I changed the world.

Page 265

Now it was clear that not far from the ancient pine tree was a mountain wall, with jagged rocks. If there were any rock climbing enthusiasts present, they would definitely think this was a good climbing spot. What Guan Zeping noticed was a natural, semi-open cave in the mountain wall. This cave extended into the mountain wall for nearly a hundred meters and was several tens of meters wide, which made the light inside the cave quite bright.

The bottom of this semi-open cave is flat, forming a natural and spacious activity space similar to a threshing ground. Even on rainy days, rainwater cannot enter the cave.

As Guan Pingze and his group approached, they saw a wooden hut built inside the cave. The hut was constructed inside the cave, and one wall was even made directly from the cave's stone wall. The craftsmanship was very rudimentary, and it was clear that it was not built by professionals.

Outside the wooden house, Guan Pingze also noticed incense burning on the other side of the cave wall. From a distance, he could see a simple shrine carved into the wall, seemingly enshrining something, but he couldn't see the details clearly from that distance.

In addition, there are some everyday items hanging on the cave walls, such as raincoats, straw hats, winnowing baskets, and even some dried and strung-together corn, mushrooms, and medicinal herbs.

A boy with two topknots was sweeping the ground in front of the wooden house with a bamboo broom in both hands. He was very short, looking about seven or eight years old, and even shorter than the broom in his hands. He was wearing a rather worn-out robe that looked like it had been shortened, and his serious expression made him look like a little adult.

Guan Zeping and his group soon arrived at the cave entrance. After a brief look around, Guan Zeping put on a warm smile and walked towards the boy.

When the boy saw strangers arrive, he stopped what he was doing and looked at the group of people with some curiosity.

"May the Heavenly Venerable grant you boundless blessings! This junior brother greets you!" Guan Zeping bowed respectfully.

"May the Heavenly Venerable grant you boundless blessings! Greetings, fellow disciples!" The boy glanced at the Taoist robes worn by Guan Zeping and the others, then also bowed in a seemingly respectful manner.

"Where do you senior brothers come from?" Seemingly very curious about the group, the boy looked them up and down with his bright black eyes as he asked.

Seeing the boy's grown-up appearance, Guan Zeping found it amusing and wanted to reach out and pat his head. Of course, this was just a thought. Guan Zeping put on a friendly smile and said, "I am a disciple of the Celestial Master and come from the Celestial Master's Mansion."

As he spoke, Guan Zeping carefully observed the boy's expression. Based on his past experience, when facing other Xuanmen practitioners, as long as he revealed his identity as a disciple of the Celestial Master, he would always be treated with respect. This was due to the Celestial Master's Mansion's leading position in Xuanmen for over a thousand years.

However, the boy in front of him did not show much surprise upon hearing this. He simply nodded slightly and continued, "What brings you senior brothers here?"

Seeing the young boy's refined and scholarly demeanor, Guan Zeping couldn't help but marvel. He became even more certain that the boy must have been taught by a master. Otherwise, considering that the child was only seven or eight years old, and most children couldn't even speak coherently, how could he have such eloquence?

"We were passing through this place on our way up the mountain when we saw that it seemed to be inhabited by hermits. We have taken the liberty of coming to pay our respects. May I ask, junior brother, are your elders here?" Guan Zeping asked as he looked around, not seeing anyone else.

"My master and I live here, but he has gone out to gather herbs and has not yet returned," the boy replied earnestly.

Guan Zeping was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this, but also somewhat unwilling to give up, so he asked, "May I ask when your master will return?"

"I don't know, but my master usually goes deep into the mountains to gather herbs, sometimes for two or three days, sometimes for five or six days. It's really hard to say." The boy shook his head.

Upon hearing this, Guan Zeping felt even more disappointed, and for some reason, an ancient poem came to mind...

Matsushita asked the boy,

The herbalist went to gather herbs.

Only in this mountain,

The cloud is deep and unknown.

