Lu Li was horrified to discover that he had somehow arrived in an unknown space.

The space was not large, only about three meters in circumference. The rest was covered in thick white fog, obscuring the view of the outside world. Above his head was sunlight, as well as blue sky and white clouds.

The ground beneath his feet was very soft, and the soil was not ordinary yellow earth but black with a faint shimmer. In the center of this three-meter-wide space stood a sprout about four or five inches tall, also glowing with a shimmering light. It was unknown what kind of plant it was.

Just then, a sudden sensation of drowning washed over him.

Panicking, Lu Li rushed towards the 'white fog' on the side.

Bang!

The seemingly soft, cotton-like fog was harder than steel, and he was knocked straight onto his butt.

"Where am I? Let me out..." Lu Li's face turned red as he struggled to shout.

Buzz!

The space suddenly trembled.

The next moment, Lu Li came to his senses and found himself sinking deeply into the water. He swallowed a few mouthfuls of river water and struggled to swim towards the shore.

Back on the shore, Lu Li vomited violently and gasped for breath, feeling like he had narrowly escaped death.

"Mud Monkey, how could you drown?" Chen Zhong noticed something was wrong with Lu Li and swam back over.

"Don't, don't go back. Call Qin Shouren back. There's a ghost down there," Lu Li panted.

"A ghost?" Chen the fat man looked at Lu Li in suspicion. "Where would a ghost come from in the middle of the day?"

"Don't ask! Just listen to me. Call him up here. And Li Xiangyun too. Stop washing and come back with me now!" Lu Li's tone was decisive and unmistakable. That thing was too bizarre, and he was afraid something might happen to the others.

"Alright," Chen Zhong had never seen Lu Li so serious before and immediately called Qin Shouren and Li Xiangyun back to the shore.

Qin Shouren also looked doubtful, but seeing Lu Li's pale face, he didn't argue and the four of them headed back towards Dashicun Village.

Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren were used to being lazy, and since it was still early, they were afraid they'd be forced to go herd cows if they went back too soon, so they dragged their feet.

Lu Li, on the other hand, was deep in thought and also walking slowly. Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation in his left hand. In his panic, he had forgotten to check his wound earlier.

When he looked at his left palm, his pupils dilated in shock, and he exclaimed in his heart, "What is this? When did this weird thing appear on my palm?"

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

It was only now that Lu Li noticed that a three-tiered green tower pattern had somehow appeared on his palm.

Lu Li rubbed it with his hand, but the pattern didn't fade. It was as if it had been tattooed on. This frightened Lu Li greatly. "Could it be that I'm possessed by a ghost?"

This reminded him of his earlier experience underwater, and he thought he might have encountered a water ghost. He decided he needed to find a Taoist priest in the town to help him.

"Mud Monkey, what are you doing?" Qin Shouren noticed Lu Li standing still and walked back over.

"N-nothing," Lu Li forced a ugly smile.

"Did you... really encounter a ghost?"

"No..." Before Lu Li could explain, he suddenly saw an old Taoist priest walking out of the forest path. The priest looked to be in his seventies or eighties, even older than the Qingyun Sect priest they had seen in Longxing Town earlier.

He was thin and hunched, wearing a light blue Taoist robe. His gray-white hair was tied up in a messy bun, and his face was dotted with black spots. If it weren't for the long sword on his back and the fly whisk in his left hand, Lu Li might have mistaken him for a ghost.

Even so, Lu Li still felt creeped out.

Qin Shouren and Li Xiangyun, who were walking ahead, also stopped. Chen Zhong gulped and whispered, "Is that an immortal or a ghost?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the old Taoist priest suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked at Chen Zhong, nearly scaring him into peeing his pants. Chen Zhong quickly hid behind Lu Li.

Lu Li felt that although this person looked creepy, his attire was at least decent. He summoned up his courage and walked forward, bowing to the old Taoist priest. "Greetings, venerable master."

The old Taoist priest lowered his gaze. Though old, his eyes were not dim. He stared at Lu Li and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where are you young ones heading?"

Lu Li didn't dare to look him in the eye and lowered his head to answer, "We're all from Dashicun Village. We just participated in the Qingyang Sect's awakening ceremony and are heading back to the village."

"Heading back?" The old Taoist's eyes gleamed. "Did none of you succeed in awakening?"

"No, venerable master."

"How about I offer you a blessing?"

"A blessing?" Lu Li was puzzled.

"That Qingyang Sect is just a name without substance. Why don't you follow me instead? I can teach you how to cultivate immortality. How about it?"

"Cultivate immortality!" Lu Li didn't speak, but Qin Shouren exclaimed in surprise.

"Hmm, I have a way to teach you how to cultivate immortality. Are you interested?"

"Yes, yes..." Qin Shouren nodded eagerly.

"Good, then follow me," the old Taoist priest said with a satisfied smile and turned to walk back down the forest path.

"Venerable master, can we go back and tell our parents first?" Qin Shouren called out as the old man started to leave.

The old Taoist priest stopped and turned around. "When I'm out and about, everything is about fate. If you leave now, it means our fate is severed, and you won't be able to enter my immortal sect."

Upon hearing this, Qin Shouren, Chen Zhong, and Li Xiangyun all looked troubled, except for Lu Li. He wasn't troubled because he wanted to follow the old Taoist, but rather because he felt something was off about him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it.

After some thought, Lu Li decided not to take the risk. When he was young, he loved reading strange stories and folklore, which often described mountain spirits and demons transforming into humans to deceive children, eating their flesh and hearts. It was terrifying. So, he cupped his hands and said, "Venerable master, although we have the desire to cultivate immortality, we are not suitable materials. We won't disturb you further." He then winked at the other three and said, "Let's go."

Among them, Lu Li was the smartest, and they usually followed his lead in situations like this. Although they didn't understand his decision, they didn't ask questions. They all bowed to the old Taoist, apologized, and followed Lu Li as he started to walk away.

Just as Lu Li and the others took a few steps, the old Taoist suddenly took out a rolled-up yellow paper and flicked it towards them. The paper flew out swiftly, and before Lu Li and the others could react, they were enveloped in thick white fog.

Within a few breaths, they felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground.

The old Taoist didn't even look back and turned to enter the forest. Moments later, a carriage appeared, and the old Taoist, bending over like he was picking up trash, threw Lu Li and the others into the carriage one by one.

Then, he drove the carriage and disappeared down the forest path.