Wu Tao, though possessing some knowledge of how to appease young women, found himself in a quandary. With his current aged appearance and over a hundred years of life, he couldn't possibly comfort a girl of fifteen or sixteen in the manner of a boyfriend to his girlfriend.
Su Turong, for reasons unknown, stopped crying after a while. Seeing the deep concern etched on Wu Tao's aged face, she immediately broke into a smile, chuckling with delight. A girl of fifteen or sixteen, with a radiant smile under the sun, was an exquisite and captivating sight.
Witnessing this scene, another memory fragment from Qingyunzi surfaced in Wu Tao's mind. In that recollection, a sixty-something Qingyunzi sat by the Min River, fishing with a smile. Suddenly, a figure he would never forget leaped out of the river, drenched, still clutching his fishing hook.
"Time truly flies. Another sixty years have passed in the blink of an eye, yet the scene remains as vivid as if it were yesterday." Wu Tao suddenly uttered this sentence.
"Life is like a dream and an illusion, foam floating and scattering with the wind. The past is gone, and the old ones are no more, leaving only a shattered heart and ashes unseen."
Su Turong's heart skipped a beat. She wondered who this "old one" he spoke of was, her curiosity intensifying. It felt as if countless ants were gnawing at her insides; the more she tried to suppress the thought, the stronger the yearning became.
Seeing that the young girl Su Turong was alright, Wu Tao did not hesitate. With a turn and two steps to the side, he moved more than ten feet away, as if employing a divine teleportation technique. A clear, melodious cry echoed as he vanished into the distance! In less than a moment, Wu Tao had become a mere black speck, gradually disappearing from Su Turong's sight.
Just as Wu Tao was about to quicken his pace and head back to retrieve his divine steed, a woman's voice called out, "Hey, old Taoist, wait up! I have something to ask you!"
Wu Tao turned back at the sound. The panting, red-clad figure was none other than the young girl Su Turong. Initially, seeing her chase after him, Wu Tao had intended to accelerate and shake her off. However, he reconsidered, deeming it too heartless towards a young girl, and thus slowed down, allowing her to catch up.
Exhausted and sweating, Su Turong finally caught up to Wu Tao, placing her hands on her hips. Her face was flushed, clearly out of breath. Su Turong looked at Wu Tao curiously and asked, "Old Taoist, you have such great stamina! You run so fast and don't even seem to be out of breath?"
Hearing Su Turong's rapid-fire questions, Wu Tao vaguely replied, "In another fifty years, young girl, you'll understand."
Su Turong giggled charmingly at his words, "Whether I'll even be around in fifty years is uncertain. You're just looking down on me because I'm young and trying to fool me."
"Am I right, Great Deceiver!"
"Oh, right, my name is Su Turong. I'm the darling of the Su family, the foremost aristocratic family in Jiangnan. My father is the head of the Su family!" Su Turong spoke with immense pride. It was understandable; having the head of Jiangnan's foremost family as a father was a considerable asset, both in the martial world and in official circles.
Hearing the name of the red-clad girl, Su Turong, Wu Tao's expression subtly shifted. He found the name quite elegant, though it seemed somewhat mismatched with the girl's personality.
Before Wu Tao could respond, Su Turong revealed her true intentions. She gently touched her hair and said somewhat sheepishly, "Actually, I've run away from home... I snuck out..."
"Haha, by now, Grandpa, Grandma, Father, Mother, Uncle, Aunt, Eldest Brother, Second Sister, they must be frantic, driven mad with worry..."
Wu Tao looked at the voluble Su Turong, completely speechless and rolling his eyes, unsure how to address this somewhat simple, or perhaps foolish, young lady. He thought that if she didn't get tricked when she went out, it would be a miracle. A girl so guileless, yet with so much wealth, would be fortunate if she were only tricked out of her money. If her virtue were compromised, that would be truly tragic.
In Wu Tao's eyes, Su Turong was incorrigibly foolish. He suspected she was talking to him simply because she treated every stranger this way, perhaps finding strangers more novel than familiar faces, whether male or female.
However, while Wu Tao had partially guessed her foolishness, he had also missed the mark. Su Turong's experience in the martial world was limited, but she wasn't so foolish as to reveal her true self to every stranger. It was precisely because Wu Tao held the esteemed title of the foremost Taoist in the realm that she felt emboldened to speak so truthfully.
