"Woof woof woof"!

  "Squeak squeak squeak!"

  ……

  The barking of dogs and the screeching of monkeys intertwined, echoing on the Qingyun Mountains Dazhufeng Peak, breaking the tranquility. Zhang Xiaofan held that black fire poker in his hand, rushing out of the kitchen door, furious: "Dead dog! Dead monkey! You dare not run!"

  The little monkey, Xiao Hui, jumped onto the back of the big yellow dog with a whoosh. The big yellow dog, already poised to run, spread its four legs and took off. Zhang Xiaofan chased after them but couldnt catch up, watching helplessly as Xiao Hui made funny faces and put a fragrant meat bone into the big yellow dogs mouth. The big yellow dog was so excited that it beamed with joy, and if it werent for its two rows of teeth biting down on the meat bone, it might have laughed so hard that its dog teeth would have fallen out.

  "Ah!"

  Zhang Xiaofan walked back to the kitchen with a dejected look on his face, feeling indignant. Since he took charge of the kitchen at the age of 14, his culinary skills had impressed everyone, and even Da Huang, with his "enlightened old dog" demeanor, couldnt help but drool over Zhang Xiaofans delicious dishes, especially the meat bones he used to simmer soup, which was fragrant and savory, and a dream come true for Da Huang.

  However, Zhang Xiaofans simmering soup was for people to drink, and Dahuangs "age" was great (its not easy to raise from a young age), but the qualifications were older, yet couldnt get the treatment it deserved. Often drooling three feet away, but cant get it. Until it became familiar with Monkey Xiaohui, the scene above frequently appeared on top of Dazhu Peak, lasting for two years. No matter how secretly Zhang Xiaofan hid the meat bones, as long as there was Dahuangs nose and Xiaohuis agility, this battle for the meat bones would often end in Zhang Xiaofans defeat.

  Two years passed in the blink of an eye, actually just a year and a half. Zhang Xiaofan had grown into a 16-year-old youth, his body taller now, already half a head higher than his senior sister Tian Linger. During this period, due to Tian Bu Yis strict orders at the beginning, all disciples on Mount Da Zhu Peak were closed off in seclusion, cultivating bitterly. Except for Old Six Du Bi Shu who went down the mountain to travel, only Zhang Xiaofan, the chef, was the most idle.

  For two years, under the radar, Zhang Xiaofan had been practicing alone. What he couldnt believe was that following the method taught by his senior brother Song Daren, it only took him a year to seemingly complete the second layer of the Yuqing Realm - Refining Qi.

  He had doubts in his mind, but ultimately didnt ask Tian Bu Yi, while Song Da Ren and Tian Ling Er were focused on their closed-door cultivation, with no time to spare for other matters, and his best friend Du Bi Shu had gone down the mountain. So he kept this question hidden in his heart. However, what followed was a huge problem that presented itself before him - Tian Ling Er secretly gave him the third layer of the mantra, he knew very clearly that this was a serious breach of the sects rules, but every time it got late at night and he stood alone in the small courtyard looking up at the starry sky, he would think of one sentence:

  No matter how hard you practice, you still cant compare to Master Qi Huan!

  After ten nights, he began to study the third layer of the mantra!

  In the Taiji Xuanqing Tao, the Yuqing boundary from one to three layers is the foundation of all techniques. The difficulty also increases gradually. Unlike the first two layers "Guide Qi" and "Refine Qi", the third layers method "Yuan Qi" emphasizes the cultivation of Taiji Yuan Qi. The method states: "Taiji Yuan Qi, contains three as one. Extreme, middle; Original, beginning, running through the twelve zodiac... This is the harmony of yin and yang, the energy resonates at midnight, transforming and giving birth to all things." (Note: Quoted from "Han Shu · Lü Li Zhi")

  Disciples of the Qingyun Gate, when they reach this level, will clearly show a turning point, and their innate talents will be obvious: clever people often make rapid progress, breaking through to enter a higher "driving things" realm, laying a solid foundation for cultivating the immortal Tao, while slightly inferior disciples often stagnate and waste their lives.

