Chapter 181 Junior Brother, have you thought it through?
Yang Ling closed his eyes and concentrated, immersing himself completely in the profound meaning of his Dharma, trying to find the key to entry into this complex and profound Dharma.

However, as time passed, his consciousness drifted in this boundless ocean of Dharma, but he was still unable to touch the original clue.

He frowned and felt a little frustrated.

Perhaps because of his insufficient level of cultivation, his Dharma of Transformation and Self-Reflection seemed extremely profound, like a towering mountain of treasure.

He could only wander at the foot of the mountain, sighing inwardly at the treasures all over the mountain.

Yang Ling took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He knew that cultivating the Dao of Transformation and Freedom was not a one-day job; it required not only time but also a deep understanding of the Dao.

His eyes fell on the system panel, and the string of numbers - free attribute points +1000 - sparkled in his eyes.

Without any hesitation, Yang Ling decisively invested all his free attribute points into the attribute of [Enlightenment].

As the points continued to increase, Yang Ling felt as if his consciousness was enhanced by an invisible force, and his whole perception was becoming more acute.

His [Enlightenment] attribute soared at a speed visible to the naked eye, and soon reached an astonishing height of nearly three thousand points.

At this moment, he seemed to be able to feel every bit of the power of the laws flowing between heaven and earth, and countless mysterious Taoist rhymes became clear in his perception.

The profound and mysterious Dharma of self-transformation was no longer shrouded in the vast white mist as before, but began to slowly unveil its mysterious veil.

Hope rekindled in Yang Ling's heart.

Although he still had not mastered the Dharma of Transmutation, he knew that whether he continued to improve his realm or enhance his understanding, both of these paths could lead to the supreme Dharma.

Yang Ling closed his eyes again, and the mysteries of the Dharma echoed in his mind word by word.

He knew that it wouldn't be long before he would be able to master this supreme method.

In the following days, Yang Ling remained busy.

Every morning, he would sit in the charity hall and clinic in Chaoge, treating the people and prescribing medicine, continuing to do good deeds and earning rewards; in the afternoon, he would stroll around with his wife and daughter.

At night, he returned to his study, entered the world in the painting, and continued to comprehend the Dharma of Transformation and Freedom. Every time he immersed himself in it, he could feel that his understanding of this Dharma had progressed further.

Although the progress was slow, Yang Ling was not anxious.

The more difficult it is, the more it shows how powerful and profound this supreme method is.

That morning, just as he arrived at the clinic, a shopkeeper of Yang's shop came to ask for a meeting, saying that several ministers of the court wanted to meet the boss behind the Yang's shop.

Yang Ling asked the reason, and the shopkeeper said that it was probably the imperial court that wanted to borrow goods and grain from us. There were rebels in the east and north of Dashan now, and the imperial court was in urgent need of supplies.

He hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Go tell those ministers that Yang's company is running out of supplies these days and is unable to provide any additional assistance."

When the shopkeeper heard this answer, he couldn't help but show worry on his face, and whispered: "Boss, these ministers are all here on behalf of the court. If we refuse them outright like this, I'm afraid it will anger the court!

If the imperial court blames us, our Yang's business will be ruined."

This shopkeeper was an old man brought up by Yang Ling. He had watched the Yang's business grow from one or two stores to its current size. He had already developed a deep affection for the business and always thought about the business.

Yang Ling smiled slightly and said calmly: "Don't worry, I will take care of this matter. The court is not a monolithic entity.

Besides, our Yang's company has always acted uprightly and never done anything wrong. It is not easy for the imperial court to deal with us."

When the shopkeeper heard Yang Ling's confident words, he was still a little worried, but he also knew that Yang Ling always made decisions decisively and never changed his mind easily.

He could only sigh and nodded, "Since the boss has an idea, I will do it now."

After the shopkeeper left, Yang Ling's eyes became sharp.

He knew that the reason these court ministers came to him must be that some interests were involved.

From the very beginning, Yang Ling did not want the Yang family business to be involved in the disputes in the court, so he always kept a certain distance from the ministers in the court and controlled the situation through carrot and stick means.

Many ministers in the court had benefited from the Yang family business, and they were also included in the annual dividends.

As the saying goes, a sedan chair is carried by everyone, and no one will resist benefits that come to their door.

What's more, some powerful ministers in the court knew that the owner of Yang's Trading Company was not a simple person. Especially those ministers who had witnessed Yang Ling break into the palace and kill the nine-tailed fox, they were very aware of how powerful he was.

Yang Ling often walked around Chaoge City. His whereabouts had long been known to the ministers in the court, but no one dared to provoke him.

