Please call me Huanxian

Chapter 452: Return to Dust
Xu Yuanchang, dressed as a wandering Taoist priest, carried an old yellow bamboo basket on his back, a cloth canopy in his right hand, and a black cat as his companion. He spent nine years traveling around the five continents and large islands in the Fangcun Mountain Area.

Only after listening to the wind eighty thousand times, I realized that this is the human world.

He is putting into practice step by step the teachings given to him by Taoist Master Yanshan.

When you don’t understand the meaning of many things, don’t think too much and start with a simple “walking”.

I travel thousands of miles repeatedly, seeing the boundless beauty of the world, understanding the hardships and joys of all people, and appreciating the scenery everywhere. It is common for me to sleep in the wild mountains and wilderness. As I walk, I gain different insights into the things I am used to seeing, and I gradually understand more of the "truths" that the master inadvertently taught me.

However, just as I was relieved, new worries arose.

Then he continued walking, with the breeze lingering around him, Taoist Xu walked forward freely.

The black cat named "Lazy Tiger" follows closely behind his master, occasionally rolling its eyes to the sky and yawning lazily. It never meows, but follows his master silently, in an endless and seemingly aimless manner.

"Hurry up, Lazy Tiger, it's going to snow."

"It's deep in the mountains and forests, there's no one around, I don't want to rest in the snow."

"It's a pity that the weather is so cold and the clothes are so thin."

Taoist Xu was wearing a shabby old Taoist robe, unkempt, with greasy cuffs, looking very much like his master when he was down and out on the earth. He was subconsciously imitating his master's words and deeds, doing whatever made him feel comfortable.

As he was mumbling, he was hit by a gust of wind from the corner. Taoist Xu quickly covered his mouth and nose with his sleeves and complained about the horrible weather.

There was a crackling sound of snow particles falling, and the light gray clouds were very low.

"I don't know what happened to Xueli? It's a pity that Mr. Zeng said he had awakened his 'innate spiritual light' a long time ago and was 'born with a unique talent'. Bullshit, that kid is just a lazy bug, he is so lazy that he can fall off the wall. Time is running out. I hope that lazy bug can wake up and come to Dengxian Temple as soon as possible. If he misses this opportunity, there may be no future."

Taoist Xu saw the snowflakes falling from the sky and thought of the fat insect that was well versed in the ways of the world.

Reaching back, the black cat quietly put its head forward and let its owner rub it.

"It's a pity for 'Chasing the Wind'...it's fate."

Taoist Xu had not felt such a sad mood for many years. He didn't realize that by giving up everything to imitate his master, he was showing signs of "returning to earth".

It is a big taboo for other seventh-floor monks in their practice, but for him it is one step closer to entering the Tao.

Everyone’s path is different. Taoist Xu stands on his master’s shoulders and lets things take their course.

They were walking along the rugged rocks with a tent under their arms. Soon, the ground was covered with a layer of snow grains. The heavy snow fell with the mountain wind. The sky and the earth were in a state of confusion, shrouded in fog. The two shadows gradually disappeared in the wind and snow.

Before dark, Taoist Xu finally found a dilapidated mountain temple deep in the mountains. He brushed off the snow covering his shoulders and hair, walked up the stone steps covered with dry green moss, stomped his feet hard, and knocked on the mottled and dilapidated wooden door that was only half open.

"Master Mountain God, please lend me your precious place to rest for one night. Please forgive me for disturbing you."

Xu Yuanchang greeted according to the rules, stepped over the threshold, and walked into the temple hall where most of the doors and windows were gone.

The corners of the beams were covered with old spider webs, and the statue above the altar in the middle had collapsed into a pile of mud with dead mushrooms growing on it. The walls were blackened and leftover animal bones were scattered everywhere. The temple had long lost its divinity and was filled with a faint cold aura.

"Lazy Tiger, go catch a wild animal for food, a rabbit or a pheasant will do. Don't catch a wild boar, it will be troublesome if you can't finish it."

Taoist Xu looked around the situation in the temple and gave a casual order. He swept out an open space with his feet, gathered the scattered dead branches and the wooden sticks removed from the windows, and lit a fire.

Sitting on a bluestone that served as a chair, he leisurely stretched out his hands to warm the fire.

The firewood crackled and emitted sparks from time to time, and the smoke danced and swirled with the strong wind that poured into the temple. Shadows were reflected on the walls, swaying and twisting with the firelight.

About a quarter of an hour later, the black cat brought back a fat hare that had been hiding in a cave for the winter and placed it at its owner's feet.

Taoist Xu felt warm and stroked the black cat's sleek fur with his hands. He picked up the unlucky rabbit that had fainted from fear and walked out, muttering, "Lazy Tiger, if you had hands and feet, you could prepare the food so that I don't have to do it myself."

Before the black cat lay down, it couldn't help but roll its eyes at the dark roof.

Can you be any lazier?

It devours the essence of heaven and earth and has no need to eat wild food.

