The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 10: Speculation: Mountains and Rivers Cultivate the Mind

boom!
There was a huge collision in the mountains and forests.

The grass and trees turned to ashes and the rocks collapsed.

Xuanming retreated several steps, leaving a mark from deep to shallow, removing the recoil force.

When the dust cleared, a two-meter-deep pit came into view. The snake demon was seriously injured and lying in the pit bleeding profusely.

The peach wood sword pierced his vital point, strangling his vital point, making it difficult for him to circulate his magic power and making it impossible for him to escape.

The more he struggled and twisted, the deeper the wooden sword penetrated.

Seeing this, Xuanming breathed a sigh of relief.

This monster was difficult to deal with and mysterious, but fortunately we finally subdued it.

Xuanming waved his whisk lightly and walked to the edge of the pit. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the snake demon below, and said calmly:
"Half a month ago, news came from the foot of the mountain that several masters of Zixia Sect left the mountain and headed straight for Canglan River."

"If my guess is correct, you should be the soul of that evil dragon that escaped from the water, and your real body is likely to be suppressed."

The snake demon's pupils trembled when its secret was revealed.

Although the panic was fleeting and incredibly fast, it was still caught by Xuan Ming who was staring at him.

“I actually guessed it right!”

Xuanming was secretly shocked.

In fact, he couldn't be sure whether it was the soul of a dragon.

I just thought about the recent major event of the dragon escaping into the water. As a split soul, the snake demon's strength far exceeds that of a refined spirit, and its original body must not be an ordinary Qi training realm existence.

In addition, this monster is good at controlling water, and in the last few rounds of fighting, he even controlled the water to condense a dragon, so he had the guts to deceive him.

I didn’t expect it was really related to that dragon.

After resolving his doubts, Xuanming's murderous intent grew stronger. The peach wood sword emitted a dazzling sword light and he took ruthless action.

The snake demon died before he could even scream.

He raised his hand to recall the peach wood sword, looked at the minced meat in the pit, stroked his beard and nodded, smiling with satisfaction. This time the monster was truly dead and could not die again. He did not believe that it could be resurrected again.

As for the dragon, although Xuanming was worried and fearful, he did not turn pale at the mere mention of it.

The Zixia Sect is a major Taoist sect in Fengyang County, with several immortals in charge and a thousand-year-old tradition.

This time they took action to subdue the demon and suppress the dragon. It would probably take a long time for the dragon to break the seal and come out.

Otherwise, this monster would not have taken the trouble to separate a wisp of its soul and take over the body of a snake monster. It was obvious that it was not sure of breaking through the seal, so it planned to cooperate from inside and outside.

In this way, Xuanming has a long period of time to practice and grow. Relying on his own accumulation and the mysteries of the "Huangting Sutra", he is confident that he can step into the Qi training realm and achieve a true person next year.

Once the dragon breaks the seal, he will only become stronger.

By then, even if he was no match for the dragon, it should not be difficult for him to protect the Qiuzhen Temple.

Of course, if he had enough ability, Xuanming would swing his sword to kill the dragon without hesitation and eliminate the hidden danger.

Besides, could he really let the snake demon go?
If Xuanming really showed mercy to the snake demon and let it go because he was afraid of the dragon, then his thoughts would become difficult to understand, his heart of Tao would be obscured, and it would be difficult for him to break through his state of mind, which would hinder his practice.

He had thought about suppressing or taming the snake demon, but he overthrew it as soon as it appeared. Wouldn't suppressing the snake demon leave a coordinate or handle in Fuyun Mountain?

As for taming the snake demon.

It is unknown how many years the dragon has lived.

This old monster has a cunning and elusive mind, and his hidden cards are endless and unfathomable.

Although the snake demon is only a split soul, its essence has not changed. It is very scheming and has many hidden tricks. Instead of being on guard against it or fighting with it in a battle of wits and courage, it is better to kill it directly.

Xuanming just wanted to concentrate on practicing Taoism and didn't want to be distracted by intrigue, so he just killed directly, simple and clear.

Things in the future will happen in the future.

Before the dragon breaks the seal, it all depends on whether he can fight hard enough.

Several figures leaped across the forest.

