The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 187 Dad, Are You Not Good at Raising Children?

On the Floating Cloud Mountain, there are auspicious clouds and auspicious colors, cranes spread their wings, fish and dragons fly in the water, and rays fly into the sky.

It was just dawn, and it was also the day when Fuyun Mountain was opening to accept disciples. The foot of the mountain was crowded with people.

Some of them are locals of Fuyun County, who come here with their children to become disciples; some are people from other counties and prefecture towns, who want their sons and daughters to become successful. There are both ordinary people and practitioners from small and medium-sized forces.

"Look at the sky!"

Someone shouted and everyone looked up, looking at the colorful scene on Floating Cloud Mountain. The children were excited, the teenagers were thrilled, and the adults were surprised but also afraid, and they became more determined to join the Qiuzhen Temple.

Some parents are open-minded and tell their children not to feel pressured, but their children, on the contrary, clenched their fists, looked assent, turned their heads to gaze at the auspicious atmosphere of Floating Cloud Mountain, their eyes focused and determined.

Some elders never tire of admonishing or solemnly warning:
"Chenpi, if you can't become a disciple of Qiuzhen Temple, your father will arrange a marriage for you when he returns. You will marry a wife and take a concubine. You will have at least three grandchildren in five years and I will raise them for you. I won't let you lead me astray and idle away all day long."

"He Xiang, your elder brother entered Qingyun Academy, and your younger brother entered Zen Temple. If you can enter Qiuzhen Temple, our Yan family will have people who practice Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. We can rest easy in the future. Therefore, you must succeed in becoming my disciple."

"Yang Kang, you are not good at literature or martial arts, you only know how to stay in your room and sleep. Which boy is as lazy as you? I'm telling you today, if you can't become a disciple of Qiuzhen Temple, don't blame me for breaking your legs."

……

Li Daniu was also giving instructions to his son.

---

"You little brat, your father is warning you seriously. The kindness shown by the Qiuzhen Temple to our Li family is as great as a mountain. This time they are opening a temple to accept disciples. This is a rare opportunity. You must take it to heart and work hard to become a disciple of the Qiuzhen Temple.

If you don't take it seriously, and muddle through like you did before, and live your life carelessly, don't blame your father for not thinking of the father-son relationship. I will stop giving you all your pocket money and food, and send you to your second grandfather's place in the countryside to feed pigs and plow the fields."

Li Daniu is already in his thirties. His business has been booming over the years and he has lived a life of luxury. His body has changed from being thin to being pot-bellied, with a ruddy complexion and a wealthy look.

There was also a six-year-old fat boy next to him, wearing a bright red dress and a gold necklace on his head. He looked like a lucky doll, with fair skin, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a cute appearance. He looked around curiously, his eyes rolling around, revealing a cleverness.

It was his son: Li Zizai.

Listening to his father's nagging, the little fat boy rolled his eyes and waved his hands impatiently, "Got it! Xuanming Zhenjun from Qiuzhen Temple has been very kind to you, old man. I have heard this since I was a child, and my ears are calloused. Can you try something new?"

Seeing his father fussing and glaring, the little fat man was not afraid and continued to stab his father, "The book says that Taoists are open-minded and let things take their own course. Whether you can join the Qiuzhen Temple is not up to you or me. Instead of pursuing it deliberately, it is better to let it go. If I succeed, I am lucky. If I fail, I will die. If I pass the three levels, we will enter. If I fail, we will go home. I will go back to the countryside to raise pigs.

Dad, you should work hard with mom and give birth to another child to inherit the family business for me. If you take over the responsibility, I can also enjoy life comfortably. If you are willing in the future, you can give me some gold and silver. I will let my descendants take your surname. If you don't want to, the things are yours anyway, and I won't force you. It is also filial piety if your children and grandchildren take your surname."

Listening to his son's unambitious words, even though he was used to it, Li Daniu was still furious and fell backwards in anger.

"How could I have given birth to such a fool like you!"

Li Zizai still choked people to death when he spoke.

"My second grandfather once said that the most important factor in determining the quality of crops is seeds. Dad, I have grown up like this. Who of you and Mom has the bad seeds?
Also, no matter how bad I am, I am still your biological son. I am like my father, so you have to acknowledge me even if you don’t want to.”

"Little bunny!"

Seeing Li Daniu's dark face and low mood, Li Zizai's desire to survive exploded. His short legs immediately started to flutter, hugged his father's thigh, and began to knead it, smiling flatteringly:
"Dad, are you feeling well?" Looking down at the innocence and admiration on his son's young face, Li Daniu's anger instantly disappeared.

