Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Meeting an Old Acquaintance at the Gathering

The small courtyard of the Mountain Peak Dojo.

Wang Ping drained his cup of tea. The clear, bitter, yet sweet fragrance made him let out a long sigh. He then subconsciously used his Wood Spirit Qi to tend to the flowers and plants in the small courtyard.

Just then, Yu Lian descended from the sky, seemingly chewing on something. As she landed on a nearby stone stool, she swallowed what was in her mouth and said, "I just went to Liu Shuang’s Dao Field. I caught two pheasants and had her two disciples roast them for me. Their skills aren’t great; some parts were burnt."

Wang Ping smiled slightly, took out another cup, and filled it with tea. Yu Lian quickly picked up the cup and took a long, satisfying sip.

"You didn’t bring any for me?"

"I don’t have hands, so I had to carry it in my mouth. You want some?"

"..."

"Didn’t you learn the Artifact Control Technique?"

"Uh, I forgot."

They chatted for a while longer. Wang Ping glanced at the sky, then got up and walked back to his workshop.

「Three days later.」

When Wang Ping sensed a momentary fluctuation of consciousness from the puppet, he quickly formed a hand seal and drove a prepared portion of instinctual consciousness into the puppet’s body. It bored into the puppet’s internal core, then spread throughout its body along the Array Runes.

The puppet’s body, lying on the table, trembled twice as if shocked by electricity. Then it straightened up, somewhat stiffly rotating its neck and wrist joints. A spark of life actually appeared in its eyes, and it cupped its fist to Wang Ping in a salute.

"How magical!"

Wang Ping exclaimed in heartfelt admiration.

A low chuckle came from Tongyu Taoist, who said, "So, how about it? My skills aren’t too bad, right? Once you teach him more, he’ll even be able to cast some simple magic. If you had a Spirit Vein for him to merge with, he might even be able to begin cultivating, but the chances of that are very slim."

Wang Ping nodded in understanding.

In the days of cultivation that followed, Wang Ping had a new task: teaching the puppet basic knowledge and, most importantly, Alchemy. For the latter, Wang Ping directly implanted a portion of his own memories into him.

And so, in the summer of the third year of Wanfeng, the puppet could finally refine "Power Pills" on its own.

Later that year, after autumn began, Liu Shuang completed her marrow washing and started gathering qi for Foundation Establishment. Wang Ping checked her internal condition and determined this step would take her at least thirty-five years.

The time required was one thing; bearing the loneliness was another. Wang Ping suggested she also learn some fun magic in her spare time. She ultimately chose Artifact Refining and puppet making.

This was because she had been defeated by Wang Ping’s puppet in a sparring match earlier in the year.

Oh, and Wang Ping had given his puppet the name Zi Hong. He even registered him at the Daoist Scripture Hall, listing his identity as his disciple.

The Spring Festival of Wanfeng’s fourth year had just passed.

One morning, Wang Ping had just finished breakfast and was preparing to go to a southern island to stretch his limbs and relieve the restlessness from prolonged meditation.

However, Yu Cheng Taoist suddenly sent him a voice transmission, telling him to come to the small courtyard on the back mountain.

He had stayed in Yu Cheng Taoist’s courtyard during the Spring Festival, and Liu Shuang had even brought her two disciples over to visit for a few days. He had only just returned two days ago, so he was quite puzzled.

Puzzled, he and Yu Lian flew directly to the small courtyard on the back mountain. When they landed, they saw Yu Cheng Taoist standing beneath an ancient pagoda tree. Wang Ping had long suspected that this was a tree Yu Cheng Taoist had planted when he began his cultivation.

"Master!"

"Mm, you’re here..."

Yu Cheng Taoist didn’t look at Wang Ping. He raised his head to gaze at the dense branches of the old pagoda tree and said, "Qianmu Temple has regained its vitality in recent years. With the establishment of Dao Fields by some third and fourth-generation disciples, the Spiritual Qi in this mountain forest has returned to its former levels, and this old tree has also been revitalized."

Wang Ping was slightly stunned to hear his master’s words. It was the first time he had ever seen his master sigh with such emotion.

"This tree was originally left behind by our sect’s founder, Lord Yuxiao. In my hands, its life force nearly withered away completely!" Yu Cheng Taoist said in a steady tone. "It has already lost its spiritual connection. It is merely a symbol now, just like our Ancestral Master."

