A thousand years ago, it was just an ordinary Taoist temple with only an old Taoist priest and a young Taoist priest inside. Now it has become a hidden Taoist sect of extremely high status, seldom known to others. All disciples in the sect need to have all three talents and the most perfect state of mind of the innate Qi to move forward step by step. Half of the most outstanding Taoist practitioners in the past thousand years came from here.

Today, there are many schools of thought, but the name of "Great Immortal Mingxin" who recorded the Taoist scriptures and spread them throughout the world is extremely prominent, and he is implicitly respected as the leader of Taoism. People have always only known the name of "Louguan Dao" and found it difficult to get started. Although this school has a very high reputation, the requirements for entry are extremely strict, and there are not many disciples from generation to generation.

There are only a dozen Taoists in Lianyang Temple, so there is no need to expand it.

It is still the same small Taoist temple, located on the mountainside. When you look out every day, you can still see the old street and the bridge, with smoke rising from the chimneys. The world is the same as before. A man in a black robe and jade crown sits in the place where he used to sit cross-legged and breathe, holding a cup of tea. Yang Jian stands on one side and tells him what happened in the Immortal Sect today.

Then he said in a deep voice: "Because of the Emperor's order, over the past thousand years, the backup of the Southern Pole Changsheng Great Emperor has been continuously eliminated. As for the past hundred years, the Southern Pole Changsheng Great Emperor's arrangements have appeared less and less. This time, according to the younger generation's investigation, it appeared because the Buddha's Bodhi seed has matured and moved."

The Bodhi tree in Buddhism was also born at the beginning of the world. After the Buddha came into the world, he preached the Dharma. Later, the Buddha passed away, and the Bodhi seed appeared, bathed in the Buddha's light and the Dharma lineage, until now, it has been several kalpas. Any ordinary thing that can survive for such a long time is considered an extraordinary spiritual treasure.

What's more, that Bodhi tree is the spiritual root of heaven and earth and is definitely not ordinary.

It also subtly fits the concept of the longevity of Jia and Yi wood.

"Jian believes that the Great Emperor of Longevity in the South Pole will not let go of such an opportunity."

"This time, I'm afraid..."

Yang Jian's voice sank slightly, and a look of worry appeared on his face. The Great Emperor Zhenwu smiled slightly and said gently:

"Don't worry, that's what I'm here for."

Randeng's message had been delivered to Zhenwu Palace, so he came to the human world, holding a cup of tea and looking at the distant sky with a peaceful expression. The Emperor of Beiji Ziwei was concentrating on recovering his Taoist partner, and he replaced the former Northern Emperor's duties and guarded the six realms. Zhenwu Palace swept across the four directions, but the Emperor of Nanji Changsheng had never had a direct conflict with him.

He held the teacup and drank tea, looking out from the Taoist temple on the mountainside, and saw that the world was still the same.

In a trance, it seemed as if the young Taoist priest still walked through the street carrying a bamboo basket on his back, with crowds of people on both sides and a little Taoist boy beside him, holding his stomach while returning to the mountain. Yang Jian paused and saluted, "I don't know when Master Yin, Master Xi and others will be back."

"At this time, it's almost the New Year, why isn't he here?"

A Taoist priest who recognized Yang Jian walked by and said with a smile:

"Master uncle hasn't been back for some years, so he probably doesn't know."

"The master left the mountain several years ago and has only come back a few times in recent years."

"I don't know if I will come back for the New Year this year."

Yang Jian was extremely surprised and asked, "Is that so? Where did Master Uncle go?"

"I don't know about that."

"But before the master left, he once said that when he was observing the weather that day, he heard the roar of Qishan Mountain, which meant that an old friend had returned. He said that it was time to fulfill the appointment we made that year."

Yang Jian looked at this mortal city and said to himself:

"Old friend, appointment..."

