Dongting Immortal Clan

Five days after Zhou Yan left, a young man arrived at Baiyukou.

The man appeared to be in his early twenties, dressed in a gray-white Taoist robe with a blue silk sash tied around his waist. He looked simple, yet he commanded respect.

Seeing a group of children and teenagers sitting under the large camphor tree, the young Taoist priest stepped forward, bowed with one hand, and asked with a smile:

"Is there a boy in the village surnamed Chen, named Xiaohu?"

"Who are you, and what do you want with Chen Xiaohu?"

Under the tree, a tall, dark-skinned boy spoke with a grin, seemingly unafraid of strangers.

"Of course there is something."

The young Taoist priest smiled and looked at another thin little girl.

Do you know where Chen Xiaohu lives? Tell me, and I'll give you this money.

As he spoke, he took out a green coin from his sleeve.

The girl's eyes lit up when she saw the copper coin, and she immediately nodded timidly.

"I know, his house is on the west side of the village, those three mud-walled houses."

"Good girl."

The young Taoist priest tossed the green coins to the girl and drifted away.

The girl had just received the copper coin when it was immediately snatched away by the boy who had been laughing earlier.

"Lan girl, what use are you to the money? Give it to me now!"

"Brother Tianhu, don't steal my money. This is from my older brother."

The girl was robbed of her copper coins and then pushed to the ground by the boy, and she immediately started crying.

The boy called Tian Hu tossed the copper coin in his hand and laughed:

"Now that we're rich, brothers, come with me to Zhoujia Village and have some fun."

With a wave of his hand, the other teenagers under the tree immediately followed suit with strange cries and headed north towards Zhoujia Village with him.

……

The young Taoist priest quickly arrived at the west side of the village and indeed saw three courtyards with earthen walls. He pondered to himself:

"This is the family that my uncle mentioned, the one that was passed down from our predecessor. It has fallen into utter ruin."

"However, all three sons in the family are capable of cultivation, so the Chen family bloodline is quite extraordinary."

He stood at the gate of the courtyard, wondering how to start the conversation, when the gate suddenly opened and a young man dressed in a tattered brown robe walked out.

The boy was tall and thin, with delicate features and bright, star-like eyes. After just one glance at him, the young Taoist felt as if he had been seen through.

"He has indeed developed spiritual consciousness. It seems that he is the young man that my master has taken a liking to."

Thinking of this, the young Taoist priest quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and smiled:

"Are you Chen Xiaohu, fellow Daoist?"

Chen Xiaohu was practicing his boxing in the courtyard when he suddenly sensed a faint blue light outside the courtyard. He knew that a cultivator was coming, so he immediately opened the door and saw a young man in a Taoist robe standing at the door.

The young man was fair-skinned and beardless, with delicate features. When he spoke, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, as if he were smiling, or as if he was born with that feature.

Chen Xiaohu dared not presume and quickly cupped his hands in response:

"I am Chen Xiaohu. May I ask who you are, senior brother?"

"A disciple of the outer sect of the Taixu Sect, surnamed Shen, named Congyun."

The young man took a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Chen Xiaohu.

"Uncle Zhou sent me to deliver a message, asking you to go to Yunmeng County within three days. A senior from the mountain has arrived, and he and that senior will be waiting for you at the Qingzhu Villa in the city. Don't miss the day."

Chen Xiaohu took the letter, opened it, and read it.

The letter contained only a few lines of text.

The gist of it is that the sect has already sent people to recruit new disciples, and since Chen Xiaohu has already decided to join the sect, he should come to pay a visit before returning to the inner sect.

The letter also included a map showing the location of Qingzhu Bieyuan in Yunmeng County.

"Uncle-Master Zhou said that you must not miss the appointed time, otherwise you will not be able to enter the inner sect," Shen Congyun added.

Chen Xiaohu carefully put the letter away and bowed to Shen Congyun.

"Thank you for making the trip, Senior Brother Shen. My home is simple, but if you don't mind, would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"

Shen Congyun smiled and waved his hand, saying:

"Thank you for your kind offer, but I don't have time for tea. I still need to visit a few other places by the lake."

