"Boom boom, smack! Boom boom, smack!"

Congratulations, congratulations! Lin Huiping from Linjia Village, also known as Lord Lin, has passed the township examination and become a juren!

The county constables beat drums and gongs all the way, arriving at Linjia Village very soon.

Linjiacun and the whole surrounding area were in an uproar!

I wonder how many villagers came to Linjia Village and followed the excitement.

"Oh! That little brat from the Lin family is just a nobody, getting ahead of all the important people. When will my dog boy ever become successful?!"

"That Lin Ping'an... Bah bah, I mean Lord Lin! He was born brilliant, a literary star descended from heaven. Plus, he has such a good uncle! Your dog child... this life is hopeless!"

"At last, Lin's sister-in-law has seen better days and will be living a prosperous life…"

"...."

"Excuse me, is that Mr. Lin's house?"

"That... that's the one! The one with the open door!"

The yamen servants hurried to the front of the courtyard, with both the inner and outer gates wide open.

"Master Lin, please come out quickly. You were the top scholar in high school."

But no matter how loudly the constables shouted, there was still no peace in the courtyard.

"Stop shouting, there's no one home! The old master of the Lin family you were looking for has run away, they say he's going to cultivate immortality!"

"What... Why would someone who is perfectly fine leave the mortal world to become a cultivator?"

"Right over there by Dong's East Lake, they say he went three days and three nights ago and hasn't come back yet. Lin's sister-in-law and her children's uncle have already gone up the mountain."

The yamen officials were dumbfounded. What should they do about this task?

Lin Ping'an was now strolling through the Reed Marsh. He still remembered that day, when the fairy descended from the heavens.

That fairy floated gracefully, like a celestial being descended from the heavens. Her appearance and bearing were so captivating that he was instantly smitten.

At that time, he wanted to become a disciple, but the fairy asked him, "Why do you want to cultivate immortality?"

He answered yes, that immortals could turn life and death around and bring the dead back to life.

He wants to resurrect his father!

Before he was born, his father fell off a cliff while collecting herbs and has been missing ever since.

There are many wolves, tigers and leopards in the mountains, so there is basically no chance of survival.

This made him fatherless from birth, deprived of a father's care.

The fairy said, “The Great Dao is nonexistent. Cultivating immortality requires abandoning everything; your parents and loved ones will always leave you, only the Daoist master remains!”

He disagreed with the fairy's viewpoint and resolutely left.

But after the township examination, he felt a little regret.

I don't know what the Way is, but it doesn't matter what I do. As long as I stay determined, I will eventually get my wish.

Unfortunately, this time around, the fairy has vanished without a trace.

He has been out for three days, and all the dry rations are gone. He is too tired to walk anymore.

I found an abandoned temple to rest in and soon fell into a deep sleep.

There are many dilapidated temples like this in the Lei Ze area, all left over from ancient people who worshipped the Dragon God millions of years ago.

But this dilapidated temple was different. There was an idol enshrined within it.

Although the statue has fallen and its paint has chipped away, one can still feel a sense of grandeur.

In his dream, Lin Ping'an felt he was in a golden palace.

This main hall seemed to have some eyes, as if it were the very dilapidated temple I was in. Yet at this moment, it appeared majestic and solemn.

The giant statue stood majestically in the center of the hall, its grandeur and might resembling a living god.

Lin Ping'an's attention was clearly not on the statue, because he found something even stranger.

In the center of the main hall, directly in front of the statue, a golden plaque was suspended.

Jin Hua squinted, barely able to make out the details. In the center was a strange copper coin.

The coins were identical to those they used now, but the hole in the center seemed like a bottomless black abyss, drawing Lin Ping'an's gaze into it with an irresistible force.

He felt as if he were being pulled into that abyss, enveloped by endless void and darkness. It overwhelmed him with a sense of infinite fear.

"Ah..."

Lin Ping'an squinted open his eyes and realized he was still in the dilapidated temple. Outside, the sky was gradually darkening.

He subconsciously lifted his head towards the top of the ruined temple, exactly where the copper coin was in his dream.

That's it!

His pupils, he could hardly believe his own eyes.

A small copper coin hung there on a red string.

"It was never here before!" Lin Ping'an murmured. "Could this be what the storytellers call 'fairy fate'?"

His eyes lit up, and he easily climbed up the pillar of the dilapidated temple, reaching for the copper coins.

The copper coin was tied with a red string. Apart from the four strange characters on the coin, he couldn't see anything else unusual about it.

He looked into the square hole in the center of the copper coin, but nothing happened as it had in his dream.

"Could this really just be a dream?" Lin Ping'an shook his head.

"Peace! Little Peace!"

"Lin Ping'an!"

"…"

At this time, shouts could be heard coming from outside.

All of the voices were filled with anxiety.

"Damn it!" Lin Ping'an's face changed, he secretly cursed.

He hurriedly pocketed the copper coins and dashed out of the dilapidated temple.

A flickering firelight approaches the dilapidated temple.

"Uncle! I'm here!" Lin Pingan heard his uncle's shout and hurriedly responded loudly.

