Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 2 Immortal guides the way
You old rascal Ding, you actually schemed against an honest young man from your hometown!

Jiang Mingzhe cursed inwardly. At this moment, he was completely immersed in the scenario he had created, which was also a basic quality of a top salesperson.

"...I've gone!"

Jiang Mingzhe looked dejected: "Not only the places mentioned by the immortals, but also many other blessed lands have been visited by me. Although I have met many Taoists and monks, I have never seen a true god or immortal. I don't know if the gods and immortals all live in heaven, or if I am just not destined to become immortal. Therefore, I have vowed to go to Kunlun Mountain to take a look. It is said that Kunlun is the ancestral source of all mountains. If even Kunlun has no gods and immortals, then I will have to accept my fate."

Five thousand li to the east of Kunlun Mountain lies Xingxiu Sea, which is located just south of the eastern end of Kunlun Mountain.

At this point, Jiang Mingzhe's eyes lit up, his expression filled with a dreamy light: "When I arrived at Kunlun, I realized how vast this mountain is. I feared I would never be able to traverse it all in my lifetime, and I was quite disheartened. But then, one night I dreamt of an old immortal, whose body was bathed in golden light so bright that I couldn't look directly at him. He said that he was my ancestor who happened to pass by and gave me a few words of advice..."

He seemed to be trying hard to recall something, reciting each word carefully: "'Having made up my mind, why not, why not head south, upstream along the great river, to become an immortal, to become an immortal named after a star! May I live forever, ride the wind through the sky, and freely attain the Dao, attain the Dao of what again...'"

Ding Chunqiu's expression suddenly became excited. Seeing Jiang Mingzhe deep in thought, he was impatient, but he restrained himself from urging him. His eyes burned with desire, hoping that Jiang Mingzhe could remember "what to prove the Dao".

But the fact that Jiang Mingzhe could force out these few sentences already shows that he has done justice to his Chinese language teachers since he was a child.

Besides, apart from Ding Chunqiu being known as the Starry Sky Immortal and being from the Free and Unfettered Sect, he knew nothing else about him.

So he pretended to think for a moment, then shook his head in disappointment: "I really can't remember the rest."

"Oh dear! What an idiot!"

Ding Chunqiu was even more disappointed than him, and couldn't help but sigh deeply!
"Hehe!" Azi suddenly laughed: "Master is right, this person is really stupid, he can't even lie properly, there are no immortals in this world! Master, this person is probably a big fool, obsessed with finding immortals, and then he thinks about it during the day and dreams about it at night, and he takes the things in his dreams as real!"

Jiang Mingzhe was slightly surprised. Was Azi really that kind?
He's a smooth talker and can naturally tell the difference between what others are saying, good or bad.

Azi's words seemed to be exposing him, but in reality, she was afraid that his lies were too false and would provoke Ding Chunqiu to kill him in anger, so she intentionally tried to comfort him.

Unexpectedly, Ding Chunqiu glared at Azi: "What do you know at such a young age? These few words of his are not something an ordinary person could make up!"

Ding Chunqiu didn't believe in divine intervention in dreams, but Jiang Mingzhe's next few words seemed to explode like thunder in his ears!
He thought to himself: Why not go south? Because my Starry Sea is located south of Kunlun. If I go upstream, I will surely find it. The immortal is named after a star, which is exactly what I mean by the name Starry Sea Immortal.

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. It's not surprising that someone would make up a few words after hearing about my name and whereabouts. The key is these three phrases: "Eternal youth, riding the wind and soaring through the sky, and attaining enlightenment in a carefree manner."

It turns out that "Eternal Youth" and "Riding the Wind" correspond to the two unparalleled divine skills of the Xiaoyao Sect. The phrase "Xiaoyao Proving the Dao" not only reveals Ding Chunqiu's background but also subtly reflects the common aspirations of the Xiaoyao Sect disciples!

Ding Chunqiu was confident that only a handful of people in the world knew he came from the Xiaoyao Sect, unless this kid was sent by one of them, otherwise, otherwise...

Even with Ding Chunqiu's cultivation and composure, the thought of this "otherwise" made his heart pound wildly!
Ding Chunqiu was born into the Xiaoyao Sect. He had an affair with his uncle Li Qiushui, which was discovered by his master, Wuyazi, the leader of the Xiaoyao Sect. As a result, Li Qiushui joined forces with Ding Chunqiu to knock Wuyazi off a cliff.

