In the middle of the night, everyone in the village was fast asleep.
In the darkness, faint sounds of string and wind instruments and singing could be heard, drifting and ethereal, their origin unknown.
Before long, dazzling light illuminated the entire Donggang Village. At the source of the light was a huge golden ship, with colorful clouds surging and celestial music floating in the air.
From the ship, twelve pairs of fairies in flowing robes slowly flew out, holding various musical instruments, treasure vases, flower baskets, and other items, and stood by.
Then three men, one old and two young, flew out. The old man was wearing a white Taoist robe, with white hair and a youthful face. He flicked his whisk lightly, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance.
The two young men were tall and handsome, and their good looks were even more striking against the backdrop of the colorful clouds and precious light.
A woman standing by tapped the jade ring in her hand three times, producing a clear, melodious, and ethereal sound.
However, it was extremely penetrating, waking up all the sleeping villagers, who, still half-asleep, got dressed and came outside.
"By the decree of the Master, the Immortal Palace accepts disciples once every three hundred years. Any virtuous man or woman aged 10 to under 20 may become a disciple. Are you willing to enter the Immortal Palace to seek the path to immortality?"
The villagers were stunned by the scene before them. After a long while, they all knelt down and kowtowed, calling the gods.
Some quick-witted individuals immediately stepped forward with their own children, saying, "My child, my child is willing to become a disciple of the immortals."
One after another, more than a dozen families said they were willing, but some were still hesitant. After all, children in the village can help with chores at the age of 10, and they are expected to get married after the age of 15. Many of them are already parents at the age of 20. It's not like they can abandon their families and careers to pursue immortality.
Seeing that there weren't many people, the old immortal said again, "Knowing that you care about your parents and relatives, those of you who have joined the sect can leave your families with ten taels of silver. In the future, after you have mastered the immortal arts, you can also benefit the local community."
Upon hearing this, many more people expressed their willingness to send their children. With the help of maids, these men and women rode on clouds and boarded the dazzling ship. A rough count revealed that there were more than fifty people, which was almost one-sixth of the population of Donggang Village.
Some families sent their children over even though they were too young, but luckily these immortals didn't ask too many questions.
Some children were crying, some were excited, some were confused, and some were at a loss...
And Ajahn,
Ah Jiang yawned and followed the crowd, step by step, onto the ship.
Once everyone was aboard the ship, the large silver vessel slowly rose and flew towards the horizon, quickly disappearing from sight.
The villagers kneeling on the ground were all devoutly bowing and thanking the gods for their blessings.
Cangming Mountain, Hanwu Palace.
The silver ship slowly descended onto the white jade platform near the mountain gate.
After the fairy ship came to a stop, two young men dressed in fine clothes stepped off the ship and handed over the duties to the steward who was already waiting there.
At this moment, more than a dozen beautiful women with graceful figures stepped out of the ship. Their faces were lazy and seductive, and their clothes exposed large areas of skin. They were alluring and charming, and there was no trace of their fairy-like demeanor.
These women seemed to look down on the people waiting at the door, only glancing at them briefly before returning to their respective residences.
The steward at the mountain gate curled his lip and directed his disciples to bring the men and women off the ship.
During this period, they only received spring water and wild fruits from the mountain gate. Eating this all day long, how could these mortals withstand it? They all became listless.
He only wore a joyful smile because he heard that they had finally arrived at the celestial palace where the immortals resided.
After the people on the boat filed out, the first round of selection began. It was very simple—look at their appearance, and those with good looks were selected.
Then came the second round of selection—
Judging by innate talent and aptitude: those with good looks and good aptitude become inner disciples, those with poor looks but good innate talent become outer disciples, and those with good looks but poor innate talent become menial disciples.
As for those with poor appearance and poor physical constitution, there will be other arrangements.
The disciples of the mountain gate were already very familiar with this matter and quickly assigned personnel to conduct the assessment.
Ah Jiang was embarrassed because he was eliminated in the first round.
'The sect had originally given us pills to conceal our spiritual roots.'
This mission was something Ajahn Chah had never experienced in either of his two lifetimes.
Sect spy.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
