In the following days, Qi Wuhuo had a rare period of leisure.

Every day he would recite Taoist scriptures to the peacock egg, or circulate his energy with a sword. In the village, he would recuperate Lian Shulan's body. Then he would go to the mountains to pick herbs and play with Yao Ling'er. When he came back, he would take out Tan Tai Xuan's alchemy furnace and start refining pills, accumulating the most basic qi-replenishing pills and things that could restore energy.

This is the ideal image of a Taoist priest.

The young Taoist sometimes thought about it.

Except that I haven’t been able to travel yet.

There is no need to be obsessed with practicing. The three talents are complete and flowing throughout the body. Now all you have to do is wait for the dryness of the three talents to dissipate. For this step, everyone has their own opportunities, and most of them rely on external objects, such as certain natural treasures, to enlighten one's own essence and energy, and finally condense into the [innate qi] with the characteristics of natural treasures.

Some also rely on certain special environments.

Just like a tiger mountain god, the energy of the earth veins refines the body, transforms the dry air, and condenses into magical powers exclusive to the earth god.

Qi Wuhuo was not obsessed, he was just casual.

Live seriously, eat seriously, walk seriously, and live seriously every day, and let this pure foundation flow naturally.

Although the dryness is still there, I don't really care about it.

Instead, I feel that the flow and transformation of the primordial spirit, primordial energy and primordial essence within the body is lively and interesting.

But he was so casual and contented with the life here that others felt something was wrong. When the second son of Grandpa Zhou Lingyi passed by the courtyard, he saw the young Taoist meditating in the yard. When the wind blew, his hair moved slightly, and he felt that he was not like a human. Then he saw the young Taoist open his eyes, and they happened to look each other in the eye. He felt a pang in his heart, but he forced a smile and left in a hurry.

"Strange, strange."

"How did he know I was looking at him?"

On the way back home, I mentioned this matter to others.

His brother and his wife all agreed that some strange things really happened when the young Taoist came here. The surrounding trees were obviously still withered, and no one knew why, but the Taoist's yard seemed to have sprouted green buds. Others said that when they saw him raise his hand, birds would land on his palm, and he was not afraid. In short, he was not an ordinary person. In addition, it seemed that a very rich old gentleman came to visit before, but he avoided him.

Several brothers started talking. Today was Laba Festival. Zhou Lingyi had originally wanted his sons to invite the young Taoist to their home to eat a bowl of Laba porridge and warm up by the fire. However, when he heard his sons' idle chatter, he was very unhappy and asked, "What do you mean?!"

"The Taoist priest came all the way here to treat the Lian family."

"We just let them stay in the hospital, and we didn't even pay for the medicine."

"You're just gossiping about others behind their backs. Is that what I taught you?!"

The old man was angry, and everyone was a little scared and kept silent.

But the second son was still unconvinced and said: "But, Dad, he is really a bit strange."

"This is a strange phenomenon, there must be a demon."

Zhou Lingyi was so angry that she threw the cane in her hand and yelled, "Get out!"

"You are such a fool who always gossips behind people's backs. How could I, Zhou Lingyi, have a son like you?"

The eldest son, who seemed to be much more stable, glanced at his younger brother, supported his furious father, and comforted him that he didn't need to be angry about this matter, but he still said: "But, Dad, we should have less contact with this Taoist priest."

Zhou Lingyi had just calmed down a little, but became angry again when she heard the words.

"Are you also like your brother?!"

His eldest son said, "That's not the case. It's just that I heard that [people do things for a purpose], and that Taoist priest has strange behaviors every day, and is as carefree as a person from other worlds. Why did he come to Shuiyun Township?"

"No desires, no requests, but great ambitions."

"And I heard that before, an old man dressed in rich silk and with a ceremonial guard came to visit him in our village. He even waited outside the village and asked a few naughty boys to deliver a message. This is no ordinary person!"

"My son was very brave and looked for someone in the area, but there was no such person as Ling Miao."

"His status is extremely high. He is either rich or noble."

“And I don’t know what he is trying to do.”

“Isn’t this matter worthy of vigilance?”

"After wealth and honor, there will be disasters. Whether it is good or bad, it is not something that people like us should get close to."

"There was nothing wrong with Laba inviting him here, but you already know that he is not ordinary. If we do this now, wouldn't he think we are flattering him? Father, we should avoid suspicion."

His son told the story slowly, and the old man's anger dissipated unconsciously, leaving only a sigh.

…

Qi Wuhuo pushed open the wooden door.