……

An ordinary black carriage was moving slowly on the streets of Chaoge. The shops on both sides of the street were bustling with people, and the crowds of people were like shuttles jumping on a loom, coming in an endless stream.

Jiang Ziya was sitting in the carriage, brows furrowed, calculating the charity's recent expenses over and over in his mind.

Suddenly, his mind moved, as if an inexplicable feeling caught his attention. He gently lifted the car curtain and looked at the street scene outside the window.

Among the bustling crowd, an old Taoist with a cane and a kind face was looking towards this book.

The old Taoist was wearing a green Taoist robe, had a ruddy complexion, a broad bald head, and exuded an otherworldly aura.

Senior brother?
Jiang Ziya was shocked and recognized at a glance that the old Taoist was his senior brother Nan Ji Xian Weng, who had been taking good care of him since he went to Kunlun Mountain!
He didn't have time to think about why the South Pole Immortal appeared here, and hurriedly said to the driver: "Stop, I have something important to do."

The driver responded and the carriage slowly stopped.

Jiang Ziya hurriedly got off the car and walked quickly towards where the South Pole Immortal was.

However, when he walked through the crowd and came to the place where the Antarctic Immortal had just stood, the other party had disappeared.

Jiang Ziya looked everywhere but couldn't even see the shadow of the South Pole Immortal.

People on the street were still in a hurry, and no one noticed the existence of the old Taoist priest just now, as if he had never appeared.

Jiang Ziya stood in the middle of the street, his heart full of confusion and loss. Could it be that the Immortal of the South Pole suddenly came here to find him?
At this time, a delicate and graceful boy in white clothes came towards him, bowed respectfully, and said, "Uncle Master, our master has been waiting for you at Qingsong Mountain outside the city for a long time. Please follow me quickly."

Jiang Ziya's eyes lit up. The boy in white was none other than the familiar White Crane Boy, a disciple of the Nan Ji Xian Weng. He was also a Taoist boy serving in the Yuxu Palace, responsible for delivering information and various trivial matters.

He felt relieved, as it seemed that the senior brother was indeed here to find him, but because there were too many people in the city and the air was heavy, he asked him to meet him outside the city.

Thinking of this, he immediately followed the White Crane Boy, and the two of them walked out of the city, one in front and one behind.

Although there were people coming and going on the street, in Jiang Ziya's eyes, they all became blurry shadows in the background.

The figures of the two gradually became hazy, as if they had melted into the wind. With one step, the distance of a thousand feet was instantly shortened to a few feet. This was the magical power of Xuanmen - shrinking the earth into an inch. With just a few steps, the street scene changed rapidly, and the city walls, fields, and streams flashed before their eyes.

Soon, the two arrived at Qingsong Mountain outside the city.

The place is shaded by green trees, with refreshing mountain breezes and gurgling streams, which form a sharp contrast with the hustle and bustle of the city, giving people a sense of tranquility away from the hustle and bustle.

Jiang Ziya looked around and saw tall pine trees on the hillside, clear streams in the valley, and mossy rocks in some places, which looked simple and natural.

His mood also calmed down.

The White Crane Boy pointed to a path ahead and said, "Uncle Master, please go this way."

Jiang Ziya nodded, followed the boy, and walked up the winding path.

The mountain road is winding, the birds are singing clearly, and the sunlight shines through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows.

They soon reached a platform on the mountainside.

The view here is wide, and you can overlook the entire Chaoge City. The outline of the city is looming in the distance, like an ink painting.

The Immortal of the South Pole was wearing a green Taoist robe and standing quietly on the edge of the platform with his back to them, holding a long cane in his hand, as if staring into the distance.

Jiang Ziya took a few steps forward and shouted respectfully, "Greetings, Senior Brother!"

The Immortal of the South Pole slowly turned around with a warm smile on his face. His eyes were like a deep pool, which made people involuntarily intoxicated.

"Ziya, you are here."

The Antarctic Immortal had a gentle voice and looked at Jiang Ziya with a smile. He stretched out his hand and flicked it gently, and a stone table and two cushions appeared in front of him.

A pot of tea was placed on the stone table. The steam rising slowly in the air, emitting a faint fragrance.

"Come, first try the new tea from the old tea tree under Qilin Cliff."

Jiang Ziya's heart warmed when he heard this, as if he remembered the time when he carried water and watered the pine trees in Kunlun Mountain.

At that time, he often sat and drank tea with the Immortal of the South Pole and asked him for advice on the difficulties he encountered in practicing Taoism.

The Immortal of the South Pole always patiently explained things to him.

