Chapter 1, The Sloppy Daoist (Three)

Oh! What a strange place that is, what could have happened there?

Although Jiao Fei is exuberant and unrestrained, his mind is remarkably resolute; under the extraordinary techniques of the old Taoist priest, he did not waver at all

Today, I saw that disheveled Taoist. How could he possibly prevent the stones from falling on him? This left Jiao Fei utterly perplexed.

The old Taoist priest remained silent for a long while, yet a strange light shot from his eyes. Jiao Fei felt as if, under the gaze of this old Taoist, his entire being was pierced through, and his mind was becoming increasingly drowsy

With this thought in mind, Jiao Fei made his way to the small temple with ease. This area had long been familiar to him, having played around here countless times. He could navigate to the small temple even with his eyes closed.

Seeing with his own eyes that the old Taoist actually possessed such supernatural abilities, Jiao Fei hesitated for a moment and thought: "If I go out, what if the old Taoist has ill intentions? But if I continue to hide, not to mention whether I can keep it a secret, wouldn't it be a pity to miss this opportunity to encounter an extraordinary person?"

That night, Jiao Fei, in a daze, fell into a deep sleep without knowing when. By the time he woke up, the sky was already brightening. As soon as he opened his eyes, Jiao Fei hastily put on his clothes and ran out the door, not even responding to his mother calling him for breakfast.

Although Jiao Fei is quite young, he is a person of great decisiveness. Just as the old Taoist was pondering for a moment and was about to leave, Jiao Fei leaped down from the branch and called out loudly from a distance: "Please wait, Daoist!"

This person was quite surprised; this child is not bad at all, managing to withstand my heart-扣 technique. He had originally passed through this place for some business and had no intention of taking on a disciple. However, for some reason, he felt a stir in his heart and said, "You are quite a remarkable child. Although your innate talent is somewhat lacking, your mind is sharp and your spiritual awareness is strong, making you good material for cultivation. If you are truly willing, then come with me, old Daoist!"

The few azure and white electric lights seemed to hesitate for a moment, but suddenly their brilliance surged as they broke free from the entanglement of the dense black mist. They turned and pierced through the air, soaring into the azure clouds, and vanished in an instant

As the blue-white electric light faded, the mist suddenly shrank into a ball, revealing a figure hidden within. Jiao Fei, with his keen eyes, recognized it as the old Taoist priest he had seen the previous day. The old priest waved his large sleeves, drawing the mist into them, then casually patted the stains on his Daoist robe. However, his gaze seemed to intentionally, yet unintentionally, glance towards Jiao Fei's hiding place

As noon had already passed, the old Taoist casually found a flat stone by the roadside and sat down without bothering to brush off the dust. At this moment, his previously indifferent gaze had gained a few more hints of approval.

This time, the old and disheveled Taoist did not leave as he did yesterday; his expression remained expressionless, completely unaware of what thoughts were occupying his mind.

Jiao Fei did not mention a word about the strange occurrence he had just witnessed. This was also his cleverness. The old Taoist priest he had seen earlier was enveloped in black mist, which certainly did not appear to be a legitimate method. However, Jiao Fei only sought to cultivate some extraordinary techniques; whether the master he apprenticed under was a righteous immortal or a malevolent demon was of no concern to him.

Jiao Fei's gaze was sharp. Even before reaching the small temple, he had already seen it shrouded in an incredibly dense black mist. Although he was bold, he was not reckless; he immediately sought out a large tree where he could hide and climbed up. Then, he concealed himself among the lush branches and leaves above.

He did not know how, yet he felt a sense of fear in his heart, while his face remained resolutely composed. He thought to himself: "Could it be that this old Taoist is actually a man-eating monster in disguise, intending to daze me and then cook me slowly? But that doesn't make sense; as a weak child like me, he could easily dispatch me with just a punch or a kick. Why would he need any sorcery?"

Outside the small temple, several streaks of bluish-white light danced like ribbons, resembling flashes of lightning, swirling around a mass of black mist as if attempting to penetrate it. However, that mass of black mist was peculiar. Ordinary clouds and mist scatter at the slightest breeze, yet this mist was condensed as if it were substantial, as dark as ink. No matter how those bluish-white electric lights twisted and turned, there was not the slightest sign of movement.

Jiao Fei is usually very clever and resourceful, but at this moment he was momentarily at a loss. As soon as the old Taoist spoke, he regained his composure and respectfully said: "I saw the Daoist Master yesterday and recognized that he is not of ordinary caliber, and I sincerely wish to learn from him. However, I could not keep up with the old Daoist's swift pace and did not manage to follow. I did not expect to have the fortune of encountering him again today, and I would like to request the old Daoist to take me as a disciple, so that I may cultivate the path of immortality."

In the midst of the chaos in the *Picture* book, the old Taoist priest paid no attention to him and turned around, striding away.

Jiao Fei was left dumbfounded, thinking to himself: "So there really are magical spells in this world. Could this be a battle between immortals and demons? Indeed, they are fighting with great enthusiasm, but unfortunately, I cannot see clearly what they are all fighting about"

Conflicted within, Jiao Fei suddenly gritted his teeth and silently followed the old Taoist, stepping forward.

It was the old, disheveled Taoist priest, his voice hoarse, resembling the sound of worn metal scraping against metal, who first spoke, asking: "Young benefactor, may I ask what you wish to convey to the old priest?"

As the sky transitions from dimness to brightness

Jiao Fei was taken aback; although he was eager to learn some skills from the old Taoist priest, he had never considered running away from home. The implication of the old priest's words was that he wanted to take him away, but how could he explain this to his parents

Jiao Fei ran closer, opened his mouth two or three times, but did not know what to say.

The old Taoist seemed to be in a hurry, only focused on the journey. Jiao Fei, whose constitution was already weak, had been traveling for most of the day and was utterly exhausted. Yet, an inexplicable stubbornness compelled him to persevere.

Believing that his thoughts were quite reasonable, Jiao Fei hurriedly made his way to a long-abandoned temple outside Baishi Town to investigate. Upon leaving the town, Jiao Fei pondered: "There is only one dilapidated small temple nearby. Although it has fallen into disrepair over the years, it still serves as a place to rest. That old Taoist priest must be spending the night there! Since Meng Tianzhu and her sisters are unwilling to take me to cultivate immortality, it would be better to try my luck with this Taoist priest. Everyone says that once a person attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven, achieving immortality and boundless magical powers. How could that be worse than toiling through life, only to end up returning to the void, leaving behind nothing but an illusion?"

I wonder what the background of that Daoist is? It seems that from the words of sisters Yue Qinghan and Meng Tianzhu, they recognize this Daoist, but their relationship is not very harmonious. Could he be a malevolent spirit or even a monster that has attained sentience? Having read many idle tales of gods and demons, Jiao Fei's young mind is filled with increasingly strange thoughts, and the speculations surrounding the old Daoist have become even more peculiar.

Jiao Fei spent a restless night lost in thought, yet it reminded him of something. "Where would that old, disheveled Taoist go to rest after leaving Baishi Town in the middle of the night? There are no houses within dozens of miles outside Baishi Town"