Gou Zai Xi You Dao Chang Sheng

The night was quiet.

Seven years have passed, yet few marks have been left on the eaves and roof tiles.

But it made the aura of the creatures in the courtyard even more profound.

Under the old plum tree, the old stone table remains.

But the gray sables that inhabited it were quite different.

Its size did not increase much.

But its silver-gray fur had all turned into the color of moonlight, smooth and shiny, with faint star patterns visible.

With each breath, wisps of silver moonlight and a few starlight points rose and fell with the rhythm.

Moreover, a glimpse of a starry river forms within three feet of its body.

His amber eyes opened and closed, revealing a deep and mysterious light; he had long since shed his childishness.

Its aura is profound, having already steadily surpassed the Dao Seed level and attained the Dao Spirit stage.

On the other side, what was piled up next to the jade rat's nest was no longer a simple luminous pearl.

Various gemstones, brimming with spiritual energy, and rare minerals are scattered around.

It was holding a fist-sized photographic jade, rolling around and having a great time.

I heard a noise.

"Whoosh!"

They sprang up.

It is small in size, but its fur is glossy like golden-brown satin.

The tips of the four little claws gleamed faintly.

Clearly, their skills and physical abilities in digging for treasure have improved significantly over the years.

Moreover, those small, black bean-like eyes occasionally flashed with a faint golden light.

That was a sign that the bloodline of the treasure-hunting rat within him was gradually awakening.

Upon seeing Li Yan return under the moonlight, the illusory starry sky around the gray sable rippled slightly before receding back into its body.

With a light leap, it landed on the stool beside Li Yan like a feather.

A human voice spoke: "You're finally back. Did your trip go smoothly?"

The jade rat also dropped the jade image and transformed into a golden-brown streak of light, leaping onto the stone table.

Although it cannot speak yet, it can gesture with its front paws.

"Squeak!"

The dazzling pale golden light in his eyes—

A picture of an amazing treasure buried somewhere underground was transmitted directly to Li Yan through the flowing light.

Li Yan smiled slightly and nodded to the gray sable: "Everything is fine."

Then, looking at the jade rat, it said what the rat wanted to say: "We've found another treasure trove of earth veins? Excellent."

He stroked the fur on the back of the gray sable, its touch cool and smooth like jade.

He picked up the jade mouse that had been playing with earlier, sensed it, and nodded.

Then, I sat down on the stone bench.

Li Yan looked at his two companions whose cultivation had improved.

"Three days later, I intend to descend the mountain, step into the mortal world, and amidst the raging smoke and fire, seek that sliver of transcendence."

My gaze swept across the courtyard and the distant mountains:

"It is good to cultivate oneself in the mountains and lay a solid foundation, but the Tao is in the human world, and so are the tribulations."

The road ahead is uncertain, with complex causes and effects, and unpredictable fortunes.

You two have cultivated yourselves to such an extraordinary degree that you are ready to make your own choices.

"Will you stay here to cultivate in peace, or will you come with me into the world?"

The sable stared at him intently for a moment, then nodded, its soft moan filled with unwavering determination.

It stretched out its little paw and hooked it in Li Yan's palm.

It means: Wherever you are, I am.

The jade rat tilted its head, its little eyes blinking rapidly.

"Are there many delicious foods down the mountain? Are there any fruits that smell even better than pine nuts?"

Is there a stone brighter than a luminous pearl?

Li Yan chuckled: "It has everything. But there are also dangers, struggles, and entanglements of cause and effect."

The jade rat, clutching its tail, thought for a moment, then suddenly puffed out its chest:

"I'm not afraid, Mouse! Wherever you go, Li Yan, Mouse will go! At worst... Mouse will dig a hole and hide!"

Li Yan, his voice warm, nodded and said:

"Alright. Over the next three days, you should pack some essential items."

Bring along any useful herbs, ores, and everything else you can.

You may take whatever you find in my courtyard, except for what you can't take with you.

I may not return to this little courtyard for a long time.

With that, he got up and walked towards the quiet room.

The most urgent task is to prepare offerings for the ancestral master.

Welcome to a vast collection of novels for you to explore!

The patriarch would not be interested in ordinary treasures.

It must be in harmony with the Daoist principles and conceal one's true intentions.

Li Yan sat quietly by the Spirit Pool, closing his eyes and concentrating.

In the Niwan Palace, the Heart Mirror hangs high, reflecting these thirteen years spent in the mountains.

Upon entering the mountain gate, one sees an old Taoist priest sweeping fallen leaves in front of the Three Star Cave...

