"He...he's the sixth junior brother?"
"Yes, Second Senior Brother, this is Master's newly accepted disciple."
Xiao Wenbing immediately understood the identity of this young Taoist priest. He was definitely Zhang Jie, the second disciple of the old Taoist Xianyun, who had mastered one of the two Golden Core cultivators.
As expected of a cultivator, judging by his appearance alone, he seems to be a few years younger than himself. However, Xiao Wenbing did not believe that he was as young as he appeared.
"Greetings, Second Senior Brother."
"Haha..." Zhang Jie quickly stepped forward and helped Xiao Wenbing up, his face full of kindness, where was the slightest bit of his coldness: "Sixth Junior Brother, Master has always praised your extraordinary talent, but I didn't believe it. Now that I've seen it, I realize I was just a frog in a well, ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. I'm ashamed, so ashamed."
"Huh? Second Senior Brother, what did you say?" Xiao Wenbing was completely baffled, as if he were in a fog, not knowing what was going on.
Zhang Jie smiled mysteriously and said, "Sixth Junior Brother's progress is so rapid that even Master must have been greatly surprised. I will explain it to you in detail when we get back."
Xiao Wenbing gave a wry smile and had no choice but to give up.
"Junior brother, let's go now. Let's get to the mountain gate as soon as possible so that our master can be happy too." Zhang Jie said excitedly, showing no trace of the demeanor of a hermit master.
"Wait..." Upon hearing this, Xiao Wenbing came to his senses. He quickly stepped forward, broke the ropes binding Cheng Guanqin, pulled Ye Qingchun over, and said to Zhao Feng, "Junior Brother Zhao, these two are my good friends. They are being threatened. You must think of a way to resolve this for me."
Zhao Feng smiled slightly and said, "Sixth Senior Brother, don't worry, I will definitely handle this small matter properly."
Xiao Wenbing nodded and said a few words to the two of them. This departure would not be a short time, and he felt a little reluctant to leave for no reason.
After a while, Xiao Wenbing turned around and came to Zhang Jie, saying, "Second Senior Brother, that's enough."
Zhang Jie had been waiting impatiently for a long time. If it weren't for his sixth junior brother, who had given him such a shock and surprise, he wouldn't have been able to wait patiently.
Seeing that Xiao Wenbing had finally finished saying goodbye, he couldn't help but laugh out loud, reached out and pulled Xiao Wenbing, and the two of them disappeared in an instant.
Zhang Jie's skills were clearly much more powerful than Ming Mei's. In Xiao Wenbing's perception, it took almost no time at all for them to arrive at the entrance of the Secret Talisman Sect.
Upon entering the mountain gate, Xiao Wenbing turned on his phone and secretly marveled.
He covered a journey that would normally take several days in just half an hour. He was truly extraordinary.
"Junior brother, are you familiar with worldly affairs?"
"I already understand."
"Very well, from this day forward, you are a member of my Daoist sect." Zhang Jie's voice was long and resonant.
"Once you enter the Daoist path, you will forever sever ties with the mortal world..."
P.S.: Episode 1 is finished. Please watch Episode 2, "The Fairy in White."
Volume Two: The Fairy in White, Chapter Thirty: Fellow Disciples
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Zhang Jie led Xiao Wenbing into the mountain gate. It was still the same small house. He didn't dare to just barge in. Instead, he stood outside the door and said respectfully, "Master, I have been ordered to guide my sixth junior brother into the mountain."
"Yes, come in." A faint, aged voice drifted from inside the room.
"yes."
Zhang Jie, without looking to the side, went in first. Xiao Wenbing followed closely behind him, step by step.
Inside, the old Taoist priest, Xianyun, was sitting cross-legged on the bed. Xiao Wenbing opened his eyes wide and looked at him with extreme admiration. He hadn't seen him for more than a month. The old Taoist priest had his eyes slightly closed and held a whisk in his hand. What a wise and venerable Taoist master!