By the time Taoist Xu gutted the rabbit, cleaned it with snow, smeared it with seasonings, and roasted it until it was golden brown and sizzling with oil, half an hour had passed. The aroma of barbecue in the dilapidated temple drifted far away in the cold wind.

Take a bite of the fragrant rabbit leg and then take a sip of warm wine, the taste is like heaven.

“Even if there is a lot of wind and snow, the only thing you can’t miss is the delicious food!”

"Game delicacies are intoxicating."

Taoist Xu, who was eating heartily, shook his head and made up some sour words to help him get drunk.

The black cat lying at my feet was suddenly startled, its hair standing on end, staring at the half-open temple door.

A pair of tiger eyes wide open, revealing a bit of fear.

A low growl of warning came from deep in his throat.

It was snowing hard outside. Two people walked up the stairs, stamping their feet to shake off the snow.

"It's a pity to bother you, Taoist priest. It's windy and snowy. There are no villages or towns around. It's not easy to travel at night. Please find a place to rest your feet."

One of them, a burly man, greeted someone from outside the door.

Xu Yuanchang said with a hearty smile: "You two are welcome to come in. This is the mountain god's territory, and I cannot occupy it all by myself. It is convenient for me to help others."

He traveled through the world and encountered all kinds of strange people and things along the way, but this was the first time he encountered a demon of at least rank eight, who wanted to stay with him and rest. He knew in his heart that the demon was coming for him.

Don't be afraid of anything that happens, just deal with it accordingly.

After he "returned to earth" after his travels, his temperament had changed.

The burly man supported an old man with a hunched back and a wooden crutch as they stepped over the threshold and walked into the dilapidated temple, bringing in a gust of cold air.

The old man with a crutch covered his entire body, including his head and face, with a black robe, leaving only a pair of eyes hidden in the deep shadows. He looked like an ordinary old man who had caught a cold. He bent over and coughed violently, which was very uncomfortable to hear.

The burly man hurriedly took out a porcelain bottle and whispered with a worried look on his face, "Would you like to take some more medicine?"

“No…I don’t want to eat it!”

The old man with a crutch shook his hand to refuse when he was coughing, and finally stopped after a long while.

The burly man patted the old man's back gently to help him regulate his breathing. He saw the old man stretch out his right hand wrapped in his sleeve, pointing to the copper wine pot warming by the fire opposite, and hurriedly took out a jar of wine from his sleeve.

"I want...I want to drink the Taoist priest's wine."

The frail old man said while panting, and stubbornly pushed the wine jar away from the strong man's hand.

The sturdy man looked helpless as he looked at the shabby Taoist priest standing opposite the fire and said with a smile, "My name is Ren Wulin. Can I exchange this jar of wine for a bowl of wine from the Taoist priest?"

Xu Yuanchang smiled carefreely and said, "If you two don't mind the poor quality of my wine, just sit down and drink together. There's no need to change the wine."

He took out two rough bowls and filled the copper kettle with steaming mortal liquor. The black cat lying at his feet had already hidden in the shadows behind him, and was very wary of the two people who came in.

He had done his homework before going out, and roughly knew the names of the eight-story tower masters of the major sects in the five continents of the Fangcun Mountain Area. The man in front of him who called himself Ren Wulin was the number one monster in Qimuzhou where he was currently traveling, a ninth-level mist leopard.

An old man who is worthy of Ren Wulin's respectful service must be very powerful and have a very impressive status.

Bring the wine bowls to the two of them.

The old man with a crutch thanked him, turned around, pulled off a corner of his black robe, pinched the edge of the wine bowl, and drank the whole bowl of liquor.

When he returned the empty bowl to Xu Yuanchang, his face was covered tightly.

"Excuse me, Taoist priest. May I ask if you are coming from the south?"

"You are too polite, old sir. I am from the south."

Xu Yuanchang took back the two empty bowls and gestured for the two to sit anywhere. When the old man turned around to drink, he keenly sensed a hint of decay and death, and immediately guessed a possibility.

He walked back to his seat and sat down calmly.

With the help of the strong man, the old man slowly sat down on a stone beside the fire, put down his wooden crutches, looked at the Taoist priest who was eating meat, and said straight to the point without beating around the bush: "I am Wu Xiang. Five hundred years ago, I met a great monk in Zhoushan. He told me to come to this mountain temple on a snowy night today. Ask the Taoist priest in the mountain temple a question, which may save my life."

Read more latest popular novels at 6.9*shuba!

"Wu Xiang... this name is too common. Whether in the world of cultivation or in the mortal world, there are so many of them."

Xu Yuanchang was silent in his heart, and couldn't think of any ninth-rank demon named Wu Xiang in the seven realms of the upper realm. He bowed and said, "You are too polite. I don't deserve your advice. If you have any questions, please tell me. I will tell you everything I know."

Set the roasted rabbit aside.

