His voice wasn't loud, and it was within the room. However, to Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu's minds that were clear like a mirror, this distance of over ten steps was utterly unhindered for them to hear the contents of the Abbey Dean's soliloquy. They couldn't help but look at each other and smile. In this Last Days Land, there are still people pursuing the path of immortality through external alchemy.
Hearing the explosion, the little boy hurriedly turned back and rushed in. After a while, he coughed and complained, and pulled out a tall man whose face and clothes were covered with black dust. "Abbey Dean Grandpa, there is such a big smoke. Why are you still standing inside?"
The tall man's voice was quite old, and he said absentmindedly, "Maybe if I carefully feel the smoke, I can find the reason why I always fail." As he spoke, he intended to continue walking into the side room. However, the little boy had already prepared a wet handkerchief and covered his face with it. A cool sensation washed over him, causing him to sober up quite a bit. He couldn't help but sigh and carefully wipe his face with the handkerchief.
"Abbey Dean Grandpa, there is a couple passing by who want to stay." The little boy hurriedly took the opportunity to tell the Abbey Dean about Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu.
After wiping his face, the Abbey Dean did not look as old as his voice. He was in his forties, and his temples were a little white, which showed that he had been exhausted.
He raised his head to look at Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu. They did not look like evil people, and they were graceful and calm. Besides, it was not far from the capital city, and there were often travelers and merchants who wanted to stay here. So he smiled and said, "If you don't mind my shabby and noisy Lao Dao, please feel free to choose a wing room."
As he spoke, he stepped forward to welcome them. But just now, something rolled out of the alchemy room and happened to be at his feet, so he stepped on it. He staggered and was about to fall, but at this time, a pair of fair and steady hands firmly supported his shoulders, preventing him from colliding with the ground.
"Thank you." The Abbey Dean said gratefully. Although if he really fell, with his strong body, there would not be too serious consequences, but after all, the other party was kind.
After he stood firm and looked carefully, he couldn't help but feel slightly puzzled. The woman in the purple dress was at the side of the door seven or eight steps away, and the moment he took a step forward, he clearly saw the man in the green robe standing beside her. How could he have been able to support him in time? Even those experts who were at the pinnacle of swordsmanship and fists could only take three or four steps forward when he fell.
Shi Xuan smiled. "I am Shi Xuan, a Daoist priest. This is my good friend, Mo Jingqiu."
"The Lao Dao gave himself the Daoist name of Wu Wang. As for his previous name, he has long forgotten it." Hearing that Shi Xuan said he was a Daoist priest, the Abbey Dean of Wu Wang looked a little delighted. Then, he pointed at the boy. "He is Jianglu, a child from Mountain Shade Village. He likes to listen to the Lao Dao talk about supernatural things, so he likes to come to our abbey. Later, he became interested in the way of alchemy and the art of immortality, so he often helps the Lao Dao. Although he has not formally entered the sect, he can be considered half a disciple of the Lao Dao."
When he finished, the Abbey Dean of Wu Wang said expectantly, "I wonder if Fellow Daoist Shi has any understanding of the way of alchemy? Can you help the Lao Dao to analyze the reason for his failure just now? "
"Perhaps the source of the fire is wrong." Shi Xuan didn't know how good the Abbey Dean's alchemy was, but there was one thing that he couldn't overcome. In a world where the power of the five elements was the foundation of matter, slightly more complicated changes in matter would either require the support of Daoist magic talismans, or various kinds of True Fire and True Water, such as True Star Fire and Heavenly Thunder Fire. These kinds of strange things were extremely rare, and almost non-existent in the Land of Dharma Ending.
The Abbey Dean's eyes brightened. "That's right! How can the Elixir of Immortality be refined with ordinary fire?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a scolding voice came from outside the abbey. "Jianglu, why have you come to the crazy Lao Dao's place again?" A sturdy woman in her early thirties walked in and pointed at little Jianglu, who was hiding behind the Abbey Dean of Wu Wang's back. "Come back with me."
Jianglu shook his head. "Mother, it's still early. Let me stay a little longer."
"Hmph, this Lao Dao is crazy. He's never married or had children in his life, and he's very unfilial. If you stay with him for too long, you'll learn from him and only seek some bullsh * t immortality, and I'll die of injustice." Madam Jiang said sarcastically. If it weren't for the fact that Lao Dao could learn to read and write for free, she would have sent Jianglu to school long ago.
The Abbey Dean of Wu Wang couldn't help but retort, "All things in the world, including mountains and rivers, have existed for a long time. We are the spirits of all things, so why can't we seek the path to immortality? You peasant women have shallow knowledge, so don't talk nonsense."
Madam Jiang sneered. "Innocent Lao Dao, then let me ask you: have you ever seen anyone in this world live forever? Those who really live forever are the reincarnations of gods and buddhas. How can mortals like us cultivate and become immortals? "
"Hmph, those swindlers can only deceive fools like you," Innocent Lao Dao said disdainfully.
Madam Jiang continued to ask, "Then what have you gained from seeking immortality? You don't have the slightest immortal skill, and your parents died of old age at home. You were a famous doctor in the capital, and you're very rich, but now you can only stay in this shabby Taoist temple. The elixir you refined made your previous disciple go crazy and die. You're just over forty, but you look like you're in your sixties, and you're sick all over. I think you're not seeking immortality, but death! "
This peasant woman seemed to have studied for a few days, so she was eloquent and well-organized. After she finished speaking, she ignored Innocent Lao Dao and directly pulled Jianglu out of the temple.
