Calabash Fairy

On the riverbank, atop the Drunken Smoke Pavilion.

A young man dressed in a white robe lay leisurely on his back, occasionally picking up the wine jug beside him and pouring it into his mouth.

"Wen Yu! Master ordered you to go to the Ten Thousand Mountains to find your destined one, but instead of hurrying off to the Ten Thousand Mountains, you've run off to the mortal world to enjoy yourself!"

"We're still far from the Ten Thousand Mountains. If that destined person is just an ordinary person, by the time you get there, their grave will probably be overgrown with weeds!"

The young man laughed heartily upon hearing this, and looked at the boy in blue robes beside him who was somewhat sulking.

"Feng Ling, that is a decree personally passed down by the Dao Ancestor. If that person is truly destined for our Daoist sect, we will eventually meet him no matter how fast or slow I travel."

"But right now, compared to that destined person, the misty rain wine of this Drunken Smoke Pavilion is more important."

"Feng Ling, you've been living on the mountain for so long, you probably don't know that many wonderful things in the mortal world are lost every so often. As for this Misty Rain Wine, the last time I tasted it was three hundred years ago, and now, the taste is still exactly the same as it was back then!"

"It's rare to find something that has been passed down for three hundred years without being lost. Feng Ling, why don't you try it?"

Feng Ling looked at Wen Yu with her blue eyes full of disdain.

What does fate or destiny matter? Thousands of years have passed, how could he not know the lazy nature of the guy in front of him?

The master would be in seclusion for at least a hundred years, so Wen Yu would always take advantage of this time to come down the mountain and enjoy life in the mortal world. Even now, having received the master's mission, he still wanted to enjoy his journey.

However, since I can't persuade this guy anyway, and I'll have to obey the master's orders, and everything after we go down the mountain will depend on this person, I might as well...

"Let me have a taste!"

Alright~

...........................................

Early March, Qingfeng Mountain.

At this time, the snow on the mountain is gradually melting, the hibernating black bears are waking up from their tree holes and starting to go out to forage for food, and other animals are also becoming active.

Fang Yan stood with his hands behind his back in front of the mountain god temple, his eyes lowered, his divine sense sinking into the earth's veins.

At this moment, within a radius of 500 li of Qingfeng Mountain, no movement could escape his notice, and with the power of the earth's veins, he could appear anywhere within that 500 li radius in an instant.

"It will take some time to reorganize these newly expanded ley lines, but once it is done, as the center of the territory, the entire Qingfeng Mountain will benefit."

Fang Yan withdrew his divine sense, took a few steps forward, and looked at the distant mountains and the place where he had planted plum blossom seeds.

Although the mountains are no longer as green as they used to be and look lifeless, he can still feel the immense vitality brewing under the earth even without using his divine sense.

Having lived in high-rise buildings all my life, where the seasons rushed by, I've never felt this way before...

"When spring comes, all things revive."

"Soon, my plum blossom seeds will sprout and grow very quickly."

A smile appeared on Fang Yan's face. Just as he was about to turn around and walk back to the mountain god temple, a spring breeze came towards him, gently blowing across his face, making Fang Yan feel a little dazed.

Spring breeze...life...

At this moment, in Fang Yan's perception, the boundless vitality of the earth seemed to hear a command and burst forth with the spring breeze.

This sudden feeling made Fang Yan forget himself and his thoughts for a moment, and he just quietly felt the spring breeze blowing across his face.

He himself transformed into a spring breeze, blowing across countless mountains and rivers...

Fang Yan had never experienced such a wonderful feeling. He freely blew across the earth, gently awakening the dormant life. He watched as new leaves sprouted from the trees and seeds germinated in the places he had touched...

By the time Fang Yan came to his senses, he had lost track of time, and the clear sky above had turned into a dark night with a glittering Milky Way hanging in the sky.

"That was..."

He slowly raised his hand, subconsciously circulating his spiritual energy, and a vibrant, verdant breeze instantly appeared in his hand.

As the confusion in Fang Yan's eyes gradually cleared, he looked at the vibrant wind in his hand and was surprised to find that he had somehow acquired a supernatural power called "Spring Returns to All Things".

Furthermore, his cultivation level has also greatly improved, and the spiritual power within his body is more abundant and pure than ever before, increasing by a full three hundred years! Now his cultivation level has surpassed that of Shu Yu.

Recalling his previous feelings, Fang Yan said softly:

"Spring returns, all things possess supernatural powers; eight hundred and eighty-five years of cultivation—could this be enlightenment...?"

Shu Yu had previously lamented to him that the Taoist priest had told him a story years ago.

Legend has it that a human received the inheritance of a painting immortal. He built a hut in the mountains and practiced painting for thirty years without any success. However, he refused to give up until his body grew old and his hair turned white. One day, he had an epiphany, saw the Great Dao, rode a black dragon, and ascended to heaven in broad daylight.

"In a moment of sudden enlightenment, one sees the Great Dao..."

Fang Yan gently sent the emerald green breeze in his hand forward, and the breeze, full of vitality, blew across the top of Qingfeng Mountain.

Wherever the wind passes, green grass grows, branches sprout, and even plum blossom seeds quickly break through the soil and grow into plum blossom saplings.

In just a short while, the area within a hundred feet around the mountain god temple was lush and green, completely different from its surroundings.

Fang Yan carefully contemplated all of this, his eyes growing ever brighter.

"So this is supernatural power... The essence of supernatural power is not spiritual power, but the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. The supernatural power of spring returning to all things contains the Great Dao of life!"

The first spring breeze of spring had just swept across Qingfeng Mountain, giving him a sudden enlightenment and allowing him to glimpse a trace of the profound mystery of the Great Way of Life, which led to the changes he has experienced today.

"The Great Dao of Heaven and Earth—this is something only a demon king of ten thousand years can comprehend and cultivate..."

Fang Yan smiled, turned around, and slowly walked towards the mountain god temple.

Although we have gained tremendous benefits this time, enlightenment is something that can only be encountered by chance. Opportunity, comprehension, and even that spark of inspiration are all indispensable.

In matters of spiritual practice, one must never rely on such illusory opportunities; one must be grounded and practical.

During this time, he also developed a strong interest in alchemy, spending his days engrossed in the art of pill refining.

....................................

A few days later, after a spring rain, the snow on the ground completely disappeared.

Yang Dongdong and Xu Hu's group trudged through the muddy soil to the front of the mountain god temple, where they stared in disbelief at the scene before them.

Yang Dongdong rubbed his eyes, looked at the lush greenery and blooming flowers before him, then at the still bare trees and muddy ground behind him, and couldn't help but murmur:

"The mountain god has appeared!"

A moment later, he came to his senses, glanced at Xu Hu and the murmuring crowd behind him, and deliberately spoke loudly:

"This is a good omen! The mountain god is telling us that this year will definitely be a smooth and bountiful one!"

The village of Hongmu has been relocated here and has just survived the winter; now they don't even have much arable land left.

Most of those who went up the mountain today were from Hongmu Village, to offer incense to the mountain god and pray for good fortune. Now is the time when they need encouragement.

Upon hearing this, the people of Redwood Village were all excited, and Xu Hu nodded gratefully to Yang Dongdong.