Four people stood on either side of him. Xiao Wenbing, with his sharp eyes, spotted Lu Jun and Ming Mei at a glance.
No need to ask, everyone knows now that these people are the old Taoist's four disciples. Including Zhang Jie in front of him, all five are here. Although it is unknown why they have gathered together, they are probably here to listen to the old Taoist's teachings.
I have no idea what this old man will say, but I doubt I'll understand a word he says given my current level of understanding. But regardless of whether I understand or not, I have to put on an act.
"Greetings, Master." As soon as Zhang Jie entered the room, he immediately knelt down on both knees and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Master."
Without needing to be taught, Xiao Wenbing also stepped forward and knelt down to pay his respects.
As the saying goes, excessive politeness is never a fault. From what he observed, both Mingmei and Zhang Jie were like mice before a cat in front of the old Taoist priest, showing utmost respect and not daring to be the slightest bit frivolous. Clearly, the old man was usually very serious.
However, ever since the day I met him, the old man has always had a kind and gentle expression on his face, without the slightest hint of sternness.
What's going on? Could it be that a tortoise and a soft-shelled turtle have hit it off?
"Pah... pah... pah." Xiao Wenbing cursed inwardly. The old Taoist priest was probably old enough to be a tortoise, but he was a young man in his prime, and had nothing to do with tortoises.
Although he yearned for the path of immortality and even became the disciple of the old Daoist Xianyun, their time together was short, and the act of becoming his disciple was something that the old Daoist Xianyun and others actively lured him into. He didn't appreciate the value of it at all, and therefore didn't have much respect for this master.
Little did they know that even if the other disciples went through countless hardships to become his disciples, they might not be able to gain his favor.
This can be inferred from the fact that Zhao Feng, the head of the outer disciples, was so old and had served the Secret Talisman Sect loyally for more than 30 years, yet still could not move the old man's heart.
If Xiao Wenbing were not a spirit, how could he have had this opportunity?
This is probably what they mean by "not appreciating one's blessings when one is already blessed."
"Get up, eh..." The old Taoist priest nodded slightly, but when he focused his attention and took a look, he immediately stood up and looked at Xiao Wenbing with a mixture of surprise and delight.
Given his age and experience, it's understandable that he might lose his composure like this, which shows how much of a surprise Xiao Wenbing had given him this time.
When Xiao Wenbing looked up, apart from his second senior brother Zhang Jie, the others all had incredulous expressions on their faces, looking at him as if he were a rare prehistoric animal.
Xiao Wenbing's skin immediately broke out in goosebumps as he was surrounded by a group of grown men, especially a group of older men.
Although everyone except the old Taoist priest Xianyun looked very young, Xiao Wenbing knew that this was only in appearance. Their actual age was at least fifty years old, otherwise how could they have formed inner cores?
They were surrounded by a group of old monsters over fifty years old—no, according to the age standards of the cultivation world, these should only be considered minor monsters.
But whether it's an old monster or a young monster, no one would feel comfortable being stared at like that.
"Hehehe..." With a forced smile, Xiao Wenbing said, "Master, these must be my senior brothers."
"Ah..." The old Taoist priest seemed to wake from a dream. He withdrew his surprised gaze and said, "Yes, yes, they are your senior brothers, um, those good-for-nothing senior brothers."
Lu Jun and the others lowered their heads in shame. However, what puzzled Xiao Wenbing was that although they were scolded by the old Taoist priest, none of them showed even a trace of resentment in their eyes, as if it were a matter of course.
The old Taoist priest moved swiftly, descended gracefully, and came before Xiao Wenbing. He introduced the disciples to him and then asked, "Wenbing, what have you experienced since parting ways with your master? Tell me in detail."
Xiao Wenbing responded and recounted how Zhao Feng gifted him the pill, how he secretly cultivated in his chamber, how he went down the mountain to the police station, and how he fought the boxing champion at home. Of course, the matter of using his supernatural abilities to refine medicine and secretly giving children chocolate beans was something he absolutely could not reveal.