Later, Li Qiushui got tired of Ding Chunqiu and left. Ding Chunqiu was tricked by his senior brother Su Xinghe into believing that the Xiaoyao Sect's divine skills were hidden in Xingxiu Sea. So he came here to establish his sect and took root in the desolate Xingxiu Sea.

Years have passed in the blink of an eye, and Ding Chunqiu has not found a single piece of the secret manual he dreamed of. He was already somewhat desperate and even vaguely realized that he might have been tricked.

But when a dream that someone has pursued for many years is shattered in one day, unless the facts are laid bare before their eyes, how many people can easily accept reality?

This is what is meant by "not giving up until reaching the Yellow River, not shedding tears until seeing the coffin."

Just then, Jiang Mingzhe's words, "Proving the Dao in a carefree manner," revived Ding Chunqiu's already dimmed and shattered dream.

Ding Chunqiu appeared calm, but in reality, he was extremely excited, to the point that the veins on his forehead bulged slightly.

Thoughts raced through her mind: Martial Aunt Li Qiushui would never use such tricks to deceive her; it would do her no good. As for Su Xinghe, he would rather never return to the Central Plains for the rest of his life, so how could he dare to provoke her?

Aside from these two, no one else in the world would know the impact of the four words "freedom and enlightenment" on him!
Unless... they are not from this world!

I couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that this kid really received guidance from a deity?
The immortals said I could attain enlightenment freely!

Doesn't "proving the Dao in a carefree manner" mean that I will eventually find the inheritance of this sect and attain immortality?
Seeing the man's constantly shifting expression, Jiang Mingzhe secretly reviewed his earlier words in his mind—

If I say that a deity will guide the way, will he not believe me? Their Xiaoyao Sect is, after all, a branch of Taoism. They have been influenced by it since childhood. Even if they don't believe, they can't completely rule out the possibility of the existence of deities. A thousand years from now, with advanced technology, there will still be countless people who believe in gods, let alone now.

Having figured this out, I felt quite certain: as long as Old Monster Ding believed even a little bit, I didn't believe he could resist the dream of "freely attaining enlightenment"!

"Hahahaha!" Ding Chunqiu suddenly laughed loudly, his voice so loud that it even caused ripples on the lake.

Caught off guard, Jiang Mingzhe felt a sharp pain as if his eardrums were being torn apart. He screamed and rolled on the ground, desperately grabbing a large clump of mud and stuffing it into his ears.

Azi also let out a soft cry, covered her ears with her hands, and quickly retreated. After all, she had some internal energy cultivation, although it was shallow, and she didn't suffer as much as Jiang Mingzhe.

She just subconsciously pouted, feeling a little reluctant: It's so rare to find a kind person to bully, and now he's going to be killed by Master?
She wanted to plead for this person, but she was worried that her master would be angry. She was hesitating when Ding Chunqiu's laughter suddenly stopped.

Azi was slightly taken aback, but immediately realized: Oh dear, Master is testing whether he knows martial arts!

Her guess was exactly what Ding Chunqiu was thinking.

Although Ding Chunqiu could tell that Jiang Mingzhe had no martial arts skills, especially since his hands and feet were not even calloused, he was always meticulous and still used his internal energy to test him with a laugh.

The result was very satisfactory; Jiang Mingzhe indeed had no skill whatsoever.

He thought to himself: This is it. If it weren't for divine protection, how could someone as weak as him have made it here safely? He should have been a ghost under the bandits' blades or meat in the pot of a shady inn long ago.

Even if there are truly immortals in this world, why would they specifically protect this person?
Ding Chunqiu pondered for a moment before asking, "Young man, what is your name? Is your ancestral home indeed in Qufu?"

Jiang Mingzhe lay curled up on the ground, unresponsive.

Ding Chunqiu chuckled and lightly clapped his hands, releasing a gentle force that dislodged the dirt from Jiang Mingzhe's ear.

He asked again, and Jiang Mingzhe finally heard him. He struggled to get up, feeling a wave of fear wash over him: "His laughter is probably comparable to an ultrasonic weapon. If he had laughed any longer, I would have been killed by the shockwave."

