"That's really thoughtful!"
Watching his mother's departing figure as she closed the door, Feng Bingwen couldn't help but sigh, and a certain thought settled in his mind.
As he touched the large Buddha pendant hanging around his neck, a golden, radiant Bodhi seed, as clear and translucent as diamond and crystal, appeared in his hand, its size similar to the large Buddha pendant around his neck.
"That's perfect."
This is the Buddhist light extracted from the Dragon Ball within his body by his master. It contains the Buddhist wisdom of a great Buddhist master, and the killing intent within has been completely eliminated. He can carry it with him and comprehend the profound Buddhist principles within.
Feng Bingwen held the Bodhi seed and gently tapped it. The seemingly hard Bodhi seed seamlessly merged into the ordinary Buddha pendant.
Suddenly, a faint Buddhist chanting sound arose, and Feng Bingwen's mind instantly fell into a special state. Several Buddhist supernatural powers seemed to emerge in his mind, but just when he felt that he was about to gain some understanding, the chanting sound suddenly stopped, making him extremely annoyed in an instant.
"Damn it!"
This coy attitude prompted Feng Bingwen to let out an angry curse. He then ignored the Buddhist Bodhi seed and directly took out a jade pendant shaped like two fish. He immersed himself in it, reciting Taoist scriptures and contemplating the profound truths of the Great Dao.
The night passes by, and when midnight arrives, it marks the end of one year and the beginning of a new one, a time of renewal.
At this time of transition, Feng Bingwen felt something in his heart, but he couldn't explain why this change was happening, so he could only observe from the sidelines.
Crackling sounds!
Before Feng Bingwen could think further, a noise that annoyed those who were sleeping suddenly broke the silence of the night—the sound of firecrackers exploding.
However, no one in the village shouted or cursed, because the sound of firecrackers was like a signal, and the small village of Fengjia, with only a dozen or so households, instantly became lively.
Every household lit firecrackers as the New Year approached, and Feng Bingwen's house was no exception. The firecrackers exploded and made a sound, and Feng Bingwen, who was lying in bed, could smell the gunpowder smoke drifting in through the doors and windows.
As the saying goes:
Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, the old year departs; the warm spring breeze brings new life to the New Year's wine.
A few hours later, as dusk fell and the sun had not yet risen, Feng Bingwen was once again woken up from his bed by his parents. It was impossible for him to stay in bed on the first day of the new year.
After getting ready and having breakfast, Feng Bingwen went to the ancestral temple to offer New Year's blessings. Then, he followed his father to visit each household to pay New Year's visits. There was a lot of laughter and conversation, so no further words were needed.
During the Spring Festival, the most important festival of the year, relatives and friends naturally exchange greetings and farewells. Feng Bingwen had little interest in this. He couldn't play with children his age, and his thoughts became more complicated, so he missed out on their joy.
In Feng Bingwen's eyes, even playing with those children was not as interesting as reading those obscure and difficult Taoist scriptures. Although he still didn't understand them even after reading them several times, after pondering each word and sentence and gaining some understanding, his mind would involuntarily sink into joy, and he would feel an indescribable sense of accomplishment.
It was at this moment that Feng Bingwen felt a sense of loneliness and isolation. Because of his achievements and insights, there was no one to share them with, and no one to discuss them with.
Fellow Daoist!
At that moment, Feng Bingwen suddenly understood why cultivators valued fellow practitioners so much, even more than romantic partners. How rare it was to find a like-minded friend with whom one could confide one's thoughts and ideas anytime, anywhere, and then discuss and further explore the path together!
At this moment, Feng Bingwen could only endure this loneliness, a price he had to pay for cultivation. Even if he entered the mountain gate, he probably wouldn't find many like-minded friends, because he was studying the Daoist canon, the foundation for his enlightenment given to him by the son of an immortal.
Time slipped away quietly under Feng Bingwen's watchful eye. Although the Spring Festival lasted for fifteen days, ending only after the fifteenth of the first lunar month, people who had stayed at home would often return to work by the sixth day of the first lunar month, halfway through the year.
Although Feng Bingwen's parents were busy with their own affairs, they could not use the excuse of returning to the city to do business, because the academy would start after the fifteenth of the first lunar month, and they did not need to rush back.
Even so, this wealthy couple still found an excuse on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year to leave home and embark on their journey to the prefectural city.
The excuse was simple: before the New Year ended, he would visit his teachers in the prefectural city and ask them to give him guidance on his studies in preparation for the imperial examinations the following year.
The subtle calculations involved are naturally not something outsiders can understand. With Feng Bingwen's parents gone, much of the celebratory atmosphere dissipated, leaving the old house somewhat deserted.
Fortunately, even on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, people still flocked to Feng Bingwen's home to pay their respects. This was because many people had received "help" from Feng Bingwen over the past six months. Even if Feng Bingwen didn't remember them, they would still visit him during this special time and bring a small gift.
Since someone has given you a gift, you have to reciprocate. This is what is meant by welcoming and sending off guests. Through this back and forth, goodwill naturally develops, and people become familiar with each other.
Feng Bingwen was not particularly interested in this, or rather, he was mercenary, because he felt that such connections were useless and a waste of time.
He would rather spend this time reciting the Taoist canon, figuring out how he dreamt that night of transforming into a dragon and slaying a ferocious beast, and finding out the reason.
This matter has troubled Feng Bingwen for quite some time, and he still hasn't figured out the reason. He only knows that he subconsciously did something that he couldn't replicate even when he was conscious.
However, Feng Bingwen felt that since he was able to do it unintentionally, it meant that he had all the conditions to replicate it a second time. The reason he couldn't do it now was simply because he hadn't figured out the key to it.
With this feeling of excitement and anticipation, the Lunar New Year quietly came to an end.
January 13th, night, weather: cloudy
After glancing at the stagnant good and evil deeds, Feng Bingwen drifted off to sleep with a unique breathing rhythm. For him, sleeping was a unique form of cultivation, and it also helped him to study the still-unresolved method of transforming into a dragon in a dream.
That very night, as Feng Bingwen quietly fell asleep, a faint, almost imperceptible scent of sandalwood wafted from the county town and, upon entering Fengjia Village, pointed towards the room where Feng Bingwen was sound asleep.
Feng Bingwen, still asleep, couldn't help but frown. Within his abdomen, a silvery light, like a galaxy, rose, and the faint roar of a dragon could be heard.
Then, he suddenly sat up, his bright silver dragon eyes opening as he looked out the window. A majestic, golden-armored general stood there, looking embarrassed.
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