A Tale of Encounters with Immortals: A Peach Blossom Temple in the Martial World

The neighboring county of Daoxian is also called Linxian.

Legend has it that a fairy descended to earth without permission and stopped at a lake in Jiaozi Mountain in a neighboring county. She was delighted by the crystal-clear water and went down to bathe in it.

As a result, a cowherd stole her clothes and asked her if she could marry him.

If you don't agree, I won't give you the clothes.

So the fairy agreed, and the two married. Their love was like dry wood meeting a raging fire… cough cough, they were deeply in love and lived very happily ever after. They even had two children.

When the Heavenly Court found out, they took the fairy to the Heavenly Court and transformed the cowherd and the two children into three mountain peaks by the lake.

The middle peak stands tall, while two shorter peaks stand close together, like two children cuddling together.

Zhang Zhengdao found this story quite familiar.

But that's what the storytellers in the teahouses of the neighboring county said.

According to the people of Linxian County, it was a struggle and rebellion against love, as well as a yearning for free love. But in reality, whether they were high-ranking officials or ordinary people, anyone who dared to disobey their parents' wishes and the matchmaker's words in marriage would be hung up and beaten.

This is outrageous.

Folk tales are folk tales, and real life is real life. Can they be confused?

"I had my fortune told!"

Just then, a shout came from outside.

Zhang Zhengdao looked out the window and saw a middle-aged Taoist priest with a long beard, dressed in blue, holding a whisk in his hand and a peach wood sword stuck in his back, accompanied by a young monk, shouting on the street.

This Taoist priest claimed to be a fortune teller, but he didn't use any signboard or take up any space; he simply walked around shouting his wares.

Many people curiously peered over to take a look.

Because this combination is very strange, a Taoist priest and a Buddhist monk have been wandering around the streets and alleys for the past few days.

What's even stranger is that at first, it was an old man with white hair and a white beard who was leading the monk, but now it's a middle-aged Taoist priest leading the monk.

"The people have changed, but the monks who follow them remain the same!"

"Could it be that the white-haired man is dead, and this is his son?"

"Can't it be an apprentice?"

……

Everyone was talking at once, but it was all just idle gossip.

People who can drink tea and listen to stories in teahouses are those with a little money and some free time, and they love to gossip about all sorts of things in the county.

It was over in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Zhengdao looked at the middle-aged Taoist's back and thought, "This guy is kind of interesting."

If it weren't for the Grand Preceptor's comment about "being rich," and the fact that this old man had stayed in Linxian for so long, even if he didn't go to Linbin Town to discuss Taoism with me, he wouldn't have personally come out to solicit business.

However, we should still observe from the shadows.

Some business requires real strength to secure, while others are just shell companies—it's a waste of time and effort to pursue them. Prioritizing customers with purchasing power is Zhang Zhengdao's bottom line.

The fact that the middle-aged Taoist priest did not feel anything himself can only mean two things.

One possibility is that the middle-aged Taoist priest sensed his presence but pretended not to, thus lowering his guard. Another possibility is that his cultivation level was too low, and he was completely unaware of his existence.

If it's the first type, then he's a cunning schemer. If it's the second type, I can completely crush him with brute force and make him submit. Maybe I can even swindle money from the Grand Tutor and his disciple... and earn it all back.

It's certain that the Imperial Advisor is wealthy, but he's always kept it a secret, as if he's afraid others will find out.

Just look at what he eats, lives in, and uses—everything is extremely extravagant! And this is in the capital!

Throughout history, the cost of living in Beijing has always been top-tier.

Living in the capital is not easy.

This wasn't said lightly.

Let's not disturb him for now, let's wait and see. I sat back down in my chair and listened to the people in the teahouse continue their rambling. From all corners of the country to demons and monsters, everything could be circulated from their mouths.

For example, the wealthy young lady first meets the young lady in the West Chamber, and the poor scholar happens to meet the young lady he falls for.

Another example is the martial arts style of "The Four Great Constables of Lingzhou Prefecture Encounter Zombies, and the Eight Major Sects of Jianghu Surround the Demonic Cult".

These people also talked about some strange things that had happened recently.

The county magistrate's father, Master Liu, had been dead for over ten years. Suddenly, he appeared in the county magistrate's dream, saying that a vengeful ghost had invaded his house and was now homeless, wandering outside as a lonely ghost. He hoped that the county magistrate would take care of his remains.

When these strange stories about officials were mentioned, everyone's spittle flew.

Zhang Zhengdao listened with great interest.

The eight major sects besieged Qingmu Cliff.

No one informed our sect beforehand.

We are a major sect. The Peach Blossom Sword Sect won the title of one of the Five Greats and a Grandmaster during the Mount Hua Sword Tournament.

This is outrageous! Who is the leader of the martial arts alliance this time?

