Chapter 4 Where is the immortal path to longevity? (Thanks to the leader of the group "No. 5431") “Virtue… "Five Qi... "The method of soothing the soul..." Lin Jue's mind was in a daze. When he recalled what happened last night, it seemed like an illusion or a dream. Then he slowly walked back to the ancestral hall. It was just before dawn, and the sky was not yet completely bright. The sky outside was blue and the east was beginning to turn white, but the ancestral hall was still dark and the ground was pitch black. Not knowing what to do, he casually looked down and could vaguely discern debris such as rubble and bricks, and it seemed that there were also things left by the man last night. However, the ancestral hall was empty, and there was nothing he should take away, and there was no need to stay any longer, so he did not look closely, picked up his bedding and tucked it under his ribs, picked up the hatchet, took the oil lamp, and walked out. My steps couldn't help but feel a little light. After leaving the ancestral hall, he walked along the alley outside. Not far out of the alley, suddenly a door of a house opened, and a man came out and looked at him in surprise.

"Good boy! Did you really stay overnight?" "..." Lin Jue turned to look at this person, but he didn't recognize him. After thinking for a while, he realized that it should be the Wang family who helped monitor whether they really spent the night in the ancestral hall, so he said: "Roughly the same……" "I'll take you to see the master!" After saying that, he reached out and took the thing from Lin Jue's hand. Lin Jue gave him whatever he wanted. Finally, when he heard him say "Follow me", he followed him. The sky became brighter with every step we took. By the time we returned to Mr. Wang’s old house, the sun had risen from the east and the morning light had passed over the mountain. Old Master Wang had woken up long ago and was still sitting on the armchair in the main hall, drinking his morning tea and watching them. He listened to the man talk about Lin Jue, probably to confirm that he had really stayed in the ancestral hall for one night. Old Master Wang couldn't help but be surprised and looked at Lin Jue with the cup in hand. "Did you really sleep in there all night?" "Reply to old sir, I have never left." Lin Jue looked at the old man and the spacious hall, and finally came to his senses and emerged from that state of confusion. It feels like I'm still in a dream. "That guy ran away in the middle of the night, but you didn't run away?" "Didn't run away..." "I really misjudged you!" "..." "Why are you so listless? Did you not sleep all night, or were you mesmerized by the things in the ancestral hall?" The old man turned to look at a woman beside him, "How do you entertain guests? Pour a cup of tea for the guests, too."

"neither." Lin Jue shook his head and replied truthfully. "What's going on?" "It just feels like a dream..." "So, you saw that thing last night?" Old Master Wang couldn't help but put down his teacup. "We've dealt with him..." Lin Jue recalled the small figure he saw this morning, as well as the blurry figure in his dream last night that he had long forgotten. He shook his head and said, "I've never seen his true face." "Everyone here is a guest. Don't stand there. Sit down next to me and tell me in detail what happened last night. Tell me how you spent the night." "..." Since there really are ghosts and monsters in the world, this old man with a high reputation should have seen them in his life for decades, so he was not too panicked when he knew that ghosts and monsters had come to his ancestral hall. But three people stayed overnight in the ancestral hall. One old man didn't see any ghosts and monsters at all. Given his personality, he might say that there were no ghosts and monsters here after he left. Another man slept all night and woke up at dawn. It is very likely that this old man Wang didn't know who the person who came to his ancestral hall was and what he looked like. The woman brought Lin Jue a cup of tea. Lin Jue thanked her and took a sip. The sharp bitterness, chrysanthemum fragrance and various flavors suddenly hit his taste buds, making him feel much more sober. "Don't worry, old sir. He left this morning. I think your temple will be worry-free from now on." "Leave?" "Exactly." "Oh? Why is that? Explain in detail!" "Last night we..." Lin Jue told him everything truthfully. Gradually, more and more people came into the main room, mostly descendants of high status or favored people in the family. They opened their eyes wide when they heard it. There were also some people gathered outside the door, all clinging to the door frame, with the same look of curiosity on their faces. Lin Jue patiently told the story slowly. Just questioning, no interruptions. Forced to speak in more detail. There was only held breath, surprised looks, and at most some scrutinizing looks, but no direct questioning. "Finally I woke up and it was almost daybreak." After Lin Jue finished speaking seriously, he sat there without moving. Old Master Wang at the seat was silent, still thinking about what the monster said to Lin Jue at the end. "..." In the end, he didn't say anything, but just picked up the teacup and took a sip, then looked at Lin Jue again: "If that thing is really gone, our Wang family has to thank you." "It's hard to say that." Lin Jue thought about it again, and said honestly, "The reason why he left today was because of the old gentleman's reward, which made him restless. Then, the old man and the butcher in the county town, two people who are not easy to mess with, came in, making him feel that the trouble was difficult to deal with. Until I came here, it was just that the time had finally come. But it was not just the result of my last fire." "Ha ha……"