"You rascal! You're going to give your mother a heart attack!" Uncle heard the voice and rushed over, slapping him on the buttocks.

Although his strike was forceful, he had lost most of his strength by the time it landed on his bottom.

"Uncle, I was wrong!"

Lin Ping'an thought of his mother's face, etched with the hardships of life. He remembered how she had raised him with such love and care, yet he was now causing her so much worry. Filled with shame, he bowed his head.

Thanks to several guards who did not leave on their own accord, when Lin Ping'an returned, even though it was late at night, they still paraded through the village with flowers and decorations, drums and cymbals beating.

The villagers were all awakened, envious eyes and congratulatory words filled the air, finally bringing a smile to Lin Ping'an's mother.

After this matter passed, Lin Pingan stayed at home with his mother for several days, being very obedient and well-behaved.

He was always pondering the issue of copper coins, trying every method he could think of to make them produce something miraculous.

He heard from the person who read the book that the treasure had a spirit, but perhaps the timing wasn't right. He had no choice but to hang it around his neck for now, treating it as an ornament.

These days, relatives from far and wide have all come to celebrate, bringing countless gifts.

The old woman almost tripped over the threshold. All of these women came from the county, and they were all well-bred daughters of wealthy merchants or even the county magistrate's daughter.

Although Mother was enjoying herself, Lin Ping'an felt like he had become a monkey.

One by one, the women dressed up in their finery, their eyes practically daggers, wishing to pull Lin Ping'an away directly.

"Mother, I want to stay at my uncle's house for a few days." Lin Ping'an finally couldn't hold back and pleaded with her.

"Go on, child! I know you can't sit still. Go find your uncle! Just have someone send a message back when you get there." Mother knew Lin Ping'an wasn't one to be idle and nodded in agreement.

Just as Lin Ping'an went to the county town, this area underwent earth-shaking changes.

Overnight, villages within a radius of dozens of miles centered around Lei Ze were all displaced over a hundred miles.

Where Reize used to be, now there's a vast mountain range, shrouded in white mist.

People also heard rumbling sounds coming from the mountains every now and then, as if thunder was striking.

Some people are curious to get close to the mountains, but they feel dizzy and are sent dozens of miles away in the blink of an eye.

At this very moment, the imperial court decreed that the mountain range be divided into zones, and forbade anyone from approaching.

"Uncle! I want to be a fairy." Upon first meeting his uncle, Lin Ping'an said this.

"Do you still want to be an immortal?" Uncle looked at him in astonishment, then chuckled bitterly. "Your little brain never acts normally, does it? You're a juren! In the future, you'll enter the temple, serve your people!"

"Uncle! I really want to bring Father back to life! I heard that immortals can resurrect people and bring the dead back to life. I've never met him... Could you please help me think of a way?" As Lin Ping'an spoke, his eyes welled up with tears.

"Okay! Okay! Uncle, go find out!"

Uncle listened to Lin Ping'an's words, and his heart ached. The child had never seen his father since he was young, and now that he had such a wish, how could he bear to crush it.

"Peace, I have something to tell you."

After dinner, his uncle beckoned him over, and the two went into the inner room.

"Uncle, is there news about the immortals?" Lin Ping'an followed into the house and asked casually.

"I heard the news from my friend who's on duty, our Great Yu Dynasty has gained two more immortal sects! And they are preparing to recruit disciples recently! However..."

But what?

"But for now, it only accepts disciples from wealthy and noble families, descendants of kings and nobles. Ordinary people like us... probably can't!"

"I'm a juren, not an ordinary person..."

Lin Ping'an was overjoyed at first, then his face fell.

In front of those people, even an outstanding person is just an ordinary person.

"Don't worry! I hear there's still some time left, Uncle will think of a way to help you!" Uncle patted him on the shoulder and said reassuringly.

"Then, I'll trouble Uncle," Lin Ping'an nodded.

He knows his uncle's abilities, but everything still depends on himself.

"Have you heard? Lake Reze in the north has vanished?"

"Gone?"

“Really, you don’t believe me? Go and see for yourself. There’s a whole mountain range there, completely shrouded in mist. No one can get close.”

"How is that possible?"

"...It's said to be a fairy..."

Lin Ping'an, who was strolling down the street, heard such discussions.

Oh, Immortal!

It must be a fairy!

He remembered that the fairy appeared at Lei Ze, and his eyes lit up immediately.

He had someone deliver a message to his uncle and then rushed out of the county town in a hurry.

As the sky gradually darkened, he finally arrived at Leize.

But at this moment, this place had become a continuous expanse of towering mountains. The mountains were shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see their true state.

The surrounding terrain had undergone a transformation. The numerous small hills that once dotted the landscape were now gone.

Even villages that were relatively close to each other have vanished!

"Moving mountains and filling seas, turning the stars in the heavens—this is the power of immortals! There must be an immortal hidden within this mist!" Lin Ping'an's eyes shone brightly. He felt that his opportunity had arrived.

Yearning in his heart, he bravely moved forward. At the same time, a tremendous curiosity urged him to resolutely walk into the mist.