Strange Stories

Chapter 555 Another prosperous era

"Shaoqing, may I ask who that person is..."

An official followed the old monk, asking curiously, and at the same time couldn't help but look back at the figures behind him.

The old monk just smiled and said:
"Just an old friend."

An old friend? An old friend so young?

The official could not help but look back again, but in just a short glance, the figures were no longer visible on the long street behind him. He could not help but stop and stretch his neck to look a few more times, but still could not find them.

At the same time, several people have met up with the eldest brother.

This is a very ordinary courtyard in the south of the Yangtze River. The ground is not paved with bricks, but only with mud. There is a dead tree planted in the middle, and there are several houses around it. The eldest brother has set up an alchemy room.

Lin Jue walked to the dead tree and looked at it carefully.

“It’s a pear tree.”

It’s great that his flowers first bloomed from a pear tree.

However, this tree had been unattended for a long time and had died. In this autumn when there should have been abundant fruit, there was not a single leaf on it.

Lin Jue smiled slightly.

With just this one smile, the dead tree came back to life. Buds began to appear on the branches, which grew into flower buds. In the blink of an eye, the tree was covered with snow-white pear blossoms.

Not only does it bloom, it also comes alive.

The tree roots quickly became fresh and tender from being dry, and began to absorb moisture from the ground. The dry and brittle bark also began to feel a little more moist.

"Brother, please make the elixir." Lin Jue said, "We can also take you with us to live in this Jiangnan water town for a few years and experience the prosperity of Yangzhou, which is different from the capital."

"Ah."

The eldest brother entered the alchemy room.

Ji Yin followed him in, and the other disciples followed in at Lin Jue's signal.

With their gradually increasing skills, they can not only learn from others and take the opportunity to gain insights into cultivation, but also help to summon wind and fire and do miscellaneous tasks.

The junior sister was still standing in the courtyard, looking down at the ground, then at the tree trunk, and said:
"Brother, is this a moment of blooming or a moment of life?"

"I can't say either."

Flowers naturally bloom for a moment, but to bring a dead tree that has been dead for countless years and has no vitality back to life, and to bring it back to life, is something that cannot be achieved simply by giving it life.

Perhaps there is something about life and death in it.

This also made Lin Jue realize that

After achieving immortality, not only will one's own soul be dispersed and reunited, and one's body be broken and restored, and one's life force will be endless, but it seems one can also bring others back to life.

"Brother, your skills are getting stronger and stronger." The younger sister said, "It seems that Brother is much more diligent than in the illusion."

Lin Jue smiled but said nothing.

Naturally so.

Relying on the magical power of immortality can at most ensure that he will not be killed or annihilated by Lord Fuchi. He cannot protect Fuyao and the people he wants to protect, and he cannot defeat Lord Fuchi. Naturally, he needs other magical powers to assist. His main choices are the three skills of flower blooming in an instant, taking life and granting longevity, and soul-destroying.

Looking back on the past few days, a lot of hard work has been put into this, and in the future, I will undoubtedly put more energy into it.

The junior sister's eyes flickered.

In fact, what she wanted to say was not that her senior brother was more hardworking than in the illusion, but that he was not as leisurely and comfortable as in the illusion.

It was because people's thoughts were contradictory: who didn't know the tyranny of the Purple Emperor and the oppression of the Fuchi God? She also knew that being more diligent was right, and she even secretly worked harder. She was a person who liked to work hard secretly, but she also understood her senior brother's character. Seeing her senior brother worry about the future, how could she not feel distressed?
"This is the dojo of Emperor Yujian. Since he has agreed to our request, nothing should happen. There are three of us, me, my senior brother, and Fuyao. Only one of us needs to stay here." The younger sister said, "Combine work and rest. In our free time, let's go to Yangzhou and Jiangnan, right? We can also call fellow Daoist Jiang."

"Naturally."

Lin Jue agreed readily.

The fox sat there, his expression serious, but his eyes flickered.

Three, leave one here?
Who will stay? It's hard to guess!

With a whoosh, a fire started in the alchemy room.

The two men and the fox turned their heads to look, but they were already used to it and didn't pay much attention to it.

A pear blossom floated down and landed on the fox's head.

The pear blossoms on this tree only lasted a few days.

When Taoist Priest Jiang came down to the mortal world and transformed into an ordinary Taoist, he, Lin Jue and his junior sister were riding on a canoe and drinking tea. At the same time, the fox and the cat were climbing trees and playing in the yard. At this time, tender leaves had grown between the pear blossoms, intermingled with the pear blossoms.

When the Mid-Autumn moon was bright, Lin Jue and his junior sister were meditating in the courtyard, but a spirit came from the moon and brought them wine, cakes and pastries with his servants.

Say:
"Fellow Daoist has finally returned to our place. How can we let you spend the holiday in the same lonely and lonely way as you did in the capital?"

She should be talking about when Lin Jue was refining the elixir in the capital. The last time the junior sister was refining the elixir in the capital, although they had no friendship with the Purple Emperor God System, they had a deep relationship with the emperor of the world. During the holidays, Luo Gong would definitely not forget them. The tribute wine in the palace and the cakes in the imperial kitchen were also good, which could satisfy the cravings of the immortals.

At this time, the pear tree in the yard has grown lush and green.

