"Sentient beings are not the Dao, but can cultivate and attain the Dao; the Dao is not sentient beings, but can respond to their cultivation."
I gave the same talismans to both Wu Xiaoman and Teacher Lv Yanling, but their reactions to the talismans were quite different. While Teacher Lv seemed relatively normal, the dark aura flickering around Wu Xiaoman's face made me very cautious. It reminded me that she was the first person to discover the mummified body in the hole on the school playground. Recently, every time I saw her, her expression had been so cold, which made me feel that something was off.
After Wu Xiaoman wore the peace talisman, I became more certain that my instincts were right. Unfortunately, my knowledge of cultivation is almost nonexistent, so I couldn't figure out what was happening. Thankfully, after a short while, Wu Xiaoman's complexion began to improve, and her expression wasn't as cold as it had been the past few days. Everything seemed to return to normal.
After half an hour of rest, everyone boarded the bus again. After several stops and more bouts of vomiting, we finally reached the canyon near Yaoshui Gully around 2 PM.
The closer we got to Yaoshui Gully, the heavier the feeling of oppression in my heart. The Xuanhuang Flag in my Dantian had unfurled, and the vital energy within it was more active than before. However, once we got off the bus, everything seemed to return to normal. I felt strange—this was the most excited I had been since I started my cultivation. I had a hunch that something would happen on this trip.
After I gave the peace talisman to Teacher Lv and Wu Xiaoman, neither of them got motion sickness anymore. Soon after, my cousin found out from somewhere, and I had to give him one as well. Before long, everyone knew that I had talismans that could prevent motion sickness. For the first time, I became the center of attention among my classmates, but unfortunately, I didn't have many talismans with me on this trip.
I noticed that our class teacher, Xin Tianfan, who usually had a shiny hairstyle, now looked completely disheveled with a sickly green complexion. I couldn't help but feel a bit smug.
Once everyone unloaded the cooking equipment and tents, the bus driver started the bus and drove off quickly, disappearing into the canyon.
I heard that we were going to stay here for two days. Tonight, we would set up tents and rest, and later have a bonfire party. Tomorrow, we would visit the stone toad statue and drink the spring water, and the day after, we would climb the mountain to watch the sunrise.
The canyon was surrounded by towering, unnamed mountains, covered with dense birch forests. Anyone who wandered into the forest could easily find a bundle of old birch bark that had fallen off the trees. Birch bark is excellent for starting fires.
After a short rest, the class leaders assigned more than ten boys to gather birch bark, while others began to set up the tents in slightly higher and flatter areas. The girls went to the creek in the middle of the canyon to wash the cooking utensils and prepare the rice, vegetables, meat, and fruit.
Everyone was busy.
I was assigned to gather birch bark and my cousin specifically asked me to collect some dried pine branches as well. He said that with the pine branches, the bonfire smoke wouldn't be so irritating, and it would give off a fragrant aroma.
Reluctantly, I set off with Cao Kui and Cheng Fan, climbing up the cliffs on both sides of the canyon to gather bark. The three of us together looked somewhat ridiculous—Cao Kui, who was aiming to get into the sports school, was tall and strong, I was of medium height, and Cheng Fan barely reached 1.7 meters.
Since there was no time limit for gathering firewood, we weren't in a hurry. Under the lead of Cao Kui, who had been here before, we first picked wild strawberries to satisfy our hunger. We couldn't eat them all, so we each pulled out a plastic bag to pack them. We also caught a nameless little bird that hadn't learned to fly yet.
This little bird had pale green feathers and bright purple eyes—it was very strange. None of us could identify it. After playing a game of rock-paper-scissors, the little bird was mine.
When we had played enough, we collected some birch bark and pine branches, bundled them up, and played another round of rock-paper-scissors. In the end, Cao Kui had to carry the load.
I was feeling so pleased with myself. Every time I saw their gestures during rock-paper-scissors, I could almost guess what they would do just from their small movements and expressions. This kind of intuition only came after I started cultivating. I couldn't help but feel once again that cultivation was amazing!
However, Cheng Fan always seemed to beat Cao Kui in rock-paper-scissors. This guy was clever. Cheng Fan's academic performance was similar to mine, and he had a great singing voice. He also liked to draw, with dreams of attending an art school and becoming an artist.
I remembered watching a TV show once where a Tai Chi master tried to make a bird fly using only his palm, but it kept fluttering around without flying. Back then, I was envious, and now, seeing the bird in my hand, I suddenly wanted to try it myself.
I drew a stream of vital energy from the Xuanhuang Flag into my hand, and as I opened my palm, the bird first stood still, then looked around a bit, and unexpectedly closed its eyes, not wanting to fly away. I hadn't even begun to learn the palm techniques from the TV show, and it was already acting like this—how frustrating.
I sighed. I had lost interest in the little bird. While Cao Kui and Cheng Fan weren't paying attention, I placed it on the ground.
After walking a few steps, I turned around and saw the little bird fluttering behind me, its round eyes looking at me pitifully as it chirped.
Cheng Fan turned around when he saw the bird wasn't in my hand, but flying behind me, fluttering up and down, and he asked, "San Tong, you're not going to give me that bird?"
"Of course I will," I replied, though I was curious about why the bird wasn't afraid of humans. My interest was piqued again, and there was no way I would give it up to Cheng Fan.
In the end, I caught the little bird again. I planned to study it in the next few days.
When we returned to the camp by the canyon, more than ten tents had already been set up. Everyone was unpacking their things and sitting in a circle, with snacks and fruit laid out on cloth.
We three were the last to return, and I overheard my cousin muttering that we had been lazy with our work.
The sharp-eyed Teacher Lv Yanling immediately noticed the little bird in my hand and exclaimed, "Wow! Zhang San Tong, your little bird is so cute!"
"Pfft...!"
"Cough... cough...!"
"..."
Several classmates either choked or spat out the drinks they were holding.
I froze. What? Why did Teacher Lv say "your little bird"? That comment sounded... a bit suggestive.
Both our class teacher and most of the boys looked at me, and their first reaction was to look down.
With a thud, Cao Kui, who was carrying a large bundle of firewood, collapsed to the ground, banging his fists on the ground in frustration...