Under the gaze of the two men, the young Taoist also clasped his hands and said, "My surname is Cheng, given name Qieqing, from the western part of Kuaiji. I practice Taoism at the Biyun Temple on Qingshen Mountain."
Langshan Liu and Hujin Liu exchanged glances, as if they hadn't heard of it.
Langshan Liu smiled and said, "Kuaiji, that's really far! Why has the Taoist come to our barren, miasma-filled land? And how did you save the people of our Miao village?"
Yun Qi chuckled, "This uncle has asked many questions, so I will answer them one by one. Firstly, as practitioners of Taoism, our daily lives are mostly spent in meditation and wandering. Having sat enough, I decided to wander a bit, hehe."
"Moreover, the Miao and Nan regions are located in the Kun position, rich in geothermal energy, with continuous rainfall, nurturing ancient towering trees. It's a rare blessed land, not some barren place!"
"As for the Miao village, it was a coincidence. That day, I had just entered the Miao territory from the Sanxiang region, seeking lodging in a village. A child there was suffering from a soul injury, and I happened to have a soul-nourishing pill refined by my master, so I used it to heal the child."
"There's also an interesting story. The village was surnamed Nai, and the village chief was called Sangmu Nai. I thought his surname was Sang, so I kept calling him Mu Nai Gong!"
Langshan Liu and Hujin Liu exchanged glances again, stood up, and said in unison, "Ah Lang, you have a kind heart!"
In the Miao village, or perhaps anywhere, a child's life is always more important than anything else.
Someone who could spare a precious pill to save a child's life deserves their gratitude.
At this moment, they didn't call him Taoist or young master, but addressed him as Ah Lang, a term of great intimacy and respect.
Yun Qi also stood up, urging them not to be polite, "A Taoist wandering, healing and saving people, and upholding justice is our duty."
The Taoist intended to reassure them, but Hujin Liu's expression changed, and he muttered, "Healing and saving people is good, but I fear upholding justice might come at our expense!"
Langshan Liu glared at his nephew, realizing that as children grow older, they become harder to discipline.
He scolded, "This Ah Lang is a benevolent Taoist from the east, not one of those murderous Taoists from Shu. Watch your mouth!"
Hujin Liu nodded, then grinned at Yun Qi.
Yun Qi nodded, "Western Taoists are known for their heavy grudges, not following the natural way. I've heard of it."
Then he turned to the young man and asked, "Brother, I wonder what you meant earlier by the Immortal Cave and the Azure Dragon Cave? Which sect do they belong to, and where are they located? I might seek lodging there for a while."
Hujin Liu chuckled, "I've been to both caves. The Immortal Cave is in Zhulin, deep in our Miao territory, dedicated to the Eight Immortals. The Azure Dragon Cave is in southeastern Qian, close to the southern wilderness, near our area, dedicated to the Mengzhang Deity and the Seven Mansions of the East. As for their specific sects, I don't know."
Yun Qi nodded, knowing who they worshipped, it wasn't hard to guess their sects.
It seemed the Immortal Cave practiced the Golden Elixir Taoism of the Zhong-Lu school, while the Azure Dragon Cave practiced the Louguan Taoism, also known as Star Observation Taoism, likely focusing on the eastern wood element.
He smiled, "Then naturally, I'll choose the closer one and bother the Azure Dragon Cave."
At this, Langshan Liu said, "Ah Lang, you might not know, but recently, our Hongmu Ridge has been entangled in battles with the Hundred Barbarians Mountain, and the front line is around this area. The Taoists of the Azure Dragon Cave will also join us in slaying demons. If you go to the Azure Dragon Cave, you might not find peace. If you seek quiet cultivation, it's better to go to the rear Immortal Cave."
Yun Qi shook his head, "I just said, wandering is not for quiet cultivation, but for slaying demons and monsters!"
"Good!" Hujin Liu responded.
Yun Qi then asked, "Uncle, I'm from a small temple in the east, with little news. I've just arrived in the southwest and only heard that the Hundred Barbarians Mountain is the leader of the southern wilderness demon sects, while your Hongmu Ridge is the leader of the Miao side sects. But I don't know the details of the grudges and specifics. Could you enlighten me?"
The uncle and nephew exchanged glances again.
Langshan Liu thought that since both of them were injured and had already killed a demon from the Hundred Barbarians Mountain, there was no rush to return and report.
It was a good time to recuperate here.
He said to Hujin Liu, "You're always talkative, you explain it to Ah Lang."
The young man chuckled and said, "Earlier, my uncle said this is a barren land, and Ah Lang said it's a blessed land. I think both are right. This was originally a blessed land, with only Miao and Gui people.
But later, more people, demons, ghosts, and monsters came from all directions, even from across the seas. With more people, sects emerged. You're from the Taoist sect, I'm from the side sect, and there are also demon sects, Buddhist sects, and recently, the term 'mystic sect' has emerged.
With so many people, each claiming they're right, of course, there's fighting. With all this fighting, the land becomes restless, and the blessed land turns barren!"
Yun Qi was impressed by this seemingly rough man's insight!
He had succinctly explained the eternal truth of the cultivation world over tens of thousands of years!
More people! More differing thoughts!
Yun Qi clasped his hands, "Brother, your words are profound yet simple, showing great wisdom."
Hujin Liu waved his hand, "Hehe, just talking nonsense, just talking nonsense."
"If you want to know about the conflict between Hongmu Ridge and the Hundred Barbarians Mountain, it's been going on for a long time."
"Long before there were side sects and demon sects, we Miao and Gui people were already fighting. Back then, we fought over fields, water sources, and even women to bear children. There wasn't a day without fighting."
"Later, a red-haired ancestor came to our Miao side, highly skilled, practicing at Hongmu Ridge. Many of our Miao people joined him. The Gui side also had a green-robed ancestor, practicing at the Hundred Barbarians Mountain, and naturally, the Gui people gathered around him."
"Back then, our ancestors didn't know about side sects or demon sects. If you didn't learn their methods, you'd be killed by those who did, so of course, you had to learn!"
"Only after learning did we realize that our family's techniques are fierce, focusing on essence and assisting with energy, not cultivating the primordial spirit. Though difficult, it can lead to longevity. Moreover, our sect rules include not killing innocents and not using humans for cultivation. With these three rules, it's called a side sect."
"That green-robed old thief's side doesn't seek longevity, only killing techniques, often resorting to soul-searching and corpse-refining, even harming themselves. That's the demon sect!"
Yun Qi clasped his hands, indicating he had learned much.
Langshan Liu smacked the young man's head, "Speak properly, show respect to our ancestors and Hongmu Ridge!"
The young man didn't mind and continued, "What's there to hide? Some even say our ancestor and that green-robed old thief aren't human! But neither of them has said anything, and the rumors are quite detailed. I think they're true."
"You can't tell anything!"
Langshan Liu shouted at him.
Now Yun Qi was intrigued, "Uncle, uncle, there are no outsiders here. Brother, please continue."
Hujin Liu chuckled, "Rumors say our ancestor is a brocade dragon, of the fire element, and that green-robed old thief is a black dragon, of the water element. They were never compatible, and rumors say the southern dragon vein can only nurture one true dragon, so these two are fighting to the death!"
Chapter 1 presented.
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(End of chapter)