…

Yongzhou was one of the big states in the world. The territory of Yongzhou was covered by wild beasts. It did not cross the river in the east and crossed the Black Water in the west. Later, when the world was unified, it was renamed Jingzhao Prefecture. It was considered a wealthy and prosperous place. However, no matter how wealthy and prosperous a place is, there are always relatively remote and poor areas.

Under the Dahong Mountain, under the Yunyang County City, there are counties and prefectures. The farther away from the center of the provincial capital, the more desolate and poor it is. Finally, when we arrived at Liang Village, it was as remote as it could not be, and the place was relatively desolate. Although Liang Village is named Liang, not all people there have the surname Liang. About half of them have other surnames, including Zhao, Qian, Sun, Zhou, Wu, and Zheng.

There was another family with the surname Gui, which was quite rare. They had moved here several decades ago. The original old Gui had passed away, and his grandson had started a family. Poor old Gui held on with all his strength, and when he saw his great-grandson, he closed his eyes and passed away. I don't know if it was the appearance of Old Gui at that time that frightened the child. Although the child had a quiet personality, he was very late in developing intelligence and did not start speaking until he was six years old.

The returning couple thanked God that they did not give birth to a idiot child. They also went to the land god of the small village to express their gratitude. The god of the land of Liang Village happily enjoyed a meal with wine and meat. Now, according to the rules of the human world, even in such a remote place, there will be a teacher from the academy to guard it.

The practice in the academy of the human world is divided into two branches. One is to practice Taoism and Buddhism, and the other is to practice the destiny of humanity. Although the destiny of humanity is complicated, if you easily take this destiny of humanity into your body, it will pollute your own spirit and be detrimental to your practice.

However, humanity has enormous luck, and if one can use even a little bit of divine charm, it can have considerable power.

At the same level, the strength of cultivating humanity's destiny is far greater than that of simply practicing Buddhism or Taoism.

Immortality is painful and spiritual practice is difficult.

Although everyone can read and write, only a few can become university masters.

Most people practice cultivation just to live a long life and have a strong body. If they have the opportunity to cultivate humanity's luck, that would be a great thing. Not only will it help them improve their strength quickly, but it would also be a way for them to enter the court in the future. However, ordinary people's perception of humanity's luck is not that strong.

The teacher who came here had not seen many talented people in more than ten years. But when the returning child touched the jade plate that day, the light emitted made the teacher who was frustrated and excluded from the academy almost freeze. When others asked him about it, he said that the child had good aptitude and was capable of practicing.

But only he himself knew that such qualifications were already quite good.

That is unique!

Others are cultivating the destiny of humanity, but this child is actually the one whose destiny of humanity has come to me.

It's just horrible.

But for some reason, the child refused to walk the path of humanity and destiny that everyone longed for, and burst into tears. His parents loved him very much and could not bear to disappoint him or impose their own expectations on him, so his father brought a few pounds of bacon to visit the teacher one day a year ago.

After stating his purpose, the Master was silent for a while and then asked, "Do you know his qualifications?"

The father of the returning child scratched his head and said with a simple smile: "I just know that my child doesn't want to do this. If he doesn't want to do it, then don't do it. In this life, one must be happy."

The teacher was silent for a long time, then asked the child what he wanted to learn.

The child pointed to a Taoist canon and a flute on the table, his eyes sparkling, "I want to learn this!"

The teacher was silent for a long time, handed the scroll to him, and then asked the child's name. The returning man said, "Name, we can't read it. My father found the poem book when he was young. He saw it when he was in the capital. He flipped through it for a while and found the first poem."

"It is said that the world is endless, when will it end? Why not forget about it and follow my example of returning to the mountains early?"

"I often laugh alone in the woods at the foot of the mountain. Who can reach the heart of the people who have not yet realized it?"

"Forget about words all day long. Morning comes and evening goes by, and there is no more time to worry. Treasure the treasure within your body of true yang."

He remembered the poem from which his son's name came, and he remembered it very clearly. When he was reciting the line "When will the world's affairs end?", the child was playing with the Taoist scriptures. The Master looked at him and said:

"This is the tune of the song [Dielianhua]."

