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

It's daybreak.

Zhang Zhengdao woke up and looked down from the tree. He saw Tieguai Li sitting below him, who also seemed to have woken up and was stretching.

"Old man!"

Zhang Zhengdao shouted.

However, it was obvious that Tieguai Li did not recognize who was being called, because he did not consider himself to have the title of "Old Iron," so he deliberately urinated under the big tree.

Zhang Zhengdao angrily retorted, "Showing off a mere chicken feather and claiming to be a virtuous immortal? Bah! You have no sense of propriety, no sense of shame, and are no different from beasts!"

Tieguai Li shuddered, put away his weapon, and said leisurely, "I used to be polite. But those so-called polite people always bullied me with unreasonable behavior."

"Kindness is often taken advantage of!"

Zhang Zhengdao jumped down and took the opportunity to urinate as well.

Tieguai Li laughed heartily: "Exactly, that's why I stop being reasonable. As soon as I stop being reasonable, they start trying to reason with me. So, I think there are too many advantages to being unreasonable. I can't go back to the way things were when I didn't know what etiquette was."

Zhang Zhengdao nodded: "One may not understand etiquette, but one must never lose one's conscience."

Tieguai Li immediately clapped his hands and laughed: "Excellent, excellent! Daoist Master, you are truly my confidant. A cultivator may be ignorant of etiquette, but must have a conscience. You have won my heart."

"Exaggerated performances, don't you, a deity, understand these principles? You're just trying to flatter me."

Tieguai Li laughed and said, "Who told you that your cultivation is higher than mine? That's why I call this flexibility."

The two chatted idly for a while, and then Tieguai Li pulled out two roast chickens from somewhere, handed one to Zhang Zhengdao and said, "Just have a chicken for breakfast!"

Zhang Zhengdao didn't stand on ceremony either.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Tieguai Li said, "I'm going to go and save people."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhengdao became interested and hurriedly asked, "Are we going to convert He Xiangu?"

Tieguai Li asked, "He Xiangu?"

This is a bit strange. Tieguai Li didn't know He Xiangu? I guess the Eight Immortals hadn't all gathered yet at this time.

Zhang Zhengdao asked, "Who is this person you've converted?"

Tieguai Li said, "There was a child in Zhu Family Village who possessed the talent of an immortal. He was the Fire Virtue Star Lord descended to earth from heaven. Because he offended the Jade Emperor when he was in charge of rites and punishments, he was banished to the mortal world in a fit of anger. Although the Jade Emperor regretted it afterward, he could not say it openly. So Taibai Jinxing came to me and asked me to help him return to heaven and resume his duties of rites and punishments."

In front of Zhang Zhengdao, Tieguai Li felt there was nothing to hide. With his profound cultivation, Zhang Zhengdao should be able to figure out why he was there with a little calculation.

"Alright, I'll go take a look with you!"

Tieguai Li said, "It is not convenient for us to interfere in his affairs. If we want to help him become an immortal again, we will have to go through many hardships and suffer some pain."

"I hate this kind of thing you guys do."

Zhang Zhengdao said, "Becoming an immortal is becoming an immortal; there's no need to force yourself to suffer."

Tieguai Li: "It is to temper his will."

Zhang Zhengdao laughed and said, "So, someone like me who has never suffered is not worthy of being a god!"

Tieguai Li was taken aback, looking at Zhang Zhengdao: "To become an immortal, even if one's life is comfortable and smooth sailing, the cultivation itself alone requires going through countless hardships and spending countless years to achieve true immortality..."

Zhang Zhengdao: "I'll know how as soon as I arrive."

Tieguai Li: ...

"This... could you explain it more clearly?"

He would never believe it. There are no shortcuts in cultivation. This is what Lao Tzu, who guided him, told him, and it is what he has always adhered to. He has never stopped cultivating.

Zhang Zhengdao said, "One day, I was a Taoist priest on Peach Blossom Mountain when suddenly the sky and earth changed color, the sun and moon disappeared, dark clouds covered the sky, lightning flashed and thunder roared, all kinds of beasts roared, and the sound echoed through the mountains..."

Tieguai Li: "Has a demon been born?"

Zhang Zhengdao: "I will become an immortal."

Tieguai Li: ...

Master, what you're doing... could easily be misunderstood.

“So easy?”

Tieguai Li certainly didn't believe it. He had gone through countless hardships to become an immortal, even losing his handsome body and possessing the body of a beggar.

Zhang Zhengdao said, "It's that easy. I'm not bragging. Becoming an immortal was really just a matter of a moment for me. So if you ask me to turn myself into a mortal and suffer before becoming an immortal, I definitely won't do it."

Tieguai Li sighed.

Different people, different fates; perhaps this is what it means to be a chosen one?

"do not talk!"

Tieguai Li clutched his chest, feeling unwell.

"So, are you going to go find that Fire God Lord now or not?" Zhang Zhengdao asked. "Or are you going to make him suffer a bit?"

