Chapter 17: Dream of Immortality

The wind from the northwest,

After blowing for tens of millions of years, it finally blew out a thick loess plateau.

Thousands of years ago, the Loess Plateau was still covered with lush vegetation.

In the plains, rivers and lakes crisscross, ditches are crisscrossed, and water and grass are lush, nourishing countless talented people.

There are unexpected changes in the weather and changes in the earth.

With the loss of natural energy and changes in climate, this fertile plateau has gradually become barren and desolate.

The river, which was once as abundant as the Milky Way, dried up. The water volume decreased and the sediment increased, causing the water to turn yellow and eventually became the Yellow River.

On the edge of the Yellow River, there is a famous historical city, Tongguan City.

There is a Xu family outside the city. They have lived at the foot of Yaowang Mountain for generations and have passed down medicine from generation to generation. They are a well-known family in the local area.

The head of the Xu family of this generation, in addition to being proficient in medicine, is also a renowned archaeologist.

Now, the patriarch Xu, who is over 70 years old, has retired from the Jiaotong University and returned to his hometown to become a doctor.

Jing'an Hall is the name of the Xu family clinic, which has been passed down for hundreds of years.

Mr. Xu has three sons, two daughters and four grandchildren, so he can be said to have a large family.

His eldest son, Xu Jianan, who is over fifty years old, has inherited the Xu family's ancestral medical skills and is now the head of Jing'an Hall.

The second son, Xu Jisheng, has been sociable since childhood. When he grew up, he entered the business world and started a medicinal materials business. Now, at the age of 40, he has accumulated billions of wealth.

The third son, Xu Jiping, grew up with Mr. Xu and was deeply influenced by archaeology. He was obsessed with studying ancient civilizations and was already a doctor of archaeology at Jiaotong University at a young age. In addition, he was active by nature and did not want to work in a research institute. Now, relying on Mr. Xu's connections, he often hangs out at major archaeological sites.

His two daughters had already married, both to prominent local figures.

Mr. Xu sits in the clinic every day and enjoys the joy of family.

In addition, the eldest son Xu Jian'an had a pair of children to take care of him, which brought endless joy to Mr. Xu's later years.

In the hot summer, the Yang energy rises, all evils retreat, and people rarely get sick.

There are very few patients in Jing'an Hall.

Mr. Xu suddenly felt a little uneasy and went home early.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw his eldest granddaughter Xu Miaomiao preparing to ride the electric stove out, so Mr. Xu asked, "Miaomiao, how long has your uncle not been home?"

Xu Miaomiao said, "Grandpa, Third Uncle always comes back every three to five months. This time he's only been gone for over a month, so it's still early."

Seeing Xu Miaomiao about to leave, Mr. Xu said, "Grandpa's heart has been beating fast these past two days. When you go out to play, you must pay attention to safety."

Upon hearing this, Xu Miaomiao immediately stopped the eMule, came to Mr. Xu and asked, "Grandpa, is there something wrong with your heart? I'll go call Dad back to check on you."

Mr. Xu shook his head and said, "I'm fine. I called your uncle several times before, but he didn't answer."

Xu Miaomiao smiled and said, "Maybe Third Uncle is busy and has no time to talk to you."

Mr. Xu's face suddenly became extremely ugly, as if he sensed something, and he hurriedly said: "Miaomiao, go and call your father back to me."

Xu Miaomiao said doubtfully: "Grandpa, my father went to the capital for a meeting and he will definitely not be back for a while. You can't find my third uncle, maybe my aunt knows where he went."

Mr. Xu frowned and said, "You should call your dad and ask him to come back soon. Grandpa's heart hasn't been beating this fast for many years. The last time was when your grandma passed away, Grandpa's heart beat fast for no reason."

Xu Miaomiao was also startled and asked, "Grandpa, are you worried that something happened to my third uncle?"

Mr. Xu seemed a little uncomfortable and said, "Let's talk about it when your father comes back."

Then he went straight back into the house.

