times, the old Taoist began to feel that something was wrong. How could someone fail completely?
The old Taoist thought that there might be errors or omissions in the records in the rare book, so he followed Master Ziyuan and tried it himself.
By that time, the old Taoist's cultivation was no longer able to maintain his appearance. He looked like a man in his sixties, with gray hair. He was still energetic, but his face had wrinkles and spots on his skin, which were common among old people.
Perhaps when people get older they start to want to live longer. Out of curiosity and a secret thought in his heart, the old Taoist followed suit and tried it once. They did it at the same time. He succeeded, but Mr. Ziyuan failed.
The old Taoist felt it was even more bizarre. Even though he had tried it relatively late and his face remained that of an old man, he just couldn't understand why he succeeded while Master Ziyuan failed?
What is even more strange is that after each failure, Master Ziyuan could still rely on his youthful face to survive for a while. His appearance was well maintained. As a successful person, the old Taoist priest had immortality and his face was fixed.
At this point, the old Taoist suddenly looked up and asked Su Yun: "Little girl, tell me, why does Ziyuan Jushi always fail? This is the only thing I have been thinking about for thousands of years and still can't figure it out. Could it be that there is something wrong with the blessing given to him by the Heaven Speaker? Just like the way the Heaven Speaker treated me perfunctorily at the beginning?"
Su Yun was so engrossed in what he was hearing that he was stunned for a moment before coming back to his senses when asked, "It's a matter of order. You first built up your cultivation before trying the method of immortality, but Master Ziyuan didn't do that. His cultivation was empty and he couldn't support the cultivation and physical strength required for immortality, so he naturally failed."
Everyone advised Ziyuan to practice first. In fact, that was to strengthen the body so that the body could reach the strength to withstand longevity. Otherwise, the body would collapse before longevity.
But later on, Master Ziyuan came up with a way to have the best of both worlds - occupying Su Yun's body and achieving immortality without having to practice.
The Taoist priest was not satisfied with this answer. He asked somewhat unhappily, "You don't doubt the Sky Speaker?"
Su Yun pondered for a while and said, "In fact, I can understand that you doubt the Sky Speaker, but the Sky Speaker's predictions do not have only one interpretation. Just like the scriptures handed down, even if the author himself comes, his interpretation may not be the most popular one. The same applies to the Sky Speaker's predictions for you."
“I won’t argue with you, but I want to know, in your eyes, what do the prophecies made by the first generation of Heavenly Speakers to me and the blessings given to Mr. Ziyuan by the second generation of Heavenly Speakers mean?” the old Taoist asked after taking a deep breath.
"For you, it means you can practice peacefully and have everything. For Mr. Ziyuan, it means giving him enough opportunities and stopping the loss in time." Su Yun answered calmly.
The old Taoist chuckled and gave a three-word comment: "Handgun after the fact."
Su Yun held the folding fan in both hands and let it hang naturally, in a very relaxed posture: "For Monk Ziyuan, it can be said that it is hindsight. I slightly misunderstood the meaning of the Heavenly Speaker at the beginning. Later, Monk Ziyuan died, and I realized that he actually had many opportunities to turn back. That was the true blessing of the Heavenly Speaker. But for you, I never saw your ending, so naturally it can't be said that it is hindsight."
Now the old Taoist understood what Su Yun meant. She was saying that the old Taoist used evil means to kill Su Yun and wanted to kill him twice, so he would definitely fail. The prediction of the Sky Speaker was not wrong. Monk Ziyuan was a lesson learned. If he was sensible, he should stop the loss in time and release Su Yun quickly, otherwise he would definitely suffer backlash.
The old Taoist patted his head and said, "You are really smart. I have always thought you were a very capable kid when I watched you grow up. You almost confused me with just a few words. But you are too young. If you live a few more years, you might really become an immortal."
Su Yun looked compassionate: "I didn't lie to you. This is the truth."
"Are you so sure because you can see when people die? You saw on my face that I would die tonight, so you think your understanding is correct?" The old Taoist teased Su Yun playfully.
"You even know that I can see when people die. It seems you really understand me." Su Yun let out a long sigh and became more alert. The other party really knew her too well.
The old Taoist laughed: "Of course, but your life can just offset your death, as long as the formation is completed. So, don't worry too much about me, an old man. As long as you are here, I can't die."
Su Yun was silent for a while, then said, "Then wait and see. I'm curious, haven't you already achieved immortality? Why are you still approaching death?"
The first time she saw the Taoist priest, Su Yun immediately checked his death date. If he died late, she would have to find a way to save his life first. If he died early, she might as well ask a few more questions. It turned out that the Taoist priest's death date was very near, and it was tonight.
Tonight seems to be very long.
When the old Taoist heard this question, he suddenly glared at Su Yun and pointed at him: "This is your fault."
After gaining immortality, the old Taoist was very confused and continued to follow Monk Ziyuan, watching him go crazy, destroy the underground tribe of the Sky Speakers, and provoke the Earth Dragon again and again. He even thought of a way to influence the future to trick the Earth Dragon, but still failed to gain immortality.
He tried one method after another, but the elixir of immortality he could find was ineffective no matter how he took it. It could only allow Master Ziyuan to maintain his youthful appearance for a certain period of time.
Later, after repeated experiments, Mr. Ziyuan began to try to cultivate a real celestial being. As long as the celestial being was born on earth, he could control the other party's growth, and then make the other party have the body of a celestial being, but without the cognition and cultivation of a celestial being, so that he could take over the body as soon as the other party reached adulthood.
In this way, he not only fulfilled his dream, but also did not have to accept the theories of the Heavenly Speaker. Mr. Ziyuan worked very hard and found batch after batch of children.
But many children will encounter accidents during their growth, which will cause all the efforts to be wasted.
Including the child who was reincarnated as a wolf girl, her fate actually had some problems. The old Taoist saw that Ziyuan Jushi had been trying hard to find a celestial body, so he followed her and paid attention to her. The wolf girl's fate chart was broken, and she was able to reincarnate in order to repair her fate chart.
The old Taoist then discovered that Master Ziyuan had intervened in the destinies of too many people. If they had reincarnated and grown up according to the routine, they would have been able to restore their status as celestial beings in just one or two lifetimes. However, Master Ziyuan was too ruthless, and many people's destinies were shattered, so they could only reincarnate again to repair their broken destinies.
A broken destiny cannot support a whole life. The fate of the wolf girl is broken into pieces. In this life, she cannot support family, friendship, love, and memories... If she wants to be successful, she must be a carefree wolf all her life.
The old Taoist knew her fate and left without intervening. Perhaps in the future, the wolf girl's adoptive father will have the opportunity to find a way to repair her fate.
After failing again and again, the old Taoist felt tired, so he helped to calculate. He really calculated that a person with a very good destiny would be born, but Mr. Ziyuan was not well-trained, and the result he calculated was a little different from the old Taoist's.
Mr. Ziyuan calculated that it was the daughter of the Su family, an old aristocratic family in Bincheng, while the old Taoist calculated more accurately that it was the child of Su Yiling, a declining branch of the Su family.
To be precise, Mr. Ziyuan did not make a mistake in his calculations. It's just that with the development of the times, the wealthy families that used to be one are still considered shameless if someone with the same surname visits them in modern times.
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