Chapter 82: Spring Peach Blossoms The snow in Yishan continued to fall until February, but it became thinner and thinner. In the end, only when the weather was very bad would some snowflakes float in the sky. The Yishan that was like a snowy wonderland in winter was no longer visible. Only then does spring arrive in the mountains. The constable named Pan Yi went up the mountain again in person, just in time for a light snowy day, and brought back the interrogation and verdict of the warrior. Nothing came out. In addition, every few days, the Taoists of Fuqiu Temple had to do hard labor at the foot of Jiandao Peak next door, repairing the temple for the Taoists of Jiandao Peak. No one could escape except Yunhe Taoist. However, the brothers worked together without distinction, chatting and laughing while working, which was undoubtedly interesting. As for hard work, it was definitely not hard at all. Soon after spring arrives, the mountains are covered with peach and pear blossoms. Picking a free day and beautiful spring weather, the Taoists from Fuqiu Temple took food and wine, went up to the depths of the peach blossoms in the mountains, and sat down to enjoy the spring. On the ground were braised pork, salted meat, and Lin Jue's steamed brown sugar cake, as well as rice wine brewed by the third senior brother. The sky was full of peach blossoms, and a slender fox was lying on a peach tree branch with a fluffy tail hanging down. The junior sister was holding a colorful civet cat and concentrating on eating with her head down. "How is your magic practice going?"
Taoist Yunhe was holding a steamed cake, with a long beard covered with steamed cake crumbs, and asked. "Master, I don't know how deep my cultivation is, but I have never slacked off in my practice." Lin Jue replied, "As for magic, I have learned fire magic and alchemy from my second senior brother, and I will soon learn bean soldiers." "Master, I feel the same way. The road I've built is almost over the first mountain. If I hadn't gone to help Fourth Aunt build the temple, I would have already crossed it." The younger sister followed Lin Jue and said, but she couldn't help but look at Lin Jue in confusion. How come she learned one subject while her senior brother learned two, and their progress was not slow at all. After thinking about it, I can only add one more sentence: "I studied swordsmanship very seriously with my third senior brother, and he always praised me for my talent!" "Don't talk about this. The spring is so beautiful today, and the mountains are full of peach blossoms. Why talk about this if you don't want to drink?" The third brother held the wine jar in one hand, and poured wine for everyone. While pouring the wine, he shook his head and muttered happily, "Wine is a magical medicine that can drive away all kinds of cold. Wine is a life-extending powder that can relieve three thousand troubles..." Taoist Yunhe was also in a good mood and didn't care. He grabbed the meat to eat and drank from the cup. Lin Jue felt an itch behind his head. He turned around and saw that it was his little fox's tail that was dangling and shaking unconsciously. Lin Jue patted it and raised his glass to drink. Although the Third Senior Brother drinks all day long, and he brings him to the Taoist temple to add wine to the table from time to time, in fact, the alcohol content of the wine he brews is very low, whether it is fruit wine or rice wine, it has no strength. Moreover, this man is good at brewing wine, and the wine he brews is neither astringent nor bitter, but often sweet. Lin Jue and the Little Junior Sister drink it and treat it as sweet water. When he got excited, the seventh brother picked a peach blossom and threw it into the sky, and it turned into a pink butterfly. Everyone looked in that direction. It really looks like a butterfly—— The leaf stem attached to the flower became the butterfly's body, the stamens became the butterfly's head and antennae, and the petals became the butterfly's wings, flying over people's heads and between peach branches. The colorful fox couldn't tell the difference and was only attracted by the butterfly. It left the arms of its junior sister and jumped up and down to try to catch it, but failed to catch it after trying for a long time. Instead, when the butterfly flew past in front of the fox, the fox stretched out its hand and caught it naturally, then threw it to the colorful fox carefully. When the butterfly lands, it's just a few petals. Senior Brother Seven held the wine glass and smiled. Lin Jue undoubtedly felt the charm of theatrics. At this moment, this really became the magic he wanted to learn the most. "Now it's peach and pear blossoms, and in a few days, the azaleas in the mountains will also bloom." Taoist Yunhe said, "Yishan has beautiful scenery in every season. After seeing the azaleas this season, you two have seen a round of it." "It's only been a year." Lin Jue sighed.
