Purple-Tower, top floor.
Hearing the Master's calculations, Chen Yun felt happy in his heart.
However, he paid no attention to the complexity that was hidden in Zhongli Quan's eyes.
"When do you plan to set off for Sun Moon Lake?" Zhongli Quan asked.
Chen Yun put away the joy in his heart, "Time is pressing. We should take a quick look at Dahei Mountain first, and then head to Minzhou to meet up with Qin Ming, Wu Kejiu, Kang Yuan, and others."
Zhongli Quan furrowed his brow slightly, "The time is very pressing."
Chen Yun sighed, "Yes, if there was more time, the disciple would like to serve the Master in the transmission hall for a while before heading overseas."
"Traveling around to find the opportunity to become immortal is a serious matter." Zhongli Quan said it as if he was very calm: "Although I have calculated your fortune-telling with my fingers, the result is good luck. However, Sun Moon Lake is part of the Yingzhou Immortal Realm, and the calculation may not be completely accurate. In this way, I will grant you three strands of immortality. Each strand can keep you safe once."
This is like taking out an insurance policy for myself!
Chen Yun was overjoyed, "Thank you, Master."
Zhongli Quan nodded slightly and did not speak anymore, but simply pointed his finger, and three beams of golden immortal qi burst from his fingertip.
He flicked his finger, and the three strands of divine Qi merged into Chen Yun's hair.
"These three strands of immortal qi will naturally activate when you face a dangerous situation to your life and death."
Zhongli Quan introduced the function of immortal qi, "If you want to use it actively, touch the top door and when you touch three extremely hard hairs, you can choose to pull one out. Then breathe out true qi from your mouth and silently recite what you want to do. Whether it's variation or empowerment to yourself, or turning into an unbreakable artifact, it can help you complete it. But remember that once the immortal qi is used, it can only last for a tea time. After a tea time has passed, the immortal qi will dissipate. Therefore, if you encounter any emergency situations using immortal qi, be sure to complete it within a tea time."
Chen Yun memorized these instructions and thanked Zhongli Quan again with words.
He never expected that when he came back to ask his teacher to help him calculate a fortune-telling, he would receive such unexpected joy and gain three lifesaving immortal qi.
At the end, Zhongli Quan waved his hand and said, "Go in search of your own path."
Chen Yun knelt down and knocked his head three times, "Master, I do not know when I will return this time. Please take care of yourself."
...
Leaving the Zhongshan Mountain.
Chen Yun soared through the clouds, heading towards Dahei Mountain.
Standing between the clouds, looking down, his mind unconsciously wandered to the past.
Four years had passed without my awareness, and I wonder how my father, mother, and younger siblings are doing.
Chen Yun seemed a little confused, as if he couldn't remember the faces of his parents, elder brother, and younger sisters anymore.
He has traveled far and wide before, but never before has he needed to run so far away.
Of course, he wanted to see if the family he had lived with for sixteen years was now prosperous. Otherwise, he could never feel at peace.
"I don't know how my second sister is doing," Chen Yun's thoughts drifted. "I remember when I left, she was only ten years old. Four years have passed, and counting the New Year celebration after I arrived at the Transmission Hall, she should be fifteen now."
Four or five years have gone by in a blink of an eye, and Chen Yun faintly remembers the time when he was in Dahei Mountain. His little sister used to be like a little shadow, always following him around and calling out "Brother, Brother" to him.
And there was also his younger brother. During the autumn harvest season, he would take him to the fields to work, and the little rascal would always catch toads, scaring his sister into tears.
As for his fourth brother, Chen Yun spent the least amount of time with him, and his memories of him were not particularly vivid.
"Time flies!"
Chen Yun couldn't help feeling a bit melancholic; he realized that he had unknowingly grown from a sixteen-year-old youth to a twenty-one-year-old young man of twenty.
The clouds above gradually approached Dahei Mountain.
The turmoil in his heart was intensifying.
Thinking back to the days when his parents would occasionally visit relatives and bring back some delicacies, calling him out in the middle of the night to eat, it seemed both very distant and as if it had just happened yesterday.
Finally, he has arrived at his destination.
Chen Yun held back his emotions in his heart and slowed down his pace as he walked forward.
The muddy path from memory, the large stones brought down from Dahei Mountain, scattered around at the village entrance—nothing had changed, as if they were still in disarray as before.
He felt like he had returned to when he was a child. One night, he was holding his mother's hand, and they were returning home under the moonlight.
The closer he approached the village entrance, the more volatile his emotions became.
That involuntary feeling even shook the sturdy resolve of his path to immortality.
Thinking, Chen Yun stepped into the village.
