Inquiry about immortality

Chapter 2223 Picking up shoes

The wanted order provides some topic of conversation in the monotonous days, but it will not affect the lives of the villagers.

After returning home, Qin Sang continued to recuperate.

He didn't dare to practice cultivation rashly and could only use secular methods to treat his illness. Fortunately, he knew the art of conditioning and combined it with some herbal medicine, and his condition gradually improved.

Early that morning, when Qin Sang woke up, the sun was shining brightly outside and birds were chirping outside the window.

He is the only one left at home.

It is the busy farming season now, and because he is seriously ill, his family has been looking for medical treatment and medicine for him everywhere, which has delayed farm work, so they need to hurry up to replant.

Qin Sang stood up, stretched his muscles, and felt lighter than yesterday. He thought he was almost recovered.

Pushing open the door, Qin Sang smelled the faint aroma of rice and medicine. He walked into the woodroom and saw warm medicine soup on the stove and some rice left for him.

Qin Sang remained calm and swallowed the bitter medicine in one gulp. He took the cake back to the yard, broke off a piece, crushed it and scattered it on the stone slab, then slowly ate it while watching the birds pecking at it.

The biscuits seemed rougher than what I had eaten in the past few days, and they made my throat hurt a little because I had switched from fine grains to coarse grains.

Last year's harvest was not very good, and most of the family's savings were used to treat Qin Sang's illness. This year's crops have just been planted, and it will take several months for them to mature. They must start budgeting carefully from now on, otherwise the whole family will starve before the new crops come in.

"Dudududu..."

Soon a group of birds came and pecked at Qin Sang.

Qin Sang stared at the bird in a trance. The past few days brought back distant memories of his pleasant time at Qingyang Temple. Later, he took Xiaowu down the mountain to travel and rebuild Qingyang Temple, which was quite casual. Unfortunately, since he embarked on the immortal path, he has never really relaxed.

It is the same now. He seems to be eating and sleeping all day long, and he is always thinking about how to escape from his current situation.

Xi has not been as strong as his older brother since he was young, and his father has never taught him hunting skills. If he suddenly proposed to go into the mountains to hunt, his parents would definitely not allow it.

The best way is to follow the caravan, leave Fengcheng, and then find a reason to leave halfway.

Xi's parents were far-sighted. Seeing that their third son could not make a living by hunting like their eldest son, they considered finding a way out for him when he was a child. They let him study with an old man in the village for a few years and learn arithmetic. They planned to send him to work as a clerk in a store, so it would not be a surprise for Qin Sang to leave with the caravan.

With Qin Sang's ability, he could definitely sneak into the caravan as long as he wanted, but he was afraid that his parents would not let him go.

However, Qin Sang doesn't want to waste too long in the mortal world, so he has to cut the Gordian knot quickly.

"I've finished eating too, come back in the afternoon!"

Seeing the birds staring at the biscuit in his hand, Qin Sang stuffed it into his mouth, patted his butt, and got up to go out.

Half of the hillside was covered with terraced fields developed by the village. Qin Sang stood by the stream and saw people working in the fields in groups of three or four.

"Hard-working villagers, a real illusion!"

Qin Sang sighed more than once.

He knew clearly that he was in an illusion, but he could not find any flaws these days. His family and the villagers were so lively, working from sunrise to sunset and resting at sunset, completely unaware that they were living in an illusion.

Other people who entered the illusion, without the protection of the Jade Buddha, may have regarded themselves as the natives here and believed that this was the real world!

Qin Sang thought of the Buddhist scriptures he had read in Zhongzhou, Storm Realm. Buddhism has the concept of "emptiness", which holds that the world is empty, and even the Dharma is empty. The purpose of practice is to see through the essence of "emptiness".

Qin Sang did not fully agree with the Buddhist scriptures, but at this moment he could not help but associate it with his current situation.

What kind of world is this?

While Qin Sang was eager to break the impasse, he was also extremely curious about this illusion.

He picked up a handful of river sand and watched the gravel flow through his fingers.

If the illusion is as vast and boundless as the real world, everything exists and has its own laws of evolution, which continue forever from generation to generation, then as long as you never leave the illusion, where is the boundary between reality and illusion?

Can the illusion also create a real world of cultivation?

Qin Sang stood up and walked slowly down the mountain. He was in good shape today, so he planned to go around the city and look for opportunities.

Whenever he met villagers, they would greet him warmly and say a few words of concern, and Qin Sang would thank them one by one.

When they were almost at the foot of the mountain, Qin Sang noticed that a scuffle was happening in front of a house on the opposite side of the river bank.

An old man was pushed out.

"You old fool! I told you there's nothing to eat! Go, go, go..."

