Tong Miao untied the flute from his waist, placed it horizontally to his lips, and began to play "Fisherman's Song at Dusk" in a melodious voice.
The flute's melodious tune, like notes drifting in the evening breeze, stirred the sunset's afterglow.
Liu Feng quickly brought out the guqin and sat cross-legged beside his master, gently placing the guqin on his lap.
After the flute music ended, he lightly plucked the strings with his fingers.
As the sun set, the music of "Liezi Riding the Wind" was played, followed by the gentle sound of a flute.
The sound of the zither was clear and melodious, as if the wind was gently singing and the clouds were light and graceful.
Every bullet, every shot.
Listening to Zhang Shanyun's words felt like hearing his entire life of Taoist cultivation and his unwavering pursuit of immortality.
Zhang Shanyun closed his eyes and quietly immersed himself in the music, as if he were in a realm of riding the wind, attaining enlightenment and ascending to heaven, roaming freely between heaven and earth.
Tong Miao, who was standing to the side, was holding a short flute and listening intently.
Suddenly the melody and mood changed, and the piano music became low and mournful, as if weeping and lamenting, making people feel heartbroken.
Sometimes it's cheerful and bright, like the babbling of a spring, full of vitality; sometimes it's melancholic and lingering, like falling petals on flowing water, full of reluctance...
After a while, the sound of the zither resonated, clear and bright, echoing deep into the clouds, like a roc breaking through the seabed and soaring into the heavens, its lingering notes lingering endlessly.
At this moment, Zhang Shanyun, who was lying on the chair, had stopped breathing, and her face was peaceful.
Tong Miao turned around and looked back, his eyes flashing with a complex light, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
He guessed that his junior uncle Liu Feng must have known everything all along.
When his junior uncle instructed him to play the flute, it was as a final farewell.
The moment Zhang Shanyun closed his eyes, Liu Feng keenly sensed the dissipation of his master's life force.
In that instant, his heart felt as if it were blocked by a boulder, and the music of his zither changed accordingly, becoming turbulent and undulating.
Liu Feng's blood and qi surged, almost damaging his heart.
At the critical moment, the gourd inside his ancestral aperture suddenly started spinning rapidly, guiding the flow of qi and blood throughout his body back to normal.
The music resumed, cleansing the body's internal organs, like a bird flying out of its cage, a dragon escaping from shallow waters, soaring against the current and swimming upwards.
As the music flowed, two white cranes took flight from afar, their graceful figures as light as white clouds, dancing elegantly as if bidding a final farewell to their old friends who lived there.
Liu Feng saw his master's spirit, which waved to him and floated away, like Liezi riding the wind.
He silently prayed that his master could continue his cultivation in another world and rekindle their immortal bond.
Standing to the side, Tong Miao put aside his sadness and couldn't help but sigh, "Junior Uncle's zither skills have surpassed mine!"
There are three realms of the zither: skill, art, and philosophy.
Technique: The strings and fingers work together;
Art: refers to the combination of art and sound;
The Way: Sound and meaning are in harmony.
Both Liu Feng and Tong Miao have reached the second level of their guqin skills. This time, amidst the grief of his master's passing, Liu Feng has faintly touched upon the layers of the Dao and is about to enter the stage of "harmony between sound and meaning".
After a long while, Liu Feng carried his master's body back to Qingfeng Temple, his movements heavy and slow.
Meanwhile, Tong Miao, taking advantage of the last rays of the setting sun, hurriedly went to Zixiao Palace on Wudang Mountain to deliver the news of the death.
Following his master's last wish, Zhang Shanyun's body was buried on the back mountain of Qingfeng Temple.
This place is nestled between mountains and water; it's a treasure trove.
The cemetery is situated at the confluence of dragon veins, which are the pathways through which underground energy flows, helping to absorb natural spiritual energy and bringing good fortune and blessings to the deceased and their descendants.
After finishing Zhang Shanyun's funeral arrangements, Shi Hong returned to Zixiao Palace, leaving his disciple Tongmiao at Qingfeng Temple to take care of and accompany Liu Feng.
Now that their senior uncle has passed away, their eleven-year-old junior brother is still a child, and Shi Hong has no choice but to take care of him.
During the ten-plus days that Shi Hong spent with Liu Feng, he gained a better understanding of his junior brother.
Liu Feng struck him as intelligent and quick-witted, which made him marvel at his uncle Zhang Shanyun's teaching skills.
He felt some regret, realizing that he had become weary of spiritual practice due to his constant busyness with religious affairs and worldly matters.
Fortunately, his disciple Tongmiao has made great progress in his cultivation over the past few years while staying by the side of his master Zhang Shanyun.
He heard that his junior brother had already broken through to the legendary Qi Refining Realm, which he found hard to believe.
In this era, is it really possible for anyone to break through to the Qi Refining stage?
Liu Feng kept his master's instructions in mind and always maintained a low-key attitude towards cultivation, never showing off his strength in front of others.
Therefore, apart from Tong Miao, no one knew Liu Feng's true abilities.
After Master Zhang Shanyun passed away.
Liu Feng lived alone in Qingfeng Temple, while Tong Miao returned to Zixiao Palace and would only visit him every now and then.
As the successor to the next Dao Zong, Tong Miao spent most of his time at Wudang Mountain, where he began to learn about the sect's affairs from his master.
Over the past two days, Liu Feng has been sorting through his master's belongings, carefully tidying them up.
According to the agreement that his master had made with Liu Feng's parents, Liu Feng would be able to go down the mountain and return home after ten years of cultivation.
The master made this decision because he knew he had at most ten years left to live and wanted to dedicate himself to training his disciple in the final stage of his life.
To minimize external interference, Master Zhang Shanyun also instructed Liu Feng's parents not to see each other for the next ten years.
Liu Feng lived up to expectations. In just ten years, he learned all of his master's skills and even reached the Qi Refining stage. This can be described as the student surpassing the master!
Such a rapid pace of cultivation was not only due to Liu Feng's extraordinary talent, but also because Zhang Shanyun used all the precious medicinal herbs he had collected on Liu Feng.
The daily herbal medicine, if converted into money, would be a huge expense.
The ginseng used in it costs at least 10,000 yuan per plant. In any era, old ginseng is more valuable than gold.
The poor are learned in literature, the rich in martial arts; the same applies to Taoist cultivation. Therefore, many cultivators live in seclusion in famous mountains and rivers, cultivating Taoism while gathering herbs.
The Wudang Mountains are home to more than 2,000 kinds of medicinal herbs and are known as the "Chinese Medicine Treasury".
Some of the precious medicinal herbs used by Liu Feng were harvested by them themselves in Wudang Mountain.
Over the years, Liu Feng has consumed a considerable amount of medicinal herbs.
In a couple of days, he plans to explore the depths of the Wudang Mountains alone, hoping to find something of value.
That day, while he was sorting through his master's belongings, he suddenly remembered that his master had left him a wooden box.
He found the wooden box and opened it, discovering a sword and a stack of documents inside.
Liu Feng first picked up the sword and examined it carefully.
This sword is 1 foot 6.8 inches long, with an extremely ancient style. The guard, hilt, and scabbard are all made of precious Phoebe zhennan wood, while the hilt is made of copper.
As he gently drew his sword, it was as if he heard the sword's hum.
Near the hilt, there is a Big Dipper pattern. The blade is made of neither copper nor iron and feels icy cold to the touch.
Compared to the Seven Star Magic Sword commonly used by Taoist priests, this sword is clearly of a higher quality.
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