A Jiu stared, drool spilling before she quickly slurped it back.
Grandma’s steps were lighter than before, her cultivation clearly progressing, which naturally increased her escape speed.
“Master, please bestow your guidance.”
Peng Chao quickly performed a Daoist bow.
“Don’t call me that nonsense.” Wang Shi’s face darkened, almost turning away in anger.
If he hadn’t been meditating on the opposite mountain, trying to see if his mind could spread, he wouldn’t have dared to try and fool her precious granddaughter when he himself hadn’t figured things out.
Of the esteemed Daoist masters he’d mentioned, only the grand-disciple who’d lived over two hundred years had even been heard of. And he had the audacity to bring them up?
“Alright, alright, no more calling you that.” Peng Chao still rejoiced inwardly, cupping his hands in a deeper bow: “Senior, please impart your wisdom.”
A Jiu watched her grandmother stroke a nonexistent beard, one hand behind her back, exuding an imposing presence:
“You’ve idled for so many years, waiting for an opportunity. Know that this is a grave mistake. Had you not wasted the preceding decades, you would surely have achieved some success by now, and transcending the cycle of reincarnation would be a certainty. It is a pity.”
“This junior admits fault. Is there a way to rectify this now?” This was the guidance Peng Chao truly sought.
“Life itself is a training ground. Constantly speaking of cultivation and the past is worse than not cultivating at all. If you can let go of your obsession with cultivation, you will surely achieve enlightenment. As for whether you break through or not, it absolutely does not depend on how hard you try. Conversely, it depends on your state of being, free from desire.”
“Free from desire?” Peng Chao was confused this time. His entire life had been spent anticipating achievement; how could he be free from desire?
“The Great Dao has no form, yet nurtures all things. The Great Dao has no name, yet gives birth to heaven and earth. Cultivators are meant to escape desires and emulate nature. Yet you have leaped from the desires of the mortal world into the desires of cultivation. What is the point? Desires cloud the eyes. Only by letting go can you see your true self, and your own ‘Dao’ will manifest within your heart.”
Having spoken, Wang Shi tucked her hands into her sleeves, adopting the demeanor of an old woman who feared nothing, and looked at Peng Chao, pursing her lips:
“Without even trying, my granddaughter’s state of mind is three heavens above yours.”
A Jiu pouted, annoyed that she was being used as a benchmark again.
Peng Chao mumbled Wang Shi’s words repeatedly, then his pupils contracted as understanding dawned: “Thank you, Senior, for your guidance.”
As he stood up, he glanced at Meng Jiu’er. Although the girl was disheveled, her eyes were as clear as water.
Indeed, there were no traces of worldly dust, indicating a state of a mind free from obsession and attachment.
“Grandma, don’t speak so cryptically. How can a person live without desire?”
A Jiu herself couldn’t fully grasp these words.
“This desire is not that desire. Granddaughter, you just happen to be that kind of person.” Wang Shi looked at A Jiu with delight.
If she had known two days ago that some old fool would be chasing after her to become a disciple, she would have rather pestered and taken her granddaughter as one.
“Granddaughter, come with me.” Wang Shi’s eyes held an inexplicable gleam.
A Jiu instantly understood.
She stood up, brushed off the weeds from her body, and followed Wang Shi up the slope. Wang Shi then revealed her true form.
Extending her hand: “Do you have any more spiritual ginseng? Hurry and give it to me, this old man is about to break through a major barrier.” The smile on her face was like a child who had found candy.
A Jiu grumbled, knowing there was no good news: “I’m out of spiritual ginseng, but I have seeds.”
With a pained expression, she took out three seeds from her bosom. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Wang Shi immediately tried to snatch them upon seeing them.
A Jiu clenched her fist and pulled them back: “Haven’t you considered planting them? Then they’d grow into spiritual ginseng, and even more seeds, wouldn’t they?”
A Jiu could still calculate this.
“That does make sense.” Wang Shi scratched her head: “Alright, I’ll do as you say.”
Saying this, she stood up, hands behind her back, and tilted her head to look at the sky, as if she were already soaring carefree in the heavens:
“Advancement is within reach, a few days won’t make a difference.”
This time, Grandma became more accommodating: “Fine, here you go, this is water.”
A Jiu decided to let her plant it herself. How cold it was now; getting up in the middle of the night to plant ginseng would surely mean she’d been kicked by a donkey.
Wang Shi pried open the stopper and took a deep breath. A Jiu quickly said:
“Don’t inhale, Grandma! If you absorb all the spiritual energy from the spirit spring water, it’ll just become ordinary water, and the ginseng won’t grow.”
Wang Shi instantly wiped her mouth: “Not drinking, not drinking, saving it for planting ginseng.” To avoid the temptation of looking at it and wanting to drink, she quickly put the stopper back on and tucked it into her bosom.
A Jiu looked at Wang Shi in surprise. She had become so “sensible” now.
“Grandma, are… are you alright?” So obedient? Given her usual behavior, wouldn’t she have forcefully drunk it and then shamelessly asked for more?
“What could be wrong? Nothing’s wrong, oh, right.” Wang Shi seemed to recall something: “How has your meditation progressed recently? Shall this old man test you?”
“……” A Jiu’s pupils contracted. She had only used it for warmth last night: “There’s no need for that.”
Before A Jiu could finish speaking, she watched with wide eyes as a faint purple spiritual energy emanated from her grandmother and shot towards her. Even before the oppressive aura reached her, A Jiu felt unable to breathe.