Taoist Baopu decided: If Zhou Xi or Wen Ziqing became his disciples before his lifespan expired, it would mean that Heaven supported him in possessing another body. Otherwise, it was Heaven's will that he should perish.
Over the years, Taoist Baopu has been conflicted and expectant at the same time. He was conflicted about whether to believe in this "God's will", and he was expecting Zhou Xi or Wen Ziqing to "come to his door".
When Zhou Xi's jade tablet was delivered to Changle Palace, Taoist Baopu was overjoyed. He believed that God was on his side and could not bear to see him perish, so he "sent" Zhou Xi to "save" his soul.
During the more than half a month he waited for Zhou Xi to arrive in the Langyuan Secret Realm, Taoist Baopu could not concentrate on his cultivation. He looked forward to Zhou Xi's arrival every day.
When Wu Xiuyun finally brought Zhou Xi to Taoist Baopu, Taoist Baopu was stunned.
There is no such thing as time in cultivation. Fifty or sixty years is just a blink of an eye for Taoist Baopu. But Zhou Xi is different. The once clever and intelligent child has become an octogenarian. Taoist Baopu feels a chill in his heart.
Could such a body withstand the impact of his possession? If he succeeded, and Zhou Xi's body couldn't withstand it, wouldn't all his efforts have been in vain?
During the more than half a month of waiting for Zhou Xi's arrival, Taoist Baopu was so excited that he visited several peak masters of Yushan Sect every day, and all he talked about every day was his upcoming direct disciple Zhou Xi.
Taoist Baopu's intentions were easy to guess; the several peak masters understood that he was asking for return gifts. According to the Yushan Sect's rules, when a peak master accepted a direct disciple, the other peak masters or elders were required to give a meeting gift. Taoist Baopu hadn't accepted a direct disciple in all those years, yet he had given out quite a few meeting gifts. Adding it all up, it was a considerable fortune!
But now, Zhou Xi had arrived, but his image was far from what Baopu Taoist had expected. Baopu Taoist felt that he was not thick-skinned enough to bring such an "old" disciple to visit other peak masters.
What worries Taoist Baopu even more is that how fast can Zhou Xi, a man in his sixties, practice?
Taoist Baopu had no choice but to make two plans. On the one hand, he gave Zhou Xi the cave he had lived in in his early years in the back mountain. He also set up several soaking pools in the cave, and asked Zhou Xi to soak in elixirs every day to cleanse his marrow and hair. This would stimulate the vitality of various cells in Zhou Xi's body, and hopefully make Zhou Xi reborn and meet Taoist Baopu's requirements.
Of course, not everyone can endure the marrow-cleansing and hair-shaving medicinal bath. Only Zhou Xi, the person who took it, could understand the pain. Otherwise, Taoist Baopu wouldn't have arranged for Zhou Xi to stay in such a secluded place.
On the other hand, Taoist Baopu thought of Wen Ziqing, a boy whose talent was even better than Zhou Xi's.
Taoist Baopu calculated that only a dozen years had passed since he last saw Wen Ziqing, meaning the boy should be a young man now. Compared to Zhou Xi's aging body, Taoist Baopu naturally wished for a younger one. Taoist Baopu was a perfectionist, and knowing he had a better alternative body to possess, he didn't use it, which made him feel uncomfortable.
Zhou Xi had to take a medicinal bath every day. The only way for him to adjust the dosage of the herbs was for Taoist Baopu to monitor Zhou Xi's condition after the bath. Taoist Baopu was unable to find the time to go to the secular world to look for Wen Ziqing, so he had to issue a task within the sect, asking someone to go out and look for Wen Ziqing on his behalf.
Liu Jingyun had been in the secular world for several years and was relatively familiar with the situation in China. The information provided by Taoist Baopu was also very detailed, and Liu Jingyun knew Wen Ziqing's exact identity almost immediately.
After Liu Jingyun knew that Wen Ziqing was fighting on the front line, he used the "Invisibility Ring" to transform himself into Wang Xuyang and get close to Wen Ziqing. Wen Ziqing was caught off guard and was taken back to Yushan Sect by Liu Jingyun.
Taoist Baopu hadn't slept or practiced the previous night. He was filled with lofty sentiments, and Wen Ziqing's arrival made him feel that his path to immortality had become smoother once again.
Early in the morning, Taoist Baopu released his divine sense to monitor Wen Ziqing. He wanted to see if the young man would lose his composure in an unfamiliar environment. To properly care for Wen Ziqing's cherished body, Taoist Baopu even used his treasured spiritual rice to make porridge for him.
The more Wen Ziqing drank, the happier Baopu Taoist felt. A body that could withstand the spiritual power of the spiritual rice made Baopu Taoist salivate.
Wen Ziqing didn't know what Baopu Taoist was planning, but he was deeply disgusted by his "hiring" method. He could only imagine the worst, considering that Baopu Taoist had disregarded his wishes and brought him here.
Wen Zhu brought Wen Ziqing to the Baopu Taoist's residence. After watching Wen Ziqing enter the courtyard, Wen Zhu found a corner and sat on the ground, waiting for him to emerge. Jinping Peak's rules prohibited anyone from entering the Baopu Taoist's main courtyard without a summons. Wen Zhu's current role was to serve Wen Ziqing as a handyman; without Baopu Taoist's orders, he could only wait at the door.
Wen Ziqing didn't say anything after entering the room. He just stood there quietly, allowing Taoist Baopu to look at him.
Among ordinary people, Wen Ziqing's physique is truly perfect. Standing 1.8 meters tall and weighing 142 kilograms, with broad shoulders and narrow hips, he possesses no trace of excess fat. Standing tall and straight like a pine tree, his tanned complexion creates a sense of strength at first glance.
Looking at Wen Ziqing's young and powerful body, Taoist Baopu became more and more satisfied, and the corners of his wrinkled eyes couldn't help but bend downwards.
"Wen Ziqing, are you willing to take me as your master?" Seeing that Wen Ziqing remained silent, Taoist Baopu could not help but speak first.
"I don't want to." Wen Ziqing gave a cold answer, which surprised Taoist Baopu.
"Do you know that I, a disciple of Xuanmen, can shine as brightly as the sun and the moon and live as long as the heaven and the earth? Why don't you want to practice Taoism with me?" Taoist Baopu thought that Wen Ziqing didn't know how powerful the cultivators were, so he boasted a few words.
"To compete with the sun and the moon and live as long as the heaven and earth? I wonder how old he is this year?" Wen Ziqing stared at Taoist Baopu, as if he was considering whether his words were true or not.
"I am five hundred and ninety-six this year." Taoist Baopu spoke of his age with a mixture of sadness and pride. He felt sad because he only had three or four years left before the six-hundred-year deadline, but he was proud because, among those born in the same year as Taoist Baopu, how many could have lived to his age?
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