Chapter Five: Arrival at Yi Garden
The Shu Road is difficult, more difficult than climbing up to the blue sky. This is a vivid depiction by the great poet Li Bai of the transportation in western Shu and Qin River. Western Shu is surrounded by mountains, with towering peaks and precipitous cliffs, making the roads extremely steep and dangerous. The ancient plank road is desolate and treacherous, winding and turning, striking fear into the hearts of travelers.
On the desolate ancient road, a figure walked from afar and soon approached. Upon closer inspection, it was a young man. About twenty-one or two years old, dressed in blue Confucian attire, extremely handsome. His eyes were clear as water, bright as mirrors, full of spirit, very attractive. The first impression this young man gave people was that he was a weak and bookish scholar. It's just unknown where he came from and where he was going.
This person was actually Lu Yun, who had run away from home. He naturally went to Yi Garden this time. In order not to reveal his identity as a cultivator, Lu Yun disguised himself and headed to Yi Garden. After glancing at the small teahouse by the roadside, Lu Yun's face wore a hint of a smile as he slowly walked over.
The teahouse was very simple, with only two or three broken tables and a few stools. The old shopkeeper was a poor old man in his sixties, with a face full of vicissitudes. Lu Yun looked around and saw that there were also two people resting here at this time. One was a farmer who had been chopping firewood, and the other was a young man wearing a tattered Taoist robe, about eighteen or nineteen years old, with an extraordinary appearance and a smiling face.
Lu Yun found a table to sit down, looking at the shopkeeper and asked: "Old man, may I ask, from here to Yi Garden how far is it, how much time does it take?" As soon as Lu Yun's words came out, the young man in tattered Taoist robes suddenly turned his head to look at Lu Yun, a hint of surprise on his face. The young man jumped down beside Lu Yun and sat down, grinning from ear to ear: "Hey, you're going to Yi Garden? I'm also going there, we can travel together, haha."
Lu Yun looked at him with a playful smile, his expression mischievous, like an immature kid in his late teens, very likable. Lu Yun smiled and said: "Yes, I'm going to Yi Garden, didn't expect you're also going there, just in time, now I don't have to worry about the way." After finishing, he smiled lightly, looking gentle and elegant.
At this time, the old shopkeeper next to him spoke up: "This young master, looking at your appearance and attire, you must be going to Yi Garden to learn skills. That's a great place, every year many students go there to study, and in the end they all become useful talents. It's still over a hundred miles from here to Yi Garden, according to your itinerary, you should arrive tomorrow afternoon. Young master, you must work hard, I hope you can also learn more skills, so that you can do more things for the people in the future." He then handed him a cup of clear tea.
The little Taoist beside him heard this and hurriedly said, "A hundred miles away, that's fast! Where do you need to go tomorrow afternoon? We'll be there in no time. Hey, what's your name? I'm Lin Yunfeng, how about it, isn't my name pretty good?" After finishing speaking, he looked at Lu Yun, waiting for him to respond.
Lu Yun looked at him and smiled: "I'm Lu Yun, nice to meet you, Lin Yunfeng. Your name is quite good, very loud. I'm glad to meet you, hoping we can go to Yi Garden together."
Lin Yunfeng smiled and said, "I'm also happy to meet you. Let's go together later, I'll take you with me. It will only take a stick of incense time to get there, and we can save some unnecessary time for you. What did you come here to learn this time? As for me, I came to learn their demon-slaying techniques. Hehe, I heard that the Taoist methods they have here are quite formidable." After finishing speaking, his eyes shone brightly, as if he had already mastered an ultimate skill.
Lu Yun savored the clear tea in his hand, gazing into the distance and said softly: "I'm going there just to pay a visit, I want to experience the local culture. As for what I'll learn, we'll see when the time comes."
Lin Yunfeng's eyes rolled, and he smiled: "I heard that there are many sword immortals in that place. If you learn some Taoist magic and some swordsmanship, who knows, maybe you can become a sword immortal too." After finishing speaking, he threw down a few copper coins and pulled Lu Yun to leave.
