Chapter 1457 - 789: Though the Immortal’s Trail Is Elusive

At the treetop, Chang Yuzi suddenly felt something, swiftly raising his head, his gaze like lightning shooting towards the southeast.

Just in that fleeting moment, he sensed an extremely weak aura that vanished almost instantly, so fast that he nearly thought it was an illusion.

"Over there..." Ji Tong also grew tense.

Chang Yuzi did not reply, his figure transforming into a faint shadow of blue as he darted swiftly towards the direction where the aura disappeared, his speed astonishing.

Ji Tong hastily activated his movement technique to follow, yet felt relieved: Master Uncle finally moved, seems he has found something!

However, after only a few leaps, Chang Yuzi's silhouette abruptly halted on a bare stone cliff, ahead was a deeper valley, the mist drifting slowly under the moonlight, all was silent.

That trace of aura had completely vanished, leaving no sign behind.

He stood quietly at the cliff's edge, the mountain wind ruffling his robe, yet unable to disperse the coldness gathering between his brows, after a long time, he slowly closed his eyes, then reopened them, all emotions in his gaze had been concealed.

"Let's go back." He said indifferently, his voice betraying no joy or anger.

"Little Master Uncle, that Spirit Deer..."

"The timing is missed, forcing is of no use." Chang Yuzi interrupted him, his tone still calm, "This deer possesses extraordinary sensitivity, tonight's disturbance will surely make it hide deeply for a short time, this time... it's the poor Daoist's miscalculation."

He said no more, turned and walked away, his blue silhouette quickly fading into the night's forest.

Ji Tong opened his mouth but dared not ask further, merely turning back to glance at the mist-shrouded valley, then at the seeming composure yet heavier than the previous arrival back of Master Uncle, his heart inexplicably felt somewhat empty, hurriedly caught up.

The night was dark as ink, swallowing the mountain and forest, and all greed along with it.

......…

Early the next morning, before daylight fully broke, the shopkeeper of Yuelai Inn was already up, pulling open the door latch, pushing open those two wooden doors.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes, reached behind the counter to fetch those faded red lanterns bearing the characters "Yuelai", stood on a stool, carefully hung them back under the eaves.

The lantern swayed gently in the breeze, as if yawning, announcing a new day at this small inn, welcoming guests once more.

Just as the lanterns were hung, dusted his sleeves, the shopkeeper heard a tinkling sound of bells from the street corner, approaching from afar.

Squinting away, he saw a caravan emerging from the thin mist, slowly advancing.

The pack animals' saddles were bulging with oilcloth-wrapped bundles, tied tightly, there were eight people in total, including a Darts Master and two followers.

They stopped in front of the inn, the elder merchant patted the dust off his robe and addressed in accented official speech, "Shopkeeper, morning! Are there any vacant rooms? Stopping by and lodging, people eat, horses feed, it's all a bother."

"Yes, yes, yes, honored guests please come in! Lead the horses to the trough in the backyard, there are attendants to take care of them. It's so early in the morning, after traveling hard, have a bowl of hot tea to warm up!"

The merchants settled their horses, then filed into the hall, soon hot tea was served, the rough porcelain bowls filled with amber-colored tea, steaming, invigorating!

A few gulps of hot tea dispelled the chill from the mountains, and the merchants began to open up, the elder merchant, known as Zhang Sanhui, sipped tea and lamented with his companions, "This trip after passing the temple went really smoothly, didn't encounter any roadside robbers at all! Oh, that night was so terrifying."

A younger merchant at the same table chimed in, "That night at the temple? Oh, I even dreamt about it."

The merchants started discussing enthusiastically, talking about that rainy night, that wild temple, the guard, and the layman with green robe and silver hairpin...

The shopkeeper was originally flicking an abacus, checking last night's accounts, upon hearing "female crown with green robe and silver hairpin, otherworldly demeanor", his mind stirred, his hand slowed down.

Zhang Sanhui didn't notice the shopkeeper's expression, continuing, "It's truly strange, things the leader of the escort couldn't handle, resolved easily, came back barely wet from rain, Bodhisattvas, Immortal Ladies, heard about it a lot in books, but seeing is the first time in decades!"

"Oh! I remember seeing that Immortal Lady calling upon two or three Jiao Dragons to assist in the rain..."

"I heard the thunder, and the rain was sometimes heavy sometimes light, maybe Thunder Department God General helped out."

The more they talked the more exaggerated the stories became, the more mysterious the memories were.

The shopkeeper listening to this, couldn't bother with the abacus anymore, rounded the counter, leaned in and asked in a lowered voice, "Honored guests, forgive my bold questioning... the layman you encountered, does he appear about twenty years old, extremely handsome, dressed in a plain white Daoist robe, a blue gauze outer garment, with a cloud-patterned hairpin on his head? Is that Mr. Long?"

Zhang Sanhui and his companions were all stunned, exchanged glances.

"How did the shopkeeper know? That Mr. Long indeed claimed to be surnamed Long, the layman's attire... exactly as you said! Could it be the shopkeeper knows them?"

"Not just acquainted!" The shopkeeper slapped his thigh, and his voice involuntarily rose, "That Illuminant Sage and his brother Mr. Long stayed at my humble establishment a while back! No, they rented a small courtyard from me to temporarily reside! Oh, my, it truly is... truly a divine encounter, a divine encounter!"