"It's only been a year!" the junior sister imitated him. "Junior sister, don't forget to pick some peach blossoms for me after you finish drinking. Then you can drink peach blossom wine in a few days." "Remember that, brother." "You bastard, let your junior sister do your own thing!" Taoist Yunhe glanced at him, "What did you say about me just now?" Taoists pursue spontaneity and freedom, so naturally they call themselves whatever they want. After the laughter, the brothers asked Lin Jue what vegetables he would plant this year, what poultry and livestock he would raise, and plan the meals for the coming year. Lin Jue occasionally mentioned the names of a few dishes while lying down, and a few brief descriptions could make them salivate and look forward to it. As they were chatting, there was a sudden movement. The fox lying on the tree was almost asleep, but suddenly turned its head and looked into the distant sky. Among the many Taoists on the mountain, only Taoist Yunhe turned his head. The sky was full of mountain wind, peach blossoms were dancing, and in the middle a paper crane was flying with the wind. Everyone noticed Taoist Yunhe's gaze and turned to look, vaguely thinking that it was another trick played by Senior Brother Seven. But I saw a paper crane circling in the air, as if looking for something, then it aimed at the people below, shook a few times and fell down. Taoist Yunhe raised his hand and caught it. Lin Jue vaguely saw the spiritual light on the paper crane, but it disappeared immediately after it landed on the ground. Taoist Yunhe didn't seem surprised and just opened it. The other brothers also looked at him curiously. "Are you here to deliver a letter? Where did the letter come from? This kind of magic can actually bypass the Yishan Mountain God!" "It was sent from Mingzhao Mountain. They said that this year's grand ceremony will be held at Mingzhao Mountain during the Mid-Autumn Festival." Taoist Yunhe said after reading it, "I hope we can attend it." "Grand Ceremony?" Lin Jue suddenly thought of the Qiyun Mountain Taoist meeting that the city's magicians traveled thousands of miles to attend last spring, which was actually a kind of grand ceremony. He couldn't help but ask: “Is the grand ceremony held every year?” "No, there is no fixed number. Some are longer, some are shorter." Taoist Yunhe handed the paper to the eldest brother and explained to Lin Jue, "Although there is no fixed time, it takes a lot of manpower and financial resources to hold a grand ceremony. For example, 20 years ago, it usually took four to five years, or five to six years to hold a grand ceremony." Lin Jue didn't ask any more questions. After being on the mountain for so long, he already knew that fasting and offering sacrifices were actually a solemn ritual of the Fulu Sect, the purpose of which was to worship the gods and pray for peace and prosperity in the country and good weather. Taoist temples of the famous Lingfa sect will also receive invitations. Firstly, they are all Taoist friends after all; secondly, in addition to bowing their heads, the Lingfa sect can also contribute to the peace and prosperity of the country. In addition, the cultivators of the Lingfa School, as well as the independent cultivators and eccentrics in the world, are closed to each other and do not communicate much with each other. The well-known ceremony such as the Dajiao has become a very good communication platform. Everyone can discuss the general situation of the world, make friends, and even exchange magic tools, elixirs and even spells. Everyone gets what they need and will come to the ceremony to attract people. The grand ceremony, which used to be held only once every four to five years or five to six years, was now being held a second time only a year and a half later. It must be because the country was in turmoil and the people were uneasy, and the weather was not smooth, so people were willing to spend money on it. "What kind of spell is that?" Lin Jue looked at the paper crane curiously and asked. I kind of regretted not reaching out to take it just now.
"Origami is also considered a trick," Senior Brother Seven answered casually, "but it is used by the Talisman School." "What's the difference?" "There is no essential difference. They are both origami tricks. It's just that the Taoist priests of the talisman school don't know this magic themselves. They borrow the power of gods. Yes, and they borrow the power of gods who specialize in this magic. It can be understood as one or more of the people who have the deepest attainments in this magic in the world. Therefore, they can fly tens or hundreds of miles at a close distance, or thousands or tens of thousands of miles at a far distance. They can reach wherever the divine power radiates." "What about the Lingfa sect?" "We don't have the magic of origami in our Taoist temple. But even if you know it, it won't fly far if you have little attainment. If you have deep attainments, it can fly far. But if you want it to find its target accurately, you still have to ask for the help of the gods, or catch a ghost or ask a residual soul to show you the way." "The talisman school still has a lot of advantages..." "But there is more to it than that." Senior Brother Seven said with a smile, "If an ordinary cultivator folds paper and comes back, even if there is a ghost to guide the way, he can find our Fuqiu Peak, but he will not be able to pass the test of the Yishan Mountain God." "Do all the monks of the Talisman Sect know this trick?" "Of course not. It depends on which deity you worship, whether the deity you worship has this skill, and whether the deity you worship is the one who specializes in this way." The seventh senior brother said, "Qiyun Mountain does not worship a deity who specializes in this way, but they also have other abilities. For example, last year, they were Qingji, who was under the command of Lord Yili, the imperial messenger, to deliver the letter." "Qingji..." "A kind of spirit that can travel a thousand miles a day." "Are we going then?" Everyone looked at Taoist Yunhe. "Ahem, alas, it's a rare occasion for a grand ceremony to be held, so we naturally have to go. Moreover, if we don't go to the grand ceremony at this time, we will probably be accused by fellow Taoists of being indifferent to the world." The old Taoist paused and said: "But I am old, and Mingzhuo Mountain is a bit far, so I can't walk anymore. Alas, the world is in chaos now, and you never know what will happen down there, so you guys shouldn't all leave the temple. There's not much for us to do in this kind of fasting and offering sacrifices, so we just want to join in the fun. Then ask a senior brother to take you two there, so you can see what level other spiritual practitioners in the world are at, and what abilities these strange people have." "understood……" Lin Jue and his junior sister both nodded. After this matter was settled, many Taoists put it behind them and continued to eat, drink and chat as if they had no worries. Only the youngest sister was obsessed with picking peach blossoms. She picked half a basketful before she finished eating them. Then she came back and sat down to listen to the conversation of her senior brothers. Before they knew it, everyone and the fox were covered with flowers. I think this is the path of spiritual practice in the hearts of the people living down the mountain, and this is the casual and natural life of spiritual practice. Back to the Taoist temple, I just made wine with pine flowers and boiled tea with spring water. During the peaceful days, there were cold rains in the morning and winds in the evening, and the flowers in the forest quickly withered. The sacred plants in the mountains also bloomed. It bears fruit in early summer. At first, there were more than twenty fruits. When they grew to the size of a fingernail and could be seen as fruits, but it was also apparent that no other fruits would appear, the spirits in the mountains picked some and discarded them. Most of them were underdeveloped or stuck together, leaving seventeen. There are a total of fourteen monsters in the mountains, plus Lin Jue, the little junior sister and the fox, there are exactly seventeen in total. Lin Jue didn't expect that they would also thin out the fruits. His counting ability is also better than that of the fellow Taoist from Jiandao Peak. (End of this chapter)