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“It’s getting late, and it’s not very safe in the mountains at night. It might be inconvenient to go down the mountain. If you senior brothers don’t mind, you can stay here for the night.” Just as Guan Pingze was struggling with his decision, the boy looked at the sky and spoke up again.

"In that case, I will trouble this junior brother for one night."

Upon hearing this, Guan Pingze immediately seized the opportunity, smiling as he gestured to his disciple. He then took out several gifts from the disciple's backpack—food, books, medicine, and even a beautifully crafted sandalwood rosary—all necessities for the hermit. These had been prepared beforehand; after all, one couldn't visit a hermit empty-handed…

The boy declined the gift for a while, then accepted it and prepared some food for the group. Guan Zeping noticed that the food was very simple, consisting mainly of cornmeal and potatoes, along with some simple vegetables, which were probably all grown by themselves.

Chapter 505 Seeking Immortals Part 8

While the boy prepared the meal, Guan Zeping took the opportunity to tour the cave. Apart from some tattered scriptures, there was nothing of note. He also visited the shrine on one side of the cave, which housed a crudely made statue of a Taoist priest. Judging from the patina, it was quite old, and the rough statue bore many marks of time, making it difficult for him to immediately identify which deity it represented.

As a sacred site of the Xuanmen sect, Danding Mountain is dotted with a large number of grottoes carved by hermits of previous generations, and similar statues are not uncommon.

In other places, he probably wouldn't have cared about such a crude statue, but this place was different. Guan Zeping felt a great deal of awe. After thinking for a moment, he asked his disciple to bring three sticks of sandalwood. He solemnly bowed three times and then inserted the three sticks of incense into the incense burner in front of the statue, whose original color was no longer discernible.

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As night fell, the group dined with the boy at a wooden table in the cave's open space. Dinner consisted of cornmeal with roasted potatoes and some boiled wild vegetables—a rather bland meal. Even as Taoist priests, those accustomed to the Celestial Master's Mansion's cuisine found this food quite unpalatable. However, to show respect to their host, Guan Zeping forced himself to finish all the food. He repeatedly tried to glean some information from the boy, but in the end, besides knowing the boy's name was "Fasheng," he didn't even know the name of his master.

“Master is indeed Master…” the boy said.

After all, he was just a child who looked only seven or eight years old, so it was normal for him to have limited knowledge. Guan Zeping didn't press him further.

As darkness fell, the temperature in the mountains began to drop. From time to time, rustling sounds could be heard outside the cave, as if some wild animals were passing by, and occasionally the calls of some unknown beasts.

The boy then invited them into the wooden hut to rest, and during this time he emphasized again: "Brothers, it is not safe in the mountains at night, so please remember not to wander around."

"Are there any wild animals around here?" Guan Zeping asked. In Guan Zeping's memory, there were indeed ferocious beasts in the Danding Mountains, but they were very rare and generally avoided human activity. As for wild beasts injuring people, it was not impossible, but it was indeed rare to hear of. Instead, being bitten by snakes and insects was more common.

The boy simply smiled and did not answer.

As a result, Guan Zeping and the others all had the illusion that they were being looked down upon by the child. Although they agreed verbally, they did not care too much in their hearts.

The cabin was very simple, with only two obviously hand-woven cushions, a bed, and a wooden table. The furniture was not exquisitely crafted and looked to be handmade.

There was no electricity in the room, so a dim oil lamp was lit for lighting, which was enough to make out the surrounding furnishings.

Because there weren't enough beds, Guan Zeping and the others had to sleep on the floor at night. The boy brought some straw and spread it in a corner of the room, then found an old bed sheet and carefully laid it on top of it.

Guan Zeping found a piece of calligraphy on one side wall of the wooden house. The handwriting was messy. After a while, Guan Zeping recognized that it should be the four characters "形神俱妙" (meaning "exquisite in form and spirit"). It was obviously an old work, as the paper was slightly yellowed.

There was a signature on one corner of the calligraphy, and a seal was affixed below the signature. Guan Zeping had no knowledge of epigraphy and naturally could not understand the seal script on the seal. He suddenly exclaimed loudly, "Beautiful calligraphy! I wonder who wrote it?"

