The wind blows through the world, and the willows sway on both sides, creating ripples like waves. In June and July, the world is at its busiest. The city walls of Zhongzhou Prefecture are still towering, especially the main city tower, which stands here like a calm beast, facing the world. One by one, the warriors in armor and armed with sharp weapons are lined up here.

The highest point has a raised eaves, and on both sides there are statues of Chaofeng and Jiaotu.

These two statues, which had a friendship with Qi Wuhuo two years ago, are still chatting in the human world at this moment, talking about the rising and setting of the sun and the moon, the blooming of flowers in spring, the white snow in winter, and the golden skies in autumn. They occasionally quarrel and occasionally get angry. Many years have passed like this, but they don't feel bored at all.

Today, at dusk, the sky was golden, Chao Feng seemed a little bored, yawned, and said to the world: "Ah, I didn't see that little Taoist today."

Jiaotu retorted almost instinctively: "Little Taoist priest?"

"There are so many little Taoist priests in this world!"

"There is a young Taoist priest on this mountain, and there is also a young Taoist priest on that mountain. After a few decades, the young Taoist priest on this mountain becomes an old Taoist priest. After the old Taoist priest goes down the mountain, he will pull another young Taoist priest up the mountain. Then, after a few decades, the young Taoist priest becomes an old Taoist priest again."

"This new old Taoist priest will still bring a little Taoist priest up the mountain. The little Taoist priest you mentioned didn't come. Which little Taoist priest is it?"

This tongue-twister-like speech seemed to have confused Chaofeng. He felt stars in front of his eyes, spinning around his head. One on this side was called the young Taoist priest, and the other on the other side was called the old Taoist priest. Chaofeng himself hesitated and stammered subconsciously:

"Ah? Of course it is. That, the little Taoist priest in the old Taoist priest's house, no, the little Taoist priest will become the old Taoist priest?"

Jiaotu suppressed his laughter and said:

"Yes, yes. The young Taoist priest is the old Taoist priest. The old Taoist priest will pull out a young Taoist priest. That means the young Taoist priest is the old Taoist priest, and the old Taoist priest is the young Taoist priest. What you want to ask me is, is it the young Taoist priest or the old Taoist priest? Is it the old Taoist priest of the future, or the young Taoist priest of the past?"

Chaofeng was completely confused:

"Ah? Ah? Is it the old Taoist priest or the young Taoist priest? The old Taoist priest is the young Taoist priest?"

"What I'm looking for is both an old Taoist priest and a young Taoist priest?!"

When he was at a loss, he suddenly saw Jiaotu grinning from ear to ear. He paused for a moment, then a surge of anger rose up, and he shouted angrily: "Okay, okay, are you kidding me?!"

"Jiaotu, you are here to pick a fight with me!"

Jiaotu was not in the right but was very angry. He said, "What are you looking for? Don't slander me. Have you forgotten about that little Taoist priest? The one who came here two years ago!"

Chaofeng paused, and remembered the little Taoist priest who used to often climb up and sit on the city wall of Zhongzhou City with upturned eaves, watching the sunset and talking to them. After the disaster in Zhongzhou two years ago, the little Taoist priest waved his hand and left. Two years have passed since then, and no one knows how the little Taoist priest is doing now.

Jiaotu was trying to find fault on purpose, but after mentioning the little Taoist priest who would come to chat with them, he thought of those days and felt depressed, and sighed.

The two spiritual statues sighed in unison.

Chao Feng sighed and said, "I wonder if he is okay? Has he become a great immortal?"

Jiaotu sighed and said, "Yeah, I wonder if he is okay? Has he become a great real person?"

It was quiet for a while.

The two dragon statues looked at each other and said angrily:

"Huh? Are you imitating me again?!"

"Bullshit, you are obviously imitating me!"

Both Jiaotu and Jiaotu were furious and started arguing again, just like they did every day and every year in the past.

The wind blew across the world, across the capital city of Zhongzhou. The rebuilt city no longer bore any trace of the disaster that had occurred two years ago, and people were still living in bustle. The river that ran through the entire city flowed slowly, passing through the markets of the world and also through the mountain.

The small hill is just the right place to see the prosperity of the entire Zhongzhou city.

There is a Taoist temple on the mountain.

There is an old Taoist priest and a young Taoist priest in the Taoist temple.

The young Taoist Mingxin said to the old Taoist in front of him earnestly:

"teacher."

"I want to go down the mountain."

