Chapter 376: Measuring Words

The demon Niu Batian was certainly someone Ji Yuan paid attention to. However, he felt that the brute ox's current state was quite good. Although he seemed whimsical, he surely possessed ample talent and diligence to have cultivated such abilities.

The "immortal's guidance" that the old ox sought was just a thought of his. In fact, he neither felt any bottlenecks nor harbored any mental burdens. He was perfectly content with peaceful cultivation and a simple life; a bit of money to visit the flower street made him happy. For such a demon, Ji Yuan found it difficult to say what guidance he could offer.

In the height of summer of the Wuxu year, Ji Yuan was certainly going to attend the Immortal Gathering held by the Immortal Mansion on Nine Peaks Mountain in Hengzhou of the Northern Region, but how to get there was a problem.

Unfamiliarity with the path was one aspect. Another was going alone, which might lead to awkwardness or confusion. The safest way was to take an appropriate realm ferry and go with acquaintances.

Ji Yuan had already considered this aspect thoroughly. He could simply go with the people from Mount Yuhuai. After all, Mount Yuhuai possessed a deep foundation; it wasn't a common minor sect, so they would surely be able to attend the Immortal Gathering.

Moreover, Ji Yuan estimated there were still a few years until the event. Mount Yuhuai wouldn't depart immediately. No matter how distant Hengzhou in the Northern Region was, a realm ferry would surely reach it within a few months.

For now, however, Ji Yuan decided to first return to Dazhen. He would go to Cloud Mountain in Bingzhou to seek out Daoist Qingsong and see if he could help ascertain the whereabouts of the characters on the "Sword Intent Scroll." He would also take the opportunity to check on Qin Zizhou's current situation.

Cloud Mountain in Bingzhou remained the famous mountain in Dongle County, renowned for its magnificent sea of clouds. Of course, its fame was largely confined to the local prefecture; other regions were not as sparsely mountainous as Bingzhou.

Bingzhou was situated in the heartland of Dazhen's Central Plains. As a vast plain, while not as cold as the north, its temperatures were quite sensitive to change. Now, with autumn arriving, other regions might still be experiencing heat comparable to midsummer, but Bingzhou already felt cool. Spring and autumn were indeed Bingzhou's most comfortable seasons.

Early that morning, mist still veiled Cloud Mountain. Qin Zizhou had already risen and was practicing the health-preserving martial arts passed down by the Cloud Mountain Temple in the courtyard.

With his pale complexion, white hair, white eyebrows, and altered physique, Qin Zizhou now looked completely different from his former self. Yet, he was still the very same Doctor Qin. Although his Divine Yang body was now immune to all illnesses, he remained quite interested in this set of health-preserving exercises, even feeling there was profound wisdom within them.

Take Daoist Qingsong, for instance. The abbot of Cloud Mountain Temple had lived to such an advanced age, and his health-preserving martial arts undoubtedly played an indispensable role.

It was still barely dawn, and Daoist Qingsong was sound asleep. Qi Wen, needing to relieve himself, opened the door and came out. Upon seeing Qin Zizhou already practicing, he couldn't help but remark,

"Grandpa Qin, you are truly diligent."

"Heh heh, good morning, young Daoist Qingyuan."

Qin Zizhou replied, his movements never ceasing.

Cloud Mountain Temple only bestowed Daoist names upon adults; Qingyuan was Qi Wen's current Daoist name. Qin Zizhou, however, remained Qin Zizhou, as Daoist Qingsong wouldn't dare take Elder Qin as a disciple, even with a hundred times the courage. Thus, Qin Zizhou was merely an honorary resident at Cloud Mountain Temple.

To be honest, this also relieved Qi Wen. After all, if his master had truly taken such an elderly person as a disciple, then according to the principle of "first-come, senior disciple," wouldn't he have to address the other as Junior Brother Qin?

As Qi Wen hurried towards the latrine, Qin Zizhou, who had been practicing, suddenly stirred. He ceased his movements, then leaped up, ascending as astral energy drew spiritual qi upwards.

When Qi Wen returned from the latrine, he found that Qin Zizhou was no longer in the courtyard. He was quite perplexed, unsure if the old man had gone back inside to sleep or elsewhere.

Meanwhile, on Yanxia Peak, Qin Zizhou landed on the mountaintop. He saw a man in white robes standing on a rock, gazing at the sea of clouds. After confirming his identity, Qin Zizhou quickly cupped his hands and bowed.

"Greetings, Mr. Ji!"

Ji Yuan collected himself, turned, and returned the greeting.

"Elder Qin, are you comfortable staying at Cloud Mountain Temple?"

"Haha, there's nothing to get used to. I was busy my whole previous life. Living a leisurely life, absorbing qi and drawing upon astral energy for cultivation, it's quite comfortable."

Ji Yuan smiled.

"I thought you wouldn't be able to stay idle and would go down the mountain too frequently to heal the sick and save people."

Healing the sick and saving people was, of course, good, and Ji Yuan wouldn't object. However, Qin Zizhou had the potential to become a future Realm Roaming God, so the emphasis on cultivation naturally needed to be greater. Healing one or a hundred people was different from cultivating to save countless people in the future. Seeing Qin Zizhou this way eased Ji Yuan's mind further.

"I understand the principle, of course, and I wouldn't betray your and the Dragon Lord's painstaking efforts. Moreover, Cloud Mountain Temple isn't lacking patients; it's just that their ailments are somewhat singular."

Qin Zizhou said this quite earnestly, causing Ji Yuan to pause. Had Qin Zizhou's reputation spread down the mountain, leading people to come up for treatment?

