Chapter 23: His words!
Bai Wuchen thought to himself bitterly, ‘Why didn’t I realize this earlier? I didn’t book this restaurant for him in advance and now that Lin Qingyun has done it before me, the expert’s pointing it out to me!’
Seeing that Bai Wuchen was sighing from time to time, Zhao Laotou listened to the story more attentively.
Meanwhile, Li Nianfan was at the part where Teacher Bodhi Zhu was teaching Wukong.
“Teacher Zhu said… I’m pleased that you’re destined to learn. Come closer and listen attentively as I teach the mystery of longevity to you.
“Wukong knelt and bowed sincerely…”
Destined?
Pleased?
Mystery of longevity?
Lin Qingyun, Bai Wuchen, and Zhao Laotou trembled upon hearing that. Their eyes flashed with excitement and shock.
Was he really going to tell them the mystery of longevity? They were convinced that the expert was teaching them through the words of Teacher Bodhi Zhu and implying to them that they were destined to be there. Especially Zhao Laotou who was approaching death soon. Hearing the words ‘mystery of longevity’, he held his breath in anticipation.
Meng Junliang’s grip on his pen tightened. He pursed his lips as he did not want to miss a word.
“Teacher Zhu said… The mystery of longevity is the way to cherish life. The Essence, Qi, and Spirit must always be vigorous. One must firmly hold on to the release of energy. The energy comes from within and hides in between. The prosperous preaching…”
Words of wisdom came from Li Nianfan. Like a morning bell, the words entered the ears of the audience along with the Basics of Wisdom. Some of their gazes were focused, as if in the middle of realizing something, while some remained emotionless.
Though the cultivators stiffened with shock, waves of ringing penetrated their brains.
Wisdom!
It was the wisdom of longevity!
Their scalps were itching and they had goosebumps all over their skin. The words were difficult to understand and they did not understand most of his saying, but they remembered every single word.
Vroom!
Layers of dark clouds hovered above the sky of the Fallen Immortal Town without warning. Lighting struck like a snake, slithering between the thick layers of clouds, turning the sky of the Fallen Immortal Town into dark grey color.
Pitter-patter!
Instantly, heavy rain fell from above. From afar, it seemed as if the Fallen Immortal Town was surrounded by a curtain made of rain!
The pedestrians ran in all directions looking for shelter, shocked by the sudden change in the sky. However, the people inside the restaurant were unaware of what was happening outside. Everyone listened to the story attentively.
By then, Wukong had learned many skills, from flying in the sky to going underground. He was able to make seventy-two transformations. Every transformation was skilled and impressive.
Bai Wuchen was fascinated. He exclaimed bitterly, “These skills are so much more powerful compared to our cultivation.”
“In comparison to them, we’re nothing!” Zhao Laotou added. He was no longer suspicious and he felt grateful for coming here with Bai Wuchen, or else he would have missed this blissful opportunity.
Was this the world of The Immortals? They had such impressive skills!
By then, even if Li Nianfan denied being an Immortal, nobody would believe him. If he was not an Immortal, how would he know so much about the world of The Immortals?
Li Nianfan smiled and continued for a while before he ended. “Guan Tong’s surname was not his real name. What would happen to him next? Stay tuned for the next session.”
It ended again?
Everyone seemed hesitant to leave. Slowly, they realized that it was raining heavily outside. The sky was covered with thick layers of clouds which completely covered the sun. There was constant lightning. Many people started praying to the sky, asking for protection from The Immortals. The Fallen Immortal Town had not seen this spectacular view for almost a hundred years. Bai Wuchen and Zhao Laotou exchanged a look. They had an answer to this.
How powerful was this expert? A mere story from him attracted such a drastic change in the sky? It was too scary!
Li Nianfan walked to the entrance of the restaurant. He frowned at the sight of the weather and muttered, “This weather’s so erratic and troublesome. It needs to stop now.”
Instantly, a gold phantom rose from the pond in his backyard and flew up to the clouds.
“Mr. Li, why don’t I send you home? I can guarantee that you won’t get wet,” Bai Wuchen offered hastily, not letting this opportunity slip.
However, in the next moment, the sun shone through the dark clouds, shining directly on Li Nianfan. Swiftly after, the clouds dissipated as if the rain was abruptly stopped by someone without warning.
“Tsz…”
Bai Wuchen and the others took in a cold breath, looking at Li Nianfan with newfound fear.
His words!
Even the sky had to listen to this expert!
Li Nianfan did not feel anything. He merely thought himself to be lucky and marched out of the restaurant.
“Mr. Li, please, stop.” Meng Junliang ran out of the restaurant. “Mr. Li, may I please include your name on this ‘Journey to The West’?
“Please, don’t!” Li Nianfan shook his head. He would not want to make a name for himself in this dangerous realm.
“This book was written by Wu Cheng’en. Just use his name.”
“Wu Cheng’en, Wu Cheng’en…” Meng Junliang muttered this name to himself and suddenly looked up at Li Nianfan with a sparkle in his eyes. “Mr. Li’s a genius! I’ve just realized it!”
‘What did you realize?!’ Li Nianfan scowled at him in his mind and did not bother to answer him. This scholar was too embarrassing!
Little did he know that the cultivators beside him had a realization, too! They looked at Li Nianfan with respect.
‘Wu Cheng’en… The name is a way of him asking everyone to not take his kindness!’ they thought.
The ‘Journey to The West’ would be a popular hit in this Immortal Realm, even the ‘mystery of longevity’ he spoke of earlier was precious. This was a book meant for the Immortals to read! The expert was generous enough to share it with everyone. He even called himself Wu Cheng’en? This was definitely a gesture from him saying ‘you’re welcome’!
Expert, a true expert!
As expected, everything he did had layers of meaning!
Zhao Laotou hastily pulled on Bai Wuchen’s sleeves and made a signal with his eyes. Understanding his old friend, Bai Wuchen grabbed Zhao Laotou by his arm and walked toward Li Nianfan. He introduced, “Mr. Li, this is an old friend of mine. His full name is Zhao Shanhe. He has heard great things about you and your skills, so, he begged me to introduce him to you.”
“Hello, Mr. Zhao.” Li Nianfan smiled. ‘If he’s heard great things about me, then he must be one of the cultivators, too.’
Zhao Shanhe greeted politely. “Greetings to Mr. Li.”
“Greetings to you, too. Mr. Zhao.” Li Nianfan smiled. Cultivators were so polite and always showed so much respect to him. He was quite lucky to have met so many friendly cultivators. It was comforting.
Zhao Shanhe and the other walked with Li Nianfan to the entrance of the town. Li Nianfan ruffled Nanan’s hair and smiled. “Goodbye, Nanan.”
Unexpectedly, Nanan replied. “Good…bye…”
It worked! His way worked better than any treasure or elixir!
Bai Wuchen and the others stared at him in awe. Mr. Li was like a god!