It’s a pity that his talent is too poor, otherwise with such a Daluo Jinxian to guide him personally, any ordinary person would have become an immortal long ago!

The two of them sat quietly on the platform on the mountainside. For a moment, everything around them seemed to become quiet, with only the mountain breeze blowing gently, bringing waves of pine sounds, like the sound of nature.

Jiang Ziya gently picked up the teacup, his fingers trembling slightly. The fragrance of tea was refreshing, but his mind was not on the fragrance of tea.

He knew very well that the Immortal of the South Pole was a high and mighty Golden Immortal and would not come to Chaoge for no reason. There must be something important.

He took a sip of the tea, and the fragrance filled the air, as if it could cleanse the distracting thoughts in his mind and calm his mood.

Putting down the cup, he raised his head with a hint of trepidation in his eyes: "Big Brother, do you have any instructions for me?"

The Immortal of the South Pole looked at Jiang Ziya and shook his head gently: "I was just passing by Xiqi, and I thought of you, so I wanted to go and see you.

I never thought you were not in Xiqi, so I spent several days looking for you. Now that I see you are safe and sound, I feel relieved. "

Hearing these words, Jiang Ziya felt touched and a little guilty at the same time.

He lowered his head, his voice a little hoarse: "Big Brother, it was me who did not go to Xiqi and violated the will of our Master..."

The Immortal of the South Pole raised his hand to stop Jiang Ziya from speaking. The smile on his face faded a little and he became serious.

He looked at Jiang Ziya solemnly and asked in a deep voice, "I know that you, Ziya, are devoted to the Tao. Although your talent is average, your determination to pursue the Tao is stronger than most people... But have you really thought it through?
Giving up the wealth and prosperity that Master has arranged for you, and taking a rough path with little hope... Junior Brother, are you really sure you want to do this?"

Jiang Ziya's lips moved slightly, but he did not answer immediately.

There was a hint of confusion and struggle in his eyes.

Nanji Xianweng continued, "It's very simple for you to become an immortal. All you need to do is swallow an elixir, and it will allow you to ascend to heaven and live forever!
But even if you forcibly cultivate to become an immortal, there will still be three disasters and nine calamities after becoming an immortal. How will you deal with them?"

These words were like a heavy hammer hitting Jiang Ziya's heart. His body trembled slightly, he lowered his head, clenched his hands into fists, and his face turned ugly.

He knew that what the Immortal of the South Pole said was the truth. The road to becoming an immortal was fraught with difficulties, and the Three Disasters and Nine Tribulations were insurmountable chasms that could make the immortals and gods below the Golden Immortal vanish in the blink of an eye!

Jiang Ziya was silent for a long time, and finally raised his head slowly, looking firmly at Nanji Xianweng, and said in a low and powerful voice: "Big Brother, I know the road to becoming an immortal is difficult, but I am willing to try. Even if it means trudging on a road full of thorns, I will not back down."

The Immortal of the South Pole looked at him, with a complicated light flashing in his eyes.

He knew Jiang Ziya's character. Once he made a decision, even the collapse of the mountains and the crack of the earth could not shake his will.

"Okay, since you have made up your mind, I won't say any more." Nanji Xianweng said, and stood up, leaning on his cane, and slowly walked to Jiang Ziya's side, and said softly: "But you must remember that the worldly road you are walking now is not only about tempering your heart and character, but the most important thing is your choice!

I will report your thoughts to Master, but I don't know what the result will be... You should prepare yourself."

Jiang Ziya felt warm at heart when he heard this. He stood up, bowed deeply, and said sincerely, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

The Immortal of the South Pole nodded slightly, then his gaze turned to the distant Chaoge City, as if he was thinking about something.

After a while, he turned around again and looked at Jiang Ziya with a sharp gaze: "Ziya, I have another question to ask you."

Jiang Ziya's heart tightened and he immediately listened attentively.

Nanji Xianweng spoke slowly: "I just saw you coming out of Yang's business in Chaoge City. Are you very close to Yang Ling, who was taught by that person?"

"……Yes."

Jiang Ziya hesitated for a moment, but nodded truthfully and told Yang Ling everything about how he was currently running the business, charity, etc. for Yang Ling.

The Immortal of the South Pole listened and nodded thoughtfully, looking at Jiang Ziya as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, as if he wanted to ask something but held back, and then he said goodbye and left.

Jiang Ziya watched him ride the fairy crane transformed by the White Crane Boy straight into the sky, sighed slightly, and felt even more uneasy.

He didn't know how the high and mighty saint master would deal with him... Would he expel him from the sect for disobeying his orders, or would he force him to go to Xiqi?

……

(End of this chapter)