Chapter 160: Borrowing a Place in Yunshan

Despite how unbelievable it seemed, the visitor to the temple was, in the end, just this small paper crane. The Dragon Girl thought for a moment, then re-wrapped Ji Yuan's hair around the paper crane.

As the Dragon Girl left the main hall of the temple, the large outer doors quietly closed automatically behind her. Not a single priest or worker at the River God Temple noticed.

The Dragon Girl walked directly from the temple's edge into the water. She did not swim submerged in her dragon form but moved swiftly downstream along the riverbed in her human form.

During this time, she carefully observed the paper crane, which she had enveloped in a bubble.

Of course, the Dragon Girl didn't know its proper name, only thinking it was a pretty little paper bird. She even felt an urge to see if the paper bird would get wet, but she restrained herself.

As the true deity of Tongtian River, she swam incredibly fast in the water, returning to her underwater palace in no time.

Tucking the paper crane into her sleeve, the Dragon Girl quickly walked towards the back of the underwater palace. She passed through several courtyard gates until she reached the entrance of a somewhat dim underwater grotto.

There, two green-faced Yakshas stood holding halberds. Seeing the Dragon Girl approach, they immediately bowed, cupped their fists, and greeted her in unison.

"River God Goddess!"

"Yes, I need to see my father."

"Yes! River God Goddess, please proceed!"

Ying Ruoli nodded at the two Yakshas and then entered the grotto herself.

She traversed the deep grotto, where the terrain continuously sloped downwards. After walking for about eight or nine li, the surroundings finally became open and bright.

It was a spacious underwater grotto with a sandy pool. Around it, jellyfish-like creatures, which glowed with their own magical light, floated. A massive true dragon lay sprawled on the sandy pool, its whiskers occasionally swaying.

"Father, Uncle Ji's message has arrived."

An amber glow formed around the dragon's head, and the old dragon's voice resounded.

"Bring it here."

"Yes!"

The Dragon Girl took the paper crane from her sleeve. The crane, still encased in its bubble, quietly floated towards the old dragon.

"Hmm?"

He had expected a letter but was surprised by this kind of "message." The old dragon immediately found it amusing. His entire body lifted slightly, and his amber eyes brought more light to the dim sandy pool.

As if stimulated by the dragon's gaze, several large clam shells in the sandy pool slowly opened, revealing their luminous pearls. Instantly, the entire deep pool lit up as if a light had been switched on, becoming even clearer and brighter.

The old dragon's two massive eyes focused on the tiny paper crane. He observed it while questioning his daughter.

"This is Ji Yuan's message? He folded a paper bird? Is there anything else?"

"Yes, Father. This paper bird flew to the hand of the deity statue in my temple. There was nothing else. And this bird truly can fly."

As the Dragon Girl spoke, she extended her hands and flapped them at her sides, indicating that the bird's flight was not merely levitation through magic but actual flapping of wings, emphasizing the fundamental difference between the two.

"Interesting. Ji Yuan always brings surprises!"

The Dragon Girl smiled too, reminding her father.

"Father, the hair around the paper bird's neck is a kind of reactive spell. Removing the hair allows you to read the message. I didn't know before and accidentally read it first. You won't blame me, will you?"

The true dragon glanced at the Dragon Girl. Then, his massive dragon body glowed with white light, shrinking into an illusory form of an old man—Ying Hong's human appearance.

"If you've seen it, you've seen it."

As he spoke, the old dragon gracefully made a hooking gesture with his hand, and the strand of hair around the paper crane's neck automatically drifted away.

At this moment, the paper crane actually flapped its wings twice more, moving closer to the old dragon with its bubble.

"Oh, it really can fly on its own."

The old dragon smiled and extended his hand, letting the paper crane, which struggled to move in the current, land in his palm. The residual magical power on the paper crane conveyed all the recorded information through the object into the old dragon's mind.

The Dragon Girl was now entirely focused on observing her father's expression, and sure enough, she soon saw what she had anticipated.

The wisp of whiskers on the left side of the old dragon's beard twitched slightly upwards, and he said with a surprised look:

"Bingzhou, Changchuan Prefecture? This little thing flew so far?"

He wasn't sure about other dragons or flood dragons, but the Ying family often went out to summon clouds and rain, so they had a thorough understanding of Dazhen's geography and the distances between places.

However, after expressing his surprise, the old dragon also smiled at the Dragon Girl.

"Alright, I've received the message. You may withdraw."

"Yes, your daughter takes her leave!"

The Dragon Girl gave a shallow curtsy and then left the sandy pool where her father was dozing.

After the Dragon Girl left, the old dragon immediately lowered his head and meticulously examined the paper crane in his palm. He couldn't resist poking it a few times, then picked it up, turned it over, and even shook it twice, as if hoping to discover a hidden pearl or something similar inside.

"Strange, very strange. Could it be because of this strand of hair?"

The old dragon took Ji Yuan's hair and examined it closely, still unable to discern anything significant. But when he released it, the strand of hair drifted out of the grotto along with the current. Though it appeared to flow with the water without any special force, it had a peculiar floating sensation and quickly vanished into the darkness of the seabed.

The old dragon frowned. He hesitated for a moment and did not intervene to keep the hair, continuing instead to study the paper crane in his hand.