Lu Yun smiled and stood up, following him as he left. Not far from walking out, Lin Yunfeng laughed and said: "You're like this, walking to what time has gone, or I'll take you with me." After finishing, he pulled Lu Yun's right hand, chuckled, looked at the front, and Lin Yunfeng whispered: "Qiankun yinyang, daofa suixin, yu feng." After finishing, only his right hand suddenly struck out a symbol, instantly igniting, followed by a stream of air that lifted up his and Lu Yun's bodies, flying rapidly forward.
Lin Yunfeng looked at Lu Yun, who was somewhat surprised, and smiled: "How's that? I'm quite skilled, right? Hehe, this is my specialty. When it comes to slaying demons and capturing ghosts, I'm the best. In the future, when you arrive at Yi Garden, if there's anything you need help with, just look for me, and I'll definitely assist you."
Lu Yun smiled and nodded, saying with a smile: "I didn't expect you to be a great hero who slays demons and evil spirits. I'm really sorry for the misunderstanding. From now on, if I have any trouble, I can come to you for help. When we arrive at Yi Garden, I'll have to ask you to take care of me." He glanced at him and Lu Yun couldn't believe that he had some understanding of Taoist spells and incantations. The two were in mid-air, moving extremely fast, covering hundreds of miles in just a moment.
Yi Garden, one of the six major academies in the world, is located between Mount Emei and Mount Qingcheng, occupying a treasure land of Western Shu's spiritual beauty. It is a famous sacred place for cultivating immortality. Yi Garden has a history of over 1,000 years. For more than 1,000 years, Yi Garden has adhered to the fundamental principles it was founded on, practicing heart cultivation as the main focus, true cultivation as the secondary focus, and learning as the foundation. It has continuously produced countless useful people for the world.
Yi Garden is divided into four institutes, namely Qian Kun Yin Yang Four Institutes. In the Xiu Zhen realm, Qian Kun Two Institutes are the most famous, while in the mortal world, Yin Institute is the most famous. Because Yi Garden's Yin Institute mainly deals with beheading demons and making ghosts, there are the most disciples in the garden, all of whom are some heroic knights who eliminate demons from the human world, deeply loved and supported by the masses. In the western Shu region, they have eliminated many demons and monsters, saving countless people.
Yi Garden is not very strict in recruiting students, but wanting to enter the Fourth Institute of Cultivation, which is also known as the Qiankun Yin Yang Institute, is extremely difficult. Every year, only a handful of disciples can join Yi Garden, and it's a rare occurrence. In this regard, Yi Garden's requirements are very strict. Without exceptional talent and a clean background, Yi Garden will not accept you.
When Lin Yunfeng and Lu Yun arrived at Yi Garden, the sky had just passed noon, it was time for everyone to eat. The two looked at Yi Garden, which covered an area of no less than hundreds of hectares, with countless houses in between, each one was built with careful design. Lu Yun looked around, a hint of surprise in his eyes, the entire Yi Garden was surrounded by a huge and mysterious aura, layers of faint halos appeared and disappeared from time to time, which could not be seen by ordinary people without deep cultivation.
Looking at the gate, those two iron rings as big as fists, a faint smile appeared in Lu Yun's eyes, and he slowly walked forward. Lin Yunfeng, who was beside him, had already run to the gate and started talking to the receptionist. By the time Lu Yun approached, Lin Yunfeng had finished speaking with the person, grabbed Lu Yun's hand, and followed the person inside.
All the way, Lu Yun carefully observed the surrounding house structure. The buildings here are simple and unadorned, not luxurious at all. It's clearly related to the poverty of the people in Western Shu. Following the disciple of Yi Garden, they walked through several corridors and came to a room. Lu Yun took a look and saw an old man sitting inside, with a remarkable appearance and a hint of immortality. He didn't seem like an ordinary person. Lu Yun detected that this person's cultivation was extremely profound, and his heart slightly warned him to be cautious, carefully hiding his own spiritual energy and aura.