As soon as he stepped into the village entrance, he saw that in front of him, there were colorful lanterns and a rhythmic drumming sound. It seemed as though something happy was happening.
Chen Yun had exceptional eyesight, and as he looked a little further ahead, he saw that the dilapidated stone house at his original location was gone, replaced by a luxurious courtyard. There were many villagers around, helping to arrange something.
As he looked further into the courtyard, he saw a young man with a similar appearance to him several years ago, dressed in silk and brocade, and holding a big red flower in front of his chest.
A banner was hung at the entrance, clearly stating "Congratulations to Chen Feng for winning the leading position in the De examination".
Chen Feng is the name of his third brother.
Chen Yun was surprised for a moment. He never expected his third brother, who was only ten or twelve years old, to pass the examination and become the top scorer after he left home for four or five years. Although he still needs to pass the provincial examination to qualify for official positions, passing the preliminary examination has already changed his status and identity from that of an ordinary person.
In Tang dynasty, there were only preliminary and provincial examinations for the imperial examination, without a higher-level examination.
This area belongs to the Qin state, but because of the rise of the Tang dynasty, Qin state also adopted the Tang dynasty's imperial examination system, so there are six subjects to choose from: the Scholar subject, the Classical Learning subject, the Imperial Scholar subject, the Law subject, the Calligraphy subject, and the Mathematics subject.
In addition to the six regular subjects mentioned above, there are also special subjects for talented children, such as the Youth Scholar subject and the Elite Scholar subject, which are set up by the Hongwen Hall and Chongwen Hall. There is also a subject for moral excellence, such as Taoist subjects, which were set up during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian. In addition to these subjects, there was also a military examination to select military talents, mainly examining tactics and martial arts.
The candidates for the imperial examination were mainly divided into two categories: scholars and country contributions.
So-called scholars refer to students who graduated from government-run schools. They do not need to take local examinations and can directly participate in the "provincial examination."
Country contributions refer to those who have learned through self-study or private schools. They need to first pass the local examination, and then participate in the "provincial examination" in the capital.
It is clear that Chen Feng, Chen Yun's third brother, is participating in the imperial examination through the second method.
This method generally requires passing two levels of examinations at the county and prefectural levels. Those who pass the examinations are issued a certificate by the county, granting them the qualification to participate in the prefectural-level examination.
At the prefectural level, it is presided over by the Inspector of Functions and Military Commanders, and is usually held in August and September. Therefore, it is also known as "Autumn Examination".
After passing the examination, the prefecture will issue "jiest" to those who have qualified.
With the "jiest," the candidate's status changes to "country contribution" or "jushi," which qualifies them to participate in the provincial examination.
Of course, this is the system of the Tang Dynasty.
The state of Qin avoids students choosing to seek official positions in the Tang Dynasty, so it usually holds the state examination in spring, known as Chunwei.
Chen Yun's previous family couldn't afford a private school, much less participate in the imperial examinations.
He estimated that the gold brought back by Huang Sanye was abundant, which enabled his family to afford sending his third brother to a private school and taking the classical learning examination.
This subject tests memory, and young age gives a significant advantage.
While feeling proud of his third brother, he unconsciously walked a few steps forward.
Over a hundred villagers gathered in the courtyard, pointing and whispering to each other about Chen Feng.
"What a blessing for the old Chen."
"Third son has passed the highest level of the Classical Learning subject and won the top scorer in the preliminary examination. He is becoming prosperous."
"And his daughter has also married the son of a wealthy merchant in the Xigou City, really envy to have such good children."
"It's said that everything is all due to their elder son, Chen Feng. I've heard rumors that he was taken as a disciple by a immortal in the Zhongshan Mountains, so everyone from top to bottom in our Qin state has been kowtowing to the Chen family. Their third son's top score in the Classical Learning subject and their daughter's marriage to the son of a wealthy merchant are all blessings from the elder brother."
The gossiping sounds of the villagers filled with noise.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yun couldn't help but look inside again. He vaguely noticed a woman who looked very much like his second sister and was now standing next to a youth dressed in luxurious clothing. If he wasn't mistaken, the woman was his second sister, and the youth was her husband.
He felt a mix of emotions in his heart.
As he looked more closely towards the main hall, he saw his father with a touch of gray in his temples, his mother with jewelry, and his six or seven-year-old child. All of these made Chen Yun's heart tremble uncontrollably.
Even, he saw Huang Sanye standing inside and congratulating him.
Unconsciously, Chen Yun had arrived at the gate of the courtyard.
He really wanted to step inside and recognize his parents, but he couldn't bring himself to take that step.
