Jiang Ziya hesitated upon hearing Feng Xue say so, but considering that he had already been expelled from the mountain, and reflecting on his ideal of seeking immortality and the Dao, he ultimately accepted the gift with both hands respectfully.
Seeing this, Feng Xue took a Token inscribed with the character "Heaven" from her pocket and placed it on the table, saying to Jiang Ziya,
"With this Token, you can take up a position at the City God Temple in the north of the city, open a dical hall, and accumulate so experience. It’s also a good way to earn money and avoid the hardship of manual labor."
Although Jiang Ziya was not the old slicker who had been through the wringer for many years eight years later, he had lived 72 years without his life going to waste. Seeing the Token, he felt sowhat unworthy of it and, bowing deeply, said,
"What virtue or ability do I possess to deserve such generous favor from my senior?"
"It’s just a brief affection for talent, not willing to see a pearl covered in dust," said Feng Xue. With a flick of her robe, she transford into a breeze and disappeared without a trace, along with the teahouse, the stove, and the bamboo forest.
Jiang Ziya looked around in a daze only to find himself still sitting before the stall, with no change to the number of baskets.
"Was it a dream?" Jiang Ziya attempted to laugh at himself, but looking down, he saw in his hand a scroll of books and a palm-sized Token.
"Could it be real?!" Jiang Ziya’s face flushed slightly, he imdiately tucked the Token into his chest, and then opened the small booklet titled "Ganoderma Life Extension thod," reading it carefully.
After flipping through a few pages, Jiang Ziya felt slightly disappointed because the booklet was mostly about gathering dicinal herbs and taking dicine to prolong life, accompanied by so dissections of human bodily functions.
It was not widespread, but for an old man who had practiced Alchemy on Kunlun Mountain for decades, these contents were already well known to him. Still, thinking of the various mysterious actions demonstrated by the senior, he continued to read patiently.
However, as he turned the pages, his movents gradually slowed, and the initial contempt on his face was replaced by seriousness. With a deeper probe, the dical theory that he had taken for granted began to take on unfamiliar shapes. What was initially a discussion on acupuncture ridians, after just a few sentences, beca about unlocking human potential, including many aspects that, in Jiang Ziya’s eyes, had reached the scope of Spells, though achievable by rely transporting Essence Qi and conditioning the muscles and bones by any Mortal.
Further on, the integration of Yin and Yang, the harmony of dragon and tiger, the dual cultivation of spirit and life, and even from ordinary gathering of herbs to taking dicine, all the way to the discussions on essence, energy, and spirit, and from the five organs to the five energies’ conditioning and developnt, evidently aiming for the "Three Flowers Gathering at the Top" and "Five Qi Chaoyuan."
To reach this Realm was not the work of an ordinary Immortal. Among the many disciples on Kunlun Mountain, only second-generation disciples could reach this stage, with only a few from the third generation and beyond.
As Jiang Ziya continued to flip through, he found that the pages had inexplicably co to an end, his expression abruptly shifting from anticipation to astonishnt, and finally settling into a hint of bitterness.
However, this bitterness did not last long. After a mont, he perked up, thinking of Feng Xue’s previous words, he thought to himself,
"The senior did not write how to progress further, not wanting to follow others’ paths, but to pave my own. The senior started with the most common Alchemy Dao and dical theory, and had already laid out a complete path of Enlightennt. As long as I follow the steps, I will be able to reach that Realm. What difference does it make whether it’s written or not?"
With this thought, Jiang Ziya shook his head, looked at his sowhat withered hands, and felt an unprecedented passion—
"Since the senior did not write it, it ans she does not wish for to follow in the footsteps of predecessors. While the path of entering the Dao through dicine has beco clear, the senior’s path focused too heavily on the physical body and neglected the cultivation of the spiritual. Whether this was an intentional omission by the senior, I can take it as a starting point and attempt to carve out my own path!"
Jiang Ziya was now more confident in his Immortal Path than ever before, for he clearly understood that even if his own ideas did not work out, the content within this dical book was enough for him to prolong his life. When that ti ca, he would simply reorganize everything he had learned in his lifeti.
In earlier years, he regarded the term "Enlightennt" as extrely profound, and those capable of Enlightennt were Great Powers among Great Powers. Therefore, he never thought he could achieve Enlightennt himself and focused solely on learning the ways of others.
But now, with guidance from his senior and this dical book as a catalyst, he had essentially taken the most difficult first step toward Enlightennt. If he still couldn’t beco an Immortal after that, it would only prove that he, Jiang Shang, was no more than ordinary!
With his ntal barriers broken, Jiang Ziya felt a newfound clarity in his spirit. Even if he were to take that step now, it seed it would only take an instant, but Jiang Ziya, who had made his own choices, had no intention of continuing down the path dictated by the practices of Yuxu Palace. He packed up his bamboo wares, loaded up his burden, and headed straight for the City God Temple in the north part of the city.
(Rembering my childhood, I thought Jiang Ziya was quite incapable at this ti, but now that I calculate, Jiang Ziya carried his burden for thirty-five li every day on foot... Thirty-five li, even a physically fit person walking empty-handed would take seven to eight hours for a round trip. With a load of bamboo wares, Jiang Ziya’s shoulders were red and swollen...)
...
By evening, when Mrs. Ma thought it was about ti, she got up intending to wait at the doorway, but she saw Jiang Ziya approaching briskly, his legs moving swiftly and his hands empty. Surprised, she exclaid:
"The bamboo wares might have sold out, but how co you don’t even have your carrying pole?"
"What bamboo wares and carrying pole? I’ve given them all to the villagers," Jiang Ziya replied nonchalantly, his face aglow. Mrs. Ma’s face changed imdiately upon hearing this, and she was about to say sothing when she saw Jiang Ziya take out a stack of banknotes from his chest:
"I t a senior today who helped find a job at the City God Temple. I help people with dicine and treatnt. This is today’s earnings for you to buy so household necessities."
Mrs. Ma’s anxiety imdiately eased upon hearing this. She took the banknotes without counting them and welcod Jiang Ziya into the house, serving him a al. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but express her concern:
"The City God Temple is extrely popular these days. You have to be careful treating people there. Make sure you don’t end up in a lawsuit over failing to cure soone’s ailnt."
Jiang Ziya felt sowhat displeased upon hearing this and replied at once:
"I’ve practiced Alchemy on Kunlun Mountain for forty years; dical theory and alchemy are deeply ingrained in . How could I possibly kill soone with my treatnt?!"
"So powerful, yet I haven’t seen you treat yourself!"
Although Mrs. Ma remarked on Jiang Ziya’s confidence without saying much more, she rely muttered under her breath. Unbeknownst to her, Jiang Ziya was a Cultivator, and even if he had not beco an Immortal, he had sharp hearing and clear sight. He glared at her and demanded:
"What ailnt do I have that needs treatnt?"
Mrs. Ma did not respond, but her gaze unmistakably drifted downward (the original text explicitly ntioned Jiang Ziya’s neglecting marital pleasures due to his obsession with the Great Dao, leading Mrs. Ma to assu he was impotent, referring to him as ’useless’). This left Jiang Ziya furious. Recalling the Yin Yang Balancing Skill described in the Ganoderma Life Extension thod, he retorted sharply:
"Tonight, I will prove to you whether I have any ailnts!"
"Heh."
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