Tieguai Li said, "I still want to do things my way. It's not a bad thing to suffer a little."

Zhang Zhengdao nodded in affirmation: "Only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one endure the greatest of hardships."

Tieguai Li: ...

Can't we just talk normally?

"Daoist Master, I plan to protect him secretly and prevent his physical body from perishing. When he reaches the age of coming of age, I will help him become an immortal."

Zhang Zhengdao said, "Are you still planning to stand idly by?"

Tieguai Li: "It's not really about standing idly by. We still need to look after him, help him avoid danger in times of crisis, and give him hope in times of hardship, so as to strengthen his resolve."

"Clap clap clap!"

Zhang Zhengdao clapped his hands and cheered. Anyway, he wasn't good at being a teacher, so let others train their children however they wanted; he was just offering a suggestion.

Zhang Zhengdao said, "Now that the child has made a wish to the white ox, do you think... my white ox will help him? That way you won't have to show up yourself."

Tieguai Li looked at Zhang Zhengdao and said, "According to the nature of demons, they probably won't help. But the white ox has been with the Daoist for a long time, and it probably senses the Daoist's compassionate nature, so it should help."

Surprisingly, he flattered Zhang Zhengdao again, albeit not too much.

That was really helpful!

Zhang Zhengdao even walked with a swagger.

Zhujia Village.

A group of young men, carrying farm tools and other equipment, surrounded Zhu Da's house.

"bang bang bang"

A series of urgent knocks on the door.

Zhu Da suddenly woke up from his dream. His first reaction was to look at the cow rope in his hand. Fortunately, he was still holding it. Relieved, he looked at Lai Liu, who had also been woken up and was stretching.

“That bastard was knocking so loudly.”

Lai Liu got up, patted the grass clippings off his butt, and walked towards the front gate of the yard. As soon as he opened the gate, he flew up and landed on the ground with a thud.

Leading the group was a burly man carrying a knife, followed by a group of farmers armed with farm tools. They charged menacingly towards Zhu Da.

Zhu Da immediately jumped up, grabbed an iron ruler, and yelled at the burly man, "Chen Hu, what did I ever do to you? You brought so many people to my house to cause trouble..."

Chen Hu sneered, "Zhu Da, look what you've done."

Zhu Da immediately jumped up: "What good thing have I done? Don't wrong me, you bastard! If we fight, I'm not afraid of you!"

Lai Liu, having been kicked, limped over and roared, "Chen Hu, what did I do to you?"

Chen Hu didn't even glance at him, glaring at Zhu Da: "Was this white ox the one you brought back yesterday?"

Zhu Da said, "I brought it back myself, so what? You want to take it by force? Then let's see if the iron ruler in my hand will allow it, and let's see if the government will allow it."

Chen Hu sneered: "Don't try to intimidate me with the government. All I know is that the affairs of Zhu Family Village are decided by the people of Zhu Family Village. This white ox of yours is not auspicious at all."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Da became even more displeased, more furious than when they barged in.

The reputation of auspicious omens is the most important thing, and it must not be questioned.

"Bullshit, what else could it be but an auspicious omen?"

Chen Hu angrily said, "The moment your white ox entered the village, Zhu Gou'er's father broke his leg."

A young man holding farm tools nearby nodded vigorously: "He broke his leg!"

Zhu was furious that this was being attributed to him. Just as he was about to speak, Chen Hu spoke up again.

"And loach... Come out here, did your wife get bitten by a snake when she went outside to wash her hands last night? She's still unconscious?"

The young man nicknamed Yellow Loach nodded and said, "Unconscious."

Chen Hu continued, "Uncle Jiu's chickens were doing just fine, nothing ever happened to them, but last night a dozen or so were killed by weasels. Tell me... isn't this a jinx that's entered the village?"

"besides……"

Zhu Da quickly stopped them: "Shut up! You think you can convict me based on just a few words?"

Chen Hu sneered: "I can't convict you, but this white ox has indeed brought trouble and must be taken away. My master will report to the governor before making a decision."

Even Tieguai Li, who was standing high up in a tree looking down from afar, shook his head.

In order to seize the white ox, the people of this vice minister's family can fabricate anything, and they are extremely inflammatory!

At this point, more and more people gathered to watch.

Apart from Chen Hu from the Vice Minister's family and the other villagers, everyone else in the village came to watch the spectacle.

When Chen Hu said that the white ox was not an auspicious omen but a harbinger of misfortune, many people in the village disagreed. This was because no one else in the village had experienced those broken legs, snake bites, or chicken deaths.

"How could that be... everything's fine at home..."

They started discussing it amongst themselves.

Chen Hu angrily said, "I said it will bring trouble, and it will. Now I'm going to take this ox away and report it to the governor. Anyone who has objections can go and find the governor."

He was about to actually go and lead the ox away.

The moment his hand was outstretched, a sharp gust of wind came straight at him.