The power of conveying meaning through the object had vanished. It seemed that the two times, father and daughter, had "read" the message, it had exhausted the paper crane's power. However, the old dragon felt that the paper crane shouldn't have simply reverted to an ordinary piece of paper.

He carefully controlled and imbued some magical power into the paper crane. Sure enough, the paper crane began to flap its wings again. Following the connection of his own magical power, he finally discovered two hidden characters on the paper crane's wings and understood how this paper bird was folded.

The old dragon grinned, as if discovering these subtle clues was a remarkable achievement.

At the summit of Yunshan's Misty Peak, Ji Yuan descended from the peak and returned to Yunshan Temple after enjoying the sunrise and completing his cultivation amidst the morning glow.

Qi Wen had already dressed and washed up and was organizing the carrying pole and water buckets at the kitchen door in the courtyard, preparing to go down the mountain to fetch water. Just as he turned around, he found Ji Yuan standing in the temple courtyard.

"Good morning, Mr. Ji! You're up already? I didn't hear you open your door."

"Good morning, young Daoist Qi Wen. Actually, I was up a bit earlier than you and have already been out for a walk."

Qi Wen suddenly understood.

"Oh, Mr. Ji, there's porridge cooking in the kitchen pot. It should be ready to eat by the time I carry water up the mountain. I'm going down to fetch water now."

"Do you need any help?"

Ji Yuan looked at the two water buckets. They were larger than the ones he used to have in his small attic in Tianniu Ward. Carrying them up the mountain must be very arduous, especially since a long stretch of the path down from Yunshan Temple has no steps.

"No, no, please just sit. I'm used to running; I'll be back quickly."

Qi Wen quickly refused and hurried out of the courtyard with the empty water buckets.

Ji Yuan went over and gently closed the courtyard gate, then entered the kitchen. The firewood and charcoal in the stove were burning softly, not fiercely. He opened the outer kitchen door and peeked at where the fish tail had been hanging last night. Only a piece of straw rope remained, and judging by the opening, it looked like it had been bitten open.

He looked out at the scenery. Yunshan Temple was perfectly situated above the mountain's cloud line. From Ji Yuan's current vantage point, a sea of white clouds stretched dozens of feet below, making Yunshan Temple seem like a celestial paradise. Those Daoists who built Yunshan Temple certainly knew how to pick a spot.

The pace of life for ordinary people in this world was slow, and even more so at Yunshan Temple, especially during the days when Daoist Priest Qingsong was drunk and asleep and didn't need to go down the mountain to tell fortunes.

However, Qi Wen was still quite concerned about his master's health. By the third day, he kept asking Ji Yuan when Daoist Priest Qingsong would wake up.

Fortunately, on the morning of the fifth day, Qi Xuan woke up on his own.

At this time, Qi Wen had just gone down the mountain to fetch water, while Ji Yuan was sitting on a futon beneath the star chart in the temple's main hall, reading "Imperial Treatise." The spiritual energy in the mountain, like an invisible ethereal mist, gathered around Yunshan Temple. At this moment, Ji Yuan also sensed Daoist Priest Qingsong's awakening.

Daoist Priest Qingsong felt he had a very long dream, the contents of which were jumbled and unclear. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the ceiling of his room.

"It's already daylight! Was I really that drunk?"

Qi Xuan had slept for almost five days, but he felt no grogginess. Instead, he felt refreshed and invigorated.

He pushed back the blanket, sat up in bed, and stretched. His joints cracked loudly, and he felt completely comfortable, though his mouth was very dry.

He walked to the table in his room and weighed the large ceramic teapot. It was full.

Qi Xuan poured himself a bowl of tea and drank it down. Still feeling thirsty, he poured another. Finally, he simply put the spout to his lips and gurgled down all the water in the teapot in one go.

"Phew... That's much better! What kind of wine did Mr. Ji give me?"

As he muttered to himself, Daoist Priest Qingsong suddenly seemed to recall something. He extended his left palm and examined it closely, his expression shifting from blankness to shock.

"Could it be... that immortals truly possess an elixir of immortality?"

What Qi Xuan found even more miraculous was that he could now discern that his lifespan was no longer short, yet he couldn't see anything else clearly. Still, he had a peculiar sensation, like looking at flowers in a mist—though not clearly visible, he knew a beautiful scene lay before him.

"Hehehe, as far as I know, there is no elixir of immortality in this world, Daoist Priest Qingsong, good morning!"

Ji Yuan's clear, calm, and composed voice came from the doorway, startling the dazed Daoist Priest Qingsong back to reality. He turned his head towards the door, revealing a grateful smile.

"Good morning, Mr. Ji. This humble Daoist couldn't hold his liquor last night and made a fool of himself. Did you rest well at the temple last night?"

"Very well!"

Ji Yuan chuckled.

"I'd also like to borrow this valuable place for a period of cultivation. I wonder if you would agree?"

"Of course! I couldn't be happier, couldn't be happier. Please stay as long as you wish, hahahaha..."

Not having to die young would put anyone in an excellent mood. Daoist Priest Qingsong felt that the mountain air was even fresher and more pleasant to breathe, as if every breath was nourishing his internal organs.