As he said this, the merchants' spirits were lifted, and they eagerly pursued the details. The shopkeeper did not hold back, recounting vividly how Chen Yi came to rent the "haunted house" courtyard, his initial anxiety, and later witnessing the Sage's divine skills, bestowing talismans for safety, and offering guidance at departure, all in detail and with great relish.

"... The House Protection Talismans bestowed by the Sage—hey, they're truly effective! Placed them behind the counter, and over these few days, inside and outside the shop, no matter how many people come and go, everyone's been safe and sound, even quarrels have reduced significantly!"

The merchants listened, enthralled, and clicked their tongues in wonder. Zhang Sanhui exclaimed in admiration, "So that's how it is! No wonder such demeanor—a genuine master withdrawn from the world, playing amidst the dust. Encountering this celestial visage is a great blessing indeed, and to think the shopkeeper here had the rare opportunity to host the divine presence for several days, even more remarkable!"

"Who would say otherwise!" The shopkeeper, with a face aglow, "In this half a lifetime, I've guarded this little shop, and have seen some strange and gifted people from the South to the North, but never one truly cultivating like the Illuminant Sage!"

In his excitement, the shopkeeper was filled with magnanimity. He turned and confidently instructed the somewhat bewildered staff behind the counter, "Go! Tell the kitchen, today's breakfast for these guests—serve the best! Pickled bamboo shoots, cured meat, red oil dumplings, fermented rice glutinous balls... all on me! And their accommodation costs—waived!"

The staff responded and hurriedly ran towards the kitchen, the merchants initially stunned, then rose one by one to politely decline.

The shopkeeper persistently waved them off, smiling sincerely.

Zhang Sanhui saw the earnestness in the shopkeeper and felt that further refusal would seem pretentious, so he laughed heartily and said, "Since the shopkeeper is so gracious, we will accept it shamelessly, thank you, shopkeeper. We will certainly come to visit when passing by this esteemed place again!"

"Do not thank me; it's all due to the fate brought by the Sage. Someday, I shall find a storyteller to sing here about it well."

For a moment, the inn was filled with a lively atmosphere, steaming hot breakfasts served one after another. The merchants feasted contentedly, the shopkeeper accompanied with a bowl of porridge, listening to the merchants recount more tales from their journeys.

The sunlight gradually climbed higher, illuminating the inn.

The shopkeeper looked at the lively scene before him, listened to the conversations around him, gently feeling the sturdy edge of the talisman, and gazed out at the street awakening outside the door, thinking: Though the immortal traces are faint, the grace still lingers. With this New Year, the blessings have arrived indeed.

.................

The creek water rushed, flowers that bloomed last night scattered today.

The next morning, he again cooked porridge water with white stones, and the White Deer, after drinking, stepped into the mist and left, only leaving a shallow trail of hoof prints among the woods.

Yin Weiyin looked down at his hand, as if still feeling the affectionate nuzzle of the Spirit Deer—truly incredible.

"It might just be the Spirit Deer that the Daoist from Liuyun Palace painstakingly sought with a celestial net all around." Chen Yi said.

The female crown came back to her senses and nodded slightly.

Looking at the trail of footprints on the ground, even she felt some regret for not keeping the deer antler, deer horns, or deer tail.

However, having such thoughts would likely not draw out this Spirit Deer.

Facing the rising sun, Chen Yi stretched lazily, with a slight feeling of reflection, "Having greed means seeking ends in vain."

Yin Weiyin looked at him with some surprise, as if not expecting him to make such remarks, silent for a moment, she slowly spoke, "Thus Taoism values life, advocates transcendent cultivation, to detach from these endless cycles of conflict. Be it Jianghu or courts, all are mundane fiery houses; indulging within is ultimately an illusion."

Surely the cooking of white stones to summon the Spirit Deer last night had quite stunned Chen Yi, causing him to gradually develop an immortal heart.

Yin Weiyin felt exceedingly good-humored, even finding Miss Donggong at the creekside scraping dead skin off her feet much more agreeable. Last night, seeing the Spirit Deer safe and sound, this stupid girl seemed very pleased.

Speaking of last night's porridge, it was originally intended for Miss Donggong.

A while ago, she had mentioned to her the method of cooking stones to achieve immortality.

This method is said to be made by ancient people, and legend tells of a Daoist named Shen Jing who, while wandering to Zhong Mountain, met an old woman, and then cooked stones for ten years, consuming them to return to youth, lighten the body and mind, eventually disappearing without a trace.

This story Yin Weiyin had read when she first entered Taihua Mountain at the Scripture Pavilion, keeping it in mind, particularly remembering the wonderful method of cooking stones to achieve immortality with youth-restoring effects.

Indeed, she felt a slight inclination to help Miss Donggong rejuvenate, to curb the sharpness of this stupid girl.

After all, her Golden Boy preferred bosomy women and had repeatedly despised Tingxue for having a small chest.

However, unexpectedly, in the end, she did not achieve her aim, but rather summoned the Spirit Deer instead.

Yin Weiyin thought it turned out from a small good to a greater good; curbing the stupid girl's sharpness could be done anytime, whereas encountering the Spirit Deer might not happen often.

The Spirit Deer had gone, the sky was perfect, and Chen Yi began tidying up pots and utensils to put back in Square Land. Miss Donggong dried her foot and sniffed it before she put it into her boot. The Spirit Deer having gone, lingering here was no longer beneficial, and coincidentally, Yin Weiyin saw the weather was fine, and the Golden Summit of Emei Mountain was already glittering, so she proposed they climb the mountain.

And go to witness the famed Emei Buddha Light.