Chapter 97: The Man with the Secret to Maintaining Youth

Chen Yuan stayed in Meizhuang for a total of five days. Since the Four Friends from Jiangnan had treated him wholeheartedly, Chu Yuan also gave something in return.

During his free time, at night or in the dusk, he gave some advice on martial arts to the Four Friends from Jiangnan, which made them all feel grateful and moved.

In the next four days, the four Jiangnan friends took Chu Yuan and his friends to visit scenic spots such as Pinghu Autumn Moon, Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, and Two Peaks Piercing the Clouds.

Today is the last day, and tomorrow Chu Yuan and his team will return to Qingcheng Mountain in Bashu.

The four Jiangnan friends decided to lead Chu Yuan and the others to visit Leifeng Pagoda together.

An autumn sunset on the mountain.

"Master Chu, thank you for your guidance these days!"

On the mountain road leading to Leifeng Pagoda, Huang Zhonggong, one of the Four Friends of Jiangnan, and Chu Yuan were walking in front. He said to Chu Yuan.

"It's just some pointers, it's not a big deal."

Chu Yuan smiled.

“For Taoist Priest Chu, it was just a casual pointer, but for the four of us brothers, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Huang Zhonggong was skinny but had bright eyes. He was wearing a khaki-colored long gown.

The four brothers have always been in a relatively marginal position in the Sun and Moon Sect.

In terms of martial arts, he is not as good as the elders and the left and right envoys, but he is slightly stronger than ordinary believers, but his strength is limited.

Later, they got tired of the fighting in the martial arts world, and they also disliked the brutal style of the former leader of the Demon Cult, Ren Woxing, who killed people at will. So after the current leader, Dongfang Bubai, came to power, they defected to Dongfang Bubai.

Then he was sent to Jiangnan to guard the former teaching director Woxing.

This mission does not require physical fighting, nor does it require you to care about the intrigues within the religion. You can stay away from the power center of the religion, Blackwood Cliff, and live in the south of the Yangtze River for a long time. You can also leisurely stroll around the West Lake and entertain yourself with various arts such as music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

"We four brothers love music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and we love them like crazy, but we are also fascinated by martial arts. Without the guidance of Taoist Priest Chu, our martial arts would have been just like this in our lives."

"But with the guidance of Master Chu, we can all reach a higher level."

Huang Zhonggong continued.

He suddenly stopped, looked serious, and saluted Chu Yuan.

"No need to be so polite."

Chu Yuan smiled.

"This courtesy must be performed. The grace of guidance is like the grace of a teacher. Although you are young and we are older, you are half our teacher."

Huang Zhonggong insisted to Chu Yuan.

"good."

"Master Chu deserves this gift."

"Master Chu's guidance is like a rebirth."

Heibaizi, Tubiweng and Danqingsheng, who were walking behind, heard what Chu Yuan and Huang Zhonggong were saying. They walked up to Chu Yuan and bowed solemnly to him.

"Master Chu, my second brother is not a bad person, he is just too smart and has too many thoughts."

Then Huang Zhonggong explained to Chu Yuan about his second brother Hei Baizi.

The other three of them were extremely thin-skinned, but only the second brother was willing to save his face.

If it weren't for the second brother's flattery and diligence, the four brothers would probably not have been able to get the opportunity to be guided by Chu Yuan.

"It's okay, I understand."

Chu Yuan nodded.

He understood Hei Baizi very well, as well as people like Huang Jue, the leader of the Fuwei Escort Agency in Hengshan City last time.

Because he felt that these people had something in common with his colleagues in his previous life’s workplace who were capable of handling things.

I want to improve myself and live a better life.

But they have no way to get ahead, so they can only seize themselves, try their best to please themselves and gain their favor within a limited time when they meet masters like themselves.

I want to ask for a martial art from me, some guidance...

For such people, as long as they are not cruel or evil-minded, he will help them if he can.

People like Heibaizi and Huang Jue are at least much stronger than ambitious people like Zuo Lengchan.

He himself is more like Huang Zhonggong, Tu Biweng and Dan Qingsheng, the kind of people who are unable to speak and are thin-skinned.

In his previous life, he had tried his best to integrate into the company environment, but when it came to various interpersonal relationships, he still seemed a little out of place.

Later, during team building, I traveled through time and space because my leader frequently urged me to drink.

"Master Chu will return to Qingcheng Mountain tomorrow, so we won't see you off. I hope you can come to Meizhuang again when you come to Jiangnan next time. We will definitely entertain you well."

Huang Zhonggong said to Chu Yuandao.

"No need to see me off. Thank you all for your hospitality these past few days."

Chu Yuan said.

……

Climbed to the top of Sunset Mountain.