He didn't know why Ding Chunqiu was asking about his ancestral home again, and he felt secretly guilty, but he forced himself to remain calm and said, "I am Jiang Mingzhe, Jiang as in ginger and turmeric, and Mingzhe as in 'wise and prudent in protecting oneself.' As for my ancestral home, my father would not lie to me."

Ding Chunqiu's eyes flickered slightly, and he thought to himself, "That makes sense, I see."

Azi laughed and said, "The ginger in turmeric, isn't that just fresh ginger? Master, look at his face, it's covered in dirt and he's turned yellow from fright. Doesn't he look like a freshly dug ginger?"

Ding Chunqiu ignored him and said calmly, "Your surname Jiang originates from Shennong and is one of the eight ancient surnames. Emperor Yan was born by the Jiang River, so he took the river as his surname. His descendant Jiang Ziya was enfeoffed in Qi at the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, which is now the Shandong area. Your family has lived in Qufu for generations, so it makes sense. In that case, you can also be considered a descendant of Shennong... Heh, it's no wonder you met me."

Yes, yes, whatever you say!
Although Jiang Mingzhe didn't know the reason, he admired the other party's extensive knowledge.

Thinking that the Xiaoyao Sect's heritage was profound and extensive, encompassing music, chess, calligraphy, painting, medicine, divination, astrology, and even various crafts and miscellaneous studies, not just martial arts, Ding Chunqiu, though not as engrossed in miscellaneous studies as Su Xinghe, was still far more knowledgeable than ordinary martial artists. He started quoting classics as soon as he opened his mouth, convincing himself of his own knowledge.

He was unaware of the "reason" Ding Chunqiu mentioned. In fact, Ding Chunqiu was quite self-aware and believed that if it were truly some kind of deity leading people to seek immortality, how could it have led them to a place like his, a heretic and evil sect?
But if that old immortal is Shennong, or one of his lesser immortals, then that's a different story—

Ding Chunqiu possessed a priceless treasure, which he had always suspected was related to Shennong. Since Jiang Mingzhe was a descendant of Shennong, it just so happened that cause and effect were aligned.

Then he couldn't help but think a little deeper: Judging from this, this person's bloodline must be very pure. Otherwise, there are countless people with the surname Jiang in the world, so why is it that he alone has this opportunity? Is it because he wants to seek immortality?

An opportunity, an opportunity… Ding Chunqiu couldn’t help but smile: Perhaps this is also my own opportunity!
After much deliberation, he was already 60% convinced, and temporarily suppressed the remaining 40% of his doubts. After all, Jiang Mingzhe had never learned martial arts, and in Ding Chunqiu's mind, he was no more of a threat than an ant.

Ding Chunqiu's gaze finally softened.

Seeing the admiring look on Jiang Mingzhe's face, he nodded to himself.

This man called me a deity the moment he saw me. I thought he was just flattering me because he thought I was extraordinary. But now it seems that I really do have this destiny with the immortals!

Well, this child is a bit older, but he is very filial. If he achieves something in the future, he will surely be grateful to me...

Furthermore, our school's martial arts don't place too much emphasis on innate talent. This boy's appearance is far better than Zhaixingzi's; he should indeed join my school..."

Throughout history, all the disciples of Xiaoyao have been handsome men and beautiful women.

However, the Starry Sea is remote and desolate. If Ding Chunqiu were to accept disciples according to this standard, he would probably find only one in ten years. In such a vast area, who would help him find the secret manuals? Therefore, he had to give up the requirement of physical appearance.

Among the male disciples of the Starry Sky Sect, only Zhaixingzi is considered handsome, but his temperament is somewhat sinister, making it difficult for Ding Chunqiu to truly satisfy him.

After carefully examining Jiang Mingzhe's appearance, Ding Chunqiu was secretly pleased: "This young man has quite the charm of my youth!" He had sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, a straight nose, and a sharp jaw.
With a few light waves of his feather fan, Ding Chunqiu smiled slightly: "So be it. Since it was a deity who sent you here, it is your destiny. Hehe, I am Ding Chunqiu, also known as the Starry Sky Immortal, the founder of the Starry Sky Sect. Have you figured it out yet?"

“The Star Immortal…” Jiang Mingzhe read it aloud, then looked surprised: “Going upstream along the great river, the immortal is named after a star!”

"Hehehehe, hahahaha!"

Ding Chunqiu threw his head back and laughed, but this time his laughter contained no internal force whatsoever.

(End of this chapter)