"Sure, I've heard of it."
Taiping nodded, then said with a look of longing:
"Uncle Zhao at the village entrance said that there are immortals on Yunlu Mountain, not far from our village. A few years ago, the snake demon in Clearwater Town was killed by an immortal from the mountain. They flew through the air and disappeared into the ground, looking quite impressive."
The old man chuckled and then asked:
"Taiping, do you want to be like those immortals, to live forever and fly through the air and disappear into the ground?"
Little Taiping nodded without hesitation, but then scratched his head and smiled, a bit embarrassed:
"But Uncle Zhao said that to practice, one must have a natural spiritual bone. If you have a natural spiritual bone, your name will automatically appear in the immortal registry, and an immortal will come down the mountain to take you up for practice. Otherwise, an ordinary person cannot become an immortal."
It was clear from Taiping's tone that he was a bit disappointed.
The old man hesitated for a moment, then looked at Taiping seriously and asked in a low voice:
"If there were a chance to get your name in the immortal registry, but it would come with the risk of losing your life, would you be willing to take it?"
"Get my name... in the immortal registry?"
Little Taiping was first taken aback, then began to think seriously.
"Grandpa, if there really is such a chance, I want to try it."
After a moment, he lifted his head and looked at the old man on the bed with determination.
"Why? It's a risk of losing your life, you know."
The old man smiled and stared into Little Taiping's clear eyes.
"If I become an immortal, I can help you get better, Grandpa."
Little Taiping answered matter-of-factly.
The old man was first taken aback, then smiled again.
"Taiping, take... take this."
Then, he struggled to lift his hand and handed a somewhat worn wooden box to Taiping.
Taiping looked at the wooden box in his hand, puzzled.
Since he could remember, his grandpa had always kept this wooden box very carefully, not letting anyone see it.
The old man said with great effort.
Although puzzled, Taiping nodded obediently and opened the wooden box.
When the wooden box was opened, Little Taiping saw a red wax pill and an ordinary yellow bean seed inside.
"This red wax pill was given to me by a Taoist I met ten years ago. It's called the Spirit Bone Pill. After taking it, it can turn an ordinary bone into a spiritual bone, and your name will appear in the immortal registry."
Before Taiping could ask, the old man pointed to the red wax pill in the box and explained.
"Is there really such a divine medicine in the world?"
Little Taiping looked incredulous.
"The world is vast and full of wonders. What's a Spirit Bone Pill compared to that?"
The old man nodded seriously.
"Since the Spirit Bone Pill has such miraculous effects, why didn't you take it, Grandpa?"
Little Taiping suddenly thought of a question.
"The Taoist said that the Spirit Bone Pill only works for children between the ages of nine and eleven. When I got the Spirit Bone Pill, I was already sixty-three. Your father and uncles are also in their forties, so it wouldn't work for us."
The old man smiled bitterly.
It was clear that he was regretful.
Who would willingly miss such a chance to become an immortal?
"Moreover, after taking the Spirit Bone Pill, its effects only last for half a year. If you can't reach the Qi Transformation stage within half a year, the sect will discover that you are an ordinary person, and your name will be removed from the immortal registry. At best, you will be expelled from the sect, and at worst, your soul and memory will be erased, turning you into a fool."
The old man frowned as he continued.
Taiping was startled by this.
But after thinking seriously for a long time, he still nodded and looked at the old man earnestly:
"Grandpa, I still want to try it."
In his view, once he entered the immortal sect and learned the immortal arts, he could help his grandpa get better.
So it's worth taking the risk.
Seeing Taiping's determination, the old man nodded in satisfaction. He then took the wax pill from Taiping's hand, peeled off the wax coating, and personally put it to Little Taiping's mouth:
Little Taiping did not hesitate and swallowed the Spirit Bone Pill in one go.
After the pill entered his stomach, Taiping felt a warm current, as if a warm hand was caressing his entire body.
But apart from that, there was nothing special.
Little Taiping looked surprised and asked the old man.
"In a few days, an immortal from the mountain will come down to take you."
The old man smiled and nodded.
At this moment, his expression was complex, with both joy and worry.
The joy was obvious; Taiping was his favorite grandson, and he was naturally happy that he could embark on the path of seeking immortality.
The worry was because this path would be extremely difficult, and Little Taiping might not even last half a year before being expelled from the sect, becoming a fool and living a miserable life.
"The long road of the mortal world, an ordinary person seeking immortality, if one does not endure all the dangers of the world, how can one open the gate of the celestial palace?"
The old man suddenly remembered the words of the old Taoist who had begged for food before leaving.
Thinking of this, his eyes became determined again—“It's right to let Taiping take this path!”
"Grandpa, what about this bean?"
Feeling a bit anxious, Taiping suddenly picked up the yellow bean in the wooden box.
"This is also left by the old Taoist, but he didn't say its specific function. He only said that if you have the chance to enter the immortal sect, you should plant this yellow bean in the mountain's spiritual soil. At that time, you will receive another great opportunity..."
The old man answered weakly.
After saying this, he began to cough violently.
"Grandpa, drink some water, don't talk anymore."
Taiping, worried, stepped forward to support the old man.
"Taiping... keep the bean... what I told you tonight... don't... don't tell... anyone..."
The old man grabbed Little Taiping's wrist with force.
"Grandpa, don't worry, I won't tell anyone!"
Little Taiping nodded forcefully.
"Taiping, although you are wise, the world is full of dangers, you must be extremely careful..."
At this moment, the old man, who was coughing blood from the corners of his mouth, suddenly grabbed Little Taiping's shoulders with both hands, stared at him intently, and shouted with all his strength:
"Taiping, I have spent my whole life seeking the path to immortality, but I was ultimately confined by my ordinary body. You must strive! Strive for the ordinary people of this world!"
After saying this, the old man's body stiffened and he fell straight onto the bed.
Little Taiping felt a chill in his heart.
He trembled as he put his hand near the old man's nose and found that he had no breath, his eyes dimming.
"I... I don't have a grandpa anymore..."
Little Taiping stood there, tears welling up in his eyes, and finally, he burst into tears.
A few years ago, when his parents died, he didn't cry. When he fell down the hill while gathering herbs, he didn't cry. When he was trapped by wolves for days without food or drink, he didn't cry.
Because he knew he wasn't alone; he still had his grandpa.
That night, Little Taiping lost his grandpa.
That night, the name list on the Spirit Bone Stele of Qingxuan Sect on Yunlu Mountain added a new name—Xu Taiping.
"At the foot of Yunlu Mountain, in Qinniu Village, a young man named Xu Taiping has developed a spiritual bone. Notify the master of the Seventh Peak to send disciples down the mountain to guide him."
The elder guarding the Spirit Bone Stele placed a letter in the mouth of a white crane in front of the gate.
The white crane spoke in a human voice, then spread its wings and flew away.