"Big brother!"
Wang Shu jumped down from the rock and searched around for a while before anxiously shouting, but there was no response except for the mountain breeze that gently blew across the stream, carrying moist air.
"An immortal!"
The little girl continued to shout, somewhat unwilling to give up. The older brother who had just been talking to her had disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Wang Shu! Who are you calling?"
An old ox, chewing on green grass, passed by. On the ox's broad back, a mischievous boy with his hair in a bun used a bamboo pole to hang a bunch of tender grass, guiding the old ox forward.
"I was just talking to a really handsome older brother, did you see him?"
Although the girl had little hope, she still asked the child who had always wanted to play with her.
"You were just talking to someone? You were clearly alone just now!"
The young boy's eyes were full of confusion, then he realized what was happening and his eyes widened suddenly.
"Are you possessed by an evil spirit?"
"You're the one who's possessed!"
Wang Shu immediately got angry. Although she was more mature than other children her age, she was still just a child without memories of her past life.
"But didn't you just say you were talking to a really handsome older brother? But I was secretly watching you the whole time, and there was no one else around you."
The young boy, full of confidence, suddenly recalled the bizarre and somewhat terrifying stories he had heard.
Suddenly, he yelled, threw the bamboo strip with the tender grass tied to it to the ground, nimbly jumped off the ox's back, and then, abandoning the old ox, dashed into the village in a flash.
"Oh no! Oh no! Wang Shu is possessed!"
The mischievous child ran and shouted loudly, and soon adults heard the commotion and came out to investigate.
"Xiao Wu, what are you shouting for?"
"Wang Shu is possessed! I clearly saw him alone just now, but she said she was chatting with a very handsome older brother!"
The mischievous boy explained, then rushed into Wang Shu's house and shouted at the aunt who was tidying up the woodshed, her hands covered in dust.
"Auntie, something terrible has happened! Your Wang Shu is possessed! You'd better go check on her right away, or her soul will be stolen away!"
The boy's words startled the village woman. She dropped the firewood she was holding and hurriedly grabbed the boy, demanding an explanation.
"Don't talk nonsense. What's wrong with my Shu'er?"
"She's possessed!"
So, a group of elderly village women rushed to the village entrance, and the men who were working in the fields also carried their farm tools back.
"Isn't this person perfectly fine?"
When the adults arrived, they found a little girl with a rosy complexion but a slightly bewildered look in her eyes, seemingly not understanding why she had suddenly been surrounded by adults.
"Shu'er, are you alright?"
The peasant woman, dressed in simple clothes and wearing a simple hairpin, hugged her eldest daughter tightly, her expression full of anxiety. However, after looking her daughter up and down and touching her, she found that there was nothing wrong, and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, immediately settled down.
"Xiao Wu, you little brat, you're talking nonsense again! Wait till we get home, I'll skin you alive!"
Meanwhile, another peasant woman, who had heard the news and rushed over, was furious. She pulled her son, who was still shouting "Wang Shu is possessed," out of the group of children who had gathered around and slapped him twice on the bottom.
The crisp cracking sound of flesh conveyed the immense effort this mother poured into her son, followed by the child's aggrieved cries.
"Waaah... I wasn't lying. Wang Shu just told me that she saw an older brother. I was right next to him, but I didn't see him at all."
Amid the children's wailing, the adults' gazes fell upon Wang Shu, whose expression had returned to calm and who appeared remarkably mature. Clearly, the girl's words were more credible.
"Shu'er, were you really talking to someone just now?"
Although the girl realized something was wrong, she had never experienced anything like it before. So, when her mother questioned her, she instinctively chose to tell the truth.
"I'm not possessed. I was really talking to a very handsome older brother. He was wearing very beautiful clothes. He said the sacred mountain is called Jiuwei Mountain, and there really are immortals on the mountain. He also said..."
"Alright, that's enough!"