  Zhang Xiaofan has been in the industry for five years now, and he must have heard these things countless times from his seniors. However, its clear that all of them put him in the "slightly inferior" category.

  He walked back to the kitchen, came to the stove, filled it with water, and then continued to add firewood to the stove, preparing to boil some water. The bright yellow flame revived, Zhang Xiaofan held his poor black "fire stick" that had been used for two years, stirring the wood in the stove, waiting for the fire to burn steadily, his gaze slowly fell on this root of fire stick in his hand.

  But this is not what he showed, but a very ordinary thing - he was stunned.

  The entire body of the fire poker was a mysterious black color, except for the round bead on top, and it was only about one foot long. The only thing that was slightly unusual was that under the black color of the fire poker, there were faintly visible blood-like veins, especially at the junction where the short rod met the round bead, which sometimes made people feel as if these two things seemed to be soldered together with human blood.

  Zhang Xiaofans whole body suddenly shook, and the thought of human blood dissolving that had just flashed through his mind made him feel nauseous. Over the years, he had slowly forgotten about that trip to the valley, only occasionally recalling it in his dreams at night, but would suddenly wake up with a cold sweat after reliving that strange experience.

  At that time, he felt very lonely, facing the unknown ferocity alone, and facing the dark death alone. Every time this happened, he couldnt help but feel a strange emotional excitement, with a hint of frenzied impulse, and an irrepressible urge to kill. Even in the darkness, he recalled the years ago when Pu Zhi, the monk, looked at him with that same strange frenzy in his eyes by the broken grass temple!

  Zhang Xiaofan had no idea why he would have such a strange feeling, but fortunately, he still had a way to calm his frightened heart: Mahavairocana!

  This Buddhist supreme mantra has the wonderful effect of subduing evil spirits and purifying ones mind. He practiced it for five years, and its greatest use was to suppress the strange emotions that had been appearing inexplicably over the past two years.

  Bang!

  Zhang Xiaofans head hurt, and an object fell to the ground. It was a pinecone. Zhang Xiaofans anger surged up, and he turned around, shouting furiously: "You dead monkey, dont let me catch you... Eh, its you! Sixth Brother!"

  Zhang Xiaofan suddenly jumped up and saw a person standing at the door, of medium build, with a refined face and a smile all over his face, with a small package on his back. Who else could it be if not Du Bishu, whom he had not seen for a long time?

  Du Bi Shu looked up and down at Zhang Xiao Fan, clicking his tongue in admiration: "Impressive, ah, just a few years have passed and this kid has already grown to be as tall as me."

  Zhang Xiaofan quickly walked up and grabbed Du Bi: "Sixth brother, how come youve been gone for so long? We all miss you."

  Du Bi: "Arent I back already?"

  "Does Master and Mistress know youre back?" Zhang Xiaofan asked immediately.

  Du Bi: "No, I just got back and saw smoke in the kitchen, so I came over to take a look. Hehe, I knew you were working here. Its been years since we last met, have you missed me?"

  Zhang Xiaofan was delighted and nodded repeatedly. Du Bishu patted his head and suddenly whispered, "Lets go, come with me to see Master."

  Zhang Xiaofan was taken aback and asked, "Why do you still want me to go with you?"

  Du Bi: "Master initially let me go down the mountain, saying it was limited to a year, but I played for too long... no, I spent half a year searching for good materials and refining the treasure. Im afraid Master will scold me. Will you accompany me?"

  Zhang Xiaofan glared at him and said: "Then you still say that you came to see me first, right? Sixth Brother, what kind of magic treasure are you refining?"

  Du Bi: "Hehe, of course I came to see you first, little brother. Lets go, lets go." He said, pulling Zhang Xiaofan along as they walked away.

  After a while, Da Huang, who was hiding in a corner gnawing on a meat bone, and Xiao Hui, who was leaning against its back scratching fleas, both heard a furious roar coming from the Guardians Hall: "You scoundrel, youre going to be the death of me!"