The old Taoist priest became more and more excited as he listened, and eventually his voice trembled slightly: "You...you mean, apart from taking the Foundation Establishment Pill in the meditation room, you haven't taken any other pills?"
Xiao Wenbing thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "That's right. I swear that I have never taken any other pills besides the Foundation Establishment Pill."
In the quiet room, he had indeed only taken Foundation Establishment Pills. Although the quantity might have been a little more, they were all Foundation Establishment Pills. He was willing to swear on his life that there were absolutely no other pills. So what he said was absolutely the truth, the most truthful truth imaginable.
"Then..." The old Taoist priest pondered for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Have you ever taken any rare or precious herbs?" Seeing Xiao Wenbing's surprised expression, he immediately changed his words, "What I mean is, have you ever taken any exotic flowers or herbs, or anything of unknown origin?"
A faint black mark appeared between Xiao Wenbing's brows. What did he mean by that? What did the old Taoist priest take him for?
As for exotic flowers and rare herbs, even if he had seen them before, there's no reason for him to just stuff everything he sees into his mouth.
It's strange and of unknown origin. What if it kills someone? It's a human being, a highly intelligent human being, not some kind of fat animal that only knows how to eat and sleep.
He forced a smile, barely managing to manage a laugh, before stating firmly, "Absolutely not."
Volume Two: The Fairy in White, Chapter Thirty-One: The Guide
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The old Taoist priest nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh, as if all the resentment accumulated over the decades had been dispelled in this day. He laughed loudly, his voice echoing through the heavens. After a long while, he stopped laughing and shouted, "May our ancestors bless us! Our Secret Talisman Sect has finally produced a peerless genius!"
When he lowered his head, his face was full of smiles, and there was no trace of seriousness left.
"Congratulations, Master! Congratulations, Junior Brother!" Lu Jun and the others, being quite perceptive, immediately stepped forward to offer their congratulations.
The old Taoist priest, Xianyun, was clearly in a very good mood. He pointed to his disciples and said to Xiao Wenbing, "Wenbing, you have just entered the Taoist sect and do not yet know the cultivation methods of our sect. Pick a senior brother and let him teach you the basic mental techniques and guide you into the sect."
Xiao Wenbing looked up and saw that everyone, including Lu Jun, had their eyes shining and were looking at him with hope, as if teaching him the basics was a great thing.
He frowned. It seemed that no matter which option he chose, he would inevitably offend others, making this a very unwise deal. His eyes darted around, and he bowed deeply to the old Taoist priest, saying, "Master, I have only recently become your disciple and know nothing. Please make the decision for me."
Xiao Wenbing passed the buck back to the old Taoist priest, so that even if they wanted to blame someone, they wouldn't blame him.
The old Taoist priest pondered for a moment, but did not refuse. He said, "You were the first one Mingmei brought into the mountain gate. Logically speaking, it should be him. Let him be your guide."
Mingmei was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward to thank him, saying, "Thank you, Master."
The others all looked on with envy, but they had no complaints.
"Mingmei, take Wenbing down with you. He should cultivate diligently and not be negligent."
"Yes, Master."
The old Taoist priest hesitated for a moment, then said, "Wenbing's talent is extraordinary. You must proceed step by step, steadily and cautiously, and not be eager for quick results."
"Yes, Master."
"After all, you are only at the Core Formation stage. It is difficult for you to know all the changes in the Daoist sect. If there is anything you don't understand, come to your master for guidance. Do not act on your own and ruin important matters."
"Yes, Master."
"you……"
"Yes, Master."
"…………"
"Yes, Master."
Xiao Wenbing, listening from the side, felt a headache coming on. This old Taoist priest was truly old; by all accounts, menopause should have long passed. Why was he still speaking in such a disjointed, rambling manner, seemingly without end? If you don't trust Mingmei, then you can teach him yourself.
Sigh... It's only because Mingmei has such a good temper. If it were Xiao Wenbing, the great master Xiao—hmph, well, when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. If it were me, I'd probably have the same submissive expression too.