The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 189: Li Zizai, the cocky one, starts as a registered disciple
Floating Cloud Mountain, trapped in the heart array.

Li Zizai went through various tests one after another:

When he met a wealthy businessman whose life was hanging by a thread, he did not have any bad intentions. Instead, he called a doctor to treat the wealthy businessman. When he negotiated for the reward, he did not ask for an exorbitant amount. He only asked for two hundred taels of silver, one hundred taels for himself and one hundred taels for charity.

When his friend was in trouble, he lent a helping hand and took out half of his saved gold and silver; when his friend was successful, although he was envious and felt jealous, he sincerely wished him well, without being sarcastic or slandering him secretly.

When Li Daniu failed in business and went bankrupt, becoming a pauper, he took his family to the countryside to farm. Although Li Zizai was unhappy and his mouth was pouted like an oil bottle, he did not complain about his father, nor did he despise the simple food. He quickly adapted to the situation, cheered himself up, and went to work in the fields with his family, working hard without complaint.

When Li Daniu's business expanded to the county city and even became an imperial merchant, Li Zizai did not become arrogant and just let things take their course.

……

He performed well in all kinds of tests.

Don't be a goody-goody, and don't be a bad guy.

Although there are some shortcomings, it is already very good for a child to achieve this. By looking at the essence of the situation, we can tell whether the child has a good or bad character.

The Mind-Trapping Array was a test in itself, and he managed to get through it, but soon he faced the tests from the Taoists.

On a river, Xuanxu, who was dressed as the river god, asked, "Child, did you lose your gold, silver, or bronze collar?"

Li Zizai: "Golden collar."

The river god Xuanxu said: "My child, the Qiuzhen Temple will not accept people who are greedy for money as disciples. I will give you another chance."

Li Zizai: "Is it right to lie?"

A rhetorical question helped him pass the test successfully, and the fallen gold collar reappeared around his neck.

On a bridge, an old man dressed as Xuan Tong sighed. When Li Zizai approached and asked, the old man said, "My child, my shoes fell into the river. I can't move easily. Can you help me pick them up?"

Li Zizai nodded in agreement, picked up a wooden stick and tried to retrieve the shoe, but when he found he couldn't reach it, he went back with a frustrated look on his face.

The old man who lost his shoes said, "Child, the river is not deep. Just walk into the river and pick up your shoes."

After hearing this, Li Zizai turned around and left without hesitation, which made the old man who was changing shoes so angry that he cursed: "The world is going downhill, and people's hearts are not as they used to be. I never thought that even children are so indifferent nowadays."

Li Zizai turned around and asked, "Grandpa, how old are you this year?"

The old man who dropped his shoe: "I am just over sixty-six."

Li Zizai: "I am six years old this year. You are older than me. You also said that I am a child. We are the same. I have helped you just now, but I am powerless. I am not as tall as you. I can't enter this river. You should wait for others to help you."

In a reed marsh, the crane transformed by Xuan Kong fell into a hunter's trap by mistake. After being rescued by Li Zizai, the crane spat out a spirit bead: "Thank you for saving me. This spirit bead is for you. It can turn into delicious food to keep you well fed for the rest of your life."

Half a year later, Linghe returned and saw Li Zizai carrying a basket and selling food on the street. He asked in confusion: "I have already given you the Lingzhu, why are you still working so hard?"

Li Zizai: "My father said that we should not live off our savings or the mountain will fall. The spirit beads are good, but what if they stop working one day? I can make more money with the spirit beads now, so that I won't panic when they stop working one day."

---

After one difficulty after another was overcome, on the Endless Tree, the three generations of immortals were generally satisfied with Li Zizai's performance.

Xuan Kong praised him generously: "This kid is smart and clever. The more I see him, the more I like him."

After taking a sip of the spiritual wine, Xuanming felt happy.

Li Zizai is indeed a good person. He knows the importance of everything, is kind-hearted but not pedantic, and does things within his ability. It can be seen that Li Daniu and his wife have taught their children very well.

As expected, Li Zizai successfully passed the level.

After a short rest, the remaining hundred people were brought to the Enlightenment Stone to watch and take pictures.

At the end of an hour, some people were confused and their heads were dizzy; some people successfully figured out something, whether it was half a set of sword skills, alchemy techniques, or the meaning of runes, each with its own strengths.

Li Zizai stood out from the crowd, with outstanding comprehension. He not only understood the meaning of runes and formations, and successfully drew runes and set up formations with stones, with correct strokes and appropriate positions, but he also had a relatively complete understanding of cooking skills and alchemy techniques, with correct steps and a reasonable combination of the main, secondary and auxiliary agents.

He is gifted in many aspects, but he has no magical powers and lacks practice, so the visions are not obvious. However, he can see the big picture from the small details. Xuankong and others can see that Li Zizai has a high level of comprehension. Once he enters the Tao, with the careful teachings of Senior Brother Xuanming, his future will be limitless.

"This boy is a rare talent. Congratulations, Senior Brother."

On the Endless Tree, Xuanxu and other three generations of masters sincerely congratulated him. Although many of these challengers performed well, they pale in comparison with Li Zizai. Putting down the wine jar, Xuanming smiled happily. This little fat boy did perform well. Although he was not a brilliant man, his perseverance, character, and understanding were all excellent. His aptitude and bones were also quite good. After careful training, he could also show his ability. He took over the heavy responsibility of Xingwang Qiuzhen Temple from him.