The lady head of the household cursed at her, pushed the old man to the middle of the road, and slammed the door shut.

Qin Sang paused slightly and saw clearly that the old man was the old beggar he saw in front of the city gate.

When he went to the city today, he was hoping to find an opportunity to meet the old beggar, but unexpectedly he met him in the village.

"Hahaha……"

"I got beaten out again!"

"You old immortal! You old immortal!"

……

A group of young children were peeking from the corner and burst into laughter when they saw the old beggar being driven out.

The old beggar had a good attitude. He turned his head and made a face to scare the child away, then walked towards the bridge with his crutch, rested on a stone, hummed some song and shook his head.

The children soon gathered together again and approached the old beggar. Seeing that he would not hit anyone, they became bolder and bolder and started playing hide-and-seek around him.

The old beggar also liked the children's youthfulness. He squinted his eyes to bask in the sun, but suddenly a naughty child stole his straw sandals and threw him onto the riverbank.

"Hahaha……"

The children ran away laughing, but did not run far. They hid behind a tree and watched the old beggar pick up the shoes.

"Hey! You kids are bullying an old man. Hurry up and bring it up to me..."

The old beggar frowned and knocked his cane hard, which only brought even louder laughter.

At this time, Qin Sang walked down the mountain and stepped onto the wooden bridge. When the children saw someone coming, they scattered.

Qin Sang walked to the bridge head, climbed down along the river bank, and helped the old beggar pick up his straw sandals.

"As people grow old, they are no longer useful."

The old beggar leaned against the railing and sighed, "You are a kind-hearted kid, unlike those little kids."

"How old are they?"

Qin Sang climbed up and took a few deep breaths.

This was a bit too much for his current body.

At this time, Qin Sang saw the old beggar raised his black feet, as if he wanted Qin Sang to put them on him.

'Snapped! '

Qin Sang pretended not to notice, threw the straw sandals in front of the old beggar, and rudely exposed his scars, "Didn't you get anything to eat?"

The old beggar could only put down his feet, bend down to pick up his shoes, and sighed: "Alas! People's hearts are no longer the same as they used to be. How could they bear to watch an old man like me starve to death..."

Qin Sang thought he deserved it, and suddenly he saw the old beggar who was putting on his shoes suddenly have a tremor in his hands, and his feet struggle, and his straw sandals fly off the bridge, and fall onto the riverbank with a "pop".

The old beggar raised his head and smiled, "I am old now, my hands and feet are not as flexible as before, I have to trouble you again, little brother."

Qin Sang looked at the old beggar, then looked at the straw sandals under the bridge. Without saying anything, he climbed up and down again and picked up the sandals.

"Old man, you have to be more careful this time..."

Unexpectedly, Qin Sang hadn’t finished speaking.

'Snapped! '

The straw sandals fell off again.

The old beggar raised his head and looked at Qin Sang with an innocent look on his face.

Qin Sang looked at him expressionlessly.

Then, Qin Sang returned to the riverbank without saying a word, kicked his straw sandals into the center of the river, and they were swept away by the river in an instant.

"Hey hey..."

The old beggar was anxious, and he leaned on the railing and shouted, "You little kid, you just said you were kind-hearted, why did you throw away the old man's shoes!"

Qin Sang climbed up, patted the grass debris on his body, and said leisurely: "I thought you thought the shoes were too shabby and didn't want them anymore."

"People's hearts are not the same as they used to be! People's hearts are not the same as they used to be!"

The old beggar kept mumbling. When he saw Qin Sang was about to leave, he quickly stopped him with his walking stick. "Little kid, I haven't compensated you for my shoes yet. Where do you want to go?"

"Where do I have shoes?"

Qin Sang spread his hands, "Don't look at me because I'm skinny, my feet are bigger than yours, my father and brother's feet are bigger than mine. I don't have shoes, but I do have a bite of food. If you're hungry, come with me."

As he said this, Qin Sang pushed away the crutches and walked back.

The old beggar muttered a few words, but finally chose to follow barefoot.

After bringing the old beggar home, Qin Sang’s parents had not yet returned. He walked into the woodshed, brought out the leftovers, offered them to the bird first, and then pushed them in front of the old beggar, “Eat.”

The old beggar glanced at the wild vegetable pancake and said disdainfully, "You're just going to eat these?"

"You still want to eat delicacies from the mountains and the sea?"

Qin Sang was so angry that he laughed and pretended to take the cake away, "I think you are still not hungry!"

"Don't, don't, don't..."

The old beggar quickly reached out to protect the food, picked up the cake, and started eating it in big mouthfuls. A piece of cake was gone in the blink of an eye.

"I know why your son drove you out to beg for food," Qin Sang commented.