The girl's mother interrupted her description, then looked at the man whose face had become extremely serious. The hoe in his hand was still covered with wet mud. He had just received the news and rushed back from the field without even touching the ground.
"Did you see anyone enter the village?"
"No."
The man's face had become extremely grim, and the villagers who had gathered around also looked extremely solemn, with some showing signs of unease.
"I haven't seen any outsiders enter the village either."
"What kind of person is that?"
The farmers who were working away from home rushed back, and after checking with each other, they could basically confirm that no outsiders had entered the village today.
“The older brother didn’t come down from the ground; he said he flew down from the sky.”
Wang Shu pried her mother's hand away and said earnestly that she had no concept of lying because she had been taught honesty and integrity since childhood.
"The sky?"
Most of the villagers who rushed over upon hearing the news unconsciously looked up at the sky, while others gazed at the distant sacred mountains, their faces showing expressions of surprise and uncertainty.
"Could it be that some immortal has really come to our village?!"
Some villagers were skeptical, but some believed what the girl said, since she had flown down from the sky, so it was natural to associate her with an immortal.
"Who knows, it might be something unclean?"
Some people couldn't help but disagree and offered different opinions.
"Where could such unclean things come from in broad daylight?"
"Look at Shuer, isn't she lively and energetic, perfectly fine?"
"They seem fine now, but who knows what might happen tonight!"
"If you ask me, we should hurry up and invite a doctor back to take a look before it gets dark. That way, we can handle any problems that arise, and if nothing happens, it'll just be a waste of money!"
"That's one way, but it depends on whether Shu'er's father is willing to spend the money!"
"..."
The man couldn't help but show a troubled expression. Hiring a master who could exorcise evil spirits would be extremely expensive for ordinary farmers like them. They would never spend so much money unless it was a serious matter, and his daughter didn't seem to be in any serious condition.
"How about we wait until tomorrow and see? If it really doesn't work, we can all chip in some money and ask a gentleman to come back and take a look. This road isn't just for Shu'er; there are also many little kids playing here. If there really is something unclean, we'll have a way to deal with it."
Listening to the adults' conversation, Wang Shu finally realized something was wrong, but at this point, she had no right to speak.
Even on the way home with her parents, she kept saying that she wasn't possessed, but they trusted their own judgment more.
So, on the second day at noon, even though Wang Shu showed no signs of anything unusual, a Taoist priest still came to the village.
"Walking Alone to Immortality"
He was a Taoist priest who looked very young, with normal facial features, but who gave off a somewhat lewd vibe. Wang Shu was brought in front of him and stared at for a moment.
“Your daughter did come into contact with something unclean, but she was just slightly tainted by evil spirits. It’s nothing serious. I’ll give her a bowl of talisman water to drink.”
Upon hearing the Taoist priest's words, Wang Shu finally understood the source of the disgust she felt upon first meeting him. However, her words were completely ignored by the adults.
She could only watch helplessly as the Taoist priest, or rather the fraudster, pulled out a talisman from his robes. The talisman was intricately decorated with runes and even reflected a faint red glow. Then, the talisman spontaneously combusted without fire, and its ashes fell into a bowl of clear water.
Even though Wang Shu was extremely unwilling, her parents still forced her to drink the bowl of talisman water. The moment the talisman water went down her throat, she felt dizzy and lightheaded. Before she completely fell asleep, she heard the liar's voice.
"Once your daughter wakes up, everything will be fine."
"Thank you, Daoist Master!"
She also heard her parents' tearful gratitude, but after hearing those two sentences, her consciousness completely disappeared into darkness.
When she regained consciousness and suddenly opened her eyes, she found that the sky outside had darkened, and the dim yellow light of day and night fell into the room through the window.
How are you feeling?
The boy's handsome face came into view, his bright smile unrestrained and undisguised, the gloating under his breath was all too obvious.
"You've ruined me?"
