Inside the main hall of the Wang Family residence in Heng Village.
Lin Jue came calling once more.
Though the matter of spending the night in the ancestral hall and driving away the demon-ghost was already settled, he was still offered a seat and a bowl of tea upon arrival. The liquid was reddish, steeped with golden chrysanthemums—plainly fine tea.
Lin Jue had brought along a wild pheasant caught in a mountain trap. In these mountains, it was hardly an exquisite treasure, yet it was worth considerably more than common bamboo shoots or coarse grain, serving as a modest token of his regard.
"Thanks to your help, Old Master, my eldest uncle has fully recovered from his illness. He is out of danger now."
"The credit belongs to you, not to me. Neither of us owes the other, so there was no need to make a special trip just to thank me." Old Man Wang looked at him. "Still, with this settled, you can study in peace and seek your scholarly honors."
"To be completely honest, I have decided to leave."
"Leave? Are you not studying in the village?"
"The scholarly talent in our village is lacking. Over recent years, the academic path for our villagers has never gone smoothly. Since both my parents have passed away, I figured I might as well step outside and see this vast world for myself."
Lin Jue gave essentially the same explanation as before.
"Is that so..."
Old Patriarch Wang was a local squire known far and wide. He could naturally tell that speaking of a lack of talent was merely a respectful, roundabout way of saying that the Old Master at the neighboring Shu Village Academy possessed modest scholarship. Yet when it came to teaching and nurturing character, that Old Master's virtue was something even the demon-ghost in the ancestral hall respected. In all these years, none among the youths of Shu Village had ever turned out reckless, perverse, or unfilial, so no one truly faulted him for it.
Beyond that, the patriarch could also guess that Lin Jue's eagerness to depart was largely driven by his family's poverty.
Studying Lin Jue closely, Old Patriarch Wang drew a breath, took a sip of tea, and pondered for a moment before speaking. "If you truly have the heart for study and are merely constrained by poverty or other difficulties, you could come to the academy in our Heng Village as a guest student. As for the cost of brushes and ink, our Wang Family can sponsor you."
"You are far too kind and benevolent, Old Master. That would indeed be a great favor. I will remember your good intentions, but my heart is no longer set on scholarship." Lin Jue paused, taking the opportunity to bow in request. "I only hope you might help by issuing a travel permit."
"Ah..."
Old Patriarch Wang was not as stubbornly fixated on having him study as Lin Jue's uncle and aunt were, nor was he as close to him as they were—which had required Lin Jue to spend days patiently persuading them to dispel their worries. The old man simply waved a hand.
"You can converse calmly even with a demon-ghost, so you must know your own mind. A person like you in times like these should be able to make something of yourself no matter what you do. If you return to your hometown in the future, whether successful or not, you should come back to drink another cup of tea with this old man."
"Naturally, I must come pay my respects to you, Old Master."
"I have a scholar's book chest used by a junior of mine when traveling for studies and exams. It is worth little. Take it and make use of it."
"Then I will not decline." Lin Jue first gave his thanks, then added, "You are experienced and knowledgeable, Old Master. Might I ask, which way leads to Qiyun Mountain?"
"Qiyun Mountain? That is rather far."
"I wish to go see it."
"Mm, going to pay respects is fine as well; it does no harm. I heard that some time ago those Daoists were kept very busy, but by now they should mostly be finished." Old Patriarch Wang recalled, "The last time I visited Qiyun Mountain was probably twenty or thirty years ago... First head toward the county seat. When you are halfway there, cross the bridge and turn to your left. Follow the main road, and you will reach the neighboring county. I won't say too much, or you won't remember it all, and who knows if things have changed after so many years. Once you reach the neighboring county, ask again."
"Thank you..."
Lin Jue thanked him sincerely.
As for the matter of the travel permit, countless officials in this region and county hailed from the Wang Family or had received financial support from Old Man Wang. For him, it was a trivial affair.
...
In mid-April, early in the morning.
Lin Jue set out on the road away from home.