The old Taoist priest who was slurping noodles was almost choked to death by his disciple's words.

The noodles almost choked him and came out of his nose. He coughed violently for a while before catching his breath. He shook his hand and threw the forbidden garlic head to a place where the statue of the Three Pure Ones could not see it. Then he said, "You said--"

"What?!!"

…

The young Taoist priest Mingxin has no father or mother. He was rescued by an old Taoist priest when he went down the mountain to travel. No matter his parents have passed away or he has been abandoned, it always means that his fate with his parents and relatives has come to an end.

Taoism also has monks who practice asceticism like Buddhism, but Taoism specifically looks for those who have weak family ties in their fate to be accepted as disciples. The old Taoist priest immediately brought this little guy back. He liked his disciple very much and almost felt that this was a gift from heaven. Even the Taoist name he took was mixed with some selfish thoughts.

Taoist disciples cultivate their mind and character and are named Mingxin, which shows how much they are loved and valued.

The old Taoist never expected that after his disciple had finally made him a bowl of noodles, the next thing he said was that this kid wanted to run away.

The old Taoist put the noodles aside and put the chopsticks on them, making sure that the two chopsticks were placed end to end together, without any difference. Then he looked at the young Taoist in front of him. The little guy was very well-behaved, sitting there with his head lowered, but the old Taoist who raised him knew that this kid had made up his mind, and no one could pull him back.

The old Taoist now looked more like an ordinary old man than a Taoist priest. When he heard that his child was going on a long journey, he felt worried and afraid of danger. He almost instinctively wanted to keep the child by his side and subconsciously objected:

"So, did something happen to you? Why did you say you wanted to go down the mountain?"

"How old are you?"

He looked at his disciple who had grown a lot in the past two years, paused, then looked away without changing his expression, and said earnestly: "Think about your uncle Qi Wuhuo, when he was your age, he was also practicing in the mountains and never went out."

"Didn't you always say that you wanted to learn from your Uncle Qi?"

"How come you've changed so much in just a few years?"

In the past two years, the old Taoist priest always used Qi Wuhuo, a child from another family, to teach Mingxin.

It works every time.

No matter how stubborn this little bull nose is, there will be no problem using this trick and he will be obedient.

But this time it seems to be of no use.

The young Taoist Ming Xin said: "Fifteen years old."

After a pause, he added, "When Uncle Master Qi came to Zhongzhou and settled in Lianyang Temple, he was my age."

The old Taoist priest was choked.

He paused, then slapped his hand on the table, making a loud clattering sound.

The old Taoist priests knew in their hearts that their disciples should go down the mountain and travel around the world so that they could grow. How could the Taoist disciples attain the Tao if they did not go out into the nature and indulge themselves?

At that moment, his heart softened and he wanted to let the little Taoist go down the mountain, but he still said stubbornly:

"So what if I'm old enough?"

"Can you be compared with your Uncle Master Qi? There are so many people in this world who are only old in appearance and have not grown in anything else. Some of them know how to work hard at the age of fifteen or sixteen, while others are still thinking about getting money from their parents to gamble and have fun at the age of fifteen or sixteen."

"When he came to us, he had already achieved the Three Talents. His Qi was flowing and changing. He even broke through after a month and became a True Person with the One Innate Qi. He's only fifteen years old. How can you compare with him?"

The old Taoist priest gradually became more righteous as he spoke, but the next moment, his voice suddenly stopped.

The young Taoist priest Mingxin stretched out his hand, and a stream of air flowed over his body.

Although it is still very light, it is extremely real. It is not the kind of innate Qi that is in harmony with one's own will, but it is also lively, harmonious, and full of vitality, just like the morning light shining on the morning mist in the bamboo forest, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.

The young Taoist priest imitated the tone of a certain uncle, lowered his eyes, and said calmly:

"All three talents."

"I Have Got It..."

Three talents...

All three talents at the age of fifteen?

The old Taoist priest could not help but be stunned when he saw the dim morning light falling on the young Taoist man. He was wearing a light blue Taoist robe, with his hair tied up with a wooden hairpin. His brows were clear and he looked excited, just like the rising sun, full of infinite possibilities. His expression was calm and indifferent, and he was in the state of Chongxu of Taoism.

The old Taoist was in a trance.

What was I doing when I was fifteen?

I was lazy during the daily morning classes, wanted to sleep a little longer, and quarreled with my seniors and juniors.

I look forward to the gathering at the foot of the mountain once every half a month, calling three or five good friends and companions to go down the mountain together.