The disciple of Yiyuan whispered a few words into the old man's ear and then turned to leave. The old man looked at the two, his eyes showing a hint of appreciation, and smiled slightly: "Two guests from afar, please sit down. I am the master of Yangyuan, one of the four institutes of Yiyuan, Purple Sun True Man, you can just call me True Man. I heard that you two are here to learn the art, wanting to enter Yiyuan to study the method of cultivating truth, is it true?
Lin Yunfeng spoke up first, "A true person's eyes are like a torch, naturally they can see that we have come here to learn the Taoist methods. My partner is also the same, with a weak body, wanting to learn some immortal techniques to strengthen his physique and prolong his lifespan. I hope the true person will show mercy and accept us two? My name is Lin Yunfeng, he is called Lu Yun, does the true person think we are suitable?" After finishing speaking, his eyes widened greatly, staring straight at Ziyang's face, that appearance made Lu Yun who was beside him unable to hold back a laugh.
Ziyang Zhenren looked at Lin Yunfeng and smiled, saying: "This is not what I said could be counted on. When our Yiyuan recruits true disciples, it is very strict. There are several points to note: First, the origin must be clear, those with unclear origins will not be accepted by Yiyuan. Second, the natural talent must be good, the path of cultivating truth is arduous and difficult, without excellent natural talent, it will only waste the cultivator's time without progress. Therefore, those who are insufficient in natural talent, we also advise them not to waste their time. Third, one must be able to endure hardship and labor, cannot give up easily, and must have a strong will. Cultivating truth is not as easy as imagined, without persistent determination, it is difficult to achieve success. Fourth, one must undergo strict screening. So, not everyone can enter Yiyuan to learn the method of cultivating truth. It depends on your identity, origin, and opportunity. Now you two first talk about your origins, let me listen and see if there's hope?" After finishing, he looked at the two of them.
Lin Yunfeng glanced at Lu Yun and smiled: "Alright, I'll go first. My name is Lin Yunfeng, I'm 19 years old, and I've been an orphan since childhood. An old Taoist priest took me in. When I grew up, I followed that old master to learn the art of capturing monsters and ghosts. Over the years, I've made some progress. I thought I could continue learning from him, but recently, one day he suddenly said he had something to take care of, his tone was mysterious, and he instructed me to come here to continue learning the art of slaying monsters and ghosts. He disappeared the next day. I looked for him for several days but couldn't find him, so I came here."
Zi Yang's face changed upon hearing this, and he furrowed his brow: "Then do you know who your master is?" Lin Yunfeng thought for a moment before slightly raising his head: "I'm not very clear, but I remember one time, he unintentionally mentioned that he was some famous ghost-catching grandmaster in the Xiu Zhen realm. He seemed to be called something like 'Ghost Grandmaster'... I don't really recall. Have you heard of any Ghost Grandmasters?"
Ziyang Zhenren smiled and said, "So it's him. I didn't expect you to be his disciple. What a coincidence! He was also a disciple of this Yi Garden back in the day, just like me, we were fellow disciples. Who would have thought that you'd run into him? It seems he brought you here for a reason. I'll go put in a good word for you, and your chances will be quite high. Because you've arrived at just the right time, Yi Garden recruits new disciples every ten years, and within those ten years, we give our followers an opportunity to join us once every half year. And it just so happens that two days from now is this year's last chance. If you were late by a few days, you would have missed your chance and had to wait until next year. This ten-year period has already passed eight years, with only two more years left. Fortunately, there are still openings in the four major branches of Yi Garden, so you still have some hope." After finishing speaking, he glanced at Lin Yunfeng, seemingly hinting that his hopes were not small.
The gaze shifted onto Lu Yun's body, and Zi Yang Zhen Ren asked: "Lu Yun, where are you from?"
Lu Yun said in a soft voice, "Returning to the truth, Lu Yun's ancestral home is in the capital city. My father, Lu Wenyu, was once a scholar of the imperial court. For generations, my ancestors have served as officials in the imperial court, all of whom were scholars. Twelve years ago, I followed my father and moved to the vicinity of Xishan Sword Pavilion, where we settled down. Due to my frail health since childhood, I have never left home. This time, my father also wanted me to come out and see the world, so he asked me to come here and take a look. If possible, I can also learn some techniques to strengthen my body and avoid being tormented by illness."
