"That makes sense."
Qin Luo bowed slightly to show his respect.
It's noon now, and the people are all eating lunch, so the mountain path is deserted.
There are several mud houses halfway up the mountain, with thatched roofs. In the open space outside the houses, an old man is pushing a stone mill to grind rice into powder, repeating the same action over and over again.
Qin Luo stopped to observe the stone mill.
The white-haired old man had a youthful face. He tied his long hair with a wooden stick, rolled up his sleeves to reveal his thin arms, and said with a kind smile, "Would you like to give it a try, Daoist Master?"
"OK!"
Qin Luo gladly accepted.
The white-haired old man stood aside. Qin Luo went to the stone mill and, imitating the old man, pushed the millstone while adding rice into the mill hole. "Senior, what should I pay attention to when pushing the millstone?"
"Grinding a millstone looks simple, something any donkey could do, but there's a lot to learn. You can't grind it too fast, or the powder will taste burnt. You have to grind it at a constant speed so that the powder is all the same size and has a good texture."
"Indeed, he's not simple."
Qin Luo kept observing the rice noodles being pushed out, and he quickly mastered the right speed.
He was looking at the stone very carefully.
Ning Zhanpeng didn't quite understand why Qin Luo wanted to push the millstone; learning this skill was useless.
Half an hour later.
Qin Luo finished grinding all the rice.
The white-haired old man smiled broadly. He brought out a large bowl of water from inside the house and said warmly, "Daoist Master, have some water and rest."
Qin Luo picked up the porcelain bowl, took a sip of water, and then turned to look at them. "Do you want some?"
"I'm not thirsty."
Ning Zhanpeng smiled and shook his head.
Stone nodded, took the porcelain bowl, and took a big gulp. "So sweet!"
The white-haired old man said meaningfully, "This is no ordinary spring water; it's the legendary Fountain of Immortality, which ordinary people can't drink."
Ning Zhanpeng had heard the legend of the Fountain of Youth, and his eyes were filled with shock. Could this really be the Fountain of Youth?
Stone handed the remaining half bowl of water back to the white-haired old man, his little face showing respect as he said, "Thank you, Grandpa."
The white-haired old man looked at the bowl, which still had half a bowl of water left, and asked, "Aren't you going to drink it?"
That's enough.
Shi Tou grinned, his smile becoming increasingly radiant ever since he started following Qin Luo.
Ning Zhanpeng regretted it a little. Why did he refuse so quickly? He should have tried it. After all, this was a farmhouse, and perhaps this bowl of water really was something special.
The white-haired old man took the porcelain bowl, poured the remaining half bowl of water onto the ground, and the water quickly disappeared without a trace, leaving no mark on the ground.
"Which Taoist temple does the Taoist priest belong to?"
"Longhu Temple, Qin Luo."
“A farmer’s family, Zhou Baili.”
Ning Zhanpeng was greatly surprised. "You are the Grand Elder of the Farmer's Clan?"
Zhou Baili did not answer. He stared at Qin Luo, his expression gradually becoming serious.
The courtyard was very quiet.
Ning Zhanpeng felt oppressed.
Qin Luo chuckled and asked, "Why are you so nervous, senior?"
Zhou Baili said in a deep voice, "I once heard the old patriarch of the Farmer's Clan mention the Dragon Tiger Temple. He said that the founder of the Dragon Tiger Temple was a powerful being who could become a Dao Ancestor. Unfortunately, he chose to try to save the world from collapse and perished in the heavens."
The purple-haired fairy said that the founder had perished in that great battle of gods. After collecting information, Qin Luo guessed that when the Dao Ancestor expelled the founder of Longhu Temple from the sect, it was perhaps because he wanted him to avoid that great battle of gods.
Qin Luo smiled and said softly, "Did the peasant family also participate in that battle of the immortals?"
Zhou Baili nodded and sighed softly, "Back then, the Human Emperor led the disciples of the Farmer School to attack the Heavenly Court. The five strongest emperors in the mortal world joined forces to deal with the founder of the Dragon Tiger Temple. When that great battle ended, blood-stained peach blossoms filled the sky."
Qin Luo said earnestly, "Our master never told us about these things. He just told us not to do bad things and to live well."
"It seems I was overthinking it."
Zhou Baili shook his head awkwardly.
"Farewell, senior!"
"good."
Qin Luo walked towards the mountain peak.
Zhou Baili was shocked. He thought Qin Luo would leave after learning about the past of Longhu Temple and the farmer's family, but he didn't expect him to still go up the mountain.
Qin Luo arrived at the mountain peak, where there was a black cauldron outside the hall. This cauldron looked very similar to the one that had been in the Qingdi Temple and Longhu Temple before.
Farm disciples stood around the palace.
Zhou Baili approached Qin Luo, somewhat apprehensive. "Does the Daoist priest wish to offer incense?"
Qin Luo nodded with a smile.
Zhou Baili quickly brought three incense sticks and handed them to Qin Luo. The surrounding peasant disciples were all shocked when they saw this. Who was this person that even the Grand Elder dared not neglect?
Qin Luo lit three incense sticks, bowed three times, and murmured softly, "Thank you, senior, for everything you have done for the common people."
Golden clouds of smoke filled the hall.
Suddenly, the statue of the Human Emperor high up cracked open, startling Zhou Baili and the disciples of the Farmer's School.
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