"That was written by Master the year before last. He felt the room was missing a decoration, so he hung it up," the boy behind him, who was tidying up his bedding, said casually.

Upon hearing this, Guan Zeping had an idea and secretly took a picture of the signature with his phone.

Soon, the boy finished tidying up the bedding and then said to the group, "I'm sorry to trouble you senior brothers to rest here for the night."

When Guan Zeping saw that a disciple had seen such conditions, he secretly pursed his lips, glared at the disciple, and then turned to the boy with a smile and said, "It's not unfair, it's not unfair. These conditions are already very good. It's really troublesome for you, junior brother."

There was no electricity or nightlife in the deep mountains, so everyone went to bed early. To keep warm, they slept fully clothed. Guan Zeping, who was exhausted from climbing the mountain all day, fell asleep soon after lying down.

The mountain night was cool, and the bed was simple, so Guan Pingze didn't sleep very soundly, remaining in a semi-conscious state...

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In the distance, the faint sound of singing drifted up. Guan Zeping groggily got out of bed, followed the sound, and pushed open the door. Outside lay a quaint village, mostly single-story, old brick and tile houses. Guan Zeping vaguely remembered that he had stayed overnight in Huangjia Village. Without thinking much of it, he followed the sound…

Huangjia Village is small, and you don't have to walk far. After turning a corner, the sound ahead grows louder and louder. After turning past another tiled house, there is an ancient stage ahead. The stage is tall and must have taken a lot of effort to build back then, but now it looks somewhat dilapidated due to years of neglect.

Lanterns were hung on the wooden pillars on both sides of the stage, two strings of white lanterns swaying slightly in the night breeze, casting a dim yellow light. On the stage, someone was singing, drawing out the words in long, drawn-out breaths, the lyrics melodious and graceful. Many villagers gathered around the stage, listening quietly, with no one whispering among themselves.

Guan Zeping subconsciously walked over, stepped forward from the crowd, and found a spot not far from the stage to watch the performance. He could understand opera and could even sing a few lines in various accents, so he quickly recognized that the play being performed was a traditional drama called "The Celestial Master Subdues the Demon".

Then, the female lead on stage turned her back, wearing a red dress, her face obscured, and sang her lines...

The weather was fresh on the third day of the third month.

Incense is placed in the temple of the goddess.

A young woman came from the south.

She was only 18 years old...

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Slicked-back hair, styled into a cloud-like bun.

Her hair was jet black and tied with a red ribbon.

Face covered in fragrant powder,

She applied rouge to her face.

Two arched eyebrows, like willow leaves.

Her cherry-like mouth was only a tiny bit big.

Three-inch golden lotuses are narrow and thin.

Take a step, clatter...

………………

............"

The lyrics were gentle and melodious, echoing in the quiet night. Guan Zeping listened for a while and was about to clap his hands in approval when he vaguely felt something was wrong. He suddenly realized that the surroundings were unusually quiet, unlike the noisy scene of a typical village watching a play. He couldn't help but turn his head to look.

He soon discovered that the villagers who had surrounded the stage had disappeared, leaving him standing there alone.

Chapter 506 Seeking Immortals (Nine Chapters)

When he looked back at the stage, he found that the stage, which had been lit with lanterns, had suddenly gone dark. The female lead on stage was still singing, but the melody was becoming more and more ethereal, and there was a strange feeling about it. In the quiet night, it sounded like a summoning of spirits, which was eerie.

"The watchman's drum from the watchtower sounds mournful and hurried."

She entered the silken curtains, too lazy to undress, and pondered deeply.

A glimpse of moonlight through the gauze window.

The moon shines through the window.

On the window frame…

As the female lead sang, she suddenly turned around. For some reason, Guan Zeping felt that the female lead's face was not clear, so he subconsciously stepped forward to try to see it more clearly. At the same time, the female lead's tone became more and more mournful, and she walked towards Guan Zeping's location.

"……………………"

In the past, Ga got sick and longed to get better.