This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

"You're awake? How are you feeling?"

Gu Jiantang turned around and saw that Li Daoxuan had already woken up and was standing behind him, looking at him with a gentle smile.

After a moment of contemplation, Gu Jiantang slowly knelt down and kowtowed, saying:

"Disciple Gu Jiantang greets his revered master..."

Li Daoxuan smiled and nodded, then reached out to help him up.

"Now that you have become my disciple, you should know the path that my lineage follows."

Li Daoxuan introduced the Taoist path of cultivation, the rules of conduct, and the other members of the sect.

Gu Jiantang then realized that Li Daoxuan was not practicing martial arts, but rather Taoist arts.

But he still had no idea what the Daoist teachings were.

Li Daoxuan was not in a hurry to teach him Taoist arts. Instead, he took out a book called "Five Thousand Words" and handed it to him, asking him to memorize it first and then slowly understand it.

And so, Li Daoxuan and Gu Jiantang stayed in this valley for a month.

For the past month, Li Daoxuan has not taught him any cultivation methods, but only instructed him to study Taoist scriptures and meditate to enter a state of tranquility.

Of course, Li Daoxuan didn't mistreat the big tiger either.

Every time Li Daoxuan explained the Taoist scriptures to Gu Jiantang, he would have the big tiger listen in.

Whether it could understand or not, under the influence of Li Daoxuan's Daoist aura, the tiger became more and more peaceful, and its aura became purer and purer, seemingly even showing some improvement.

One morning a month later, Gu Jiantang was still meditating.

Li Daoxuan summoned the large tiger, rubbed its head, and asked:

"Hey everyone, how about we move to a different place?"

The big tiger tilted its head, looking somewhat puzzled.

Li Daoxuan laughed and said:

"Thousands of miles away from here, there is a great swamp called Tianshui Swamp. In the middle of the swamp is an island called Qingming Island, which is my cultivation ground in the Xuanhuang Great World."

"If you are willing, then carry my disciple on this journey."

The tiger was quite intelligent; upon hearing Li Daoxuan's words, its eyes lit up, and it lay on the ground nodding repeatedly.

Li Daoxuan smiled and took out a jade talisman to put around its neck.

"When you go to Tianshui Marsh, Jing Shu and Xiao Jiu will understand when they see the jade talisman around your neck. Be good then, and get closer to Xiao Jiu. If Xiao Jiu is happy, she might enlighten you and help you get rid of your beast body so that you can cultivate the Great Dao with a human Dao embryo."

The tiger didn't know who Xiao Jiu was, nor did it understand what the human body's embryonic form and the Great Dao were.

But it knew that this was an opportunity that could change its fate.

It was just an ordinary large insect in the mountains, but it came to this valley by chance and devoured a few ancient medicinal herbs, which is why it gained sentience.

But for an ordinary mortal beast without the bloodline of a mythical beast, reaching this level is already the limit. If he hadn't developed intelligence and had remained in a daze, that would have been one thing.

But now that it has seen a higher and farther path, it is absolutely unwilling to continue living an ordinary life.

The tiger knelt down again and kowtowed repeatedly, trembling with excitement.

Li Daoxuan glanced at Gu Jiantang, who was meditating cross-legged not far away, walked up to him and left him a jade talisman. After taking one last look at Gu Jiantang and Da Laohu, a golden magic circle appeared under his feet, and his figure slowly disappeared.

Not long after Li Daoxuan left, Gu Jiantang seemed to sense something and withdrew from his meditation.

The moment he opened his eyes, a huge tiger's head was right in front of him, no more than a foot away.

Gu Jiantang was startled and instinctively leaned back, looking wary.

What are you doing?

Gu Jiantang questioned.

The big tiger shook its head, tilted its neck back, and showed Gu Jiantang the jade talisman that Li Daoxuan had personally hung for it.

Gu Jiantang glanced at the jade talisman around its neck and noticed that there was also a jade talisman in front of him.

He immediately realized that this was left behind by his master, Li Daoxuan.

Gu Jiantang hurriedly picked up the jade talisman and looked around.

"Master...Master..."

The sound echoed through the valley, but Li Daoxuan was nowhere to be seen.

The tiger walked up and rubbed against his body, then raised a paw and pointed to the exit of the valley.

Gu Jiantang understood and asked:

"Master is gone?"

The big tiger nodded.

Gu Jiantang looked somewhat disappointed, not expecting Li Daoxuan to leave without saying goodbye, leaving him alone in this valley.

Just then, the jade talisman in Gu Jiantang's hand suddenly emitted a golden light, and Li Daoxuan's voice floated out from the golden light.

"Three thousand miles to the southwest lies Tianshui Marsh, under the jurisdiction of the Southwest Branch of the Qingyun Sword Sect. It is our Daoist sect's cultivation ground. Let's go together."

The sound disappeared, the golden light vanished, and the jade talisman returned to its original state.

Gu Jiantang nodded silently, carefully put away the jade talisman, and looked at the large tiger beside him, saying:

"Hey guys, it's been thousands of miles, looks like we'll have to look out for each other."

The tiger let out a low growl and slowly lowered its body.

Gu Jiantang understood immediately, jumped onto the tiger's back, and laughed:

"You must be tired from the journey. Let's go..."

"roar..."

The tiger roared in the mountains and forests, startling all the beasts.

A man and a tiger, filled with longing, embarked on this journey of a thousand miles.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the Central Plains, Li Daoxuan returned to the starting point from which he had left last time.

Li Daoxuan appeared beneath a huge tree whose name he did not know.

The big tree was growing on the top of a low hill, and from there you could see a winding stream at the foot of the hill.

There are houses on both sides of the river, which should be a village.

The sun had just risen on the horizon, and its morning light shone down, casting orange rays onto the rising smoke.

The village chief awoke from a deep sleep, and things gradually became lively again.

Women began to arrive one after another along the riverbanks to wash clothes, chatting and laughing as they worked.

The occasional bursts of laughter brought a touch of life to the otherwise dreary winter.

Seeing this peaceful and serene scene, Li Daoxuan's gaze softened unconsciously.

The mind comprehends the great principles of heaven and earth, and the soul draws closer to the everyday life of humankind.

Those who cultivate the Tao are not without feelings or love, but rather they have great love for the world and all living beings.

At this moment, Li Daoxuan's already perfect state of mind began to undergo a transformation.

Within the dantian, the flawless inner core began to radiate multicolored light.

At the same time, subtle changes are taking place in this land.

Li Daoxuan's mental power spread out imperceptibly, affecting everything around him.

The large tree behind them, whose leaves had long since fallen, seemed to be rejuvenating in the dead of winter.

One by one, tender green buds sprouted from the treetops and then grew rapidly.

The withered yellow weeds on the ground turned green at a visible speed, and one by one, unknown wildflowers swayed and stretched out their buds, quietly blooming.

Wild animals from all directions surged over, even hibernating snakes emerged from their burrows and circled around Li Daoxuan, but dared not get too close.

Gradually, the scope of this influence and change has expanded.

It even spread directly to the village at the foot of the mountain.

The villagers were shocked to find that the plants and trees in the village seemed to have undergone some kind of strange change, and they all became full of life.

Not only that, but they themselves also felt the changes.

People who were originally suffering from illnesses recovered without medication.

Even those who are not sick feel healthier, younger, and more energetic.

Just when everyone was confused, a child suddenly pointed to a low hill in the distance and said:

"Look, it's glowing there."