After sitting on the sofa, Mr. Xu called his second son Xu Jisheng, who was doing business in the provincial capital, and asked him to come back immediately.

One day later, at the Xu family’s old house.

Mr. Xu brought his eldest son and second son to the ancestral hall.

Xu Jian'an and Xu Jisheng, who were following behind their father, all looked at their old father with concern.

After the three people entered the ancestral hall, Mr. Xu walked to the altar where the ancestral tablets were enshrined, lit three incense sticks, and paid homage to the ancestors.

Then he said to Xu Jian: "Boss, go and close the door."

"Dad, what happened? You suddenly called me and the second brother back. Did the third brother get into trouble outside again?" asked the eldest brother Xu Jian'an after closing the door of the ancestral hall.

The second son, Xu Jisheng, also said, "Dad, you should urge the third son to get married. Once he gets married, he can settle down. He is away from home all year round, and we don't know what he is doing outside. If he continues like this, we don't know when he will cause you a disaster and make you lose face for the rest of your life."

"Hey! Now that things have come to this, I will tell you the truth. The third brother has been wandering around outside all these years, actually because of my influence." Mr. Xu sighed.

"Influenced by you? Dad, what's going on?" Brothers Xu Jianan and Xu Jisheng looked at their old father in surprise.

In front of the two brothers, Mr. Xu opened a secret compartment on the wall behind the ancestral tablet and took out a rosewood box that was slightly larger than a 16-page book.

Putting the rosewood box on the table, Mr. Xu's eyes flashed with a trace of reminiscence, and he said, "It is because of this that I am worried that something happened to the third brother."

Xu Jisheng asked, "Dad, what's in the box?"

Mr. Xu took out a peculiarly shaped key from his pocket, then opened the box and took out a thread-bound ancient book from it.

"It is this book of immortality."

The eldest brother Xu Jian'an and the second brother Xu Jisheng walked up to the old man and looked at the "Eternal Life Sutra" in Mr. Xu's hand and asked, "What does this book have to do with my third brother?" Then, Mr. Xu introduced, "Don't underestimate this book. It contains the real cultivation method. After mastering it, it can make people live for 500 years."

As soon as these words were spoken, Xu Jianan and Xu Jisheng were stunned instantly.

Then, Mr. Xu began to explain the origin of the book.

This book "The Book of Immortality" was discovered by him when he was young, during an archaeological excavation of a Han Dynasty tomb.

Later, after studying the age of the skeleton in the tomb, they were shocked to find that the skeleton was at least 500 years old.

Driven by greed, he and the director of the institute at that time teamed up to embezzle a book compiled on jade slips unearthed from the tomb.

He copied down the contents, which is the "Eternal Life Sutra" in his hand now, while the director took the original copy of the jade slip away directly.

Moreover, after their operations, the record of the excavation of the jade slip was also destroyed.

In order to prevent others from realizing the true value of the tomb, they even replaced the skeleton of a 500-year-old man.

The five-hundred-year-old skeleton was burned to ashes by them.

But later, they discovered through research that the "Eternal Life Sutra" could not be practiced at all.

The method of cultivation recorded in the scriptures begins with the living being being able to sense its own wheel of life, and only then can one practice.

I wonder if his old leader has figured out the practice method of the "Eternal Life Sutra".

However, after years of research by Mr. Xu, he discovered that the "Eternal Life Sutra" was missing the opening chapter, which prevented them from getting started.

Later, his third son Xu Jiping accidentally saw Mr. Xu's research.

The dream of immortality was instantly ignited.

I resolutely chose archaeology as my major.

After graduation, he traveled to various archaeological sites across the country in order to find the opening chapter of the "Eternal Life Sutra".

He even cooperated with tomb robbers from all over the country to find the starting chapter of the Book of Immortality.

After the introduction by Mr. Xu.

Xu Jian'an and Xu Jisheng both stared at the "Eternal Life Sutra" in Mr. Xu's hand with shining eyes.

Longevity, there actually is a way to longevity in this world.

The two people's dream of immortality was also ignited at this moment.

