Zhu Tian: A journey of spiritual practice starting from Joy of Life

Chapter 264 The One-Month Term for Becoming an Apprentice of Bei Mingzi

Leng Feibai bowed respectfully to the two elders and said, "This junior greets the two seniors!"

"We Taoists are not Confucianists; we don't care about so many formalities!"

One of the elders stroked his beard and said in a calm tone, "Time flies. When Ji Yan and I first met you, you were still an infant. Now you've grown so much!"

Upon hearing this, Leng Feibai raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Senior and my elder brother?"

"The old Taoist Danyangzi is none other than Ji Yan's mentor!"

Danyangzi stroked his beard and said helplessly, "You should have been my disciple, but unfortunately..."

Before he could finish speaking, another old man pushed Danyangzi aside and asked in a serious tone, "Young man, I ask you, why did you come to the Heavenly Sect?"

Leng Feibai raised an eyebrow again and said calmly, "With the world in turmoil, I wish to find a place where I can find peace..."

He stopped mid-sentence, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

The old man replied directly, "Speak frankly, what is there that cannot be said!"

"This junior also wants to see what the legendary ascension to immortality looks like!"

Upon hearing the words "ascension to immortality," a hint of amusement appeared in the old man's eyes.

He said with a smile, "Interesting child, do you know that in Taoism, only the patriarch Laozi successfully ascended to heaven? As for others, even the senior Zhuangzi failed at the last moment and died with regret at the foot of Nanhua Mountain."

Where there's a will, there's a way!

Leng Feibai said calmly, "How will you know if you can do it if you don't try?"

"Don't you know that being too fixated on something makes it difficult to achieve anything?"

After hearing this, Bei Mingzi refuted Leng Feibai's words in a calm tone, as if he were discussing the Dao with him, and continued to speak.

"Our Heavenly Sect emphasizes the unity of heaven and man, and our disciples advocate transcending worldly desires and following the way of heaven. If one is too attached to anything, I fear one will achieve nothing!"

Leng Feibai did not rush to refute after hearing this, but smiled peacefully, raised his hand to the sky and then to the ground, "The myriad laws of heaven and earth each have their own way. Even though they change in countless ways, they are all fundamentally the same source of water, and they do not deviate from their origin. Moreover, if one has no attachments, what is the point of cultivation?"

After listening, the old man asked again, "Then what is your opinion on the Supreme Being's Forgetfulness of Emotions?"

"Love has always been a source of only regret!"

Leng Feibai calmly said, "The Tao is ruthless yet compassionate, it goes forth but never returns, it creates something from nothing. Rather than overthinking, it's better to follow your heart and do what you should do!"

At this point, Leng Feibai paused, then asked, "Senior, may I humbly ask your question? If one day a sword were to be held to your neck, would you calmly face death, or fight to protect yourself?"

As soon as he said that, Danyangzi's expression changed slightly, and he wanted to reprimand Leng Feibai for his rudeness.

But Bei Mingzi smiled after hearing this, "What a sharp-tongued child! I'd like to ask you, what would you do in this situation?"

Leng Feibai smiled slightly after hearing this and said, "Many people have done this to me, but I'm still alive!"

After listening, the old man asked his final question, "What is your view on the current state of the world?"

Upon hearing this, Leng Feibai clenched his fist and said, "If the world is in chaos, I will try to emerge and restore order. If the world is at peace, I will retreat to the mountains or live a quiet life in the city, peacefully pursuing the Dao."

"You might be more suited to the Human Sect than the Heavenly Sect! But I can't bear to send you to the Human Sect."

After the old man finished speaking, he looked up at the sky and said, "The weather is clear and the sun is high in the sky. Your Daoist name will be Qingyang! If you have any questions about cultivation in the future, you can come and ask me directly."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man's figure vanished into nothingness.

Leng Feibai turned to look at Danyangzi, who said with a hint of helplessness, "Congratulations, Junior Brother! You are now the youngest and only disciple under Uncle-Master Beimingzi."