Ziyang Zhenren's eyes widened in surprise as he asked, "You are truly the descendant of the Lu family from the capital city? I've heard of your father, Lu Wenyu. Many of our disciples have become officials in the imperial court and often mention him as one of the most honest and capable officials. Unfortunately, the current imperial court is corrupt and dominated by treacherous ministers. What a pity! I never expected that the two people who came today would be related to old acquaintances. Well, perhaps this is fate. I will help you speak on your behalf. If the garden owner agrees, you both have hope of becoming disciples of the Yi Garden. Please sit here for a while, and I'll go see the garden owner to ask about your situation and hear what he has to say."
Seeing Ziyang Zhenren leave, Lin Yunfeng suddenly jumped up, with a face full of excitement, and laughed: "Hehe, I didn't expect it to be so easy, it's really great! Once I learn the ultimate skill, I can slay demons and monsters, roam the world as a hero, and become a demon-slaying grandmaster admired by millions. Hehe, how cool is that? It's really too exciting!"
Lu Yun looked at him and smiled: "Don't be too happy yet, this matter has not been decided. Even if you become a disciple here, without hard work, you won't learn anything." After finishing speaking, he chuckled, with a hint of indifference on his face, as if he didn't care about the matter at all.
In the Yitian Pavilion, the current master of Yi Garden, or the person in charge, Xuan Yu Zhen Ren, was sitting on top, looking at the few people below. There were five people sitting in the pavilion, and except for Xuan Yu Zhen Ren, the other four were the heads of the four major branches of Yi Garden. They were Qianyuan Zhenren, the head of Qianyuan Institute, who looked around sixty years old; Jingyue Dashi, the head of Kunyuan Institute; and three others. Among the four branch leaders, Jingyue Dashi was the only woman, looking about thirty-seven or eight years old, with a lingering charm, her eyes flashing with a cold light, her gaze piercing and sharp, as if she could see through people's hearts.
The third was an old man in a long gown, about sixty or seventy years old, with a faint smile on his face, looking somewhat disreputable. This person was the head of the Yin courtyard, Xuanyin True Man. And the last one was that Ziyang True Man.
At this time, Xuan Yu Zhenren spoke up and said: "Purple Yang Shidi has arrived just in time. I was about to send someone to fetch you. Today's gathering is to discuss the matter of recruiting new disciples two days from now. This time, after careful selection and recommendation, a total of ten people have been selected, which is a very good situation. Currently, there are four spots left for the Qianyuan, two spots left for the Kunyuan, four spots left for the Yinyuan, and five spots left for the Yangyuan, totaling twelve spots that need to be filled. This time, we have managed to select ten disciples with great potential, which is quite satisfactory. That way, we will only be short of two people, and we can make up for the shortage. Two days from now, you all should carefully choose."
We, Yi Garden, have always been at the bottom of the six institutes, mainly because in recent years, there has not been any outstanding talent, and we have been suppressed by the other five institutes. I hope that this time, we can make a big splash and bring some honor back to Yi Garden. Because in this generation of our Yi Garden, two of the most outstanding figures have emerged: Li Hongfei from Qian Institute and Zhang Aoxue from Kun Institute. As for Yin Institute and Yang Institute, their performance is also not bad. I believe that with this time's strength, we should have the opportunity to compete with the other five institutes."
The four of them didn't say anything, only Zi Yang Zhen Ren's face showed a hint of embarrassment, as if he felt somewhat guilty for not cultivating any outstanding talents. After glancing at the four of them, Zi Yang Zhen Ren spoke up: "Xuan Yu Shixiong, earlier two more young men came to Yi Yuan, both seeking to learn the art of cultivation. What's even more peculiar is that these two young men have extraordinary backgrounds and some connection with our Yi Yuan."
Xuan Yu Zhen Ren listened and was slightly surprised: "Is this true? Tell everyone about it."