"Yes, yes, yes, the butterfly is in love with the flower, also known as the phoenix resting on the wutong tree."

"My father said that if it were a girl, she would be called Guilianhua."

"If he were a man, he would be called Gui Qiwu."

The Master looked at the child and said to himself, "Return to Qiwu..."

"The phoenix returns and roosts on the phoenix tree."

“It’s a good name.”

So the returning man smiled happily, as if he had received great praise, and said, "Really? Hahaha, my dad never accomplished anything in his life, except giving this kid a good name."

The teacher did not respond. He watched the man and the child walk away. When he raised his eyes, he saw an old Taoist coming to the village gate.

It’s old, but it’s not really old.

Judging from his facial features, he is no more than 30 years old, but with a head full of white hair and a dull look under his eyes, one would subconsciously think that he is an old man. Then, taking another look, one would notice that his face is also covered with wrinkles, making one wonder if they had just seen it wrong.

Zhang Shu, the teacher of Liang Village, was originally from the Imperial Academy. When he saw a Taoist coming to the village, he naturally went up to ask questions. Firstly, he wanted to avoid some radical practitioners causing trouble, and secondly, it was also a courtesy. The old Taoist said gently: "I am a Taoist who is practicing in Lianyang Temple. This time I go out to walk in the world to find an old friend."

"I came to this village and wanted to rest for a few days. Is that possible?"

Zhang Shu saw that the Taoist seemed to have reached the realm of Xiantian Yiqi, and knew that the Xiantian Yiqi of the Taoist sect must be enlightened and see the nature of the mind, so he was considered a master. He said: "It is a good thing that the Taoist priest can stay in this village for a while. Please." He paused, thinking of the boy who returned home, and then said:

"But I do have a child who should have good aptitude and is devoted to Taoism."

"If the Taoist priest is interested, why not give me some pointers?"

"It would be nice if I could accept you as my disciple."

The old Taoist looked at the backs of the father and son as they walked away. After a long time, he just said softly: "I will not accept him as my disciple." So Zhang Shu sighed in his heart, knowing that after all, he was a Taoist disciple, and he was considered a master with the innate Qi. How could he be accepted as a disciple so easily?

He didn't care much about it at the time and just arranged a place for the old Taoist to live.

The old Taoist did not refuse and settled down in the village. He had been living there for more than a year. The people of Liang Village were very happy because there was an old immortal who seemed to have some Taoist skills in their village. This was especially true when one day they saw the local land god coming to see him.

After his fame spread, many people from the surrounding cities and towns came to visit him, but were all turned away. However, the people in this village got along well with the old Taoist priest. Even when children came to disturb the old Taoist priest, he would not say anything and would instead teach them some kung fu and talk about Taoist knowledge.

But the children could seldom concentrate. Taoism was a profound discipline and certainly not as attractive to them as a round bead or a straight branch. Only Gui Qiwu, who had returned home, liked to listen here.

On this day, the old Taoist priest was telling Taoist scriptures as usual, accompanied by the local land god and Master Zhang Shu.

The child sat beside the stone table, holding his chin with both hands, feeling the breeze, and asked, "Is cultivation difficult?"

The old Taoist replied: "If you can make progress through practice, that's a good thing."

Gui Qiwu sat on a stool, his feet unable to touch the ground. He swayed a few times and said, "The world outside is huge. I heard there are really huge cities, especially the prefectural capital. Is it really that big? Has the world become bigger and better in the past thousand years?"

The old Taoist looked him in the eyes and said, "Well, in the past thousand years, the world has become much better."

Gui Qiwu said happily: "Yeah, I guess it's very nice outside."

The old man said gently: “Yes, I made a promise with a friend back then that I would see the world of these years, after he left, to see the world of this world.”

Gui Qiwu asked curiously, "After you finish reading it, what next?"

The old man smiled gently and said, "I've finished reading it..."

"I feel that the world is prosperous and magnificent, and everything he did a thousand years ago was not wrong."

