Mythology Returns! Starting with Folklore and Strange Tales

Chapter 110 Master and Disciple Meet Before the Hall of Three Pure Ones

That's... Master Yiming?

Although the age was different, and there weren't as many wrinkles and lines on his face, and he even looked a bit fiercer than Zhang Wei remembered, his features were indeed those of Daoist Yiming.

Back when they were in Zhuqianlin, the other party had said that he was already 120 years old.

Although Zhang Wei was not a history major, the materials that everyone in the venue had received beforehand contained detailed information about the Dingwu Famine, which served as the backdrop for the silhouettes.

The Dingwu Famine occurred in 1876-79, and the silhouette of Chizhen is eighty years later. Working backwards, Master Yiming should be around forty years old at this time, indeed appearing as a middle-aged man. However, the sight of the Taoist priest in front of him, with a slight smile and a scrutinizing gaze as if looking at an acquaintance, disrupted Zhang Wei's carefully organized thoughts...

Do not!

No!

Eighty years later, Master Yiming was still just below the threshold of ascending to immortality.

Even if he succeeds in ascending to immortality, due to external circumstances, it would only be the lowest level of immortality achieved through corpse liberation.

To put it bluntly, without the help of a patriarch, a mere eccentric immortal wouldn't have the ability to transcend time and return to their true self.

But if it wasn't Daoist Yiming, then there were many possibilities for this seemingly familiar Daoist. Thinking of the most likely explanation, Zhang Wei tentatively asked, "Master?"

He only uttered one word before he received a light flick on the forehead.

Then, the Taoist priest opposite him stopped arguing and laughed, "You little rascal, you're actually testing me!"

"I was just afraid that if something went wrong, I might encounter those bewitching demons!" Zhang Wei said, sidling up to the offering table. He picked up the kneeling etiquette he had recently learned from later generations, first bowing and offering incense to the Three Pure Ones above his head, before pulling over a prayer mat and huddling together with his prospective master, who was once again using the face of Daoist Master Yiming. "Didn't you say that I should cultivate slowly and build a foundation first, and then you would send someone to deliver the follow-up teachings to me after I had a solid foundation? Why did you come in person?"

In response to Zhang Wei's question, "Master Yiming" did not reply, but only glanced at him indifferently: "You have a mind of seven orifices, what demons and monsters could bewitch your mind?"

Zhang Weimeng looked up sharply: "You know that?"

Although Zhang Wei already knew from the moment the two divine tablets clashed in front of him that his ancestor and prospective master were silently watching him.

But the fact that he received a reward from the patriarch is something everyone here knows perfectly well, which is rather alarming.

But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense.

To prevent the corpse rats from harming people, he used the life-saving mark left by his prospective master.

In a sense, it could be considered as invoking a deity. Although the opening of the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart was obscured by the lightning and could not be seen by outsiders, how could the master of the sky full of lightning be shielded from the view like outsiders?

Looking at Zhang Wei, who had already filled in the blanks in his mind, "Master Yiming" chuckled.

Not only is he incredibly clever, but He knows every single one of the rewards He has received, every single one of which He has used.

Once the relationship is established, there's no solution by following the cause-and-effect logic.

Even if it weren't for the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart's overly obvious attempt to force growth this time, Chi wouldn't have been so angry and confronted the other party, and naturally, the subsequent events wouldn't have occurred. He also wouldn't have decided to send down a wisp of divine thought in advance, taking advantage of the opportunity of this silhouette appearing, to create this small temple on the banks of the Yellow River far from the Taihang Mountains, waiting for someone to walk into the trap.

Of course, there's no need to reveal these petty and underhanded matters to the younger generation.

Aside from causing more trouble and making young people restless, knowing too many secrets in advance does them no good at all.

"Since you're here, then stay here with peace of mind." Master Yiming waved his hand to interrupt Zhang Wei, who seemed to have a thousand questions he wanted to ask, and said, "I've managed to squeeze out a little time. It's not much, but I can teach you for a year or two in this world. How much you learn depends entirely on your abilities."

After that, before the Song and Yuan dynasties, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we would have no chance to meet again.

Of course, when you arrive at that time, I will send someone to fetch you to my temple, to inform the heavens above and the netherworld below, and to declare our master-disciple relationship.

As for now, I'll teach you skills but won't take you under my wing. Just use any respectful term you like to address me.

"..good!"

"Feel free to ask me any questions you have, but whether I answer them or provide an explanation is up to me, understand?"

Zhang Wei: "Understood!"

Seeing Zhang Wei get into the zone in just a few words, "Master Yiming" nodded in approval.

In terms of talent, Zhang Wei, who was born an ordinary person, was certainly no match for those born with divine potential who were blessed by the heavens and earth and imbued with the spirit of the sun and moon.

But such people, born into privilege and with an excessively high starting point, become a whirlpool of fortune, drawing in the fortune of heaven and earth wherever they go, turning it into a chaotic mess.

The initial stages of cultivation are fast, but there are also many unexpected setbacks.

Even if there are too many chosen ones in the same era, the fortunes of the nine heavens and ten earths will be stirred up by them, which will cause an immeasurable calamity, attracting the killing of heaven and earth. Immortals, gods, demons and monsters will all be involved, but in the end, whether they live or die depends entirely on their own abilities.

Reality is not a fictional story; no one can constantly teeter on the brink of death and still make it to the end safely.

Even someone as wicked as Nezha was spared from death only because his master secretly helped him many times and rescued him from various places. Even so, his body was born as a lotus root, which did not completely cut off his escape route, but the wood and fire elements between his body and soul caused him and his master a long time of trouble before they found a way to reconcile them.

Not to mention the famous Erlang Shen, with a master and an uncle, just his presence alone was enough to intimidate all disobedient people.

And wasn't that monkey, which was loved by later generations, also a person who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth?

However, her quirky and clever personality won the favor of Laozi and the Heavenly Emperor. She was also pampered by the Lord of Mount Ling and two of the Four Great Bodhisattvas, who either did her a favor or went to great lengths for her. But even so, she was neither his biological master nor related by blood. Although she was protected, she suffered a lot of hardship and injustice along the way.

Even these three individuals, whose talents were unparalleled and who had the support of their elders, could not escape hardship.

There's no need to elaborate on the other carp that crossed the river.

Only a few achieve great things through hard work; most rise to prominence by taking advantage of opportunities, becoming temporary heroes, but eventually they all turn to dust.

In contrast, ordinary people have a lower starting point, but they are also naturally immune to those petty schemes and plots. As long as they have a good character and compatible temperament, what's wrong with taking them under one's wing and working for them?

Moreover, the tide has turned, and the entire world is in chaos.

Whether they were celestial deities, terrestrial spirits, or even those cunning schemers of the Six Heavens, defeated soldiers, or dead generals, all were caught up in this game.

The relationship between the chess player and the chess pieces is constantly changing.

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