Research-Style Cultivation, Starting by Refusing to Be a Furnace – Chapter 10

Ch 10: Arriving at Qingyuan Prefecture

More than a month later, a majestic city gate appeared in front of everyone. What caught the eye first was the huge city wall formed by overlapping boulders. The neat wall reflected the sunlight, appearing somewhat dazzling. Magnificent and imposing pavilions stood on the city wall, with towering pavilions at each of the four corners. Between the pavilions on both sides were layers of large buildings, making it difficult to see the top in the dazzling sunlight.

Below were two large bronze city gates wide open. Above the gate hung a simple plaque with three golden characters “Qingyuan Prefecture” written in a vigorous and unrestrained style, shining brightly in the sunlight. On each side of the city gate stood two teams of soldiers, wearing yellow animal-shaped armor, exuding an imposing presence, and wielding axes, yokes, hooks, and forks, emitting bursts of light under the sunlight, flaunting their sharpness.

Even more so, a line of troops was arranged on the city wall, with each soldier spaced not far apart, holding long spears in their hands, with a stern and angry gaze. Wisps of white clouds floated past them, looking down at the passersby from above, giving a sense of ethereal immortality.

“We’re here, Miss, we’re here, we’re finally here!” Xiao Yun, still dressed in black, cheered and jumped on the carriage.

“Alright, alright, I know, look how happy you are.” Li Ziwan, looking at the familiar city wall, swept away the fatigue from her face and said with a smile.

Wei Xing, under the careful care of the past month, had recovered quite well, with his Qi and blood even more vigorous than before. He looked at himself in the mirror inside the carriage, his fair skin showing a rosy glow, the dark circles under his eyes were gone, and he no longer looked as withered as before, exuding a deathly aura. Wei Xing contentedly stroked his chin and said with some pride, “This is a more pleasing appearance.”

Through the window, Wei Xing saw such a magnificent city wall and couldn’t help but be shocked. His mouth was slightly open, and he stared blankly for a while, not knowing what to say. After a long time, he woke up from his dream and murmured, “I thought it was just a city? I didn’t expect it to be so majestic, with a sense of oppression that is more than a little higher than that of modern cities! It seems that this world is quite different from what I expected, but how did they build such high city walls?”.

The carriage entered the city along with the flow of people. The roads inside the city were even wider, crisscrossing and well-organized, with blue brick floors stretching as far as the eye could see. The shops on both sides were densely packed, countless in number, with people coming and going, creating a lively scene.

Wei Xing quietly looked at everything in front of him in the carriage, once again shocked, and sighed in his heart, “It seems that I was narrow-minded. I always thought that I had seen many modern big cities, and I still had a trace of contempt for this place. It seems that the clown is myself.” Wei Xing smiled and shook his head, and the sense of superiority in his heart had been swept away.

The carriage kept changing direction in the city, and finally gradually moved away from the hustle and bustle, and the noise of the outside world could no longer be heard. It stopped in front of a quiet residence. As soon as the carriage stopped, the servants shouted, “Miss is back!” As the sound ended, a large group of servants began to get busy.

Li Ziwan changed into a light pink elegant dress today, which set off her oval face, making her very cute. She quickly walked to the carriage window of Wei Xing and said softly, “Senior Wei, we have arrived at my Li Family. Please get off the horse and come into the residence to rest.” After more than a month of getting along, this woman had figured out Wei Xing’s temperament. He was easy to get along with, so she treated him very normally, saving a lot of trouble.

“Okay, let’s go.” Wei Xing responded and walked out of the carriage. At this moment, Wei Xing was no longer dressed as a Taoist, but had changed into a green robe, which he had asked the black-clad girl Xiao Yun to prepare specially. The black veil on his face had long been taken off by Wei Xing, and his hair was simply tied up, with some scattered on both sides of his shoulders, looking lazy.

“Uh…” Li Ziwan couldn’t help but let out a surprised sound, her eyes staring straight at Wei Xing, as if she didn’t expect Wei Xing to have such a handsome appearance. At this moment, she was a little dazed, her heart beating faster, her fingers clenched slightly, and her breathing became slightly heavier, which made the atmosphere a little awkward for a while.