The old beggar sneered, "What do you know! I came up with this idea on my own, and I don't have a son."

"Oh," Qin Sang pretended to be enlightened, "I also think that no woman would be willing to be with you."

"Cough cough..."

The old beggar froze, almost choking, and slapped the table hard, "Go and get a bowl of water, you have no eyesight!"

Qin Sang served him a bowl of vegetable soup, and the old beggar wolfed it down.

"Please eat slowly. This is all. It will be gone once we finish it! My parents and elder brother haven't eaten yet," Qin Sang said angrily.

The old beggar was full and didn't ask for anything else. He crossed his legs and watched Qin Sang clean up.

"You are quite interesting, little kid," the old beggar said happily while picking his teeth, not as harsh as before.

"What do you mean by somewhat interesting?"

Qin Sang made two cups of tea, using tea leaves that his mother had dried in the sun.

"I have traveled far and wide and met many mortals, but not many as interesting as you. If you were born outside, you might have achieved something. It's a pity that you were born in this remote little place, and you are still a sickly person," the old beggar took a sip of tea.

mortal!

Qin Sang's heart was moved, but his face remained expressionless. He sneered, "Mortal? You just lived a little longer, and you think you are a god? Have you been to many places? Tell me, what kind of world is outside the mountain?"

“A world much bigger and more colorful than you can imagine.”

The old beggar stared at the sky in a trance, "Unfortunately, this is not the world that belongs to us humans."

Qin Sang frowned and looked around. "So many of us were born and raised here, and all the wild animals are our food. How can this not be our world?"

"Do you dare to eat birds?"

The old beggar asked back.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Qin Sang pretended to be furious, "I think you are really getting old and confused."

The old beggar snorted, with a look of contempt, "You know nothing! How can a frog in a well know the vastness of the world! Forget it, I am really bored, why would I argue with a little fool like you..."

After saying this, the old beggar drank the tea in one gulp, picked up his walking stick, stood up shakily, and without even asking for compensation for his shoes, he walked out the door barefoot.

"By the way, I won't eat your meal for free, this is for you!"

Before leaving, the old beggar seemed to remember something, took something out of his arms and threw it to Qin Sang.

Qin Sang took it and saw that it was a bamboo scroll.

"I see you can read. Your illness is caused by a congenital deficiency. Even if you are cured this time, it will recur in a few years, each time more dangerous than the last. Practice what is written here. Even if you don't achieve anything, it can help you get rid of the root of your illness."

Qin Sang spread out the bamboo book and was surprised to find that it was actually a method of spiritual practice!

Of course, it is only a very simple introductory part. According to this method, the best you can do is to cultivate to the third level of Qi Refining Stage. However, there is no division of realms in the practice method, which is collectively called the Induction Chapter.

When he looked up again, there was no one at the door.

Qin Sang had long guessed that the old beggar's identity was not simple, and had planned to take things step by step, get to know the old beggar well, and then get his secrets out. Unexpectedly, a meal would lead to a chance encounter with an immortal. It would have been so easy back then.

With this practice, all problems can be easily solved!

To act out a role, one must perform it in full. Qin Sang still pretended to be confused and read the content word by word.

Perhaps the old beggar had chosen it specially for him. The content on the bamboo book was very simple, and Yixi's knowledge could understand the literal meaning. Of course, understanding the meaning of the words and comprehending the skills are two different concepts.

Qin Sang discovered that although this technique seemed simple, it placed great emphasis on talent and understanding. As long as one's talent and understanding were high enough, one would be able to quickly comprehend the true meaning of the technique and sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Qin Sang seemed to be immersed in his martial arts, but he was thinking in his heart that the old beggar might be the best opportunity for him to enter the world of immortal cultivation!

……

outside the village.

The old beggar walked barefoot, singing a ballad, and prepared to return to the city gate for a good sleep.

Suddenly, the old beggar's expression changed drastically. He turned and looked towards Qin Sang's house with an expression of disbelief.

'Shuh! '

The old beggar disappeared on the spot, appeared in the yard, and saw Qin Sang sitting in front of the door.

His eyes were closed, with the bamboo book on his knees, as if he was immersed in some state.

Invisible fluctuations appeared in the void around him.

At this moment, Qin Sang's whole body suddenly trembled, the blood color on his face faded, and he became extremely pale. With a "wow" sound, he spurted out a large mouthful of blood.

‘Clang! ’

Luan happened to come back from the fields. Seeing the blood all over the ground and Qin Sang's weak breath, he was extremely terrified. He dropped the farm tools in his hands and ran in frantically, "Little brother, what's wrong with you!"

The old beggar's eyes were full of surprise and he looked pleased.

"God has a good vision, and he has allowed me to find a cultivation seed!" (End of this chapter)