As they talked, both Wu Tao and Su Turong's impressions of each other softened. Wu Tao now saw her as simply innocent and forthright. He also felt he had acted somewhat ungenerously for an elder, and thus, he no longer dwelled on their earlier unpleasantness. As for Su Turong, with her carefree nature, she had already cast aside any unpleasant memories in her joyful state, completely forgetting them. She found this newly acquainted old Taoist quite pleasant, unlike her many suitors who constantly hovered around her, which could be delightful at times but truly bothersome when she was in a bad mood.
Su Turong's bright, clear eyes darted around, clearly contemplating something. After a long pause, she finally spoke, "Old Taoist, can you tell me how you became recognized as the foremost Taoist in the martial world?"
Men, she mused, had a habit of boasting. While most of their words might be unreliable, gaining experience from such conversations could still be beneficial. This was a principle her father, Su Yunshi, had taught her.
Upon hearing Su Turong's question, Wu Tao fell into deep thought. After a considerable time, he began to narrate his legendary deeds sequentially.
"From a young age, Qingyunzi resided in Qingyun Monastery on Qingyun Mountain. Decades of arduous cultivation passed in a flash."
"In his forties, Qingyunzi reached the Grandmaster realm and officially inherited the leadership of Qingyun Monastery from his master, becoming its new abbot."
"This pace was not exceptionally fast for a supreme prodigy, but for an ordinary martial artist, it was a realm they might never achieve in their lifetime."
"Another ten years passed. To resolve a dispute between Taoism and Buddhism, Qingyunzi, in his fifties, descended Qingcheng Mountain for the first time. Representing the entire Taoist sect, he traveled to Nanjing and, under the watchful eye of the founding Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, engaged in a debate with the renowned Buddhist master Yuan Hui. He narrowly emerged victorious."
"Following this silent victory, Taoism was established as the state religion by Zhu Yuanzhang. Qingyunzi's reputation within the Taoist sect soared. Coupled with his age, status, and position, he earned the esteemed title of the foremost Taoist. At this time, Qingyunzi already possessed Grandmaster-level internal energy."
"Qingyunzi descended Qingcheng Mountain for the second time due to Youming Kuang of the Heavenly Demon God Sect – a true supreme prodigy, the leader of the Demonic Sect."
"That year, Youming Kuang, at the tender age of thirty, had already attained Grandmaster-level internal energy."
"To confront this terrifying demonic leader, the seventy-something Qingyunzi, in his sixties, engaged Youming Kuang in a battle of three hundred rounds. He seized upon a flaw in the opponent's demonic technique and decisively defeated him."
"It was after this feat that Qingyunzi's title as the foremost person in the martial world truly resonated."
These legendary exploits filled the young Su Turong with excitement as she listened, clapping her small hands until they were red, repeatedly exclaiming her praise.
"Actually, Qingyunzi's longevity, living to over a hundred and twenty years, is attributed to three fortunate encounters. During his first descent from the mountain, before the debate on Taoism and Buddhism, Wu Tao chanced upon a thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng."
"The thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng nourishes the blood qi, heals hidden injuries, and revitalizes the body. It was due to this thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng that Qingyunzi was able to smoothly advance to the Grandmaster realm."
"During his second descent from the mountain, while battling Youming Kuang, Qingyunzi obtained a secret manual titled 'Crouching Tiger Diagram'."
"Although this 'Crouching Tiger Diagram' was an external martial arts manual, it differed from ordinary techniques. It did not train the skin and bones but used qi and blood to refine the internal organs. Its value was not significantly less than that of top-tier internal cultivation methods."
"The primary reason Youming Kuang could reach the Grandmaster realm in his thirties, besides his primary cultivation of the 'Nine Nether Profound Heaven Divine Skill,' was this 'Crouching Tiger Diagram' combined with his innate talent."
"Advancing too quickly in martial arts is not always a good thing. Rapid progress can lead to unstable foundations and a restless state of mind, making one vulnerable to being exploited. Relying solely on brute force to overwhelm opponents is a grave mistake for martial artists. Ordinary individuals, progressing steadily, do not encounter this problem."
"Only geniuses and supreme talents, like dragons among men, are most susceptible to being deluded by their rapidly increasing power. This delusion can often be fatal."
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