NOVPUBXu Zimei looked at Cai Yue and eventually entered.
The group made an impressive sight, yet due to the seclusion of the Taoist Temple, they hadn’t encountered a single person along the way.
"Including Master, our Taoist Temple has a total of eleven people," the young boy explained.
"I have nine senior brothers. Since I can remember, I’ve lived here without ever having descended the mountain."
Xu Zimei nodded; along the way, he noticed that the temple planted many crops and various vegetables.
It really was just like the world of mortals.
The young boy led them to a very old courtyard that was sealed off.
There were many cobwebs at the entrance, clearly indicating that it had been a long time since anyone had been there.
There hung a crooked sign with the blurry characters for "Distant Pavilion" written on it.
"’To have friends come from afar, how delightful,’" Xu Zimei murmured.
"I heard from my senior brother that this place used to specifically accommodate Daoist friends, but it has been closed off since I can remember."
The young boy said, "Right, you can call me Mr. Xuan Yu, which is the Daoist title my master gave me."
"It’s easier to call you young mister. You want us to clean up this place for you, right?" Cai Yue asked with a smile.
"No, it’s clean inside; I clean it regularly," Yu Zhao hastily said.
"But I’m afraid to clean the outside in case Master finds out, so I’ll have to trouble you for now."
"Let it be, let it be," Xu Zimei waved his hand and asked, "By the way, what is your master’s Daoist title?"
"Master’s Daoist title is Qiankun. You can call him True Man of Qiankun," Xuan Yu said.
"However, you might not meet him. Can you tell me about the outside world tonight?"
Xu Zimei didn’t object and nodded his head before walking into a room within the courtyard.
Compared to the desolate outside, the inside was quite exquisite. 𝔫𝖔𝖛𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
There was a wooden bed, a table, and a mirror, and the room contained many objects associated with Taoism.
"You all stay here for now; I’m going to take a look outside," Xuan Yu said.
Once he had gone, Cai Yue asked curiously, "Why did you insist on coming here?"
"Curiosity," Xu Zimei replied.
"What’s there to be curious about here?" Cai Yue asked.
"Don’t know yet, but this Taoist Temple is definitely not simple," Xu Zimei responded.
"Let’s stay here for a day, then we will head into the city tomorrow," Cai Yue suggested.
Xu Zimei nodded slightly and tidied up the room a bit.
As the courtyard was indeed very large, everyone went back to their own rooms.
With nothing else to do, Xu Zimei began to practice cultivation in his room.
Having only begun the initial steps of cultivating strength, he sat cross-legged in the most natural state of his body and then started to calmly comprehend the practice.
This cultivation lasted until evening when Xuan Yu brought over dinner, and only then did Xu Zimei emerge from his cultivation state.
...…
The meals at the Taoist Temple were simple: a bowl of rice with some vegetarian dishes and a bowl of thick soup.
"You might not be used to it, just make do," Xuan Yu said with a smile.
"Have you ever practiced cultivation?" Xu Zimei asked, looking at Xuan Yu.
"I’ve thought about cultivating, but everyone in our Taoist Temple is born with blocked meridians and can’t open their Vein Gates," Xuan Yu said with a smile.
"But after so many years, I’m used to it. What’s wrong with being an ordinary person?"
"Could you let me take a look?" Xu Zimei asked with a smile.
"All right," Xuan Yu nodded.
Xu Zimei placed his hand gently on the other’s right wrist, the location of the first Vein Gate, Lun Quan.
He closed his eyes to examine the situation within the other’s body.
After a long while, Xu Zimei opened his eyes and gave Xuan Yu a somewhat inexplicable look.
He asked, "Who told you that your meridians were blocked?"
"My master did," Xuan Yu replied, "Isn’t that so?"
Xu Zimei smiled and nodded without speaking further.
The other’s body did not have blocked meridians at all, but rather, it was sealed.
Moreover, Xu Zimei felt a very powerful force within his body.
However, this force along with his meridians was sealed, rendering him unable to absorb Spiritual Energy, and he could only live his life as a mere mortal.
After dinner, Xuan Yu stayed to listen to stories, seemingly yearning for the outside world.
Xu Zimei had Cai Yue tell him stories while he continued his own cultivation.
He was unaware of many things about the outside world, and often, even small stories would amaze him.
Late at night, three tolls of the bell resonated from outside the Taoist Temple, and Xuan Yu, feeling sleepy, yawned several times.
He said to Cai Yue apologetically, "Sister Yue, it’s time to rest. I should go back to sleep."
"Go ahead," Cai Yue nodded slightly.
After a simple farewell, Xuan Yu left.
At that moment, as the sound of the bells faded, Xu Zimei sensed an extremely dense Spiritual Energy.
It was as if all the Spiritual Energy within the entire mountain was gathering here like a storm.
Xu Zimei was stunned for a moment and quickly looked out the window, only to see that the sky was exceptionally brilliant at that moment.
Black and white lights intertwined, and the entire Taoist Temple was enveloped in a barrier of black and white.
"What is this for?" Xu Zimei was taken aback.
Before he could react, suddenly there was a knock on the door.
Cai Yue got up to open the door. Opening it, she said with a smile, "Little sir, why have you come back?"
A low growl suddenly came through, followed by Cai Yue’s cry of alarm.
Xu Zimei hurried out of his room and saw in the courtyard outside, Xuan Yu lifting Cai Yue up, intent on killing her.
His body was dense with Spiritual Energy, to the extent that it seemed he had reached the level of the Esteem Vein Realm.
The might of Xu Zimei’s Divine Vein Realm surged around him, suppressing Xuan Yu on the spot, rendering him immovable.
When he rescued Cai Yue from Xuan Yu’s hands, she looked terrified and pointed at Xuan Yu, unable to speak.
Xu Zimei looked over, and at that moment, Xuan Yu’s eyes were blood-red, and the seal within his body had been released without knowing when.
He seemed to have lost consciousness, like a walking corpse, struggling.
"How did he become like this?" Cai Yue asked in horror.
"I don’t know," Xu Zimei suppressed his opponent, then used the Binding Immortal Lock to tie him up inside the room.
He instructed Cai Yue, "Find a place to hide, then keep an eye on him, I’ll go check out other places in the Taoist Temple."
"Be careful," Cai Yue hastily said.
When Xu Zimei stepped out of the chamber, he saw that the original tranquility of the Taoist Temple was broken by various light growls one after another.
Looking around him, he saw several figures in Taoist robes, all bereft of their senses, running forward like Xuan Yu, trying to escape the temple but stopped by the barriers outside.
These barriers seemed to have a special effect, like snow meeting the sun in the early spring of March.