Upon hearing this, Leng Feibai breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Danyangzi said indignantly, "Originally, I wanted to take you as my disciple, but my master saw your fight with Guiguzi, and then..."

Before he could finish speaking, a burst of energy shot out, sending Danyangzi tumbling over.

Danyangzi then shut his mouth, but Leng Feibai couldn't help but ask, "Danyang... Senior Brother, did you and Master see my match with Senior Guiguzi?"

"Ok!"

Danyangzi nodded, stroking his beard, and said, "I noticed a change in the celestial signs and, worried about Ji Yan's safety, went down the mountain to Yan to investigate. There I witnessed your battle with Guiguzi!"

Leng Feibai was taken aback upon hearing this, and was about to say something when...

Danyangzi raised his hand and patted his shoulder, saying, "Come with your brother."

As soon as he finished speaking, Danyangzi took to the air and flew off in one direction.

"Liezi's Wind-Riding Technique!"

Leng Feibai immediately recognized the movement technique used by Danyangzi. The founder of this Liezi Wind Control Technique was none other than Liezi, a representative figure of Taoism.

It has something in common with his own Cloud Stepping Step, but the flight speed is not as fast as Cloud Stepping Step.

Leng Feibai also quickly followed, and soon caught up with Danyangzi, who had flown to Taiyi Palace.

"This is the main hall of my Heavenly Sect, the Taiyi Palace."

As Danyangzi spoke, he led Leng Feibai to an even older man.

Upon seeing Leng Feibai, the old man smiled and said, "Junior Brother Danyang, is this your newly accepted disciple?"

Upon hearing this, Danyangzi smiled helplessly and said, "This is Qingyangzi, the disciple of Uncle Beiming. I brought him to meet you. Junior Brother Qingyang, this is our Tianzong Sect Leader, Senior Brother Chisongzi."

Upon hearing this, Leng Feibai cupped his hands in a salute and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Sect Leader."

Chisongzi quickly stepped forward to help Leng Feibai up, chatted with him for a few more minutes, and then asked Danyangzi to take our junior brother around the Tianzong.

After taking a general stroll around the Heavenly Sect and gaining a better understanding of it, Danyangzi led Leng Feibai to the outside of a secluded courtyard.

Leng Feibai glanced at the courtyard and couldn't help but sigh.

This courtyard is quite large; if he hadn't become Bei Mingzi's disciple, he probably wouldn't be able to live in such a nice courtyard.

Just as Leng Feibai was about to go in and sit down, Bei Mingzi's voice came to his ears.

"Qingyang, come to see me immediately."

As soon as he finished speaking, Leng Feibai used his lightness skill to fly towards the direction from which the sound came.

Bei Mingzi lived not far from Leng Feibai's courtyard. It was a two-story bamboo building. Upon entering, one could see Bei Mingzi sitting cross-legged on a futon with his eyes closed.

Before Leng Feibai could speak, Bei Mingzi asked directly, "What did Ji Yan teach you?"

"Introductory Techniques, Commoner's Sword, and Treading Snow Without a Trace."

Leng Feibai didn't hide anything and said it all at once, "There's also some basic knowledge related to Taoism."

After listening, Bei Mingzi asked Leng Feibai a few questions as a formality. Seeing that he answered fluently, he stroked his beard and said, "It seems that Ji Yan is also teaching you a lot. In that case, you don't need to attend your daily lessons. Come here every morning at four quarters past Chen (7:45 AM) and I will personally teach you. Also..."

Bei Mingzi raised his hand and waved, and three bamboo scrolls flew out of the bookshelf and landed in front of Leng Feibai.

"Take these three volumes of cultivation manuals back and cultivate them with peace of mind."

After Bei Mingzi finished speaking, he quietly closed his eyes.

