Chapter 71: Visiting the neighbor Li's family for dinner, giving the jade pendant to the immortal to borrow fate
"Where are you from, sir? Are you visiting relatives or friends in Qingxi Village?"

The person who was talking was an old man. The first house after passing the archway at the entrance of the village was the old man's. His son and daughter-in-law were doing the housework and cooking. The old man also found a stone block, spread some fur on it, and leaned on it to lazily bask in the sun. When he saw Gu Qingyuan coming, he immediately started to ask.

"I have no relatives or friends, but I have lived in Qingxi Mountain for a long time, so I came here to visit my new neighbors." Gu Qingyuan said as he stood in front of the old man.

The old man squinted his eyes and looked at Gu Qingyuan. The sun was shining brightly, and people couldn't open their eyes. The sunlight fell on the person in front of him, as if he was wearing a layer of golden armor, and he looked like a god.

New neighbors, new neighbors.

The old man chewed over these two words. His surname was Li, and he was the village chief of Qingxi Village. Now that he was old, the affairs of the village were gradually handed over to his son.

This Qingxi Village was not originally here. There was a stream a few dozen miles away, called Xiaoqing River. The water in the stream was so clear that you could see the bottom. Qingxi Village was located by the water, so it was called Qingxi Village. Later, a disaster occurred and the entire village moved to Qingxi Mountain.

I have already asked people to find out. I am the only one living in this village. Where is your neighbor from? There are many mysteries in this mountain. People have extraordinary temperaments and are dressed in fancy clothes...

Thoughts came one after another in his mind. Old Man Li stood up and said, "So it's a high-ranking neighbor who's here to visit. As the saying goes, a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor. Sir, you've come to my Qingxi Village. It's not like you're visiting a relative, but it's better than visiting a relative. My last name is Li, so I'll call you Old Man Li. If you don't mind, would you mind having a simple meal at my place?"

Before Gu Qingyuan could reply, Old Man Li shouted into the house, "Li Da, Li Da, we have a distinguished guest coming. Tell your wife to kill the free-range chicken we have raised for several years so that I can entertain the distinguished guest."

Following the voice came out a man in his thirties or forties, with a simple and honest face and a short stature, but he looked quite strong.

"I know, Dad." Li Da responded in a muffled voice.

Gu Qingyuan did not stop him, and looked at Old Man Li with a smile: "My surname is Gu, my name is Qingyuan, and I didn't expect my father-in-law to be so extravagant."

"Sir, you have an extraordinary demeanor, as if a god has descended to the earth. It is a blessing for us to stay here and have some meals. It is also a blessing for the free-range chickens in my house. The taste is delicious and you must try it." Old man Li said as he led Gu Qingyuan into the house. As he walked in, he couldn't help but look at his dust-free shoes.

It had just rained a little the day before. Although the soil dried quickly as the sun rose, and there was no trace of rain on the village roads paved with stones, the mountain paths outside the village were wet, with a lot of accumulated mud, and it was inevitable to get some muddy water on them when walking on them.

Entering the house, there are two small rooms connected, one is the outer hall and the other is the inner bedroom. Although it is not big, it is very tidy inside. There is a row of dried mushrooms hanging on the wall, a piece of bacon hanging on the beam, a square table and a bench in the middle, and a concave platform is carved on the north wall, with a tablet on it.

Old man Li dragged a long ladder and wiped it again and again with his jacket sleeve: "Sir, please take a seat. My home is simple and I am sorry to make you laugh."

"That's impossible. All the utensils, big and small, are spotless, and the family is well-fed and well-clothed. The old man must have a harmonious family and manages everything well." Gu Qingyuan sat down, but his eyes fell on the tablet.

There was nothing special about the tablet. Even the wood was carved from an ordinary tree and coated with tung oil. The surface was not very smooth and was slightly blackened by the incense.

What Gu Qingyuan noticed was the words on the tablet.

The position of the Great Celestial Venerable who is holy in the sky and responds to the Dharma with kindness.

He knew this person. He had heard Taoist Xu mention that the ancient method was too difficult to practice. Only when a genius created a new method and opened up the path to immortality could there be such a prosperous scene of cultivation. One of the Jindan masters was this person's disciple.

It is for this reason that the Dharma of Transmission became popular. Practitioners, grateful for his kindness, set up tablets to worship him. Among them, the names of Kai Ling, Ying Fa, and Ren Zhe all originated from the kindness of this person in creating and spreading the Dharma. It is thought that Old Man Li had the opportunity to see this tablet and thought it was some great immortal. Even cultivators had to offer incense to him, so he followed suit and worshipped it.

I don’t know what level of cultivation that great celestial master has.

Gu Qingyuan thought, this Heavenly Venerable was extremely ancient, so ancient that even the Golden Core Master who was now lying in the ninth cloud had not yet achieved enlightenment. But this person rose like a meteor and disappeared. Some people said that he died after failing to break through the Golden Core, while others said that he broke through the realm and ascended to heaven. There were all kinds of rumors.

When Gu Qingyuan asked Old Man Li, he found out that he had indeed seen a cultivator offering sacrifices before. Then he remembered it in his heart and talked with him about all sorts of things. The guests were all having a great time.

"So, Qingxi Village was recently moved here?" Gu Qingyuan asked.

Old man Li sighed and said, "That's right. We used to live along the Xiaoqing River, but we suffered a disaster and had to move here. Unexpectedly, this place is blessed with spiritual energy. My old arms and legs always ache when it's cloudy or rainy. After staying here for a few years, the old ailment is cured. This is a blessed land! That's why I ordered the villagers to work hard and settle here. Maybe there will be a few immortal cultivators here, and it will expand the family business."

As Old Man Li spoke, he laughed out loud, stroking his beard. The wrinkles on his face gathered together like an old chrysanthemum.

