However, there was no disappointment in his eyes; instead, a subtle hint of curiosity flashed across them.
Despite its desolate state, the mountain still retains an anti-flight formation, and even the air itself faintly carries an ancient aura that seems out of place in the present era.
Xiao Chen stood on the stone steps halfway up the Five Peaks, gazing at the withered trees and scattered wooden houses covering the mountains.
He called out again, "Is anyone there? I'm Xiao Chen, the new disciple!"
The mountain wind swept past, carrying withered leaves, and the only response he received was the chirping of birds in the forest.
Just as he was feeling somewhat helpless, the door of a wooden house on the right creaked open, and a green figure quickly stepped out.
She was a girl of seventeen or eighteen, her green skirt sweeping across the withered grass before the steps, revealing a pair of cloth boots embroidered with orchids.
A small, unidentified white velvet flower was tucked into her hair, and her eyes were as lively as a deer in the forest.
"Are you looking for people from Five Peaks?"
The girl walked up to Xiao Chen, looked up at him, and her gaze lingered on the spirit root testing jade token on his wrist, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes.
"Judging from the spiritual light emanating from your jade pendant, you must have extraordinary potential. With such talent, why did you decide to come to our Five Peaks?"
Xiao Chen was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this. Just as he was about to explain, he heard a faint smell of alcohol coming from behind him, accompanied by the rattling sound of a wine gourd.
Turning my head, I saw an old man slowly walking out of another wooden house.
He was wearing a faded, tattered Taoist robe, the hem stained with wine, and clutching a half-empty wine gourd in his hand.
He walked unsteadily, his eyes were glazed with drunkenness, and he could barely lift his eyelids.
"Alright, Qinghe, stop teasing the new kid."
The old man let out a hiccup, his voice slightly hoarse. When his gaze swept over Xiao Chen, though still tinged with intoxication, it inexplicably brought a sense of peace.
"Now that you've entered my Five Peaks, you're no longer an outsider. There are many wooden houses on the peak, so find a clean one to stay in. In your daily life... just focus on your cultivation, no one will interfere with you."
After saying that, without waiting for Xiao Chen's response, he shook the wine gourd, then slowly walked back to the wooden house, muttering as he closed the door, "The wine wasn't strong enough today..."
The girl called Qinghe stuck out her tongue and said helplessly to Xiao Chen, "Don't mind him, that's just how the peak master is. He's always drunk, but he's not a bad person."
She pointed behind the peak, "There's a wooden house over there. I cleaned it a while ago. Go and see if it suits your taste."
Xiao Chen thanked her and followed the direction Qing He pointed to to go around to the back of the peak.
Sure enough, a wooden house stood under a pine tree. Although the window frames were a bit old, there were no cobwebs. There was also a half-bundle of firewood piled up in front of the door, which meant that someone had taken care of it.
He pushed open the door. The room was simply furnished, with only a wooden table, a chair, and a wooden bed covered with straw. There was also a small kitchen in the corner.
Xiao Chen rolled up his sleeves, first fetched spring water to wipe the wooden table and chairs clean, then fluffed and flattened the straw bed, and finally moved the firewood outside the door into the kitchen and stacked it up.
After finishing all this, the setting sun had already sunk behind the mountain peaks, and golden light streamed into the room through the window, making it warm and cozy.
He leaned against the wooden door, gazing at the other mountain peaks shrouded in mist in the distance, and sighed softly.
Although the Five Peaks look deserted, at least there's no one to supervise you, so it's a place where you can cultivate in peace.
Xiao Chen had just finished stacking the last piece of firewood when he heard light footsteps behind him.
Turning around, I saw Qinghe walking over with a bamboo broom, her green skirt shimmering in the setting sun.
"Senior Sister Qinghe, is there anything else?"
Xiao Chen hurriedly went to meet her, his gaze falling on the broom in her hand, and he had a vague guess in his mind.
Qinghe nodded, her gaze sweeping over the neatly tidied wooden house, a smile appearing in her eyes: "The Peak Master said you're a newcomer to our Five Sacred Mountains Peak, so we should make it lively."
"He told us to sweep the fallen leaves in front of the door first, and then put the stone mill in the threshing ground back in its place."
"As for himself, he went to the tavern at the foot of the mountain to buy wine."
"Cleaning?" Xiao Chen was stunned, forgetting to put down the cloth in his hand.
When he was with his master in the Qingyun Sect, even when his master asked him to clean, Xiao Chen felt as if he had returned to the Qingyun Sect and was by his master Lin Zhou's side.
Qinghe was amused by his stunned expression and bent down to hand him the broom: "Don't be surprised, there are only three of us on the entire Five Peaks."
"The peak master is lazy, and I can't handle everything by myself. Now that you're here, at least someone can lend a hand."
Xiao Chen took the broom and was about to use his spiritual energy to sweep away the fallen leaves when Qing He stopped him, saying, "Hey, you can't use spiritual energy!"
"This is a rule set by the peak master. We on the Five Peaks have to do all the work ourselves, which is said to 'temper our character'."
"To temper one's character?" Xiao Chen was puzzled, but he still withdrew his spiritual energy.
He gripped the bamboo broom, squatted down, and slowly swept up the fallen leaves. The dry pine needles and maple leaves were mixed together, covered in mud, making it particularly difficult to sweep. Before long, his palms were sweating.
Qinghe picked up another broom and said with a smile, "At first I wasn't used to it either, but later I found it quite interesting."
"Look, the floor feels more comfortable to walk on when you sweep it clean yourself."
As she swept, she chatted with Xiao Chen, mentioning that the peak master would occasionally give her guidance in cultivation when he was lucid.
It is said that the Five Peaks used to be quite lively, but later the disciples either transferred to other peaks or went down the mountain for training and never returned.
The two worked until dusk before sweeping the fallen leaves in front of the door into a pile, and then together they pushed the stone mill in the threshing ground to the corner of the wall.
Just as they caught their breath, they saw the peak master carrying two wine jars, swaying as he walked down the mountain path, the smell of wine wafting from a great distance.
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