Upon seeing this, Leng Feibai couldn't help but say, "Master, the martial arts I used when I fought against Senior Guiguzi..."

“Some things don’t need to be explained in detail, and I have no interest in knowing them.” After saying this, Bei Mingzi waved his hand again. When Leng Feibai came back to his senses, he was already outside the courtyard.

Seeing this, Leng Feibai didn't say anything more. He turned around and returned to his own courtyard before letting out a sigh of relief. He then used a cleaning talisman to clean the dusty courtyard and house thoroughly.

"Boom boom boom!"

A knock sounded at the door, and a young Taoist boy carrying a bamboo basket came in.

"Is that Uncle-Master Qingyang?"

The young Taoist priest quickly replied, "The sect leader asked me to bring you dinner."

"Please run away."

Upon seeing this, Leng Feibai took out a few red dates from his pocket and gave them to the young Taoist.

The young Taoist priest couldn't stop smiling. Fruit was a rare commodity at this time, and apart from nobles from various countries, it was difficult for others to enjoy it.

In order to enjoy fruit at all times, Leng Feibai had to find an open space in the Hundred Herbs Garden and try planting a few peach trees, jujube trees, and orange trees, so as to avoid not being able to eat fruit in the next few years of Qin's Moon.

"Thank you, uncle!"

The young Taoist said with a grin, "This disciple will take his leave now. Put the bowls and plates in the basket later, and I will come back to pick them up tomorrow."

After saying this, the young Taoist priest quickly ran out. Having resolved his stomach issue, Leng Feibai returned to the house with the bamboo slip given to him by Bei Mingzi.

"Autumn Waters of Ten Thousand Rivers, Swords of the Feudal Lords, Escape of the Butterfly Dream!"

Leng Feibai looked at the bamboo slip in his hand, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

But before he could be happy for long, the voice of his clone suddenly rang in his mind.

"The real body, Prince Yan Xi, died three days ago."

Upon hearing this, Leng Feibai was taken aback and quickly asked, "How did he die? You didn't do it, did you?"

"They said he was cursed by the Six Souls Curse of the Yin-Yang School. I secretly went in to take a look, and his death was truly tragic."

Upon hearing this, Leng Feibai's lips twitched.

If he wasn't mistaken, there was a very high chance that Yan Fei was behind it.

"What is the situation in the State of Yan?"

"After thirty-six days of mourning, Crown Prince Dan of Yan will ascend the throne. As for Consort Yan, I don't know where she has gone. Even Crown Prince Dan's daughter, Yue'er, has been taken away from Yan by Duanmu Rong."

Leng Feibai sneered inwardly upon hearing this. He figured that Yan Dan, that bastard, probably couldn't stand the fact that his wife had killed his bastard father.

As for Gao Yue, it's estimated that Yan Dan couldn't guarantee that Yan could survive Qin's offensive five years later, so he simply let Duanmu Rong take his daughter away.

"And one more thing."

The clone continued, "Many people in Yan are quite dissatisfied with your abandonment of Yan and departure, and because of this, Ji Yan has no choice but to join in criticizing you."

This was within Leng Feibai's expectations, and he didn't refute it. He simply had his clone continue to monitor everything inside the Yan Kingdom, and when he was bored, he would kill a few incompetent nobles for fun.

After ending his conversation with his clone, Leng Feibai continued to peruse the bamboo slips in his hand, pondering what he should do next.

The unification of the world by the Qin state was an inevitable trend, and there was no need for me to stop it. In any case, even if Huhai messed things up in the future, there was still the Han Dynasty to take over.

As for the others, you can try the Di Ze Twenty-Four of the Six Elders of Daze Mountain.

You can also take a look at the ancient books in Xiaoshengxianzhuang.

There's not much else to worry about. Just sink that wrecked Mirage ship and then hurry up and go to Under One Person.

The thought had barely formed in his mind when Leng Feibai remembered something and turned to enter the Twelve-Story Tower.