  At dinner time, everyone from Dazhu Peak gathered together for a big reunion, sitting at the same table to eat. After everyone sat down, Tian Bu Yi still had an angry face, and all the disciples couldnt help but quietly ask him: "Old Six, why did Master get so angry when he saw you?"

  Du Bishus face turned awkward, and he looked around and changed the subject, while Zhang Xiaofan, who was sitting next to him, had a smile on his face, but didnt dare laugh out loud, looking quite strange.

  At this time, Tian Linger, who was sitting opposite, finally couldnt bear it and asked Tian Bu Yi first: "Dad, Sixth Brother has just come back with great difficulty, why are you still so angry?"

  Du Bishu quietly raised his eyes to glance at Tian Buyi, who glared back at him, scaring Du Bishu into hastily lowering his head. Tian Buyi snorted and said, "Old Six, bring out your own treasure for everyone to see!"

  Du Bishu opened his mouth, but couldnt say anything. He looked up at Shifu Su Ru and saw her smiling and saying: "Bishu, why dont you take it out and show everyone? Let them see how your master gets angry?"

  Du Bishu saw that he couldnt delay any longer, so he slowly picked up his own small package, shook it twice, and took out a few things from the middle, placing them on the table.

  Everyones eyes were fixed on them, not blinking, as if afraid of missing something. The dining hall was quiet to the extreme. On the dinner table, there were three objects that seemed to be made of some hard wood material, about half the size of a fist, in the shape of regular hexahedrons, with a white body and various dots carved on top - they were three dice.

  Everyone was stunned and speechless, but a moment later they burst into loud laughter.

  Du Bishus face turned bright red, Tian Naiyi glared at him with a furious expression and shouted: "A rotten wood cannot be carved!"

  Su Rou smiled and shook her head, saying: "Forget it, this isnt a big deal, the dice are just dice anyway, and that treasure is something he uses himself."

  Tian glared at his apprentice and said to Su Rou, "How do you know hes not using this to swindle people?"

  "Master, mistress, I dare not do such a shameful thing. Its just that last year in the south by the Red Water River, I found a thousand-year-old Three Pearl Tree (note 1), which had an extraordinary aura. I took its essence and carved these three dice, purely on a whim, without any other intention..."

  The field was not easily angered, and he himself did not stop, saying: "Youre happy, hum, you cultivate other things, its okay, now youve cultivated a set of gambling tools, until the Seven Veins Martial Arts Competition in a month, when you make your debut on stage, do I still have face?"

  Du Bishu didnt dare to say anything more, Su Rou shook her head and said in a low voice: "Its not easy, this is something he likes himself, dont force him. Do you still remember Master Wan..."

  The field suddenly shook, and Tian turned his head to look at Su Ru. Su Ru let out a light sigh and said, "Ive never forced you or Du Bis master to cultivate the immortal sword like other sects brothers, but the method is often very important. You must be careful."

  Du Bishu took a surreptitious glance at Tian Buyi, but saw that his masters face was not pleasant and he was nursing a sullen anger. He didnt dare say more, and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes."

  Su Ru looked at her husband again, then said to the crowd: "Time flies so fast, next month is the Seven Veins Great Trial. At that time, we will go together to Tongtian Peak where Zhang Men is located, you should make preparations earlier," she said here, her beautiful and gentle face suddenly became stern, and she said urgently: "This time, dont let me and your master down again, do you understand?"

  The disciples hearts skipped a beat, and they chorused: "Yes!"

  "Master, Mistress." Amidst the loud responses of the crowd, a discordant and weak voice emerged. Su Rou looked over and saw that it was Zhang Xiaofan, the youngest of the seven, who had spoken up. She furrowed her brow and asked, "Whats wrong, Xiaofan?"

  "Then you just meant that I should go too?"

  Su Ru was taken aback, glanced at Tian Bu Yi, and a smile floated onto her face. She smiled and said, "Yes, arent you also a disciple of the Da Zhu Peak lineage?"