I spent some copper coins to buy some storybooks and dried fruits, then found a herbal tea shop and had a three-cent bowl of herbal tea with sesame cakes. After reading storybooks for a day, I went up the mountain in the sunset, deliberately taking a detour, and passed by the cowherd girl with two thick black braids and an oval face.

故意把脚步踏得啪啪作响，高唱道门《采莲子》的曲调，若可得那姑娘瞥来一眼，含笑一笑，便觉得脚步都轻了许多，直欲登天一般，就连山路，都不觉得苦和累了。

而现在，也才是十五岁的小道士，就已经有了这样的境界。

是其天资极好，澄澈明净如道号；还是因为在他年幼塑心打根基的时候，曾经和那个名为齐无惑的道人相处数月，潜移默化，受其影响了呢？

无论如何，十五岁的三才全，足以有大概率在二十岁到三十岁之间成为道长，有极大的可能，能够在一甲子内成就真人。

真人啊……

那可是人间道门绝对惊才绝艳之辈，能够逍遥人间三五百年，若可得了机缘，或者领受符箓，或者自己渡劫，更是可以飞升成仙，去那九天之上，享受清净自在。

我们这一脉，也要有真人了吗？！

历代祖师，我们这一脉要出息了啊，要出息了！

老道人不由得畅想起来，却也隐隐被这个小道士给震慑住，只觉得自己这弟子也有了三分的缥缈之气，正在这个时候，却见到那小家伙努力抬起下巴，双眸微敛，似是那风轻云淡，却又是止不住地往这边瞥，一副努力学那两年前的少年道人，整出个缥缈清冷气度。

老道人大怒，咬牙切齿道：

“哈？！你个小牛鼻子，来我这里装上了？”

“你真是老公鸡插羽毛，来我这儿装凤凰了啊！为师今儿个就教你知道知道，什么叫做尊师重道，什么叫做花儿为什么这样红！”

老道人一下抓住这小家伙放在膝盖上。

拎起竹板给这个装到了自己头上的小道士来了一顿竹简炒肉丝，刚刚还装着风轻云淡的小道士一阵鬼哭狼嚎的，这道观里面又是一阵阵鸡飞狗跳，两年前养着的大公鸡飞到了墙角上，瞥了一眼道观，满脸不屑。

而后在上面踱步，咳了咳嗓子，一阵阵的打鸣。

是夜，月色明晰，星辰漫天，老道人坐在了炼阳观的屋顶上，看着人间，月色清净，隐隐有些云气薄雾，群星散落四方，老道人难得提了一壶酒在喝，小道士也悄悄翻上来，动静放得很小，却还是给老道人发现了。

老道人横了他一眼，没好气道：“动作这么熟，平时准没少翻墙吧！”

“小兔崽子，三天不打上房揭瓦。”

“过来！”

他虽然嘴里面说得不客气，但是小道士明心却很清楚老师没有升起，于是挠了挠头，一下攀住了屋檐飞腾了下，轻飘飘地落在老道人旁边，老道士喝了口酒，闷闷不乐了好一会儿，才道：“为什么想要出去了？”

小道士明心装傻道：“想出去了，就是想出去了啊。”

“哪儿有什么理由呢？”

老道人看他一眼，道：“说实话。”

明心这才挠了挠头，道：“大半年前，才刚刚过了年节的时候，不是天上有一大片紫气飞过来吗？老师你还有印象吗？”

老道人想起来，那时候才置办了年货，见到紫气绵延三万里，气势很磅礴，老道人道：“当然记得，你师父我还没有老到了连半年前的事情都不记得的程度，不过这又怎么样？”

明心轻声道：“那一天之后，我做了一个梦，梦里面我看到紫气在天上飘着，遮掩了天空和大地，我恍恍惚惚地伸出手，想要抓住这紫气，然后身子突然就飘起来，天离我好近好近，地面上山川湖海都那么地渺小。”

“我梦到了我攀在紫气上面飞了好久好久。”

“然后我睁开眼睛，就看到了日出的时候，一抹紫气不断。”

小道士明心盘膝坐在道观的屋檐上，微微笑道：“那时候，我就忽然觉得，我想要下山去看看了，我的道路，不在山上。”

老道人缄默许久，只是一口又一口地喝闷酒，也不回头看着小道士，小道士也不问，老道人伸出手拍了拍他的头发，揉了揉，道：“那你就下山去吧，去看看外面怎么样。”