The main body is a flat octagonal body, each floor is covered with colorful tiles, and the five-story Leifeng Pagoda appears in front of everyone.

"Uncle Chu, I will go back to Qingcheng Mountain with you tomorrow."

While going upstairs, Ren Yingying said to Chu Yuan.

"As the Saint of the Demon Cult, don't you want to return to the Sun Moon Cult?"

Chu Yuan asked Ren Yingying.

"My father is in your Qingcheng Sect. I will not leave until I am sure that my father is safe."

Ren Yingying said.

"Don't worry, your father will come back to Qingcheng Sect with me, what will happen?"

Chu Yuan said.

"That's not necessarily true. Not all of you in the righteous path are decent people. There are also those who are hypocritical. You can only know a person's face but not his heart. Who knows?"

Ren Yingying said.

"Okay, it's up to you."

Chu Yuan felt helpless that his character was actually suspected.

They soon arrived at the Leifeng Pagoda.

Standing at the window and looking out, you can see most of the West Lake.

Although it is autumn and most of the trees on Sunset Mountain have turned red, looking out from the Leifeng Pagoda still gives one a feeling of rippling water.

"so beautiful!"

Ren Yingying stood at the window and said.

"I wonder if Bai Suzhen is imprisoned under the Leifeng Pagoda?"

Chu Yuan looked at the Leifeng Pagoda and thought of another question.

"What Bai Suzhen?"

Ren Yingying turned around with a puzzled look on her face.

"Don't you know? The Legend of the White Snake?"

Chu Yuan asked doubtfully.

"The Legend of the White Snake?"

Ren Yingying shook her head. She had never heard of it.

Chu Yuan was silent for a moment. He didn't know when the story of "The Legend of White Snake" appeared, but he thought it was not now.

"Uncle Chu, can you tell me this story?"

Ren Yingying thought about the story Chu Yuan had told her before, about them. She felt that all the stories Chu Yuan told were very exciting.

"Okay, then I'll tell you about it." Chu Yuan said.

"Speaking of the Legend of the White Snake, it has something to do with my Qingcheng Mountain. It is said that during the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a white snake that practiced in Qingcheng Mountain for a thousand years and turned into a beautiful woman named Bai Suzhen. She went to Mount Emei to ask Guanyin Bodhisattva for advice on how to become an immortal. The Bodhisattva appeared and said that she wanted to become an immortal and needed to come down to earth to repay the kindness of her previous life. So Bai Suzhen went down the mountain with her maid Xiaoqing and met Xu Xian, an apprentice at a pharmacy in West Lake, Hangzhou..."

Chu Yuan told the story in his mind.

There are many versions of "The Legend of White Snake" in later film and television dramas.

The version Chu Yuan had watched was Zhao Yazhi's version of The Legend of White Snake, which was also the one that was replayed the most times on TV.

Chu Yuan spoke for nearly half an hour.

It is said that after Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian got married, a monk who called himself Fahai from Jinshan Temple noticed that there was an evil spirit about Xu Xian on his way home.

"Okay, this story is very long. I'll tell you later when I have time."

Chu Yuan was talking until his mouth was dry, so he stopped and said.

When he turned around, he found that not only the Four Friends of Jiangnan were standing behind him, but even Ren Woxing and Xiang Wentian were standing beside him, listening with great interest.

There were a dozen tourists around, both men and women, young and old, who came to visit Leifeng Pagoda together. They were all attracted by his story.

"Tell me, tell me! Brother Chu, what happened next?"

Seeing that Chu Yuan stopped at the critical moment, Ren Woxing said anxiously.

"My mouth is dry. I'll talk again next time I have a chance."

Chu Yuan said.

"Master Chu, where did you hear this story about the snake demon? Why have we lived in West Lake for more than ten years and never heard anyone else tell it?"

Dan Qingsheng asked Chu Yuandao.

"Ahem, this is a story I heard from another storyteller."

Chu Yuan coughed.

It was already the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and no one had heard of "The Legend of the White Snake".

Could it be that "The Legend of the White Snake" is a story that only happened in the late Ming Dynasty or the Qing Dynasty?

"I've read a similar story about a snake demon in 'Warnings to the World'!"

At this time, there was a man dressed like a Confucian scholar standing next to him, and he was still not satisfied.

"It's a bit like the Song Dynasty vernacular novel 'Three Pagodas at West Lake', but this story is obviously much more exciting than 'Three Pagodas at West Lake'."

Another middle-aged Confucian scholar next to the scholar said.

Both Confucian scholars were wearing Confucian robes, as if they were here to tour West Lake together.

After the oldest, middle-aged scholar with a sparse beard, a thin face and high cheekbones finished speaking, he looked at Chu Yuan.

"May I ask what is your name, Taoist priest? Which mountain or temple are you from?"

