First achieve immortality, then cultivate immortality.

Madam Lin stayed in the room to take care of her son, while Master Lin respectfully led Xu Mu out to entertain them.

Miss Lin, accompanied by her maid, followed, asking with the curiosity of a child, "Taoist priest, how are these spirits born? Do they really appear out of thin air?"

Xu Mu smiled and said, "This spirit is formed by gathering spiritual energy. This spiritual energy is very complex, and one aspect of it is human imagination."

"Human imagination?" The master and servant, along with Master Lin, stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Are spirits and monsters just figments of human imagination?

"That's not entirely accurate either. Many people believe that there are young and beautiful fairies in the mountains who suck the life essence of men. Gradually, these 'spirits' gathered together and truly transformed into such a fairy."

What Xu Mu said was not the original content of the book, but rather, after understanding the essence of incense, he also understood the essence of these spirits, which is why he was able to make such a simple explanation.

The will and imagination of all beings can influence spirituality.

The young lady and her maid nodded as if they understood, then became even more eager to pester him to tell them more ghost stories.

"Don't be rude!" Master Lin scolded sternly.

The two girls then obediently quieted down.

Xu Mu smiled and went with Master Lin to have tea and exchange pleasantries. It was time to talk about the payment.

When Master Lin learned that he would be staying in Wuzhou, he invited him to stay at his residence.

A grand mansion like the Lin family mansion would always employ a few scholars and literati to display their talents when Master Lin needed to write calligraphy or post notices. Xu Mu only needed to choose a courtyard to live in.

They have all three meals a day provided, and servants to wait on them.

Xu Mu had no objection to such a comfortable place, and decided to cultivate here for a period of time to learn those two techniques.

In addition, there will be a reward of one hundred taels, so I won't have to worry about food and drink from now on.

……

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Since curing Young Master Lin's sycophantic tendencies, Xu Mu has not seen Old Master Lin again. He has closed his doors to visitors and devoted himself to cultivation, so as not to make them think that he likes to curry favor with the powerful and wealthy.

After being refused several times, the Lin family indeed stopped bothering him so easily.

He was an honored guest; Master Lin could only request an audience, not summon him.

Others who heard that there was a master here wanted to see him, but that was out of the question. Even the scholar next door couldn't get an audience with him.

Miss Lin, however, would occasionally bring her maid and buy some delicious food to visit him and listen to his stories. She was very interested in the legends of gods and ghosts.

"The Taoist priest is a true practitioner, not greedy for fame or fortune," Miss Lin said with admiration.

"I feel like he's a bit greedy..." the maid whispered.

"Pah! You're talking nonsense. When has he ever been corrupt? He just needs money, he doesn't take more than his share."

Miss Lin glared at her, not allowing her to say anything bad about her.

The maid nodded repeatedly, then asked timidly, "Miss, you wouldn't happen to have taken a liking to him, would you?"

Upon hearing this, Miss Lin blushed slightly and gathered her hair: "What's wrong with that? It's not like Taoist priests can't get married..."

"But he seems focused on his spiritual practice, not the kind of person who would be swayed by romantic feelings. There's no chance at all," the maid sighed.

Miss Lin also sighed sadly and remained silent.

"Miss, don't fall in love with him like the young master," the maid said, half-reminding and half-teasing.

Miss Lin rolled her eyes at her and ignored her.

The maid, who was always busy, sighed and said, "In the blink of an eye, he has been here for half a year. He has managed to stay indoors all the time. His meals are only delivered to him, and no one else has ever seen him."

Miss Lin nodded gently, already able to sense that Xu Mu was different from ordinary people.

Was the feeling in her heart for Xu Mu as a person, or was it an admiration for the temperament he possessed? She herself couldn't figure it out.

"When he has no desires, no one can help him. It just so happens that he needed money that day, and we happened to have a connection with him, which is why he came here. We are lucky..." Miss Lin murmured.

"Oh dear, Miss, if you keep this up, I think you'll either fall ill with lovesickness or have to become a Taoist nun," the maid said helplessly.