“不过记住，你在外面，没有什么人脉和背景，一定要小心，遇到事情，不要脑袋一发热就上，外面的话不比城里面，能让一步让一步，以和为贵，不要把自己给牵扯进去，要照顾好自己知道吗……”

老道人突然变得絮絮叨叨起来了，他满是皱纹的手掌拉着小道士说了好久好久，一边喝酒一边嘱咐着，把什么事情都说了一遍，小道士也不会觉得不耐烦，只是温和笑着等老师说着这些话，且都认真听着。

最后老道士喝完了酒，也说完了话，迷迷糊糊地醉倒了，朝着一侧倾倒下去，小道士明心背着老道士往下面走，就像是十多年前，老道人背着他上山时候一样，老人的双臂在他面前搭在一起，醉醺醺的呼吸粗重，伴着月色和虫鸣，伴着打更的声音。

醉梦里面的老道士呢喃着。

“要多回来看看啊……”

小道士明心脚步顿了顿：“嗯。”

他把老人送回了住处，然后盘膝坐在了这自小成长，自小学习的道观里，第二天的时候，老公鸡的打鸣声音响了三彻，老道人才迷迷糊糊的醒转过来，忽而一惊，猛然抬起头来，顾不得其他，就披着道袍里衣，大步奔出去。

哗啦一下推开门，这个时间还是有些微冷的，不大的炼阳观洒扫干净，老公鸡踱步在这院子里面。

风和日丽，晨曦温暖。

老道人怔怔失神，旋即颓唐：“还是下山去了吗？”

正在这个时候，忽而传来了好奇的声音：“老师？你怎么了？”

“这个时候闯出来，不怕喝了酒吹了风面瘫中风吗？”

老道士转过头来，看到明心一身道袍，背着竹篓，提着竹竿，显而易见是已经有了离别的心思。

老道人慨叹，终究是在弟子下山前看到了最后一面，老人把离别的怀念压在心底，脸上露出微笑，伸出手摸了摸他的头发，自腰间取下了一个锦囊递过去，轻声道：

“去吧，去吧。”

小道士明心接了这锦囊，和老师吃了一顿早点，洗了碗筷，抱着那大三黄鸡玩耍一通，被后者不耐烦地啄了发簪，这才咯咯笑着起身，拍了拍道袍，转身一步一步下山了。

他走过这熟悉的街道，走过了长河，走过了那一条九眼桥旁边的大树，还看到了树下面的棋盘。

看到了一侧有卖芝麻饼的独臂汉子，嘴角带着笑和妻女说话。

他展开双臂来，一步一步走过这红尘，走出城门的时候，就听到了城门楼上，飞檐翘起的两个塑像冲着自己大喊道：“小道士，小道士，你也要去人间吗？”

“小道士，小道士，你也要成真人吗？”

小道士明心想了想，不知道，挥了挥手，笑容灿烂：

“我去看看，我也不知道我想不想成真人，所以想看看呢。”

“先去京城！”

人们听不到两个塑像的话语，都好奇地看着这个小小少年。

少年道人回过头来，拿出了锦囊，这锦囊已经有些老旧了，是他刚刚被带上山的时候，老师给他的，十几年没有被打开过，里面写着祝福的话语，还有道家的【道名】。

道家分道名和道号，道号是对外的，道名是很郑重的。

里面的纸都有些泛黄了。

明心这两个字，其实是老道士很有些偏心的。

小道士明心看到了里面的两句祝祷词，轻声念叨：

“明心求一。”

“因道而喜。”

他脸上露出年少人的笑容，把这个锦囊收起来了，放到贴近心口的地方，然后迈步走在阳关大道上，正是最年少的年岁，心头没有阴霾，眼前人间红尘皆打开来，脚步轻快，唱着道：

“白云黄鹤道人家，一琴一剑一杯茶。”

“羽衣常带烟霞色，不染人间桃李花。”

“常世人间笑哈哈，周游四海你为啥。”

“苦终受尽修正道，不染人间桃李花。”

笑声轻快开心，还带着年少人的稚嫩，人们好奇看着这个小小道人，不由笑起来，城池上的两个塑像咕哝着什么，山上炼阳观下，老道人远远望着那小小身影渐行渐远，眼底悲伤而喜悦。

红尘如旧，那小小身影终是渐行渐远，渐看不见了。

背后万家灯火，炊烟如旧。

明心，出身炼阳观，年十五而三才全，梦紫气而行天下。

后，楼观道【祖师】。

史称——

喜真人。