Time truly flies, and before one realizes, half a year has passed.
Jiang Yuan rode his white deer and arrived at the foot of Wanshou Mountain.
He circulated his qi and gazed into the distance, where towering mountains loomed, majestic and imposing, the sun reflecting off the clear forests, and the wind stirring the shadowy valleys.
He also saw the scenery of flowers blooming and withering on the mountain peaks, and clouds drifting over the ridges.
Indeed, it was a land of immortals and a blessed place.
Jiang Tong'er marveled inwardly, "Wanshou Mountain is not inferior to Ling Tai Fangcun Mountain."
After thinking this, he urged the white deer up the mountain.
At first, as he ascended, he saw 'the lonely birds crying chaotically among the green bamboos, and the golden pheasants competing among the wildflowers.' As he ventured deeper, he encountered 'eagles and phoenixes gathering in the deep forest, and ancient caves where qilins ruled over myriad beasts.' Jiang Tong'er passed through without disturbing anyone, heading towards Wuzhuang Temple in the mountain.
Before long, Jiang Yuan arrived at the temple gate.
He looked inside and saw a temple building.
To the left of the gate, there was a stone tablet inscribed with the words: 'Wanshou Mountain, a blessed land, Wuzhuang Temple, a cave heaven.'
Jiang Tong'er knew he had not gone astray.
He dismounted from the white deer and walked inside.
Not long after, he saw two doors and approached to knock.
Three or four young disciples dressed in Daoist robes emerged from within.
One of the disciples bowed and said, "Is it perhaps Senior Brother Guangxin? I apologize for not welcoming you properly! Please, come in!"
The other disciples also bowed and invited Jiang Yuan inside.
Jiang Yuan handed the white deer to one of the disciples and entered the temple.
Jiang Yuan asked, "Is the Great Immortal here?"
The disciple replied, "Our master is currently in the temple. He mentioned earlier that Senior Brother Guangxin would be coming, and instructed us to keep an eye out, as we were to wait for someone at the foot of the mountain every day. We did not expect you to arrive at this time."
Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "That is indeed my fault."
The disciple bowed and said, "I dare not say so!"
Jiang Yuan said no more and followed the disciple deeper into the temple.
The disciple led Jiang Yuan to the main hall, where he saw the intricately carved lattice door tightly shut.
The disciple knelt on the ground and said, "Master, Senior Brother Guangxin has arrived."
As soon as the disciple finished speaking, a gentle breeze blew, and the lattice door opened.
The Great Immortal Zhenyuan stepped out.
Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "I pay my respects to the Great Immortal!"
The Great Immortal Zhenyuan supported Jiang Yuan and said, "Guangxin, do not be so formal. You and my disciple are good friends. I have invited you here to disturb your cultivation; do not take offense."
Jiang Yuan replied, "Great Immortal, why do you say this? I practice 'nurturing' as a form of water grinding technique. With nothing to do in my spare time, I came to Wanshou Mountain to take on the duty of guarding the mountain."
The Great Immortal smiled and said, "In the past, I saw your immortal appearance hidden within, knowing that your alchemy would surely succeed. As expected, you have reached this stage of nurturing; the Golden Elixir is not far off!"
Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Great Immortal, your words are mistaken. I am still far from achieving the elixir, far from it!"
The Great Immortal pulled Jiang Yuan into the hall, and after they were seated, he instructed the disciple to present seasonal fruits before speaking, "I have been watching your cultivation closely; how could I not know whether you are far or near? I am going to the Southern Zhanbu Continent to seek some disciples."
Jiang Yuan asked, "Great Immortal, you summoned me to guard the mountain. After you leave, do you have any instructions regarding this duty?"
Upon hearing this, the Great Immortal looked outside the hall and said, "Guangxin, you possess some magical power; guarding the mountain will surely be safe. However, there are two places in this temple that require careful protection."
Jiang Yuan asked again, "Which two places?"
The Great Immortal replied, "There is a garden in the temple called the 'Ginseng Garden,' where the spiritual roots are located, and it requires attention. There is also a hall that contains various scriptures and requires vigilance."
Jiang Yuan noted them down and nodded, saying, "Great Immortal, rest assured."
The Great Immortal smiled and chatted with Jiang Yuan for a long time, then instructed the disciples to clear a Daoist room for Jiang Yuan to reside in.
Jiang Yuan bowed and followed the disciple to the Daoist room.