"I wonder what this disaster is about?" Gu Qingyuan noticed something else.

After hearing this, Old Man Li stopped smiling, took a long sigh, and told the truth like pouring beans.

"The Xiaoqing River is calm and has many fish and shrimps. We, the whole village, can survive by fishing. But a few years ago, the Xiaoqing River was hit by storms. The river water often breached the border and flooded the land. I have lived for decades and am timid by nature. I know that disasters will come when strange things happen. I immediately visited the elders in the village to discuss and decided to move the village. Sure enough, not long after we moved, an evil dragon broke out and widened the river, bringing in water from the river and flooding countless villages. Now the Xiaoqing River is probably called Qingxi River." "The evil dragon lingered and asked the nearby villages to offer boys and girls to feed it. If they refused, it would overturn the rivers and seas, flood the fields, and enclose the riverside villages. My village is lucky to have escaped early and come to Qingxi Mountain. It is really a great blessing from heaven."

Having said that, Old Man Li did not smile. Firstly, he had escaped death, so he could not help feeling grief over the loss of his family. Secondly, his family was worth a fortune, so he would have to give up his house and land to move to another village. Coming to Qingxi Mountain from the beginning was really a huge pain.

The evil dragon eats young boys and girls. Isn't there any immortal sect to control it?
Gu Qingyuan's heart moved. Under the jurisdiction of the orthodox sect, such man-eating monsters must be controlled. They are not of our race, so their hearts must be different. Suppressing the monster race is a consistent and common practice of human cultivators. Even people show no mercy in their internal fighting, let alone alien races.

Furthermore, although there is a difference between immortals and mortals, mortals are also resources, providing new seeds for cultivating immortals and offerings all year round. Otherwise, how many children can the cultivators give birth to on their own? I'm afraid that after only seven or eight generations, the sect will have no one left to use.

And to be honest, if all mortals are killed by disasters, who will the practitioners rule over?
However, Qingxi Mountain was the seat of Xu Laodao's Taoist lineage, and ordinary orthodox sects did not dare to set up their own sects here. In addition, Zifu Zhenjun had been in seclusion for more than ten years, and only a few people knew about the return of Taoism. This was why there was a power vacuum, which attracted the evil dragon to stir up trouble.

It just so happens that I was worried about not having any souvenirs to bring to the Dadao Temple. If I take this little dragon bone, I won't have to go there and look embarrassed.

When visiting someone's home, one always has to bring some gifts, no matter how big or small. Da Dao Guan is one of the three great sects with a deep financial foundation, so they wouldn't look down on those trifles. But the gift they give is for the reputation, so it can be small, but it cannot be absent.

As he was speaking, Li Da came in with food. There was not only chicken soup, but also fresh fish, mixed cold dishes, and a bowl full of hard-boiled eggs, which was placed in front of Gu Qingyuan.

There is a thin layer of oil floating on the chicken soup, and it is stewed together with the soaked wild mushrooms. The lingering aroma fills the mouth and nose, which makes people's appetite open.

"Dad, I took some food and exchanged it for a fish from Uncle Sixteen, but he didn't want it and returned the food." Li Da said in a muffled voice as he stood in front of Old Man Li.

"It's okay. Sixteen's father's birthday will be coming soon. You can bring more gifts and ask Yuxiang to go over and help out." Old man Li didn't care and asked Li Da to sit down.

"We are all relatives in the same village, and we should help each other." Old man Li also said to Gu Qingyuan.

"That's how it should be."

As he was talking, a woman came in from outside. She was wearing an apron and smelling of cooking oil. She was holding a child in her arms, who was just learning to speak.

The woman didn't sit down either, but just teased the child.

Old man Li laughed, stood up, took the child, flicked the baby's little bird, and held it in front of Gu Qingyuan:

"This is my little grandson, come and have a look, sir."

Gu Qingyuan took the baby and saw that the baby's eyes were rolling around, and his hands and feet were small. He did not cry or make a fuss when meeting strangers, but giggled instead. He was very cute.

Seeing this, Old Man Li said quickly: "My little Sun smiled when he met Mr. Master. It seems that he and Mr. Master have a connection."

"Your grandson is blessed, father-in-law. Judging from his appearance, he must be a rare talent." As Gu Qingyuan spoke, a stream of pure spiritual energy entered the baby's body. With this energy, all his diseases disappeared, and he would grow up healthy. His bones would be reshaped, and his qi and blood would be replenished. If he met an immortal, he would be able to become one.

With my pure spiritual energy, even if you are not an outstanding person, you can become one.

Thinking about this, Gu Qingyuan activated his magic power and refined a jade pendant. The jade pendant contained his magic power, which could be activated in times of danger to save the life of the person holding the pendant.

"This jade pendant can be considered as my meeting gift, and also as a token of my gratitude for the meal."

Old man Li wiped his hands on his clothes and took it respectfully: "Then I, an old man, thank you on behalf of my grandson, and I will accept it with a thick face."

The jade pendant was dark blue and looked ordinary, but Old Man Li did not dare to neglect it and asked the woman to keep it.

Gu Qingyuan was worried about the evil dragon, so he stood up to say goodbye after his meal. Old Man Li and his family of four, including three adults and one child, respectfully saw him out.

Gu Qingyuan walked for a distance before he set up the cloud. He could still hear the old man Li yelling:
"Go get the red thread quickly and put this jade pendant on my grandson. Be careful. Even if you lose the money, you must not lose this pendant. This is my grandson's immortal destiny."

Gu Qingyuan smiled lightly, trying to be a good person to the end. He made a few sound transmission notes, asking the three mountain monsters and Li Tong to take good care of this family, and then he flew away according to what the old man Li said.

(End of this chapter)