2: Old Taoist Priest: Snakes can actually write! ?

Lin Yuan stared blankly at the old man.

The moment the other person stood before him, he felt a sense of looking up at a towering mountain; the other's strength was unfathomable.

Lin Yuan immediately decided to make a run for it.

There weren't many people of that age with such an aura on Mount Longhu; Tian Jinzhong needed a wheelchair to go out, which left only Zhang Zhiwei.

He hoped this old fellow would have some martial ethics and not bully him.

He didn't want to be pickled in a wine jar right after his rebirth.

At this moment, Zhang Zhiwei leaned down, scrutinizing the snake up close.

This snake was indeed extraordinary; it was no ordinary creature, and its mere appearance was captivating.

Although the snake had black scales, they shimmered faintly under the moonlight.

And then there was its demeanor.

It was the first time he had seen such vitality in a snake's eyes.

It was as if what stood before him was not an animal, but a living person.

Zhang Zhiwei had heard before that some animals, after becoming spirits, would gain sentience and embark on the path of cultivation.

For example, the Five Immortals of the Northeast were all cultivated by sentient animals.

It was said that each of them possessed considerable strength, but in recent years, they had rarely appeared in the Northeast.

In all these years, it was his first time seeing an animal that possessed sentience and could cultivate independently; indeed, nature was full of wonders.

Moreover, this creature was cultivating on Mount Longhu, which was an even greater fate (affinity)!

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhiwei had the idea of communicating with Lin Yuan.

"Old Daoist, Tian Tong Daoist of Mount Longhu, may I ask if it was you cultivating just now?"

When these words were spoken, even Zhang Zhiwei doubted if he had gone mad.

He was actually trying to communicate with a snake.

Even if the other party was intelligent, how could it understand human language?

Just then, the Old Celestial Master noticed that the black snake in front of him actually nodded.

The Old Celestial Master was instantly stunned.

"You can understand what I'm saying?"

He hadn't expected that he would ask on a whim, and the other party actually responded.

Seeing the black snake nod again.

Zhang Zhiwei immediately confirmed that the black snake in front of him possessed extremely high intelligence!

"What I have seen in my life is truly incredible!"

"May I ask, what should I call you? Do you have a name?"

Lin Yuan immediately used his tail to write his name in the mud.

"Lin... Yuan..."

"You actually have your own name, and you can read characters!?"

Zhang Zhiwei immediately reacted; he hadn't expected that the snake before him had developed its intelligence to such a level.

This had already exceeded the standard of ordinary wild beasts; this was a true spiritual beast!

The more he looked at Lin Yuan, the more he found him miraculous.

Zhang Zhiwei also had a sudden impulse and genuinely wanted to take this snake back; perhaps with good cultivation, it could even become a guardian spiritual beast of the mountain.

"Lin Yuan, are you willing to come back to Tianshi Mansion with me? There, I can guarantee you'll never have to worry about food or drink."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan pondered for a moment. His golden finger was his heaven-defying comprehension. Although he had cultivation techniques, he was still too weak right now.

Once he encountered some large birds of prey, he would be completely defenseless.

At this stage, he was merely a snake with slightly greater strength.

If he were caught by an eagle or a hawk, he would have to start over.

But it would be different if he followed Zhang Zhiwei to Tianshi Mansion.

Then, he would have a big brother looking out for him. Not only would his safety be guaranteed, but he would also have a vast amount of books and cultivation methods to study.

With his heaven-defying comprehension, after ten years of seclusion in the Tide-Listening Pavilion, he would emerge as a Land Immortal!

With food, drink, and a place to live, and proper cultivation, only a fool wouldn't go.

Thinking of this, Lin Yuan immediately nodded.

"Good! Very good! Since that's the case, let's go back together."

...Late at night on Mount Longhu, the lights were sparse, and most of the disciples were already asleep.

Lin Yuan followed the Old Celestial Master along the stone steps and soon arrived at the main gate of Tianshi Mansion.

"This is Tianshi Mansion. From now on, you'll be here."

Lin Yuan surveyed the classic Taoist architecture before him, ancient and solemn.

Zhang Zhiwei led Lin Yuan to the solemn and dignified main hall of Tianshi Mansion.

On the main gate, a plaque hung with the three characters "Tianshi Mansion" carved in a vigorous, flowing script.

The Old Celestial Master bypassed the main hall and went to his own room.

As he pushed open the door, a white-haired young man sat at the table inside.

"Master, you're back."

The white-haired young man slowly walked over.

"Ah, Lingyu, it's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I saw you go out just now, Master, so I thought I'd wait for you to come back."

Lin Yuan observed the person in front of him. This should be Zhang Lingyu, right?

He truly lived up to his name, a gentleman like jade, gentle and refined. The current Zhang Lingyu should still be pure, without inner demons.

It was just a pity that after Zhang Lingyu's pure yang body was taken by Xia He, he was unable to cultivate the fierce and dominant Yang Five Thunder, which uses heart fire to lead lung metal qi. He could only cultivate the chaotic and ever-changing Yin Five Thunder, which uses kidney water and liver wood.

He didn't actually dislike Zhang Lingyu. If he got close to him in the future and had a chance to help him, he would.

But if it was beyond his control, then it was his destiny to experience this tribulation.

"Lingyu, come here. I'll introduce you to a new companion."

After he finished speaking, a black shadow darted out from behind Zhang Zhiwei.

"This snake, named Lin Yuan, will live on Mount Longhu from now on."

Zhang Lingyu frowned.

"Master, why do you suddenly want to keep a snake?"

"Lingyu, this is no ordinary snake. Take a good look at him."

With that, Lin Yuan slowly moved around Zhang Lingyu, scrutinizing him, and the two looked at each other.

"Lin Yuan, you must get along peacefully with Lingyu from now on. Mount Longhu will be your home, and we are all your friends."

Lin Yuan immediately nodded.

Zhang Lingyu's eyes widened when he saw Lin Yuan actually nod in acknowledgment. He even momentarily wondered if he was hallucinating.

"This... this snake can actually understand human speech!"

The Old Celestial Master chuckled, looking at Zhang Lingyu's shocked expression:

"This snake has long since gained sentience. You must take good care of it from now on. Don't be so surprised; all things in the world have spirituality, and the vast world is full of wonders."

Zhang Lingyu immediately nodded.

"Understood, Master!"

Zhang Zhiwei looked at Zhang Lingyu, who was still finding it a bit hard to accept, and couldn't help but smile. He was still young after all, and hadn't experienced much in life.

At this moment, Lin Yuan yawned and roamed curiously around the room.

The environment of Mount Longhu was indeed good; not only could it shelter him from wind and rain, but it also had experts to protect him.

With food, lodging, and cultivation methods to learn, he had truly hit the jackpot this time.

"Alright, it's getting late. Lingyu, go find him a place to stay."

...