Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

Zhuang Xing opened his mouth slightly, as if to say something, but in the end he just turned around, hugged his mother, and nodded.

"Ah."

The father sighed and patted the mother on the back.

“Very good, very good.” Master Qingxu nodded. “Lingwei, go and get the money.”

"Yes." Master Lingwei cupped his hands in greeting.

Master Qingxuzi then opened another exquisite sandalwood box, took out three white tassel sword tassels, and tied them to the sleeves of Dachun, Yunling, and Zhuangxing in the order of their entry into the sect.

"From this day forward, you are Bai Sui disciples of my Xuanqing Temple."

May my Taoist sect prosper.

Chapter 56 Midnight Rain on the Wutong Leaves

“We will stay in the village for another day and set off the day after tomorrow morning,” said Master Qingxuzi. “You should go home first to pack your bags. You must gather here at sunrise the day after tomorrow at the latest, or you can come earlier and spend the night in this house.”

"Now that you've entered the temple as a disciple, you're family. If there's anything you don't understand or want to know, you can come and ask me and the other senior disciples."

Zhuang Xing agreed, and they first took Yunling back to visit Yunling's second uncle.

In the fields outside the village, they saw the hunched-over man and woman.

The man was harvesting crops in front of him. He bent down, grabbed the stalks of millet, and cut off the golden ears.

The woman stood behind him, carrying a bamboo basket and filling it with millet ears.

In the vast field, only the two of them were busy. Their old clothes were covered with grass clippings, their dark skin was sweating, and their lips were chapped from dehydration, but their movements of cutting grass and harvesting ears of grass were full of strength.

When they saw Zhuang Xing's family arrive with Yunling, they paused for a moment, wiped their hands on their already dirty clothes, put down their baskets and sickles, and came over.

Yunling walked over alone, flashing the white sword tassel on her sleeve. She said that the abbots had taken her in as a disciple, so there was no need to pay them to send her up the mountain.

She returned all the money her aunt and uncle had spent on her.

As for the twenty strings of cash that would be given to her family as compensation, she said she would take her second uncle and aunt to the Taoist priest to receive it later.

The two were speechless for a moment. That was twenty strings of cash, more than they could save up in ten years of frugal living.

Normally, being accepted as a disciple by Taoist priests would only earn one five strings of cash. They couldn't believe it, and it was only after Zhuang Xing's parents testified that they were convinced.

Yunling said she would go back with her second uncle and aunts later, so Zhuang Xing and his parents left her there and went home.

After returning home, his parents took Zhuang Xing inside the house to pack his things.

They took out a wooden box that was neither too big nor too small and packed a lot of things into it, including a change of clothes and bowls and chopsticks for eating. They originally wanted to put the twenty strings of cash in as well, but one string of cash weighed six jin, and the small box simply couldn't fit them all. They were also worried that Zhuang Xing wouldn't be able to carry it, so they only put two strings of cash in it.

Mother took out a silver bracelet from a hidden compartment in the cupboard and placed it in Zhuang Xing's palm. She said that there was a place to pawn property in the Taoist temple. Although the Taoist priest said that the temple would cover the disciples' food, clothing and other expenses, if you needed money there, you could pawn this bracelet.

Then, his father began to teach Zhuangxing the principles of being a good person. He said that outsiders might not treat you as well as your mother and father, so don't easily trust others, and especially don't show your wealth to others.

Remember to do more and talk less. If you are bullied, you can go to Master Qingxuzi. Father said that Master Qingxuzi is a good person and you can ask him to stand up for you.

Both of them gave Zhuang Xing earnest advice, as they had so much to say but couldn't finish.

After giving her instructions, Mother asked Father to go out and buy a chicken.

The father picked out an old hen and explained to his son how to bleed it, fearing that his son might need to use it someday.

Mother stewed the chicken with red dates and goji berries for a long time. Zhuang Xing sat in his mother's lap, and the crackling sound of firewood popping in his ears from time to time.

He suddenly remembered that rainy day, when the rain was pouring down and his mother was holding him in front of the stove, just like she was now.

At night, his mother called Zhuang Xing to bed. Although the bed was a bit crowded with three people, Zhuang Xing slept soundly.

He hadn't slept in his mother's arms for a long time. When his mother patted his back, he naturally relaxed and fell asleep peacefully.

The next afternoon, Yunling found Zhuang Xing.

The two arrived at the secret base by the waterwheel; they had come to say goodbye to the white rat.

Perhaps it was the arrival of the Taoist priests that frightened the white rat, which kept its whereabouts hidden and disappeared.

It's a bit of a shame, but that's all we can do.

I hope we can meet again someday.

On the day they left, before dawn, the mother and father brought Zhuang Xing to the village chief's house.

