Chapter 1 The Beginning
The first stop was a famous scenic spot in the country, also a place of Taoist inheritance: Mount Longhu.
On Mount Longhu, there was an old Taoist priest who had lived for 120 years. His strength was at the level of "seeing the divine and not being harmed," an immortal elder and a senior figure in Taoism.
Gu Yuan looked at Mount Longhu before him.
Zhang Daoling, the founder of Zhengyi Dao, once refined elixirs here. Legend has it that "as the elixir was formed, dragons and tigers appeared," and the mountain got its name. Among them, Tianmen Mountain is the highest, with an altitude of 1300 meters.
Mount Longhu is famous for two reasons: one is its beautiful and charming landscape, and the other is the influence of being the ancestral court of the Tianshi sect of Taoism. As the poet Zuo Hesui wrote: "Jade waters and red clouds cradle tigers and dragons, hidden celestial courts in blessed lands. Even if Daoling's divine steps are far, demons still fear his ferocity." When people mention Taoism, they often think of Mount Longhu, known as the "Taoist Capital."
"Heh heh, Mount Longhu," Gu Yuan chuckled and followed the crowd towards the summit.
His movements were extremely fast. The pedestrians around only saw a figure flash by, and most people felt a momentary blur. However, those with some martial arts background could immediately recognize that this was a person of extremely high skill. Amazement flashed through their minds, mixed with confusion as to why such a master would come to Mount Longhu.
Gu Yuan's steps were swift, and within a few minutes, he arrived at a Taoist temple roughly halfway up the mountain (in this parallel world, some differences are normal).
A young Taoist priest was greeting tourists with a smile. Gu Yuan could see at a glance that the young priest had a strong physique and moved with a certain method, clearly having practiced martial arts. Given his age, he was undoubtedly a disciple of a powerful martial artist.
Gu Yuan mused for a moment, then moved his body, placing his palm on the young Taoist's shoulder. The young priest turned back in surprise, only to see Gu Yuan's handsome, smiling face.
He quickly turned and asked, "Layman, may I ask if you need something?"
Gu Yuan said with a smile, "Little Taoist, please call your elder to come. Tell them someone from the Martial Pavilion is here to visit."
The young Taoist looked a bit bewildered, clearly not knowing what the Martial Pavilion was, but he nodded nonetheless.
"Go ahead, I'll wait for you here."
A few minutes later, the young Taoist led a tall Taoist priest. As the latter approached Gu Yuan, Gu Yuan deliberately exuded his aura. As expected, the tall Taoist priest looked at Gu Yuan with some shock in his eyes. After bowing, he cautiously asked, "May I ask, layman, what important matter brings you to our Mount Longhu?"
"Nothing of the sort, I just wish to meet the old Taoist priest of your Mount Longhu."
Gu Yuan replied with a smile.
The tall Taoist priest before him only had the cultivation of Hua Jin. He might be very powerful in the outside world, but to Gu Yuan, he was just a flick of the wrist.
The Taoist priest secretly thought, indeed. For years, every powerful martial artist who came to Mount Longhu had only one purpose: to meet the extremely senior Taoist priest in the back mountain.
The tall Taoist priest nodded and said, "Then please follow me, layman."
Only top forces, such as the Martial Pavilion where Gu Yuan belonged, knew about the existence of the old Taoist priest. Those who could know about the old Taoist priest's strength were basically forces no less powerful than the Martial Pavilion.
They passed through various Taoist temples, and Gu Yuan could clearly feel that the air in the back mountain was much fresher than in the front. People who lived here for a long time naturally became healthier, their lifespans greatly extended, and they didn't fall ill easily.
Finally, the human presence grew scarcer, with only a winding path extending into the depths of the forest.
At this point, the tall Taoist priest stopped and said to Gu Yuan, "Layman, you can reach there by following this path. I will not accompany you further; you will have to go on your own."
Gu Yuan nodded. His body seemed to teleport, covering three meters with each step as he advanced along the path.
Seeing Gu Yuan's almost supernatural way of moving, the tall Taoist priest felt fortunate that he hadn't made things difficult for him, as he would have surely suffered.
Gu Yuan continued on his way, finally arriving before an old, dilapidated courtyard. Although the courtyard looked worn, it was kept very clean and tidy.
"Cough, cough, who is it?" an aged voice sounded from within the house.
"A seeker of the Tao!"
To all my esteemed readers, hello, I am Xiao Mu. Recently, due to content variations that have caused reader displeasure, I understand your concerns very well, but I am also helpless. I will explain here.
As of now, my writing has improved slightly, but not by much. In the past half-month, I've earned little more than four to five hundred yuan in royalties. Yet, I publish every day, even if the content differs, because I aim for the full attendance bonus, which is six hundred yuan for four thousand characters daily. This money constitutes one-third of my income. Tell me, should I not pursue it?
These past few days, due to a death in my family, my mood has been such that I cannot focus on writing. Even if I did, the output would be unreadable, utter garbage. Coupled with the start of the school semester, I took a three-hour high-speed train and over an hour's subway ride to reach school today, carrying a heavy suitcase. I woke up at five in the morning to pack. Combined with school registration matters and family affairs, I truly had no other choice.
After all, six hundred yuan is almost my entire monthly living expenses. I do not write novels out of pure passion; I write to earn money. If this book truly has no readers, I will cut it immediately. For a few hundred yuan a month, what am I writing for? It's precisely because of the full attendance bonus that I can continue writing. I hope for your understanding. This situation will not recur. I have returned to normal schooling and will update daily. I hope all readers will pay more attention to me. Thank you.