Amid the creaking sound, some dust was dispersed in the sunlight. The dust was originally from the ground, but when it floated in the sunlight, it was also covered with a layer of golden color. The eyebrows and eyes of the young Taoist priest were also warm like gold in the sunlight. His eyes were as clear as amber. He said gently, "Excuse me for disturbing you."

Lian Shulan's complexion had improved a lot. When she heard the voice, she asked, "Is that Taoist Priest Qi?"

The sick look on the woman's face had faded a lot, and she just forced a smile and said, "Thank you so much for troubling you."

The young Taoist asked, "Well, how do you feel?"

"I'm much better now. Thank you so much, Taoist Priest. But, my daughter..." There was a hint of pleading in Lian Shulan's tone.

It seems that he has understood something, but he still seems to have a last bit of luck.

That's a very complicated tone.

The young Taoist closed his eyes and said gently, "Heal your wound first, and I will tell you."

He asked Lian Shulan to wash her eyes with cold spring water, and then she sat on a chair. The young Taoist stood in front of her, pressing his fingers lightly on her head. His mind was free of distractions, and all he could see was a layer of white film on her eyes, which looked grim. The young man apologized, and used his left thumb and index finger to separate her eyelids, then pressed down the white of her eye with two fingers, and held the needle in his right hand.

The acupuncture was performed using the techniques described in "Record of Immortality", including dotting the eyes, shooting the cover, and exploring the hidden treasure.

He also used his own vitality to maintain his qi. Even with Qi Wuhuo's temperament, he had honed it many times in secret and spent a lot of effort to help regulate it before he dared to do this. When the young man finally withdrew the needle, Lian Shulan just let out a cry and couldn't help closing her eyes, tears flowing. After a while, she opened her eyes subconsciously, only to feel it was extremely dazzling, and closed them immediately, tears flowing.

All I could see was a silhouette in the dim light, and a gentle voice:

"After not being able to see for a long time, you should close your eyes and relax more."

Lian Shulan nodded first, and then her hands, which had been through a lot and were full of wrinkles, grabbed Qi Wuhuo's sleeves with great strength: "I will wait, I will wait...Master Qi, Master Qi, my daughter, she..."

There are only two options before Qi Wuhuo right now: either lie and cover up.

Otherwise, just tell the truth.

The young Taoist was silent for a while, then said gently, "I came here to pass on your daughter's dying wish."

Lian Shulan opened her mouth.

She did not feel an extreme emotional collapse. She just held the Taoist young man's hand so tenaciously and forcefully, but suddenly she let go as if all her strength had disappeared. She sat there like a piece of wood, and then closed her eyes. She curled up her already thin body, covered her mouth, and let out a long, sharp sound, like the north wind blowing through a broken window.

What followed was a low howl that was both suppressed and intense, and did not sound like crying at all.

The young Taoist stood here quietly.

It took a long time for Lian Shulan to calm down. The pair of eyes that had just been healed dimmed again. She smelled the fragrance of food, looked up, and saw that the young Taoist had cooked a meal and served it in front of her. The expression on the woman's face was a little bitter. Looking at the food in front of her, she just smiled sadly and said, "... Taoist priest is so young, you should not have experienced the loss of relatives, right?"

"Why did you come to rescue me?"

"How about letting me die here?"

The young Taoist said, “Yes.”

Lian Shulan was stunned.

The young Taoist priest, who seemed to be living a good life, brought the food to her and said, "Father, mother, there are many people."

"And sir."

“All lost.”

“I’m from Jinzhou.”

"Jinzhou..."

Lian Shulan thought of the thrilling disaster a few years ago, and her hands trembled. People said that it was a disaster sent down from the sky, and flames were running on the ground. I don’t know how many people died there. The young Taoist in front of her experienced such a tragic thing. For a moment, she felt at a loss. Qi Wuhuo put the food in his hand on the table in front of her and said:

"In just a moment, everything I had was gone."

"First, my parents, then my friends, and then the husband who helped me escape also passed away."

"I have ten thousand reasons to die. In fact, I have thought about it. The past days are like a ghostly rope, tied around my neck, getting tighter and tighter, making it hard to breathe. Sometimes I wake up from nightmares and subconsciously call for my parents. Then I remember that I no longer have parents, so I have to cry alone in the night. I have already sharpened my knife by then."

The young Taoist's eyes were level with the woman's: "It's just that when I was about to take action, I suddenly remembered it."

"Jinzhou no longer exists."

