Chapter 383: Gift from the Mountain God A beautiful porcelain plate, divided into four sections, neatly placed on each of them were chopped chicken legs, gizzards, ribs, and pork heads. In addition to the chicken legs for the braised chicken, the ribs were also selected from the most evenly proportioned sections, and the pork heads were selected from the most evenly fat and lean parts. The junior sister was responsible for chopping them, either into evenly sized pieces or into thin and neat pieces. The four kinds of braised meat were neatly stacked, even the gaps between them were the same, with a braised egg in the middle. Just looking at it you could tell that a lot of thought was put into the arrangement. It's not just today. In fact, it’s like this every time. Generally speaking, the mountain god is the deity of Mount Yishan. The nine of me and my fellow disciples, including my master and Fuqiu Guan, have been residents of the mountain for generations, relying on him for protection and safety. To put it simply, they are guests. Leaving the good things for guests is the way of hospitality passed down from generation to generation in this land. Although the oil-braising method consumes more oil and is more troublesome, its advantage is that the aroma is more intense and the taste is better. And when it is just out of the pot and is still steaming, the aroma is even more tempting. "Respect the mountain god..." Lin Jue lit a stick of incense, bowed respectfully, and then said:

"Mountain God, I have something to ask you: "I am learning how to carve beans into weapons. Fortunately, I have found a giant named Longbo who is willing to help me. I need to carve a body for it. I have already prepared the spiritual gold for armor and weapons, but it is too huge. I need to find a piece of high-quality spiritual wood that is two feet taller than a human and more than two feet wide to support its body and spirit. Such spiritual wood is really hard to find. I have no choice but to ask the mountain god where I can find it..." "call……" A cool mountain breeze blew, and the incense sticks quickly burned out. The green smoke first flew up to the sky, then rolled back down and penetrated into the ground of Yishan Mountain. The breeze was also silent, just carrying the offerings up and flying deep into the mountains. The world became quiet. "Thank you, mountain god..." Although Lin Jue did not receive any revelation, since the mountain god had accepted the sacrifice, he would naturally tell him. Reassured, he turned around and saw that the three Taoist children standing at the kitchen door all turned their heads to stare at him. Even though the two older ones had seen it many times, they still thought this scene was very magical, and their clear dark eyes were flashing with surprise and yearning. Lin Jue returned to the kitchen and smiled gently. "I'll show you my skills!" He picked up the kitchen knife, looked at the ingredients on the stove, and said to his junior sister: "Junior sister, please remember this." The junior sister nodded solemnly as if facing a formidable enemy. Transportation is inconvenient in the cold winter, and the food available in the mountains is very limited, so the richness and freedom of the food are bound to be restricted. However, when you are in the mountains and villages, you also have your own way of eating. There is no shortage of wild delicacies in the mountains, including plenty of pheasants and wild rabbits, and fish can be caught with sticks from the Jinyu Creek. During the Chinese New Year, pigs are slaughtered at the foot of the mountain. The bustle of the market lasts until noon. The brothers go down the mountain to buy things early in the morning. This land has never lacked wise people. No matter how hard life is, the people will find ways to make it more glorious. In the cold winter, there are not many vegetables, so they plant whatever grows, and use various methods to preserve the vegetables grown in spring, summer and autumn, leaving them for the cold winter and for future generations. So Lin Jue asked his eldest brother to dig young ginger and use it to cook wild rabbits from the mountains. He also asked his second eldest brother to get some magical plants from the mountains and add the bought dried shiitake mushrooms to stew wild chickens from the mountains. I asked the seventh brother to select some pork belly and cut it into strips. I fried some crispy pork with pepper and sesame sauce first. The people in the kitchen, no matter if they were human or not, even the small dog lying at the door, had to be fed one. As for the Taoists who were bored and making tea in the yard, they had to wait until the table was served. I don’t know if there is any left on the table.

Dried bamboo shoots are cooked with bacon, small miscellaneous fish are braised in brown sauce, pickled mustard greens are used to make braised pork with preserved vegetables, and cured spare ribs can be served after being steamed. Even though we are in the mountains, we try to make the meal as rich as possible. But it’s hard for the little junior sister, she can’t remember it at all. There was a burst of tinkling sounds, and the room was filled with the smell of fireworks. "All right! Serve the food!" These four words were like a relief to her. She immediately put down the paper and pen in her hand and started serving the dishes. Fuyao and Caili sat in front of the stove, looking at each other, both puzzled as to why the meal was only served now when they were almost full. Looking at the three little Taoist children, it seems to be the same. The only difference is that they sit in front of the stove to warm themselves and do nothing, while the three little Taoist boys study diligently and then serve the dishes diligently. Dishes were served on the table, steaming hot. With the addition of rice wine from the mountain, pine needle honey water, and a group of Taoist priests surrounding the table, the flavor of the New Year was immediately there. "Ah~~" The fox and the raccoon yawned lazily and walked over. “Dinner is finally served!” "Thank you, Junior Brother!" "It's snowing heavily down there. Let me light a fire under the plate so the food doesn't get cold." "..." Yes, Taoists know Taoism and have more magic and freedom than the people living down the mountain. Although it had not snowed in the mountains at this time, it was very cold in the courtyard. There was a layer of white snow on the pine branches. Facing the snowy scenery of Yishan Mountain, it was difficult for ordinary people to eat in such a place. Even if they came to eat, the food would be cold after just a few bites. Those who practice Taoism don’t worry about these things. "Eh?" said the fourth brother, "Why are Fuyao, Xiaohua, and the cat in the temple all so confused?" "Huh?" Senior Brother Seven was also surprised, "Why do these fried pieces of meat need to be served on such a big plate?" "They are well fed in the kitchen." Lin Jue answered two questions with the same sentence. Then he walked to the side and uncovered the Zhenzi. The hot steam and the aroma of rice hit him. He scooped half a basin of rice into a large basin, scooped a few spoonfuls of fish soup from the pickled fish, and quickly stirred it a few times. It became a bowl of rice soaked with oil, fish flavor and fish meat. "Don't worry about them. I'll scoop a bowl of fish soup for each of them. They'll be almost done after they finish eating!" Fuyao's bowl, Caili's bowl, a pile of cat bowls, a dog bowl, and Clouded Leopard's stone basin were lined up in a row. Lin Jue bent over and distributed rice to each of them. This New Year's Eve is the busiest for him. "You two, why don't you transform quickly? Look at Ji Yin, Ji Yang, and Xiao Ling Xiao. They all know to help with the cooking, but you can't even grow hands." Lin Jue said as he distributed food.

