After Transmigrating into the Dao Companion of the Juvenile Long Aotian - Chapter 3

What on earth did he do?

Fang Jueqian recalled the dream he had just experienced and swallowed hard, feeling cautious.

Ever since he transmigrated, he hadn’t directly inherited the original owner’s memories. Instead, he would occasionally dream of fragmented scenes, resembling bits and pieces of memories.

Could it be that tonight’s dream was also?

Subconsciously, Fang Jueqian recalled the scene of meeting Daoist Lingxiao during the day, and his body trembled a few times.

That is impossible, right?

Fang Jueqian compared the similarities and differences between the dream and reality regarding Daoist Lingxiao with a bewildered expression, and as he thought about it, he fell back asleep.

In the days that followed, it was as if Daoist Lingxiao had forgotten about him; he never summoned him to meet again.

Although they lived on the same mountain, one resided at the summit and the other at the foot, so they had little opportunity to cross paths.

Fang Jueqian remained on high alert for two days, but seeing that no one came for him, he relaxed and began to slack off.

He discovered a hot spring near his residence. He slept until he woke up naturally every day, found meticulously prepared delicacies waiting for him, soaked in the hot spring at night with a little wine, and whenever he had nothing to do, he would pet rabbits or exchange witty banter. His life was unimaginably cozy.

After more than half a month of this leisurely existence, it seemed as if Daoist Lingxiao, at the summit, did not want to watch him be so relaxed. With a wave of his hand, he found something for Fang Jueqian to do.

He was enrolled among the new disciples of the Guiyuan Immortal Sect, preparing to receive the “basic education” for cultivators.

Qiu Haoqing, whom he had met once before, bowed respectfully to him, introduced the teaching situation for new disciples at the Guiyuan Immortal Sect, and then lowered his head to ask which class he wished to enter.

Fang Jueqian silently translated:

The elementary division of the Guiyuan Immortal Sect was divided into six classes: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, and Ji. Class Jia was the best; the students mostly had prestigious family backgrounds or were innate prodigies. There were also a very small number of students who joined with prior training. In short, the classroom was filled with arrogant geniuses and child prodigies, and they frequently shone in competitions against other sects, always remaining the pride of the elementary division.

However, as one went further down, the quality of students gradually decreased.

By the time one reached the final class, Class Ji, the situation was a bit special, because the first thing the students there received was not an encyclopedia of cultivation, but literacy education, commonly known as learning characters.

Fang Jueqian knew his own limitations. Given that he used to treat Classical Chinese like an undecipherable heavenly book back in school, he decided it was better not to go to Class Jia and suffer.

However, he peeked into Class Ji and discovered that it was entirely filled with little sprouts who had not even reached his waist in height.

Fang Jueqian: “…”

As an adult, it was somewhat embarrassing to be among them.

Qiu Haoqing bowed and waited for a while, finally receiving his Shiniang’s voice, which was as soft as a mosquito’s:

“Let, let’s go with Class Wu.” He then asked in an even lower voice how he should go about self-studying the texts and phrasing.

Qiu Haoqing found it amusing but did not show it at all:

“Please rest assured, Shiniang. I will have the junior brother who teaches this subject come to you for two hours every day to give you lessons.”

Fang Jueqian understood; this was one-on-one home tutoring.

It was tutoring delivered by a gold-medal teacher from a top-tier primary school with the highest advancement rate in the region, completely without the fear of being reported.

Having lived two lifetimes, this was the first time Fang Jueqian had ever enjoyed such treatment, and he was genuinely flattered.

He suppressed his excitement and acted calm, saying:

“Um, sorry for the trouble. But are two hours a bit too long?”

That was a full four hours! He did not want to go to school during the day and then take four hours of supplementary lessons when he got back at night. That would be too miserable.

“It is this disciple’s oversight; two hours is indeed a bit long. How long does Shiniang think would be appropriate?”

Fang Jueqian coughed lightly:

“Half an hour. Err, make it one hour.”

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in the distant sky. Within a few breaths, it shimmered before them and hovered in the air.

Fang Jueqian looked closely and discovered it was a jade talisman glowing with golden light.

Qiu Haoqing took the jade talisman and pressed it against his forehead. His expression changed abruptly. He then lowered the talisman and said apologetically to Fang Jueqian:

“Shiniang, the Sect Leader has issued an urgent summons. I’m afraid this disciple cannot continue to accompany you on your tour today. How about we reschedule for tomorrow?”

Knowing that this disciple was a busy man with important affairs, Fang Jueqian waved his hand quickly:

“No need, no need. Isn’t it just waking up early to go to school tomorrow? I know everything now, go ahead and be busy.”

Qiu Haoqing had intended to introduce him to other situations, but he had no time left, so he simply presented a jade token with both hands:

“If Shiniang has any questions, you can contact me through this item.”

Fang Jueqian put away the jade token and began his daily nine-to-five school life.

Qiu Haoqing had arranged everything perfectly. Every day at the foot of Qingjing Peak, a crane would arrive early to wait and shuttle him to and from school. He could even hug the crane’s neck and take a nap on the way.

By the time Fang Jueqian woke up, he would be right at the entrance of Class Wu.

The last two classes of the Guiyuan Immortal Sect’s elementary division each had their own special functions:

Class Ji was specifically for disciples who had not been initiated yet, while Class Wu accepted those whose aptitude and talent were just a little bit short of the sect’s enrollment threshold.

