Tianyuan Xuanxian

Chapter 1 Hitting the road
On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the north wind was howling, snow was flying all over the sky, and only a pale color remained between heaven and earth.

At the entrance of Chenjia Village, there is a dilapidated courtyard. The courtyard wall surrounded by bamboo fences has several large holes. The cold wind mixed with snowflakes blows through one of them, making bursts of "woooo" sounds.

"Back then, the immortal named Chen reached the pinnacle of his cultivation, standing alone on the mountaintop. Before him lay the ninety-nine heavenly ladders. All he had to do was to cross them and he would truly attain immortality.

He was surrounded by countless sword energies, using them to clear the way for himself, and resolutely embarked on the road to heaven. Under the gazes of countless cultivators, he had already passed half of the ladder in a moment.
Thunderclouds rolled above the ladder, and thunderbolts struck down continuously, but were all shattered by the sword light.

In such an environment, the immortal surnamed Chen actually drank a mouthful of the wine in the pot and shouted: "My fellow Taoists, Chen is leaving!"

Then he became one with the sword, splitting the layers of thunderclouds with one sword and reaching the top of the ladder.
At this moment, suddenly..."

An old voice came from the dilapidated house from time to time, telling the story of the ascension of an immortal named Chen.

There was a brazier in the house, emitting some warmth, and the flames swayed around with the cold wind blowing in from the dilapidated doors and windows.

The air was filled with the smoky smell of burning wood and the rich aroma of herbs.

"Grandpa, the porridge is ready, please eat some."

The thin boy walked slowly to the bed with half a bowl of porridge in his hand.

The boy's name is Chen Xuan. His parents died early, and he only has his bedridden grandfather to depend on at home. His family is well-known for being poor in the surrounding villages.

"Cough cough cough..."

A violent cough was heard, and on the bed, a skinny old man supported his body with his arms and slowly sat up.

The old man's forehead was black and his lips were bloodless, obviously he was at the end of his life.

He first glanced at the bland half bowl of porridge in his grandson's hand and sighed heavily.

The old man understood that it was not that his grandson could not cook, but that this was all the rice left at home.

He then waved his hand and said, "Xuan'er, eat first. Grandpa is not hungry.

Hearing this, tears glistened in Chen Xuan's eyes, "But Grandpa, you haven't eaten for two days!"

"Hahaha, Xuan'er, have you forgotten what your grandfather told you? When I was young, I practiced immortal arts. Immortals don't need to eat."

"Grandpa, you're lying! You also said that gods can't get sick, but you..."

The young man could no longer bear it, so he placed the half bowl of porridge in front of the old man and burst into tears.

"Ugh!"

The old man had a complicated expression and sighed heavily.

After a while, the old man seemed to suddenly remember something and hurriedly said, "Xuan'er, go get the wooden box that Grandpa put under the table!"

Although the boy was extremely reluctant, he still reached out to wipe away his tears, quickly ran to the table with four legs of different lengths, and pulled out a black wooden box from under one of the legs.

Then, Chen Xuan handed the wooden box to his grandfather who was sitting at the head of the bed.

The old man took the wooden box and slowly opened it.

Chen Xuan also leaned over to see what was in the wooden box.

It seemed as if this wooden box had existed since he could remember. Chen Xuan had wanted to open it before, but had never been able to do so. He had not expected that his grandfather could open it so easily!

I saw a jade plate lying quietly in the wooden box, and on the side of the jade plate, there was a pill of unknown purpose.

After the wooden box was opened, the jade plate actually glowed faintly, and the coldness in the whole room instantly dissipated. At this moment, Chen Xuan finally felt the long-lost warmth since the beginning of winter.

He was suddenly surprised.
"I'm surprised we have such a precious treasure at home! If I sell this jade token, the money I get will definitely be enough to cure Grandpa's illness!"

For a moment, the boy's mood became comfortable, just like the temperature in the room.

Grandpa Chen Xuan looked at the smile that inadvertently emanated from Chen Xuan's face and shook his head slightly. He naturally understood what his grandson was thinking, but...