The fox and the cat looked at each other. "By the way, I went to Xianyuan Temple a few days ago and heard that Taoist Master Wangjizi had recruited a few new disciples. When will Ji Yin and Ji Yang start practicing Taoism?" the little junior sister asked. "After the spring begins." The eldest brother replied, "I have agreed with Taoist Master Wangjizi that after the spring begins, the disciples of Xianyuan Temple will come to our place to listen to the sutras and preach the Dharma." "Big Brother wants to preach!" "There is no way." "Big Brother has become Dao Master Wangjizi!" "What nonsense..." "As for you guys, you have been down the mountain for a few years now. Do you have any plans to find a disciple to inherit your legacy?" "By the way, Senior Brother, when will Dahei in the Taoist temple give birth? My Hongye Temple now has chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, sheep, and cats. The only thing missing is a dog!" "..." Everyone chatted and enjoyed the meal. Several little Taoist children were used to a hard life, so they used the stewed fish soup to soak their rice, and the aroma of the stew made them very satisfied. The younger sister followed the way of the senior brothers feeding cats and dogs and soaked the rice in fish soup. Some senior brothers used bowls to serve rice, and put braised fish, dried bamboo shoots, bacon, spare ribs, braised pork, and pickled mustard greens into the bowls, mixed them together and ate them with big mouthfuls. Everyone has their own way of eating and the chat is very casual. The sky darkened and my stomach was full. It’s no longer Lin Jue’s business at this point. Lin Jue just felt warm all over. Feeling sleepy, he sat in the yard with his junior sister, letting his senior brothers clean up the leftovers and busy themselves with washing dishes in the kitchen. Lin Jue said that the capital city must be very lively tonight, and the junior sister said that Yi County was also very lively. The senior brother who had finished washing the dishes behind him came over and said that the mountains were not necessarily less lively than the foot of the mountain. A dim yellow light illuminates the ancient pine trees and the courtyard. The clouded leopard eyes on the pine branches were like colored glass, reflecting the figure of the Taoist in the courtyard. Some people waved their sleeves and danced like a flaming dragon, spinning and flying in the air, making the yard flicker and warmer; some people rubbed grass into fireflies, which flew around the yard and sparkled; some people used wheat ears and dry grass to turn into butterflies, which filled the yard, and even if the butterfly was full and sleepy, it could not help but raise its claws to catch it. There were also Taoists who waved their sleeves to create fireworks that exploded in the sky. At this moment, no one had any worries in their hearts. Clouded Leopard lowered his head and saw the three little Taoist boys looking up with even more surprise in their eyes than his own. …… At midnight that day, Lin Jue was meditating in the house when he suddenly heard a rumbling sound like thunder coming from the back mountain. Lin Jue went out and saw something falling from the sky. "boom!" The floor of the Taoist temple was smashed and lifted up.

Looking closely, it turned out to be a piece of spiritual wood. Lin Jue couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. Originally, I asked the mountain god for help, hoping that he would point out a direction and location so that I could find it myself. He thought that he might get it easily. After all, the God of Yishan was really generous and he had made many offerings and sacrifices to him. Spiritual wood was precious to a cultivator like himself, but it was worthless to a being like the God of Yishan. He thought the mountain god would tell him in a dream or send a messenger to take him to find it, but he didn't expect that the mountain god would send it to him directly. This piece of spiritual wood is about ten feet long and three feet wide, covered in mud. I don't know where it was dug out from deep in the mountain pit. However, it has a strong spiritual charm, even a mist surrounding it, which shows that it is extraordinary. Reach out and touch it, it's harder than iron. "Floating ironwood..." The spiritual charm is so strong, it must be tens of thousands of years old! This is a superior spiritual wood that is only inferior to the Danguo wood and the Changsheng wood, and this kind of thing is not constant. An ordinary pear tree can become a spirit after a thousand years and become the ancestor of the pear demon, which can also be compared to the Danguo wood. And if this ten thousand year old floating iron wood can become a spirit, I am afraid it is also a great demon or even a demon king. At this moment, in terms of spiritual charm, it is much stronger than the Danguo wood that Lin Jue has seen. Lin Jue was startled and quickly saluted towards Ye Zhong. "Thank you, mountain god." The lights in the Taoist temple's chapel were lit one by one, and for some reason, the Taoists came out to check. Lin Jue persuaded them to go back one by one. I was already happy to spend the New Year with my brother, and now that I have obtained this piece of spiritual wood, I feel relieved and my mood is much better. This was like a New Year's gift from the mountain god. It is also a reward for many years of courtesy. (End of this chapter)