Now, three of the Five Greats are in this family, plus the former Sword Immortal Ye and the current Xiaoyaozi. The son of the leader of the Demonic Sect is also here…

I'll tell Yang Shengtian another day that all eight major sects are besieging Qingmu Cliff. It wouldn't be too much to ask him to go back and help his family fight, would it?

"Speaking of those eight major sects, do you know which eight sects they are?"

The person who spread the message was actually an effeminate man, dressed in a red embroidered dress, with a folding fan tucked into his waistband and two Emei daggers.

A person from the martial arts world.

Is this person reliable?

Zhang Zhengdao felt that since returning from the Huashan Sword Tournament, he had devoted himself to the construction of the Taoist temple and had almost become detached from the martial arts world. He was so unaware of such an important event and such a new martial arts figure.

Sitting at the same table as Zhang Zhengdao were three people from the martial arts world.

One of the burly men, wearing the same floral shirt and with powdered face, glanced at Zhang Zhengdao.

"We, the Shuangyue of Sichuan, never spread false information. Who do we look down on?"

As she spoke, her hips wiggled on the bench, causing her waist to sway.

Zhang Zhengdao suddenly felt a chilling wind blowing through the martial arts world!

At this moment, the man said, "These six or eight sects are the Diancang Sect, the New Kongtong Sect, the Kunlun Sect, the Wudang Sect, the Beggars' Sect, the Emei Sect, the Shaolin Sect, and the Huashan Sect..."

At this moment, the man in the embroidered shirt at the same table added, "Ten Grandmaster-level experts alone went! And countless other Grandmaster-level experts..."

Zhang Zhengdao was stunned.

How long has it been since I disappeared from the martial arts world, and so many grandmasters have emerged?

No, is it reliable?

"So many Grandmasters? Wasn't it said that Grandmasters were limited to the Five Greats?"

Zhang Zhengdao finally voiced the question that had been lingering in his mind.

The man sneered, as if mocking the people of Xia for not knowing that the emperor's surname was Zhu, and the people of the martial arts world for not knowing that the sword god Qin Shouzhong.

"You're out of touch, bro!"

Another martial arts practitioner next to him laughed heartily and patted Zhang Zhengdao on the shoulder.

Zhang Zhengdao: ...

No, I just haven't had time to travel around the martial arts world lately. I've been busy with the affairs of Peach Blossom Temple. How am I out of touch?

"Appreciate further details!"

This sentence hit the nail on the head, and the man suddenly stood up.

It startled the people around.

"To talk about this great change, we have to start with the heroes' trip to Qixian Lake. So..."

"Stop talking, just get to the point!"

"You want me to be direct? I'll be direct!" The man was displeased. This was the perfect opportunity to show off. He could talk about the trip to Qixian Lake for three days and three nights.

"Wow!"

A handful of copper coins were scattered on the table.

The man glanced at it and immediately knew the amount: ten copper coins, not one more, not one less.

He scoffed, "Who do you think you are? Speaking of which..."

"Clang!" Two sounds.

That's twelve copper coins.

"It's quite simple. The Sacred Heart Lotus Seed of Qixian Lake... it's not called the Sacred Heart Lotus Seed, it's called the Chaos Lotus Seed. It's said to be a primordial treasure that was nurtured before the creation of heaven and earth. If a person eats one, they will live forever..."

The man was still rambling on, but Zhang Zhengdao finally understood: twelve copper coins had bought him this information.

The effects of the Chaos Lotus Seed began to emerge in the martial arts world.

No wonder there have suddenly been so many grandmasters.

Although the Chaos Lotus Seeds cannot grant immortality or bring the dead back to life, their effect on cultivation is undeniable. Just look at the few in my own Taoist temple to see how effective they are.

Ten Grandmasters? Grandmasters are practically everywhere these days.

This was still an open campaign against Qingmu Cliff.

No wonder the so-called eight major sects were so confident in attacking Greenwood Cliff; the main reason is now clear. The Chaos Lotus Seed created Grandmasters, and with Grandmasters becoming so abundant, they gained confidence.

If some more Grandmasters are killed in this attack on Greenwood Cliff, then Grandmasters will once again become rare in the martial arts world.

From a philosophical perspective, this is called "the moon wanes after it is full".

"Speaking of which, why is it called the Chaos Lotus Seed instead of the Sacred Heart Lotus Seed? There's a little-known story behind it..."

"Damn it, why are you making such a fuss?"

"Stop talking nonsense, keep going, we love hearing this..."

The crowd murmured excitedly, their eyes filled with anticipation as they listened to the man continue his rambling.

However, no one noticed that the Taoist priest who had taken out twelve coins at their table had disappeared.

Zhang Zhengdao was wandering aimlessly through the streets when he found out the direction of Magistrate Liu's residence, so he strolled over there.

As they were walking, they suddenly saw four people leading horses along the road.

These four people looked strange, and they were even larger than Zhang Zhengdao.

The leader turned around and couldn't help but shudder.

"It's you! It's really you! I was wondering why you looked so familiar, it turns out it's you..."