General Zhou had been in poor health for a few years, and had never considered returning to his hometown. Only in recent years, after recovering from his illness, did he begin planning to return to his hometown after retirement. Unfortunately, General Zhou couldn't retire for the time being. In China, General Zhou was a stabilizing force.
Zhou Xi was going to go out and learn about Changle Town's hometown, and he would talk to General Zhou about the changes here after returning to Kyoto. General Zhou had been missing his life in Changle Town for the past few years, and Zhou Xi did this purely to comfort General Zhou's homesickness.
Not long after Zhou Xi went out, a beautiful young girl came to the door.
The older woman was none other than Wu Xiuyun, who had returned home to visit her family. Although Wu Xiuyun was practically fifty, she was a cultivator. Besides advancing, a cultivator's spiritual energy had a side effect—beautifying the skin. Furthermore, Wu Xiuyun possessed pure water spiritual roots and her vital yin was still present. Therefore, despite being in her fifties, she looked like a woman in her mid-twenties.
Wu Xiuyun received a new task from her master, which was to go to Changle Town to find Zhou Xi. After Zhou Xi had settled his worldly affairs, Wu Xiuyun would bring Zhou Xi back to Yushan Sect.
At the Sanqing Temple south of Changle Town, a disciple of the Yushan Sect resided. He was a spy specially left behind by Taoist Baopu when the Yushan Sect withdrew from the secular world. Over a hundred years ago, a divination by the Tianji Sect indicated that if the Xuan Sect continued to remain in the secular world, great disaster would befall them.
The Tianji Sect's divinations were consistently accurate, so the Yushan Sect and several other immortal cultivation sects had no choice but to follow the Tianji Sect into the secret realm. Although the cultivators had relocated to the secret realm, Taoist Baopu hadn't completely abandoned his thoughts on this secular world. As soon as Zhou Xi's jade pendant arrived at Sanqing Temple, the disciple immediately sent a message to Taoist Baopu.
After receiving Zhou Xi's message, Taoist Baopu originally wanted to go to Changle Town in person. He had been waiting for this day for a long time.
Taoist Baopu was currently refining a furnace of third-level elixirs, and it had reached a critical juncture. If he left, the elixir would surely be wasted. For the sake of the rare and precious herbs that went into the elixir, Taoist Baopu had no choice but to patiently watch the furnace and entrusted Zhou Xi's affairs to Taoist Lingyun, the current head of the Yushan Sect.
Time passes in cultivation, and Baopu Taoist couldn't remember how many years it had been since he last saw Zhou Xi. After the Yushan Sect moved to the secret realm, Baopu Taoist had gone out a few times over the years, but he didn't keep many jade pendants like Zhou Xi's. Including Zhou Xi's, there were only two in total.
Taoist Baopu still remembered Zhou Xi as the adorable boy he had been over fifty years earlier. Upon receiving the message from the jade pendant, Taoist Baopu eagerly anticipated his arrival in the Yushan Sect. While their Yushan Sect's techniques were superior, the journey from the Qi Refining Stage to the Foundation Establishment Stage took at least seventy to eighty years. Furthermore, beyond the Foundation Establishment Stage lay the Golden Elixir Stage. If possible, Taoist Baopu hoped Zhou Xi could instantly reach the Golden Elixir stage.
Taoist Baopu couldn't leave, so he had to ask Taoist Lingyun for help, asking Taoist Lingyun to send someone to bring Zhou Xi back to Yushan Sect. Taoist Baopu had waited too long for this day.
Although the secret realm boasted more abundant spiritual energy than the outside world, each opening consumed at least one low-grade spirit stone. Therefore, Taoist Lingyun remembered his young disciple, Wu Xiuyun, who had recently left the secret realm to visit his family. He planned to have Wu Xiuyun stop by Changle Town to help Taoist Baopu with this matter. Spirit stones! Every penny saved was a penny earned.
Wu Xiuyun felt that her trip back home was a bit unpleasant.
As soon as Wu Xiuyun left the secret realm, she came across a coveted elixir. Unfortunately, the elixir was in the hands of a group of Chinese soldiers, who were clearly relying on it to cross the "Forest of Death." If Wu Xiuyun stole the elixir, they might all die in the "Forest of Death," effectively interfering with the outcome of the war. Unable to do so, Wu Xiuyun left with regret.
When Wu Xiuyun left home, she was still a five-year-old girl. She only remembered that her home was in a small village called Niulan Village in the north. She had parents, a brother and a sister. Her father was Wu Daniu, her mother was Wang Cuihua, her brother was Wu Xiushui, and her sister was Wu Xiuli. Wu Xiuyun did not remember other details very clearly.
China is so big that Wu Xiuyun had to go through a lot of trouble to find out that there are six villages called Niulan Village in China, two of which are in the south, and the others are in the north, with two in Province S, Province Y, and Province H.
Wu Xiuyun automatically ignored the two villages in the south. Her home was in the north, so she had to go there first. After traveling by car to H Province, she began searching for her hometown. She remembered that her home was surrounded by mountains, meaning there was likely no road access, and transportation would have required walking.
Wu Xiuyun's luck was not good. She searched three Niulan villages in H Province and Y Province, but none of them was her hometown. At this time, Wu Xiuyun was already a little crazy. If she was not afraid that the cause and effect of the monk would affect her future progress, why would she come back to recognize her relatives?
There are cars for traveling on the main roads, but you have to rely on your legs to travel on the small roads! Wu Xiuyun is a cultivator, and a speed talisman can increase her speed, but this speed talisman cannot be used indefinitely. A talisman can only be used for 24 hours.
Wu Xiuli didn't expect the journey home to be so difficult. She was just a young cultivator in the Qi Refining Stage and couldn't even fly a sword. Not only did she travel a long way from south to north, but she had almost spent all the money she had.
Although Wu Xiuyun was a monk, how could she live in the secular world without money? Travel, eating, asking questions, and Wu Xiuyun's unbridled spending at the beginning, ordering a large table of dishes at every meal, after traveling through several provinces, she only had a hundred yuan left.
The Yushan Sect's monetary allocation to its disciples was limited; each disciple was given a lump sum of one thousand Chinese Yuan upon their recognition of their parents. When Wu Xiuyun left the secret realm, he carried only three speeding talismans, a few spirit beads, a few elixirs, and one thousand Chinese Yuan. Wu Xiuyun had heard from fellow disciples who had previously left the sect that money was still relatively easy to put into practice, and a few hundred Yuan would be enough to provide Wu Xiuyun's parents with a comfortable retirement.
But now, the money is almost gone, the spirit beads and elixirs can't be exchanged for money, and her parents are nowhere to be found. Wu Xiuyun is really overwhelmed. She just wants to go back to the village to see her parents and repay them for raising her, so why is it so difficult?
In order to find Niulan Village, Wu Xiuyun has used two speed talismans these days. He dare not use the remaining one casually. A cultivator must carry some life-saving things on his body. This is what Wu Xiuyun has been reminded of by his master and senior brothers.
After arriving in S Province, when they were only twenty miles away from the last Niulan Village, Taoist Lingyun intercepted Wu Xiuyun with a communication talisman.
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