"Becoming a Taoist priest? That reminds me. I wonder if he accepts disciples. How about I cultivate with him?"

Miss Lin suddenly stood up, her face full of excitement.

"Miss, are you serious...?" The maid was speechless.

"..." Miss Lin was immediately doused with cold water.

"Miss, you should stop thinking about him. There's no future for you two. Don't waste your time," the maid sincerely advised.

Miss Lin sat back down silently and didn't say anything more.

This was the girl's first unrequited love, and she experienced its pain and suffering...

The maid couldn't bear to see her like this, so after thinking for a moment, she said softly, "Miss, there's a temple fair next month. Perhaps we could invite him to go with us."

Miss Lin's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she nodded repeatedly.

But the maid looked troubled: "I don't know what the master and mistress think. Would they let you go to the temple fair alone with him?"

"It's alright, I'll go and talk to them."

At this moment, Miss Lin appeared unusually calm, having already made up her mind.

……

"Temple fair?" Xu Mu pondered carefully, thinking about the incense offerings of that sect.

"It's very lively, we...we can go for a stroll together." Miss Lin stared at him nervously.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Mu nodded: "Alright, it's been a long time since I've seen the liveliness of the mortal world."

Upon hearing this, the two girls in front of him looked puzzled.

He smiled and said, "Okay, let's go take a look."

Miss Lin immediately nodded happily, and said shyly, "Then... let's go together next month."

Xu Mu didn't think much of it and nodded in agreement.

He still had time, so he ate the pastries the young lady had brought him, drank tea, and told them stories.

With his experience, he could tell a captivating story from any one of them.

Finally, Miss Lin left with her maid, completely satisfied, eagerly anticipating the temple fair next month.

Xu Mu also wanted to join in the fun and take a fresh look at the incense offerings.

He had never thought about the relationship between immortals and cultivators before, but now he really needs to take a good look at it, as a way of preparing for his future.

Take the Sui Kingdom for example. They worship the cultivators of the Qinglan Sect, who are considered by the common people to be immortals of a celestial sect, similar to the Heavenly Court.

Xu Mu heard familiar Taoist titles from Miss Lin, such as Yanfu Lingjun, Cui Lingxin, and Yunfu Lingjun.

Those in the Nascent Soul stage are called True Lords. The Qinglan Sect has only one True Lord, named Chengyun True Lord, who is the current sect leader.

The Transformation Stage has two names: male immortals are called Divine Lords, and female immortals are called Primordial Lords.

Among them, Lord Fuyao, as the leader of the Qinglan Sect, naturally has a reputation in this area.

As for the Great Emperor and the Emperor, they should refer to the Void Refining Realm? Xu Mu had only heard of the Great Emperor Haoguang in the common people, but he had never heard anyone mention him in the sect.

In general, the worship of major deities is often widespread, but there are few temples dedicated to them, and they are not as active as minor deities.

Perhaps because incense offerings are a limited resource that needs to be allocated, the sect prioritizes allocating incense offerings to Core Formation stage cultivators.

Furthermore, if Core Formation stage cultivators are more proactive and frequently manifest their power, it's only natural that they would receive more offerings.

It's just unknown whether these divine positions are related to the magic they comprehend. For example, door gods, kitchen gods, gods of wealth, fire gods, water gods, earth gods, etc., all have corresponding spirit rulers or true rulers.

There are also many worshippers who are considered evil gods, such as the Goddess of Fertility, who are most likely followers of some rogue cultivator.

However, a cultivator's supernatural powers are not so great as to grant someone a child, so such incense offerings are hard to sustain and naturally remain a niche interest, subject to criticism and not considered respectable.

If Xu Mu can find a "track", perhaps he can also make some offerings.

However, he only thought about it, because it was too risky and would easily attract the attention of Core Formation stage cultivators, which was inconsistent with his principle of survival.

So for now, farming and scavenging are still the main activities.

At least he can walk freely in the mortal realm without fear of shortening his lifespan, which is an advantage for him, and he will have plenty of opportunities in the future.