Zhuang Tongsheng laughed softly, saying, "Very well, seeing your sincerity, if I don't give you a chance, it would seem as if I am not being understanding."
"Today, I will take you up the mountain to become a free cultivator. If during this time, you can genuinely maintain your essential nature and endure the solitude, I will consider taking you as my disciple and teaching you the true path of cultivation."
Qiu Xiansheng apparently didn't quite understand what Zhuang Tongsheng meant by keeping one's essential nature.
Upon reaching the mountain gate, Qiu Xiansheng was arranged to live in a secluded cave residence. Although called a cave residence, it was just a cave with nothing more than a bed, a table, and a stool inside.
In the first couple of months, Qiu Xiansheng managed to endure the loneliness. Even without the Immortal Master's teachings, he could still maintain his essential nature.
But after half a year passed without receiving the true teaching, Qiu Xiansheng began feeling restless, thinking it would be better to be busy at the Government Office.
It was on this day, a young lady in a pink jacket and skirt came to Qiu Xiansheng's place.
Her face was like a peach blossom, her skin like creamy jade. She claimed she was accompanying her family to Yuchi Temple to fulfill a vow for her father but somehow got lost and ended up here.
This brightened Qiu Xiansheng's eyes, and he hurriedly stood up to greet her, just about to speak, when he suddenly heard a loud clap of thunder outside the cave, followed by a heavy downpour.
"Such swift rain! Miss, it's damp and chilly in the mountains, and there's wind and rain outside. I am not worried for myself, but I fear you might get wet and catch a cold. If you don't mind, you could take shelter in my cave until the wind and rain cease, and then I will escort you away."
The young lady quickly thanked him, then shyly smiled and sat on the stone stool.
At this moment, in the small cave dwelling, was a young man and woman alone, the man with a hot breath, the woman with a faint fragrance of rouge, and a delicate atmosphere began to spread.
Having no other topics, Qiu Xiansheng asked if the lady was married, to which she replied she remained in her boudoir awaiting marriage.
Seeing the conversation was nearing its end, the young lady suddenly raised her head, her face flushed, and said, "If I were to marry, it would be to a good man like you."
Ah!
Looking at the lady's shy and joyful expression, a burning desire ignited in Qiu Xiansheng's heart, everything about seeking immortality and maintaining one's essential nature was completely forgotten.
Outside the cave, the wind and rain tangled together.
Inside the cave, the clouds gathered and dispersed.
Once the clouds parted and the rain stopped, Qiu Xiansheng suddenly noticed a silhouette outside the cave entrance.
The silhouette spoke with disappointment:
"You still couldn't maintain your essential nature. Very well, you shall descend the mountain tomorrow."
With that, the person turned and left.
A moment of melancholy crossed Qiu Xiansheng's heart, while he felt some regret, he didn't feel too disheartened. If he could descend the mountain with the lady and live as a wealthy couple, it wouldn't be a bad choice.
However, when Qiu Xiansheng turned back, he found no trace of the lady on the bed, only a life-sized straw man!
Qiu Xiansheng was overwhelmed with shame, now clear that it was a test by an immortal. If he had passed, the path to immortality would be open, but if he didn't...
Unfortunately, there is no antidote for regret in the world.
Qiu Xiansheng was too ashamed to stay on the mountain, so he left Lianhua Mountain in disarray. Upon returning to the Capital City, he discovered that he had been declared dead five years ago in a fire.
A Martial Champion Scholar, dead in a fire, what a ridiculous notion.
Yet Qiu Xiansheng dared not reveal himself, for doing so would brand him a neglectful deceiver, only bringing disaster upon himself.
Qiu Xiansheng, with no other choice, wandered about, gathering information, only to find that his wife had remarried, and her new husband was none other than his former close colleague.
On that day, as heavy snow fell from the sky, Qiu Xiansheng drank to sadness, departing with a laugh.
Since then, Qiu Xiansheng continued his quest for immortality, eventually encountering the Auspicious and Prosperous Venerable.
And it was there that the fateful entanglement between the Auspicious and Prosperous Venerable and Qiu Xiansheng began to turn the wheel of destiny...
...
Xu Qing finished watching the lantern of memories of the Sect Master of the Yin Corpse Sect, and the pages of the Sutra of Salvation continued to turn, now revealing the memory scenes of the Auspicious and Prosperous Venerable.
The Auspicious and Prosperous Venerable was originally chosen by the goddess Nüwa as her earthly avatar, and the name Fulu was given by her.
Before this, the Auspicious and Prosperous Venerable was a performer in a troop specializing in yin plays, known as Vase Maiden.
Besides Vase Maiden, the troop included a dwarf, a pair of twins, and the Snakelike Beauty who was boneless and moved like a serpent.
Vase Maiden, with a stunning head atop her neck yet possessing the body of a delicate porcelain vase, seemed merely a novelty to ordinary folks, who wouldn't develop any unusual thoughts.
Even so, the world is vast, and there are always individuals with peculiar tastes.
On this day, Vase Maiden was backstage, applying makeup with no assistance, relying on the tips of her cloudlike hair to dip and apply rouge.
At that moment, the troupe leader sent word that Young Master Zhang from Zhang Mansion was here to see her, having paid two hundred taels of silver, requesting her company alone.
Vase Maiden thought nothing of it until she met Young Master Zhang, realizing he coveted her beauty, wishing to form a fleeting romantic bond.
At that time, inexperienced in affairs of the heart, Vase Maiden readily agreed to Young Master Zhang's advances.
Who knows how a vase and a seven-foot man found intimacy? But afterwards, Vase Maiden's appetite decreased by half a tael, leaving one to wonder what clandestine delicacies she indulged in.
Unfortunately, secrets don't stay hidden, especially not in a theater troupe where everything is exposed.
Soon enough, the Young Madam Zhang came to vent her anger on Vase Maiden.
Though the troupe leader hailed from a shadowy trade, he dared not oppose the Young Madam Zhang, aware of her prestigious Wang lineage from Langya, a truly reputable family.