Seeing the reactions of his two sons, Mr. Xu solemnly warned them: "Now the whereabouts of the third son are unknown, and his life or death is uncertain. I told you about the "Eternal Life Sutra" not to let you inherit it now. This sutra lacks the beginning chapter, and it is impossible to practice it. What you have to do now is to do your best to find the whereabouts of the third son. I am worried that the third son has discovered something, so he lost contact with the family."

The second oldest, Xu Jisheng, patted his chest and assured confidently, "Dad, don't worry. My eldest brother and I will do our best to find the third oldest."

The eldest son, Xu Jianan, thought more than the second son and asked, "Dad, is the leader who shared this scripture with you back then still alive? Have his descendants inherited the scripture?"

Mr. Xu shook his head and said, "The old leader has been dead for twenty years. As for whether his descendants have inherited the scriptures, I don't know. I have almost no contact with his descendants."

Xu Jianan said, "Dad, you should tell me the information of your old leader first, and I will investigate. This kind of thing must be kept absolutely confidential, and no one else should be allowed to know that our Xu family has the "Eternal Life Sutra"."

Hearing this, Xu Jisheng's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness, and he said, "Dad, my elder brother is right. This is a matter of life and death. Once our family embarks on the path of cultivation, we must never let outsiders know our details. If necessary, I can shut up your old leader's family. The original copy of the technique must also be taken back and held in the hands of our own family."

Mr. Xu hesitated and said, "Don't act rashly about the matter of the exercises for now. I will ask someone to find out the current situation of the old leader's family. You should go all out to find the third brother. Before he left this time, he told me that he wanted to go to Anyi to take a look. But he didn't say where in Anyi he was."

Xu Jianan asked: "Is it Anyi in Hedong?"

Mr. Xu nodded and said, "That's it."

Xu Jianan said, "I have two friends who practice medicine in Anyi. Perhaps I can ask them to help me find out the whereabouts of the third brother."

Xu Jisheng shook his head and said, "Brother, I'm afraid we can't ask anyone about the whereabouts of the third brother. The fewer people who know about this, the better. After all, the third brother is going to do archaeology, so his whereabouts must be more secretive. It may be safer for the two of us to go there in person."

Xu Jianan said: "Dad doesn't even know the exact location, can we find it if we go there?"

Xu Jisheng said: "Although Dad doesn't know, the third brother must have left clues at home. Let's go to the third brother first to see if he left any maps or anything like that."

Xu Jian'an's eyes lit up and he said, "The third brother is an archaeological expert. He must have the habit of marking the specific location of the ancient tomb. Maybe he has a map at home."

Seeing this, Mr. Xu said, "Big Brother, Second Brother, you two should be careful. Don't tell anyone else about this. Even if Miaomiao and the others ask, you must keep your mouth shut."

Xu Jianan said, "I know, Dad. My second brother and I know the importance of this matter."

Xu Jisheng also nodded and said, "Dad, then my brother and I will go and do our work."

Mr. Xu asked them to wait a moment and said, "I know you two want to know the contents of the Changsheng Sutra. There is no rush to find the third brother. You two can just read it here first and see how much you can understand. It all depends on your luck."

Afterwards, the brothers Xu Jianan and Xu Jisheng read the "Book of Immortality" in the Xu family ancestral hall.

The content was profound and extensive, introducing the Wheel of Life, the Sea of ​​Bitterness, the Fountain of Life, the Divine Bridge, and the Other Shore, but they were unable to understand the specific meaning of those scriptures.

It's like reading a heavenly book.

The "Eternal Life Sutra" in Mr. Xu's hand turned out to be a complete volume of cultivation techniques for the secret realm of Lunhai.

It’s just that the introductory chapter is missing, which means they have the scriptures but are unable to truly get started.

If the sea of ​​suffering has been opened up for one of them, then he will be able to roughly understand the contents of the scriptures and will be able to practice the techniques described in the scriptures to the level of the sea of ​​suffering.

Unfortunately, they were not blessed enough, and no one of them could clear the sea of ​​suffering on his own.

(End of this chapter)