“Miss Li? Miss Li?” Wei Xing saw that she was not speaking and called out twice, which made her recover. She quickly turned her gaze away and looked at a wealthy middle-aged man walking out of the residence gate, and hurriedly ran to shout, “Father, I’m back.”

“You naughty girl, you ran out without saying a word, traveling around and having fun. You were happy, but you worried your father to death.” The middle-aged, out-of-shape man hugged the daughter in front of him and gently patted her head, saying dotingly.

However, his gaze gradually shifted to Wei Xing, and he was also attracted by his delicate face. He looked Wei Xing up and down with some hostile eyes, and said somewhat critically, “He’s just a little thin, but he looks okay.”

“Father, what are you talking about!” Li Ziwan’s face suddenly turned red, and she tapped the old father’s chest a few times, preventing him from continuing to speak. As a daughter, how could she not know what he was thinking.

She hurriedly brought Wei Xing into the residence and sat down in the living room. She carefully told him about her experiences along the way and the matter between her and Wei Xing. When she heard that Wei Xing was a Taoist, her face suddenly changed for a moment, and then she returned to normal. She hurriedly led Wei Xing to the upper seat and said with a slightly apologetic expression, “My daughter didn’t know what she was doing and offended the Daoist priest. Please forgive her. As long as the Daoist priest has any needs, my Li Family is willing to serve you. Please don’t bother with my daughter.”

Wei Xing was once again confused by this sudden change in attitude and had to cope with it, “Head of the Li Family, there is no need to be like this. This matter has passed for a long time, and I have long since stopped caring about it.”

“If you want to talk about needs, there is one.” Wei Xing was also direct and didn’t want to beat around the bush anymore.

Wei Xing said it casually, but the Head of the Li Family’s face changed for a while after hearing it, which made Li Ziwan next to him feel inexplicable.

“Presumably, Head of the Li Family has also heard from Miss Li and knows my background. I am a wandering wild crane and want to go to Qingyuan Temple to find someone, but I don’t know where this Qingyuan Temple is. Presumably, Head of the Li Family should know.” Wei Xing said directly.

The middle-aged, out-of-shape man was relieved to see that Wei Xing just wanted to go to Qingyuan Temple, and his expression softened, “So you are going to Qingyuan Temple, but you may have to wait for a while.”

“Oh? What do you mean by that?” Wei Xing asked curiously.

“Doesn’t the Daoist priest know? Qingyuan Temple is not open all year round, but only at certain times.” The Head of the Li Family continued, “That Qingyuan Temple is where the Daoist priests in the temple cultivate. How can ordinary people go there? However, although the Daoist priests don’t ask about worldly affairs, they also need some things to enter the world. Generally speaking, only during major sacrifices and recruiting disciples will the mountain gate appear for the world to worship. Usually, it is not seen.”

“Oh, then may I ask where this Qingyuan Temple is? Can’t I just go and find it?” Wei Xing continued to ask.

“Qingyun Temple is on Qingyun Mountain. Qingyun Mountain is located a hundred miles west of Qingyun Prefecture. Qingyun Temple is located on the top of that mountain. However, unless the Taoist temple actively reveals itself, ordinary people cannot find it even if they enter Qingyun Mountain. They cannot see it.” The man explained, while looking at Wei Xing in a green robe, and added, “The Daoist priest is no ordinary person, so he should be able to find it.”

“There is such a magical place, yes, after all, it is the territory of cultivators.” Wei Xing thought in his heart after hearing this.

The Head of the Li Family saw that Wei Xing did not reply, and said skillfully, “Oh dear, I forgot. In fact, a month later, it will be the day when Qingyun Temple recruits new disciples. At that time, it will naturally appear. If the Daoist priest wants to go, I will send someone to lead the Daoist priest along with the crowd, which will be convenient. The Daoist priest has just arrived in Qingyuan Prefecture and can walk around and get familiar with it before going to Qingyuan Temple.”

Wei Xing nodded when he heard the news and remembered something. In the Qin family in Qingping County, the one named Qin Yong said that he was taken by Qingyuan Temple as an inner sect disciple. He even freeloaded on his family’s meals for a month, which helped him a lot. If there is a chance, it would be okay to get to know him.

“Then I will follow what the Head of the Li Family said.” Wei Xing smiled, feeling very good.