The old man's voice was a little erratic, and he asked, "Master, please teach me, what is the way of heaven?"

Xu Yuanchang thought it was some strange problem, but when he heard it was such a pretentious and classic metaphysical problem, he felt relieved. After thinking for a moment, he said in a deep voice: "The way of heaven is like a bow, which lowers the high places and raises the low places. It reduces the excess and supplements the deficiency."

"The great way of heaven is to win without fighting, to respond without words, to come without being summoned, and to be open and thoughtful."

"The so-called Heavenly Way is the Way of Nature. Heaven is the Way, and the Way follows nature."

He poured out everything he knew. Memorizing some theories is one thing, but one must have one's own understanding and then deepen the understanding into rules and power.

He couldn't tell whether the old man was a cultivator or a great demon, but he was undoubtedly a very powerful master. He was the first to notice the undisguised demonic aura on Ren Wulin.

The old man was silent for a long time, picked up his wooden crutches and slowly stood up, muttering: "'Heaven is the Tao, Tao follows nature', this path is not feasible for me, is this my fate?"

He walked out of the temple gate with the help of a wooden crutch.

Ren Wulin smiled apologetically to the Taoist priest who stood up, said "sorry for disturbing you", and helped the old man into the howling wind and snow.

Xu Yuanchang watched the two figures disappear, then he returned to the fire and sat down, picked up the cooled barbecue, and roasted it over the firewood, then continued to eat the meat and drink wine. His mentality was now calm, without so many worries.

It’s time to eat, it’s time to drink.

The old man who had walked dozens of miles away stopped and turned to look at the mountain temple. He said, "He knows your identity and can treat it calmly. This mentality is very unusual. I forgot to ask the Taoist priest's name just now."

Ren Wulin supported the weightless old man and said with a smile, "How about I go there again and ask him?"

The deep worry in his heart was not revealed on his face.

The old man shook his head, "That's not necessary. He hasn't entered the Dao yet. What he said is just repeating what others have said. But the path he's taking is very clever and he's received guidance from masters. Unfortunately, it's not the right path for me. Let's go. Accompany me to Zhoushan and meet that monk again."

"Master, how about you think carefully about what the Taoist priest just said?"

Ren Wulin accompanied him and suggested carefully.

"Think about it, I won't die for the time being."

The old man was a little impatient. He used his wooden crutch to draw in the air and walked straight into the dark and deep void.

Ren Wulin realized that he had made his master unhappy, so he hurried forward.

Worried and full of worries.

Xu Yuanchang didn't care at all about his encounter with the two masters at night. After eating and drinking, he took out two pieces of skin from the bamboo basket, spread them on the ground and wrapped them up to sleep, and held the black cat against his chest to keep it warm.

After just a moment, he began to snore loudly, just like an ordinary person.

The next day, the snow stopped, and Xu Yuanchang continued his journey through knee-deep snow.

Around noon, we arrived at a small mountain town covered with snow.

Xu Yuanchang found the wine shop, filled his gourd with wine, and walked through the town. Less than ten miles away, he suddenly heard a familiar voice in the air: "Master, I finally found you."

"Sir, I am Xueli."

Three figures stopped in front at the same time. Liu Xianfeng looked at Taoist Xu, who was dressed in a different way, with a strange expression, trying not to laugh and covering her mouth.

Xu Yuanchang smiled and greeted: "When it snowed heavily yesterday, I was still talking about 'snow grains'. I didn't expect to see real snow grains so soon. Great, it's good that they have come up, so we don't have to worry about them."

Xueli laughed so hard that her eyes disappeared, and said, "I have been back to the sect for several years. Last autumn, Zhu Zongshan also came to visit. When will you return to the sect?"

Liu Xianfeng screamed and pounced on the black cat that was peeking out from behind.

The black cat turned into a ray of light and disappeared, leaving Liu Xianfeng in the air.

"No rush, no rush."

Xu Yuanchang said with a smile, took out the black cat's neck skin from his sleeve and handed it to the very happy Liu Xianfeng, then waved to the sky more than ten miles away, saying that Gu Yunzhu had sent them here.

Zhu Zongshan has transcended the tribulation and ascended to the upper realm, and Shanlang and the others should be there soon.

"Master, I am about to embark on the path of becoming a mortal. I want to go to the Nine Pearl Islands in the Flowing Cloud Region and live there for a few years. I have come here specially to ask for your guidance."

After Nie Xiaomeng saluted, she spoke in a low voice.

She got the top-grade elixir that Master Zeng had helped to refine for her, and was only one step away from breaking through, so she wanted to visit her birthplace.

Xu Yuanchang smiled and said, "If you want to go, just go ahead and follow your heart."

"Yes, thank you Master."

Nie Xiaomeng smiled and asked, "When will you travel to Liuyun Territory?"

"For me, it will take at least 30 years to get there step by step."

Xu Yuanchang pretended not to notice the little expectation on his apprentice's face.

……

(End of this chapter)