  Zhang Xiaofan was overjoyed, cheering and jumping up, and high-fiving Du Bishu beside him. Meanwhile, Tian Naiyi in the distance coldly said: "Anyway, there are nine spots, even if one is given to an idiot, its still a waste of one spot."

  ※※※

  As night fell, Zhang Xiaofan returned to his room and saw that Dahuang and Xiao Hui had already run onto his bed to rest. From a year and a half ago, Dahuang had moved into Zhang Xiaofans room to sleep because he was close with Xiao Hui. At first, it had startled Tian Nanyi, who couldnt find the dogs anywhere and only later found out what was going on. He hummed in response but didnt say anything and walked away. Since his master didnt scold him, Zhang Xiaofan also didnt chase Dahuang away (in reality, he couldnt have chased him away even if he wanted to).

  However, after a long time, Zhang Xiaofan probably got used to it or mixed well, and he no longer complained about Da Huang and Xiao Hui sleeping with him. That night, he was in a great mood, walked into the house, sat down at the table, took a glance, and saw that Da Huang was lazily lying there, while Xiao Hui had somehow gone to the kitchen again, stolen his black fire poker, and was rubbing it against Da Huangs body.

  He felt a stir in his heart, and vaguely sensed that Xiao Hui seemed to be very interested in this firework, but he didnt have the mood to think about it now. His heart was completely filled with joy because his master had unexpectedly allowed him to participate in the Seven Veins Gathering.

  If Da Huang and Xiao Hui looked at Zhang Xiaofan at this time, they would see a two-eyed human being. Zhang Xiaofans eyes were looking at the monkey and dog, but his mouth seemed to be talking to the air: "You see, I actually have the opportunity to attend the Qi Mai Conference, its really great. Master is indeed generous, even if Im stupid, he still takes me to broaden my horizons, hmm, maybe Ill see Jing Yu then."

  He seemed to have thought of something and muttered to himself in a low voice: "But if I really go on stage, Im afraid it will be embarrassing for Master. Forget it, whatever happens, happens. Da Huang, Xiao Hui, what do you think?"

  "Squeak squeak squeak!"

  Zhang Xiaofan looked up to see that Xiao Huis attention was all on Da Huangs fur, carefully picking out fleas and only barking a few times in response to him. Da Huang was even more straightforward, with both dog ears drooping down, not even giving him a glance.

  "Damn it!" Zhang Xiaofan cursed in a fit of anger, when suddenly his vision went black. It was Xiao Hui who had swung the poker in her hand and struck him. He jumped back in fright, dodged to the side, and the poker hit the table, bouncing twice before falling to the ground.

  "Woof woof! Chee chee!" This time, the big yellow dog and little grey monkeys voices harmonized into a symphony. Zhang Xiaofan made a face at those two beasts and sat down with a huff, but suddenly, his mind flashed back to Qi Huans heroic appearance on top of the Great Bamboo Peak two years ago.

  "Condense ice into walls!" Zhang Xiaofan muttered to himself, he was fine when he wasnt cultivating, but as the days passed and his cultivation deepened, he increasingly felt the difficulty and loftiness of reaching Qi Huans realm.

  He thought of that night again, Tian Linger by the lamp in this room, those gentle yet fiery eyes!

  His heart was like being pricked by a sharp needle at that moment.

  The firewood on the ground lay quietly there, next to it came the playful sounds of a monkey and a yellow dog. Zhang Xiaofan suddenly felt that he was similar to this firewood, even when the firewood fell to the ground, in his eyes, it seemed to have a hint of loneliness.

  "Ah," he sighed, trying to imagine himself reaching that state, and then with a completely relaxed and nonchalant attitude, for the first time in his life, he made the "driving object" motion that the Qingyunmen disciples had done countless times: beckoning to the burning firewood on the ground.

  That moment was like forever.

  Zhang Xiaofan was very calm, without a hint of sadness, and naturally accepted his own failure. Then, he saw the fire poker on the ground move slightly.

  It moved slightly, as if it had just woken up from a long sleep.