Time flew by and the sun was setting.
However, the audience in the tavern did not feel the time passing. They remained focused, listening intently.
Meng Junliang’s tone remained unchanged. He spoke casually.
“The Buddha flipped his palm and threw Wukong out of the West Gate. He turned his five fingers into five mountains consisting of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. He called this the ‘Five Elements Mountains’ and gently pressed Wukong down with his palm. The Thunder Gods clasped their hands together and said, “Goodness! Goodness!”
“He was determined to learn, to live, and to cultivate the Truth of Dao. He had overcome all kinds of adversities without losing his faith. He even dared to take over the Heavenly Court and cause a scene in Heaven. Now that he was punished for his wrongdoings, what would happen next? If you want to find out, stay tuned for the next session.”
That… was it?
The audience only snapped back to reality after Meng Junliang slammed the table. Even though every single one of them was dying to find out what happened next, they did not pester him. Instead, they all stood up in unison and bowed at Meng Junliang like students bowing at their teacher.
Even Qin Manyun stood up and bowed to him. She looked at the scholar with a confused gaze as he walked out of the tavern with his bare feet.
Luo Shiyu let out a sigh of relief, then said wistfully, “If only we could see the Immortal Land!”
Qin Manyun shook her head with a bitter smile. “Shiyu, you won’t be able to see what he told us about in the Immortal Land.”
“Huh? Sister Manyun thinks that the story’s fake?” Luo Shiyu looked at Qin Manyun, feeling confused.
“Of course not.” Qin Manyun continued shaking her head.
Luo Shiyu did not understand what she meant. Meanwhile, the Holy Emperor walked over and said as he smiled, “Miss Qin is right. What he was talking about was the Heavenly Temple, not the Immortal Land! Your understanding is too shallow!”
It was not until then when Luo Shiyu finally understood!
Compared to the Immortal Land, the Heavenly Temple was of a much higher level. No wonder there existed a hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers, a Flat Peach Garden, and an Immortal Dan.
Qin Manyun sighed. “My ancestors of the Linxian Palace had become Immortals. They preached about the Immortal Land, so I do know a thing or two. But…compared to the realm in the story, it was like a small witch meeting an old witch!”
The Immortal Land was not always perfect, they also had war and poverty.
“Sister Manyun, does the Linxian Palace have any record of the Heavenly Palace?” Luo Shiyu asked curiously.
“No.” Qin Manyun shook her head. “This kind of realm is way beyond our imagination.”
Even though her ancestor became an Immortal, he was probably not even as powerful as the tiniest soldier from the hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers. She was not being disrespectful—this was the harsh truth!
It seemed that the ranking of the expert Luo Shiyu mentioned was shockingly high!
Suddenly, Zhong Xiu had a realization. “I can’t believe that even Wukong, with such impressive skills, was tamed by the Buddha! What kind of spiritual cultivation could that possibly be!”
“Stop talking about it! These things aren’t for us to discuss!” the Holy Emperor stopped her from speaking with a tone filled with fear and respect. “Only big figures like Mr. Li are allowed to speak of these other-worldly figures in the form of a story!”
Not only the Buddha, the other figures from the story, like Prince Nezha or God Jiro, were not something they should discuss! All they could do was remember them silently with the utmost respect.
“Dad, do you think Mr. Li has flat peaches?” Luo Shiyu asked curiously.
“No way…” the Holy Emperor shook his head without hesitation. However, he jolted suddenly, squinting his eyes into a line.
It seemed likely!
Who was Mr. Li, after all? He seemed more powerful than the Buddha in the story. So, how strange would it be for him to have flat peaches?
The Holy Emperor did not speak, but Luo Shiyu nodded and said with a low voice, “Very likely!”
“Sister Manyun, do you know what we’ve been through?” Luo Shiyu recalled, “When I first met Mr. Li, he let me eat some of his watermelon, just a very ordinary-looking watermelon. But, upon eating it, I instantly had a breakthrough to the Foundation Building realm! Can you imagine that? The watermelon contained insights!
“Mr. Li had a Spiritual Machine which he calls the Air Purifier. It takes in the air and blows out Spiritual Air! Unlimited Spiritual Air! And he had another Spiritual Machine named the Water Purifier. It takes ordinary water and pours out Spiritual Water! I gifted him an ordinary jade pendant. He made a slight amendment to it and it was transformed into a Phoenix Spirit! He wrote a couplet which contained the Insights of Longevity! He invited us for a hotpot and the pot contained the Insights of Yin and Yang. Even the vegetables contained Insights!
“Also, the tea we had today…”
Even Luo Shiyu was stunned for speaking these things out loud. She had not fully realized before but now that she recalled everything, it was apparent that there was nothing ordinary about Mr. Li from head to toe!
“Tzz…”
Through every item Luo Shiyu described, Qin Manyun held her breath. By the end of it, she almost fainted from the lack of oxygen!
Terrifying! It made her scalp numb!
Even the air Mr. Li inhaled was an Immortal item! It would only make sense for an important figure like him to have the flat peaches!
Flat peaches! One flat peach could induce longevity, allowing one to soar high up in the sky and to live as long as the sky and ground! This was the ultimate dream of many of the cultivators!
“Cough! Cough!” the Holy Emperor coughed. “Perhaps to Mr. Li, the flat peaches are something ordinary. However, they’re not for us to ask for! Get rid of these unrealistic thoughts before we anger Mr. Li!”
Luo Shiyu and Qin Manyun nodded in unison, getting rid of those extravagant thoughts! All they could wish for was for Mr. Li to sprinkle some of the dust off his fingertips. Those would benefit them greatly for the rest of their lives!
Qin Manyun’s heartbeat was unable to calm down for a very long time. What happened today was too shocking. Her brain was attacked from time to time! Her trip to the Ganlong Immortal Dynasty happened to be a shockingly huge opportunity!
She walked out of the tavern eventually. Not far from her, the scholar sat cross-legged under a willow tree by the lake. He was facing the lake with his eyes shut.
The sky had darkened by then. The faint moonlight poured down from the sky, engulfing the scholar as if covering him with a silver cloak.
The scholar still seemed like a normal weak and poor scholar, but after watching him closely, Qin Manyun realized that his figure became ethereal and illusory. He seemed to merge into his surroundings.
After a moment of hesitation, she decided to approach the scholar.
Qin Manyun said with respect, “Greetings to Senior, my name is Qin Manyun.”
Meng Junliang gradually opened his eyes. He said calmly, “I’m merely an ordinary scholar while you’re a cultivator. Calling me Senior is inappropriate!”
“A teacher is a Senior. This is the law,” Qin Manyun said humbly. “A question has troubled me for a very long time. Please, forgive me for asking.”
Meng Junliang looked at her. “What problem?”
Qin Manyun took a deep breath. She bit her lip and asked, “Please, forgive me for asking. May I know how the path to Immortality was broken?”
