Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

The heavy blade has a glossy sheen, as if it has been treated with a special technique. Although the blade is not sharpened, it is a suitable weapon for practice.

It can't be used to chop people, but it can be used to hit people with a stick, or perhaps as a baseball bat.

Zhuang Xing took off the sword tassel and tied it to the hole left on the hilt of the sword.

Yunling was also very happy to hold the sword. She happily came to Zhuang Xing's side and danced around a few times.

“Although it’s just a practice sword, you should still cherish it,” said Master Linghui. “If you accidentally lose the wooden sword, the masters on the mountain will punish you by not letting you eat and making you copy scriptures.”

"Attire must also be appropriate. Only training clothes are allowed on the mountain; no other clothing is permitted."

"Zhuang Xing, come here for a moment." Master Linghui beckoned to Zhuang Xing.

“Okay.” Zhuang Xing nodded and came to the side of Daoist Linghui.

Master Linghui demonstrated the proper way and standard of clothing by setting an example through solemn conduct.

"When you go up the mountain tomorrow morning, you must dress and wear your hats according to this standard, understand?"

"Understood," the disciples of Bai Sui replied in unison.

The children who didn't become disciples watched enviously from the sidelines.

"Before you go up the mountain, you need to take a bath and wash up. The hot water is already boiled, so please go quickly," said Master Linghui.

Zhuang Xing couldn't wait to grab his clothes and go to the bathhouse to take a bath.

When he came out again, he had already changed into the training clothes that Master Linghui had taught him.

He filled a bowl with water, placed it on the table, and before it got dark, used the water as a mirror. Holding his sword, he looked at his own heroic figure and felt that he had the air of a sword immortal.

Indeed, as the saying goes, "Buddha is made of gold, and people are made of clothes." Changing your clothes makes you feel completely different.

After a while, Yunling also finished bathing and came out. She had already changed her clothes.

She had a towel draped over her shoulder, and her wet hair fell onto the towel.

She looked at Zhuang Xing shyly and asked how it looked.

"It fits perfectly!" Zhuang Xing gave a thumbs up.

He asked Yunling to come to his side and pose for him.

Their faces were reflected in the water in the bowl; they were just two children who still looked very young.

Chapter 62 I Like It Too

"Let's go out and take a look." Zhuang Xing took Yunling's hand. "I'll go ask Master Linghui if we can go to town for a stroll."

After lying on the bed all afternoon, his butt had recovered and he didn't want to stay in the room anymore.

For the past twelve days, I've been sitting in the car in a daze. Although I wasn't very tired, it was really exhausting.

Anyone who has ever ridden in a carriage can understand that feeling. Even sitting in an air-conditioned carriage on a soft cushioned seat for several hours can feel very uncomfortable, with a stuffy feeling in your chest. Not to mention those horse-drawn carriages that have absolutely no shock absorption equipment.

Zhuang Xing was really itching to go out. He had been wanting to find a place to run around as much as he could for a long time, but he didn't dare to stray too far from the Taoist priests in the wilderness. Now that he had the chance, he naturally wanted to go out and have some fun.

Yunling always listened to Zhuang Xing; whatever Zhuang Xing said, she would do.

So Zhuang Xing found Master Linghui and explained his purpose.

"You want to get out?"

Master Linghui put down his brush and looked at the sky outside.

At this moment, the distant clouds turned red, and the sun was about to set.

Master Linghui looked at Zhuang Xing for a while, then stood up and said, "You two wait here for me for a while."

"Understood," Zhuang Xing replied.

Master Linghui did not refuse directly, which seemed to indicate that there was a chance. Zhuang Xing thought that perhaps he was going to report to Master Qingxu. Unexpectedly, when Master Linghui came a while later, he had a string of coins in his hand.

“Come with me, I’ll take you out,” said Master Linghui.

Having grown accustomed to a carefree lifestyle at home, Zhuang Xing almost forgot that he and Yunling were just two children. How could children go out without an adult watching them?

"Thank you for your trouble, Taoist priest."

Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling followed closely behind Master Ling Hui.

"Once you become Qing Sui disciples, you'll eventually come down the mountain. It'll be good to show you around beforehand."

Master Linghui led the way, but he didn't introduce the origins or interesting stories of the town. He simply led the two through the streets and alleys until they arrived at a fragrant little street.

This is a food street, and it's lunchtime. Many Taoist priests are eating at the roadside stalls.

Zhuang Xing had already noticed from the fat Taoist priest that the people of Xuanqing Temple seemed to pay great attention to their diet. After all, for cultivators, without sufficient nutrition, they could not make further progress in their cultivation.

True Qi essentially represents a person's vitality; if one is hungry, True Qi will not even recover.

Now that Zhuang Xing has come to this snack street, he realizes that Xuanqing Temple may be a gathering place for delicious food.

Master Linghui led Zhuang Xing to a shop, a small eatery that served steamed food. The shop was not large, but the steamers were stacked very high.