But their family background and connections made up for that shortcoming quite well.

Because of this, everyone was very polite to Fang Jueqian, who had transferred mid-term, and there was absolutely no school bullying as he had previously feared.

Fang Jueqian’s public identity was a distant relative of Qiu Haoqing. This identity was quite impressive in the current Class Wu, so he was quickly accepted by the disciples, who enthusiastically shared all sorts of gossip with him:

Like how a certain elite disciple was suspected to be involved with his arch-nemesis, how a top-grade spirit beast had recently escaped from a certain peak and was being searched for, and how a certain elder had recently taken a mortal woman as a concubine.

After finishing, they would look at Fang Jueqian expectantly, as if waiting for something.

Fang Jueqian blushed. Being a newcomer, he really did not know what gossip he could share, so he ended up sharing his tips on riding the crane, especially which posture was most comfortable to sleep in and which parts of the crane felt softest and best to touch.

“Oh my.”

The crowd dispersed in a flurry.

Integrating into the class was not difficult, but keeping up with the teaching pace was far more difficult than Fang Jueqian had imagined.

For example, in meditation class, when all the disciples were required to empty their bodies and minds to connect with the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, Fang Jueqian could not enter a meditative state no matter what.

Every time Fang Jueqian closed his eyes, various thoughts would emerge to compete with one another. He tried hard to restrain them, but it was counterproductive.

After another ten minutes or so, the thoughts in his head finally began to stabilize, and some old friends he had not seen for a long time began to appear. How he missed them!

Things like Mapo Tofu, Spicy Chicken, Stir-fried Meat, Steamed Sea Bass, Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin, Braised Intestines, and Braised Lion’s Head Meatballs.

Every time he sketched out a dish in his mind, he would swallow, and while swallowing, he would fall asleep.

When the class ended, Fang Jueqian was nudged awake and subconsciously wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.

His desk-mate was looking at him with the expression one might use for a poor student, thinking, “You even dared to fall asleep?” Fang Jueqian blushed and explained himself:

“I tried, but I could not find the feeling the Head Senior Sister mentioned.”

His desk-mate was surprised: “Isn’t it very simple? Have you never contemplated it before?” Then, extremely helpful, the student lectured about a pile of principles, wanting to help him understand.

Fang Jueqian did not understand.

His classical Chinese was only at the introductory stage, and he had to take remedial classes every day. He really did not understand these mystical concepts like Yin, Yang, or Primeval Energy. He could only express his confusion with clear, innocent eyes.

His desk-mate was infuriated: “You are finished.”

Fang Jueqian: “?”

The desk-mate recited like a curse:

“If you cannot enter a meditative state you cannot lead energy into your body; if you cannot lead energy into your body you cannot enter the path; if you cannot enter the path you cannot refine Qi; if you cannot refine Qi you cannot build a foundation; and if you cannot build a foundation, in less than a hundred years, you will turn into dust, with no hope for your whole life!”

He added a final remark:

“You are not far from death, do you know that!”

Fang Jueqian: “…”

He felt that he could still be saved.

After experiencing a few more futile attempts in meditation class, the string of curse-like prophecies seemed to echo in Fang Jueqian’s mind, always ending with “you are not far from death.”

With good food, good drink, good sleep, and no psychological issues, who would not want to live a few more years?

Therefore, Fang Jueqian decided he needed to seek external assistance.

However, the range of people he could choose from was extremely narrow. First was his husband, the famous Daoist Lingxiao.

But Fang Jueqian knew very well that this Mahayana Daoist had lukewarm feelings for his partner, and the Daoist himself was as cold as frost, making people afraid to approach him. He did not want to bother him with such trivial matters.

That left only one option, so: come out, Qiu Haoqing.

Based on this, on a clear and sunny night, Fang Jueqian took out the jade token Qiu Haoqing had left him.

This type of jade token was very famous, called a Message Spirit Jade. It seemed to be equivalent to a mobile phone in this cultivation world, but it had distance limitations and could only transmit text and images.

Fang Jueqian studied it briefly and became increasingly impressed by its profound nature. Finally, deciding not to waste any more valuable evening rest time, he directly sent a request for help to Qiu Haoqing.

In the Qingjing Peak contact category of the Message Spirit Jade, there were currently only two contacts, and the names they had chosen were quite full of personality:

One was named Empty-Minded and Open-Hearted, and the other was Looking Down on the Nine Heavens.

Undoubtedly, Daoist Lingxiao and his disciple were among these two names.

If he had not met them before, Fang Jueqian might have felt a bit hesitant and unsure about which name corresponded to which person.

But as someone who had already met them and gained a certain understanding of both, he would not make the same mistake again.

Fang Jueqian confidently clicked on the avatar for Empty-Minded and Open-Hearted, spent a few seconds organizing his phrasing, and then sent his first message to him.

At the same time.

At the distant summit of Qingjing Peak, a prompt sound, reserved only for those marked as special attention, rang out.

The young Daoist finished his cultivation, expressionlessly summoned the Message Spirit Jade that he had no idea where he had tossed, and sank his divine sense into it:

[Being a Happy Square Cake: Sorry to bother you, I have a difficult problem regarding cultivation that I would like to ask about. It is about how to enter a meditative state. Do you happen to have any time now?]