Chapter 193: Escape the Beginning but Not the End

Ji Yuan and the Old Dragon's conversation was like a series of riddles that Qin Zizhou couldn't entirely grasp. Nevertheless, he understood from their veiled words that these two powerful figures in the cultivation world had already arranged a path for him.

After his jest, the Old Dragon turned to Qin Zizhou.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, you must have some questions. You will understand once we arrive in Bingzhou."

With that, the Old Dragon employed his flying technique, ascending on a cloud and carrying Ji Yuan and Qin Zizhou into the sky.

Some time after the rooster's crow, dawn broke in Deyuan County.

As daylight spread, the Qin family members began to wake up.

Qin Yan's dream continued until dawn. In it, he was tirelessly pounding and packaging medicine at the Grand Pharmacy, assisting the shop's apprentices with organizing herbs or moving them to the backyard for drying. However, after his father gave him instructions and announced his departure, he never reappeared.

In the dream, Qin Yan assumed his father had either been called away to treat patients in another town or was preparing to gather herbs in the mountains.

"Husband, husband!"

An old woman called out to him several times from beside his bed, and Qin Yan abruptly awoke. He looked around, confirming he was in his own room.

"Husband, it's time to get up. We have to tidy the mourning hall and open the shop."

"Oh... alright, I'll get up right away!"

Qin Yan replied somewhat dazed, then sat up and put on his clothes. His mind was consumed by the dream he'd had, but he decided not to speak of it yet, remembering the local saying: "Never tell a dream before breakfast."

The weather wasn't particularly cold, so getting up was always swift. The Qin family gathered in the hall to clear away the previous night's offerings, taking some of the dishes to the kitchen to eat with their morning porridge.

"Oh! This tofu... could it be that Dad truly visited last night?"

As Qin Yan entered the main hall, he heard his sister's startled cry and quickly hurried over to investigate.

"Brother, come quickly and see."

His wife and sister were apparently about to clear things away, and his sister, who was around sixty, was now pointing at a dish on the table: the bowl of steamed tofu with fermented amaranth.

The tofu, originally a whole block cut into four pieces with eight segments of fermented amaranth on top, now had one piece missing. The other three pieces of tofu were perfectly arranged, and two thoroughly sucked amaranth stems lay beside the dish.

Qin Zizhou loved this dish, but typically only ate one piece of tofu, leaving the rest for his family. He also enjoyed pouring the sauce over his rice after his family had finished the tofu.

"This... surely a thief didn't come in last night, did they?"

Qin Yan's wife felt a shiver of unease and instinctively voiced her thought.

"No, that's not right. If a thief had come, they wouldn't have eaten just this. Aren't the large fish and meat dishes nearby much tastier? Besides, on a night like last night, even if a thief got in, they'd surely take one look at the situation and immediately scale the wall and leave!"

In such a superstitious era, any thief who entered and saw the mourning hall set up with food prepared in the middle of the night would surely be startled away. Thieves preferred to steal from joyful occasions, not funerals.

As Qin Yan's children and grandchildren gradually arrived, the main hall was eventually tidied.

During breakfast, Qin Yan finally shared the dream he'd been holding back. The entire Qin family believed it was Grandfather Qin's farewell before his departure to the underworld.

In reality, however, Qin Zizhou had already reached Yunshan Mountain in Changchuan Prefecture, Bingzhou. Due to the time difference in daylight, he was currently admiring the beautiful sunrise over Yunshan alongside Ji Yuan and the Old Dragon.

The three stood upon the clouds, merging with the sea of clouds below the mountains. Despite being above the mist, they felt as though they were treading on waves, watching the morning sun ascend from the cloud tops.

"This must be your first time witnessing the sun rise from above the clouds, Fellow Daoist Qin, isn't it?"

The Old Dragon asked with a smile.

Qin Zizhou was quite direct in his reply.

"Not exactly. Before I turned eighty, I was still able to climb mountains to gather herbs and visited some high peaks, where I witnessed similar sights a few times. Of course, if Dragon Lord means watching the sunrise while standing *on* a cloud, then yes, this is certainly my first."

"That's true!"

As the sun rose, activity began at Yunshan Temple. The three drifted on clouds to Yanxia Peak. From their vantage point on the cloud tops, they observed Daoist Qingsong and his apprentice waking up and washing. They also watched the two practice their morning health-preserving exercises, and saw Qi Wen carrying empty buckets down the mountain to fetch water.

What was particularly interesting was seeing two cunning sables hiding within Yunshan Temple. While Daoist Qingsong practiced his martial arts in the temple courtyard, the two sables peeked from a hidden corner.

"Heh heh, Mr. Ji, these two little creatures seem to have gained sentience!"

The Old Dragon chuckled, quite pleased with the scene below. Just as young birds and beasts are profoundly influenced by what they first encounter, so too are spirit beasts when they awaken. While the two Daoists at Yunshan Temple weren't true immortals, the tranquil principles of Daoism were highly beneficial to the sables. Prolonged exposure would prevent them from going astray, much like the reasoning behind Buddhist temples.

"Oh, those two sables. Perhaps Old Mr. Ying didn't notice them, but I recall them. Back when you and I were casually discussing the Dao over fresh fish here at Yunshan Temple, two rather clever wild sables were eavesdropping from the bushes outside. I suppose they gained some benefit from it and awakened their spiritual intelligence."

"Oh? That's what happened!"