Suddenly, someone noticed him.
It was Mrs. Li from the village entrance, blinking her eyes and saying, "Reverend, I see you resemble old Chen a bit. Are you related to him?"
Chen Yun wanted to say that he was actually Chen family's eldest son, but the words came out as something else, "Oh, I am a traveling monk. I happened to pass by here. My mouth is dry. I want a bowl of water."
As he spoke, Chen Yun's mother seemed to have noticed Chen Yun talking with Mrs. Li. After all, monks and priests have a high status in this world, so she quickly went up to Chen Yun's fourth brother, walked up quickly and bowed with a gesture of respect, "Reverend, we have a happy event today and set a banquet. Would you like to come in and have lunch together?"
His father and Huang Sanye, along with others, all looked in their direction.
Chen Yun saw Huang Sanye seem to recognize himself and hurriedly waved at his mother while using his spiritual awareness to convey a message, indicating that the other should not reveal themselves. However, he said with a smile, "No need, I am just thirsty. I want a bowl of water to drink."
Mother quickly said: "Fine, the monk, please wait here for a moment. I will get water for you."
She turned and went inside the house.
Chen Yun stood at the gate of the courtyard and waited, constantly looking at his father, brothers and sisters, his emotions became more and more tumultuous in his heart.
Soon after, mother came out with a bowl of clean water, smiling and said: "Reverend, please use the water."
"Thank you."
Chen Yun took the bowl and slowly tasted the water from his family's well, a sweet taste bloomed on his taste buds.
Although it was just a bowl of plain water, he drank it with tears welling up in his eyes.
Seeing Chen Yun's demeanor, his mother asked with concern, "Reverend, are you alright?"
Chen Yun quickly drank the water in one gulp and made up an excuse: "Seeing your family together, I also miss home."
"Visit your home when you have time, perhaps your parents miss you as well." Mother said with a kind and gentle expression, "It's like my eldest son. I've missed him for several years and don't know how he is now."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yun could no longer control his emotions, and tears dropped one by one from his eyes.
He tightly held the bowl in his hand and said, "Madam, can this bowl be given to me, the poor monk?"
"Don't cry, reverend." mother quickly comforted: "If you want this bowl, take it. I will go inside and find some snacks for you to have a snack while you travel."
Chen Yun shook his head, "No need. The favor of the water is something the poor monk will remember in his heart."
After saying that, he carefully put the bowl into his chest and turned to leave the village.
But as soon as he ran to the village entrance, a shout from his father echoed behind him: "Reverend! Wait a moment! Reverend!"
With tears streaming down his face, Chen Yun hurriedly wiped his tears and turned to look back, managing to smile and say, "Mr., is there anything else you need?"
Father put a small cloth bag into his hand and said, "There are some pastries inside. You can eat them on your way."
Chen Yun nodded vigorously, "Alright, I can't refuse a gift from the elders. Thank you for the cake."
"Don't be polite," father said with a sorrowful expression. "My eldest son is also a monk. Seeing your appearance, it seems you are of a similar age to my eldest son. I really wish to see him again."
Chen Yun's throat moved several times, but he still didn't reveal his identity. He just forced a smile and said, "Your eldest son might have returned, but you may not have known it. I'm going to travel for a while. Mr., we will be leaving now. If we never meet again, I wish you and every member of your family good morning, noon and night."
After saying this, he memorized his father's appearance in his heart and turned to leave.
Chen Yun's father originally was about to turn and leave, but when he saw the sunlight shining on the young monk's back, he suddenly felt dizzy and as if he was back to that early morning when he was bidding farewell to his son.
In an instant, he seemed to have aged several years, his eyes teary and murmuring to himself, "Eldest son, father made a mistake."
Even though he knew that his son might never hear these words, Old Chen was deeply remorseful and felt that he had deeply owed his eldest son a debt for life.
As Chen Yun's current cultivation, he naturally heard his father's murmurs. His footsteps stopped for a moment, then he firmly stepped forward again, just like that early morning four years ago. So resolute and without any attachments.
It is enough to know that my father, mother, and younger siblings are living well.
Chen Yun knew that when he left this patch of loess soil again, perhaps he would never have any ties with his original family for the rest of his life.
He was very clear that the things he would have to face in the future were epoch-making changes and unrelenting hardships. It would be better to keep a distance from his family, otherwise, if enemies came looking for trouble, it would be very detrimental to them.
As the Master had said, throughout the ages, the rise and fall of dynasties come and go like a shoal of fish crossing a river, gone in an instant.
With the breaking of my worldly ties, I will be able to better face solitude, seeking longevity and eternity!
(Chapter completed)