"If I die, my mother is such a gentle person, and my father is so good."

"Why is Jinzhou called Jinzhou? It's because when the spring wind blows through, all the flowers in Jinzhou are in full bloom, and it looks as beautiful as the finest brocade. How strict and yet kind the gentleman is."

"I am the only one who remembers everything."

"If I die, all traces of them in this world will truly disappear."

"If I die, who will know me? Who will know my parents, my teacher, and the scenery of Jinzhou?"

“So I suddenly didn’t want to die.”

Qi Wuhuo stood up. The young Taoist smiled slightly and handed the portrait of the girl he had drawn to Lian Shulan. He did not try to persuade her, but said, "The years I spent with my daughter, the things she wanted to do, these memories, and the traces of her life, if you die, no one will remember them anymore."

"Life and death are serious matters, and it should be your own decision."

“I just think it’s a pity.”

"After all, you are the only one who remembers her..."

This sentence was soft, but it seemed to pierce Lian Shulan's heart. She finally burst into tears, holding her daughter's portrait and crying hard. The young Taoist pursed his lips, turned and left, opened the door, and the moonlight was already falling outside. He looked at the courtyard and thought that if he stayed alive, he could at least see the spring flowers blooming, just like himself.

He went back to his courtyard and packed his things.

When he walked out, the moonlight was clear and bright, and he suddenly felt something. He swept his sleeves, and the words that once carried the word "imperial" all flowed out. One line of them lit up, emitting a clear golden light, and his obsession and the breath of the world were about to dissipate - maybe it was because his last wish was fulfilled, so the part that was to be used as a spiritual treasure had already been tempered.

The young Taoist seemed to be able to see the appearance of a young girl.

Obsession with the world can be driven as much as you want.

Is this... Lingbao?

His fingers gently fell on the words, sensing all the possibilities, and heard the sorrowful cry in the wind, but he just laughed suddenly, without taking the treasure back. With his right hand behind his back, the young man spoke a command in a clear and bright voice, then pointed his fingers downwards, erasing his own breath.

Separate the obsession and traces represented by this line of words from the white paper of the world.

Then the line dispersed and shattered into the appearance of the girl. As if puzzled, the young Taoist withdrew his hand and smiled gently: "Although there is only a trace of obsession left, although you are not actually that girl, you still want to accompany your mother."

"Go ahead."

Tempering the red dust into spiritual treasure is the way of spiritual treasure.

But it is not my way.

Observe but do not take, I hold on to my own mind.

Not attached.

It is the Supreme.

The girl was stunned by the persistence contained in that line of words, as if she couldn't believe it. She opened her mouth but couldn't say anything. She just bowed deeply, her eyes were already red. The young man said, "Be careful. In the end, you can only accompany her thoughts. But, it's still different with someone accompanying her, right?"

Looking through the world, there are so many regrets, but the Taoist comes from the world, but will eventually leave it.

That's good.

The girl kowtowed and sobbed with a trace of obsession: "Thank you, Master."

The young man accepted her greeting and just said, "You can't be considered a real person."

"Go ahead."

Inside the house, Lian Shulan was crying while hugging the portrait, as if she wanted to pour out all the sorrows of the past. The girl outside the window looked at her silently with red eyes. She could not see or speak, but at least she had company. The wind blew by, and Zhou Lingyi hit her son with her crutch. She still decided to invite the young Taoist to her home for a cup of Laba porridge.

He leaned on a crutch and came to the remote courtyard. He knocked on the door, but no one answered.

When he pushed open the door, the chain fell to the ground. It was not locked at all. The old man was stunned, then walked in quickly. After pushing open the door, he found the room was empty and very clean. There was a letter on the desk, thanking the old man for his hospitality and wishing him all the best in the new year. Other than that, nothing was different.

It was like this when I left.

As he came.

After Zhou Lingyi finished reading the letter, she was stunned for a long time. She didn't know why, but she felt a sense of melancholy. One night, the north wind blew. Perhaps it was a coincidence, after all, it was the god of earth, after all, it was the Taoist priest, the trees in the courtyard sprouted. The old man walked out and saw the spring scenery in the courtyard. Under the moonlight, the young Taoist priest was carrying a sword box on his back.

Come in pursuit of promise, leave when cause and effect are fulfilled.

With night dew on my shoulders, I walked on the mountain path.

He thought:

This is what Taoist priests are like.

He smiled softly and said:

"I seem to know something, teacher."

"Taoist priest, this is it."