This gave the Old Dragon an interesting sense of an unintended yet fortunate outcome, and his opinion of the two sables subconsciously improved. Qin Zizhou also watched the sables with a look of wonder.

At this point, Ji Yuan once again cupped his hands to Qin Zizhou.

"Even a journey of a thousand miles must end in parting. Daoist Qingsong Qi Xuan and his apprentice Qi Wen are good people, and Yunshan Temple possesses both beautiful scenery and innate spiritual charm. Elder Qin, you may cultivate here with peace of mind. During your time, you should also reflect deeply. Once you have integrated this Daoist method of star worship and embodied one of its aspects, I believe you will find the introductory path to the Way of World-Roaming Gods."

Qin Zizhou offered no elaborate words of thanks. Instead, he nodded and, from the cloud top, solemnly bowed to Ji Yuan and the Old Dragon, then drifted with the wind like a falling leaf towards the slope just outside Yunshan Temple.

At this very moment, Daoist Qingsong had just completed several rounds of health-preserving exercises and was in the final breathing stage. For the past two or three years, he had felt increasingly vigorous, and his confidence had grown considerably when he indulged in fortune-telling.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Excuse me, is anyone inside the temple?"

The temple gate was knocked, and a slightly aged but robust voice inquired. Although the gate was merely ajar, the person outside clearly had no intention of pushing it open themselves.

"Yes, yes, yes! Someone is here!"

Daoist Qingsong quickly walked to the gate and opened it, revealing an old man in gray standing outside.

The old man had a white beard and hair, a ruddy complexion, and long eyebrows that extended an inch past the corners of his eyes. He appeared undeniably ancient, though his exact age — seventy, eighty, or ninety — was indiscernible. Upon seeing Daoist Qingsong emerge, he cupped his hands and bowed in greeting.

"Greetings, Daoist priest. I am an old man who wishes to renounce the secular world and become a Daoist monk here at Yunshan Temple. I wonder if you would be willing to take me in?"

Daoist Qingsong was utterly bewildered by such a straightforward question from an old man who could easily have been his grandfather.

"Uh... old sir, you're quite advanced in years. You wish to become a Daoist monk? Did you climb the mountain all by yourself?"

Daoist Qingsong instinctively glanced behind the old man, but saw no younger companions in sight.

"What's wrong? As the saying goes, 'one should not cultivate the Dao when young, nor practice martial arts when old.' For an old man like me to come up the mountain to cultivate the Dao now is perfectly appropriate, isn't it? And after an old man like me has climbed all this way, won't the Daoist priest even let me in for a cup of tea?"

Qin Zizhou was old and cunning, a man of a hundred years' experience. While he might have been reserved in the presence of Ji Yuan, the Old Dragon, and the spirits, that didn't mean he was without words; he could certainly speak eloquently when he chose to.

"Oh, oh, oh, please come in, please come in!"

Daoist Qingsong wouldn't dare take in such an elderly man at the temple, fearing any minor injury could be critical. Yet, he couldn't deny him entry outright. He decided to entertain him for a bit before escorting him back down the mountain.

After inviting him into the kitchen and pouring tea, Daoist Qingsong began to subtly inquire.

"Old sir, how old are you? And where do you reside?"

"Let me think... perhaps a hundred years, or perhaps one... let's say a hundred! As for my home, since I'm preparing to renounce the world, we need not discuss secular matters!"

Qin Zizhou drank his tea as he spoke, his words once again leaving Daoist Qingsong speechless. Just as he was about to offer some advice, a thought suddenly struck him. He sat opposite the old man and carefully scrutinized his features.

A moment earlier, he had perceived a ruddy complexion and vibrant energy, but the longer he looked, the blurrier the image became, making him forget what he had just seen. His heart instantly seized with surprise.

'This person is likely not mortal!'

Daoist Qingsong had always felt that Yunshan Temple had become special ever since Mr. Ji's visit, so he subconsciously asked,

"Old sir, do you know Mr. Ji?"

Qin Zizhou smiled, set down his teacup, and cupped his hands to Qi Xuan.

"I am Qin Zizhou. I have come to Yunshan Temple to cultivate, as advised by Mr. Ji and the Dragon Lord. My question remains: will the Daoist priest take me in?"

Daoist Qingsong instinctively swallowed.

"Yes... yes, I will!"

Qin Zizhou nodded, then glanced towards the upper corner of the kitchen door. Above Yunshan Temple, Ji Yuan and the Old Dragon exchanged a smile before departing on their clouds the very next moment.

Ji Yuan and the Old Dragon parted ways midway, one heading east back to Jizhou, the other west towards the Tongtian River.

At Ji Yuan's speed, it was already half a day later when he returned to the Ju'an Pavilion. It happened to be a rest day, and Yin Qing and Hu Yun were napping on the stone table in the pavilion's courtyard in the afternoon.

The gentle breeze in the courtyard occasionally rustled the leaves of the large date tree.

Ji Yuan landed without a sound. He walked to the table and saw that both the man and the fox were sleeping soundly.

On the stone table lay two letters: one, addressed "To my son Yin Qing," had already been opened; the other, addressed "To Mr. Ji," remained untouched.

Ji Yuan recognized the handwriting and knew it was a letter from his friend, Yin Zhaoxian. He couldn't help but smile at the sleeping Yin Qing and murmured,

"One can escape for a time, but not forever. It seems I must still go to Chunhui Prefecture!"