This person saluted Chu Yuan.

"Qingcheng Mountain Qingcheng Sect Taoist Chu Yuan, nice to meet you two."

Chu Yuan replied, "I am Wang Shouren."

"My name is Xu Ai."

The two Confucian scholars reported their names to Chu Yuan.

Chu Yuan's eyes fell on Wang Shouren!

He had never heard of the other one, but Wang Shouren was an extraordinary person!
It's a pity that he is in the underworld, not the court, otherwise he could make friends with him.

He also didn't know whether this Wang Shouren was the Wang Shouren he knew.

"I wonder if there is a chance to invite Master Chu and you all to have a meal?"

Wang Shouren said to Chu Yuan.

He could see that Ren Yingying, Ren Woxing, Xiang Wentian, and the Four Friends of Jiangnan all had extraordinary temperaments and were not ordinary people. Moreover, they were traveling with Chu Yuan, so it was obvious that they were from the same group.

He wanted to invite Chu Yuan, so he invited others as well.

"No, next time."

Chu Yuan glanced at the sunset in the sky and declined politely.

"We have to return to Qingcheng Mountain tomorrow. We have to go back early today to rest and wait for the right opportunity to meet again."

Chu Yuan explained.

"Okay, then, Master Chu, we'll meet again if we're destined to."

When Wang Shouren heard Chu Yuan's words, a trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes.

I thought I met an interesting person and I could make friends with him, but I didn't expect that he would leave Jiangnan tomorrow.

However, the main reason why he invited the other party to a banquet was because Chu Yuan's story called "The Legend of White Snake" made him curious and he wanted to know what happened next.

After saying goodbye to the other party, Chu Yuan and his companions left Leifeng Pagoda.

"Brother Chu, the one who was talking to you just now has a noble appearance and a dignified face. It is obvious that he is from the imperial court. We are a bunch of gangsters and have nothing to do with the people of the imperial court. Why waste time talking to them?"

When we were going down Xizhao Mountain, Ren Woxing said to Chu Yuan.

"I see that the man who just spoke has a thin face, high but full cheekbones, a strong jaw, and thick and clear eyebrows. He will be a high-ranking official in the future."

Chu Yuan said to Ren Woxing.

"No matter how high his position is, it has nothing to do with us Jianghu people anyway."

Let me do what I want.

"No... Brother Chu, you can see that he will be a high-ranking official in the future. Do you know how to read faces?"

Then Ren Woxing became interested again.

"I can see some, but it may not be accurate."

Chu Yuan nodded.

When he was studying Taoist scriptures, he had also read some books on physiognomy.

Shan Yi is a fortune teller and divination practitioner. Divination is one of the five arts of Taoism.

But he had only read a few of them and was not proficient in this area.

"Then can you please take a look at this face for me?"

Ren Woxing approached Chu Yuan and said.

Chu Yuan looked at Ren Woxing seriously for a while, carefully examining his facial features and forehead.

"Brother Ren, you have stray hairs between your eyebrows, a narrow forehead, and a broken nose with horizontal lines. This is a sign of not being able to accomplish great things, dying midway, or dying unexpectedly."

Chu Yuan compared it with the physiognomy books he had read.

"Brother Chu, why are you cursing me for no reason?"

Let me do what I want.

If he could win, he would have fought with Chu Yuan for a few more rounds.

"but……"

Chu Yuan looked at Ren Woxing's face, and a strange look flashed in his eyes.

"But what?"

Ren Woxing was puzzled.

"But the horizontal lines on your nose are shrinking, which means your fate has been changed, Brother Ren."

Chu Yuan explained.

"It seems that your ability to read faces is only a mediocre one, Brother Chu. Just now you said that I would die before I could accomplish my great cause, and that I would die unexpectedly. How come my fate has suddenly changed?"

When Chu Yuan just looked at Ren Woxing's face, he looked a little exasperated. Now he is not worried at all and instead laughs at Chu Yuan.

"A person's fate is determined by time, destiny and luck. It is not fixed. If you meet a noble person who helps you, or if you don't know how to restrain yourself and are envied by others, it may affect and change your fate. This is normal."

Chu Yuan said.

Ren Yingying was looking at Chu Yuan from the side, wondering what she was thinking!
As they were talking, the group returned to Meizhuang.

Silent all night.

The next day.

In the morning mist.

The group of four left Meizhuang, left Qiantang County, and rode towards Bashu.

……

Qiantang County.

In a big house.

"Brother Wang, I have found out the information you asked me to find out!"

A tall and thin scholar who was just over twenty years old, wearing a Confucian robe and a square Confucian scarf, walked in from outside. He was the other Confucian scholar Chu Yuan met in Leifeng Pagoda two days ago. His name was Xu Ai.

"Who exactly is this Chu Yuan?"

