"Life is fleeting, like the stars Orion and Scorpio. What night is this, that we share this candlelight?"
Jiang Yu bowed and said, "Teacher, it's been a long time."
The newcomer looked at Jiang Yu with some hesitation and asked, "A-Yu?"
Jiang Yu replied, "Indeed, I am your disciple."
Qi Nuan also exclaimed from the side, "Big Beard!"
The bearded man took a closer look, his face lighting up with delight. He stroked his long beard and laughed, "Excellent! Excellent! To meet an old friend like this, we should celebrate with fine wine!"
He stretched out his hand and said to his companion, "Senior brother, bring me some wine."
His companion laughed and scolded, "I think you're having a drinking spree, aren't you? Why don't you introduce me to these kids?"
The two took off their raincoats and sat around the fire. Qi Nuan served them mutton soup.
After drinking the soup, the two felt full of energy and thought to themselves, "It seems we're living a pretty good life."
The bearded man introduced Jiang Yu and the others, saying, "This is my senior brother, Jie Xuzi. You can just call him that."
He then turned to Jie Xuzi and told him about his relationship with Jiang Yu and others.
Jiexuzi looked much older than Da Huzi, with gray hair and beard, but he looked very energetic and had sharp eyes.
Upon hearing this, Jie Xuzi looked at the bearded man and said mockingly, "You scoundrel, you're really not being honest. Have you forgotten your master's orders?"
"Senior brother, you're too kind. They never formally became my disciples; I only taught them some basic survival skills."
He then said, "Senior brother, hurry up and get the wine." Jie Xuzi smiled and took out a wine gourd from his sleeve. The bearded man took the gourd, uncorked it, and instantly the aroma of wine filled the entire room.
Hearing this makes one feel refreshed and relaxed.
The bearded man saw Xiao sniffing the aroma of the wine intently, looked closely, and asked, "What's this?"
After Jiang Yu explained Xiao's origins, Jie Xuzi exclaimed, "The world is vast and full of wonders; your meeting is truly fate."
He then took out a few more cups from his sleeve and distributed them to everyone, before having the bearded man fill them up.
As he poured the wine, the bearded man said, "You guys are in luck. This was brewed by my senior brother using hundreds of herbs at great expense. Normally, I would have to go to great lengths to get a drink from him."
He noticed Jiang Yu's gaze lingering on his senior brother's sleeve and asked Jiang Yu, "Are you curious about how these things can be taken out from such a small sleeve?"
Jiang Yu hesitated for a moment, and before she could speak, Jie Xuzi said to them, "Do you know about the Buddhist mustard seed space? This is similar to it."
Without hiding anything, he immediately began to demonstrate for them.
Jiang Yu and Qi Nuan exchanged a glance.
Qi Nuan understood and said to Jie Xuzi, "Old sir, I seem to have this space as well, but I don't know the principle behind its creation?"
Qi Nuan said, taking some things out of her spatial storage.
The bearded man and the man with the mustache looked serious when they saw this.
Jiexuzi said, "Mustard seed space is usually mediated by objects, but it can also be mediated without them, but..."
He paused here, glanced at the bearded man, and continued, "You're saying that you can directly store and retrieve items without relying on external objects?"
Qi Nuan nodded and then said, "It should be related to this red mole on my wrist?"
After saying that, she showed the two of them the red mole on her wrist.
Qi Nuan discovered that the red mole did not exist when she did not have her own space. She only discovered its existence after she gained her own space, and the red mole even felt faintly warm when she used her space.
After looking at it, Jie Xuzi and the bearded man did not speak. They pondered for a long time before saying, "Since you have sensed it, it is your good fortune. You must never let anyone know about it in the future."
Qi Nuan nodded. She knew this, but seeing that Jie Xuzi also had a space, she thought that space was not a rare thing in this world.
However, judging from their appearance, it seems that there is indeed space.
The bearded man casually asked Jiang Ming and the others, and Jiang Yu answered them one by one.
Qi Nuan, standing to the side, drank the wine in her cup and then realized that it was extraordinary. How should I put it? It felt like she had taken a super tonic, and her whole body felt much lighter.
It was instantly filled with energy.
Upon learning that they were heading to Shangjun, Jie Xuzi looked at the bearded man and said, "We two brothers have nowhere to go, so why don't we travel with them? What do you say?"
The bearded man shared the same idea.
Qi Nuan and the others were naturally very welcoming.
"Junior brother, you must remember not to interfere in worldly affairs."
Upon hearing this, the bearded man said, "Zhou is merely my homeland. Now that it is in trouble, although I cannot remain indifferent, I will never use the power of my sect. I will simply stay in my homeland as a commoner and old farmer."
Jie Xuzhi said no more.
Jiang Yu and the others had no idea what kind of riddle the two were playing.
But they also knew that Big Beard and his sect were not so simple.
Qi Nuan only took a sip of the wine in her cup before leaving it for Jiang Yu.
After the conversation, Jiang Yu took the wine from Qi Nuan and drank it all in one gulp. As the wine entered his stomach, he discovered its wonders.
Looking at Qi Nuan, he handed her the wine.
"I have drunk what was yours, and now I give you all that is mine."
Qi Nuan said, "I'm still a child, how can I drink alcohol? You should drink it all."
Xiao, who was standing to the side, had already finished his drink and was now looking at Jiang Yu's glass of wine with clear eyes, but full of longing. However, he did not make any other move.
Jie Xuzi found it amusing, while the bearded man sighed with emotion, recalling their first meeting at the dilapidated temple. He realized that Jiang Yu's original intentions remained unchanged, and Qi Nuan was clearly worthy of Jiang Yu's efforts.
"Senior brother, why be so stingy? Bring some more wine."
Jie Xuzi shook his head and said, "Fine wine is good, but one should not overindulge; drinking too much is harmful."
Even so, he took out the wine gourd from his sleeve again, filled the cups for the group, and said, "Wealth, honor, gold, silver, and jade are not enough for this moment; we should toast with fine wine."
After saying that, he drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.
Jiang Yu and Qi Nuan no longer declined, and after clinking glasses with the bearded man and the others, they all drank it all in one gulp.
After a hearty meal, the group became drowsy and fell asleep by the fire.
Looking at the three sleeping soundly, the bearded man said, "Senior brother, do you think what I did was right?"
Jie Xuzi glanced at the worried bearded man and said, "When did you become so timid, junior brother? It's all in your mind."
"Who can explain matters of destiny? Isn't that what people say in the human world: man can conquer nature?"
The bearded man chuckled, "I don't have my senior brother's carefree spirit; I still haven't cultivated enough."
Jiexuzi shook his head. "It's not about cultivation, it's simply about staying true to your heart. You have compassion for the world, yet you can't escape worldly concerns. You inevitably face dilemmas in your actions, but..."
Jie Xuzi continued, “Everything has its own laws, and one can see the big picture from the small, but it also has its unpredictable aspects. A single pebble can stir up huge waves, let alone a person.”
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