In the hall, the disciple who served the seasonal fruits saw Jiang Yuan leaving and said, "Master, why did you inform him about the Ginseng Fruit Tree and the Scripture Hall? If this person harbors ill intentions, wouldn't it bring disaster?"
The Great Immortal pointed at the disciple and said, "Do not speak like this, you mischievous one. How do you know about cultivation? I have heard that there is a Confucian scholar from the Southern Zhanbu Continent who knows propriety. When you go to the Southern Zhanbu Continent, you should go learn about propriety."
The disciple exclaimed in surprise, "Master, I am a disciple of the Taiyi Xuanmen; how can I learn about propriety?"
The Great Immortal said, "If you do not even know propriety, how can you learn the Dao?"
The disciple dared not speak further.
...
In the Daoist room, Jiang Tong'er sat cross-legged on a mat, focusing on his lower dantian.
Within the cauldron, his primordial spirit, along with five others, circulated gentle flames for nurturing, allowing the medicinal vapor to be contained within the cauldron.
After half a year of effort, the medicinal vapor had not been contained much, and the primordial spirit did not feel fatigued, as there was no other place for cultivation here.
Jiang Tong'er could only stop and focus on nurturing his nature.
The next day.
Jiang Yuan was called by the disciple, as the Great Immortal was about to leave for the Southern Zhanbu Continent.
Upon hearing this, he exited the Daoist room to see the Great Immortal off.
The Great Immortal, along with the disciples, was in Wuzhuang Temple.
After seeing Jiang Yuan arrive, he instructed, "Guangxin, this place is entrusted to you."
Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "Great Immortal, rest assured."
The Great Immortal said, "There are still two young disciples in my temple. If you have any questions, you can ask them."
After saying this, the Great Immortal, along with the disciples, ascended on auspicious clouds and headed straight for the Southern Zhanbu Continent.
Jiang Yuan watched the Great Immortal depart, marveling inwardly, "The Great Immortal Zhenyuan is indeed a high Daoist; such freedom, coming and going as he pleases."
He turned around and saw two young disciples approaching from afar.
The two disciples, dressed in Daoist robes, were both from the Western Niu Hezhou, one tall and one short—the tall one was six elbows in height, while the short one was four elbows.
The two young disciples stepped forward and bowed, saying, "We pay our respects to Senior Brother Guangxin."
Jiang Yuan nodded in return.
He noticed that the two disciples had no magical power and seemed restless, so he asked, "Have you two just entered the sect?"
The two disciples replied, "Indeed, indeed! We have been in the sect for less than three years, which is why we lack magical power. Our master did not bring us along this time."
Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "I have been here for three years as well."
The two disciples bowed and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother Guangxin. We are of little use and can only prepare some tea and meals for you."
Jiang Yuan said, "That is more than enough!"
He chatted with the two disciples for a long time before taking his leave.
With the Great Immortal Zhenyuan gone, he was to guard the mountain now.
Jiang Tong'er did not think much else and inquired about the locations of the Ginseng Garden and the Scripture Hall, planning to pay extra attention to the two places.
With the guidance of the two disciples, he became familiar with various areas of the temple and finally felt at ease.
...
Time truly flies, and before one realizes, two years have passed.
Jiang Tong'er patrolled Wuzhuang Temple around noon, ensuring that no petty thieves dared to invade.
However, during these two years, no demon or evil spirit had dared to trespass, leaving Jiang Tong'er puzzled as to why guarding the mountain was so easy.
He did not dare to be negligent and continued his patrols around noon.
During this time, he continuously practiced the 'nurturing' water grinding technique, and his primordial spirit sometimes felt fatigued.
He supplemented it with true breath, allowing his primordial spirit to recover, thus avoiding any major issues.
The area was peaceful, just waiting for the nurturing technique to succeed, and he would achieve the fifth step of his alchemy.
One day, the two disciples had tea and meals with Jiang Yuan.
After the meal, the two disciples asked Jiang Yuan to impart some teachings.
Jiang Yuan, sitting in the hall, heard this and, not understanding their intent, said, "You have taken the Great Immortal as your master; why do you ask me for teachings?"
The two disciples said, "To not hide it from Senior Brother Guangxin, our master only teaches once or twice a year. However, since we are far away, we have been studying the Daoist scriptures and have encountered some confusion, yet we have no way to resolve our doubts, so we ask Senior Brother Guangxin."
Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "I cannot teach you."
The two disciples asked, "Why not? Our master has said that Senior Brother Guangxin's cultivation is remarkable, and you are on the verge of becoming an immortal, possessing magical power; how can you not teach us?"
(End of Chapter)