He stood up and congratulated all his fellow disciples. Xuanming took their spiritual roots and took back the Bagua Furnace under Xuanyang's reluctant gaze. He said goodbye and left, returning to Cangdao Peak. The others also dispersed in an instant.

Zhenxuan Peak, Xuanfa Hall.

More than thirty children or teenagers lined up obediently in several rows, their faces showing a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Even someone as bold as Li Zizai was uneasy at this moment. He looked well-behaved and sensible, and at first glance, he was also a gentle kid.

Chang'anzi and other four generations of Taoists gathered together and sat in the upper seats. Today was the day when the fifth generation of Taoists entered the Qiuzhen Temple. They would all accept disciples and be teachers to others. From then on, they would take the responsibility of teaching their disciples how to cultivate Taoism and be a good person, regulate their conduct, shoulder the mission of inheriting their master's Taoist tradition and strengthening the Qiuzhen Temple.

As they were about to become teachers, the four generations of Taoist priests took the matter very seriously. As the next Taoist priest, Changchunzi spoke first: "Congratulations to all of you for passing the three tests and entering the Seeking Truth Temple..."

After explaining the rules of the sect, he first led everyone to worship the portraits of the Taoist Ancestor and the Master of Qiuzhen Temple, followed by the three generations of Taoists headed by Xuanming. When worshiping Xuanming, everyone was pious and respectful. After all, this man was a living legend. The Taoist Ancestor was too illusory, and the Master of Qiuzhen Temple had long since passed away and even his soul had been scattered, but this man was visible and tangible.

After the ceremony, the immortals selected the people they liked in turn and accepted them as their disciples.

"Yang Kang, are you willing to take me as your master?"

"Li Ergou, you and I have a destiny. Would you like to become my disciple, refine magical instruments, and learn the mysteries of instruments?"

"Shen San, I am in charge of the temple's affairs. Would you like to become my disciple?"

……

One by one, those who passed the level found a place to stay and walked behind their respective masters, and the number of people in the queue became smaller and smaller.

Although they each have their own master, according to the rules, they all have to start as outer disciples. They are led into the door by their junior disciples, and then practice on their own. Whether they can enter the inner gate and when they can enter the inner gate depends on how motivated these fifth-generation disciples are.

Finally, Li Zizai was the only one left in the entire Xuanfa Hall.

He stared at the masters on the stage with shining eyes, excited and expectant, wanting to know who his master was. However, after waiting for a long time, the masters showed no reaction.

Li Zizai was only a six-year-old child. His excitement gradually faded away. He pinched the corner of his clothes a little nervously. Confusion and nervousness were written all over his innocent face. He didn't know where to go.

At this time, the portrait of Xuanming Zhenjun hanging in front of the hall shone brightly. The white-haired old Taoist priest on the portrait, carrying a peach wood sword, holding a whisk, and riding a spirit deer, moved from stillness to blinking, and spoke with his lips:

"This boy has a destiny with me. I will temporarily place him at the foot of Cangdao Peak as my nominal disciple. Besides listening to the teachings and practicing the dharma, he will be responsible for chopping wood, sweeping the ground, and other chores. I will treat him the same as other disciples."

After giving a few instructions, the spiritual light disappeared.

Changchunzi and other immortals did not dare to be negligent. They stood up and said yes. When they turned around and looked at Li Zizai, they appeared calm on the surface, but their hearts were complicated.

Even though they had received word of the matter long ago and knew that Master Xuanming (Uncle) had taken a liking to this boy and wanted to take him in as his disciple, and they were mentally prepared, but when the time came, they still felt a little sour and lamented the good luck of the little fat boy in front of them.

The newly initiated fifth-generation Taoists were even more envious and jealous. True Lord Xuanming was the number one in Qiuzhen Temple, one of the only three True Lords of Lianshen in Fengyang County, and the strongest man in Fengyang County. They had all heard the legendary stories of this great master, and now that the fat man in the field was chosen by him, his future path would definitely be better than theirs.

Li Zizai was stunned when Xuanming opened his mouth. He had heard the name of Master Xuanming like thunder in his ears since he was a child.

My father made his first fortune because of the attention of Master Xuanming, and has since risen rapidly. It can be said that without Master Xuanming, there would be no wealthy Li family today.

He admired Xuanming Zhenjun even more. He remembered his heroic deeds such as slaying demons and monsters, fighting against the Taiping Sect, blessing Fuyun County, and protecting the people of the four counties.

Now, he actually became a disciple of Zhenjun, even if it was just a nominal disciple. Li Zizai had the illusion that pie had fallen from the sky, and his head was dizzy.

After a few breaths, he reacted and immediately prostrated himself before Xuanming's portrait, his voice unusually loud and clear: "Disciple Li Zizai pays respects to the Master."

Dong, dong, dong! The forehead was knocked loudly.

After he stood up, he grinned at the masters in the front, his white teeth shining brightly, and bowed to them in a formal manner, saying, "Li Zizai greets all the brothers."

Chang Chunzi waited with his mouth twitching, and stood up to return the greeting: "Congratulations, Junior Brother."

Li Zizai nodded like a little adult. The next moment, he straightened his chest and raised his head, his belly bulging. He looked at the other fifth-generation Taoists, waved his hand, and said with a smug look on his face, "From now on, we are all fellow disciples. I hope that my fellow apprentices and I can help each other and unite and love each other."

The newly-released fifth generation Taoist priest: …

The four generations of sages found it funny and a little itchy.

(End of this chapter)