Zhang Shu and Tudigong's expressions suddenly changed.

Gui Qiwu didn't understand and just nodded ignorantly. His parents called him to eat, so he jumped down, bowed respectfully to the old Taoist and the teacher, said goodbye, then walked a few steps, suddenly seemed to think of something, turned around and took out something from his small pocket, mysteriously asked the old Taoist to stretch out his hand, and then covered his hands with his hands and placed them in his palms.

It's roasted chestnuts.

The old Taoist was stunned.

Gui Qiwu smiled brightly, patted the old Taoist's hand and said: "No matter what, you must be very tired after the past thousand years, so you should have a good rest." He waved at the old man, turned around and jumped down the mountain step by step. The old man was stunned.

It seemed as if I saw another person's back, but in a trance, there was nothing.

Zhang Shu and Tudigong were already feeling tingling on their scalps.

The God of Land swallowed his saliva and said, "I heard that the Louguan Dao, the first Daoist sect in the world, originally had a Lianyang Temple... The founder who followed the Master to heaven back then is still there."

The old Taoist nodded gently and said, "It's me."

The God of Land stood up suddenly, neither standing nor sitting. Zhang Shu looked at the child's figure going away, stiffened his body, gritted his teeth, and said, "A thousand years ago..., I heard that among reincarnations, those with great achievements and high merits may be able to reincarnate with their own souls unchanged. Could it be that this child's qualifications are Taizong..."

This time, the old Taoist just looked at Gui Qiwu's back quietly and shook his head:

"I have no idea."

This is the answer.

Zhang Shu's body was stiff and his lips were trembling. He just turned his head to look at the child's back, not knowing whether he should ask the Taoist priest to take Gui Qiwu away or report to the academy immediately.

The New Year has come, but the old Taoist has not returned to the mountain. Zhang Shu and the God of Land dare not reveal his identity. However, on the fifth day of the first lunar month, Gui's parents came to the mountain to pay New Year's greetings. They brought several kilograms of bacon and freshly made dumplings. The old Taoist welcomed them back with a peaceful look. However, the Gui couple hesitated for a long time before gritting their teeth and said:

"Old Immortal, this child in my family doesn't like to study Confucianism, he only likes to practice Taoism."

"I don't know if I have any qualifications. Old Immortal, please take a look. If you don't mind, you can stay by my side. I have someone to serve tea and water."

The old Taoist said softly: "Poor Taoist, Mingxin."

Just like it was a thousand years ago.

Gui Qiwu wanted to become a disciple, but was stopped.

The old Taoist did not accept this disciple.

But I did agree to take him away.

They soon returned to the capital city of Zhongzhou. It was snowing heavily and the city was blocked by snow and wind. The city, which had changed with each passing day over the past thousand years, seemed to be covered up again as soon as the snow started. The old Taoist did not use any magical powers, but just walked on the snow with the child on his back. However, he seemed to have lost his magic power and walked with one step deep and one step shallow.

In the distance, the voice of a man selling roasted chestnuts was heard, and the child fell asleep on his back.

Gui Qiwu was half asleep and half awake, so confused that he had forgotten everything. He just said:

"Where are we going, Mingxin."

The old Taoist paused and said softly, "Go and practice."

"Don't worry."

"There won't be any annoying things. Everything that needs to be done will be done..."

"From now on, the only things that will accompany us are the breeze on the river and the bright moon in the mountains..."

After a thousand years of separation, when he uttered the first sentence, the old Taoist Mingxin already felt a little sad.

Once the snow falls, the city becomes the same as it was a thousand years ago.

The wind blows through the city. In the distance, there are sounds of gongs and drums, voices of conversation, faint laughter, children's reading, and string music, all mixed with the cries of roasted chestnuts being sold. The moonlight is clear, falling over the world and sprinkling on shoulders.

Gui Qiwu, who was half asleep and half awake, murmured:

"Have I finished what I want to do..."

The old Taoist paused, held the child tighter on his back, and choked up:

"Um."

He said, "You can practice now."