"Oh?"

Chen Xiaohu asked curiously:

"Could it be that there are other people by the lake who have also caught Senior Zhou's eye?"

Shen Congyun shook his head, his tone tinged with disdain:

"They're just a few small, independent clans of cultivators."

"Some of their family members work for Uncle Zhou in the city. When they heard that a senior from the mountain had come, they all wanted to pay a visit and see if they could take their children back to the mountain to cultivate."

"But they don't even look at their own background. They're just peasants. What can they possibly achieve? They'll just be doing menial tasks for the rest of their lives if they go up the mountain."

"But I cannot compare to you. At such a young age, you have already shed your mortal body; your future is limitless!"

Shen Congyun's tone carried a hint of envy.

He possessed spiritual abilities and had been cultivating in the city since childhood.

His family had been working for the Taixu Sect for five generations. By his generation, the family was relatively well-off, and they could provide him with elixirs to aid his cultivation every now and then.

Even so, at over twenty years old, he had only reached the third realm of the Spirit Realm, the Jade Spring Realm.

The young man before them had already shed his wooden form, and it was only a matter of time before he opened the spiritual spring.

The difference between people is even greater than the difference between people and dogs!

"You flatter me, senior brother."

Chen Xiaohu assumed the other party was deliberately flattering him and shook his head with a smile.

Shen Congyun stopped exchanging pleasantries, retreated to the courtyard gate, clasped his hands in a salute, and then turned and left.

He moved very quickly, as if he knew some kind of lightness skill; in just a few breaths, his figure disappeared.

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After reading the letter, Chen Changhe remained silent for a while. His father, Chen Chuansheng, put down his pipe and said:

"Since the immortal master is almost here, let's set off for the city immediately."

"I'm not going."

Chen Changhe put down the letter and said to Chen Xiaohu:

"When you go to see the Immortal Master this time, let your father and elder brother accompany you. My godfather and I have some things to take care of."

"But is it about the land?"

Chen Xiaohu asked in a low voice, her voice filled with worry:

"Second Brother, your injuries have not yet fully healed, and you are not yet proficient in magic. If you rashly start a fight, it may be dangerous."

"I realized, isn't it because my godfather is here?"

Chen Changhe reached out to touch Chen Xiaohu's head, but suddenly paused.

Before he knew it, Chen Xiaohu had grown to be almost as tall as him.

It's been almost a year since we caught the small cauldron.

"Don't worry about going up the mountain. My older brother and I will take care of things at home. If you suffer any injustice..."

"Then write to me and tell me that your second brother will find a way to avenge you."

Upon hearing Chen Changhe's words, Chen Xiaohu's nose tingled, her eyes reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Chen Changhe hugged him tightly and whispered:

"Don't cry, don't cry. You're an adult now, and you must take good care of yourself while you're away from home..."

Chen Xiaohu could no longer hold back, and large tears streamed down her face.

Chen Chuansheng, who was standing to the side, also turned his head away and wiped away his tears with his palm.

In the afternoon, Chen Chuansheng invited Old Zhang to his home for a meal, and surprisingly, they were able to eat meat and vegetables.

Old Zhang and Chen Chuansheng drank a few bowls of yellow wine as a farewell to Xiao Hu'er.

After finishing his meal, Chen Xiaohu took some dry food and clothes with him, leaving all the things Zhou Yan had given him at home. He also told his second brother about Xiao Ding.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on this little cauldron, there won't be any problems. Once I develop spiritual consciousness, I'll study this Taiyin Method carefully."

Chen Changhe spoke with a smile.

Chen Xiaohu nodded and sighed deeply:

"Then let it be. Once I join the sect, I will try to investigate the origins of the small cauldron. Perhaps I will gain something from it."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Chen Chuansheng called out from the door to let them depart.

Chen Xiaohu responded, but couldn't move his legs no matter what.

Seeing this, Chen Changhe sighed, pulled him to the main room, and rummaged through the cabinet for three slightly damp purple incense sticks, saying with a melancholy tone:

"Let's offer incense to Mother before we set off..."