The old man's lifespan had already reached its end, and the fact that he was able to sit up now was simply a last-ditch effort. The old man took out the jade token, rubbing it with his rough fingers for a moment, and finally took his grandson's hand and placed the jade token in Chen Xuan's palm.

The old man started coughing violently again, and he quickly picked up a handkerchief to cover his mouth.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan stretched out his other hand and gently patted his grandfather on the back.

After a long time, the coughing subsided.

The old man's face turned pale again, his body softened, and he fell onto the bed again.

He pulled Chen Xuan's hand, tightly covering the jade token, and then warned:
"Xuan'er, this jade token was obtained by Grandpa from an immortal when he was young. The immortal said that as long as you take this jade token and head north, you will come across a sect called Yuntian Sect. After handing it to the immortal there, you can join the Yuntian Sect."

"And this pill is called the Soul-Summoning Powder. Taking it can stimulate the spiritual roots of ordinary people and allow them to embark on the path of cultivation."

"And that black wooden box, you must keep it carefully, it contains... cough cough cough!"

The old man started coughing again.

Because his family was poor, Chen Xuan was much smarter than his peers since he was a child. How could he not understand the implication of his grandfather's words at this moment?

Tears flowed from the corners of Chen Xuan's eyes again.

"No, Grandpa, Xuan'er won't go anywhere. Xuan'er just wants to accompany Grandpa, and... and this Soul Summoning Powder can activate spiritual roots, Grandpa, you should eat it quickly. When you become an immortal, your illness will definitely be cured."

Hearing this, the old man had a complicated expression. He stretched out his dry hand and touched Chen Xuan's hair, and said in a gentle tone:
"Xuan'er, be obedient. Grandpa is going to heaven to become an immortal. When you practice well, you will be able to achieve enlightenment and ascend to heaven one day. Maybe you can even see Grandpa again!"

Chen Xuan wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. Although he knew that his grandfather was lying to him again, he didn't want to see his grandfather worrying about him at the last moment, so he forced a smile and said:
"Then Grandpa, you can't lie to Xuan'er this time!"

"Okay, I won't lie to you."

"Then...pin it!"

"it is good…"

"Pin, hang yourself, for a hundred years, no change..."

After making arrangements for his funeral, the old man finally couldn't survive the heavy snow and passed away holding his grandson's hand...

Chen Xuan did not cry out loud as usual, but just knelt in front of his grandfather's bed and shed tears silently.

Because my grandfather said that when a person dies, his soul will float to heaven, but if he hears the cries of his loved ones, he will look back, and if he looks back, he will not be able to go to heaven.

Grandpa loved being an immortal in heaven when he was alive, so Chen Xuan told himself in his heart that no matter how sad he was, he must not cry out loud.

But silent crying is the saddest thing.

The cold wind outside the house was getting stronger and stronger, and the whistling sound when it passed through the hole in the wall sounded more and more like the wail of heaven and earth.

From changing his grandfather's burial clothes, to using his frail body to place his grandfather's body into the coffin that had been nailed down earlier, to burying his grandfather alone in the heavy snow, the boy never uttered a single cry...

That night, Chen Xuan packed his bags.

The house was empty except for a few worn-out clothes, and there was really nothing to pack.

Since he had promised his grandfather, he had to leave this home without family and go to the north to find the Yuntian Sect that his grandfather mentioned.

He carefully put the jade plate engraved with the word "Yuntian" into his sleeve, and the sky was just beginning to turn pale.

The skinny young man, like a bamboo pole, carried his bag, opened the dilapidated gate, and resolutely stepped into the vast snowstorm...

Not long after the young man left, a figure suddenly appeared in front of the dilapidated courtyard gate. The man was wearing a hood and a snow-white robe, and his true face could not be seen clearly.

He only looked at the footprints of the young man after he left, which were covered by the wind and snow, and murmured softly:
"I'm going out in the snowy weather, today I'm on the road to find the immortals."

With that, he waved his sleeves, and the courtyard behind him, and even the entire Chenjia Village where the young man had lived, turned into a blanket of white. With a bang, it turned into a blizzard. Only a solitary grave not far away still stood in its place...

(End of this chapter)