Learning medicine in the herb garden, Zhenyang perished, Zhou Ming lost an arm, and Haiqiong refined elixirs...

Exploring the back mountain, I obtained a tortoise shell, met Abi, and acquired a gray sable and a jade rat...

The patriarch preached the Dao, and after seven days of enlightenment in the Pine Moon Small Realm, the grotto-heaven opened for the first time...

Scene after scene unfolds like a flowing scroll painting.

He suddenly had a feeling.

He raised his hand, and three pieces of tortoise shell flew out from his bosom, hovering in front of him.

Let these three top-ranked players serve as a mirror to reflect upon our own hearts.

With a thought, a plain white scroll slowly unfolded before Li Yan.

This painting is neither made of silk nor cloth, but rather woven from starlight as thread and earth as weft within a grotto-heaven.

As it unfolds now, a faint, clear light flows through it.

With hands forming a mudra, the Mustard Seed Cave slowly rotated, and starlight and earth virtue flowed out.

Like a babbling brook, it first soaks the three tortoise shells hanging in front.

On the tortoise shell bearing the Dao, the eight trigrams light up one by one, reflecting the layered peaks and shimmering clouds of Fangcun Mountain.

Within the warm, white light emanating from the incomplete tortoise shell, the magnificent aura of the patriarch preaching the Dao and the profound pronouncements of the Great Dao emerge.

The fragments of the Earthly Fiend Water Vein glowed with a faint, eerie light, suggesting the flow of earthly veins and the ceaseless generation of water elements within.

Li Yan closed his eyes and concentrated.

Using my heart as a mirror, I will reflect everything that the top three rankings have shown, along with what I have seen, heard, understood, and felt over the past thirteen years.

The clouds, mist, pine waves, moonlight, and chimes of Fangcun Mountain; the golden lotus flowers and Taoist mantras beneath the Patriarch's seat.

His initial aspiration to seek the truth, his perseverance in his journey, his attachment to his master's school, and his subtle expectations for the future...

Using the Three Jia as the source, the starlight and earth virtue as the ink, and divine thought as the brush, we begin to paint.

On the first day, I painted the mountain scenery.

The ink flows like stars and earth beneath the brush, capturing the spirit of seventy-two peaks, the flowing waters of thirty-six streams, and the white jade plaza before the Three Star Cave.

The ancient cave on the back mountain bears mottled carvings, and the peach blossoms on Rotten Peach Mountain are in full bloom...

The shapes of mountains and the essence of water gradually emerge on the scroll.

Although it is mainly black and white, one can hear the sound of pine trees and feel the mist of clouds.

The next day, he focused on the Daoist principles.

The mantras and runes uttered by the patriarch during his sermons, and the profound trajectories of the celestial sphere's movement;

The natural patterns of the earth's spiritual energy rising and dispersing, the ripples of energy emanating from the body of fellow practitioners interacting with heaven and earth...

These more abstract, ineffable qualities are rendered with starlight-like touches and earth-toned texture strokes.

When superimposed on the existing mountain scenery, the painting instantly gains a touch of dynamism and depth.

On the third day, I imprinted my intentions.

This is the most mentally taxing step.

Li Yan expressed his pure yearning for immortality, his solitary perseverance on the path of cultivation, and his heartfelt gratitude for encountering his master.

The warm camaraderie forged through shared studies, the reluctance to part ways, the trepidation and anticipation for the unknown future...

These deep inner emotional turmoil, tempered into a spark of inspiration, fell upon the core of the painting, following the rhythm of the stars and earth.

I worked for three days straight without sleep or rest, and my mind and spirit were almost completely exhausted.

As the hour of Yin approaches, all is quiet.

The light from the three tortoise shells hanging in front of him gradually faded, and they slowly fell back into Li Yan's hands.

The blank scroll in front of Li Yan had been completely transformed.

On the scroll, a small, majestic mountain stands tall, nourished by clouds and mist, its Taoist charm naturally formed.

Upon closer inspection, one can see illusory figures preaching scriptures in the mountains, signs of spiritual practice, and the withering and flourishing of plants.

The entire painting exudes a clear and luminous aura, where starlight and the essence of earth blend together seamlessly.

Li Yan's face was pale and his breathing was slightly rapid, but looking at the completed painting before him, all the weariness in his eyes disappeared.

With fingers like a brush and Daoist ink, he slowly wrote three ancient-style characters in the blank space in the upper right corner of the scroll.

Fangcunjian.

As the final stroke fell, the clear light of the painting rippled outwards like waves, creating a mysterious resonance with the distant mountains.

My heart is like a mirror, reflecting the past and illuminating the road ahead.