Old Master Wang smiled when he heard this, but asked, "How old are you this year?" "Just passed the 15th." "It's so rare..." Old Master Wang nodded repeatedly, then thought for a moment: "Today, you didn't lie, and that thing didn't lie to you either, and it left completely. In any case, it's your contribution that counts the most. "Since that demon ghost knows that you are filial to your uncle, our Wang family is also well-known here, so we are naturally not inferior to a demon ghost. Moreover, we are from neighboring villages. Your family is in such a difficult situation. If we have the spare capacity, it is reasonable for us to help. "Well, since you two stayed here last night and you were the only one who didn't leave, I will give you the other reward as a reward. In addition, your uncle's medical treatment will also be borne by our Wang family. "how do you feel?" After listening to the conversation between Lin Jue and the monster in the ancestral hall, Old Master Wang suddenly changed from being arrogant to being more respectful of Lin Jue, and now he actually turned his head to look at him inquiringly. "Thank you, old sir." Lin Jue quickly stood up and saluted. Being humble is being humble, being honest is being honest, this matter cannot be shirked. Old Master Wang looked at him, and the more he looked and thought about him, the more he felt that he was unusual, so he said, "Change it into twenty taels of silver for him to carry with him." "Thank you, old sir." "Don't rush back. We in the Wang family have a table of delicious food to treat you. Be sure to eat before you leave." "I appreciate that. My family must be worried about you if you don't come back overnight. Besides, my uncle is ill in bed and suffering. My aunt and cousin are taking care of him at his bedside, which is hard work. How can I dare to eat good food here?" Lin Jue immediately declined. "Good." Old Master Wang still smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Then prepare the food and drinks and send them to your house later." "It is better to obey than to be respectful..." "If you need any help in the future, just come and visit us." "Thank you, old sir." Lin Jue had nothing to say so he could only thank him repeatedly. After a night of trance, three pieces of honeycomb silver were placed in his arms, each weighing ten taels. The extra piece was used to buy medicine for him. It was so heavy that it pulled at his coarse cloth. When Lin Jue walked out of the Wang family's house under the bright sunlight, he felt an indescribable sense of possession. I walked back to Shu Village with floating steps. The sense of fantasy caused by last night's experience was not dispersed by the sense of achievement and possession of money. Instead, it became stronger and more wonderful as time went by. There is also a sense of unreality, as if from another world. On the way into the village, I passed by Xiaqiao Pavilion and turned the corner, and saw the village elder and the group of children again. Maybe it was because he hardly slept last night, maybe it was because fighting the demons took up too much of his energy, or maybe it was because he just saw the strange side of this world and felt tired. Lin Jue stopped involuntarily, leaned against the wall, and stared in that direction. The village elder still tells lies.

The children continued to listen attentively. The story also reached Lin Jue's ears, and all of a sudden, along with all the stories he had heard before, all came to his mind. Foxes, ghosts, good and evil, and gods. Cultivation of Taoism, magic, immortality, and longevity. A golden pill ascends to heaven; An evil thing happened. Half true and half false, seeming real and illusory, it only exists in people's mouths. The charm of this kind of stories is really hard to describe in words only. I'm afraid that kind of charm can only be felt with the heart. It is not thrilling, nor strictly rational, but it is strange and romantic, with moving imagery. Lin Jue couldn't help but stand here, listening blankly, but he couldn't help thinking about that question in his mind - What kind of world is this? Since there are monsters in the world, are there also ghosts? If there are ghosts, are there also gods and Buddhas, and Taoist practices? Are there also the three thousand worlds mentioned by Buddhists, and the free and long life mentioned by Taoists? So how should I find it? Where is the path to immortality? Where can I find the so-called method to comfort the soul? …… I don't know how I got back home, saw my aunt, and also went to see my uncle. I briefly told them what happened last night and the thirty taels of silver. Amid my aunt's worried instructions, I finally returned to my room. The room is simple, but it is a place of peace of mind. As soon as I lay down, I was thinking and feeling dizzy, but suddenly I felt something was wrong. Looking back—— I don't know when an ancient book appeared next to it. No book title. It's a strange book. Lin Jue was stunned for a moment, and suddenly remembered that when he got up and went out this morning and returned to the ancestral hall, he seemed to have seen something like a book in the dark. It was square, but it was dim at the time and he couldn't see it clearly. He thought it might be left by the man last night. In addition, his head was groggy and full of thoughts, so he didn't care about it. He just took the bedding, hatchet and oil lamp and left. I don't know if it's the same one. Lin Jue couldn't help but pick it up. "Wow..." I flipped through the book and found it was completely blank. Only the first page has words. reads: 吐气 A method commonly used by goblins, ghosts and gods.

(End of this chapter)