By the time the cold winter came, all the other pear trees in the city had already withered and fallen. Coincidentally, the first snow fell in Yangzhou, and the snow fell on the branches. Suddenly, as if a spring breeze came overnight, thousands of pear trees blossomed.

The fox and the cat were playing with snow in the yard again.

At this time, the pear trees in the yard are full of fruits. There are no pests or diseases, no birds pecking at them, and they are nourished by spiritual energy, so the fruits are exceptionally good, and they emit faint and tempting pear fragrance.

There were constant pedestrians passing by the yard, and when they occasionally smelled a little, they were all surprised.

But even if a naughty child came close to the courtyard and looked in through the crack in the door, he would only see an abandoned courtyard.

"Click..."

Lin Jue stood under the tree. He could touch a heavy and fragrant pear with just a casual stretch of his hand. With a little force, he could get a full fruit. Just by holding it in his hand, he could feel its moisture.

Just wipe it on your Taoist robe and take a bite.

"Bang!"

It was indeed very juicy.

My fox, Xiaohua and my junior sister all came over.

Lin Jue picked two more, handed them over, and said, "If you don't finish them, you will be beaten."

The junior sister picked one for herself, wiped it casually, and took a bite.

Lin Jue asked her: "How is it?"

"It tastes delicious! It tastes like the pears from Dangshan!"

"Ha ha……"

Lin Jue then called his disciples out to pick pears.

After practicing till now, even Xu Yi or Pu Mei would be considered a Taoist master in the outside world. Xianzhu became his disciple later, but on the one hand, she already had some Taoist skills when she became his disciple, and on the other hand, she was also very talented and had already acquired considerable Taoist skills. However, the joy of harvesting and picking fruits is something that even Tianweng would be addicted to. This group of "masters" had also watered and thinned the fruits for him, and were also very excited.

Amidst the snowflakes, the yard was filled with joy.

The pears from this tree filled two large baskets.

After all the fruits were picked, the tree slowly shed its leaves.

When the weather was freezing cold, a little demon who had just entered the city was searching for an empty house or yard to live in. He accidentally ran here, thinking that there was no one in the yard. As a result, as soon as he came in, he walked out again inexplicably. He was so stupid that he didn't know why and wanted to try a few more times. After a few more times, he came to his senses. Some of them ran away in fear, some bowed to apologize and begged for mercy, and then they thanked the demon and left.

There were also thieves who came at night, and as soon as they entered the yard, they walked out again for some reason, as if they had just entered and left.

After reacting, they are not much different from those little monsters.

By the next spring, the growth pattern of this pear tree became the same as that of other pear trees in the city. The fragrance of the pears in winter became an unsolvable mystery in the hearts of the people nearby.

There are people living outside Yangzhou City, a green hill, and a few thatched cottages. When spring and summer come together, the flowers of the Melia azedarach bloom in full bloom. The light purple and gray look like smoke, quiet and beautiful.

There is an old man taking care of his grandson in the yard.

The old man's surname was Tang. He was originally from Huizhou. He loved wonderful magic and fairy stories all his life. When he was young, although the previous dynasty was already in decline, it was relatively peaceful. He watched people perform magic on the streets of Yi County, Huizhou. There was a Taoist who twisted grass into fireflies, scattered wheat into butterflies, a Taoist who spit fire into dragons, and a Taoist who crushed stones with his hands. Later, he came to the capital and personally saw Master Lin subduing a stone horse on the street. After returning from Jinping County to eliminate demons, he secretly recorded many stories about Master Lin. Because of his literary reputation in the capital, he worked as a historian in the palace and personally saw Master Lin fighting with Master Dazu in the palace.

In his later years, he moved around a lot and went to Jiangnan to serve as an official. When he passed by his hometown of Huizhou, he also visited Feilai Mountain.

His heart was filled with countless wonderful stories about gods and magic. Now was the time for him to retire to the countryside and enjoy his old age. He would tell them in detail to his grandson in the yard at dusk.

The children naturally listened with great interest.

But neither the old man nor the child knew that at this moment, on the path outside the courtyard, under a few chinaberry trees with lavender flowers that looked like smoke, there were two Taoists, a man and a woman, walking slowly, leading a paper donkey from their youth and carrying a wine gourd.

Summer flowers and autumn leaves, in all kinds of weather in the south of the Yangtze River, three years pass in the blink of an eye.

The eldest senior brother spent three years refining the elixir here.

Then the second senior brother spent another three years refining the elixir.

Time passes slowly, just like flowing water.

Master Yunchan from Jiangnan was getting older and older, so old that he could hardly walk. The old man named Tang outside the city had passed away, and the second senior brother's golden elixir was refined at this time.

Coinciding with the transition from the old to the new year, Yangzhou was extremely lively on New Year's Eve. The streets were crowded with people and colorful lanterns and torches were everywhere. Playboys, scholars, ladies who had not been out for a long time, high-ranking officials, and even goblins and ghosts lurking in the city showed up. Some gods from the nine heavens also came down to the mortal world to watch the lantern festival together and share the feast of the world.

There was also a group of Taoists standing on the street. Although they were not gods, they were like gods, and they kept an eye on the goblins, ghosts, and earth gods in the darkness.

However, they didn't care about the goblins and ghosts, nor the gods and spirits. They just looked at the people coming and going and the joy on their faces, and couldn't help but sigh:

"It's the golden age again!"

(End of this chapter)