These are the young Taoists who stayed behind in the Qiuzhen Temple, and were attracted by the noise of the fight between Xuanming and the snake demon.

After meeting, they gasped when they saw the messy scene, and looked at the white-haired Taoist priest standing on the treetop with his hands behind his back in the moonlight, with an expression of awe and admiration that was difficult to conceal on their faces.

Who would have thought that this uncle-master would soar to new heights after entering the Tao, and his practice would be unstoppable. Now he is even more terrifying, and he must be one of the strongest men in the temple.

"Meet Master!"

The Taoists bowed their heads and saluted, and Xuanming nodded in return. He left the aftermath to them, tapped the treetops with his toes, flew into the air, and turned to leave.

The posture is extraordinary, elegant and graceful.

---

Sutra Repository, Dao Courtyard, inside the thatched cottage.

Xuanming sat cross-legged on the cushion, closed his eyes and reviewed what he had learned. Today's events were full of twists and turns. He killed several monsters in succession and even killed the soul of a big monster. It was quite a thrill.

Although no fish slipped through the net, many problems were exposed, which required him to sort out the details, summarize them, find out the gaps and fill them, and turn them into resources for his own growth.

Half an hour later, he began to meditate.

Crows fly and rabbits run, the stars move and the constellations change.

Half a month later, the Taoists returned to the mountain one after another.

When they learned that Fuyun Mountain had been sneaked into by monsters, they were very nervous. But when they knew that it was Xuanming who took action and killed all the monsters, they felt relieved.

Later, they went to the Sutra Repository to pay their respects.

To Xuanming, killing a few little demons was nothing. As a Taoist priest of the Qiuzhen Temple, he just did what he was supposed to do.

The first two times we met, we were in good terms.

The third time, he closed the door and asked Chang'anzi to pass on the message:

If there is anything else, you can come to the cabinet to meet.

If you come to thank me, then go home.

We are all brothers, no need to be polite.

It’s okay, don’t disturb me while I’m reading the sutras.

Everyone shook their heads helplessly.

They knew that the last sentence was the key point.

The senior brother was annoyed that they disturbed his peace.

Since this is the case, the Taoists will naturally stop coming.

As my brother said, don't be so polite.

In Taoist practice places, there should be less worldly complicated etiquette and pedantry, and more tranquility and sincerity.

Xuanyin and Xuansu, who were in charge of the aftermath, returned to the mountain and the Qiuzhen Temple resumed its previous life.

Practice all the ways and read the Xuanming Sutra.

The morning bells and evening drums ring on the mountain, and the years are peaceful.

It has quite the Taoist unrestrained and carefree demeanor of not being attached to the worldly affairs.

Under the arrangement of the imperial envoy, the people of Fuyun County rebuilt their homes, and more smiles appeared on their sad faces.

While praising the imperial court, he occasionally looked up at the mist-shrouded Floating Cloud Mountain, his eyes filled with gratitude.

If it weren't for the timely rescue by the Taoist priest on the mountain, they would not have survived until the imperial court arrived. The people of Fuyun County knew this very well.

A month and a half later, the people living at the foot of the mountain had settled down again and the county town was gradually recovering.

In the Sutra Repository, the old Taoist on the mountain finally finished reading and comprehending six hundred volumes of Taoist scriptures. The principles in his mind gradually became clearer, his Taoist heart became clear and open-minded, and he radiated a free and easy temperament from the inside out, becoming more and more like an immortal.

That afternoon, he rarely stayed in the Sutra Library. He walked out of his room and wandered through the mountains and forests.

Sometimes he would ride a bamboo pole and go downstream, boating or swimming; sometimes he would chase a rabbit and get covered in dust without using any magic power.

Express your feelings in the mountains and rivers, cultivate your temperament, nourish your body and mind, and seek a natural simplicity.

That night, he returned home with great enthusiasm.

Ask for the way in the courtyard, inside the thatched cottage.

Xuanming had breakfast, burned incense and took a bath.

With his energy and spirit reaching the peak, he sat cross-legged on the cushion, calmed down, focused his mind, and entered the threshold.

In the haze, three Taoist scriptures emerged.

The spirit of Tao is dense, principles are intertwined, and the principles of Tao are lingering.

(End of this chapter)