Having witnessed many things in his two lifetimes, Ajahn Chah believed he had lost all curiosity and attachment to worldly affairs.
But when her master asked her that question, she felt that there were still some unresolved issues in the mortal world, and that she was no longer completely free from worldly desires.
Master Mingchuan could tell what A-Jiang was thinking just by looking at her.
He smiled and said, "There are three thousand paths to immortality, but one cannot achieve it by abandoning all emotions and love and cultivating in seclusion. Besides, if you enjoy the hustle and bustle of the mortal world, there's nothing wrong with living a long and healthy life in the secular world. If you have nothing in your heart, what joy is there in living for ten thousand years?"
Judging from his master's words, he is a person who goes with the flow and follows his own nature. I wonder what true joy is in his heart?
“Master, I understand,” A-Jiang said respectfully.
Then he said, "Master, am I going alone? Where am I going?"
"You can go wherever you want, there are no restrictions."
A-Jiang was curious. In the novels she had read, weren't sect training exercises always conducted in small teams?
How come she just went down the mountain on her own, and there were no restrictions on where she went?
"What, do you have some concerns?"
"I don't actually want to go down the mountain. I want to stay by your side and learn for a few more years."
Master Mingchuan smiled at her, his eyes filled with affection. "Why don't you want to go down the mountain? Don't you young people all like the new things down there?"
With such a young and handsome face, it's really not convincing for Master to say that you young people like novelty.
However, A-Jiang didn't dare to complain, only saying, "That's not entirely true. I've gotten quite used to staying at the Qinglian Sect these past few years. But I also want to go home to see my grandmother and a few of my friends. It's just that my family has always wanted to marry me off. I ran away from this arranged marriage before. What if they force me to go back?"
Mingchuan Zhenjun smiled. Ajiang thought that her master was actually very handsome, but he had never had a Daoist partner.
After a Qi Refining cultivator reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, their body undergoes a process of meridian and marrow cleansing, which slows down the aging process. One can generally determine the time of their Foundation Establishment by observing their appearance.
Furthermore, after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, one can reshape their body, which is why young and middle-aged people are the majority in the cultivation world.
If you encounter an elderly person, firstly, it's because they started building their foundation late, and secondly, it's because they don't have much time left.
Furthermore, those who take longevity pills will not maintain their appearance and will still age naturally.
Her master, True Lord Mingchuan, still looks like a young man, which means that he was a genius in his time and had already established his foundation at a very young age.
As mentioned before, those with good aptitude and natural talent will also have better looks, so her master is actually a handsome man.
With handsome features and striking eyebrows, no cultivator above the Core Formation stage in the sect was more handsome than her master, especially given his high cultivation level.
“Master, please don’t laugh. There are too many cunning people down the mountain, so I still want to cultivate properly in the sect. Besides, my family wants me to get married, which will delay my cultivation.”
"Love and affection in the world are also a form of cultivation and test for a cultivator. If it doesn't come now, it may come later. It's better to experience it all now. You are still young and have time and opportunity to correct your mistakes."
"Master, it's precisely because I'm still young and my mind isn't firm enough that I might fall for a man and decide to get married instead of cultivating immortality."
Ah Jiang looked miserable. She used to have a problem with being infatuated with girls. Although she hadn't done it since joining the sect, what if she lost control of herself one day and made a mistake?
"There is only one most important thing in a person's life. If you are willing to give up everything for your lover, it means you have found your true love. I will not object to you getting married."
Ah Jiang felt that his master was right: stick to what is most important and give up what is secondary.
"Let me tell you about the recent situation in the sect. The sect has been in turmoil for the past few years. During the months you were in seclusion, several things happened in the sect. First, several small cultivation families that were affiliated with the sect rebelled and launched a counterattack, causing considerable damage. The disciple surnamed Gu that you knew was among them and has already perished."
Ah Jiang listened, not expecting it to be so serious, and that the seemingly kind uncle was actually a traitor.
What about Senior Brother Feng, who has been missing for a long time?
Mingchuan Zhenjun continued, "Secondly, the sect has recently received information that several major forces are gathering manpower, and they are probably planning a big move. Their target may be us?"
A-Jiang was quite surprised and asked, "Master, we are one of the three major sects, why would someone want to attack us?"
After pondering for a moment, True Lord Mingchuan said, "This is a secret of the sect. Since you are my disciple, you are entitled to know some things, but you must never reveal them to outsiders."
"Master, rest assured, your disciple will keep this a secret."
"You've heard the legend of the nine-tailed fox, right? Our sect's secret originates from that."
A-Jiang nodded, recalling everything that had happened before. She had thought something big was going to happen and had been preparing for it, but everything had been peaceful and quiet, and now she had almost forgotten about it.
Mingchuan Zhenjun continued, "The legend of the nine-tailed fox is largely true. The nine-tailed fox's defection led to the defeat of the demon race, but the immortal realm did not keep its promise and feared the power of the nine-tailed fox. So it cut off the nine tails and sealed them separately. Our sect's forbidden area is one of the places where they are sealed. Now several forces have joined forces to try to revive the nine-tailed fox."
A-Jiang frowned and asked, "Master, isn't this Nine-Tailed Fox a demon? And since she betrayed the demon race back then, she must have severed herself from the demon race. Who would want to save her?"
Mingchuan said in a deep voice, "There are demons and humans."
A-Jiang was surprised. It was one thing for the demon race to participate, but how could the human race be involved?
Mingchuan Zhenjun sighed: "You should know that no immortals have ascended to heaven in the human realm for many years."
A-Jiang nodded. She knew a little about this. Take the Azure Lotus Sect for example. It is one of the three major sects. It has nearly 6,000 disciples, but it doesn't have any cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage. There are only a few at the Core Formation stage. Ultimately, this is because cultivation is difficult nowadays.
"The Nine-Tailed Fox is a great demon born of nature, bearing the Heavenly Dao. The specifics of what happened back then are no longer verifiable, but ultimately, the Great Dao is incomplete, which is why cultivation is becoming increasingly difficult and fewer and fewer people are ascending to immortality."
"So they want to revive the Nine-Tailed Fox? And think that this will give them hope for cultivation?" A-Jiang thought it was outrageous. "Such a powerful demon, she was tricked so badly, if she comes back to life, wouldn't she take revenge? In the current world, who can rival her!"
"They insist that everything you, a child, can think of is solvable, and they talk about it with such seriousness. I think they are just delusional and have fallen into a trance."
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