"Those two young men, one is called Lin Yunfeng, whose cultivation has already reached a considerable level, and has entered the stage of controlling objects. The other is called Lu Yun, who is a talented young man with great potential, but unfortunately has not yet begun to cultivate, and is like an unpolished jade. Lin Yunfeng is actually a fellow disciple from our Yiyuan sect, and is the successor of our junior brother Xuan Gui. This time, he was brought here by his master, but he himself doesn't know it. You all know about Xuan Gui's temperament, so this time, we can add one more disciple to our Yiyuan sect. As for Lu Yun, he is actually the son of Lu Wenyu, a famous figure from the capital city. Brother, what do you think? Are these two suitable candidates?"
Xuan Yu looked at the others, saw that they all had a hint of understanding in their eyes, and couldn't help but say softly: "Since it's an old friend's descendant, and you also think it's okay, then let's have them come here two days later and take a look together. If that junior brother is willing to accept him, then he can be accepted. This matter will be settled for now. For our six institutes, the martial arts conference held once every ten years, only two years are left. I hope everyone will work hard, increase their efforts, and strive to bring glory to Yi Garden in two years' time. Does anyone have anything else to say?"
The motionless and mysterious Xuan Yin True Person finally spoke up, saying: "Recently, evil creatures have been stirring in the southwest direction, affecting many innocent people. I've already sent four of my disciples to provide support. Teacher Shifu thinks that this matter should be thoroughly investigated, as it's been nearly a hundred years since we've seen such a large number of ghosts and monsters appear at once. I suspect that this may be an ominous sign, so for safety's sake, it would be best to send someone to investigate."
Xuan Yu Zhen Ren slightly furrowed his brow and said, "What you've said, I already know. Recently, I've been observing the night sky and have vaguely discovered that the Seven Stars are showing abnormal signs, but it's not yet clear. So, this matter may also be a kind of omen, everyone must be careful. To prepare for future events, we must strengthen our supervision of the disciples under our gate and speed up their cultivation to make preparations for the future. I've decided to reward this outstanding disciple by letting them take our sect's most precious 'Ji Tian Dan' to enhance their cultivation, in order to deal with the Martial Arts Conference two years later and also to prepare for future changes." As soon as he finished speaking, the four people below all had a slight change in expression, while the first seat of the Qian Kun Two Gardens revealed a joyful face, looking extremely happy.
They all understood that this "Ji Tian Dan" was a treasure of Yi Garden that had not been passed down, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the rare treasures of the world, after 49 years of cultivation. There were only twelve in total in Yi Garden, from its establishment to now, six have been used up, leaving only six. Unexpectedly, Master Zhang this time, actually took it out to reward his disciples, it was really beyond everyone's expectations.
He glanced at the four of them and said, "I'm doing this for the sake of our Yi Garden. For so many years, it's been almost two hundred years, and our Yi Garden hasn't produced any outstanding figures. This time, Li Hongfei and Zhang Aoxue have emerged, and their cultivation progress is astonishingly fast. Everyone has seen that they've already mastered seven of the 'Yi Tian Twelve Techniques' and are entering the eighth technique. The speed is breathtaking, even in the entire cultivation world, it's rare. That's why I decided to heavily cultivate them, so they can represent Yi Garden in the future, roam the world, and bring back some honor for us. In today's cultivation world, there are many powerful experts gathered, compared to the past, it's unknown what's going on, and it's hard to say where all these powerful experts came from. It's truly astonishing, I don't know what to say. Alright, let's not talk about this anymore, you can go now." After finishing speaking, he slightly raised his head and looked into the distance.
Four people looked at him and left one by one. In an instant, only Xuan Yu Zhen Ren was left in the Yi Tian Pavilion. He got up slightly, walked to the door, looked at the horizon, and sighed softly: "The world is about to be chaotic, demons will appear, and the cultivation world will face an unprecedented catastrophe. How many sects can stand forever in this world? Maybe it's hard to find." He slowly turned around, his back seemed a bit desolate, and he disappeared at the turning point.
