To his horror, Lu Li discovered he had appeared in an unknown space.
The space was not large, spanning only a single Zhang across. Thick white mist shrouded the rest of the area, entirely obscuring the outside scenery. Overhead, sunlight shone down from a blue sky dotted with white clouds.
The ground beneath his feet felt incredibly soft. It was not ordinary yellow earth, but black soil tracing with faint, flowing light. In the center of this one-Zhang space stood a tender sprout four or five Cun tall. Flowing light flickered across the sprout, though its species remained a mystery.
Suddenly, a sensation of drowning overwhelmed him.
Panic gripped Lu Li. In his desperation, he charged straight toward the 'white mist' at the edge.
Bang!
The mist looked as soft as cotton, yet it proved harder than steel. The impact sent him crashing onto his backside.
"Where is this? Let me out..." Lu Li shouted with difficulty, his face flushed red.
Buzz!
The space suddenly trembled.
In the next instant, Lu Li snapped back to his senses, only to find himself sinking deep beneath the water's surface. He choked down several mouthfuls of river water before struggling toward the shore.
Hauling himself onto the riverbank, Lu Li vomited violently. He gasped for breath, reeling from the sensation of having narrowly escaped death.
"Mud Monkey, you actually almost drowned?" Chen Zhong noticed something was wrong and swam back.
"Don't... don't go out there. Quickly call Beast back. There's a ghost down there," Lu Li gasped.
"A ghost?" Fatty Chen looked at Lu Li with suspicion. "In broad daylight? Where would a ghost come from?"
"Just stop talking! Listen to me and call him up immediately! And Xiangyun too, stop swimming. We are heading back right now!" Lu Li's tone was decisive, brokering no argument. That entity was too bizarre, and he was terrified the others might suffer an accident.
"Alright." Chen Zhong had never seen Lu Li act so grim. He immediately called Qin Shouren and Li Xiangyun ashore.
Qin Shouren also looked skeptical, but seeing Lu Li's terrible complexion, he didn't argue. The four of them set off toward Dashi Village.
Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren were lazy by habit. Since it was still early in the day, they feared being dragged off to herd the cattle if they returned too soon, so they dragged their feet.
Meanwhile, Lu Li was weighed down by heavy thoughts, walking just as slowly. Suddenly, a burning heat flared in his left hand. He had been too frightened earlier and had forgotten to check his wound.
When he glanced at his left palm, his pupils abruptly shrank. He cried out in his heart, "What is this? When did this ghostly thing appear on my palm!"
Only now did Lu Li realize that, at some unknown point, a green, three-tiered pagoda pattern had appeared on his palm.
Lu Li rubbed it with his thumb, only to find the image didn't fade at all. It looked exactly as if it had been inked into his flesh. This gave Lu Li quite a scare. "Could I have been possessed by a ghost?"
This forced his thoughts back to his experience at the bottom of the river, leaving him absolutely certain he had run into a water ghost. It seemed he needed to find an excuse to visit a Daoist priest in town for an inspection.
"Mud Monkey, what are you doing?" Qin Shouren noticed Lu Li standing frozen in place and doubled back.
"N-nothing." Lu Li forced an ugly smile.
"You... didn't actually bump into a ghost, did you?"
"No..." Lu Li was just about to explain when he suddenly spotted an old Daoist stepping out from a forest path. The Daoist looked to be in his seventies or eighties, far older than the Qingyang Sect Daoist they had seen in Longxing Town.
He was thin and severely hunched, draped in a pale blue Daoist robe. His grayish-white hair was tied into a sparse, messy bun, and his face was covered in dark spots. He looked as though he had one foot in the grave. Had it not been for the long sword strapped to his back and the horsetail whisk held in his left hand, Lu Li might have mistaken him for a ghost.
Even so, Lu Li still felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Up ahead, Qin Shouren and Li Xiangyun both stopped. Chen Zhong gulped down a mouthful of saliva, muttering as softly as a mosquito, "Is this an immortal or a ghost?"
The moment those words fell, the old Daoist suddenly narrowed his eyes and shot a glance at Chen Zhong. The look nearly scared the piss out of Chen Zhong, sending him darting behind Lu Li.
Lu Li figured that while this man looked terrifying, his attire was at least orthodox. Summoning his courage, he stepped forward and bowed to the old Daoist. "G-greetings, Senior."
The old Daoist lowered his gaze. Though he was ancient, his eyes were far from cloudy. Staring at Lu Li, he spoke in a raspy voice, "Young men, where are you headed?"
Lu Li didn't dare meet his eyes. Keeping his head bowed, he answered, "We are all from Dashi Village. We just finished attending the Qingyang Sect's Awakening ceremony and are preparing to head back to our village."
"Back to your village?" A sharp glint flashed through the old Daoist's eyes. "Did none of you successfully Awaken?"
"Yes, Senior."
"How would you like... this old man to bestow a great fortune upon you all?"
"A fortune?" Lu Li didn't understand.
"That Qingyang Sect is nothing but an empty reputation. Why don't you leave with this old man? How about I lead you onto the path of Cultivation?"
"Cultivation!" Lu Li didn't speak, but Qin Shouren gasped in shock.
"Indeed. This old man possesses my own methods to let you embark on Cultivation. Do you wish to come?"
"Yes, we do..." Qin Shouren nodded repeatedly.
"Excellent. Then follow this old man." Hearing this, the old Daoist broke into a satisfied smile. He turned around and began walking down the forest path behind him.
"Senior, could you let us return and inform the adults?" Seeing the man leaving just like that, Qin Shouren couldn't help but call out from behind.
The old Daoist halted his steps and turned back around. "When this old Daoist travels the world, all things depend on karmic affinity. If you leave now, that karmic affinity will be severed, and you shall not enter my immortal sect."
Upon hearing this, everyone except Lu Li-Qin Shouren, Chen Zhong, and Li Xiangyun-revealed troubled expressions.
Lu Li's expression wasn't troubled, nor did he want to follow the old Daoist. Instead, his instincts screamed that something was very wrong with this man, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.
After a brief thought, Lu Li decided not to risk it. In his youth, he had loved reading strange tales and wild histories. Those books often described mountain spirits and demons taking human form to descend the mountains, deceiving children to eat their flesh and swallow their hearts. It was a terrifying thought. He cupped his fists and said:
"Senior, although we harbor the heart for Cultivation, we are unfortunately not the right material for it. We won't disturb Senior any longer." As he spoke, he shot the other three a meaningful glance. "Let's go."
Among the group, Lu Li possessed the sharpest mind. Whenever they ran into trouble, Lu Li always called the shots. Seeing Lu Li act so decisively, they suppressed their confusion, not daring to question him in front of the old man. One by one, they cupped their fists toward the old Daoist in apology, then followed Lu Li as he moved to step away.
"Ignorant wretches!"
Lu Li and the others had only taken a few steps when the old Daoist suddenly produced a rolled-up yellow paper. With a flick of his finger, he shot the yellow paper toward them. The talisman flew out at blinding speed. Before Lu Li and his friends could even react, they were engulfed by a thick white mist.
In just two or three breaths, the boys felt their heads spin. With a series of thuds, they collapsed to the ground.
The old Daoist didn't spare them a second glance, turning straight into the forest. A moment later, a horse-drawn carriage rolled out from the trees. The old Daoist bent over and, as if picking up trash, tossed Lu Li and the others into the carriage one by one.
Taking the reins, he drove the carriage away, disappearing down the forest path.