But the next moment, the action stopped.

Bei Mingzi's bamboo house is not far from here, so if I disappear into thin air, I certainly can't hide it from him.

Let's wait until we leave Tianzong before going in.

Having made up his mind, Leng Feibai began to carefully study the cultivation method of Wan Chuan Qiu Shui.

Because the area where Tianzong was located was within the territory of the Qin state, the script used on the bamboo slips was the Qin state's Great Seal script.

As for the Small Seal script, it wouldn't appear until after Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms and Li Si simplified the Large Seal script.

Fortunately, when Ji Yan taught him, he thoroughly explained the scripts of the six kingdoms; otherwise, Leng Feibai would be completely lost right now.

After memorizing the mental cultivation method of Wan Chuan Qiu Shui, Leng Fei Bai sat cross-legged and began to cultivate according to the method recorded in the manual.

Time flew by, and suddenly Bei Mingzi accepted a disciple from among the elders of the Heavenly Sect.

Although this matter attracted the attention of the higher-ups of the Celestial and Human Sects, it soon passed.

After all, apart from Bei Mingzi's residence, Leng Feibai always stayed in his own courtyard to hone his martial arts skills.

Bei Mingzi also felt the pain of the teacher who taught Leng Feibai back then.

Bei Mingzi felt as if he were facing a highly absorbent cloth, which seemed to want to squeeze all his knowledge out of Leng Feibai.

If it weren't for the fact that Wan Chuan Qiu Shui's cultivation method emphasizes gradual progress, Bei Ming Zi would have doubted whether he could teach Leng Fei Bai for three months.

A month later, on a huge rock in the back mountain of Tianzong, Leng Feibai sat cross-legged, eyes closed and mind focused.

A powerful aura surrounded him, instantly covering the surrounding area for dozens of feet.

"ah"

Leng Feibai let out a low roar, and the true energy he released instantly stirred the air, turning into hundreds of vortexes that surrounded him, stirring up a cloud of flying sand and stones.

"Scattered"

As soon as the words were spoken, the vortex dissipated.

Leng Feibai opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "I didn't expect that the combination of Autumn Waters of Ten Thousand Rivers and the Illusory Wave Palm could produce such an effect even with only 30% of its power. I can try it out later and see if I can use it..."

Before he could finish speaking, Bei Mingzi's aura appeared in Leng Feibai's perception.

Leng Feibai quickly jumped off the rock and bowed to Bei Mingzi.

Upon seeing this, Bei Mingzi's lips twitched slightly. He stepped forward and said, feigning composure, "Not bad. You've managed to cultivate the Autumn Water of Ten Thousand Rivers to this level. You're very good."

"Thank you for the praise, Master!"

Leng Feibai feigned distress and said, "I just don't know what's going on, the range of Wan Chuan Qiu Shui's true energy release can no longer be increased."

Bei Mingzi almost vomited blood after hearing this. Wasn't this nonsense? Ordinary disciples of the Heavenly Sect could be considered top-tier experts if they could release their true energy within a three-foot radius when using the Autumn Waters of Ten Thousand Rivers technique.

You've already raised it to a range of tens of feet, and you still think it's not enough?
"Your 'Ten Thousand Rivers Autumn Water' technique has reached its peak, so its range naturally cannot be increased."

Bei Mingzi feigned composure and said, "From now on, you can practice 'Heart Like Still Water.' This method is the opposite of 'Ten Thousand Rivers Autumn Water,' focusing on restraint. If you can combine it with 'Ten Thousand Rivers Autumn Water,' you can cultivate the strongest mental technique of my Heavenly Sect, 'Harmony with the World.'"

Upon hearing this, Leng Feibai's face lit up with joy, and he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Bei Mingzi.

Seeing this, Bei Mingzi didn't say anything more. He took out the bamboo slip with the inscription "Heart as Still as Water" from his bosom and tossed it to Leng Feibai.

(End of this chapter)