Hearing this, Wang Ping lowered his head slightly and remained silent.

"The reason I called you here today is about your promotion to the Fifth Seat of the Daoist Scripture Hall. Come, we’re taking a trip to Sanhe Temple. I’ll introduce you to some of our allies in the Daoist Scripture Hall."

As Yu Cheng Taoist spoke, he looked at Yu Lian. "Yu Lian, you shouldn’t come this time."

...

Sanhe Prefecture.

The area was crisscrossed by waterways, yet also dense with mountains and rivers. This geography had formed countless underground Dark River channels and subterranean caverns. Some of these caverns were controlled by Little Demons, but the majority were resources belonging to Sanhe Temple.

Yu Cheng Taoist led Wang Ping to land on a mountaintop several dozen li from Sanhe Temple’s main gate. Then, one after the other, they concealed their figures and slipped into a nearby cave. The cave was incredibly damp and dark, filled with noticeable miasma and poisons, and structured like a maze.

As they flew, Wang Ping felt a sense of unease in his spirit soul; something seemed to be blocking its subconscious probes.

"There are some strange fish in the underground Dark Rivers here. They can block the probes of both the spirit soul and the Primordial Spirit!" Yu Cheng Taoist explained to Wang Ping via voice transmission.

Wang Ping understood. He quietly followed behind his master, secretly memorizing the flight path. After about a quarter of an hour, he saw a patch of light. The next moment, he passed through the light source, and his view suddenly opened up.

He had arrived in a wide, dry cavern. The light came from a natural sinkhole more than ten zhang in diameter overhead. Where the light converged, a pavilion had been built along the cavern’s smooth wall. Outside was a small plaza paved with gravel, and medicinal herbs and flowers were planted around its perimeter.

Gu Heng Taoist was currently standing in the center of the plaza, seemingly waiting for someone.

Seeing Wang Ping and Yu Cheng Taoist land, he first grabbed a handful of his large, salt-and-pepper beard before cupping his hands in salute. "You two Fellow Daoists are indeed the first to arrive."

Yu Cheng Taoist returned the salute and asked, "How many have confirmed they are coming this time?"

"Including the two of us, six in total. According to the pact, anyone who doesn’t show up is considered to have tacitly agreed to the decisions of this gathering. I suppose that’s a good thing," Gu Heng Taoist said with a chuckle.

The moment his voice fell, Wang Ping saw a person shoot out from a cavern on the other side. His speed was astonishing, and in the blink of an eye, he landed beside Wang Ping.

It was a monk!

And he looked very young, though his kasaya was a bit old and worn.

After landing, the monk immediately chanted a Buddhist prayer, "My Buddha is merciful. I greet you, Yu Cheng and Gu Heng..." He then glanced at Wang Ping, but after simply chanting another prayer, he neither asked who Wang Ping was nor offered a greeting.

"Le Yuan! It must have been twenty years. You showing up can’t be good news!" Gu Heng didn’t seem too fond of the monk.

Yu Cheng Taoist simply nodded in greeting.

Neither of them seemed to have any intention of introducing Wang Ping, so the four of them just waited quietly.

Before long, another person flew out from a dark cavern. This time it was a very stylish, middle-aged man dressed as a scholar. After he arrived, just like Le Yuan, the four of them exchanged greetings, but he only nodded at Wang Ping.

Another short while passed, and a cultivator riding a large cauldron approached from the distance. As he drew near, Wang Ping was stunned for a moment. When the man landed, Wang Ping quickly bowed and said, "Elder Yuan Zheng!"

"Mm... Huh? You’re that little fellow from before. You’ve already begun to cultivate?" Yuan Zheng Taoist seemed a bit dazed.

"Haha, he began cultivating with the *Taiyan Talisman* in under three years. What do you say to that?" Gu Heng laughed loudly, winking at the monk beside him.

"Aiyaya, what a prodigy! I should have kept him in Hu Mountain Country back then..."

While Yuan Zheng Taoist was speaking, another person flew in. When he landed slowly, Wang Ping was stunned yet again. It was actually Elder Wu, the old Daoist who used to freeload for food and drink at Qianmu Temple!