It’s just that this kid speaks too rudely. He is young and can still find the excuse that he speaks without restraint, but in a few years he will become a real person who hates dogs and ghosts. He needs to control his temper so as not to offend others in the future.

What's more, this kid spoke without restraint and offended his male dignity. But he was too young and couldn't explain himself. He could only give him a verbal lesson first and then beat him with a stick later.

Li Daniu was about to scold when the bell rang. The leading Taoist explained the rules and then led his fellow disciples to make way.

Knowing his father's temper well, Li Zizai immediately put on the grease and ran up the mountain on his short legs, making Li Daniu both angry and amused.

---

Since the last agreement was reached, the third generation of immortals have gradually delegated their power and entrusted many things to the fourth generation of immortals in the past year. The fourth generation of immortals is also in charge of the opening of the Qiuzhen Temple and recruiting disciples this time. The third generation of immortals, including Xuanxu, have become idle.

So when they saw the strange phenomenon in Floating Cloud Mountain, they were excited and rushed to Feihuo Palace. As soon as Xuanming came out, he was met with the same burning gazes from all his fellow disciples.

Xuan Yang took the lead and approached Xuan Ming, asking about his health with a bright smile. He even took out the spiritual wine that he had collected for many years, saying that his senior brother had worked hard and he wanted to soothe his throat.

This old fellow was of straightforward character and simple mind. One could tell his true thoughts at a glance. Xuanming did not tease him on purpose, nor was he polite. He reached out to take the jar of wine, and took out the Bagua incense burner from his sleeve, which had temporarily turned into an incense burner.

Although it is small and exquisite, one can still tell its simple, majestic, heavy and elegant style. It attracted everyone's attention as soon as it appeared. Xuan Yang was quick-eyed and quick-handed, and was the first to grab the Bagua Furnace, holding it with one hand and carefully stroking it with the other hand, as if he had obtained a treasure. His eyes widened and he observed it carefully. Others also rushed to look at it.

Unlike the Jingming Bell, this is the first magic weapon in the true sense of the Qiuzhen Temple. It has extraordinary meaning. Even the head monk Xuanxu couldn't help but take a few more glances at it.

Ignoring the Taoists, Xuanming took out the wine jar, opened the cork, and took a sip of the spiritual wine. The sweet and mellow wine rippled on his mouth and tongue, and carried traces of energy to his limbs and bones, instantly making his whole body feel relaxed and relieved of fatigue.

"Junior Brother Xuanyang's winemaking skills have become more sophisticated."

With a silent sigh in his heart, he looked far away and his gaze fell on the foot of Floating Cloud Mountain. This time he came out of seclusion, firstly, he planned to comprehend the laws born in the Bagua Furnace, and secondly, the little fat man who had a master-disciple relationship with him came.

Looking at Li Zizai who was climbing the mountain with great effort, Xuanming had a amiable expression. One can tell a person's character by looking at his appearance. No one wanted to accept a person of low character.

He has been paying close attention to this kid over the years, and it is no exaggeration to say that he has watched him grow up.

When Li Zizai was born, Li Daniu had already made a fortune. With the love of his parents, the boy had never suffered since childhood. Fortunately, Li Daniu and his wife did not spoil their child blindly. Instead, they taught him carefully, praised him when necessary and punished him when necessary. Sometimes they would take their son to the countryside to experience farm work and learn about the hardships of the people. They would also take him to the orphanage to help.

Under the guidance of the couple's personal example, although Li Zizai was eccentric, he was kind-hearted and never bullied others. Instead, he showed sympathy to the elderly and lonely, and the family had harmonious relationships. It was just that this kid was sometimes disrespectful and had a talent for making his father angry and skipping classes and being lazy.

Looking outward, Xuanming looked at Li Daniu and saw that the latter's body was full of blessings and blessings that turned into a red light. Xuanming nodded with satisfaction.

This boy lived up to his expectations. He was honest in business and did many good deeds. Especially during the Taiping Rebellion, he donated half of his family wealth to help the people. He had a good reputation and blessings.

After the war, he was rewarded by the imperial court, and received a plaque of "Good Family" and a lot of gold and silver. In just over two years, he became the richest man in Fuyun County.

What is even more commendable is that Li Daniu still maintains good intentions, does good deeds and accumulates virtue, which is why he is blessed with good fortune and is not easily invaded by evil spirits.

While tasting wine and watching a play, Xuanming calmly looked at the children and teenagers who came to become his disciples. The quality of this group is indeed good, and there are many promising talents. However, whether they can be accepted into the Qiuzhen Temple depends on the final result.

(End of this chapter)