Wang Shouren was writing in the room. When he heard Xu Ai's voice, he looked up and said.

"Just as he said, he is a Taoist priest of the Qingcheng Sect of Qingcheng Mountain. However, he is of a much higher generation and is the junior brother of Yu Canghai, the head of the Qingcheng Sect."

Xu Ai said as she watched Wang Shouren write.

"Don't most Taoists who practice in the mountains live in Taoist temples? Only those martial arts sects in the Jianghu are called factions, right?"

After finishing writing "A Record of Helouxuan", Wang Shouren put down his pen, crumpled up the words he had written and threw them into the wastepaper basket next to him.

"Yes, this Qingcheng Sect is a martial arts sect."

Xu Ai arrived.

"It turns out that this Chu Yuan is a man of the world."

A hint of disappointment flashed across Wang Shouren's eyes.

People like them who pursue a career in politics look down on people of the underworld.

Because no matter how high your martial arts skills are, it is ultimately just a display of bravery. It is useless to the country. Even the grudges and hatreds among people in the martial arts world, and the fighting between them, will undermine local security.

"Yes, Chu Yuan is a man of the Jianghu, but Chu Yuan is a man of great martial arts. He once defeated many masters of the Five Mountains Sword Sects with just one sword. He is very famous in the Jianghu martial arts world and is considered to be the best master in the world. He is known as the "Qingcheng Sword Immortal". With his support, he also merged hundreds of Taoist temples on Qingcheng Mountain. Now the Qingcheng Sect is as big as Wudang."

Xu Ai continued.

"Oh?"

A glimmer of interest flashed in Wang Shouren's eyes.

The sloppy Taoist Zhang Sanfeng and the Wudang Sect he founded are still very famous.

"In addition, this man and another martial arts master were entrusted by the Fuzhou prefect Yang Xuefeng to go out of the city to kill Japanese pirates in Fuzhou in the ninth year of Hongzhi. They killed hundreds of Japanese pirates and saved the people of the prefecture from danger."

"According to convention, Yang Xuefeng should report the merits of these two people, and Yang Xuefeng did report it, but the reward from the court has not come yet."

Xu Ai said with a complicated expression.

"He is still a chivalrous man who is willing to kill Japanese for the people. The court has not rewarded him yet. There must be someone in the court who opposes it!"

Wang Shouren sneered.

"Also, you would never imagine how old this Qingcheng Sword Immortal is..."

Xu Ai looked at Wang Shouren and said with a smile on her face.

"How big?"

Wang Shouren asked curiously.

"He was born in the ninth year of Chenghua, just one year younger than you, my brother."

Xu Ai couldn't help laughing.

"How is that possible? In other words, he is 29 years old this year, but he looks like a young man in his early twenties."

Wang Shouren finally showed surprise on his face.

He had heard before that Taoism had a technique to keep one’s youthful appearance, but he didn’t believe it. Now he does.

"Brother Wang, although you two are about the same age, you look a generation older than him."

Xu Ai looked at Wang Shouren's sparse beard, high cheekbones, and the appearance of a middle-aged man.

"This Taoist priest Chu is also a rare person who has the secret of maintaining his youthful appearance. We could have made friends with him, but unfortunately the timing is not right as he has already left Jiangnan."

Wang Shouren finally looked Chu Yuan in the face, and said with a look of regret.

He was also quite interested in Taoist techniques. On his wedding day at the age of seventeen, no one could find him. It turned out that he was in the wild and met a Taoist priest meditating there. He asked the Taoist priest for advice, and the Taoist priest told him about the health-preserving techniques. He then sat in meditation opposite the Taoist priest and forgot to go home. It was not until the next day that his father-in-law found him and got married.

"Brother Wang, has the matter of activation been decided?"

Since Chu Yuan had left, the information he had obtained was of no use. After telling Wang Shouren about it, Xu Ai asked Wang Shouren.

Wang Shouren had retired due to illness for five years. Now that he has recovered, he was invited by the emperor to stay at his home temporarily and to travel to the West Lake together. It was heard that Wang Shouren already had the intention of making a comeback and was actively smoothing relations in the court.

"It's settled. I'll be taking up the post soon. I'll be the head of the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War, a sixth-rank official."

Wang Shouren said.

"I wish you a smooth career in the capital."

Xu Ai congratulated Wang Shouren with a hint of envy in her eyes.

"Hurry up and take the imperial examination. If you pass, I will accept you as my student."

Wang Shouren smiled.

Although Xu Ai is much younger than him, because Huang Wan introduced him to him, he and his sister are in love with each other and there is a high possibility that he will become his brother-in-law, and thus be considered one of his own.

"Then I'll take advantage of your good words, brother."

Xu Aidao.

(End of this chapter)