The girl's face showed a hint of annoyance. She bared her teeth and looked like a cat with its fur standing on end. Being forced to drink talisman water was an extremely unpleasant experience. She had never experienced anything like this before, which is why she suffered from this trick.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Seeing the angry expression on the face of the reincarnated ancient immortal, Feng Bingwen, who was sitting on the table, burst into laughter.
"It's your own fault for being stupid, how can you say I harmed you? How does the talisman water taste? Isn't it delicious?"
"Is this a test?"
The little girl wrinkled her nose, clearly displeased, but her reaction was quick.
"You can treat this as a test. How you performed in this test should speak for itself!"
Feng Bingwen was slightly taken aback, then followed up on the conversation.
To be honest, even now, he still hasn't figured out how to be the protector of this reincarnated ancient immortal.
According to his understanding, a true protector should only step in to help when the guardian is in mortal danger; otherwise, they should pretend not to exist and not interfere in anything.
But when he saw the reincarnation of this ancient immortal, he knew that he absolutely could not do nothing and had to intervene, otherwise this ancient immortal would probably have to spend this life as a mortal.
He had been watching this ancient immortal reincarnated gazing at Mount Jiuwei, and he wondered whether he should bring her to Mount Jiuwei and have her join this immortal sect, since it was an excellent place for cultivation.
However, when the reincarnated ancient immortal asked him if he could be taken as a disciple, his original idea was overturned and a new idea emerged.
It seems like taking her as a disciple wouldn't be a bad idea; the roles of protector and master don't conflict.
However, the ancient immortal, having lost his memories, was utterly mediocre in every way. Feng Bingwen observed him for a long time but couldn't find any strengths.
He has no special physique; he is just an ordinary mortal. As for his aptitude for cultivating immortality, well, he does have an affinity for spiritual energy, but it seems that he has only reached the minimum level for cultivating immortality.
Even the most prestigious immortal sects wouldn't accept a disciple with this kind of aptitude, because even with a lifetime of arduous cultivation, such a person wouldn't achieve much.
“I told the truth, but they didn’t believe me.”
Wang Shu was also very distressed.
“Be mindful of your age. They have lived through decades of spring and autumn, so of course they have more confidence in their own judgment.”
Feng Bingwen paid no attention to the girl's distress; he used this opportunity to teach her.
"When you possess something extraordinary that others cannot understand, you should learn to hide it instead of shouting it out loud and making it known to everyone, especially when you have no power to protect yourself."
"Can't I even tell my parents?"
"You should tell your parents what I told you later. Do you think they will believe and understand you, or will they force you to drink the second bowl of talisman water?"
Feng Bingwen asked with a smile.
"They'll definitely make me drink the talisman water; they won't believe what I say."
The girl's expression immediately fell.
"Because they haven't experienced the same things as you, it's easier to encounter 'dirty things' hidden in the fields and wilderness compared to immortals."
The so-called "dirty things" are evil spirits that are born from the accumulation of bad luck and impurities in the world in yin and evil places. However, most of these spirits do not have the ability to harm people.
As long as a person's blood and qi circulate normally, there is nothing to fear. Only when one is mentally confused or has depleted blood and qi can these pathogenic factors take advantage of the situation. The elderly and children are often the targets they choose to invade.
Did I fail the test?
The girl listened silently to what Feng Bingwen said, then looked up with a dim gaze, like a withered flower.
"Are you not going to accept me as your disciple?"
How could that be?
Looking at the pitiful expression of this reincarnated ancient immortal, Feng Bingwen chuckled and casually recounted his experiences from his childhood in this life.
“When I was younger than you, my family also gave me talisman water, and then I became obedient.”
"So, big brother, you've also drunk talisman water?"
The girl's eyes lit up instantly, and her rosy lips blossomed like a flower.
"Do I still have a chance?"
"That depends on your performance from now on!"
Feng Bingwen's face showed a deeply apprehensive expression, and he was not prepared to say anything more.
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