ecretly send them away..."A chill ran down my spine as I thought back to the night we were chased by those zombies. They had brought fresh, rotting corpses with them. Could these be the source of thei...Seeing the old immortal's dwelling, my brother whispered, "Do all immortals like this style They have good houses to live in, but they prefer straw huts Even Master Huiqing's master lived in a straw hut..."

This place before us is indeed a "humble dwelling for cultivation," but it's also...

The little courtyard's fence was broken and scattered. Don't even mention keeping out wolves, dogs, foxes, or badgers, even a bear could just walk right in.

And the gate to the courtyard was so flimsy that even a gust of wind could knock it down.

"Hey, Miss Mu, how did you know" Xiao Shanming replied, "During a sandstorm before, I was indeed blown over by the strong wind."

Given its simplicity and draftsiness, to be honest, this isn't very good for the elderly person's health. Shouldn't the elderly prioritize windproofing and warmth

Master Zongdao went in first to ask permission, then he bowed beside the small hut and said to us, "Please come in."

The moment I stepped inside, both the room and the outside air felt equally cold.

This is similar to our southern region... There's no situation here like in the north where it's cold outside and warm inside.

Although the hut was small, it was still divided into inner and outer rooms. An old Taoist priest with an ethereal air sat on the kang, his kind eyes gazing at us benevolently.

The north is too cold at night, you have to sleep on the kang. I see that this kang is well-padded, it seems that Master Dao has taken good care of his master.

"We've met the old immortal," I said as I bowed along with my brother. Shen Qingru followed behind us and bowed as well.

The old Taoist priest looked at me and my brother, then past my brother to look at Shen Qingrui behind us. He stroked his white beard and said, "Several young friends... your journey must have been arduous..."

"It's not tiring at all to come to your esteemed mountain gate and pay a visit. It's truly an honor to meet you, this venerable immortal." My brother smiled.

The old Taoist asked us to sit down and talk, it's a sign of hospitality.

Although we were young, there was no reason to make the guests stand while speaking. So Master Zong moved over some small round stools for us, and we all sat down. He himself stood by his master's side.

Though this is a traditional custom, we are all younger than Master Zong Dao in terms of age. It feels a bit awkward for us to be sitting while he stands.

The old Daoist laughed and said, "Shanyuan, you stand here, making the young friends uncomfortable... why not go to the kitchen and prepare some dishes for our guests. Make them as plentiful as possible."

Master Zong Dao received the order and prepared to go out. My brother hurriedly said, "That, Shen Qingru, we shouldn't just sit here waiting to be served, it would be too embarrassing for you. Why don't you help with some work"

Shen Qingrui's eyes widened, What!

But she still didn't take advantage of the old Taoist priest's presence, glared fiercely at my brother, and got up to leave.

Master Zong opened the door politely for her, but she didn't even look at him or show any gratitude. She simply walked out with her chin held high.

It's really embarrassing.

I blushed inwardly, awkwardly turning to the Taoist priest and saying, "My apologies, esteemed immortal... it's all my fault as the head of the household for failing to discipline my subordinates..."

"Oh my... I couldn't possibly, I couldn't possibly... An old man like me couldn't possibly be called a fairy..." The Taoist priest waved his hand and smiled at us.

"Huh Then, may I ask how old you are" My brother asked curiously.

“Less than one hundred and fifty years…” the old Taoist said faintly.

"Pff... less than one hundred and fifty years old I stared at the old Taoist in surprise."

The old Taoist smiled and looked at me, continuing, "Eighty-eight years old in conventional reckoning..."

"We both choked on our words."

"Well, he's just like our grandfather," my brother laughed. "You look every bit the old hermit, and a clever one at that."

It's a bit rude to say so, but the old Taoist laughed heartily and said: “You too, my friend. You're quite the cunning little fox yourself. We all see through each other, don't we Hehehehehehe…”

Did I see that wrong Not only did the old Taoist not get angry, but he's also...he's also winking at my brother!

I was stunned, thinking I must have seen things.

“What kind of trickery are you up to” I asked, puzzled.

My brother laughed and said, “You women don't understand.”

"... If you don't understand, tell me. What kind of business are you buying Don't be disrespectful in front of the old immortal," I reminded him softly.

The old Taoist stroked his beard and smiled, "It's an honor~~~ to have Shan Yuan return to report. When he told me about everything he encountered during this trip down the mountain, I sensed something was amiss... Heh heh heh..."

What did you hear I'm completely lost.

My brother grinned and said, “No matter if a man cultivates the Tao or not, he understands — giving a woman face is because he likes her, at the very least he admires her, right”

The old Taoist nodded: "My three disciples have all practiced since childhood and have always been ignorant of matters between men and women."

"As for this man, there's no such thing as delaying or not delaying. So I go with the flow. But a woman mustn't miss her prime years. That's why my second disciple, Yiling, I never allowed her to enter Guan Qingxiu and practice there. Instead, I had her practice at home, waiting for a good match."

"However, Shan Yuan is a taciturn and reticent person. I didn't expect him to be so patient with the disciples of your esteemed family this time... Hehehehehe..."

I was stunned. No way...

“Old immortal, old immortal…” I hurriedly waved my hand and said: “Although my niece Shen Qingrui is a skilled cultivator of the Kunda path, her temper…truly, it has nothing to do with being a good wife…I still don’t know how she bullied Zong Daolang…I am even worried about coming to apologize.”

The old immortal smiled and looked at me: "Little friend, you have a kind heart, neither arrogant nor pretentious, rare, rare... In this world, people only have cause and effect, and others can only observe silently..."

You're just pretending here, aren't you My brother just helped me out by getting rid of Shen Qingru, and you even exchanged a knowing smile with him!

People of the Daoist school do indeed possess this characteristic of being both worldly and detached. Their pursuit of seclusion does not mean they are completely cut off from the worldly principles of morality and ethics, nor does it hinder the changes in their disciples' life paths. They seem to view everything with a sense of calmness.

“…This thing, we got it from a strange old man. Your esteemed sect master wanted to take it from us, and then by coincidence, it ended up in Shen Qingrui’s hands. I don’t know what you had the sect master collect this for.” I carefully handed over the copper amulet Buddha wrapped in talisman paper with both hands.

The old Taoist priest withdrew his kind and benevolent smile, his face solemn, and picked up the copper talisman and small Buddha statue.

"Have you two ever known about the change of dynasties and the great catastrophe in Central Plains over seven hundred years ago" he asked.

I nodded, I had already heard about it at the Black Clearing Shrine.

The old Taoist stroked the talisman paper and said, "Back then, outsiders started a debate to brainwash and control the populace, denying the orthodoxy of the Great Dao. In the end, they humiliated the seventeen Taoists who participated in the debate, forcing them to shave their heads and become monks."

"Back then, corpses littered the land, blood stained the rivers and mountains, and the people suffered terribly. The world was filled with excessive bloodlust, demons roamed everywhere, some indignant cultivators fell into the demonic path, seeking to wash away the shame of their master, while others, consumed by too much rage, formed alliances, hiding from the government, creating these small Buddhas. In reality, these were not Buddha statues but tokens of the Demon Lord in the mortal world."

I nodded and whispered, "The Demon Lord you speak of... is it... Beitian Black Emperor, one of the Ten Demons..."

The old Taoist closed his eyes slightly and said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "Yes, he is a demon, but...he is also a god..."idge.Long Xiao sat beside me and suddenly said, "This is a familiar's turf, nothing will happen, you can eat and sleep with peace of mind."Uh Is that directed at meI stared at him, sidelong. He recove...