The youth wore an unlined robe, dressed like a scholar. On his back, he carried the scholar's book chest gifted by Old Patriarch Wang—a square backpack woven from bamboo, lined with coarse cloth, and fitted with a sunshade over the top. It was the standard luggage used by scholars of this era when traveling for study or heading to the capital for examinations. Inside were packed a few books, some spare clothes, a small knife for self-defense, dry rations, a bamboo water tube, and a few Copper Coins.
Anyone who saw him would take him for a scholar.
Quite a few villagers came to see Lin Jue off.
Besides his uncle, aunt, and cousin, there were several close neighbors, village elders surnamed Shu who often dealt with him, childhood companions, and the Old Master from the academy. To Lin Jue's great surprise, even the woman serving as the temple keeper at San Gu Temple had come.
The villagers brought various gifts—some gave a few boiled eggs, some a small bag of rice or flour, others some dry rations—escorting him all the way to the pavilion outside the village.
"Lin Jue, if no teacher out there takes you in and you can't make a living, come back quickly. The two rooms of your house are being kept for you," his cousin urged with an earnest face.
He knew well enough that if he achieved success in his studies or attained wealth outside, he would likely return, or at the very least find a way to send money back. But if things truly went as his cousin said and he could not get by, knowing his own temperament, he would have to think long and hard about returning.
"It's our fault for not taking proper care of you..."
His aunt, being a simple woman, was already covering her face and weeping.
"That isn't true at all."
"The world isn't peaceful these days. You're so young; I'm just terrified you'll end up like your father..."
"I know what I'm doing."
"You must be careful! Don't wander too far. Just look around in the neighboring county, and if things don't work out, come straight back!"
"I know."
The last person to step before Lin Jue was the temple keeper from San Gu Temple.
This ordinary middle-aged woman held a bamboo basket carrying fresh seasonal fruit, and what she said came as a complete surprise to him:
"This is from San Gu."
"Hm?"
"This morning I fell back asleep in the temple and suddenly had a dream. In the dream, San Gu came alive, and Eldest Aunt told me that someone in the village was setting out on a long journey, telling me to take the fruit from the altar and give it to you to stave off hunger and thirst on the road."
"San Gu?"
Lin Jue was stunned.
"I don't know if it was real or not, but it felt genuine enough. Only after seeing San Gu off did I suddenly wake up on the threshold. Before waking, I had no idea it was a dream."
"This..."
"Aren't you going to thank San Gu?"
"Thank you, San Gu," Lin Jue said first, then turned around in a daze toward San Gu Temple and the distant mountains, repeating his thanks once more.
Yet his mind could not help but ponder—
San Gu were the three deities worshipped in the village, a tradition that had lasted through several dynasties, perhaps over a thousand years.
Legend held that long ago, a family in the village had three daughters. In their leisure, they went wandering on a nearby immortal mountain and secretly plucked and ate Immortal Peaches from the peaks. Afterward, they transformed into carp, and later into three great mountains—three of the peaks among the continuous mountain range behind the village that stood like a heavenly wall or screen.
The tale was widely known and had even been recorded in the county gazetteer.
Consequently, these three immortals were not worshipped by Shu Village alone; many locals believed in them, which was why temple fairs were held.
If the three deities were real, then his frequent meditation and breathing exercises on the hillsides, beside streams, and in the forest clearings around Shu Village had surely not escaped their eyes.
Perhaps it was precisely because they knew of his breathing cultivation that they had instructed the temple keeper to deliver travel provisions.
A ripple of vigilance stirred within Lin Jue.
If that was the case, each time he flipped through the Ancient Book in his room, had they been aware of that as well? How did the Ancient Book appear in the eyes of Immortals like them? And what were the dispositions of the deities in this world?
Yet the vigilance lasted only a moment.
Lin Jue soon felt it was unnecessary—
Such an oversight was simply unavoidable, and now there was no way to remedy it. Though he had learned the Qi Nourishing Method, how could he resist deities with nothing more than a single Stage Magic Art? He was truly ignorant of the ways of this world. For now, all he knew was the weighty goodwill the three deities had tucked into his pocket through the temple keeper. If that was so, engaging in wild, petty suspicions would only make him look small-minded.