Jianglu didn't dare to resist. He turned his head and winked at Lao Dao, indicating that he would sneak back again later.
"You, you don't understand." Innocent Lao Dao was somewhat desolate and lost. "In the remote and backward Southern Frontier, there are voodoo spells. Even they can have supernatural abilities, so how can we, who cultivate to seek immortality, not have the means? It's just that Lao Dao is stupid, so it's hard for him to get started. "
Compared to admitting setbacks, despair was more painful.
Hearing this, Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu were quite puzzled, but soon they figured it out. The Primordial Chaos Golden Dipper was just an innate Dao embryo, so it didn't have spiritual wisdom, and its power couldn't be evenly distributed. The farther one was from it, the smaller the suppression would be. In an extremely remote place, it was normal for something similar to a spell to appear. However, in this side of the world, no matter how remote it was, it could only reach this step. It couldn't be a real spell.
Innocent Lao Dao was lost for a moment, but then he restrained his emotions and put these things to the back of his mind. He thought about what Shi Xuan had just said. "If I don't use ordinary fire, where can I find immortal true fire? I don't know if those Fellow Daoists have any news about this. "
For a moment, he fell into deep contemplation.
Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu were both carefree people, so they started a fire to cook. When the food was ready, they woke up Innocent Lao Dao and ate with him.
"Chief, what's a hundred miles away in that direction?" Shi Xuan pointed to the southeast.
Innocent Lao Dao looked and answered blankly, "The capital city." He was still thinking, so he didn't find it strange that someone would be nearby and didn't know it was the capital city.
It turned out to be the capital city. Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu were stunned at first, then they felt a little relieved. A place with an innate Dao embryo would inevitably have some supernatural phenomena. Naturally, it would be regarded as a place with rich fate. They only hoped that the capital city was not under the palace, which would be quite troublesome.
In front of them, there was Innocent Lao Dao, who didn't care about anything and didn't feel puzzled. Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu naturally seized the opportunity to ask questions, and gradually confirmed the whereabouts of the Primordial Chaos Golden Dipper.
When the capital city was built, someone found a Golden Dipper in a cave. The patterns were complicated and mysterious, and the light was dim but distant. It was regarded as a spiritual object from heaven, an auspicious sign, and was enshrined in the ancestral temple. The ancestral temple was on the side of the palace and was heavily guarded.
Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu both heaved a sigh of relief. As long as it was not buried deep underground, it would take a lot of effort to dig it out. After all, the more time passed, the more variables there would be. Many strong arrows and crossbows would shoot at them without pause. Even if their hearts were as clear as a mirror, they would not be able to dodge. With the ancestral shrine as a barrier, the other party would not be able to use fire attacks or break through the walls.
And sneaking into the palace was not as difficult as ascending to heaven.
After confirming the target, Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu each chose a wing room, and began to regulate their Qi-circulation, trying to recover as soon as possible.
…
In the dead of night, outside the dilapidated Taoist temple, several men in black suddenly sneaked in. Their faces were covered with a thick veil.
"Is this the place?" One of the men in black asked the leader in confusion, "Why is the Taoist that the State Preceptor asked us to catch in such a dilapidated Taoist temple?" Even if it wasn't as good as the Imperial Preceptor, the Emperor's trusted aide, the Taoist temple should at least be prosperous. Could it be that this Taoist didn't even know how to play tricks?
The leader nodded and said with certainty, "This is the place. The Imperial Preceptor said that he is a reclusive person who focuses on alchemy. He had tasted one of his pills by chance and felt that it was very helpful to his spiritual cultivation, so he planned to 'invite' him back. Even if it was a coincidence that it was hard to make, he could make some longevity pills to coax the Emperor. The older the Emperor gets, the more obsessed he becomes with longevity pills, and the more he alienates the Imperial Preceptor and gets closer to the Taoist priests who play with alchemy fire."
Above them, there was a black crow quietly circling, blending into the darkness. Its eyes had no intelligence, but its movements were different from normal crows, as if it had been tamed by a special method.
"Where are the others in the Taoist temple?" Another man in black asked.
The leader replied coldly, "Silencing them. They can only blame their bad luck."
After confirming the location, the men in black began to climb over the white wall. But as soon as they landed, they felt a cold light flash and lost consciousness.
The two men who came in later saw the men in front of them fall silently. In their shock, they threw out a bag of poisonous powder. This was a life-saving item that the Imperial Preceptor had given them. Anything within its range would corrode. Even if there were tens or hundreds of people lying in ambush, they would still meet the same end.
But before they could be proud of themselves, they felt the opponent's sword spin. A gust of wind blew, and a portion of the poisonous powder flew back. They didn't even have time to scream before they were corroded to death.
With their minds clear, Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu's footsteps were strange. Amidst the remaining poisonous powder, they found a weak spot and swung their swords to protect themselves.
"You've come to kidnap people, yet you still talk so much nonsense and disturb people's sleep." Shi Xuan shook his head and laughed. He and Mo Jingqiu returned to their rooms to rest. If they didn't do anything, Lao Dao would be more vigilant if he saw them. Moreover, the words of these men in black gave the two some ideas.
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