"Are there any more jujube cakes?" Master Linghui asked.

"Yes, how many do you want, Taoist priest?" the shopkeeper asked.

"Please pack three." Master Linghui counted out six coins and handed them over.

Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling were given two jujube cakes, which were glutinous rice desserts with red jujube filling sticking out, like a white flower with its stamens blooming.

The Taoist priest took one and started eating it himself. Zhuang Xing smelled the sweet aroma, took a bite, and found it to be refreshingly sweet without being cloying, and soft and chewy.

The Taoist priest then took the two to several shops and bought some fried dried fish and candied fruit. He seemed to know a lot about this, and the snacks sold in each shop tasted very good.

Master Linghui was also a foodie. He not only bought some for Zhuang Xing and Yunling, but also enjoyed them himself. He seemed to be planning to bring some back for the other children to try as well. As he walked, he carried several oil paper bags in his hands.

As Zhuang Xing walked along the road, he suddenly saw an acquaintance ahead of him.

It was Master Qingxuzi, an old Taoist priest, standing in front of a shop specializing in maltose and candied fruit.

Earlier, the old Taoist priest had already given out all the candy he had. Now, Zhuang Xing saw him holding the empty bag, as if he were buying new goods, and scooping up the candy with his hands.

"Uncle-Master Qingxuzi." Daoist Linghui bowed slightly.

“It’s Linghui.” The old Taoist priest chuckled. “Oh, and there are two little gluttons here too.”

The old Taoist priest smiled and took two more pieces of maltose, placing them in the hands of the two men.

"Why does the Taoist priest give out candy to everyone he meets?" Zhuang Xing asked.

"Because sugar tastes good," the old Taoist priest said. "Don't you like it?"

"like."

"I like it too."

The old Taoist tied the bag around his waist and counted the money to pay the shopkeeper.

He seemed to have other matters to attend to, and after giving Linghui a few instructions, he went off to other places.

On the way back to the inn, Master Linghui suddenly spoke.

“In the past, there were no candies sold in the town at the foot of the mountain. When I was cultivating on the mountain, I had to go to a place far away from Qingxuan Mountain to buy candies. So every time my uncle went on a long trip, he would bring us some maltose back. He himself was reluctant to eat it.”

"Was this town very small before?" Zhuang Xing asked, looking up.

"It can't even be called a town. A dozen years ago, this place was just a small place to stay, a stable built to tether horses," said Master Linghui. "It's only in recent years, with more interaction with the government, that this place has become lively."

"I see."

Zhuang Xing looked at the piece of maltose in his hand, peeled off the thin paper, and put it in his mouth.

Although I ate a lot of snacks and my stomach was a little bloated, the candy was still as sweet as ever.

Humans are indeed sweet-toothed creatures; he loves to eat sugar.

If he has the chance, he should bring a piece of candy for Daoist Qingxuzi.

...

By the time we got back to the inn, it was already quite dark.

Master Linghui went to each room to distribute the food that had been bought.

After eating and drinking his fill, Zhuang Xing lay on the bamboo bed and slept soundly through the night.

The next morning, as dawn broke, he got up, washed, changed into new clothes, and went to the gate to assemble.

Master Qingxuzi led the group and bowed to the mountain gate.

The box containing the giant clam demon was being carried by several Taoist priests. It seemed that the priests were also transporting goods along the way, as they were carrying many large boxes.

It was a bright, sunny day, and the morning light bathed the bluestone steps in a golden glow. They climbed upwards as if on a pilgrimage.

Zhuang Xing carried his box, and although he was burdened, he did not slow down. However, some of the thin children were panting after climbing for a while.

The group did not stop for them, but the Taoist priests called out to the children who were too tired and carried their bags for them.

The autumn wind is bleak, and the many maple trees on the mountain have turned red, their petals falling one by one in the wind.

The steps ahead suddenly became steep. It was almost noon, and even Zhuang Xing was sweating.

I'm not too tired, but I feel a bit hot.

But a child next to Zhuang Xing was panting heavily, drenched in sweat. He seemed unable to hold on any longer and suddenly collapsed to the side.

Zhuang Xing reacted quickly, grabbing the box with one hand and pulling him back.

"Are you alright? Do you need me to help you up?"

He shook his head, dragging his thin body, and despite his trembling legs, he continued to walk uphill step by step.

Fearing that he might suddenly faint and fall onto the rocks, Zhuang Xing quickly followed behind him.

Although he walked very slowly, he still managed to cross this difficult and steep path all by himself.

Then, after stepping over the steepest section of steps, the sunlight suddenly shone on Zhuang Xing's face.

It was the time when the sunlight was at its most dazzling. After a few seconds of adjustment, he found himself on a flat cliff. He couldn't help but look up at the two magnificent stone pillars standing in front of him, with a stone tablet between them.

The stone tablet is engraved with three ancient characters, the strokes sharp and conveying a sense of righteousness.

Despite the passage of time, one can still sense a certain atmosphere through that stone tablet.