It was better to be open and magnanimous; at least his heart would be at ease.
He would simply pay closer attention to such matters in the future.
With that thought, his mind cleared.
"Thank you, San Gu!"
Lin Jue called out once more, then took a step forward and walked on.
By the end, even his cousin had been persuaded to turn back, trudging homeward with a lonely, crestfallen silhouette. Lin Jue looked back several times, just as his cousin did, until he rounded a bend in the bamboo grove, leaving him entirely alone on the road.
He could not help but halt and glance in all directions.
The roadside was thick with deep bamboo groves, the stalks here far greener than he remembered. That lush green stretched all the way up the tall mountains on both flanks, painting the entire range in a single hue.
Walking alone amid them, he felt only how immense the mountains were and how tiny man was. Thinking further of this vast world, he felt smaller still.
Even having resolved his mind long ago, he could not suppress a momentary sense of bewilderment.
The world was vast, and the path of immortality was hard to find.
Lingering there for a long while, Lin Jue finally settled his mind and resumed his stride.
Roughly speaking, he was heading toward Qiyun Mountain.
It was April now, not yet hot, and the bamboo groves were especially cool. A fresh breeze drifted past, setting the bamboo leaves rustling, while birds chirped softly, filling the entire mountain with the same gentle chorus.
Carrying the scholar's book chest was naturally slower than walking empty-handed. Lin Jue's goal for the day was merely a temple between the two counties, so he was in no great hurry, stopping often to rest.
When hungry, he took out the pan-baked stuffed flatbread his aunt had made, and eating just one was enough. When thirsty, he did not bother taking the bamboo water tube from the book chest, simply finding a spot where running water murmured to drink a mouthful of mountain spring. When neither hungry nor thirsty, he pulled out the fruit gifted by San Gu and took a couple of bites; after all, such things would not keep for many days.
Truth be told, though the fruit had sat on the altar for a day or two, it tasted remarkably sweet.
"San Gu..."
Lin Jue murmured under his breath.
So in this world, besides demon-ghosts, there truly were deities.
How intriguing.
...
Mountains saw frequent rain, and the weather was fickle.
On the afternoon of the second day, Lin Jue ran into a downpour.
Fortunately, the rain did not come unannounced; the somber, overcast sky had given ample warning. Lin Jue had found shelter early beneath a tea shed by the road, which was packed with merchants and travelers, allowing him to listen to their idle chatter.
The sound of wind and rain, the views of mountain and road, and the expressions of the chatting crowd sketched out an ordinary, vivid world.
Yet this rain lingered for quite a while.
Starting late in the Wei hour, it poured steadily through the Shen hour, and by the You hour, it still hadn't stopped.
If one did not hurry along, one would likely have to travel in the dark.
Bits and pieces of conversation drifted into Lin Jue's ears from time to time.
"The world isn't safe these days..."
"There might be demon-ghosts on the road..."
"Just two days ago, I heard..."
Such talk brought an edge of anxious restlessness to the air.
Fortunately, Lin Jue had prepared in advance—
Today's journey was not long; even walking at a leisurely pace, one could cover it in a day. Yet he had walked briskly earlier precisely to guard against unexpected mishaps. By now, he was not far from his resting place for the night.
Even so, several travelers grew unwilling to wait. Seeing the sky darken, they wiped the rain from their hair and set off into the downpour.
Some were anxious; some were carefree.
The anxious looked disheveled.
The carefree walked with easy grace.
As the You hour drew near and dusk descended, the rain finally dwindled.
Many merchants and travelers stepped out to check the weather, and Lin Jue went out to take a look as well. The raindrops landing on his face had thinned to an almost negligible drizzle, and the sky had begun to brighten again. Seeing many of the travelers setting out, Lin Jue hoisted his scholar's book chest onto his back and strode briskly forward.