"Patients with singular ailments?"

Hearing Ji Yuan's question, Qin Zizhou chuckled.

"Yes, I collect some herbs to make ointments, and what I treat most are sprains and bruises."

Ji Yuan understood, and couldn't help but smile.

"It seems Elder Qin is indeed doing well here; you've even learned to joke."

In Ji Yuan's memory, the former Qin Zizhou was generally solemn. At least in their limited encounters, he wasn't someone who smiled often. Now, he could even show a playful side.

"Have Daoist Qingsong and Qi Wen woken up yet?"

"Not yet, but they will soon. In about half an hour."

Ji Yuan nodded.

"Alright, then I'll go down after they wake up. For now, let's enjoy this sea of clouds on Cloud Mountain together, Elder Qin."

A gentle breeze blew, stirring the sleeves of Ji Yuan's hands-behind-back stance. Qin Zizhou also stepped closer, observing the sea of clouds with him.

One was ethereal and unburdened like an immortal, the other, with his long beard and white eyebrows, also resembled an ancient immortal. If an ordinary person suddenly encountered this scene while climbing the mountain, they would likely be filled with awe and cry out for the immortals.

"Elder Qin, you probably haven't seen the ocean yet, have you?"

"No, I haven't."

For some reason, Ji Yuan's mind once again recalled the special crying sound from the sea and the red light in the sky he had witnessed previously.

"There will be plenty of opportunities to travel all mountains, rivers, and seas. Heaven and Earth are vast, far grander than ordinary people can imagine. Elder Qin, if you can truly achieve the position of a Realm Roaming God..."

Ji Yuan looked up at the sky. Although the stars were no longer visible at this moment, they were merely obscured by the daylight; they were still there.

"If that day truly comes, I will still rely on you, Elder Qin, to try and see if Heaven and Earth have boundaries, to travel beyond the celestial stars and observe."

Qin Zizhou also subconsciously looked up at the sky.

"If that day truly comes, I naturally will... Mr. Ji, what is out there?"

Mr. Ji wouldn't say such things without reason. Although Qin Zizhou hadn't encountered many cultivators, his horizons had been broadened from the very beginning. After all, encountering city gods and other spirits was secondary; he had seen the True God of the Two Rivers and a true dragon. Mr. Ji's cultivation must also be extremely high, so for him to say this, there had to be something significant behind it.

However, Ji Yuan could not provide an answer.

"I don't know either!"

As the morning light grew stronger, the sea of mist dissipated. Soon, the master and disciple at Cloud Mountain Temple woke up. Ji Yuan and Qin Zizhou also descended from the mountaintop, but they were not in a hurry to enter the temple and greet Daoist Qingsong and Qi Wen. Instead, they remained hidden in the sky, observing a spot outside the temple.

Sure enough, not long after, two small martens stealthily approached the Cloud Mountain Temple. They used a firewood branch outside the kitchen courtyard to climb onto the temple wall, then ran along the wall to a hidden spot behind the main hall and jumped into the temple grounds.

Soon after, while Daoist Qingsong and Qi Wen were practicing martial arts together in the temple courtyard, the two small martens hid behind the main hall, secretly watching.

Qin Zizhou smiled, pointed in that direction, and said to Ji Yuan,

"They come every day, always at this time. Sometimes they even sneak in little gifts and leave them in the kitchen."

"Oh? What kind of gifts?"

Ji Yuan's curiosity was piqued.

"Haha, well, sometimes it's a snake they've bitten to death, sometimes small fish or crabs from the mountain stream. There are also bitten mountain rats and frogs, and plenty of caterpillars and shelled insects. On rare occasions, there's a little bit of berries..."

"Hahahahaha... What fine gifts, what fine gifts!"

What else could Ji Yuan say? Besides finding it amusing, he also found it somewhat endearing. Of course, Qi Wen, who received these "gifts," probably wouldn't be too pleased, as cleaning the kitchen would undoubtedly be his task.

After the two Daoists finished their exercises, Ji Yuan and Qin Zizhou walked from outside the courtyard and knocked on the gate to enter. The two Daoists, seeing Ji Yuan, were naturally very happy and busied themselves preparing a sumptuous lunch.

However, upon learning that Ji Yuan had come to ask for a divination, all tasks like purchasing ingredients were delegated to Qi Wen, while Daoist Qingsong poured all his energy into the divination.

Several small stools were arranged in front of the main hall of Cloud Mountain Temple. Daoist Qingsong, Ji Yuan, and Qin Zizhou sat together, and an old, yellowed scroll of paper lay spread across Daoist Qingsong's lap.

"This... Mr. Ji, it's just a piece of paper. How can I divine with this?"

Daoist Qingsong's perception was not comparable to an immortal cultivator; he couldn't sense aura just by touching the paper. Ji Yuan thought for a moment and then said,

"Just consider this paper as a 'residence,' and divine the situation of its 'residents.'"

"A residence?"

Daoist Qingsong stared blankly at the paper, giving it a couple of shakes.

"Living on the paper, are they drawings and characters?"

"Precisely, characters. Consider the characters as residents and the paper as their abode. The scroll was formed decades ago, which serves as the residents' birth information. Specifically, it was..."

Ji Yuan also provided the time when Zuo Li completed the Sword Intent Scroll, further adding the "time the residents left home."

Daoist Qingsong listened, utterly bewildered at first, but his expression gradually grew excited. If anyone else had said such a thing, he would have thought them mad, but coming from Mr. Ji, it had to be true.