The Taoist priests had prepared carriages and horses, which were covered with straw, and many children sat on them.

After countless reminders and instructions, the time for parting finally arrived.

Zhuang Xing carried the wooden box that his parents and he had packed together and got into the carriage.

Yunling, with her waist pouch wrapped around her waist, sat down next to Zhuang Xing.

“Now that we’ve all arrived, let’s set off,” said Master Qingxuzi.

The Taoist priest driving the horse nodded, patted the horse's neck, and the horses started moving on their own.

"Father, Mother, I'm leaving!" Zhuang Xing waved his hand forcefully.

The children in the village were all saying goodbye to their families.

The adults stood at the village entrance waving goodbye, some of them sentimental, unable to stop their tears from flowing.

But Zhuang Xing's mother and father did not shed tears; they simply stood together and waved to Zhuang Xing.

The figures of my parents receded into the distance, becoming tiny black dots.

Zhuang Xing sat in the carriage, gazing in the direction of the village, looking at the fields, the river, and the mountains that would never change from the village entrance.

He had seen these landscapes countless times, but the thought of not being able to see these familiar sights for a long time made him feel incredibly sad.

He looked up at the sky, and cold raindrops landed on the tip of his nose.

It's raining; the gray sky is sprinkling raindrops onto the earth.

The Taoist priests stopped the carriage, took out a rain tarpaulin from a box, and covered the carriage like a tent.

Raindrops dripped onto the tarpaulin, making a pattering sound.

Zhuang Xing was worried that his mother and father hadn't brought umbrellas, so he climbed to the back of the carriage and looked out.

Suddenly, he realized that he could no longer find his mother and father.

Those two people he saw every day have now disappeared from his sight.

Only then did he truly realize that he was really gone...

...

-

Inside the village, Zhu He and Zhuang Liangqing returned to their house.

It was still raining outside, and the sky was gloomy. They lit an oil lamp and went to Zhuang Xing's bedroom.

Before they could tidy up the bedding, the two of them folded it up and put it in the closet.

Hanging in the closet are tiny clothes, the open-crotch pants my son wore when he couldn't walk yet.

Zhu He looked at it for a while, then took the garment off.

“Husband, not long ago, Zhuang’er was only this big.”

They arrived at the crib with the railing removed, where small shoes, a rocking horse, and a spinning top were piled up.

They took the items one by one, reminiscing about the time when their son was learning to walk, as if it were just yesterday.

As she spoke, Zhu He was unable to utter another word.

Two lines of clear tears streamed down her cheeks as she leaned against her husband's chest, sobbing softly.

The sound of rain pattering outside could be heard, but the child's loud cries for her mother could no longer be heard inside the house.

The midnight rain falls on the paulownia leaves, each drop a sound of parting.

The cries could not drown out the sound of the rain.

Chapter 57 Can Taoist Priests Get Married? (Please Read Further)

Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling sat together, the damp smell of rain mixed with the smell of soil wafting into their noses. Although the carriage had an arched canopy, there were no windproof barriers at the front or back, and the cold autumn wind blew in through the two holes.

It was early morning, and with a light drizzle falling, it naturally felt chilly.

The children, dressed in thin clothes, huddled together, hugging their legs and burying themselves in the straw.

Some simply lay down and curled up to sleep. No wonder the Taoist priests spread so much straw on the carriage; it was for them to cover themselves. With a few quick movements, only their little heads were sticking out.

However, Zhuang Xing felt fine. He had already cultivated true qi and his blood and qi were vigorous. Moreover, his parents had specially added clothes for him before he went out, so he only felt a slight chill.

However, as soon as the cold wind blew, Yunling leaned closer.

"Are you cold?" Zhuang Xing asked.

“A little.” Yunling nodded.

"Then come a little closer to me," Zhuang Xing said.

Yunling moved closer to him, and Zhuang Xing casually took her hand in his. Their sleeves became tubes, connecting with each other like bamboo joints.

Zhuang Xing held Yunling's small hand: "This way, the cold wind won't get in."

"Mmm." Yunling hummed softly, resting her head on his shoulder. As the carriage swayed, her soft hair gently brushed against Zhuang Xing's face.

"Why don't you take a nap first?" Zhuang Xing said. "I'll call you if anything happens."

"I can't sleep," Yunling said.

"Are you homesick?" Zhuang Xing asked.

“I originally intended to leave those twenty strings of cash for my second uncle and aunt to use themselves, but yesterday they said they wanted to save that money for my future dowry.”

Yunling was silent for a while, then suddenly turned her head to look into Zhuang Xing's eyes.

"Zhuang Xing, are Taoist priestesses allowed to marry?"

"It seems like it can work," Zhuang Xing said.

"I see..." Yunling squeezed Zhuang Xing's hand tighter.